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“This needs to end now.â€
Everything came together in this episode, yet another mid-season finale that was originally designed to act as series finale if needed. The writers resolved every major plot that had been percolating since the season began, or—in some cases—since the death of Papa B last season. It was touching and genuine and funny and sweet. And, for that reason, this is my last Chuck episode to watch or review until the series finale.
I’m not throwing my hands up in disgust, or storming away, or angry. I realized last week that I’d lost my passion for Chuck, and your comments made me realize that I wasn’t enjoying writing the reviews, either. Chuck had become a burden, a thing I dreaded squeezing in around work and other work and laundry and sleep. It stopped being fun.
Why? At this point, I’m not sure. Chuck has lots its appeal for me, but not for everyone, and that makes me think that my growing discontent with the show is more of a personal reaction than a dispassionate assessment. Sure, I could talk about plot holes and problems-of-the-week, but I would likely forgive all those sins and more if my heart was still in it. Sometimes, people change. I guess I changed, although I’m still not sure how, and I grew disenchanted with this little show that could.
That’s why I was so happy that this episode was so very good. It’s a great last-until-the-finale episode for me, because it had everything that I love about Chuck, everything that I’ve felt has been missing.
There’s a great conversation going on in the comments thread of Lou’s review about what the focus of this episode was—Mama B, or Volkoff, or the baby, or the proposal? I’m a fan of the theory espoused by some commentors, that it’s about people coming together to protect and promote their family. We saw it with Casey’s daughter (and Casey himself), with Ellie and Mama B connecting over the new baby/grandbaby, with Chuck and Morgan risking so much to bring everyone back to Burbank where they belong.
It’s telling that Volkoff was so enraptured of The Contessa. Not a person, but a ship. (Or a boat. I always get confused about that terminology.) His ability to excel at evil depends on his inability to truly connect with others. Even his lust for Mama B is more about acquiring an object than truly forming a deep and lasting connection with another person. And his favorite “humanitarian†is Stalin. That’s a clue that he doesn’t understand humans, humanism, or humanitarianism.
Our heroes, on the other hand, are all about the connections. It’s that theme of Josh Schwartz shows that I particularly like, and it was the guiding principle of The O.C. for most of the series: people coming together and risking a lot in order to protect their loved ones. The Mama B and Ellie reunion was the one that spoke most deeply to me personally, but even Jeff and Lester tried their darndest to support their friends. Chuck even brought back Papa B for a posthumous fake cameo, so it felt like the whole family was involved in taking down Volkoff. And, of course, Chuck finally got to propose in a simple, understated, and absolutely perfect proposal scene.
Bytes:
• Ellie: “Chuck and I do anything for family.â€
• Awesome: “Rusted Root is rad, right?â€
Chuck: “Yeah, yeah.â€
• Morgan: “Warrior Two pose…transition into Warrior Three pose.†Maybe it’s because I don’t do yoga, but I thought that was quite funny.
• Volkoff: “From my favorite poet and humanitarian, Josef Stalin.â€
And Pieces
• The spider thing reminded me of the spider things in the Doctor Who episode “The End of the World.â€
• Linda Hamilton as Mama B never forgot that she knew Morgan as a child. She spoke to him like a mom.
• I really did think that Chuck and Morgan were acting alone.
Thank you, Chuck for so many great seasons. Thank you for being such a fun show for so long. I know that you’ll continue to amuse many others for—hopefully—quite a long time, and I look forward to finding out how it all turns out in the series finale.
Four out of four humanitarians.
Yh I know how u feel for me season two was the highest point not to say there aren’t anymore awesome episodes but none of the episodes comes close to the feeling of euphoria I got when.I watched season 2 but its still a great show and I want to really see what happends now that chucks proposed and mama b’ s back to stay? I’m definitely looking forward to more of sarah’s past
We’ll be missing your ‘she says’ reviews, Josie. Best of luck to whatever is next for you.
I have to respectfully disagree. I think that The Push Mix turned out to be an Awesome semi-finale. I’m sure that the writers will be able to push forward with much more for the remaining episodes. I wait for Mondays like a kid waits for his Birthday. Can’t get enough.
Now of course if Chuck didn’t pick up a back eleven and was canceled it would piss me off just like the last episode of JAG or even worse the last episode of Star Trek Enterprise. I’d like to see at least one show that I love end without strings dangling making me think what the heck happened in the end. To me all of the shows that do that make me think that it’s an excrementitious attempt at illusions of a Byronic Hero.
Not all plot points.
1. What’s happened to Kathleen?
2. Has Alex [her daughter] told her Mum that her fiance is still alive?
3. Does Casey still love Kathleen?
4. Is Big Mike going to marry Bolognia?
5. Did Anna Woo get recruited as per Casey’s recommendation?
#2… Yeah, does Alex’s mom understand that Casey is her lost love? Or is Alex keeping this quiet so as not to upset her mom? When Morgan helped them go “off the grid” circa late season 3 did mom find out then?
#1),#2),#3) I’ve been wondering about that too. Wouldn’t it be funny if there was a double wedding at the end of the season – after all, Morgan has declared his love for Alex. And if that happened, the father and mother of the bride would be at the wedding, right? Casey is starting to have “feelings†now and who knows where that could lead…..
Or….I’m guessing Morgan will be the best man – that’s too funny right there! Will Alex be in the wedding party too? Will Casey show up with a date for the wedding?
If you are a Nielsen home please continue to have Chuck on. I am loving this season but can understand wanting to finish on this note. I, however, hope it lasts forever, so please continue to help us in ‘Save Chuck’ efforts. We still need your help.
I’m sorry to hear that Chuck isn’t quite what it once was for you. Personally, this season has been somewhat bleh for me compared to season 2, but I still look forward to watching it more than any other show on TV. Plus, I’m quite excited about the next 11 episodes and feel that they might contain some of the most entertaining if not the strongest episodes of this season and perhaps the entire series.
If your decision to stop watching Chuck isn’t set in stone, might I recommend that you drop all of your superfan duties and simply catch the episodes on Monday night without having to worry about writing a review and otherwise engaging in activities with the other fans. Your fatigue and loss of interest might have less to do with the show itself and more to do with all the commitments you’ve placed on yourself.
Your loss, I have really loved this season at least more than season 3.
Ahh, Josie. I know the feeling. I pull out my season 1-2 DVD’s and realise what the show has lost. But then I put the DVD’s away, watch real-time TV and come away with a more balanced point of view. There’s talent shows, weight-loss contests, jungle survival, cook-offs, drunk kids sharing a beach house, lame sitcoms, formulaic procedurals, you name it. Then I watch even a mediocre season 4 episode of “Chuck” and feel somewhat cleansed. If it weren’t for “Chuck”, “White Collar”, “Psych” and “Burn Notice” I think I’d give my TV a Viking funeral. Step away from from your TV, M’am, take a few deep breaths, decompress. In a few weeks, come back and give the show another shot. Catch up on Hulu. I think you’ll be glad you did. Love, Doctor Bob
“Step away from from your TV, M’am, take a few deep breaths, decompress. In a few weeks, come back and give the show another shot. Catch up on Hulu. I think you’ll be glad you did.” – That, good sir, is a most excellent prescription. Sometimes, you need to stop eating chocolate for a while to realize how much you actually like it.
The show lost the majority of the writers that provided us the character appeal we love. new writers trying to understand characters mindset and provide us for most part the good feeling, but they are not the same writers going to have their idea how the characters behave which is testimony to how good Ali, Matt, and Scott were.
I am enjoying season 4 so much more than season 3. I’m enjoying seeing characters who are in love and who would do ANYTHING for each other. So many shows drag on and on with no character development. I like the fact that the Chuck of today is not the Chuck of two years ago. Part of him is missing, but I think it is partly due to the fact that the writers have been focusing on OTHER characters this year. I feel like if Chuck was the same nerd, people would still be complaining about his lack of growth. The writers need to do more of what they did in the previous episode and what they did when Chuck took down the Ring. Chuck standing up for the people he loves and being a leader. Seasons 1 and 2 were amazing. 3 lacking, and I personally feel 4 is a good step for all the characters. Chuck was meant to be simply enjoyed. For me, it’s a time when I can suspend my disbelief and immerse myself in a different world.
This past episode was simple and great. Clever Chuck, humorous Morgan and Awesome, touching Ellie, and wise Casey. Win win. Really.
Reading this review reminds me of setting expectations and not having them fulfilled. Always dangerous when you watch a series for enjoyment. The writers produce a direction and you get the feel of it but reading upcoming spoilers and generally painting upcoming episodes in your mind before they air with details you already know begins to lose the magic of the episodes. Which is still most definitely there for me.
Truth 1: Typically all of the seasons have had a theme which have fueled the season as well as the fan base in general (good or bad for some) . The first season was an intorudction for chuck to the spy world (Everyone get on board the Chuck train). The second season was Chuck getting over the things holding him back in his career, spy life and past relationship with Jill so he could follow his heart with Sarah and get the confidence he so badly needed (Chuck you can be more, oh… and try and get Sarah). The third was focused more on Chuck becoming a man and a real spy (You screwed up with Sarah bud, but you can become a man with the 2.0 and a REAL spy, maybe win her back). This year it was most definitely “family.” (Awesomes, Caseys, Bartowski’s, Et al… come together and do anything for each other.)
Each of these season long arcs cater to different groups and fans more so than others. That’s the problem as some seasons for some people kick butt while others seem to make them uncomfortable. Season 3 did this to me at times till the second half which ramped up. Remember when Chuck literally had to balance a mission with Ellie or Morgan needing him that episode only for his spy life to ruin everything in his normal life?
The problem now is the spy life with Sarah and Casey is becoming the “normal” life while the old normal life Chuck used to have with Ellie, Awesome and Morgan has fallen into becoming merged with his spy life perhaps dominating his life now with us seeing less everyday interactions that are not spy related. There was always a clear seperation of spy and normal life but that seperation is all but gone with the exception of Ellie unaware he’s back to spying again. The dynamic of that was lost which is what we got used to in Season’s 1 and 2. That’s why alot of people noticed the change in Season 3 and the show seemed to change on them. Change is inevitable for these characters and to continue to allow them to grow and be interesting they need to go in new directions.
Josie, exactly the same thing happened to me. I used to watch a new episode of Chuck few times during a week. But now? I feel there is something missing. I loved S3 and how they developed Sarah and Chuck´s relationship. But they started to draw too much attention this year, team Bartowski even doesn´t exist too much anymore. How many times have been Chuck, Sarah and Casey on a mission together? (and I mean REAL Team B., without the “funny” Morgan in it).
So yeah, I understand completely. It happened to me before with another shows. I have a website about Stargate: Atlantis that stopped being appealling in Season 4 and I had to keep going with reviews and news. And then it´s not a fun but only another thing you “have to do”. That´s not what TV shows, especially like Chuck, should be about 😉
Josie-
As one who criticized your review of ‘Gobbler’ I’d like to offer something fornyounto consider:
Perhaps your current negativity towers Chuck has more to do with the pressure of having to produce a review with something to say each week, rather than anything that is different about Chuck now than in the past.
Stop being a reviewer and go back to being a fan – just sit back and enjoy Chuck without having to compile it’s good and or bad points. There is still as much to enjoy about Chuck as there ever was. And if you know anything about Chuck not watching any more episodes until the finale you will miss too much.
Finally, take a fresh look at Chuck – not as a spy show (which it has never been) but as a show about the interactions of people from two largely incompatible worlds who first learn to tolerate each other, then trust, like and for some of them love each other. The characters have always been the ‘A’ story with the spy world and civilian world providing the impetus for the character growth which is seen in few if any other TV shows.
In all honesty has there never been a spy mission which made sense and could stand on it’s own. I think if you went back and picked them apart as you have lately been doing you wouldn’t find more than a handful which didn’t have improbable events (ignoring the intersect) and loose ends and that’s okay because that’s not what Chuck has been about starting from scene 1 episode 1!
Best wishes and here’s hoping you can return to Chuck as a fan.
DaveF-
I couldn’t agree with you more! For me this show has always been a romantic comedy that used drama and action to help tell the story. I mean they teamed a guy who’s a nerd, has a computer in his head and has feelings with a girl who’s beautiful, a spy and is also smart and has feelings. And with them throw in all the other great regular characters and the “guest†characters. Then let these wonderful actors take their characters and develop them through this great spy story.
What this show is about hasn’t really changed much at all over the years. The thing that got me interested in this show right from the pilot wasn’t about the “story-line†as much as it was about the characters.
Shows that are character driven “mature†and evolve over time. I’m sure the actors and writers have many discussions while rehearsing and filming about what the characters would do or say in situations: Would Chuck really do that now? Would Casey really say that now? Would Sarah really feel that way now….etc? We’re into the 4th year of the show. How could they not develop and be different from what they were before? It may sound like I’m contradicting myself, but what I’m saying is this show has always been about the characters.
If the people who make this show are telling you that the last 10 minutes of this episode are the best 10 minutes of Chuck, then what was the last 10 minutes about? It was about the characters.
This show is not Mission Impossible. That show was ALL about the spy story. Those characters never changed from week to week or year to year. Maybe you’re not enjoying the show because you’re too focused on the spy part of the show and all the little nuances that don’t seem to add up.
I agree with DaveF – “Stop being a reviewer……†Just enjoy the show for what it is. This is a really first class show all around that I hope has many more years of life in it. Can’t wait to see where these wonderful characters take us for the next 11 episodes!
Sage advice.
Stop being a critic, albeit one who used to like the show, and become just a fan again.
Just watch like the rest of us. Don’t worry about figuring out if you like it or not, and what it is you like about it or not.
If you feel obligated to write a critical review, pretty soon, it becomes a chore. Usually chores are not fun. They are things you have to do in order to get to the point of doing something you do enjoy.
As a Chuck fan from the series premiere, I have to say that the show has had its ups and downs, and those of us who love the show and have spent so much time and effort working to keep it going often wonder if the show continues to be worthy of all the effort.
The truth is, it’s not easy for a bubble show. The main reason Chuck has had to bite and scratch and claw its way through is because of juggernauts like Dancing with the Stars, House, How I Met Your Mother/Rules of Engagement, The Bachelor, and others. As well, it was part of the shortened TV season because of the writers’ strike, where many promising shows fizzled out because a shortened season wasn’t enough for them to stick in the minds of TV viewers.
However, Chuck is different. It always has been. It’s a show that’s heartfelt and goofy, in a world where people seem to value gritty “realism” and cynicism. Chuck is not afraid to expose a few plot holes for the sake of a joke, tell fresh stories that shine because of its characters, or put its own spin on plots and formulas from other spy or action-comedy shows.
Some of us simply like other TV shows more for whatever reason; it could be that it’s better to keep up with the more popular shows so that we’re in the loop at the dinner table or the water cooler; it could be that we gain satisfaction from being a part of something that most other people enjoy; it could be that some of us are burned out after devoting so much time and energy to a show that’s always needed its fans to make it to the next season.
But you know what? Whenever Chuck ends its run – a day I am NOT looking forward to – we’re going to look back and say that we were part of something. Every $5 footlong we ate. Every tweet reminding others to tune in to NBC at 8pm every Monday. All the “What a great episode!” Facebook status updates. Any nervousness we’ve ever felt at the prospect of the show being canceled…In the end, many of us will decide that all of that was much more worth it than hearing Gregory House’s snide remarks year after year, seeing yet another red herring potential mother for Ted Mosby, even more snark from David Spade, and near-forgotten athletes and celebrities try to dance in provocative outfits.
The best entertainment not just amuses us; it gives us something extra.
And that is what Chuck offers. Josh Schwartz has provided a heart to the show that The O.C. also had, and Fedak has come up with a great concept that was made even stronger by an amazing cast. The clever stories, comedic chops, fantastic use of guest stars, even better use of wonderful music, and a common theme of family, have all combined to give us a show unlike any other ever made.
If any of us are burned out on Chuck right now, perhaps refraining from writing reviews is a great option. So is avoiding spoilers that, as someone once said, take away from the magic of each episode. Instead of pushing to hear something great about the show, let’s not undercut our enthusiasm by knowing every minute detail. Perhaps after all this and more, maybe all we needed was to stop making the show more than it is.
We don’t know how much time we have left with Chuck on the air; do we really want to spend it nitpicking the plot holes we know will come (and, if we dig hard enough, ALL works of fiction have plot holes)? Or wring every spoiler we can find until each new episode offers little surprises?
Shows change, and so do we. Both can happen, but the show hasn’t lost any of its value in the process. Casting both Linda Hamilton and Timothy Dalton was a masterstroke; this show has the potential to make it to at least six seasons, and we can help bring it there. Let’s just make sure we know why we love the show, and if we don’t anymore, step aside and let fresh hearts and minds take over.
The rest of season 4 is ahead of us – and I believe that in the right mindset, we’ll enjoy every minute. This show, as “Push Mix” just proved, has a quality and power like no other TV show I’ve ever seen…and I know I’m not alone in saying that.
Sean i agree completly with you,very well put!!
Sean, have you ever considered motivational speaking? Because you should…
Well said Sean.
I only got into Chuck in the last 3 months. Being in Australia, I first discovered the show through my sister’s season 1, 2 & 3 DVD’s, then season 4 online.
I have read much about the network renewing (or not renewing) the show each season, or maybe even pulling it early for the last 1 or 2 seasons.
This has to have an obvious impact on the writing & the production of the plots, storylines, etc.
However with all that conjecture, and concern hanging over the heads of the Chuck production, the show is still entertaining, fun, filled with action and seems to find a little something for everybody.
I have seen all episodes through to the latest over the past few months and am now revisiting the episodes from the beginning with my wife & young children. They LOVE IT!
I can understand from a fan & reviewers perspective that when you put so much effort into something for such a long time, not matter how much you enjoy what you are involved in, at times you can want to distance yourself.
If things are analysed to the “nth” degree, you can certainly be picking out plenty of negatives as well as positives, but perhaps as you say, we should all just step back & enjoy it for waht it is.
A wholesome, entertaining show, yes with some plot holes, but in general a show that we all enjoy for our own reasons.
I hope that it continues for some time to come. Unfortunately I have resigned myself to the fact that due to the fickle nature of the TV industry in Australia I will have to find the episodes online or in other means other than on free to air tv here.
But I will continue to enjoy it as it brings a smile to my face & to the faces of my family whenever we watch it.
I am going to miss reading your reviews, Josie. Hopefully you can end up following DaveF’s advice and just take a break from posting reviews and get back to what’s great about Chuck. With that said, Push Mix was a great episode and I’m only partially disappointed that NBC bought another 11 episodes. But, that means more Chuck for me to watch.. yay! Thankfully my DISH Network DVR has tons of recording space for all these episodes… I wanna say I have every episode of Chuck on my DVR right now. And as a DISH customer/employee I can say that DISH has more HD channels than any other provider, so I have tons of space to record stuff. One final note… I’m with you on Linda Hamilton being great as Momma B, but I get the feeling she’s still hiding stuff. We’ll see as the rest of this season unfolds.