Chuck 3.12

“Chuck versus The American Hero”

Now that I’m back purchasing a can of Dr. Jibb from the soda machine on 2nd and Alvarado, here are some thoughts on last night’s episode…

Originally renewed for only 13 episodes, “Chuck” crammed as much story into Season 3 as it did in Season 2. The problem is that Season 2 had 22 episodes for the Chuck-wants-the-Intersect-out-of-his-head storyline. With fewer episodes and a reduced budget, Season 3’s Will-Chuck-and-Sarah-get-together storyline seemed choppy and rushed. Yet it’s all worthwhile because Sarah has made her choice as to whom she wants to be with, and it’s Chuck!

The best “Chuck” episodes balance the comedy and the action equally, and this one is no different. I liked how Morgan, Awesome and Casey teamed up to assist Chuck in winning Sarah’s heart, and I laughed when each individual in this alternate universe version of Team Bartowski gave their reasons for helping. In contrast, the action sequence with Chuck rescuing a captured Shaw before an airstrike destroyed the Ring Headquarters was well done, despite a reduced budget for extras and effects!

However, one more thing remains before Chuck and Sarah can finally be together, and it’s Shaw. The Ring revealed to Shaw that Sarah was the one who assassinated his wife, and now Shaw has some unfinished business to conclude, thus setting up the big fight between Chuck and Shaw! The character of Shaw was problematic all season, not because of his relationship with Sarah, but because it prevented the original dynamic between Team Bartowski (Chuck, Sarah and Casey) from happening much of this season. I for one am looking forward to its resolution!

One last thing: With all the fans who want Chuck and Sarah together, who knew that the biggest fan would be John Casey?

My Favorite Line: As much as I liked Ellie’s (“You’re a Bartowski, Chuck, start acting like one”) and Jeff’s (“And this is my blue period”) lines, I’m actually going to go with Shaw telling Awesome, “Next time, tackle the guy with the gun.”

My Coolest Moment: Sarah contacting Casey in the Buy More via Morse Code.

Charah Scene: Chuck telling Sarah he loved her – twice, because it felt really nice to say. Aww…

Now What?

Pretty Vacant is a complete story. It was originally written as a one-time movie screenplay, which was then adapted into a 24 page comic book script. There wasn’t a screenplay-to-comic-book problem with my second story, but I had to think in terms of a movie sequel.

Writing a sequel is easy because the characters have already been established, but writing a sequel is hard because there are preconceived notions already placed on the characters from the first story. And just like in everyday life, I followed certain rules when writing Pretty Vacant: Vegas Showcase.

Re-establishing the characters was the highest priority. Gigi, Diane, Mindy and Hans each has a so-that’s-what-he/she-is-doing moment when they are reintroduced. Although in Mindy’s case, she isn’t exactly doing anything when she first appears in the sequel.

Not liking sequels that just rehash the original story, I wanted to make it new. Most of the second adventure is set in a new locale (Las Vegas). New machinery abounds (I especially like the full body image scanner), and two characters -- Barnaby and Irina -- debut in PV: Vegas Showcase.

One of the hardest things to do is to keep it simple. I always try to sum up my stories in a single sentence. It’s no different with a sequel. PV: Vegas Showcase has mad scientists trying to make money to fund their evil experiments after suffering the destruction of their original laboratory.

And I had to plan it out. I’ve stretched out the Pretty Vacant concept for a third story (if I’m lucky enough to do it), much like a so-called movie trilogy. Yet PV: Vegas Showcase is a complete story on its own, not just a Part 2 that will be completed with a third issue.

Sequels let us go deeper into the stories of our favorite characters and discover new things that make us go wow. But there is a fine line in the sequel world and when it is crossed everything comes crashing down. Finding the balance between in two is part of the fun!

Chuck 3.11

“Chuck versus the Final Exam”

Now that I’m back retrieving my towel from the balcony, here are some thoughts on last night’s episode…

Talk about no-win situations! If Chuck doesn’t assassinate a CIA mole passing secrets to the Ring, he can no longer remain a spy. Yet if Chuck does assassinate the mole, he will lose Sarah (as he would no longer be the kind-hearted guy she loves)! Long gone are the days when Chuck was so important he had to have two bodyguards to protect him. The writers are smart to keep continuity when they can, but to ignore continuity when the story doesn’t warrant it.

The Buy More sub-plot had Big Mike helping Casey control his anger against Jeff and Lester (and Subway’s newest sandwich, the “Toonaroni”), but it was a relief to see that Casey wasn’t completely relegated to the secondary story. Just because Casey is now a civilian doesn’t mean he can’t look after Chuck. This isn’t a case of Casey breaking character. The former Colonel has gone out of his way a number of times (Chuck 1.13, 2.01, 2.18, and 2.21) to cover Bartowski’s back.

With Chuck and Sarah even farther apart than ever before at the end of this episode, it seems that the storyline has gotten darker. Yet Season 3 of “Chuck” was originally supposed to consist of 13 episodes, so the writers still have at least two episodes left to sort out their relationship and bring Team Bartowski back together. I have faith they can!

My Favorite Line: “I’m a naked spy!”

My Coolest Moment: Casey taking the kill shot that Chuck would never take.

Charah Scene: Chuck and Sarah on the most romantic stakeout ever, with sizzling shrimp and the music of Hall and Oats. Aww...

Chuck 3.10

“Chuck versus The Tic Tac”

Now that I’m back from buying breath mints at the corner store, here are some thoughts on last night’s episode…

Colonel John Casey has always been the most dependable character on “Chuck”. So maybe it was inevitable that there would be a serious weak spot in his patriotic make-up. It isn’t so hard to believe that Casey was once Lt. Alex Coburn, who left behind a pregnant fiancé to join a special black-ops team (that eventually sided with the Ring) by faking his own death. The show has given us clear back stories connecting us more closely to the characters. This connection also illustrated Chuck and Sarah’s deep bond with Casey as they defied CIA orders to help him.

Despite the dark overtones in this episode, it did have the trademarked humor! With Casey forced to team up with his former CO (now Ring agent) Keller, other characters had to pick up the comedy relief slack. The Awesome-Morgan running dialogue about Chuck was amusing, as was Chuck’s face plant against an invisible barrier in a CIA-secured building. However, the funniest moment unexpectedly came from Sarah, who took the access card to Casey’s prison cell from Head of Security Stanley Fitzroy and then casually bopped him once in the face!

And without Shaw to take away any screen time, the three original members of Team Bartowski each had a memorable fight scene: Chuck saving Casey’s ex-fiancé Kathleen against five members of the Ring, Sarah protecting Casey’s back against another five members of the Ring, and Casey going one-on-one with Keller. Casey killed his former commander by snapping his neck with one hand, but Chuck was able to refrain from killing a Ring agent in the same manner (with a little support from Sarah). Maybe Chuck can still be the guy Sarah fell for three years ago!

However, rescuing Kathleen has its price as Casey is no longer a Colonel and no longer a member of the team. Yet if Season 2 was any indication, Team Bartowski will split up only to come back together again before the end of this season. Or at least until episode 13!

My Favorite Line: “I was hoping you’d say that.”

My Coolest Moment: Sarah knowing how many Ring agents she was up against by counting the matches left behind by Casey.

Charah Scene: Even now-civilian Casey admits that Chuck and Sarah belong together. “Walker’s (Sarah) a good woman. It’s not too late.” Adam Baldwin did an incredible job as Casey in this episode!

Chuck 3.09

"Chuck versus The Beard"

Now that I’m back from the Bruce Lee/Van Damme/Seagal film festival, here are some thoughts on last night’s episode…

Morgan knows! I wrote in a earlier blog entry that the producers were going to have another member of the cast know Chuck’s secret. I’m happy it’s Morgan! Unlike Awesome, Morgan seems fully accepting of Chuck’s spy life, relieved that Chuck no longer has to lie to him, and excited that Chuck finally claimed his destiny with greatness (Chuck 2.02)!

Jeffster’s back! As the rest of the Buy More’s employees unknowingly dug in for a siege against the Ring, Jeff and Lester provided the anthem of liberty! What would seem ridiculous in other shows just fits in nicely with “Chuck”, be it Jeffster singing “Fortunate Son”, Big Mike’s Braveheart speech, the employees raising the Buy Moria flag like the Marines at Iwo Jima, or the two Buy More employees recreating the Times Square Kiss after V-J day!

Subway’s back! After victory over the Ring, Chuck and Morgan play Duck Hunt while eating meatball marinara subs. This is the start of the Subway tie-ins with “Chuck”. Even one of the later episodes this season is “Chuck vs. The Subway”. With any luck, I’ll finally get to see Sarah wear a Subway uniform! And for all my Sarah fantasies, how about Ellie in that bikini?

My new favorite episode of the season, this blog post deserves another photo! Jeffster, once more:

My Favorite Line: “The only thing I hate more than hippy, neo-liberal fascist anarchists are the hypocrite fat cat suits they eventually grow up to become.”

My Coolest Moment: So many to choose from, but I’m going to pick Jeff inadvertently saving Casey from enemy Ring agents. Something tells me that no matter what he may see or do, Jeff is just never going to figure out the Chuck, Sarah and Casey are spies!

Charah Scene: Chuck regaining his Intersect powers after confessing to Morgan his love for Sarah. Awww...

Draw One Get One Free

In writing “Pretty Vacant: Vegas Showcase”, I realized that I wanted Gigi to wear an action outfit in the story. I wanted clothing that was protective yet light weight, snug yet non-bulky, non-restrictive yet fashionable. Something I could easily imagine Gigi wearing alongside Emma Peel, Sarah Walker or Cara.

When the character sheet came back I found myself pleasantly surprised that there were two outfits for Gigi: one with a jacket and a leather tank top version. I like both versions, so choosing one over the other would be especially hard!

Fortunately, I didn’t have to make that decision. My script has Gigi wearing an action outfit in a cold and a warm setting. Gigi will wear the jacket version with the pages inside a cryo storage facility and the tank top outfit in a scene that takes place at the beach. This way I get to use both fashions in my story!

And if you’re a fan of Gigi sporting that Still Life bikini from the first Pretty Vacant story, don’t worry -- Gigi promises to wear one in the sequel (not that she has any choice in the matter)!

Update: Enjoy watching Cara while you can. "Legend Of The Seeker" might be canceled.

Chuck 3.08

“Chuck versus the Fake Name”

Now that I’m back from the DMV to legally change my name, here are some thoughts on last night’s episode…

Chuck assumes the identity of Ring-hired hitman Rafe Gruber, while Sarah tells Shaw her real name. As Chuck the spy becomes better at lying, Sarah the person tries to hold on to something she believes she is losing. Chuck became a spy because that’s what he thought Sarah wanted, but Sarah loves Chuck for what he was – an ordinary nice guy! Here’s hoping the producers can untangle this mess before the season ends.

It was nice to see Casey in the tough guy role he was meant to have, rather than just the sarcastic comedy relief. Just in case you forgot that Colonel Casey is the backbone of Team Bartowski, he allows Chuck to pull out a tooth to maintain Chuck’s cover and shows off his marksman abilities in the same episode! It was cool to see Casey save the day once more.

Despite the sticky ending of Chuck tactlessly breaking up with Hannah over dinner with her parents, this was an enjoyable episode! I’m sure future episodes will sort out the Chuck/Sarah relationship, but I’m going to miss Hannah. Some of you kept telling me that Hannah was a spy and I couldn’t say anything. Now I can say that Hannah is a ordinary cute girl who didn’t like the way Chuck dumped her.

I’m also going to miss the two wiseguys, Paulie and Skip. They reminded me of a mafia Jeff and Lester!

My Favorite Line: “Jeff, if you double dip, you’ll kill us all!”

My Coolest Moment: Casey saving the day by taking a shot only five people in the world can make.

Charah Scene: Sarah spying on Chuck and Hannah having dinner and wishing she was in Hannah’s place. Awww...