I haven't blogged much about "Chuck" lately. Honestly, I haven't had the time. It's not for a lack of want but to be truthful Season 3 of my current favorite TV show has also required some time for processing.
After the Season 2 Finale, I knew the show would be changing. I welcomed it. I looked forward to it. I thought it would be awesome. I knew there would be an effort to have the characters change and grow in some way. Coolness. So many shows don't do that and I had faith this was one show that wouldn't change them so much I wouldn't recognize or no longer like the fictional friends I tune into each week.
Accepting that change? Well, there's a little 'easier said than done' going on for me as well. Hence the processing. So far I'm not finding S3 to be as sharp or as fun as S2 was. Mainly I blame budget cuts they had to enact to keep the show on the air. A bit of balance and polish that made S2 a well oiled machine of pure television escapist entertainment is missing.
But the show is far from "jump the shark" territory. It takes me a little longer to process the episodes, and they are not without some occasional clunky moments that S2 didn't have, but I'm enjoying the hell out it. There's lots of great stuff going on. There's character growth going on. And I'm fully committed, engaged and along for the ride.
Oh and my little subheading is more in reference to what other fans may be saying about the show, but not me. I knew they were going to stretch things out for another season and I was cool with that. However, if they don't resolve things between those two by the end of S3, I'll be jumping on that train.
Chuck flunks spy training, loses the girl and drowns his sorrows in a large tub of cheese balls. I like to call this episode "Chuck: The Movie" as it's tone and pacing are different from a standard episode. It's also easily become one of my favorites because of that. It's a well put together hour of television. Whether it was the best way to start off the season had me worried.
It is a bit Chuck/Sarah relationship centric (as is episode 2 of this season). While I love me some Chuck/Sarah, I was afraid after watching this ep the show might be in danger of focusing too much on them. There are many story lines outside of the "ship" to explore and they've always kept a nice balance of all of them. Wouldn't want them to lose that.
Carina returns! And she and Sarah go clubbing! Awesome! Also features one of the hottest scenes ever on television. Normally I'd roll my eyes at something so gratuitous but somehow this show manages pull these scenes off and make 'em work. And, damn, is it sexy! Thanks, show, for making me temporarily gay.
Later in the episode is one of my all time favorite scenes of the entire series. Chuck, trapped in a vault that's rapidly filling with poisonous gas, decides to spill his heart out to Sarah who he thinks is still on the other side of the door. Meanwhile, she's climbed up into a ceiling vent, dress, heels, make-up and all, to shut the gas off.
When she returns she has to take out two bad guys who are now standing outside the vault door laughing at Chuck spilling his heart out. Poor Chuck.
Thankfully Sarah's there to catch him when he falls, or passes out from the exposure to gas.
Another one of my favorite parts of the whole series is in this ep. Chuck flashes on dancing skills and cha cha's himself and Sarah across a dance floor to stop a would be assassin. It cracks me up because he's really into it and suprisingly kind of good.
This ep sort of sets up more of Casey's back-story. And while there's quite a bit of silliness played here, when the secrets in his past come up again later in the season, you really do wonder what crazy, nefarious things the Colonel has done.
This episode made me breathe a sigh of relief as the relationship stuff took a backseat and balance was returned to the force, er, show. Plus we find out the one thing Capt Awesome can't do awesomely...lie! Es Muy Awesome.
more to come...
