 |
Over the years,
I’ve learned to avoid any and all
new shows when they first air. There are
two main reasons for this. First and foremost,
I hate… let me say that again…
HATE… the little pop-ups that advertise
other shows and events at the bottom of
the screen. As I’ve mentioned before,
the marketing guy who came up with that
little idea needs to be shot… then
brought back to life… then shot again.
The other reason revolves more around the
networks odd habit of cancelling great shows
before they have a chance to catch on. I’d
list some examples, but I’m sure most
of you can name a lot of the same ones.
So it was with much trepidation that I
sat down to watch the first episode of “Chuck”
when it aired at the end of 2007.
|
The premise was too good to pass up. A computer
nerd working at a Buy More store gets an email
from his old high school buddy/nemesis who is
now a super spy. The email loads every bit of
intelligence that our government has ever collected
into his head. The original computer that housed
the information is destroyed, so our nerd hero
is now an important government asset and has to
be protected by agents. And it’s a comedy.
How could you ever go wrong with this combination?
Fortunately, “Chuck” not only didn’t
go wrong… but the network saw fit to bring
it back for a second season (and now a third),
eschewing its trend of cancelling great shows.
That said… is “Chuck” great?
While it might be the greatest show ever, it has
found a place high on my list of favorites. It’s
nearly great on so many levels that it’s
difficult to talk about them all. First, we have
Zachary Levi as Chuck. Levi perfectly balances
on the fence between computer nerd and leading
man. Good looking enough to be considered…
well… good looking, but still carrying that
bit of childish goofiness that makes him believable
as a member of Buy More’s ‘Nerd Herd.’
Like its lead actor, “Chuck” has
two sides. It is a perfect blend of campy comedy
and edge of your seat action. At any given time
you’ll get to see Buy More employees cheering
on the eating of ‘mystery food’ from
the refrigerator or super spies beating the crap
out of each other. On the Buy More side (which
you have to wonder how Best Buy feels about this),
you have Chuck’s co-workers. Morgan (Joshua
Gomez) is his lifelong compadre, having played
every videogame ever created together since they
were kids. Morgan is a perfect case of arrested
development, a 12 year old trapped in a man’s
body and he is hysterically funny every time he
opens his mouth. Jeff (Scott Krinsky) is the ultimate
in creepy nerd. Quiet in that bug-eyed, wild-haired
kind of way… and you know he is probably
having perverted sexual thoughts about everyone.
Lester (Vik Sahay) is the store’s token
East Indian (and Jeff’s best friend). He
is willing to get anyone else into trouble as
long as he gets clear… and watch out when
he gets an assistant manager’s position.
Everything that goes on in the store pokes fun
at the whole idea of computer nerds working at
a store like Best Buy. It often goes way over
the top, or so it may seem as I know several employees
for that place and they claim the show doesn’t
stray too far from the truth.
On the other side of the coin, we have Chuck’s
now secret life as the holder of the ‘Intersect’
in his brain. His government handlers, Sarah (Yvonne
Strahovski) and John Casey (Adam Baldwin) are
often at odds with each other as they come from
different departments. But along with trying to
protect Chuck, they are pulled into assignments
based on people or events that he recognizes.
More often than not this includes pulling Chuck
into the assignment and we see him grow throughout
the series from complete bumbler to a savvier
spy wannabe. Chuck is also in love with Sarah
and we come to realize that she may love him,
too, but fights it because of her need to be loyal
to her work. Casey, on the other hand, seems to
hate everyone and as portrayed by the awesome
Adam Baldwin is one of the best characters on
the show. His facial expressions, especially when
posing as an employee at the Buy More, are priceless.
We also get to see Chuck’s home life (which
I guess would be a third side…) as he lives
with his sister Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) and her
fiancé Devon “Captain Awesome”
Woodcomb (Ryan McPartlin). Ellie is a terrific
sister who wants nothing more than to see her
brother succeed at something and get out of the
Buy More. Devon is… well… he’s
awesome (you just have the see the show to understand.
Throughout the first and second season of the
show we see all of Chuck’s worlds begin
to ‘intersect’ more and more and it
becomes ever more difficult to keep his secret
a secret and his friends and family safe.
Speaking of the second season, Warner Home Video
is releasing the set this week on both DVD and
Bluray. I got my hands on the DVD version and
it did not take my wife and I long to make it
through the entire set. We are completely hooked
on this series and enjoyed all of the new twists
and turns it took in a full second season (the
first season only had 13 episodes). More and more
pieces of the many character’s histories
started coming to light, and important people
out of Chuck’s past started crawling out
of the woodwork… many of whom have shadier
sides than he could have ever guessed. As we see
Chuck grow into his role (though he wants terribly
to get rid of the info in head and have a normal
life), we also see how his ‘nerd’
side makes him such a great agent. It’s
often as hilarious as it is endearing. Oh, and
I’ve also seen my very first fight in a
carnival Gravitron ride, and it is hands down
one of the funniest moments in TV history.
The DVD includes several features, including
some deleted scenes and a very funny gag reel.
There are also some webisodes that were created
to help promote the show, a look at how to be
awesome by Captain Awesome, and John Casey teaches
us how to be a super spy. You’ll also find
a look back at the mythology of the series. Not
too many features, but satisfying ones nonetheless.
I cannot recommend “Chuck” enough.
It’s a terrific show that the network hasn’t
figured out is so terrific. Please don’t
tell them.
Episodes:
Chuck Versus the First Date
Chuck Versus the Seduction
Chuck Versus the Break-Up
Chuck Versus the Cougars
Chuck Versus Tom Sawyer
Chuck Versus the Ex
Chuck Versus the Fat Lady
Chuck Versus the Gravitron
Chuck Versus the Sensei
Chuck Versus the DeLorean
Chuck Versus Santa Claus
Chuck Versus the Third Dimension
Chuck Versus the Suburbs
Chuck Versus the Best Friend
Chuck Versus the Beefcake
Chuck Versus the Lethal Weapon
Chuck Versus the Predator
Chuck Versus the Broken Heart
Chuck Versus the Dream Job
Chuck Versus the First Kill
Chuck Versus the Colonel
Chuck Versus the Ring
Starring: Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua
Gomez, Ryan McPartlin, Mark Christopher Lawarence,
Vik Sahay, Scott Krinsky, Julia Ling, Adam Baldwin
Extras: Truth, Spies and Regular Guys: Exploring
the Mythology of Chuck; Chuck: A Real-Life Captain
Awesome's Tips for Being Awesome; John Casey Presents:
So You Want to be a Deadly Spy?; Dude in Distress;
Chuck Versus the Webisodes; Declassified Scenes;
Gag Reel
Specification: Dolby Surround 5.1
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 1/05/2010
MPAA Rating: NR
http://www.wbtvondvd.com
We'll give Chuck: Season 2 an A.
|
