"Chuck" Season 3

The out-of-character behavior started well before that scene when they started fiddling with an unknown object without containing it first, something they went to the trouble of doing in just the last episode.

So...if it's impossible for Chuck and Sarah to be together because they're spies...why is it OK for Shaw and Sarah? Wasn't it like a day earlier that he was breaking out the wedding ring of his (assumed) dead spy wife?

And weren't we subjected to repeated displays of Chuck professing his undying love for Sarah, like, two episodes or so ago? Chuck's writers need to watch some Burn Notice to prove to them that relationships don't need false hurdles to make them interesting.

It was a pretty nicely-paced episode, otherwise. Nice to see a competent Chuck; Morgan and Ellie's knocks were great; Kreuk's pretty adorable when not doing her Smallville-era "you just kicked a puppy" face, and the case itself had some nice twists 'n turns (as long as you ignore that Chuck's Buy More persona has been sussed out by half the spy community by now).



I learned to tune those types out a long time ago. Scary people, 'shippers. They have very little understanding about what exactly makes a TV show work.

Someone mentioned the relationship in Burn Notice as an example.. and they are dead on.  Fi/Michael's relationship in Burn Notice has never went through the goofball over-wrought BS that Chuck seems to go through here.

 

I really enjoy Chuck.  But I think they need to take a step back and examine the motives of the characters and what their goals are.  If you watch a show where the goals of the characters are pretty clear, it generally makes for better drama then when the characters have no real end goal to motivate them.

I have to agree with the setup to the artifact handling, there was no reason other than to create a situation to have the gas released. Casey would have isolated the object like he did with Manoosh's "weapon". Bad storytelling/character, especially when Shaw has been demonstrated to be one step ahead of the game and prepared for anything - this time he's operating like a complete amateur.

The Morgan and Elli plot had a lot of potential - for one thing the secret knocks were hilarious - but it could have added another layer of intrigue if they had run with it. The Paris tickets also just disappeared.

I guess we'll have to wait to see what becomes of all this stuff, but I'd hate to see Chuck jump the shark this soon.

Unfortunately, there's really no logic to the Chuck/Sarah relationship right now. There's no good reason they aren't/shouldn't be together, except that the writers jumped the gun in an attempt to boost ratings, and now that Chuck has basically gotten another season, they needed a way to put the brakes on that coupling (cue false hurdle). And the fact that Sarah has fallen for three of her last four partners (poor Casey) is a little weird, also.

The other problem I have with the episode is that no member of Team Chuck seemed concerned that a Ring agent escaped after learning all of their identities. Seems like some pretty shoddy spy work.

Also, who knew "The Ring" were the ones who banished Zod to the Phantom Zone? (Or maybe they're just renting Jor-El's old courtroom digs.)

It might be developed that Sarah is "falling" for Shaw just because she wants to open the door for Chuck to see Hannah without feeling guilty.  Haven't they done that before, though--maybe with Jill or that sandwich shop girl?  I like it best when the world sees Chuck and Sarah as an item.  It makes for a better dynamic between her and Ellie, for instance.  But, I'm interested to see what this'll do for the Chuck/Morgan relationship.  I hope Chuck will give him the "you never had a chance with her anyway, buddy" speech that is supposed to make him feel better but really is an unwanted dash of reality.

Mostly, though, I find I'm really liking Routh and Kreuk.  I don't read spoilers, but I wish/hope one or both of them were/are bumped up to regulars instead of guests.

I'll freely admit that I'm not the most critical of viewers when it comes to this show, so the criticisms leveled in this thread didn't register as much with me when I watched.  Thanks for spoiling it.    j/k

Another inconsistency is the team's handling of Hannah - wasn't there a huge deal being made when the sandwich girl came on the scene about who she was? No concern over Hannah apparently, and while Chuck had to warn Sarah, wouldn't you think he would have the sense to do so without Hannah watching on the video feed? I could go on, but there were a lot of forced plot elements in this episode that took players out of character, didn't follow established protocol (artifact handling, letting the bad guy get away) or were just plain lame copouts. How exactly do you carry someone out of a yogurt shop without anyone noticing?

That said, there were some fun moments; Casey's coffee, or the knocking. I'll be watching this again today, so hopefully it comes across better on second viewing.

I completely agree on the hannah plot.  I don't know where that goes, actually.   They've always investigated Chuck's interest before, but here you have a woman who just picks up and moves away from Paris to come and work in retail sales on the west coast out of the blue and no one even goes "wow, may be we should check her out?"  

 

If she turns into something more then a retail clerk, it will be one of those moments were all I can do is slap my hand to forehead because it will reek of lazy writing.  It would break all the rules of the past, and just be a "well, they got sloppy"  Really?  This kind of sloppy?

I like the show, it's a fun watch.  But they would have been better just keeping Chuck & Sarah together and have them be a crime-fighting team.  You can build plenty of decent drama out of that without it being ridiculous.  

Just saying.  Still, love the show.  Just hoping we aren't hurtling toward a cliff.

It wasn't impossible for Chuck and Sarah to be together because they're spies, it was impossible for them to be together because Sarah was a spy and Chuck was looking for the nearest exit ramp from the Intercept. Obviously, that's no longer the case, anad Sarah made her move but by Chuck rejected her in order to fufill his potential as a spy. Sarah and Chuck aren't together because Chuck blew Sarah off.

 

I wouldn't exactly hold "Burn Notice" up as an example; we've had two seasons of "Be with me, Michael!" "No, Fiona! I'd rather get my old job back instead", followed by a half a season of them largely not addressing the issue at all.

Sarah is torn between her emotional desire to protect Chuck and wanting to allow him to develop the skills and experience he'll need to survive. It's because she loves Chuck that she's pulling away from him. Shaw is who she's settling for at the moment. Chuck still loves Sarah, too, but he knows he's blown it and he's trying to move forward. Their real break-up scene was near the end of this episode, and both clearly retained a great deal of affection for the other.


It's sort of like nitpicking "The A-Team"; what's the point? It's a fun breezy show, that I watch as a fun breezy show.

 

I think that's it, though.. Michael in Burn notice made it very clear what he wanted, and he viewed Fiona as a fairly "it's there if I want it" and he made that point clear from the beginning with his motivation and there wasn't any waffling.  When he decided he did want her (this season) it happened.  That was it.
 

I don't mind that there is or isn't a ship.  I mind the back and forth fake-waffling.  Give the characters a reason to act the way they do.  

Burn Notice is a clever, fast-paced show.  Which I never feel the need to rewatch.

Chuck, I have rewatched all the episodes multiple times.  Go figure.

What's this Burn Notice everyone is referencing?

http://www.hulu.com/watch/126486/saturday-night-live-burn-notice-game-show

Awesome.



I just read that Kristin landed a role on a new sitcom.  I guess this is a temporary assignment.  


Edited by Greg_S_H - 2/20/10 at 3:51am

Warning Spoiler! Click to show

Slight correction to your second spoiler Adam:


Warning Spoiler! Click to show

Warning Spoiler! Click to show

March trailer:

Now that how is you do a trailer!  Love the SuperMan style opening credits!! 


Adam:


Warning Spoiler! Click to show

Edited by Lou Sytsma - 2/25/10 at 3:43am

That's not a trailer...THIS is a trailer...

hehee

Great show trailer and I can't wait to see Jeffster on the big screen

I hated everything about the Chuck/Hannah moments.  He just needs to move on.  I question his man-card after that weak sauce.

A really strong episode. Not a fun episode, since it's yet another episode where the world dumps on Chuck, but the things that needed to happen happened. I thought Chuck and Hannah worked really well together, but I'm glad they ended it now rather than dragging it out with the "You're lying to me!" speech from Hannah every other episode. I liked the way Chuck found a way to confide in Ellie without compromising his cover. The sniper rifle scene was heartbreaking; first, that she'd trust Shaw with something she wasn't willing to trust Chuck with in years' time, and that Chuck was forced to violate her sense of privacy almost immediately to maintain his cover. Now Sarah's real name is like a knife in Chuck's gut. More interesting to me is the apparent window into Casey's former life. Who is Alex Colburn, and what was he doing in Honduras? Was that Casey's real name, or another cover? Or was Casey in fact not Colburn at all?

 

Loved seeing Chuck as a competent spy for a change, and loved seeing him dealing with big boy issues.

I'm glad we're done with Hannah, but I think the whole segment was handled way out of character. I'm still not liking Sarah/Shaw at all, and again it's out of character. I did like Chuck getting into character (although out of character again as well), but the editing was choppy and things didn't really mesh well.  I'll have another look when it repeats and see if I like it better.

Adam totally agree.

I thought her name was Lisa.

I loved it.  This season is hella strong, and this one was right up at the top.  I loved when the supposed assassin was bonding with Paulie Walnuts and his idiot sidekick over a woman.  Chuck was cool as hell in the assumed role (especially in the bar scene).  I wish Hannah was a permanent addition, but I'm glad she made it out alive.  I saw some of the comments here with the preview function before I watched the episode and thought there was a chance Rafe was going to ice her.

I wonder if Chicken Pepperoni was a reference to Seems Like Old Times.  "How the hell is a dish a reference to anything?"  I don't know.  I've never actually seen it in real life.  But I've always wanted it after that movie and now again after this episode.  "My taste buds are fist-bumping right now, bro!"

Ellie looked great when she was leaning against the wall, thinking she was talking to Chuck.  And then, Hannah came out in a towel and I realized that these people are really lucky to be working with all of these gorgeous women.


Edited by Greg_S_H - 3/2/10 at 2:52am

Her middle name is Lisa.

Solid episode bolstered by the fantastic acting of the regulars with kudos to Zac, Yvonne, and Adam.  A tip of the hat to Kristen Kreuk too.  She really played her part well and Hannah came across as a likeable character.  She had the misfortune to meet Chuck at a point in his life where he is struggling to find himself.

Were the actions of Chuck and Sarah ones painful to watch?  Absolutely.  As it should be.  These are two people fumbling their way through unfamiliar territory.  Both are making mistakes.  Both are also learning things about themselves.  In the long run this will make them better persons.

Did not like using the BuyMore staff for the meta statements - they are better at sniping not analyzing.  OTOH the gangsters giving relationship advice was hilarious.

Chuck and Sarah have never seemed more like real people.

Tomorrow's episode is Zach Levi's directorial debut.

Yes and the episode is being hailed by many that got screeners for the 8 - 11 as the one of the best, if not the best, of the series to date.

It's pretty cool.  In an interview, he said because he is Chuck, he gets to work with everybody.  Sarah and Ryan may have no reason to be on set with Adam most of the time, but he works closely with every single actor.  That really helped him out with his direction.  I think he said he got all the regulars, which is good for us (though, I don't think anyone was missing from the last episode, either).

Edit: oops.  Morgan might not have put in an appearance last week.

Tonight's episode was absolutely fantastic!  I really like the route their taking.