Holy fuck, I can't believe the thread for this show is only a few posts long.
Chuck has long held my #1 spot for all time favorite TV show. If I had to rank them all, it would be:
1. Chuck
2. Lost
3. The Office
4. Breaking Bad
5. Billions / Succession / Yellowstone / Ozark , etc
But there's something about this series that just gets me right in the heart. It's a combination of comedy, action, and love. I find that Chuck is so enjoyable because the show expertly intertwines action and comedy, something that I've learned is called "bathos." The basic premise of this show is simple, a "going nowhere" computer nerd gets a database of government secrets put in his head, and security agencies send their best people out to protect him. Initially the show seems to follow "monster of the week" where Chuck will "flash" on a bad guy and they then take out the bad guy. But there is so much more to it than that.
First, the writers are just excellent. They setup the possibility for multiple arcs from the very first episode. Both of Chuck's parents are absent, something they let us know multiple times. This creates multiple avenues for the writers to weave the parents into the story, giving the show a purpose as we try to figure out what exactly is going on with them and why they went missing. And the whole thing makes sense why Chuck gets the intersect, why Brice protected him at Stanford, and why Chuck's brain can handle the computer. I don't know the term for this, but the writers also do something interesting where the stories at the Buy More that Morgan and the gang are going through will sometimes parallel what Chuck is going through, which lets Chuck and Morgan sympathize with each other without having to actually co-exist in each others lives.
And all of the characters in the show change over time. Chuck transforms from a shy nerd into a confident man. Casey transforms from a heartless spy into a caring person. Sarah, well she learns to love and well, the ending, .. Chuck and Sarah also have one of the best "will they, won't they" since Sam and Diane. Their entire story is fantastic, and there's so many times where they aren't quite on the same page and you can see one or the other really hurting. And Chuck is just wonderful, everyone in the show endears themself to Chuck.
There are some weak parts in the show. Chuck's sister, Ellie, is useless and I find her annoying. Some of the plot devices ran a little long. Flashing the intersect, wiping it, melting brains, etc. We probably could have cut a half season out of the show and made it really tight. I'm rewatching it now, and it's hilarious watching them just talk into their sleeves or analog watches, while Chuck is talking into his flip phone. And what a way to protect your cover, because it's absolutely normal for people to talk into their sleeve while pushing on their ear.
Some people criticize the ending, specifically wiping Sarah's brain. I personally loved it. But I found it absolutely brutal for the viewer. We've spent five years watching this couple, watching them go back and forth, and they're finally happy, and then wham, her fucking brain is gone. I feel by the end she knew she loved Chuck and they just get to fall in love again.
Anyway. I'm rewatching this, and just got through S02E14 - Chuck Versus the Best Friend. It's one of the exceptional episodes, where we get to see Chuck have emotional moments with both Morgan and Sarah, Sarah thinks Chuck blew up and we can see how devastated she looks, Casey looks horrified, and then the show ends with fucking Jeffster playing "Africa" by Toto, lol. There are multiple other exceptional episodes, like Chuck Versus the Push Mix.
So, sorry I'm just rambling. Just really love this show. Humor, heart, action, beautiful girls, tech. Love it.
(@ 1:30, I love these interactions between Chuck and Sarah.)
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(@ 1:00, while she watches the movie)
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(The genius of this, at the end, how he had been trying to find the best way to propose, and in the end it's just in the background with the sound drowned by the floor waxer.)
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(The first real "good kiss.")
Alright, I've thoroughly embarrassed myself for the day!
