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The continuing adventures of: Chuck vs [Adjective] [Noun]

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  • The Dude With HerpesThe Dude With Herpes Lehi, UTRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    To me the dumbest thing about last weeks episode at the end when they removed the intersect from the two agents was....why?.

    Because they failed once to use their Intersects in a creative way that Chuck has had years to come to grips with? That makes them failures despite being the "perfect" agents five minutes prior to that? Yes, the girl fucked up by shooting the guy, call it triggerhappy or whatever; but one dickup and the whole thing is done, they can't be intersects anymore?

    No. That's just idiotic. Yeah, they messed up. Chuck never messed up, right? Oh wait... Let them learn and come to grips with what they've got and use it in a better way and you'll have agents that will end up better than Chuck.

    It was just too much. I'm a big fan of chuck and I'm fully aware of the silly things they do now and then, and the plot holes; but just dumping two perfectly effective and viable agents because of a dork up that ended fine in the end anyway just seems a bit overkill and counterproductive.

    But then, I suppose had they not done that they couldn't have ms. Clichedirector be superbitch even more and have a flimsy plot to carry through the rest of the unplanned season enders.

    The Dude With Herpes on
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  • Gandalf_the_CrazedGandalf_the_Crazed Vigilo ConfidoRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    To be fair, that "dork up" involved a nuclear bomb. :P

    Gandalf_the_Crazed on
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  • hippofanthippofant ティンク Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    I think the main problem with Chuck right now is that it just never recalibrated itself. All the interesting tensions that defined each episode early in the series disappeared, and they never re-established those. For example, I think that spate of episodes where Morgan was "joining the team," while not necessarily great episodes, recaptured some of that old essence. But they wound that down too.

    I don't know. I think that the series has basically been winding down for a couple seasons now, and then it gets extended at the last minute, which makes the cast/crew happy, but it wasn't what they planned for, so the show is just slowly dying from a thousand cuts. They don't feel the impetus to remake the show with some cool ideas and introduce some large themes because they don't think the show's going to last long enough for them to conclude it anyways. I look at a show like Friday Night Lights, where they got a TWO-season renewal after season 3, so they went and really branched out in season 4 - new school, new players, new students, new actors (most of whom are on other primetime shows on other major networks now, so FNL has really been a bit of a casting goldmine) and the show wasn't compelled to take them to the State Championships at the end of every season just in case the show might end. A television show is a story, like a book - you can't just keep extending it at the last minute.

    If anything, I think that's the real problem with main characters consummating the will-they-won't-they relationship in TV shows. It's not that it kills the show, it's the lack of replacement that kills it. When that romantic tension's been running along for multiple seasons, it begins to occupy a central position in the show's landscape and if it's going to be removed, it needs to be replaced.

    Ultimately, I think there are some serious issues over at NBC. I think they've had some good shows over the last few years, and they've all fallen by the wayside. Heroes, Life, Mercy, Trauma, Journeyman, Kings, Friday Night Lights - all good shows that just never made it on NBC. (Well, actually Heroes made it, but the story of its demise is fairly well known and attributable to NBC meddling.) And the shows that have made it - The Office, Scrubs, Heroes (again), Chuck - have all been sort of dragged out beyond their lifespan in incremental one season chunks. Hell, letting ABC get the last season of Scrubs was a terrible move, because ABC took Bill Lawrence with it.

    I dunno. I think, as a business, they're doing some misguided things. Admittedly, a lot of their shows are good and creative and out there, such that I actually think NBC's my favourite of the major networks, so maybe the blame isn't even so much on NBC as it is on the viewing public and their support of television schedules that are fucking half crime procedurals.

    hippofant on
  • XeddicusXeddicus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    It's both. The TV business is set up for shit and people watch shit. Getting a renewal for a full season is rare, much less more. And it means jackshit anyway, they'll pull the show on the drop of dime because everyone is watching Random Morons Do Something Staged For Cheap. So even if they plan out 3 seasons of story who knows when that'll just stop.

    I don't think Chuck has really suffered too much up until now, though. The arcs have worked out mostly fine. And it may still be fine, it's just harder to see where they can go now since most everything has been covered.

    Xeddicus on
  • DacDac Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    The unfortunate reality of modern television is that shows cannot afford taking a season to find/prove themselves. If their ratings are poor, they will very often be pulled mid-season and have some other shit shoveled into its time-slot. I think Journeyman was replaced by, what, Black Donelies, or some awful thing? That also only lasted a few episodes before getting the axe?

    Imagine if ST: The Next Generation had been subject to the same knee-jerk high-speed canceling that we have today. Riker wouldn't have even gotten stubble before the show got its head lopped off.

    Dac on
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  • KronusKronus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    I think what this season needs is some Scott Bakula. He'll make everything all better again.

    Kronus on
  • Undead ScottsmanUndead Scottsman Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Houn wrote: »
    4. At the start of the Ep, the General is all "We all have our orders," then at the end, she's chastising the Director chick as if she was in charge. DOES NOT COMPUTE.
    After the botch-up of the gretas, it's likely the general was able to swing jurisdiction of the project back into her court.
    To me the dumbest thing about last weeks episode at the end when they removed the intersect from the two agents was....why?.

    Because they were never vetted by an person experienced with the intersect, and the person who DID give them the okay had her reputation tarnished. If Chuck later decides they'd be good candidates, then they can be reintersected. Otherwise, they get to go back to being normal spies, with anyone having to worry about them being liability. Or having to carry a Governor once the intersect starts to overload their nervous system.

    Undead Scottsman on
  • RichyRichy Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Who says they didn't have Governors anyway?

    Richy on
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  • RichyRichy Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Frankly, the only part of the episode that didn't make sense to me was, why did they need to build a second Castle as an extension of the original Castle for this new team? The only reason they would build a secret second Castle and not give Chuck-Sarah access is if they don't want the old team to know and get involved - so why build the new base inside the other one?? On the other hand, the bitchy director said something about the new team shadowing Chuck, which makes sense... so then why did they need a new base at all? Castle seems big enough for 5 people.

    Richy on
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  • XeddicusXeddicus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    It's just another plot hole, but- Casey wouldn't leave. Therefore, the 2nd base has to be there! But Chuck and Sarah aren't supposed to know, so- new base!

    Xeddicus on
  • LanzLanz ...Za?Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    So is this week 2 of "Team Bartowski somehow becomes the most inefficient team in the entire CIA"?

    Lanz on
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  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    poor Kevin Bacon

    TexiKen on
  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    That needed to become a Clue parody at the end.

    enlightenedbum on
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  • Gandalf_the_CrazedGandalf_the_Crazed Vigilo ConfidoRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    I actually enjoyed tonight's episode. Mostly for the LargeMart stuff, but still...fun times. :)

    Gandalf_the_Crazed on
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  • XeddicusXeddicus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Chuck needed to step up a little before he did, and it mostly just teased Ellie and the computer more with a dash of Vivian. Morgan should have gone a little more spy-like on Largemart, but it worked out ok.

    Xeddicus on
  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    The Subway Promotion Joke isn't really funny anymore. You can only play that card a few times before it loses it's tongue-in-cheek appeal, and I'd say the tongue has been bitten off.

    Houn on
  • WishpigWishpig Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Houn wrote: »
    The Subway Promotion Joke isn't really funny anymore. You can only play that card a few times before it loses it's tongue-in-cheek appeal, and I'd say the tongue has been bitten off.

    Heh, I'm not so sure it's a joke...

    Could just be very obvious product placement...

    Or both

    Wishpig on
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  • BobbleBobble Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Wishpig wrote: »
    Houn wrote: »
    The Subway Promotion Joke isn't really funny anymore. You can only play that card a few times before it loses it's tongue-in-cheek appeal, and I'd say the tongue has been bitten off.

    Heh, I'm not so sure it's a joke...

    Could just be very obvious product placement...

    Or both

    Both. It's tongue-in-cheek, "We're doing product placement because they saved our asses and we're grateful but since you know it's coming let's just put it out there." It does, however, drag on at times. The Subway ones were tolerable at first and even a little amusing, but they're getting old.

    The minivan one with Chuck and Sarah was atrocious and grounds for a slapping. I was horribly torn between purging the van's name from my mind to spite the company or remembering it so I could slander it to spite the company.

    Bobble on
  • devCharlesdevCharles Gainesville, FLRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Chuck and Morgan have always had a big sandwich fixation in the show though. I guess it would bother me more if I've never actually had questionably long conversations with my friends about the greatest Subway sandwich combination.

    The van one was terrible though.

    devCharles on
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  • hippofanthippofant ティンク Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    devCharles wrote: »
    Chuck and Morgan have always had a big sandwich fixation in the show though. I guess it would bother me more if I've never actually had questionably long conversations with my friends about the greatest Subway sandwich combination.

    The van one was terrible though.

    Italian BMT with sweet onion sauce.

    hippofant on
  • Robos A Go GoRobos A Go Go Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    The product placement was less annoying than usual because it turned into a metaphor for banging Morgan's mom.

    "!Muy caliente!"

    But the episode was pretty underwhelming.
    And Chuck getting betrayed by Ms. Volkoff should've been a bigger deal, but instead it's revealed in the last couple minutes of the episode.

    Also, why would she pay an assassin directly from her own account. Doesn't her dad's lawyer know how to hide where the money's coming from?

    Robos A Go Go on
  • TofystedethTofystedeth Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Maybe she did it as a challenge? Calling him out or something? I dunno.

    Tofystedeth on
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  • Gandalf_the_CrazedGandalf_the_Crazed Vigilo ConfidoRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    devCharles wrote: »
    Chuck and Morgan have always had a big sandwich fixation in the show though. I guess it would bother me more if I've never actually had questionably long conversations with my friends about the greatest Subway sandwich combination.

    The van one was terrible though.

    Agreed on both points -- though I still chuckled at the van one.

    And last night's sandwich placement sucker-punched me with the line:
    "Reminds me of your mama. Muy caliente!"
    :lol:

    Gandalf_the_Crazed on
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  • DacDac Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Wait, why did the second guy need to die?

    Like I get killing the first guy and faking the second attack, but why did Brit guy need to die for him to escape?

    I mean his orders were to 'attack Castle', right? Kind of throw down the glove? His goal wasn't to murder everyone inside, was it? Certainly not someone who had so little to do with team Bartow.
    Agent X?

    Oh come on, Chuck. That wasn't necessary. That sounds so bad.

    Dac on
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  • Gandalf_the_CrazedGandalf_the_Crazed Vigilo ConfidoRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    The second guy had to die in order to create a diversion. He disappeared, they blamed him for the murder/bombing, and prepared to leave, taking the real killer with them.

    Gandalf_the_Crazed on
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  • TofystedethTofystedeth Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Dac wrote: »
    Agent X?

    Oh come on, Chuck. That wasn't necessary. That sounds so bad.

    Yes. THis. I groaned.

    Tofystedeth on
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  • SchrodingerSchrodinger Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    I kind of lost interest in Chuck this season and haven't watched the show in months.

    Schrodinger on
  • JuliusJulius Captain of Serenity on my shipRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    hippofant wrote: »
    devCharles wrote: »
    Chuck and Morgan have always had a big sandwich fixation in the show though. I guess it would bother me more if I've never actually had questionably long conversations with my friends about the greatest Subway sandwich combination.

    The van one was terrible though.

    Italian BMT with sweet onion sauce.

    No Italian BMT with honey mustard sauce! no extra cheese though extra meat is up for debate.

    Julius on
  • Gandalf_the_CrazedGandalf_the_Crazed Vigilo ConfidoRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Spicy Italian on Italian Herb'n'Cheese bread, toasted, with pepperjack cheese, pickles, banana peppers, double tomatoes, and spicy mustard.

    Gandalf_the_Crazed on
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  • JuliusJulius Captain of Serenity on my shipRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Spicy Italian on Italian Herb'n'Cheese bread, toasted, with pepperjack cheese, pickles, banana peppers, double tomatoes, and spicy mustard.

    Sometimes I am sad that I didn't indulge in the bizarre options americans have in their fast-food restaurants when I was there. The feeling of having to make a choice between too many options and still feeling like you picked the wrong one every single time is the best/worst.

    But almost every time the choice was between that or going to get a steak. And I love steaks.

    Julius on
  • Gandalf_the_CrazedGandalf_the_Crazed Vigilo ConfidoRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Julius wrote: »
    Spicy Italian on Italian Herb'n'Cheese bread, toasted, with pepperjack cheese, pickles, banana peppers, double tomatoes, and spicy mustard.

    Sometimes I am sad that I didn't indulge in the bizarre options americans have in their fast-food restaurants when I was there. The feeling of having to make a choice between too many options and still feeling like you picked the wrong one every single time is the best/worst.

    But almost every time the choice was between that or going to get a steak. And I love steaks.

    Subway (or any pizza place with a decent selection) is pretty much one of my favorite things for this reason. It's also the reason my friends won't let me order pizza.

    "Yeah, I'd like bacon and green olives on the first one. And for the second one, surprise me."

    Culinary adventure is kinda my thing. :P

    Gandalf_the_Crazed on
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  • Kipling217Kipling217 Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    I hope that the recent events are leading up to:
    Ellie and Awsome becoming part of team Bartowski. Like fulltime. I am hoping this Agent X turns out to be Ellie with a new version of the intersect in her head. We have had Intersect 1.0 goverment database and Chuck has Intersect 2.0 with the kung fu. How about a Intersect 3.0 with superlearing. Like supercomputer in Ellies head capable of figuring out unknown codes and stuff just by watching. Not kung fu though, because thats what the rest of the team can do.

    I personaly always thought it was kind of a plothole that the Intersect always contained the right information for the job. The Nuke last week was the first time in years where Chuck used his own brains to save the day.

    It gives them a chance to integrate Ellie and Awsome into the team and rehash the early years
    With somebody unused to the spy world dropped headfirst into it. Only this time with Ellie instead of Chuck.

    Kipling217 on
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  • TofystedethTofystedeth Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Julius wrote: »
    Spicy Italian on Italian Herb'n'Cheese bread, toasted, with pepperjack cheese, pickles, banana peppers, double tomatoes, and spicy mustard.

    Sometimes I am sad that I didn't indulge in the bizarre options americans have in their fast-food restaurants when I was there. The feeling of having to make a choice between too many options and still feeling like you picked the wrong one every single time is the best/worst.

    But almost every time the choice was between that or going to get a steak. And I love steaks.

    Subway (or any pizza place with a decent selection) is pretty much one of my favorite things for this reason. It's also the reason my friends won't let me order pizza.

    "Yeah, I'd like bacon and green olives on the first one. And for the second one, surprise me."

    Culinary adventure is kinda my thing. :P

    Friend of mine when he went to Subway would order his sandwich, and then would say, and put 1 jalapeno in there somewhere, and close his eyes while they did it.

    Tofystedeth on
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  • Gandalf_the_CrazedGandalf_the_Crazed Vigilo ConfidoRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    I'm still holding out hope for an A-Team-esque Team Bartowski -- independent soldiers of fortune, looking to clear their names from some false charge.

    The "super-learning Intersect Ellie" could fit right into that.

    Gandalf_the_Crazed on
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  • KronusKronus Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    I'm still holding out hope for an A-Team-esque Team Bartowski -- independent soldiers of fortune, looking to clear their names from some false charge.

    The "super-learning Intersect Ellie" could fit right into that.

    My problem with the theory where Ellie gets an intersect is that they have a baby that's only a few months old. Even with intersect powers I can't imagine her ever doing spy stuff when she has a baby at home, especially considering her own childhood and how her parents left them.

    Plus at the moment she doesn't even want Chuck to be a spy. Which is one thing I don't like about this season, I think the fact that she finally found out and now they pretend that he isn't a spy anymore is a bit unnecessary. It seems like a contrived way of keeping around the "secret life that his family doesn't know about" aspect of it all.

    Kronus on
  • JuliusJulius Captain of Serenity on my shipRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Kronus wrote: »
    I'm still holding out hope for an A-Team-esque Team Bartowski -- independent soldiers of fortune, looking to clear their names from some false charge.

    The "super-learning Intersect Ellie" could fit right into that.

    My problem with the theory where Ellie getting an intersect is that they have a baby that's only a few months old. Even with intersect powers I can't imagine her ever doing spy stuff when she has a baby at home, especially considering her own childhood and how her parents left them.

    Plus at the moment she doesn't even want Chuck to be a spy. Which is one thing I don't like about this season, I think the fact that she finally found out and now they pretend that he isn't a spy anymore is a bit unnecessary. It seems like a contrived way of keeping around the "secret life that his family doesn't know about" aspect of it all.

    Actually I think that that particular idea makes a lot of sense. She's using her dad's computer and learning stuff so obviously she won't trust the CIA and keeping Chuck out of the loop keeps him safe. They're turning the whole thing around where suddenly Chuck is being protected.

    Julius on
  • Undead ScottsmanUndead Scottsman Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Also, why would she pay an assassin directly from her own account. Doesn't her dad's lawyer know how to hide where the money's coming from?
    Obviously Lawyer dude did it without her knowledge so Team Bartowski would go after her, thus tricking her in to thinking the CIA is out to get her family, leading her down the path of becoming a criminal, which will eventually result Volkov somehow getting out of prison.

    Duh.

    Undead Scottsman on
  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    From the subtle titles department, your finale:
    Chuck vs. the Cliffhanger

    enlightenedbum on
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  • Kipling217Kipling217 Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    You have to admit thought that they need a reason to give the supporting cast something to do. As it is, most of the suporting cast outside of team Bartowski just wander in every other episode with some meandering subplot that has no relation to the rest of the episode.

    While that is okay with Jeffster and Big Mike, since they work best that way(comic relief).

    The Awesomes need more. If not for Ellie showing her genius skills(which is nice, having it a Bartowski family trait), her only purpose would be to be a buzzkill for Chuck. Him hiding his CIA job from her has been a ongoing plot from the start. Having her tossed into it(maybe becoming mission control with Captain Awesome as stay-at-home babydaddy), would be a nice change of pace.

    Kipling217 on
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  • devCharlesdevCharles Gainesville, FLRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Julius wrote: »
    hippofant wrote: »
    devCharles wrote: »
    Chuck and Morgan have always had a big sandwich fixation in the show though. I guess it would bother me more if I've never actually had questionably long conversations with my friends about the greatest Subway sandwich combination.

    The van one was terrible though.

    Italian BMT with sweet onion sauce.

    No Italian BMT with honey mustard sauce! no extra cheese though extra meat is up for debate.

    Point made, basically.

    Yeah, this is why the Subway product placement doesn't really bother me. Also, I worked at a Best Buy in high school, and there was only a by the slice pizza place nearby, so everyone would go there for their lunch break. Most of my interactions with my fellow Geek Squad members was regarding the perfect topping combination.

    By the way, the sweet onion sauce is best with jalapenos. Lots of jalapenos.

    devCharles on
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