The Day That Chuck Broke

pickarooney

For three nervous years Chuck lived on the bubble and we watched that bubble soar, wishing it afloat but wanting to keep it close. IT was the little show that could, the best thing on TV that nobody was watching. Chuck was ours. Chuck was us. Actually, Morgan was us and Chuck was the friend we wanted to be like. We wanted the best for Chuck, for him to be happy, but no so happy that he went off and left us behind. Sarah was the unattainable ideal, the dream woman, in many ways the femme fatale. She was the women we dreamt about having, the Ferrari of femininity. We fantasised about what we would do with that Ferrari, but give us the keys and we'd panic for fear of breaking it. There was no way we could drive it properly or afford to run it. And so long as Chuck had his impossible dream, he remained human, a lovable geek who needed us as much as we needed him. In truth we feared that one day someone would notice Chuck and say 'Hey, this guy is a catch'. And that he would change.

The spy antics and the comic relief have long been mainstays of the show but the main theme was this adorable dork who couldn't catch a break. He flirted with the world of the CIA as he flirted with Sarah - always as an awkward outsider playing way out of his league, but with a growing army of fans. All good things have a life-span and so the writers inevitably reached that crunch point that must always come in such will-they-won't-they dramas. In season three they took a brave but necessary step by pairing Chuck and Sarah up with new partners. Kristin Kreuk, despite initial scepticism, was a joy as Hannah, Chuck's new flame. The admittedly gorgeous girl-next-door with a heart of nerd was a perfect match for our main guy and in her short time on the show she grew on us (or me at least) more than Sarah has in three seasons and counting. And then they chucked it up. In 'Chuck versus the Fake Name' Charles Carmichael began to become real - and he was a bit of a prick.

Now, Chuck is serious business. He's got his dream job and his dream girl and he's become a dab hand at the spy game. He's become distanced from Morgan and distanced from us. In a way he's become distanced from himself and I've started to stop liking him so much.

It might sound trite, but I feel a little sorry for Yvonne Strahovski. She seems to be a talented actress and a warm, witty person off-screen. On it, she's a cold fish, an ice-maiden with the charm of a Romanian dictionary. She's spend years being aloof and cryptic and all attempts to humanise her now seem doomed to failure. The writers seem hell bent on trying to convince us that they can work as a couple but it's clear they don't really match. They've tried to move them closer together by making Chuck more Sarahish and Sarah more Chuckish but it's just not working. They're more Suck than Charah.

Chuck, for me, reached its zenith at the end of season two when the writers brilliantly F5ed the scenario with the introduction of the intersect 2.0. There has never been a moment that best captured the joyful, kid-in-a-sweetshop essence of Chuck than his first brilliantly clumsy foray into the world of martial arts. He looked just like we all did when we practised our ninja moves when nobody was looking. I admit I actually whooped when he flattened a room full of baddies with his long, flailing limbs and announced "I know Kung Fu!"

His fighting style's been polished up now and he no longer looks shocked or guilty when he dispatches a bad guy. He's Sarah with short hair, he's the Kings of Leon in suits.

Morgan has grown up now, through no apparent choice of his own and although he too has the big job and the cute girlfriend, he doesn't seem all that happy. You get the sense he'd pack it all in for Halo and Cheese Puffs and some guy-time with his BFF. His odd-couple pairing with Casey has its moments but that schtick has its limits and is beginning to wear thin. There's only so much mileage in Jeffster and Big Mike and something really needs to happen to make this show work again. With a full season order Chuck seems to finally be off the bubble. I fear however the water is filled with sharks.

Otacon

I recently rewatched Chuck from start to finish [a recent addition to our house had not seen it and needed an education]. Knowing what I know now, I loved going back to see the accident-prone, naive Chuck of old. However, one thing I noticed was how much I actually preferred the new, stronger, more confident Chuck. Watching the first season, my housemate actually got a bit frustrated as to how utterly useless Chuck was, and I could kind of agree.

Chuck's character was incomplete, he was clearly meant for better things, too good for the job he was in. As the season's went by, his 'destiny' became clear and the writers [smartly] did not dilly-dally in getting there. Everything that needed to happen happened; Chuck went out with Lou and Hannah to realise he loved Sarah, Sarah's feelings were tested with Bryce and Shaw, Casey grew to respect Chuck and care about his team rather than just his orders. Each main character in the show grew and developed, keeping the show fresh. I don't think I would still be watching if they hadn't changed. Obviously, the big change was the Intersect 2.0.

While I understand people liked the nerd Chuck, I would argue that he hasn't gone anywhere. Yes he now know's 'kung-fu' but he has to deal with a number of other issues because of this [Will he ever kill someone?] and he still quips his way through all of them.

I'm sorry you are not liking the direction the show is going, but I do so I'll keep watching.

wes

I also like the direction the show is heading in. Its nice to see Chuck evolve and come into his own as a spy. There is really only so many times, you could have him screw up really really badly, and he does still do that from time to time.

Also, its good to see him with Sarah, as the whole will, they won't they thing, does become a bit much after a while.

don ramo

i kinda agree with the OP that chuck has turned into a bit of an ass, there is no denying hes changed, i kinda miss the awkward chuck to,

but this is the natural progression that was always gonna happen, the biggest hurdle now is how to keep the comedy fresh and chuck more professional,

there kinda keeping it going with morgan but that isnt working, and as i said in other threads the buy more staff have become extremely stale and very very annoying, i kinda wanna decapitate jeffster at this point, and choke big mike with a sub of the day, i understand the product placement entirely and the first and second maybe even the third time were funny, but its just got to the point where it aint funny anymore, its to blatant,

it would have worked better just to have them working in a subway, instead of rebuilding the buy more as a CIA base, that was a sizeable (just short of) shark jump moment for me, seeing CIA operatives useing hidden console that pop out of the ground in the middle of a electronics store,

im still really liking chuck but it is slowly moving down me list of first to watch shows,

Johnmb

don ramo wrote: »

....i understand the product placement entirely and the first and second maybe even the third time were funny, but its just got to the point where it aint funny anymore, its to blatant,

I think it has to stay so blatant, it's a running gag at this stage. If they were to start making it more subtle, it would just be product promotion, whereas now it is almost part of the show! And in fairness, Subway earned it.

iguana

pickarooney wrote: »

He's Sarah with short hair,

This to me is the main problem with the show right now. With Chuck as such a competent ass kicking spy he makes Sarah redundant as a character. I think they should have had Shaw kill her in Paris. I think it would have worked wonders for the show.

sohoblue123

The fandom would revolt if Sarah dies, that I can assure. ^-^

Chuck has changed a lot, yes. And I do miss season 1!Chuck. But if he were the same guy right now, that would be really poor writing on the writer's part. And pretty boring, too.

And Chuck isn't all that competent. Definitely moreso than he used to be, but even this last episode is a clear example of Chuck still being... Chuck. He even told Sarah he had a blindspot with regards to his mother, but he still acted emotionally (he was half-right, irregardless). If you remember in season 2 he was pretty whiny. It was probably the worst season for Chuck (the character) for me and is the main reason putting me off rewatching it. I don't know about you guys, but I couldn't take another season of that.

iguana

sohoblue123 wrote: »

The fandom would revolt if Sarah dies, that I can assure. ^-^

Sarah is a terrible cardboard character played by a gorgeous woman. If they killed her off and replaced her with a well rounded, interesting character played by an equally gorgeous woman the fandom would be get over it in no time at all.

pickarooney

Yeah, I would have sang at her funeral and adopted Kristin Kreuk (or Kristen Bell - now there would be a perfect, tiny replacement).

amacachi

MMMMM Kristen Bell.

sohoblue123

Dear God, not Kristin Kreuk. =/

I repeat. The fandom would revolt if Sarah dies.

pickarooney

sohoblue123 wrote: »

Dear God, not Kristin Kreuk. =/

I repeat. The fandom would revolt if Sarah dies.

Then out her as a mega-evil spy and give the actress something to do besides concerned frowning.

sohoblue123

And having her react to Chuck almost getting killed every week.

iguana

pickarooney wrote: »

Then out her as a mega-evil spy and give the actress something to do besides concerned frowning.

That could actually work really well if they were brave enough to stick to it and worked out the plot intelligently.

amacachi

I'd love if they introduced a new character who wasn't a bloody spy.

iguana

amacachi wrote: »

I'd love if they introduced a new character who wasn't a bloody spy.

Kreuk wasn't, nor was Rachel Bilson in the 1st series.

Actually Harry Dean Staunton wasn't either but I really wanted him to be. I'd hoped the Repo Man might have been a recurring character.

amacachi

iguana wrote: »

Kreuk wasn't, nor was Rachel Bilson in the 1st series.

Actually Harry Dean Staunton wasn't either but I really wanted him to be. I'd hoped the Repo Man might have been a recurring character.

Aye, but it's rare, and you just said you'd like if Kreuk was. :pac:

sohoblue123

Have we forgotten Alex already?

amacachi

sohoblue123 wrote: »

Have we forgotten Alex already?

Daughter of a spy, doesn't count. :pac:

sohoblue123

But... she's not a spy. o.O

Besides, considering this is a spy show, I'm quite surprised that half the main characters aren't spies.

pickarooney

sohoblue123 wrote: »

But... she's not a spy. o.O

Besides, considering this is a spy show, I'm quite surprised that half the main characters aren't spies.

or are they...?