![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Chuck episode reaction for tonight's episode that already aired in Canada:
1. Damn, Chuck. That was cold. When Casey is giving him props, you know our boy is changing. I'm really fascinated by where they are taking his character this season, because although this show still makes me laugh a lot, they're starting to darken Chuck up a bit that's making him really, really interesting to me. He's starting to inch toward John Crichton late S1-early S2 territory, and I'm both interested and scared by where he's going. He once made a promise to Jill that he wouldn't let them change him, but he's already changing. He's MUCH better at lying and as this episode showed, he's starting to move that line of what he is and isn't willing to do.
2. I'm impressed by the show's ability to show the implications of Chuck's transformation into a full blown spy on all aspects of his life, from his family to his relationship with Sarah. I love how we have Awesome to voice out how much Chuck has changed because the speed and maturity with which he cut that argument down to size was so unlike the Chuck of S1, as we were so nicely reminded by the flashbacks. I'm glad though that they're showing how much it's costing him and how he's struggling with it, because it shows that the Chuck we love is still in there.
With Sarah, especially, it's interesting to watch because this is so not what she wanted for Chuck. Their relationship has always had this power differential. By him becoming more spy-like, they're starting to inch toward more equal ground, but he's starting to become something different from the Chuck she fell in love with. It's kind of painful to watch Chuck's innocence slip away little by little. He's growing up, but part of what makes Sarah (and us) love him is because he's so Chuck-like. Unlike many proclaimed geek-with-a-heart-of-gold protagonists, Chuck really is a *good* guy. He sees the good in everyone, loves and is fiercely loyal to his friends and family, and is a complete idealist. That guy isn't completely gone yet, but he is disappearing. I suppose the question is, will he realize too late that he's given up too much of himself and become someone Sarah doesn't know anymore?
3. I'm also digging that Morgan and Ellie are ganging up on Chuck now to find out his secret. Awesome clearly can't handle it, and with the expert stalkers in Lester and Jeff, it puts a lot more suspense in the "will they find out Chuck's secret identity" question. A little awareness goes a long way, and I'm glad the writers are pursuing this storyline.
4. In other news, I'm still pleasantly surprised by how much I don't hate Hannah. Maybe it's because they're playing it really, really well right now, and I can't tell if she's gonna turn out like Lou or Jill. On one hand, this entire episode is explaining how to hook an asset, and Hannah fits the profile. She let Chuck feel good, easing into it. She kept it personal by telling him a secret. And she made the first move by inviting him to show off the Eiffel tower. She could just as easily become a sleeper Ring agent, or another one of Shaw's little tests to evaluate and/or secretly protect Chuck.
On the other hand, Hannah had really awesome chemistry with Chuck and she genuinely seemed disappointed to find out that he might not be over Sarah. Although logic dictates that on this show, 90% of the time guest stars are secret spies if they interact primarily with Chuck, I'd be over the moon if the writers left Hannah as normal as Anna was. I think it would be interesting if the ONLY thing Chuck has to deal with is keeping secrets from her and lying (i.e. not having to use her the way Team Bartowski did to Lou), because then he'd realize just how much he's giving up by being a spy in a way that's different from his relationship with Ellie and Morgan. He doesn't yet see how lonely it can be, and I'd really like Hannah to be part of the arc of Chuck realizing that becoming a spy means giving up things that are real.
If Hannah turns out to be just another spy, they'll probably turn it around and make something hilarious and compelling out of it, but I kinda hope they go this route because that's the more interesting story. It would advance his own character development as well as making him understand why he was such a special case for Sarah (because it was real). And then I won't be so pissed off that they've separated Chuck and Sarah for yet ANOTHER season, because Hannah would become new important stepping stone to the cementing the endgame of Chuck/Sarah as all the previous love interests have been.
1. Damn, Chuck. That was cold. When Casey is giving him props, you know our boy is changing. I'm really fascinated by where they are taking his character this season, because although this show still makes me laugh a lot, they're starting to darken Chuck up a bit that's making him really, really interesting to me. He's starting to inch toward John Crichton late S1-early S2 territory, and I'm both interested and scared by where he's going. He once made a promise to Jill that he wouldn't let them change him, but he's already changing. He's MUCH better at lying and as this episode showed, he's starting to move that line of what he is and isn't willing to do.
2. I'm impressed by the show's ability to show the implications of Chuck's transformation into a full blown spy on all aspects of his life, from his family to his relationship with Sarah. I love how we have Awesome to voice out how much Chuck has changed because the speed and maturity with which he cut that argument down to size was so unlike the Chuck of S1, as we were so nicely reminded by the flashbacks. I'm glad though that they're showing how much it's costing him and how he's struggling with it, because it shows that the Chuck we love is still in there.
With Sarah, especially, it's interesting to watch because this is so not what she wanted for Chuck. Their relationship has always had this power differential. By him becoming more spy-like, they're starting to inch toward more equal ground, but he's starting to become something different from the Chuck she fell in love with. It's kind of painful to watch Chuck's innocence slip away little by little. He's growing up, but part of what makes Sarah (and us) love him is because he's so Chuck-like. Unlike many proclaimed geek-with-a-heart-of-gold protagonists, Chuck really is a *good* guy. He sees the good in everyone, loves and is fiercely loyal to his friends and family, and is a complete idealist. That guy isn't completely gone yet, but he is disappearing. I suppose the question is, will he realize too late that he's given up too much of himself and become someone Sarah doesn't know anymore?
3. I'm also digging that Morgan and Ellie are ganging up on Chuck now to find out his secret. Awesome clearly can't handle it, and with the expert stalkers in Lester and Jeff, it puts a lot more suspense in the "will they find out Chuck's secret identity" question. A little awareness goes a long way, and I'm glad the writers are pursuing this storyline.
4. In other news, I'm still pleasantly surprised by how much I don't hate Hannah. Maybe it's because they're playing it really, really well right now, and I can't tell if she's gonna turn out like Lou or Jill. On one hand, this entire episode is explaining how to hook an asset, and Hannah fits the profile. She let Chuck feel good, easing into it. She kept it personal by telling him a secret. And she made the first move by inviting him to show off the Eiffel tower. She could just as easily become a sleeper Ring agent, or another one of Shaw's little tests to evaluate and/or secretly protect Chuck.
On the other hand, Hannah had really awesome chemistry with Chuck and she genuinely seemed disappointed to find out that he might not be over Sarah. Although logic dictates that on this show, 90% of the time guest stars are secret spies if they interact primarily with Chuck, I'd be over the moon if the writers left Hannah as normal as Anna was. I think it would be interesting if the ONLY thing Chuck has to deal with is keeping secrets from her and lying (i.e. not having to use her the way Team Bartowski did to Lou), because then he'd realize just how much he's giving up by being a spy in a way that's different from his relationship with Ellie and Morgan. He doesn't yet see how lonely it can be, and I'd really like Hannah to be part of the arc of Chuck realizing that becoming a spy means giving up things that are real.
If Hannah turns out to be just another spy, they'll probably turn it around and make something hilarious and compelling out of it, but I kinda hope they go this route because that's the more interesting story. It would advance his own character development as well as making him understand why he was such a special case for Sarah (because it was real). And then I won't be so pissed off that they've separated Chuck and Sarah for yet ANOTHER season, because Hannah would become new important stepping stone to the cementing the endgame of Chuck/Sarah as all the previous love interests have been.
Tags: