For a week, and at practically every primetime commercial break, NBC taunted viewers with this earnestly whispered cheerleader-saving imperative, promoting “Homecoming,” the Nov. 20 episode of “Heroes,” in which both the audience and the super-powered characters finally learn their destiny. But when the episode was over, neither viewers nor the so-called heroes knew much more than they did in the episode a week before.

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Spoiler alert: Yes, super-healing cheerleader Claire Bennet was saved from the mysterious brain-eating serial killer Sylar. But when her savior, power-mimicking male nurse Peter Petrelli asked if he also succeeded in saving the world, even Claire didn’t have an answer. “I’m just a cheerleader,” she responded.

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Behind the scenes at 'Heroes'
Nov. 20: Jinah Kim gives us a look behind the scenes of the new NBC hit, "Heroes."
NBC News Channel
Blood-covered Claire was then whisked away by her secret-agent dad (who is more marginal that evil). And a confused Peter was left to pop his broken body into place (via Claire’s borrowed regeneration ability) before being arrested for the murder of a less-important cheerleader lying literally brainless in a high-school locker room. Hey, nobody said they had to save all the cheerleaders to save the world.

Never fear, Claire. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was just a cheerleader too when she began her heroic journey. TV loves to repeat itself, so you’ll probably do just as well, if not better. Meanwhile, it’s the audience that has to worry about its brains getting sucked out by the flawed-but-fascinating “Heroes.”

The show is based on a lousy understanding of genetics and adheres ambiguously to the science fiction trope it allegedly follows. And frankly, a lot of the characters in the ensemble cast are really annoying.

Yet “Heroes” totally works. What’s more, it’s successful science fiction on primetime network TV. That almost never happens.

We could be heroes
As any geek worth his or her eight-sided dice knows, science fiction is always a blatant metaphor for something human and real. For example: “Star Trek” (social morality), current “Battlestar Galactica” (current political climate) and “X-Men” (racism/bigotry).

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'Heroes' speak
Nov. 20: "Today" show host Matt Lauer talks with Milo Ventimiglia and Masi Oka from the NBC drama, "Heroes."
Today Show Entertainment
So what’s “Heroes” about? You’ve got a bunch of regular Joes — some who are obviously connected, some not so much — who suddenly develop unique superpowers at roughly the same time. Some of these disparate characters figure out that they’re supposed to unite, like the Justice League of America (sans capes and tights, we hope), and prevent a nuclear catastrophe in New York City.

This tragedy is foretold by Isaac Mendez, a precognitive artist who paints the future when hopped up on smack. As for the rest of the heroes, their newfound abilities leave them mostly just annoyed. This is where the show starts to break down.

In the fantastic world of science-fiction comics, amazing things happen and no one blinks an eye. Of course there’s a Superman! Why shouldn’t Iron Man be able to fly in that heavy metal suit? With its post-9/11 metaphor of the threat of dirty bombs and a devastated New York, “Heroes” is set in a real-world universe, where the fantastic is still amazing. Still, politician Nathan Petrelli feels burdened by his ability to fly fast enough to break the sound barrier. His brother Peter’s incessant whining about the siblings' special destiny pushes Nathan to retort that his superpower is good only for rescuing cats from trees.