Monday night broke my brain, Part I

[dealan311]

My shows are back, guys.

Chuck:

1. Awesome. His lie growing from saving a cat to being attacked by a bear was the single most hilarious thing I've seen in a long, long time. Ellie's reactions were spot-on and thank god she didn't buy it. I love that Devon's a terrible liar, particularly to Ellie, since it's in keeping with his inability to lie to Ellie about Chuck's whereabouts last season in 2x20. He makes an excellent "Chuck" to Chuck's "Sarah" and it's nice to see him used so effectively to show how much Chuck has grown. Heehee to the Duck Hunt line, though. Chuck needs to have a tranq gun at all times, I think. It's the perfect weapon for him right now.

2. The Buy More Fight Club. First of all, HILARIOUS. This kind of insanity is exactly why Chuck is my happy show. I don't care that it's absolutely ridiculous. I love it when Chuck's spy life runs parallel Morgan's and it's so nice to see that Morgan has grown up. Hawaii has changed him for the better.

3. Angie Harmon. God this show is good at using its guest stars. Happy to see her back on my screen being a badass, and heehee to the Alias shoutout of her name being Sydney (but like, evil). The line reading of "Finally we meet. In an electronic store. Which is...different" was golden. All in all, a nice stint, and she even got the drop on Sarah.

4. Shaw. At first glance, I'm ambivalent about him. On one hand, I'm interested to see him as an unwelcome (but effective) mentor to Chuck's spy training. His refusal to help Chuck at the Buy More strikes me as both a lesson for Chuck that he can't be so dependent on Sarah and Casey and a test to see what Chuck, Sarah and Casey would do. I love Team Bartowski, but Chuck's plans always revolve around winging it until the reinforcements arrive and Sarah and Casey can't keep going off the reservation/against orders to protect Chuck and expect to keep their jobs. Someone needs to force them to expand their toolbox of methods and approaches, so Cole might be the kick in the pants they need to grow.

However, I have to wonder why he didn't just *tell* Chuck that he was going to fake his death, make it a clean shot, and oh, save me when it's over. Chuck wouldn't have freaked out as much if he had communicated that properly. Also, I dunno about the implied widower background and rumors that he's going to be a love interest for Sarah. He just gave that little speech about how spies can't have feelings, so it would be hypocritical for him to go after her, and I'm sort of tired of triangles when we know that Chuck and Sarah are the end game. We'll just have to see what happens, I guess, but I remain wary.

Everything else though? Classic Chuck. All in all, an excellent episode indeed. My happy show is happy again.

***

Castle:

I loved it. All of it. But things I loved in particular:

1. The pacing. Way to run the gamut of light, funny moments (Espisito and Castle's "I own a boat!", "That's so Miami Vice") to the serious, weighty moments (Kate excusing herself from the case, worrying about failing her mom). It hit all the right beats, and I'm happily surprised that this isn't one that they did for sweeps.

2. Nice twist there, resolving the case of who killed Kate's mom, but opening up another can of worms by making the serial killer into a contract killer. Resolution without killing the storyline. Excellent job there.

3. The uncomplicated hug that Beckett got from Martha. I love that Kate has a relationship with Martha and Alexis that is independent from Castle. It makes her part of the family more, without the anvil of OMG Castle and Beckett need to get together now.

4. The silent facial reactions of the cast- from Alexis' "but I want to stay" face to Lainie's eyes conveying the guilt/dread of being right to Montgomery's "oh shit" face to everyone's reaction to Kate performing CPR. This cast is really top notch.

5. The utterly adult relationship that Kate and Castle have, despite the silly banter and pigtail pulling. Castle is a total flirt and a complete manchild at times, but when it comes down to it, he knows how and when to be a mature adult. The "you're tall" line was perfect, as was the "whatever you need me to do, even if it's nothing at all." And Beckett admitting that that she likes having him around was unexpected and awesome. I like that the two of them use their words and TALK to each other like adults, even when they make mistakes, because it's so rarely allowed on TV.

6. Kate Beckett. She is totally turning into one of my favorite female characters because of how smart, real, and flawed they are letting her be. She's vulnerable. She's a fangirl. She doesn't always make the right call. But she's also damn good at her job and you believe Montgomery when he says she's the best he's ever trained because the casual way she let Castle know she noticed the girl and what is quickly becoming her trademark way of giving the worst news show us how good she is. She has her shit together without losing her personality and humor, which is all too rare in TV characters, let alone female ones. It's very easy to see why Castle is completely captivated by her.

I'm really starting to love this show a lot and I hope it sticks around because that was a FANTASTIC episode.

**

24 reaction post to follow later tonight.

Comments

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmkay. I mostly have no idea what you're talking about, given the fact that I don't watch Castle and am lamentably behind on Chuck (although last night we did Chuck Versus the Cougars and I almost died of joy).

However, I just have to clarify one thing so that I'm all filled with knowledge. Am I correct that you ship Chuck and Sarah EVER so much harder than you ship Jack and Renee (I mean mostly I don't think you ship Jack and Renee much at all from what I can pick up, but sometimes you give me mixed signals)? I just gotta have this all spelled out for me:)

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

OMG. Chuck vs the Cougars. SUCH a good episode. I can't believe I like an episode that features Nicole Ritchie, but that's what this silly show does to me.

Right. Shipping. First I gotta ask, what do you mean by ship Chuck/Sarah harder than Jack/Renee? Because if it's a question of do I think they are more interesting to watch together than Jack and Renee, then no. The dynamics and what draws me to each couple are so different that it's hard to compare and say I like this couple better than that couple.

If it's a question of level of investment in seeing them romantically paired, then yes, but that's only because I've spent more time shipping Chuck/Sarah than I have Jack/Renee.

For Chuck and Sarah, we're going on 3 years (both in the canon of the show and in RL) of super shippy moments that the writers have given us because the Chuck/Sarah relationship is one of the major cornerstones of the show, if not THE central relationship of the show. Right from the beginning, Chuck and Sarah were flirting- even if it was fake on Sarah's end at first. We're supposed to read them as a romantic couple.

That isn't the case with Jack and Renee. Not only do I have only 1 year of J/R interaction to C/S's 3 years, most of last season wasn't all that shippy as it was partnery because 1 season = 1 day. I fell in love with their characters as friends and partners, and only now am I shifting my POV to include shipping. I also don't trust/know how the writers are going to handle Jack and Renee in a romantic relationship, which is a huge factor in how I ship because I'm totally canon's bitch.

Jack and Renee are in the beginning of their relationship whereas Chuck and Sarah are a long established couple, so it stands to reason that my level of investment is higher. But that doesn't mean I love them better than Jack and Renee. I guess, to use metaphors, (since that's what I do) the easiest way for me to explain it is that I've fallen in love with Chuck and Sarah and I'm falling in love with Jack and Renee.

All four characters, though, are awesome and I love them independently of the shipping. So my investment in their happiness across the board is pretty high.

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Dude I'm telling you. What YOU are missing out on is watching Chuck with M. He makes funny NOISES. I'm not lying. Like little whimpery ones when Yvonne takes off her clothes or gets wet or does something hotly badass or wtfever and it's the funniest fucking thing in the world. He has it SO BAD for her, not that I blame him in an objective sense;)

But yes, Cougars rocked, even with Nicole Ritchie (although I did still find her annoying and was so happy when Sarah finally beat the ever-living shit out of her). Oh that show kills me with the good times. I'm super glad to hear that it's become happy again, because while I don't love it with quite the passion you do, it IS my one show I can watch and walk away from without my brain leaking out my ear onto my polartec shirt, and I'd like it to stay that way, thanks.

Oh, and before I go on, my question was meant to inquire about the second of your two options, as in your level of investment in seeing said couple romantically paired.

But! On to deep thoughts about shippiness. Or shallow thoughts, given that they're coming from me:-P Your response gave me a complete AH HA!!! moment, which honestly is ridiculous and I should have thought of this like, eight months ago.

In short, you think. I feel.

I've been working so hard to try to wrap my brain around where you are with Jack and Renee, because while of course you know my feelings on the subject, believe it or not I do wish to understand other viewpoints (unless that viewpoint is "Renee sucks," in which case get the fuck off my LJ and don't speak to me anymore -- heh).

What you said above explains it perfectly. You are capable of withholding investment. You do it voluntarily. It actually relates to time! There's *gasp* LOGIC involved.

For me, trying to understand what you said above is like trying to decipher a foreign language without a dictionary. Investment as voluntary? Shipping related to time or length of the relationship? I have no framework for any of it. So thank you for explaining this in a way that somehow even I can manage to figure out where you're coming from.

I do feel the need to tag one thing on here. You inevitably talk about Jack and Renee in S7 as just partners/friends. I have a teeny tiny (and no really I do mean teeny tiny -- I'm not remotely invested in getting you to agree with me) quibble with this. Believe it or not, I am as much canon's bitch as you are, in terms of what I actually believe about the characters when I'm not writing fanfic. Consequently, even with my Shipper Goggles of Ultimate Magnification (patent pending), I never once thought in all of S7 that the two of them were looking at one another all, "Hmmm. We should get it ON." No no no. There are definitely not romantic feelings in S7.

But! I think to say that they were just partners/friends is reductionist. What Kiefer and Annie were doing there (well and I assume the writers, but mostly I credit Kiefer and Annie) had so many layers. I've watched all of S7 way too many times for my own good, and I'm constantly blown away by the subtlety of the whole Jack/Renee relationship. Yes, they are friends and partners. But I would also argue that from the second she walks into the courtroom and pulls him out, they have a weirdass connection that neither one of them can decipher, explain, or shake. Jack treats her differently than other people. She listens to him when she has no idea why and when she really really really doesn't want to. He cares so much about what she's thinking, even when she's being a pain in the ass or just downright mean to him, and he makes the effort to master his own emotions to try to see things from her POV.

S8 picked this up the second Chloe mentioned that Renee was coming in. Jack just can't leave it. Renee can hold it together with everyone except him. So whatever clusterfuck of feelings the two of them are dealing with, I still think there's an element of magnetism going there that I don't feel at least with MY friends.

Maybe I need more friends.

And now I'll shut up. Clearly I could babble about Jack/Renee shippy goodness for years, because I'm a dork like that. I feel totally edified on your shipping perspective now though, so thank you!

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Hehe. Well yes. As I said before, it takes me a while to warm up to characters and ships beyond their function in telling a satisfying story. So hehe, yeah. I withhold investment until its earned.

Regarding the "just friends" thing though, I think I should clarify my position. A large part of what I'm about to say, this goes to my beliefs on the nature of love, but when I said that their interactions were more of friends and partners than shippery stuff, I didn't mean to reductionist. Just descriptive.

Haven't you ever met someone and just instantly known that you're going to be friends for a very, very long time? It's kind of like love at first sight, but the love isn't romantic. It's platonic. But just because they're different types doesn't necessarily mean that one is simpler than the other. Building a successful partnership is just as complicated as building a marriage, particularly in law enforcement when lives are on the line. There's a reason there are buddy-cop movies and jokes about having a "real wife and a work wife." That bond is special and different, and you don't just build it with anyone. There has to be an attraction and a special kind of trust that binds the two people together.

And to me, that's how I would describe Jack and Renee in S7. Jack and Renee just gelled with an ease that probably unnerved them, and the trust between them started to build because they slipped into an understanding of each other that was as you say, different from anyone else. Every so often I (and I'm only gonna speak for myself) did see glimmers of UST, but as each season is only one day, it didn't have time to grow beyond that and for the most part, I interpreted the connection/care they had for each other as non-romantic love.

So yes, I say that in S7 their interactions were more partnery than shippy, but that doesn't mean I would ever describe their relationship as just friends. It's much deeper than that.

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

I give! You're still breaking things into a binary I don't at all feel, but that's entirely cool, given that as I said originally, I feel no need to convert anyone to my POV on this.

GAH I can't wait to see how much more crazy comes out on Monday.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

I can see where you're coming from too, btw. I hope you know that all that wasn't to try to convert you to my POV either. I just really enjoy having conversations like this and to consider other POV. :)

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Oh dude I always love hearing your POV on all this stuff. I could just yap forever and ever. It makes me happy:) Plus! You still have extra special bonus points because you were SO RIGHT about Larry when I was so wrong. So I listen to you extra specially;)

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

OH! Also, in case you haven't seen it, as part of Chuck's renewal, they had to do special commercials with one of their sponsors. It's HILARIOUS and almost as enjoyable as the show itself. Here are the first three:

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Okay more on the post that actually involves thought tomorrow, as I am nearly faceplanting, but holy SHIT I am dying of hysteria at these vids. THANK YOU. You don't even KNOW how I needed this today. Really:)

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Aww, no prob. See, this is why Chuck is my happy show and I hope it never ever changes. Even its commercials are hilarious. S1 had some great ones:

[leigh57.livejournal.com]

Bwahahahahahaha. "Sorry world." Oh, Chuck and Morgan make me so happy. I mean generally speaking, the show makes me so happy. But hehehehehe. This rocks. "LUNCHBOXES!"

So much awesome. Which makes me think about Awesome and when he said, "This is not awesome." Good story.

[century-fox.livejournal.com]

Castle was so awesome this week! :D I love the relationship between Castle and Beckett, too, and I completely agree with everything you said in #5. Castle is a total flirt and a complete manchild at times, but when it comes down to it, he knows how and when to be a mature adult. That's pretty much a perfect description of his character.

[dealan311.livejournal.com]

Yes. I often watch Castle for the lulz and because I love Castle's relationship with Alexis (my love for their relationship is reaching Keith and Veronica Mars levels, but not quite Jack and Sydney Bristow levels just yet). But this week's episode was on a whole new level, operating on all cylinders. If they turned out episodes like that every week, it would be must see TV for me.

[century-fox.livejournal.com]

Word! I'm the same way about Castle. I watch it because it's entertaining, but it's not one of my top priority OMG I NEED TO WATCH THIS ASAP shows. But this week's episode was definitely one of the best ones so far (if not THE best one), and I'm hoping they'll keep making awesome episodes like this one- it'll definitely become more of a priority for me if they do, too.