The Buoy Club

Chuck: Tracing Our Hero from Nerd Herd to Fugitive

If there's one thing that sets television shows apart from any other story-telling medium, it's their ability to show character development. For those who aren't really familiar with this term, I'm talking about the changes a show's characters undergo from the first episode to the last. Fans of Chuck are witnesses to a perfect example of this. Remember the Chuck we met during the first couple episodes of season one? The one who taped his fingers when playing Call of Duty and had to be dragged into most of his team's dangerous missions? He was learning to cope with the Intersect in his head and any success he had came from pure, blind luck.

Fast forward now to the Chuck we saw in tonight's episode. He's so fed up with having government secrets in his head that's he willing to turn to Jill for help. Not only that, but he's challenging General Beckman's every word and barging into Fulcrum strongholds like he owns the place. His computer skills and ability to slip out of tough situations actually qualify him as a halfway decent spy. It's not the Jason Bourne/James Bond we're used to seeing, but Chuck has really come a long way. Helping him along that path has been the resurfacing of his father/Orion and the subsequent kidnapping shorty after. With all the energy Chuck has invested in finding his father, I expect his path in season three to be shaped largely by the outcome of this story line.

I know I usually try to focus on one aspect of each episode, but I couldn't help but mention the trailer for next week's show. I think I speak for most fans when I say...finally! The end of that trailer, with Chuck and Sarah finally hooking up for the first time, was a great payoff. Too many shows nowadays play the "will they/won't they" card for way too long (I'm looking at you, Lana and Clark). I'm glad the Chuck team has listened to the fans and finally given Chuck and Sarah what they truly deserve: each other.

Overall, this episode was just another notch in Chuck's extremely impressive belt and the ending has me amped for the finale.

BUOY CLUB GRADE: 95 out of 100.

Heroes: An "A" for Effort

Have you ever had a friend that really sucked at something but tried his best every time he did it? You found yourself saying, "If only half the people that did this had his type of desire?" Well, in the TV world, that friend is Heroes. You could even say this show's a classic example of the phrase, "Spinning your tires." While that rotating rubber makes it seems like there's a lot going on, the show's just not getting anywhere. And that's a shame. In these last few episodes, I can tell the writers are trying to right the ship. They're not falling into the same traps and making an effort to create authentic relationships between the characters.

But here's the sad part: they're just out of time. Television audiences are very capable of forgiving a show's shortcomings. It happened with Buoy Club member Lost after a ratings slump during the second season. The show reinvented itself and BAM! It was relevant again. But for all it's improvement here lately, the second, third and fourth chapters are the anchor dragging Heroes down. I'm afraid most fans needed a massive turnaround to invest in another season. Cramming some decent story lines into the last few episodes just isn't going to cut it. As much as I like the direction the writers are headed, the fat lady is already singing.

Only the next few weeks will tell if this buoy stays afloat in our little club. I'm sure Heroes will get renewed for another year and have at least one last shot to reinvest itself. If the finale rocks out loud, I will happily continue watching in the fall. If not, it will be time to move on. I guess we'll see.

BUOY CLUB GRADE: 78 out of 100.