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Jill.
Sarah.
Lou.
Hannah.
We could also include, a character removed from the pilot: Kayla, to the list too. Which one of these women does not belong in this group? The obvious answer is Sarah. She is the only female with light hair color that Chuck has shown an interest in. The more complex answer tells us that Sarah is the best match for Chuck and vice-versa.
It has been said that, ‘Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss.’ Does a decided inclination towards women with brunette hair fit with that adage, knowing what we know about Chuck?
I do not believe so.
After two seasons of Chuck, the casting of the dark haired Kristin Kreuk as Hannah for the upcoming third season cannot be an accident. (It is a nice bonus that Kreuk has a Superman connection via Smallville but that is for another article.) The casting choices made by the show for all of these dark haired women are too consistent to be mere coincidence.
‘Where there is smoke, there is fire,’ seems a much more apt adage as to what is going on in the head of one, Chuck Bartowski. With Chuck this predilection towards women of the darker haired variety appears to belie a more deeply rooted issue; what I have coined, the ‘B’ factor. ‘B’ as in brunette or could it also be, Mama Bartowski, perhaps? She is almost certainly a double ‘B’; a brunette and a Bartowski.
The fathers for Chuck and Sarah have been explored on the show but the mothers still remain enigmas. Of the two, Mama Bartowski seems to be the more intriguing. The reasons for her departure are a total void. Also, there could be a tenuous connection to Ted Roark and Steve Bartowski. In Chuck Vs the Dream Job, Roark asked Papa B if he remembered that Roark had a way with the ladies. Was that a reference to Mama Bartowski? If so, the back story of Mama Bartowski could be very interesting indeed.
From Chuck and Ellie’s perspective, their mother’s disappearance is as much a mystery to them as it is to us. Mama B seems to have just picked up and left without any explanation or forewarning. Could Chuck’s preference for dark haired women be nothing more than a subconscious desire to find a mother replacement? If the third season explores the backstories of the mothers, the revelations behind the closed door of Mama Bartowski’s life could have major impacts on Chuck, Ellie, and Sarah.
To further spice up the mother backstory, what if Mama Bartowski and Sarah’s paths have crossed in the past? The argument against such a backstory is that it makes the Chuckverse ever smaller by having everyone related to everyone else. A very valid point. Still, the dramatic possibilities available, if such a backstory exists, are so potentially rich and enticing, that I would be happy to ignore that argument in this case. (I get giddy with the thought that Mama Bartowski could have been one of Sarah’s instructors, or maybe even her mentor, during her spy training!)
Many of us are still waiting for a payoff for the bracelet that Chuck gave Sarah in Season 2. Many thought the bracelet would have a part to play in the Orion storyline. When it did not, it appeared that the bracelet had become another dangling story thread. But could the show be saving a payoff for the bracelet with the appearance of Mama Bartowski? Could we be seeing that payoff in Season 3? Or maybe later? Only time will tell.
Then there is the whole question of who would play Mama Bartowski? Linda Carter, anyone? Not only does she fit the bill physically, she also has that superhero connection in her background too.
Whatever transpires, fans of the show eagerly await to find out the mystery behind the ‘B’ Factor.
Ah yes…the bracelet. Many a hour was wasted by many a fan, analyzing every scene to detect whether Sarah was wearing it. lol I still hope there is a payoff down the road, that the bracelet will prove to be important in some story arc.
I think Chuck’s “comfort zone” is a brunette. Ellie who raised him after Mom & Pop left and perhaps memory’s of MamaB {who supposedly Ellie resembles) make him go in the Brunette direction. The only Blonde so far is Sarah and it hasn’t been an easy ride.
It hasn’t been an easy ride because of Sarah’s very complicated profession. Besides, she was supposed to protect Chuck, not fall in love with him.
Hmm, very interesting theories!
Didn’t the bracelet make an appearance in the Season 2 finale? I thought I spotted Sarah wearing it at the wedding.
We have no guarantee that MamaB was a brunette. Blonde hair is a recessive gene, so if Orion did not have parents who were blonde, then any children he has with a natural blonde will be brunette.
To use genetic terminology:
Let B represent the gene for brown hair. Capitalized because it is a dominant gene. Let b represent the gene for blonde hair.
Let’s take the following hypothetical genetic makeup for the Bartowski parents:
Chuck’s dad/Orion/PapaB: BB (fully brunette)
Chuck’s mother/MamaB: bb (fully naturally blonde)
We can multiply out BB and bb to give the following possible hair colors for their offspring:
Bb
Since Brunette is the dominant gene, both Ellie and Chuck will be brunettes.
Therefore it is genetically possible for PapaB to be fully brunette, and MamaB to be fully blonde, and have Chuck and Ellie appear brunette.
PapaB quote: ” Gee Ellie, you look just like your mother.” Ellie is a brunette. He didn’t say “but with brown hair”. 🙂
Talk about a party pooper.
If Chuck’s mom is a blonde, then no wonder he and Sarah are having so many difficulties.
O please no. If ur saying theres a possibility they are related, I will kill my self. UGH!
Ellie obviously isn’t attracted to men who look like her father. Devon’s as far away from Stephen Bartowski as you can get. So mama Bartowski doesn’t necessarily have to look like either Sarah or Jill. I think Brunette is Chuck’s comfort zone, but that’s about it. In trying to win Sarah, it’s just another example of Chuck going outside of that zone and trying something new.
” I think Brunette is Chuck’s comfort zone, but that’s about it.”
I disagree. Chuck’s fascination with brunettes could easily mean more.. in a subconcious level like Lou said. The human mind is a fascinating thing.
Really? Devon and PapaB share more than a few similiar characteristics both physical and character in my mind.
Are you sure you would like to see PapaB shirtless?
I rather see Chuck shirtless. 😉
Actually, I have seen fairly recent pics of Scott Bakula shirtless and he has taken quite good care of himself. He still looks pretty good, even for an “old” guy. lol
Have u seen his old show Quantum Leap? Bakula was certaintly in good shape. Still is, but he is as old as my father which is horrifying.
Very, very interesting and intriguing post, Lou, lots of possibilities here!! I agree, they should explore the character of mama B in this season, PLEASE. And she should be a brunette! I wouldn’t like it any other way.
Why doesn’t Sarah die her hair brunette? Then Chuck would never have another love interest.
I have long thought that having Mama B as Sarah’s mentor without either realizing each other’s connection to Chuck could be used in both a heartwarming and humourous way.
Imagine Sarah and Mama B talking in Sarah’s hotel room. Sarah is confiding in her that she has feelings for her asset without mentioning the name for “need to know security reasons”. Mama B telling Sarah that if she is in love she should go for it – forget regulations. Then while Sarah is busy with something – making tea/coffee etc. there is a knock on the door. Sarah asks Mama B to get it, Mama B opens the door and it’s Chuck.
Chuck after long pause: Mom?
Mama B: Chuck?
Sarah to Chuck: Did you say Mom?
Of course this is where the To Be Continued would flash across the screen.
With the way Zach and Yvonne can use facial expressions, I just thought such a scenario (or similar one) could be so funny.
Hi Gord:
There might be some validity to your theory. I do remember during the Ring Interivew with Yvonne, that she implied that their histories (Chuck and Sarah) will have some connection. At first I thought something would be revealed in the Ring episode, but there wasn’t any obvious connection between Chuck and Sarah, at that moment.
Maybe she might have been referring to future episodes and it seems that some information about the mother might be revealed this season. It is possible your theory might be significant. I have heard other theories as well about Mother Bartowski. Some have stated she is head of the Ring, that she was Stephen Bartowshi’s handler among many other theories. They all seem to have some possibility.
Anyway, I guess we all will be speculating on this subject.
Gord that would make a great scene and Pat, interesting observations. All of those are possibilites. I just hope the writers make at least a three story arc for S3 involving Chuck’s mom.
How about this for a spin off…..
Sarah is Mama Bartowski!
barf bag anyone?
How the h*ll is that even possible and secondly, why am I suddenly thinking of a** hole Wooody Allen. Gross thought there FC. 🙁
“Could Chuck’s preference for dark haired women be nothing more than a subconscious desire to find a mother replacement?”
Why is Chromeo’s “Momma’s Boy” suddenly playing in my head? Euuwww. 😉
Seriously, though, the backstory thing has always been intriguing. And since TPTB didn’t take advantage of it (yet) with Papa B (Bryce and/or Sarah could have been tied to him via the Omaha project) it leaves the plot device open for Mama B. The whole Ted Roark connection seems to be ripe for plundering as well, although you’d have to imagine it would be heralded by a casting spoiler for Scott Bakula prior to his appearance.
Finally, despite all of the genetics, I’d be shocked if Mama B was a blonde. It just wouldn’t be… right.
I was thinking what of saraah knew Mama B all along thru a CIA connection.Wouldnt that count as something traumatic, as she never told chuck.
Are you certain we don’t have everything backwards? Chuck has a fairly visceral reaction to Sarah when she first walks up to his desk in the Buymore and is clearly captivated by her during their first date. Sarah is also clearly blond. When Sarah walked up to the desk, Chuck knew nothing about her beyond her physical appearance, so he’s obviously capable of being attracted to blonds.
Perhaps the blame lies not with Chuck, but with the blonds. Maybe Chuck has a thing for blonds, but blonds just aren’t that into Chuck. Sarah even seems to fit that pattern. From Chuck’s perspective both Lou and Jill were far more interested in him than Sarah.
Of course, it could be completely a tidy fabrication by fans. Of the list, only Jill and Lou have actually appeared on the show. Kayla doesn’t exist in this Chuck universe and we have no way of knowing whether Chuck is actually interested in Hannah. That means natural blonds make up 1/3 of Chuck’s love interests on the show which exceeds their proportion of the US population.
“Perhaps the blame lies not with Chuck, but with the blonds. Maybe Chuck has a thing for blonds, but blonds just aren’t that into Chuck. Sarah even seems to fit that pattern. From Chuck’s perspective both Lou and Jill were far more interested in him than Sarah.”
I couldn’t disagree more. It’s been stablished so far that Sarah LOVES Chuck. Even Cap. Awesome told Bryce so. Everybody knows so.
I think what we were saying (well, at least I do) is that Chuck is drawn to brunettes in some way because they mostly remind him of his mom. Sarah doesn’t. She is totally different.
Everyone didn’t usually include Chuck until at least the end of vs. Predator. Awesome, Ellie, etc. are outside observers who were treated to the Sarah and Chuck show. They aren’t on the receiving end of the swift kick to the family jewels that Chuck gets whenever Sarah deems it necessary to reinforce a professional distance between them. I’m not suggesting Sarah doesn’t love Chuck, but rather from Chuck’s perspective both Lou and Jill were more interested in him.
Objectively Chuck has loved Jill, loves Sarah and was interested Lou. It’s too small of a data set to ascribe him a preference for brunettes, especially given he had little interest in the brunette he talked to during the pilot and women with dark hair outnumber blonds by a significant margin even in dye happy California.
do we already know in how many episodes KK will be in?
i find it more intrguing about sarahs mother, i hope that ellie asks sarah bout her fanily sometime. i wanna see what she’d come up with, whether it would be a lie or the truth. but i like all flashbacks, so info on either mamab or sarahs mom would work for me
I’m more interested to see if Sarah has a sister or not. Anyone else agree with me?
I’m thinking the little mention of Ellie resembling her mother most likely means their mom is a brunette. I’m also thinking that doesn’t necessarily have to tie into Chuck’s infatuation. Instead of Chuck, Sarah should be the one being looked into.
Sarah is the outcast of Chuck’s world. They have done many things to highlight that. For example, Sarah’s aversion to Christmas which is almost incomprehensible to Chuck. Throwing another blonde into the mix for Chuck would take away from Sarah’s uniqueness. I wouldn’t be surprised if Chuck went for a redhead somewhere down the line (although I hope he doesn’t since the blonde’s the one we want him with). The only time it would be right for them to use another blonde love interest would be to make Sarah extremely uncomfortable and make her feel she is *not* the irresistible enigma everyone has made her out to be. The writers have absolutely no need for that, though, so they shy away from blondes.
PS. I agree with how cool it would be if Mrs. Bartowski was Sarah’s mentor.
What if Mama B was one of Sarah’s instructors at the farm?? Or she was somehow involved in Project Omaha? Or she was a agent that either helped or cross path with Sarah?
I think they’ve been casting brunette actresses as love interests on Chuck simply because they provide a more drastic on-screen contrast to Yvonne Strahovski.
WOW! U might be right.
Myself I keep thinking that there could be a CIA or NSA reason that Chuck’s Mom is gone. They have made many people so far disappear, why not Chuck’s mom? Anyways hopefully we will see this coming season.
Rod
I thought B was for:
Bryce
Buy More
Bachelor Party
Maybe somebody’s already mentioned this and I’ve overlooked it. But here goes anyway:
Remember “The Ring” episode exchange between Chuck and Daddy B??
“Dad, I LOVE her!” “her” = THE BLONDE!!!
’nuff said! 🙂