Off-Topic: Chuck
By Chris Cesarano
Like any normal human, my interests extend beyond one simple hobby. Television is typically not one of those major interests, but every once in a while there comes a television show that hooks me in like an obsession. The most recent of these is Chuck.
Just like everyone else, I originally thought of Chuck as “that show that comes on before Heroes” when it began airing towards the end of 2007 and start of 2008. However, after catching the last few minutes several times and noticing the splendid Adam Baldwin (known to most as Jane from Firefly) as part of the show, I decided to give it a whirl from the beginning.
Ever since, it has become my favorite television show currently on air, and certainly on the top of my list for favorite shows ever. Unfortunately, whenever people ask what the show is about, the premise sounds lame. After all, it is rather silly to believe all of the American government’s secrets can be stored within a series of images that can be accidentally imprinted onto the brain of an employee at Buy More, a Best Buy clone.
While this is the basic premise of the show, it doesn’t capture what it truly is. Chuck is a dramatic spy show with lots of action and especially a lot of comedy. Making you laugh is just as important as everything else. In fact, it is perhaps the most important part of the show, as it helps you like and thus care about the characters. Once you care about them, you begin to care about the drama, which then makes what originally sounds like a lame story become something that sucks you in each episode, wondering where the writers are going next. Each of these points are all valuable to the whole.
The sense of humor to the show will certainly appeal to geeks, with a variety of mostly accurate references to games like Call of Duty, fixing and building computers, and even various pop culture references to film and television from the 80’s and 90’s. Our main hero himself is a major geek, but also resembles the geek of the modern era. He’s not a bucktoothed nerd lacking charisma that has trouble talking. He is just as charming and socially adept as anyone else. Of course, many of his co-workers resemble the less charismatic and often more creepy type of geek, but overall there is a realistic balance. The writers of the show understand just how broad the geek culture has become and the variety of people that are in it.
Even so, the rest of humanity that may not get all these references can enjoy the humor as well. There are plenty of characters resembling your Average Joe that allow any viewer to find a relatable perspective to attach to, thus providing humor for everyone. The jokes don’t merely come from the pop culture references, but also from the simple quirks and interactions of each character that possesses their very own distinct, yet believable, personality.
Of course, the show turns these traits around on the viewer quite frequently, and most often in the love story between the main hero Chuck and the CIA agent Sarah Walker. Most shows are only frustrating when they keep two lovers apart and unable to unite, but Chuck manages to do a great job of it. One moment you’ll be feeling sorry for Chuck being unable to get the girl, the next you’ll be surprised by what he’s willing to sacrifice to hope for a normal life, turning the tables and instead torturing Sarah’s emotions.
While the love story is at the front of the drama, it is not the only thing going on. Chuck is constantly at odds with working for the government and trying to keep his friends and family, and secrets, safe. His struggles to be there for his sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law and his friends at the Buy More continue to create a charming character easy to get attached to, which further builds interest in the growing drama.
Lastly, the story as a whole. As mentioned, at first it seems pretty lame, though it becomes quite clear you’re not supposed to care about the specifics as a whole. It’s not about the plausibility of a super computer being programmed into a human’s head using images encoded with data. This aspect of the show is supposed to more closely resemble the cheesy and over-the-top spy shows of yore. What you care about is the characters, and it is what they are going to do when these new situations arise that keep you hooked to each cliffhanger.
While the show carries a slight taste of predictability, it will still continue to surprise the viewer. In particular, I originally felt that the writers would not dare to leave the Buy More store or have Chuck leave his sister’s home, as those places and the characters in them are essential to each episode. There isn’t one episode where all the characters are not somehow involved, with two or three plots going on and tying together at the end of a one hour block. As such, I felt the show could never last more than three or four seasons without becoming stale.
The end of season two has proven me wrong, as it looks as if they truly are going to leave the Buy More, and possibly even Chuck’s family, behind. Whether the show will be able to survive without the other characters or not, or if the writers will figure out some other way to keep them involved, is a mystery. None of my friends are all too sure what will happen. The only thing anyone knows is that Chuck knows Kung-Fu.
If you have not truly watched Chuck yet, I can do nothing more than recommend it. If the premise of the plot doesn’t sell you, then watch it as a comedy. Let the sense of humor grab you, and after that you’ll get hooked into everything else in the show as well.
Unfortunately there aren’t any real options in streaming the television show through the computer. However, services such as Netflix allow you to rent the first season DVD’s, and the second season should be available within the summer. Or you can visit your local video rental store. Or do whatever it is you do to watch television on anything but the actual television.
All that matters is that you at least give the show a try, but be sure to start with the first episode. The premise may be simple, but enough happens between the characters that you’ll surely be lost without the proper introductions.
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