Television Roundup: Chuck and Heroes (spoilers)

Given how much I liked Chuck’s premiere, perhaps a little letdown was inevitable. The second episode's jokes were sparse, the action felt rehashed and I didn't feel the same sparkle that I did in the first episode. Admittedly I missed the first 20 minutes because I am slow in the head, but I'm pretty certain the poisoned food routine was stolen from another show, and other than the tablecloth gag there weren’t too many surprises. Even the helicopter finale felt clichéd.

Zachary Levi could've been the the fourth member of Alvin and the Chipmunks

On the brighter side, next week’s episode looks a lot spicier; knives thrown at crotches have a way of making good television.

And on to Heroes.

I'm glad Peter cut his hair. Now if he could only learn how to talk normal-like

Today’s episode reminded me how intriguing this series can be. I can literally hear the creaky wheels in my head struggling to anticipate what will happen next.

It was gratifying to see at least one of my theories came true when Hiro borrowed Kensei’s identity to save the blacksmith’s daughter. But will the daughter realize that it’s Hiro who is actually the hero?

And the “real” Kensei apparently has rejuvenative powers like Claire. Thanks to Claire’s toe chopping demonstration, it looks like her healing powers – and therefore, likely Kensei’s power as well – can repair damage at a sub-cellular level (whatever that might mean). If I were to put on my science hat, I might suppose that their healing powers would also prevent aging and very likely allow eternal life. Is it possible that Kensei is Claire’s ancestor, or perhaps even her father? (I just did some reading and found out that Nathan Petrelli is actually Claire’s biological father. Boy did I miss a lot.)

I don't want to brag, but I was perving on Hayden before it became fashionable

We learned a little more about the brother and sister making their way to America. They're twins and each of their powers seem to nullify the other's. The sister can induce those around her to cry black tears (of shame?) before dying while the brother is able to prevent his sibling's power from manifesting. Today's episode also showed how the brother, Alejandro, can revive his sister's victims.

Is it just me or is Peter a little more muscular than last year? Whatever his physique, Peter is certainly making the most of his stable of powers. He looked pretty unstoppable against a couple of thugs, which makes me wonder why he won’t use force to retake his identity from his Irish captors.

Mohinder, Matt, Mr. Bennett, Molly (the little girl), and now the Haitian all seem to be in league together with the goal of bringing down Mr. Bennett's old company. It even looks like they're making progress which leads me to believe that disaster will soon strike. This could be the perfect opportunity for the worse-than-bogeyman character to make an appearance, unless he was already on the scene as Hiro's father's murderer or Mrs. Petrelli's secret scratcher.

What were your thoughts on the shows?