Chucktoid: Shaw Controlling Imagery

This post is part of a series of mini insights into Chuck – Chucktoids, if you will – courtesy of G. Walter Bush, author of Unpacking Chuck and Unpacking Chuck 2.0.

The first image of Shaw in the series (sitting on Beckman’s desk with his face outside the frame) and the first image of Shaw in Castle (with only his arm visible) share an intriguing similarity: both briefly foreground his striking a cigarette lighter, an object that never appears again in the show. And Shaw doesn’t even smoke! So what purpose do these images serve? The cigarette lighter is a controlling metaphor for Shaw: as viewers and the Castle Crew come to learn, he keeps a tight lid on his emotions, hiding within a burning passion to avenge his wife’s death. When he ultimately discovers Sarah pulled the trigger, he emotionally snaps shut for good.