Chuck Returns News Round-up

With just a few hours to go until Chuck returns to our screens, let’s while away a few minutes with a news round-up:

• Vote for Chuck & Sarah in E! Online’s TV’s Top Couples tournament.
• Vote for Chuck in Hulu’s first annual Best in Show competition.
• iF has a new interview with Sarah Lancaster.
• The NBC Store Tweeted designs for possible Chuck figures.
• The teaser trailer for Disney’s Tangled (starring Zachary Levi & Mandy Moore) leaked over the weekend.
• Yvonne Strahovski and Ryan McPartlin lent their voices to the first full-length LEGO movie: The Adventures of Clutch Powers (trailer below).

That should leave just enough time to run to Subway for a sandwich before Chuck returns at 8/7c on NBC!

Chuck Vs Sarah: Its Not WTWT? Its TWWT! – Part 3

(Its Not Will They, Won’t They? Its They Will, Won’t They!)

Of Journeys Versus Destinations, Work Environments, and Relationship Geometries

This is bound to generate passionate responses so some posting rules will be in effect to prevent flame outs and/or personal attacks. Using one of Television Critic Alan Sepinwall’s rules for commenting as a starting point keep the following points in mind when composing your post:

• BE NICE

• this is an opinion piece for a show we enjoy and a place where people can and should argue passionately for their point of view.
• there is a difference between arguing with passion and arguing with hostility.
• If you can’t find a way to express your viewpoint without:
• insulting other commenters
• getting strident and self-righteous — say, equating your opinion with fact, and deriding other people for not seeing the truth of your word
• either tone down your words until they’re more respectful to other people
• or DO NOT comment.

In other words BE NICE and post as if the words are being directed at you and not someone else.
Failure to follow these guidelines will result in deletion of your post. This will be strictly enforced.

Note – this article deals with the purpose of PLIs not how to set them up. In the wake of 3.07 the setup of PLIs became a flashpoint for fandom. For my thoughts on that please read my review and article on Chuck Vs The Mask.

This is the conclusion of this series of articles.

Part I can be found here.

Part II here.

The previous articles tried to establish how the work environment that Chuck and Sarah find themselves confined within, effectively strait jackets them. In the first two seasons Chuck wanted to get out of that world and now he has opted to stay in. So the concern is now about Chuck becoming proficient enough as a spy to protect himself while not losing those qualities that Sarah fell in love with.

At the same time Chuck must maintain his dual life with his family as the two worlds are becoming increasingly intertwined. As of episode 3.06, Chuck is isolated as Sarah is still struggling with the balancing of her feelings against the job while Ellie, Devon, and Morgan are becoming less and less enamored with this new Chuck. This puts a lot of pressure and Chuck which explains why the relationship has been on the back burner since 3.03. The man has rather a full plate at the moment.

With all those pressures on Chuck and Sarah they are effectively immobilized. External forces are the most expedient and effective way to break through this gridlock. In romance stories this invariably involves bringing a third party; most often in the form of a Potential Love Interest(PLI). There has been considerable resistance to this being used in the third season. Why are they going back to that old stick again? Did they not beat that whole concept to death in the first two seasons?

With only a slight amount of facetiousness these comments are rather humorous. Romance stories without angst? Without PLIs? Really? It is akin to saying one likes westerns but without the gunfights or horses. Or Science Fiction without any science. Returning to seriousness, the real issue is not so much the use of PLIs but much rather how the PLIs are used. Angst and PLIs are tools that can be used effectively. The cheapest tool in a carpenter’s tool box is a pencil. But it is there for the same reason PLIs are. Because they both work and often make the rest of the work the better for it.

There is another reason PLIs are being used in the third season. Again it revolves around the work environment. For in no other fictional world work environment, such as the spy world versus the real world, are the opportunities for character growth so limited. Each week brings a new mission and with it a new set of characters. No continuity there. Outside of the established cast members, none of which present the opportunity to push Chuck, and especially Sarah, in ways that will force them to grow. Except for Casey, the supporting cast members are tied to the real world and while they may have problems, none of them face the weekly life and death situations that the two leads do. So any pressure they can bring to bear will be relatively inconsequential.

Why use PLIs again? In the first two seasons the PLIs were used to show things about Chuck and Sarah in relation to their handler/asset relationship. This season the PLIs will be used in relation to their spy/spy relationship. For the first time they are interacting as equals. By necessity for Sarah these PLIs have always been with other spies because her personal life is a closed book. With the exception of Chuck all her male relationships have occurred in the spy world. With Chuck there is more manuveuring room in the PLI are because of the duality of Chuck’s world. He has his family and friends in addition to the spy world.

PLIs are not about how they present an obstacle to the Chuck and Sarah relationship but rather how they allow mirrors to be held up against them. Bringing new characters in allow Chuck and Sarah to reflect on what it is they are struggling with answers for. It gives them a new reference point to compare what they like about each other and reaffirms what they are leaving behind and gaining by chosing one another. The arrival and departure of PLIs results in Chuck and Sarah being closer together each time they come back to themselves.

Why use PLIs again, outside of the work environment issues? Sorry, if I keep bringing this point up, but it is necessary because it is continues to be marginalized. In the first two seasons Chuck and Sarah’s views of one another were those of fantasy. Chuck saw Sarah as an amazon spy woman – beautiful, cool, invulnerable, and totally in control of her life. Sarah saw Chuck as a representation of an idealized life that was never available to her. His innocence, naivete, warmth, caring, and innate goodness are qualities that do not exist or survive very long in the spy world.

Over the course of the two seasons they grew to know each other and discovered the real person underneath their fantasy views. So the PLIs during those first two seasons were reflecting the reality of their world against the fantasy they had of each other. With the departure of each PLI they came away with a more realistic and stronger view of one another.

With the flip in roles this season the PLIs will serve a different purpose. For Chuck it will be a reaffirmation that he has left behind his normal world. For him to have a successful long term relationship in the spy world, it has to be with someone special. Someone who understands the dynamics in maintaining mutliple existences yet still treasure the simple things. The real things. Built on a foundation of mutual trust. It takes the heart longer to absorb what the head knows already.

For Sarah the PLI will be used to examine more complex emotional issues. For her the reflection being cast when comparing a new PLI against Chuck will be narrower. Chuck will be not necessarily losing but controlling or submerging many of the qualities that attracted him to Sarah in the first place. But a loss of innocence is inevitable. Plus she will be doing so with a toolset of emotional muscles that have atrophied over time due to her life history and the mental barriers she has erected.

Are there other ways for Chuck and Sarah to move towards one another? Absolutely but they would take more finesse and hence more time. For those invested in seeing the two of them together as a couple, the blunt force trauma of PLIs is the swiftest way to reach that point.

No doubt there is a price to be paid while the two of them are in this state of uncertainty or flux. Those little romantic moments between the two of them will be on hold. Throughout these articles, the approach has been to treat the character arcs for Chuck and Sarah as nonspecific ones. The evolution and change these characters are undergoing are not unique but universal. This has been done to prevent these articles from getting bogged down. The actual experience of going on such journeys is a very subjective and emotional one. The better the audience can empathize with the characters the more intense the experience. We all know how deeply we identify with Chuck and Sarah so this makes reactions to their journey all that much more positive and negative emotionally.

Growth is a painful process. In transit enjoyment, may be difficult. Here is to the hope that, for those struggling with the journey right now, when it is re-experienced, with the payoff known ahead of time, that it will be entertaining and appreciated. Chuck and Sarah being together is not the end of their journey. It is the conclusion of one volume in their story. The PLIs of the third season will get them to the end of the current volume in the most expedient manner possible. Here is to the upcoming conclusion of this volume. And to many more volumes in the future.

Because the Chuck and Sarah journey has never been a, ‘Will they, won’t they?’ story.  It has always been a, ‘They will, won’t they!’ one.

MidSeason Melodrama – Episode 3.07: Chuck Vs The Mask – Part II

Part II

Note: the moments in question may reside in this episode but that is a matter of circumstance. There are preceding story telling decisions that led up to this point. It is not an issue that can be analyzed in isolation.

Chuck: ‘Sarah and I have a very unique relationship.’

Indeed they do. Relationships are what drive this show. Not just Chuck and Sarah but all of them. More precisely it is the characters. This is the crux of the matter about the unhappiness being expressed by what transpired during the last 8 mins or so of the show. It is not about  WHAT of the show. It is the HOW.

When a piece of creative work is put forth to be experienced by an audience there is an unspoken bond taking place between the two parties. The creators are offering a story telling experience via the use of dramatic tokens. In turn for these tokens the audience gives the creator their willing suspension of belief. The creator sets up the premise of the show and within the first half dozen episodes build up an array of dramatic tokens for the audience to use to suspend that belief.

These creative tokens come in various forms via characters, plotting, show mythology, story telling logic, internal consistency, etc. Those tokens create ‘buy in’ for the audience. They know from episode to episode the show will be worth investing in because the tokens will be be in play. The more dramatically and empathically these tokens are woven into each episode the more engrossed the audience becomes. Synergistically so does their suspension of disbelief. The better the creators can get the audience to suspend their disbelief the stronger the audience’s involvement becomes. There is a symbiotic relationship going on between the two parties.

The amount of initial suspension of disbelief is dependent on the type of show. Obviously shows grounded in the reality of our world require less suspension. Comedies and shows with fantastical elements require a greater suspension of disbelief. The creators of such shows must compensate for this by offering up bigger storylines, bigger characters, bigger action and so on.

While Chuck may take place in a real world setting, it is one rife with fantastical elements. The show’s basic premise, that a computer database can be downloaded into a person’s brain, allowing them to access information, and now physical abilities, is a big step for the viewer to take. In turn the show offers a mix of entertainment that includes comedy, action, drama, pop culture/nerd references, romance, music, wish fulfillment, spy world vs real life conflicts, and characters.

Out of all of these tokens the show offers, the bedrock one is the characters. Chuck is blessed with an awesome cast and the chemistry between the two leads is captivating. This has turned out to be both blessing and curse. Double-edged sword as it has been referred to elsewhere. For the character/romance token has become so powerful and so dominant that the other tokens pale in comparison.

What it has allowed the show to do is skate around most tokens with a greater degree of freedom. The tokens of story logic, internal consistency, and story mythology are not scrutinized to the same degree we would with other shows because the entertainment payoff is well worth it. We get some great laughs, action, music, spy intrigue, romance, wish fulfillment, and character interaction because of the cross genre show pedigree.

But the caveat is all of our suspension of disbelief hinges on the characters and, by extension, the Chuck and Sarah romance. They are the realest things in the show. They are the anchor for the viewer’s suspension of disbelief. The moment the show wavers on that token then everything else built around it comes crashing down like a house of cards.

The show has set up the dynamics of a, ‘Will they, won’t they?’ tension that has been carried over the 3 seasons of the show. The longer that tension is maintained the more mass it acquires. The more mass it requires the bigger the elephant it becomes in the room. I liken it to a dramatic ball of inertia, or DB for short.

The longer the show runs with this DB, the more history and emotional investment by the viewers it acquires. So it becomes more and more of a complex story telling exercise that the writers must address if they want to bring in other romantic parties to the mix. The days of having a guest star show up for 1 or 2 episodes and strike up a romantic relationship with Chuck or Sarah are long past.

Now it requires several episodes to set up a storyline that can overcome the inertia that the DB has accumulated. It is not just an operation of injecting the new characters into the storyline. That is the easier part of the equation. The more difficult part is positioning the two leads where the new characters can be integrated into their lives in a manner that is not contrived. To add to the difficulty, all this must be done in a manner that the viewers will find plausible and dramatically interesting.

Extremely vital is the storyline being told, must be told honestly. This means that story points, character traits, etc established previously must be adhered to going forward. With Chuck this comes down to being true to the characters. A difficult one to maintain too as character evaluation is subjective and varies from individual to individual. We may agree on the broad strokes but beyond that there are many interpretations on the finer points.

When it was announced that the third season PLIs were going to be around for 4 and 8 episodes it appeared that the story requirements would be addressed. However as we have seen that has not been done entirely successfully. Of the two, the Chuck and Hannah one has been the more successful. Hannah has been in consecutive episodes and it can be seen that her character is a perfect match for Chuck. Though in 3.06 little was done to advance her arc with Chuck.

(Total aside here – I find it hard to believe that Chuck would be interested in striking up a new relationship given his focus on becoming a spy. He, more than anyone, is aware of the danger he is putting Hannah’s life in by mixing civilian and spy worlds together. This is one of those out of character issues that arise based on previous character history. To date the show has given me little to remove this objection.)

Matching Chuck up is easier than it is for Sarah because of the fundamental nature of the characters. Chuck is open emotionally and provides many doorways to new relationships. Sarah is the opposite and hence requires a lot more story finesse to do so. So when Shaw is MIA in episode 3.06, any momentum built up between him and Sarah is lost. This was a tactical error.

Shaw’s absence places the Shaw/Sarah storyline in a difficult spot. Sarah may have expressed concerns over Chuck turning into a spy in 3.06 but, again, nowhere enough story time is allocated on this point to make the necessary dent in the DB. Especially when Shaw does return in 3.07 and Sarah spurns him for three quarters of the episode. This makes telling the story honestly no longer possible if the goal is to initiate these new pairings by the end of the episode.. What happens then is a rush to move the characters to a targeted position. An exercise in artificiality. In this rush corners have to be cut. This means corners that involve story logic concessions and the use of out of character behavior.

This is the overhead the show must carry when it decides to sustain the, ‘Will they, won’t they?’ dynamic over time. If the Chuck showrunners want to use that device then they must be willing to pay that price. A price that has to be based on honest story telling instead of rushed story telling.

Rushed story telling is what happened in the last 8 minutes of 3.07. That is the HOW that is the issue.

Rushed story telling takes away the capacity for true storytelling and diminishes the most critical dramatic token the show has to offer; that of the characters. That is why the reaction is the one that resulted from fans.

It is not about telling the showrunners what to do.

It is not about objecting to injecting new PLIs into the storyline.

It is about whatever the show does, it does so by being true to the story telling and the dramatic tokens it gave us.

It is about the implicit bond of trust between creator and audience.

A speedbump was encountered on the third season journey. We saw it, we hit it, and we have gone passed it. It was a bump. Not a supernova. Let’s look forward instead of back, shall we? Because the road ahead is oh so, very inviting!

Chuck vs. Fun & Games

Could you use some levity after the past 36 hours? I know I could! Follow the links below for some Chuck-centric fun and games:

• Can you solve this puzzle? (thanks, Benjamin!)
• Hypnotize yourself with Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski. (thanks, Melanie!)
• Play the “Who’s The Right Girl For Chuck?” game at NBC.

Got any other fun links to share? Post them in the comments, but please don’t post show commentary; there are plenty of other threads for that.

Zac Streams Live from the Set with Big, Hairy Co-Star (SPOILERS)

Zachary Levi just streamed some video live from the set of Chuck featuring a big, hairy co-star: Shika the tiger! They’re filming episode 3.15 right now, “Chuck vs. the Role Models”, which is partially set in the Congo. The question is, whose side is Shika on? Is she Team Bartowski or The Ring?

Captain Awesome To Become Captain America!?

Here is an interesting little tidbit – over at IESB it has been reported that Chuck’s own Ryan McPartlin has read for the lead in the upcoming Joe Johnston directed Captain America flick.

Details can be found HERE.

Another interesting factoid – Ryan McPartlin was up against Daniel Shaw aka Brandon Routh for the lead role in SuperMan Returns.

Can the world handle a Captain Awesome America? Who knows but it should would be great for Ryan and his fans to see him have the chance.

Best of Luck!

Chuck Vs Sarah: Its Not WTWT? Its TWWT! – Part 2

(Its Not Will They, Won’t They? Its They Will, Won’t They!)

Of Journeys Versus Destinations, Work Environments, and Relationship Geometries

This is bound to generate passionate responses so some posting rules will be in effect to prevent flame outs and/or personal attacks. Using one of Television Critic Alan Sepinwall’s rules for commenting as a starting point keep the following points in mind when composing your post:

• BE NICE
• this is an opinion piece for a show we enjoy and a place where people can and should argue passionately for their point of view.
• there is a difference between arguing with passion and arguing with hostility.

If you can’t find a way to express your viewpoint without:

• insulting other commenters
• getting strident and self-righteous — say, equating your opinion with fact, and deriding other people for not seeing the truth of your word
• either tone down your words until they’re more respectful to other people
• or DO NOT comment.
• In other words BE NICE and post as if the words are being directed at you and not someone else.
• Failure to follow these guidelines will result in deletion of your post. This will be strictly enforced.

Part II
(The views express in this article are those of the author and do not reflect those of the universe. (On this topic that is a certainty.))

Some great discussion was generated from Part I. Hopefully that will continue with Part II.

The work environment that Chuck and Sarah find themselves in bears examining further because it does not seem to carry the appropriate weight in the minds of many viewers. There are fatal consequences if either or both of them are compromised. Relationships in the spy world are hard to make work even when both partners are seasoned agents. At the end of the Ring and the bulk of the Colonel it would have been possible for Chuck and Sarah to be together. The Intersect was out, Chuck could return to his previous life, and Sarah could have quit her job to join him. No doubt they would have issues to overcome but they would have been in a place where mistakes would not be fatal and the opportunities to correct them existed.

All of that went out the window when Chuck downloaded the new Intersect.

Relationship reset is the verdict by many for what happens in the early episodes of Season 3. But the focus is on the wrong end of those concluding Season 2 events. The status of the relationship is a symptom. Not the source. The source lies with the reinstatement of the fatal work environment conditions. Add to that the role reversal for Chuck and Sarah and they have to face those previous restrictions again plus the added burden of walking in each other’s shoes.

Remember the video of the suspension bridge from Part 1? The forces on the relationship bridge were from Chuck and Sarah endpoints when they were on familiar ground. Now they are both in unfamiliar territory. Imagine the multiplying effects being a stranger in a strange land would have on that relationship bridge! The relatively stable ground, which itself has been under stress since the pilot, has now been replaced by a molten lava flow dotted with patches of solid ground floating separately from one another. An unstable landscape indeed.

Throw in the dynamics of the new Intersect and relationships are a luxury Chuck and Sarah cannot afford right now. They are both in survival, batten the hatches down and ride out the storm, mode. It will be instinctive for both of them to try to return to their original ‘country’ when placed under stress. Moments of such behavior are evident in every of the first 5 episodes for both of them. Sarah’s proposal of keeping things simple and returning to a friendship mode is the most prudent thing under the circumstances.

The moments of regression bring a new dynamic to the mix. It will make Chuck less sympathetic as we want to see him mature. His moments of emotional outburts will be even less tolerable. The irony is that these are the very qualities that attracted Sarah to Chuck in the first place. In Sarah’s case, attempts at going back will be more sympathetic to the audience. For two seasons we have been waiting for her to open up emotionally. In the third season we shall see this struggle. The turmoil it will cause her will increase audience empathy. So the role reversal has an intriguing indirect effect on character empathy.

Let us examine that a little deeper. Chuck and Sarah find themselves in undiscovered countries at the start of Season 3. Chuck has embraced a world where nothing is real. Everything is based on lies and deception. Trust no one. Sarah has opened the door to the antithesis of all that. A door once opened that she is no longer able to, or even wants to, close. Each of them are trying to exist in new environments.  Such unfamiliarity leads to doubt and even fear;  the true obstacles that Chuck and Sarah face.

It is the undiscovered country.  The dread of the unknown.  Of possibility versus certainty.

This is what prevents decisive action from either of them at the start of the third season. How can they take on more between them when they each are struggling with what is happening inside of them?

There are trains of thought that putting the characters together now is possible because together they could organically grow together and help each other. Besides the aforementioned fatal nature of their work environment there is something else to consider. The strictures of their work environment has them trapped in stasis. Like insects in amber.

The best way they can keep each other safe is to maintain the status quo of their personal interactions. Anything intimate at this stage of their character development would almost certainly end in tragedy. In such a sterile environment organic character and relationship growth would occur at a glacial rate.

A more expedient solution lies via the introduction of external forces. In a romance story arc this is usually done through the introduction of new characters. Often these new character turn out to be Potential Love Interests or PLIs.

A topic that will be looked at in Part 3.

Till then!

Chuck Vs Sarah: Its Not WTWT? Its TWWT!

(Its Not Will They, Won’t They? Its They Will, Won’t They!)

Of Journeys Versus Destinations, Work Environments, and Relationship Geometries

This is bound to generate passionate responses so some posting rules will be in effect to prevent flame outs and/or personal attacks. Using one of Television Critic Alan Sepinwall’s rules for commenting as a starting point keep the following points in mind when composing your post:

• BE NICE
• this is an opinion piece for a show we enjoy and a place where people can and should argue passionately for their point of view.
• there is a difference between arguing with passion and arguing with hostility.

If you can’t find a way to express your viewpoint without:

• insulting other commenters
• getting strident and self-righteous — say, equating your opinion with fact, and deriding other people for not seeing the truth of your word
• either tone down your words until they’re more respectful to other people
• or DO NOT comment.

In other words BE NICE and post as if the words are being directed at you and not someone else.

Failure to follow these guidelines will result in deletion of your post. This will be strictly enforced.

Part I

(The views express in this article are those of the author and do not reflect those of the universe. (On this topic that is a certainty.))

Forums and blogs are great sources for mining material for that next article. With the start of Season 3 it has become clear there is a new dread on the horizon. The return of Potential Love Interests(PLIs) in the form of Hannah for Chuck and Shaw for Sarah. Maybe even vice-versa! (PS – that is a joke.)

There is a collective expression of why do we have to go through this again? The show has already done this in each of the previous two seasons. What possible benefit could there be to recycling the PLI story device? Again? Why do we need all these relationship trapezoids or triangles or whatever? Why can’t the show just put Chuck and Sarah together already?

Let us start with the, ‘Why are Chuck and Sarah not together yet?’ issue. This is a divisive topic. For the ‘Together Now’ camp the prevailing attitude is that anyone towing the party line – the party in question being Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak – are mouthpieces for the show. If someone states that they enjoy or have no issue with the, ‘Will they, won’t they?’ setup it is a token that anything the show does is fine by them. This line of thought does not bear up under even the modicum of scrutiny for it only takes a few minutes of forum browsing to see that such fans invariably have issues with other aspects of the show.

What it boils down to is a journey versus destination viewpoint. Some people enjoy the process of going from the start and seeing how the events along the way forge the path that leads to the end. Others are focused on the destination. In the case of Chuck and Sarah there is the additional argument that Chuck and Sarah being together is not the destination. It is merely a way stop onto the real story that many want to see; Chuck and Sarah working together as a team, in synch, on personal and professional levels.

Chuck and Sarah working as a team, supporting each other, and conquering all challenges is a powerful and romantic concept indeed. Except for one major issue. The characters as they exist now are not capable of successfully juggling those two sides of their lives.

Yet.

There is a journey needed to get them there. The journey the show is currently in the process of dramatizing. The spark for this article came from a blog post over at ChuckThis written by Ernie Davis entitled, ‘Geometry 101: Enough with the polygons. How about two points connected by a straight line?’

In his article Ernie asks the fair question of why polyshaped relationship constructions, or PLIs at all, are still needed going into Season 3? Good article and highly recommend you take the time to read it and leave Ernie feedback. Also bookmark ChuckThis as a regular site to visit as they have an articulate stable of fans that are compelled, like so many of us, to put down their thoughts about Chuck and discuss them.

The straight line paradigm of putting Chuck and Sarah together caught my eye because it can be used to demonstrate why they are not currently together. The construction of any geometric shape, simple or complex, rests on one major assumption. That assumption is that the start and end points to any side of a shape or straight line are fixed and  stable.

It is an understandable one to make. The flaw here is that Chuck and Sarah are far from fixed points. They are characters that have been undergoing constant evolution since the show started. They are constantly moving and changing. Sometimes regressing. Sometimes progressing. A picture is worth a thousand words. Have you ever seen what happens to a suspension bridge when an earthquake occurs?

Observe:

If Chuck and Sarah represent the end points and the bridge is their relationship; putting them together now would have the same results. The relationship would be torn asunder and both of them would be fatally hurt by that fallout. Chuck and Sarah need to evolve emotionally and professionally to make themselves ‘earthquake’ proof. They need to be stable; sure of themselves and each other. Able to compartmentalize their personal feelings while engaged in missions. This has to do with their work environment. In the spy world, mistakes are deadly. Putting Chuck and Sarah together now would end in tragic results.

They would be DEAD in a short matter of time.

We saw in Chuck Versus The BreakUp the near tragic results that could have occured when Chuck and Sarah flirted with one another. Both of them put each in harm’s way because of their inability to keep their two worlds separate. This is in contrast to say Jim and Pam from the Office. What is the worst thing that could happen in their world if they make a mistake on the job due to a relationship issue distraction? Papercuts? Misfiled contracts? Jim and Pam live in a world where do overs are possible. Chuck and Sarah do not. They make a mistake and it would be fatal.

Put them together now, as the characters currently stand, is not viable. Put them together now and they would have to act out of character in order to have them survive.

Season 3 is about that journey to mature Chuck and Sarah so that they are earthquake proof. So that they have the mental, professional and emotional skillsets to allow them to juggle a relationship in the deadly world of espionage.

This seems like a good stopping point. Next week will touch on the work environment a bit more, on PLIs, and why the show uses them.  Everything will be tied up and the message of the title will become clear.

Until then, post away, stay calm, and remember this is supposed to be fun.  Not life or death.

VIDEO: Behind the Scenes of Chuck with Chris Fedak

Co-Creator Chris Fedak takes us behind the scenes of Chuck episode 3.02 for a look at Chuck’s apartment where Morgan, Lester and Jeff are throwing a party. Bonus appearances by Vik Sahay (“No it’s not. He’s a liar.”) and Scott Krinsky.

Chuck Vs The PLI’s – And Why They Should Be Good Guys

With the startup of Season 3 a few scant days away there has been the expected influx of new members and the inevitable repetition of thoughts and posts. Whenever I post that I prefer the new characters of Hannah and Shaw to be good people, shock is the result.

Instead of having to recycle my reasons for posting them in the forum repeatedly, an article to cover them off once, made writing this an easy choice.

Before I delve into the Potential Love Interests, or PLIs, let me summarize my position on the Chuck and Sarah relationship. This is a necessity because everything ends circling back to it at some point or another.

Usually sooner rather than later.

I expect Chuck and Sarah to end up together. I love the Chuck and Sarah moments. The chemistry between the two characters is electric. When Chuck and Sarah have their own personal intersect moment, I will be at the front of the line cheering just as loud, if not louder, than the rest of the crowd.

However, and this is where I dare tread where only the foolish and brave do, the current state of the relationship is fine by me. If you chart the relationship over a seasonal arc the progress is clear. Where things stand at the end of Season Two are vastly far ahead of Season One. Plot that ahead for Season Three and the end game is in sight.

Now as to my stance as to why I prefer Hannah and Shaw to be good guys, time to clarify.

In the spy genre, the plant and the double spy are well worn tropes. People not appearing to be what they initially seem to be. We saw this last season with Jill who turned out to be a Ring agent, dabbled with it in regards to Bryce, and had the big reveal when Stephen Bartowski turned out to be Orion. So the show has already gone down these paths a few times already. Time for something new in the third season.

The Jill one has the most bearing on why I hope Shaw and Hannah are what they seem because it has to do with Chuck and Sarah. During the Jill arc the tension was there as to whether or not Chuck really would end up choosing Jill over Sarah. As soon as Jill was revealed to be a Ring agent that dramatic balloon was burst.

It was also the easy way out.

Lost was the drama of Chuck choosing between Jill and Sarah. The moment Jill was revealed to be a Ring Agent, Chuck’s decision was made for him.

Not by him.

That is big.

Imagine a storyline where Jill was the Jill from Stanford. Then the story would have been about Chuck examining his relationships with Jill and Sarah and having to chose. Far more powerful is the story where the protoganist is put in the situation where they have to make the decision. Harder to write. But so much more emotionally engrossing to watch. Such approaches take longer to play out which is why, with 4 episodes for Hannah and 8 episodes for Shaw, I am very hopeful this is exactly what is going to happen.

So to have Chuck and Sarah make their own decision about who they want to be with needs Hannah and Shaw to be good guys. That does not mean they cannot have emotional baggage or skeletons or ulterior motives. But those motives should be ones that Chuck, Sarah, and us, the audience, can empathize with. Even better yet, actively support, to the point of wanting to help Hannah and Shaw.

Shaw and Hannah could be good people doing bad things because they are being blackmailed or out for revenge or a number of other motives that would not undermine empathy towards them. Keep that in place for both of them and then the decisions rest squarely on the shoulders of Chuck and Sarah. Make the decision difficult for both of them. If we like Hannah and Shaw then the tension during the time taken for Chuck and Sarah’s decision will be cranked up. The release that much more intense.

When Chuck and Sarah do come together we want to see that happen in the most dramatic, romantic, and emotionally satisfying way possible. A storyline where Chuck and Sarah make the same mutual decision is the ticket to seeing that happen.

If it does happen that way, then we circle back to the top about my statement in regards to being one of the loudest fans when that moment happens. There will be no doubt about it. I WILL be the one leading the cheer.

Making Shaw and Hannah the bad guys is the lazy way out to bringing Chuck and Sarah together. Chuck, Sarah, and we fans should be given the harder way.

The honest way.

The most satisfying way possible.

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