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capri0mniOkay. This is the first Monday since the last Chuck of this season. And after this, there are, according to most sources I've come across, thirteen episodes for next seaon. And then, no more, don't even bother asking, etc., forever and ever, no backsies.*
However, I've learned (thanks to my experience of the Barren Years of Doctor Who on the Internet) that having fandom support in your friendship-circle is almost as good as having an actively running show to watch. 'Cause then, you can have fanfic, and inside jokes, and speculative conversations, and all that good stuff. So I am preparing now, and trying to nudge those who might already be so inclined to look it up, and maybe embrace it and fall in love with it. It's quirky enough not to be everyone's "cup of tea," and I'm not so mad as to believe that the whole world must love it, or else. But, you know... there are a few people on my f'list / in my dwircle who I think would really get a kick out of it. And it's to those folks I'm writing this post.
A word of caution: Chuck's narrative style is a bit like a super-cool, vivid dream. You know the kind, where you're swept up by it and thoroughly entertained while you're sleeping, and you think: "This would make a great movie!" And then, when you wake up, you realize the plot doesn't really hold together: "Wait -- how did we get from point A to point B (or was that 'G')?" So if you're looking for a Spy-action thriller like you'd get from John le Carre, you'll be sorely disappointed, and I suggest you look elsewhere. But, like a dream, it holds together emotionally, and remains truthful and logical on that level.
In terms of style -- it actually kind of reminds me of the old Adam West Batman from 1960s TV -- but prettier. If we had TV-Mystery-Action-Drama Scale of one to ten, with Batman being a one, and ...oh, I don't know -- CSI: being a ten, then Chuck would be a three.
And finally, a fan-vid I found (from DVDs of seasons one and two, I think). I think it's telling that about half the clips in this vid (and many other fan vids I came across) are actually from the DVDs' blooper cuts.... just to show how much fun the cast has together, making the show.
*One source said there will be fifteen new episodes, every other source has said thirteen, so.
However, I've learned (thanks to my experience of the Barren Years of Doctor Who on the Internet) that having fandom support in your friendship-circle is almost as good as having an actively running show to watch. 'Cause then, you can have fanfic, and inside jokes, and speculative conversations, and all that good stuff. So I am preparing now, and trying to nudge those who might already be so inclined to look it up, and maybe embrace it and fall in love with it. It's quirky enough not to be everyone's "cup of tea," and I'm not so mad as to believe that the whole world must love it, or else. But, you know... there are a few people on my f'list / in my dwircle who I think would really get a kick out of it. And it's to those folks I'm writing this post.
- At no point has it ever taken itself seriously. Seriously. Even less so than Seinfield, which advertised the fact that it "Was about nothing" (but still had an awful lot of bickering and snide comments among that group of "friends").
And even though the plot often revolves around the threat of death and/or heartbreak (and there have been several episodes that had me with a lump in my throat, and wiping tears), still... It's always managed to steer clear of Moral STATEMENTS about Society by miles. And at the end of even truly sad episodes, where people die, I was always left with the feeling that the writers and actors, and grips and cameramen, and everyone involved in the show truly believe that Life is Good. And this world is a basically fun place to hang out, overall. - The whole premise is True Geek Pride. Okay... so, um, I'm going to have to reveal a spoiler for Episode 18 from this last season (and a general spoiler fog cloud for previous seasons). But it's like trying to explain how awesome the Doctor is, as a character, and never mention how he agonized over the prospect of wiping out the Daleks, or how he taught Jamie about magnets. Some details you just have to give away in order to make your point.
Okay, so Chuck is this geek, who has all secret files of the CIA and NSA uploaded directly into his brain. The problem is he's never been able to be aloof and cold-hearted to enough be a "true" spy. He can't pretend to befriend someone just to get information from them, and then kill them, or haul them off to jail, etc. So, briefly, his CIA bosses try uploading the same "Intersect" program into the brains of properly-trained spies in the hopes of getting a better, more efficient team. Only, one of them accidentally arms a nuclear bomb, and it's up to Chuck to disarm it. All of the spies get the same "flashes" from the files in their brains that tell them what the bomb is, but it's Chuck, who's the geek -- who actually likes learning new things for the sake of learning them, and doesn't dismiss anything he's learned as "unimportant," who realizes the implications of what he knows and is able to find a new solution and prevent the bomb from exploding.
In other words, he's a hero because he's a geek, not in spite of it. - Each episode is like a braid, with three plot strands that weave together. Each plot strand has its own set: The "Buy More" store (homage to Best Buy), where Chuck works, the secret CIA base in the basement of the Buy More, and the condominium complex Chuck shares with his sister and her S.O.. Each storyline has its own ensemble cast, and there is no regular character who's ever written as a bad or stupid person -- annoying? sure. But every one of them is sympathetic in their own ways.
- Captain Awesome (Chuck's nickname for his sister's Significant Other). If Chuck were a typical geek-pride show, Captain Awesome would be the annoying nemesis: the handsome, successful, athletic surgeon for whom nearly everything comes easily, and the person we'd all be meant to hate. But Awesome is shown to be a genuinely nice guy, who genuinely cares for Ellie and Chuck.
- Morgan (Chuck's best friend since fourth grade). This is a show that recognizes the importance of non-romantic friendships, even as Morgan and Chuck each fall into true romantic love, they never see their friendship to each other as less important. And there is no mocking of this attitude in any of the episodes. I mean -- how rare is that?
A word of caution: Chuck's narrative style is a bit like a super-cool, vivid dream. You know the kind, where you're swept up by it and thoroughly entertained while you're sleeping, and you think: "This would make a great movie!" And then, when you wake up, you realize the plot doesn't really hold together: "Wait -- how did we get from point A to point B (or was that 'G')?" So if you're looking for a Spy-action thriller like you'd get from John le Carre, you'll be sorely disappointed, and I suggest you look elsewhere. But, like a dream, it holds together emotionally, and remains truthful and logical on that level.
In terms of style -- it actually kind of reminds me of the old Adam West Batman from 1960s TV -- but prettier. If we had TV-Mystery-Action-Drama Scale of one to ten, with Batman being a one, and ...oh, I don't know -- CSI: being a ten, then Chuck would be a three.
And finally, a fan-vid I found (from DVDs of seasons one and two, I think). I think it's telling that about half the clips in this vid (and many other fan vids I came across) are actually from the DVDs' blooper cuts.... just to show how much fun the cast has together, making the show.
*One source said there will be fifteen new episodes, every other source has said thirteen, so.
