Chuck 3.14

“Chuck versus The Honeymooners”

Now that I’m back buying my comic books from the magazine rack at Gare du Nord in Paris, here are some thoughts on last night’s episode…

Most of you have told me that shows get ruined after the main characters get together. I disagree for two reasons. 1) Shows can go on in new directions after the main characters hook up (i.e. “I Dream Of Jeannie” and “Cheers”), and 2) Most of you still don’t leave your comments on my blog (but I’m not bitter)!

I for one am extremely happy that Chuck and Sarah finally are an official couple! After looking dour for most of the season, Sarah is finally happy (and showing off those teeth)! Now that Chuck and Sarah are happy with each other and with being spies, their chemistry manifests itself in the climatic fight scene in a European café. Charah kicks serious spy tail while handcuffed together and grabbing each other in very effective – and increasingly provocative – ways!

Speaking of spy teams, Casey and Morgan teaming up is hard not to love. I wholeheartedly agree with the producers to make Chuck more skilled as a spy, because Morgan gives a new component to nerdily effective. I admit I laughed when Casey brought back the use-the-nerd-as-a-projectile-weapon-while-tied-back-to-back-to-him trick (Chuck 1.12)! It will be fun to see how Casey restrains himself from killing Morgan in the future.

It’s hard to see Awesome and Ellie leave for Africa, but Jeffster unplugged was worth it for me. As a big fan of the music on “Chuck”, having Jeffster’s acoustic rendition of “Leaving On A Jet Plane” between Vampire Weekend, Polyphonic Spree and Nina Simone is impressive even by this show’s high musical standards!

My new favorite show of the season, or should I say my favorite show of Season 3.2? This show felt like a season premiere, redefining the show’s premise. How does a loving spy couple cope with their work and personal lives? At any rate, this show deserves a second pic! Ladies and gentlemen, the randiest couple in the CIA: Chuck Bartowski and Sarah Walker!
My Favorite Line: “He is going to need a walker when Walker's through with him?”

My Coolest Moment: Sarah and Chuck defeating the bad guys while handcuffed to each other. It doesn’t get any cooler than that.

Charah Scene: “Off the record, it’s about damn time!” General Beckman says it, and so say we all. Awww...

Let’s Have Fun Again: “Chuck” Breakdown #2

Now that I’m back from filing my tax returns with the IRS for the year, let’s break down Season 3.1 of “Chuck”…

It was right after NBC ordered six additional episodes that the producers decided to have two main story arcs, effectively splitting Season 3. The first 13 episodes comprised the first arc, while the second arc (Season 3.2) consists of the last six. The end of Season 3’s Arc 1 could have been handled better, but it left “Chuck” in a good place: Shaw’s story wrapped up, Morgan became a member of Team Bartowski, Casey found out he has a daughter and Chuck and Sarah are now a couple!

I am relieved that the Shaw storyline finally played out. Not because of the actor’s ability to play the character, but because Shaw made the trio of Chuck, Sarah and Casey much too serious. Maybe Shaw didn’t have enough time to fully develop before he defected to The Ring, but “Chuck” is supposed to be a fun show, and it was always difficult to have fun when Shaw was onscreen.

One thing I like is that “Chuck” continues to grow. Now that Chuck has become somewhat competent as a spy, it only seems natural that Morgan fills the goofy component in the show’s spy missions. The spy team of Casey and Morgan promises to be extremely watchable! And as far as couples go, I can easily see Chuck and Sarah becoming the next Steed and Mrs. Peel or Jonathan and Jennifer Hart!

Can “Chuck” still be fun? Even at its worse, “Chuck” is entertaining. However, I’m hoping that the show can still be something unique on television, a show with cool characters that does action, comedy and romance equally well! I’m looking forward to watching Chuck and Sarah navigate their spy and real relationships, Casey and Morgan learning to co-exist in Spy-world, another Subway tie-in, the return of Anna Wu and Stephen Bartowski, and more Jeffster songs. I would like to see Jeffster tackle a ballad!

And on a personal note, could we have Sarah taking on bad guys in her underwear one more time?
My Favorite Episodes -- I had to pick two (So Far): “Chuck vs. The Beard”, and please don’t hate me for adding “Chuck vs. The Other Guy”

My Coolest Moment (So Far): Morgan finding out that Chuck was a spy.

My Favorite Fight Scene (So Far): Sarah in that nurse’s outfit. I would have picked Casey taking on the entire Parisian branch of The Ring by himself if they actually filmed it!

Charah Scene (So Far): Sarah telling Chuck she fell for him during the very first episode three years ago. “When you first fixed my phone and before you defused bombs with computer viruses.”

Here's The Pitch... And There It Goes (Paper Anniversary)!

“Pretty Vacant is about how mad scientists make money to fund their evil experiments.”

On the one year anniversary of this blog, I’m amazed that I’ve gotten so much mileage out of that simple sentence! The first Pretty Vacant comic was published last year, and now I have two more high-tech damsel-in-distress stories ready to go for this year’s comic convention season. Considering I believed at the time that PV would be a one-shot comic book, I’m happy that people want more!

I hope the next phase is not boring. How many times can Gigi escape after being plastinated anyway?
Note: If you’re interested, here is the original blog post a year ago today.

How Wrong Can I Be?

It's time for yet another season of Major League Baseball! I'm always asked at the beginning of each season as to who will win the World Series, and every year I pick the same team. I haven't been right for 21 years!

Well, I'm going on record today and say that the Los Angeles Dodgers will somehow overcome injuries, no middle relief and the most expensive divorce in California's history to take the World Series this year! And if the Black Eyed Peas "Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night" takes over for "It's A Beautiful Day For A Ballgame" at the start of every game this year at Dodger Stadium, that would also be cool.

Chuck 3.13

“Chuck versus The Other Guy”

Now that I’m back enjoying Steak Tartare and a Pinot Noir from a café off the banks of the Seine, here are some thoughts on last night’s episode…

If you’re as obsessed about “Chuck” as I can sometimes be, you would know that this episiode was supposed to be the original season finale. For better or worse, it certainly felt like one. This episode felt rushed and reeked of budget cuts, which is bad, but it tied up loose ends and set up a new future for all the major characters, which is definitely good!

I did enjoy how the writers wrapped up the Charah relationship, choosing a quiet moment in the middle of the episode rather than the action-laden end. Instead of Sarah declaring her love for Chuck after he saved her in Paris, she did so in a calm manner in Chuck’s Burbank apartment, completely free of action movie clichés.


The comedy bits were funny as well. We all knew that Jeffster, Casey and Morgan would have their lines, but who knew that General Beckman had a sense of humor? Her hair in rollers and her use of the Clapper were priceless! And Morgan, horror of horrors, is now an official member of Team Bartowski!

Too bad the action scenes were limited. When Chuck faced off with Shaw at the episode’s climax, Casey took on the entire Parisian branch of The Ring solo -- off-screen! Perhaps with the appearance fees for the actor who played Shaw no longer an issue, the producers can put more money into the last six episode's action sequences!

Not a perfect episode by any measure, but for what it had to do as a turning point for the show, it was perfect enough!

My Favorite Line: “No -- we don’t do pranks!” so saith General Beckman!

My Coolest Moment: Casey defeated the entire Parisian branch of The Ring off by himself off-screen. How cool is that?

Charah Scene: “You’re still Chuck. You’re still my Chuck!” Sarah said as she admitted falling for Chuck during the very first episode three years ago. Awww...