ChuckTV.net The CHUCK archive
Alan Sepinwall’s review of “Chuck vs. the Mask” is already up (that guy is speedy!) and it’s pretty positive. I agree with him on pretty much all counts. It starts getting hairy in the comments, as you might expect, so he lays it all out far more eloquently than I could:
Guys, let me make three points:
1)If you’re only watching the show for the chance of Chuck and Sarah getting together, you’ve spent more than two years missing an awful lot of other good stuff happening on this show.
2)I have seen many, many, many, many shows completely, 100% futz up the will-they-or-won’t-they thing. I’ve become an expert at reading the signs for when it’s being handled exactly right (The Office), when it’s being bungled (Ed from season 2 on), and when it’s somewhere in between – which is about where I’d put Chuck right now. They could screw this up, or they could be using Hannah and Shaw as the final barrier to the inevitable coupling, and/or the thing that actually causes them to get together. We shall see. Which leads me to…
3)Patience is a virtue with this kind of thing. I know you want it now-now-now-now-now, but there are, in fact, times, when the destination becomes more rewarding from a longer journey. To bring it back to The Office, I remember there were Jim & Pam fans ready to storm Greg Daniels’ office early in season 3 when Jim was living in Stamford and flirting with Karen, and in the end virtually everyone agreed that the show ultimately nailed it with how, when and why it brought PB&J together. You may be mad now, but this particular configuration of the rhombus might wind up paying off wonderfully. (It could also be a trainwreck, but we’re far from there at this point.)
Oh, and one more…
4)Again, this is a quite awesome show in a lot of areas, and if your only reason for watching is to see those two as a couple, well… I’m sorry you’re not getting out of it what so many of us are.
So there’s that. Now who wants to talk about the intervention-like moment when Shaw, Sarah and Casey informed Chuck that he was meant to be an autonomous agent and they were just his training wheels?
Updated: Daniel Feinberg at HitFix has his review up now.
I think everybody needs to call down and take a break. Chuck will be back after the Olympics and every fan should be watching it, regardless of whether you agreed with what happened in last night’s episode. It’s just TV people–let the writers write the episodes. All indications point to a Sarah/Chuck rekindling at the end of the season. Plus, the chemistry between the two is unmatchable. Shaw and Hannah are just guest stars and Hannah will be gone soon. Chuck and Sarah still love each other (you can see it in the glances and the plot of the story). The fact that they are taking a backseat to each other’s new relationships, means that they are trying to make the new plutonic friendship work (which you know won’t–they won’t stay apart). We know that the guest stars won’t be on forever–so let the story progress and quit crying. What’s worse: A story where you root for Sarah and Chuck all season and get thrown around on their rollercoster? Or, No Story–because Chuck has been cancelled? Open your eyes people–there isn’t too much good about TV right now. Let’s not get Chuck cancelled over your predictions and ideas based on episode 7 of 19. Grow up and watch this awesome show for what it is–entertainment, and continue to love it. Let’s see what the writers have in store for us and when the season is over express your opinions. This show needs its fans and needs us to support it throughout the season, that way we can get Season 4.
Most fans don’t care if C/S get together straight away but we want something that makes sense and that was totally OCC. I don’t see any way back for C/S unless there is some massive plot twist their characters have been ruined at the moment. If chuck dumps hannah to win back sarah im going to scream. Is anyone else fed up of chuck taking the role of a kicked puppy?
I don’t know about a kicked puppy this time around. He came off as more of a horny teenager. “Ooh, pretty girl wants to make out with me! Sarah? Sarah who?”
The obvious scenario is this: As Chuck gets closer to Hannah, Hannah realizes he’s still in love with Sarah, dumps him and leaves. Chuck, realizing she’s right and not enjoying the sight of Sarah and Shaw making eyes at each other, rushes off to tell Sarah his feelings (again). This forces Sarah to choose between Shaw and Chuck, likely choosing neither (for now).
I don’t really expect a conspiracy plot to be revealed where Sarah is playing Shaw or Hannah is a plant. We’ll find out on March 1! Remember the writers did not expect a 3-week break in-between episodes 7 and 8.
Totaly agree with Sepinwall.The time will come,buts lets enjoy the journey getting there.
Totally agree as well. I trust in the writers/showrunners. They’ve never let me down. And I liked The Mask ep.
I was thinking about it this morning and the only explanation i can come up with to explain how out of character chuck and sarah acted is that both of them are either being fooled or are fooling the others. I meancom on since when does sarah say to a guy she has barely known for a few weeks ‘i kind of liked it when you touched my neck’ in the most cheesiest way. The writers of the show are proffesionals and i would assume they know how to keep the characters in character. Well let’s hope what they have planned is consistent with chuck and sarah’s personality, f they can’t explain the actions of the last half of this episode there is seriously something going wrong in that office
sorry about the spelling it’s meant to be
*come on
*if
I must admit that after viewing the 3.07 show I was quite taken aback but after considering the probabilities I do agree with Sepinwall. To an extent. He is right about the other parts that we could be missing. I feel Chuck’s uneasiness about being left on his own, his crazy friends complicate matters tremendously but that is what they are there for. I hope that they can continue to ease Awesome out of his fantasy. There seems to be a very strong story-line developing with regards to “The Ring”. As far as Sepinwalls comments about the will-they-or-wont-they-thing, he needs to remember that that was the major premise of the show that drew in the fans and yes those story-lines have been royally trashed in other shows. Seems like writers get writers block and deviate away from the basics that got the shows to the fans heart. Lets hope it doesn’t happen here. I really enjoy the show and at least Emmett got his come-uppence!
Not to be a Debby Downer or anything, but watching this episode made me start to lose serious hope in chuck’s future (the show, not the person) I could go on and on about the multiple faults, but the one i really want to point out is Sarah. Sure, lets make her fall in love with every guy-spy she meets (except casey, of course). Fine. But she looked like a total wuss. She not only fell for shaw’s cheap lines, but she passed out from the poison gas and had to be carried on his shoulder to the museum? REALLY? The Sarah Walker we all know and love would have been able to take out 15 bad guys with a plastic spork and saved everyone’s butts while under influence of said poison and still walk away with little more that a scratch. I can accept this whole new chuck with his new girl and this shaw guy, but it shouldnt be the center of the show’s series of events. What makes chuch (again, the show) so great is that element of ‘will they or wont they’ coupled with great sidelines and great action. But that hasnt been as present lately, in my opinion. Also, where was Captain Awesome, Jeff, and Lester? Did they all go to Aruba or something? And, i do like hannah as a character, as long as she keeps control of the invisible magnets that seem to keep her face stuck to chuck’s all the time 😉
RachelB jwr96a I hope you guys are right:(
There is nothing with chuck! we all know him, and how he reacting for pretty girls. Its all about Sarah and what she did in last season. There is only one
explanation for what is happened in last season, is she was playing with Shaw!!!
Its already episode 7 of chuck season 3. So far very disappointed. Chuck should forget sarah. sarah in the story is immatatured, no principal easy to go into men’s arm looks like hero for a short period. Writers has lost ideas and creativity. Don’t give what fans want. They forget that the fans that supported season 3 of chuck. Now, forget about chuck. Stop watching chuck, not worth our time. Let it be prematurely terminated
Well Chuck/Hannah wasn’t anything really different then Sarah/Shaw so singling out Sarah is really without merit.
As for giving up on the show for it? Are we 12? Seriously, they might have done some rather dumb, not very well thought out htings in Chuck at times but every show has, so based on that lets cancel TV as a whole medium then.
I wish they’d let the Sarah/Shaw romance build up for a couple of episodes first – how it happened in the episode just felt really rushed.
I’m a mexican fan of chuck, i get shock of what i see this past monday, but i think is the way that the show must go on because we are in the middle of the season.
I like to see chuck and sarah together but maybe they need to see that no matter what, chuck still love sarah and sarah loves chuck.
So don’t quit on the show, i’ts a really great show, i don’t see tv shows only chuck, so dont worry they will be together sooner or later.
I think Fedak and Shwartz are doing it right with taking their time. I agree that as emotionally stressful the journey may be, the reward will be that much greater.
I think Chuck is trying to please everyone and be what they expect him to be he is on the path of self destruction. Sarah sees this vunerability and how cold he is becoming and she takes it upon herself to bring him back to the Chuck he use to be, the Chuck she fell in love with. This will take time. wouldn’t it be cool if at the end of the season we find out that Ellie has an intersect too and she has been hiding it all these years from Chuck?
In order to get fans or keep them your writing and storylines have to deserve fans–the fat lady is warming up especially if Routh (Shaw) hangs around beyond episode 12 and continues to make it with Sarah–I do watch it (at least 80%) for the Sarah/ Chuck relationship–which is my choice and what is left is only worth the other 20%.
I absolutely love this show, however, this season there is a little disconnect in what made the first two seasons so awesome. As I see it, Chuck and Sarah wanted what the other had in their lives. Chuck was an underachieving nerd herder wanting more excitement in his life but who had strong friends and family relationships. Sarah had all the excitement she could handle but wanted more of the family relationships Chuck had. Combine that with the chemistry between the two and you see why seasons 1 and 2 worked so well. That’s the problem (so far) with season 3. Chuck is now the spy, has the excitement in his life but it is affecting his family and friends. Sarah is now concerned that Chuck will become just another spy and lose the innocence and family relationships she wanted and was attracted to. As the season progresses, I do expect the writers to bring this story line back a bit and have Chuck realize that his family is more important than being a spy. If Chuck simply became another spy (like Bryce Larkin) but it cost him his family, friends, and Sarah, then the price was too high and one wonderful part of the show would be lost. We need to see something in the middle.
I totally agree with Woody. This season has left a bitter taste in my mouth. It is so different. The family aspect of Chuck is off; we have hardly seen any family events with Ellie and Awesome. That was one of the dynamics of the show last year that made the show great and it seems to be totally missing. Another thing that seems off is the Buy More. Since when would Casey brainwash Lester because he went against authority? It seemed a little extreme. Then the next week they are back to their Buy More antics. Then we get to the spy thing. Chuck is now acting like Bond without being able to kill someone. I mean he flashes at the perfect moment, always gets himself out of the situation, and nothing ever goes all that wrong. He bails himself out and barely needs the help of his handlers. I don’t like Intersect 2.0, it changes Chuck, both the show and the character. He needs to get in trouble more often like the last seasons. Everything is too…perfect.
I can understand the Chuck/Hannah relationship more than the Sarah/Shaw. I mean at least with Chuck and Hannah they met on a plane and she came to see him with very obvious feelings, but with Sarah and Shaw the relationship seems off. One second she telling him to back off and the next she is actually expressing feelings to him (D:<). Then when they said it was dangerous I got really pissed. I mean come on, for like two years she had very obvious feelings for Chuck but they didn't do anything because the CIA wouldn't allow it. What is the difference with Shaw? Come on Sarah, it's not that oblivious! You love Chuck!
So I admit I am a little more than biased. I am one of the biggest Charah shippers you will ever meet. I cry everytime something sad happens, I cry anytime something good happens, and I cry everytime they confess feelings with another person. And yes, I know it is pathetic. Don't get me wrong, it isn't the only reason I watch the show, but it is a big reason. Yet this season it seems like their relationship is very awkward and off. I keep watching Chuck season 1 and 2 (especially during stupid Olympic time) and I notice that everything seemed different. Chuck seems like an immature little kid right now; one second he is like Sarah, and then the next he is like Hannah! It seems so OOC for him. After all they did last year and the way they ended it, I thought that they would come up with something a lot more…origional and better scripted than this. I mean we have gone through like seven episodes and not one of them had any Charah emotions quite like last season. The whole Prague thing, Sarah was OOC and Chuck was a little too. THen everything after that just got worse.
In all I would say this season is the worst out of all of them. I think season 2 is the best followed by season 1. But season 3 just doesn't compare to the first two. I wish it did, but it doesn't. I had such high hopes, but if they have Sarah/Shaw end this thing no later than episode 9 they can kind of redeem themselves with no hookups (that inclues C/H and S/S). But any later than that or if anything bad happens I am going to have to go back to Plan B: pretend this whole season was just a horribly written fanfic and make up my own. Q.Q