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In “Chuck vs. Tom Sawyer,” Sarah tried to relieve Ellie’s concerns about Chuck’s lack of direction by telling her, “You know, Chuck is like a duck. Sometimes it seems like he is just gliding along, but beneath the surface his little feet are just paddling away like crazy.” It’s one of those lines that was an instant classic, but I was thinking about it recently and wondered, is it more than just a cute thing Sarah said? IS Chuck like a duck? I looked up some of the qualities attributed to ducks in Celtic and Chinese lore; see what you think.
- Ducks are a symbol of transition – Because of their migratory nature, ducks are symbols of transition in Celtic lore. For the last 3 years, Chuck has been in a state of transition as he moved from apathetic guy in a dead end job to a spy determined to hone his skills and accomplish his goals.
- Ducks represent sensitivity & adaptability – The Celts noticed that ducks are sensitive to their surroundings, adapting as needed. Chuck is a sensitive guy, we’ve seen that over and over in both his personal and professional lives. He’s also quick to adapt, an important quality for a spy with frequent undercover missions.
- Ducks are symbols of honesty & simplicity – Arguable when it comes to Chuck, but he started out believing honesty is the best policy, and he tried to keep things simple. Even now, his plans often utilize the simplest means to an end.
- Ducks represent fidelity & conjugal bliss – The Mandarin Duck is used in Chinese weddings, because in traditional Chinese lore they symbolize wedded bliss and fidelity. Fidelity is certainly an attribute Chuck has exhibited through the years, and after episode 3.13, I’d say the “bliss” is present, too.
- Ducks are symbols of resourcefulness – Beginning with his use of the Irene Demova virus to defuse a bomb in the pilot episode, Chuck has demonstrated resourcefulness consistently.
Not all duck attributes fit Chuck (agile in water?), but enough do that I’d say Sarah was right: Chuck is like a duck. And I’m pretty sure that’s a compliment.
One of my favorite Sarah quotes! 🙂
Since “Chuck†is a Warner Brothers production, we would do well to examine the role of the duck in Warner Brothers mythology. Here, the duck is an asset pursued by a “dethpicable†antagonist, typically armed with a shotgun. The duck shows a remarkable adaptability and resourcefulness, often having to improvise in the field and establish an alternative â€markâ€, sometimes by hanging “Wabbit Season†signs near his pond. Unlike Chuck, the duck will attempt to avoid Chinese restaurants at all costs, albeit with limited success.
LMAO! I heart you, Doctor Bob.
You are forgetting that the duck never seems to be able to outwit the rabbit.
Would that make Sarah like a rabbit?
No, because Chuck never intentionally sets up Sarah to take a bullet for him. Which only goes to show that, like many analogies, mine falls to pieces upon closer scrutiny.
Words of “withdom”, Doctor Bob, words of wisdom.
DoctorBob you are forgetting Nemisis in Casey’s apartment when Chuck uses Sarah as a shield between him and Bryce.
I would draw a fine distinction between Chuck hiding behind Sarah, where the bullet is not meant for Chuck and where Sarah is holding a gun, on the one hand, and the Gord’s take on my faulty duck-rabbit analogy, where, on the other hand, Chuck would be trying to induce an armed third party to shoot an unarmed Sarah rather than himself. That is the thing that Chuck would not do.
Another duck-reference from 3.09: “Oh my God, Chuck’s still in the castle, he’s a sitting duck!” 🙂
Mel, I think with this article you have just become the Uber Chuck Fan.
I salute you! *salutes*
LOL! Ramblings of a Chuck-addled mind. 😉
Another way Chuck is like a duck is when after everthing NBC puts in that Monday 8:00 pm timeslot goes the way of the Dodo bird Chuck is still there going strong
Oh man, I’ve gotten rusty on the series I can hardly remember. 🙁 Shame on me. But I do remember the sitting duck line in VS the Beard.
maybe u should rewatch them
Maybe I should. Thank you.
And lets not forget “Duck Hunt” references.
By the way how do we know Chuck is not agile in water?
never seen him really
When she fought Heather Chandler we found out how agile Sarah was in water.
This is too deep.
What its not meaningless philosiphy now thats too deep
If there is a University out there that offers a degree in Chuck, I think Mel has her doctoral thesis ready to go.
that would be hilarious
You know, I’m surprised they would use this line since it is almost directly ripped off from The Replacements (football movie).
Hackman tells Reeves that he is “…. like a duck on the pond. On the surface you are calm and cool but underneath your feet are paddling 90 miles a second” or something like that.
It’s not an uncommon analogy, and with all the pop culture references peppered throughout every episode Chuck, even if they lifted it verbatim from another source, I wouldn’t be surprised. 🙂
Did Gene do the cute hand motions the way Yvonne did? That was the best part of the line for me. 😉
MAN I COULD NOT STOP LAUGHING WHEN I READ THIS!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA THATS AWESOME!!!! 😀
Mel,
Just got back from a weekend trip to California and I missed my chucktv.net fix. I LOVED the How Chuck is Like Duck thesis. You really should have a Doctorate in Chuckology. I learned a lot about Ducks and totally agree with the analogies to Chuck’s character. Here’s hoping for a little more of the Honesty and Simplicity this season, he lost some of that in S3. I watched the Pilot from Season One again on the plane this morning and he definitely had those qualities and the others you mentioned as well. I sort of miss that Chuck a little. But, alas, he had to grow up a little I suppose. Don’t we all. 🙂