|
Chuck the Complete First Season
The
geek shall inherit the earth. Or, at the very least inherit all of the
United States most closely guarded intelligence. That is the premise
behind Chuck, a comedy drama from the creator of teen sensation
The OC. Zachary Levi plays the man in question, a 26 year old who
was kicked out of college, and now spends his time working at a Buy
More, a large electronics store. When Chuck receives an email from his
old college roommate, he opens it, not expecting it to contain every
single file from a super powerful secret agency computer called the
Intersect. Soon after, he begins to see flashes of top secret
government intelligence. From here the NSA and CIA are called in to
protect Chuck, as he goes from being a simple computer geek, to the most
powerful computer in the world.
Chuck is protected by his two handlers, the beautiful
Sarah, who becomes his “cover” girlfriend, and the stern Casey who joins
him working at the Buy More. They use Chuck on their missions to help
beat the bad guys of the world, all while trying to protect his double
life.
Chuck has a bit of
something for everyone, but should cater especially well to self
confessed geeks, or the geeks inside us screaming that Greedo shot
first. There is action, sex appeal, and a lot of very funny interactions
between the cast. What will endear it to the aforementioned geeks is its
celebration of all things nerdy. From Chuck and his best friend Morgan’s
love of video games, to Sarah in a Princess Leia costume, there are
many hidden pop culture references that can be glossed over unless one
has spent a great deal of time studying film and video games. It is this
that lifts Chuck from being a good show to a great one, as it really
feels like the writers of the show know their stuff, and aren’t just
resorting to typical stereotypes.
The cast are great, though special mention must be
made of Levi, who portrays Chuck exceptionally. He is charming, yet
dorky, and has just the right mix of fear and heroism in his portrayal
of a reluctant spy. Adam Baldwin, who plays Casey must also be
mentioned. His snarls, dry humour, and barely contained anger make all
his scenes a treat to watch. I could go on about all the cast members,
as they all do a great, believable job playing their characters. The
guest stars are great too, and for OC and Alias fans, there are a couple
of familiar faces popping up.
There are thirteen episodes in season one, and the
story progresses nicely throughout the season. Right from the onset
there are a few ongoing arcs established. Why did Chuck get expelled
from school? Who was his ex roommate? Will Chuck get the Intersect out
of his head? Apart from this there is usually a case of the week that
Chuck and his team have to solve, and there is also usually a b story
which chronicles the goings on at the Buy More. The best episodes are
the ones that bring these two together, such as the brilliant finale
“Chuck versus the Marlin”. Other standouts are “Chuck versus the
Sandworm”, where we see Chuck and Morgan’s love of Dune, and Chuck
versus the Nemesis, where Bryce returns and a hilarious Thanksgiving
dinner scene occurs with Chucks family and his agency handlers. It is
also discovered in this episode that Chuck can speak fairly fluent
Klingon.
The disc doesn’t contain many special features, some
deleted scenes and gag reel which shows Levi picking his nose and
goofing around a lot. The best feature is Chuck on Chuck, where stars
Levi and Joshua Gomez and creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak do
commentary over their favourite scenes of the season. It is highly
enjoyable, if only to see the banter between the four as it clearly
looks like they get on really well, share a few similarities to their
counterparts and really enjoy making the show.
Chuck is a great show. It contains a perfect blend of
action and comedy and also has an ongoing mystery that will keep viewers
coming back to find out exactly what is going to happen. The romance
between Chuck and Sarah is handled expertly, and the romance between
Chuck and Morgan is handled hilariously. Chuck comes highly recommended
to anyone who likes video game references, Star Wars references, comedy,
action, or just damn good TV in general.
Episodes:
Pilot
Chuck Versus the Helicopter
Chuck Versus the Tango
Chuck Versus the Wookie
Chuck Versus the Sizzling Shrimp
Chuck Versus the Sandworm
Chuck Versus the Alma Mater
Chuck Versus the Truth
Chuck Versus the Imported Hard Salami
Chuck Versus the Nemesis
Chuck Versus the Crown Vic
Chuck Versus the Undercover Lover
Chuck Versus the Marlin |
