CHUCK9 PM, MONDAY NIGHTS ON NBC
Thank goodness this show got renewed. After its fantastic first season, NBC's "Chuck" showed incredible promise - promise that was delivered tenfold with its explosive second season. Ratings went way up, but still not enough to get it out of the danger zone. However, the producers made the right choice, and renewed Chuck for season 3 (and have now renewed it for a 4th season - whew!). While season 3 fails to live up to the show's masterful sophomore effort, it still packs in enough action, comedy, and scuzzball fun to be a blast.
After the ridiculously good cliffhanger from season 2, Chuck now finds himself grappling with his new intersect. With the ability to perform a multitude of new tasks such as kung fu, foreign languages, and pretty much anything you can imagine, our lovably uncoordinated protagonist becomes an unorthodox success. Problems arise, however, such as Chuck's emotions preventing the intersect from working, more drama with his love interest, Agent Sarah Walker, and - uh oh - mental deterioration caused by the intersect.
These kinds of problems created a darker tone for the series, which I can't say fit it as well. It didn't have as much run-and-gun goofiness, funny character subplots, or last minute problem solving as its predecessor season, and it failed to maintain a certain naive adventurous spirit that was carried heavily with pride before. Chuck is a real spy now, which is cool but...now? Don't get me wrong, I think the eventual creation of a darkening of plot adds wonderfully to character development, and obviously we're all rooting for Chuck to become a real spy - but this soon? The show may be moving a little too fast. However, despite its darker turns, the writers and actors of Chuck still know how to throw you a great time, especially as Chuck tries desperately to master his new skills, and still hilariously messes up frequently.
In the season finale, Shaw returns, now an intersect himself. This setup feels a little bit forced, and I would have rather there been more resolution in the buildup there's been with the Ring agent contacting Ellie than forcing Shaw back to have a good climax. The episode just could have gone about itself in much, much better ways. BUT, that's not to say the episode, particularly the first half, isn't one hell of a ride.
Ellie finally finds out Chuck's secret in the first half of the episode, which I'm totally thrilled with. I'm glad Ellie can now be a part of things, although it is pretty funny to watch Awesome struggle to keep the secret. Throughout part one of the finale, "Chuck vs. the Subway", the story moves quickly, with much Bartowski family drama and the fast and violent pursuit of Chuck and crew by Shaw who is trying to set them up to be prosecuted by the CIA. Part two of the finale, "Chuck vs. the Ring Part II", fails to deliver the promise from its first half, but is still an enjoyable second half. My main problem was the ending. It's definitely a cliffhanger, but after the huge surprise given by the season 2 cliffhanger that literally changed the way the show operated, season 3's cliffhanger feels like a mid season stunt right before a 3 week break. After season 2, I wanted to throw something, I was so angry I couldn't continue to watch and watch. After season 3, I'm still an avid fan - but I can wait.
Nonetheless, "Chuck" remains one of TV's best shows. It's a great blend of action, drama, and comedy that's tough to match in the goofball universe. Hopefully the show will sway back to its roots in season 4 and enjoy itself a little more, but no matter what happens, I'm sure the show will continue to shine. I said I COULD wait - I never said I wanted to.
Chuck vs. the Subway (finale part 1): A-
Chuck vs. the Ring Part II (finale part 2): B
Chuck, Season 3: B+
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