Superpowers need not have spandex wrapping

“Heroes” Starring: Ali Larter, Greg Grunberg, Hayden Panettiere, and Milo Ventimiglia Mondays,… “Heroes” Starring: Ali Larter, Greg Grunberg, Hayden Panettiere, and Milo Ventimiglia Mondays, 9 p.m. NBC

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What if you woke up one day and discovered you could fly, run through fire or freeze time? Would you sew yourself a spandex outfit and start fighting crime? Or would you spend your time dealing with the emotional effects of being different?

NBC’s new drama “Heroes” doesn’t involve special costumes or gadgets, but rather takes a humanistic approach to dealing with superpowers. These “heroes” don’t fight crime or save kidnapped children – they just try to make sense of what’s going on around them.

Creator Tim Kring (“Crossing Jordan”) takes a large-scale approach with “Heroes.” There are seven heroes, each unconnected, each with his or her own superpower and backstory. He also sets up a universal storyline that will eventually tie them together.

This could get tricky, as it’s hard to deal with eight different storylines in an hour. Kring establishes each of them in the first episode, laying out the groundwork for them to join forces, save the world and alter the events of history.

“Heroes” plays much like the moments in the “X-Men” films wherein the characters first realize they have superpowers and don’t know what to do with them. Unfortunately for these heroes, there’s no special school for them to attend to hone their powers and eventually fight crime. They’re completely on their own, and everyone around them is convinced they’re insane.

Mohinder Surish’s (Sendhil Ramamurthy) father once theorized that people are developing special abilities as a result of evolution. When Mohinder discovers that his father was murdered, he finds it awfully hard to believe that it was a random event.

Simultaneously, people all over the country are discovering they can do extraordinary things. Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) is indestructible, Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) can freeze time and teleport, Isaac Mendez (Santiago Cabrera) can paint the future, Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) can read minds, Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) might be able to fly and Niki Sanders (Ali Larter) has rage blackouts.

“Heroes” sets itself apart from the other new fall shows by not having a single storyline that’s meant to be resolved at the end of the season. It has long-term potential, so it won’t have to reinvent itself and risk being unsuccessful in the second season.

The main mystery/drama that ties everything together is a man – the show’s version of the diabolical villain – who’s determined to find, capture and study these unique individuals.

This man also happens to be the adoptive father of Claire (the indestructible cheerleader). The second episode sets up the twist by having him find the tape of his daughter jumping off a construction rig and not getting hurt.

Isaac (the guy who paints the future) paints a picture of New York City getting blown up, which is supposedly the event the heroes must join forces to stop. While this sounds like another one-note storyline that will be resolved at the end of the season, hope remains – these characters will always face new struggles with their powers.

Rather than waking up to discover new powers and automatically know what to do with them, the characters are constantly struggling to get them under control and make sense of what’s going on. It’s far more compelling to see people struggling with a new ability than to watch a sudden epiphany and a montage of rescues. And, of course, they all have personal problems to deal with in addition to the powers.

Niki must deal with rage blackouts – in one instance she killed two men who attacked her – but she’s also a mother who is running from the mob. Isaac can paint the future, but only when he’s strung out on drugs. Their powers aren’t necessarily good; they’re confusing and hard to control.

Even the people with fun powers, like the ability to fly or freeze time, face criticism from the people around them. No one is willing to accept them for who they are. Like the movie “The Incredibles,” “Heroes” critiques society’s unwillingness to accept differences that it can’t understand.

“Heroes” achieves success by breaking the current television mold of solving crimes or catching kidnappers. The show is exactly like the characters that are in it: refreshingly different, compelling and based in reality.

If you always found it hard to believe that superheroes, in addition to their powers, can design and sew snazzy costumes, then watch “Heroes” Monday nights at 9 on NBC.