CHUCK Season 3 POLL RESULTS

After over 3,000 voters and over 7,500 selections, the results are in for the ChuckGasmic season 3 polls!

So what did the fans say?  Well, let's see.

FAVORITE CHARACTER(S) OF SEASON 3

It is interesting when you read forums or other fan related discussion streams, because our Agent Sarah Walker received some of the biggest complaints.  Yet nearly 1,000 votes indicate that through all the complaints and venom, Sarah/Sam is #1!  She is followed by her dearest love, Chuck Bartowski; his bestest bud, Morgan; and her partner, colonel to civilian father back to colonel, John Casey.  Rounding out the top 5 is Bartowski's brief but insanely gorgeous ex-girlfriend, Hannah.

Sarah Walker          964 (49%)
Chuck Bartowski    862 (44%)
Morgan Grimes       729 (37%)
John Casey              709 (36%)
Hannah                     426 (21%) 

*Percentages indicate total percentage of voters who voted for the particular character and not percentage of total votes.  Multiple choices were allowed.

WHO SHOULD PLAY MAMA B?

While I did screw this poll up and mispelled Mary McDonnell's name (I blame someone for making me think of McDonalds that night), I think most voters saw through that and knew who I meant.  Hopefully it didn't skew the numbers too much.  Granted, this is not a scientific poll so... the clear winner was Lynda Carter.  And though executive producer Josh Schwartz has said that she is not in the running to play Chuck and Ellie's mother, the fans voted for her overwhelmingly.  In a distant second was Mary McDonnell followed closely by Sela Ward.

Lynda Carter      145 (33%)
Mary McDonald  66 (15%)
Sela Ward           59 (13%)

FAVORITE EPISODE(S) OF SEASON 3

Looking at the results for this poll the first thing that jumps out is that the final seven episodes dominated the vote count.  Could this be a result of the episodes being fresh in the memory of voters?  Sure.  But based on my subjective point of view, I think it is simply because the season got better as it went along.  The votes, while not scientific proof of anything, reveal that those who voted in the poll were far more receptive to the positive Chuck and Sarah dynamics of the story than the negative.  This is no surprise.

The most popular episode was Chuck Versus the Honeymooners (episode 14) and the least popular was Chuck Versus the Mask (episode 7).  The finale was second place with both episodes getting the exact same number of votes.  Chuck Versus the Tic Tac was a close 6th and so it makes the final list.

Episode 14 - Chuck Vs. The Honeymooners   503 (61%)
Episode 18 - Chuck Vs. The Subway                 413 (50%)
Episode 19 - Chuck Vs. The Ring: Part 2         413 (50%)
Episode 13 - Chuck Vs. The Other Guy            377 (45%)
Episode 9 – Chuck Vs. The Beard                      256 (31%)
Episode 10 – Chuck Vs. The Tic Tac                   249 (30%)

*Percentages indicate total percentage of voters who voted for the particular episode and not percentage of total votes.  Multiple choices were allowed.

CHUCK FINALE PROMO! DO NOT WATCH IT!

Seriously, don't watch this... I beg you!



You were warned.

Chuck You Tuesday - Episode 32 (ADULTS ONLY)

We Talk Renewal and CHUCK Versus The TOOTH.


ADULT LANGUAGE WARNING! DO NOT let your kids hear this. This is a PODCAST with some offensive language and subject matter!

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking this link.

►►► PLEASE VOTE for the podcast HERE!◄ ◄◄

CHUCK Versus The Rest of the Season - Teasers

So what is to come?

Come back here every 13 seconds of every day because new teasers could be posted at any time!  You never know!

Teaser 1
What once was found, will soon be lost.

Teaser 2
Love is a comfortable burden... sometimes with tragic consequences.


Teaser3
Episode LIV: The Ring Strikes Back.

Teaser 4
Team B 1, The Ring 2

Teaser 5
1R2 KARA 2HC

Teaser 6
Confession is good inamorata.

Teaser 7
They were three, then to four, but lost and quickly gained... four again and soon to grow... some falling in, aflame'd.

Teaser 8
When all is said and done, two shall join the nevermore.

Teaser 9
Zombies attack!

Teaser 10
A promise will not be kept and yet be fulfilled in a loss

Teaser 11
Game-changer & point-of-no-return will finally have meaning?

Chuck You Tuesday - Episode 29 (Family Friendly)

We talk about the first 13 episodes of Season 3.

This is a FAMILY FRIENDLY episode so everyone can listen.  We talk about the first 13, new writers, Ali Adler, set visits, fan campaigns, and more.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking this link.

PLEASE VOTE for the podcast HERE!

CHUCK returns March 1st - Promo for CHUCKday!

Executive Producer Josh Schwartz posted this via Twitter and it is already a hit!  There are some great scenes shown from upcoming episodes... including Chuck asking Sarah a question many fans have been waiting to hear. So, watch this video and enjoy it and join us all on Monday, March 1st with your Subway sandwiches and excitement for CHUCKDAY:

CHUCK Season 3: An Analysis of Why it is the Best Season Yet

I have already written my spoiler free preview but wanted to dig into what makes this season work so well.  I will discuss some spoilers in this blog but will avoid any big ones (mostly just hint at things to come).

CHARACTERS

Chuck Bartowski: I was pleasantly surprised to see what they did with Chuck this season.  He is no longer looking to become "normal."  If anything, he wants to be the farthest thing from normal.  This new character trait does shift the overall atmosphere of the show from wide-eyed victim of circumstance to a gung-ho wannabe agent with a major ethical dilemma.  The great thing about this is that it doesn't stop the show, or the character, from remaining grounded in quirky sweetness.  However, it has taken what may have started to become predictable and made it unpredictable.  This is very quickly accentuated in Chuck's first scene back in the Buy More in episode 1.  Oh and just when you thought Zac was the best, most underrated actor on television, he reveals that he was holding back, showing even MORE range this season.

Agent Sarah Walker: Here is a woman who has had her view of the world rocked backward and forward and when we see her in season 3, she only has one thing that has made any sense to her: the spy world.  And yet she has changed and is having a difficult time pretending otherwise.  Yvonne is given more dialogue and beautiful moments of emotional expression in the first three episodes than in the two previous seasons combined.  Also, the writers have positioned Sarah as the victim right at the beginning of the season.  This makes her "cold agent mode" all the more believable.  It also means that she finds herself grieving lost opportunities... mostly alone.

Col. John Casey: While his character has the least dramatic change, there is a kindness to him that we only saw briefly in previous seasons.  He has taken on the role of big protective but jerky brother to Chuck and even takes on other responsibilities he could have easily avoided.  He seems to do this out of the goodness of his heart.  It shows a very subtle but important shift in his character.  Season 3 may just be Casey's big opportunity to shine.

Morgan Grimes: His story has always paralleled Chuck's in some way and this season he feels the most changed.  To say more would be to spoil it.  But having Chuck and Morgan back and living together opens up a lot of possibilities for fun interaction between them, something that was missed in season 2.

Captain Awesome: He takes over the wide eyed wannabe-but-not-really spy that Chuck was in season 1.  What I like most about this is that it forces Chuck into a weird role where he merges three personalities to become some Chuck/Sarah/Casey hybrid when around Devon.  I hope they play that dynamic more in season 3 because it is a great deal of fun seeing Chuck be the big brother to Devon, who had held that role in previous seasons.

Agent Daniel Shaw: Out of all the spies that have come and gone from this show, Shaw is my favorite.  He has all the qualities of all the male spies we have seen but there is something else that the character is hiding.  This secret is what defines his actions.  It is also what makes him cold and clinical while also making him more susceptible to understanding of the things Beckman rarely seemed to appreciate: the bond between Chuck and Sarah.  He also quickly recognizes how detrimental Team Bartowski has been to Chuck's development.  This will likely make some dislike him but it is what will make others love him.  He is a no-nonsense kind of guy who is pretty funny in a geeky way (when Sarah tells him that Chuck will not be able to flash because of performance anxiety, Shaw tells her it is a common problem for men).

CHARACTER EXPLORATION

Season 3 is easily the best in allowing our characters to actually explore their relationships through real discussions as opposed to always interrupting them or forcing unnatural conversation delays.  If I were to sum up each of the seasons in a couple of words based on their dramatic focus it would be: Season 1 - Sweet Interruption; Season 2 - Fauxmance Angst; Season 3 - Let's Talk About It.  Granted, there are still some of the predictable delaying elements that are evident in all of television.  But then that is more of a product of telling a story over many episodes.

One particularly interesting bit of character exploration occurs when Carina returns.  In Season 1, it was clear that Sarah and Carina had an adversarial relationship but that they were also friends.  In Season 3, we see that they are closer than we had previously been allowed to believe.  And without getting into major spoiler territory, Carina does something for Sarah that exhibits a love for her that goes beyond whatever personal ideology Carina may have.  It makes this seemingly selfish character seem more real and sisterly toward Sarah and is just one small example of how different this season is from those before it.


FAMILY

The focus on this show has always been family and it remains in this season.  However, the stakes are higher than ever as most of the characters grow into more matured or damaged versions of themselves.  The relationship growth developed in Season 2 is still evident, if in subtle ways, allowing for a new dynamic: of those not part of that world to observe and pine for it at a distance.

COMEDY

There is still the familiar slapstick comedy but a favorite part of this season is how they have handled the comedic moments.  They seem more structured.  In five episodes, the Buy More scenes don't seem to intrude on the spy/relationship story.  The show creators have taken some of the complaints to heart and paced those shifts perfectly.

ACTION

This is almost an afterthought in the analysis since everything else is so good.  But the action in this season is... awesome!  Chuck gets so much more to do and you soon realize that all those worries about a more capable Chuck being less interesting to watch, were unfounded.  If anything, it may make many wish it had always been this way.  This show has --and I mean this with no disrespect intended for the previous seasons, since I adore them-- finally reached epic action status.  It is Chucktastic!

OVERALL

The worst part of seeing five episodes now is that I have to wait 2 months to see the next episode (I know, woe is me).  This season is a delicious, yummy yum yum treat!  I do think there will be some people who will need a couple of viewings of the episodes before they settle into their familiarity.  Make no mistake, this season FEELS DIFFERENT from previous seasons.  In some ways, it is jarring.  Each episode is so full of detailed material that I had to check the time on the episodes because it felt like each was 2-hours as opposed to 42-minutes.  Thankfully, it is all an improvement over previous seasons (as if the show needed it).  So, tell your co-workers, friends, and family to watch this show.  You CAN join it in Season 3 without ever having seen an episode.  Though, I do recommend at least watching the last couple of Season 2 and the Season 1 pilot episode.

CHUCK is back! Tell everyone you know!

JANUARY 10th at 9PM on NBC, Episode 1: Chuck Versus The Pink Slip

JANUARY 10th at 10PM on NBC, Episode 2: Chuck Versus The Three Words

JANUARY 11th at 8PM on NBC, Episode 3 Chuck Versus The Angel De La Muerte