Shaw’s Evil Plan, Part IV

Interesting thing is, I don’t think we learned a lot about Shaw, or anyone else for that matter in The Mask.   But in spite of the emotional downer this episode was, there may have been a few clues about what’s going on.  And its tempting to say the title itself represents nothing we saw was quite real.   We’ve been discussing what it all means across multiple threads, so I will try to summarize what many of us seem to be thinking here.

Masking The Bad News

And Making Bailey Cry

Generously, the fan reaction to vs. The Mask was negative. To be more objective about it, it seems Josh Schwartz should be looking for a safe house. Twitter was on fire last night.

But you can’t say we weren’t warned as early as last summer. He told us then exactly what was going to happen, he saw the reaction at Comic-Con, and despite all the billions of words and bytes and rationalizations and parsings we’ve seen in the intervening months, both sides in this event held true to their initial statements.

There were most definitely positives to last night’s episode. It was great to see Chuck being a world class spy, without reverting to being a schnook, articulate or otherwise. It was fantastic to see Sarah appreciate him professionally, saying “Well what do you say partner? Let’s go!” to emphasize the point. It’s the opposite of “Stay in the car, Chuck.” and is something to hang on to, if you need a lifesaver. Because Chuck is now a great spy, the adventure part of the story was as good as I’ve ever seen. I really enjoyed that Chuck and Sarah succeeding in getting the gold Mask where Shaw had failed, and coming to each other’s aid to accomplish that. “They really are good together.” was what Chuck said of Sarah and Bryce in Nemesis. He has no need to be envious of that any more. Also, those new viewers who aren’t so familiar with fountain-scene speeches, desperate motel hide-a-ways and MI-6 agents didn’t see anything super wrenching in tentative (but still passionate) embraces with the wrong person. The wife-o-meter read “Obviously, this won’t last long.”

Ah, that’s a big problem. It is going to last long. 20 more days, minimum. The good fortune of having The Three Words and Operation Awesome immediately follow The Pink Slip almost equals the bad fortune of having the Olympic break occur right after this episode.

Was this supposed to be a two hour episode? There was no Jeff and Lester, no Big Mike, no Devon and very little Casey (and if that was due to budgetary necessities, then I appreciate the dilemma. But JS is wrong to say, then, that viewers won’t notice the difference). The jump from Sarah being saddened by the changes in Chuck at the end of Nacho Sampler to being annoyed at Shaw (and over-reacting because of her doubts about Chuck?) to clearing a path to him was – um – quick.

Shaw: Maybe we should talk about how many dates we’ve been on. One? Two?… Five? After all, we are playing a couple tonight. So – what do you think?
Sarah: Does it really make a difference?
…
Shaw: Have we slept together yet?
Sarah: You have to be kidding me.

Chuck went from being doubly professional around Hannah to pursuit at a pace that drag racers appreciate. Well, we’ve seen that before. And that too is worrisome. “Haven’t we seen that before?” many are saying (loudly). Those who aren’t are saying “Hasn’t he learned anything?” It remains to be seen if they’re talking about Chuck or TPTB. Two hours might have given us something more understandable and sympathetic. Maybe it’s still on the cutting room floor, and maybe it’s 20 days away. Either one is going to require much more patience than many fans are going to be willing to give.

Oh – one last major negative. The way Chuck treated Morgan in this episode is a sin. I don’t know how apparent it was to others, but Morgan is hurting in a way I haven’t seen before, and that’s because he’s no longer a stooge. Morgan has quietly grown up, and his hurts are all the more real for it.

The negatives to last night’s episode extend to the fact that although TPTB knew exactly where our buttons were, they proceeded to push every one of them. If you think that it’s an either/or situation between arrogant and idiotic, I’m going with arrogant (and of course, your opinion can legitimately differ).

That’s the good news and the bad. Here’s the better news. When I re-watched the episode, I made a note that said “Hannah is believably forward.” She is so cute and perfect with Chuck, you just see they belong together, and ’shippers hate that. Shaw and Sarah look good nearly as good together.  Believable.  Unbelievably believable.

Nothing about the spy life is real.  Sarah said that.  Everyone has an agenda.
Look again. Everything we saw is consistent with at least two explanations, and as trite as it may sound, the mind still sees what it wants to see.

The reactions of the dedicated fans is remarkably generous. Already I see people spontaneously saying “Oh, wait. It’s possible that…” and “There were some really good parts to last night’s episode. Like…” People are already starting to notice the little things that don’t add up (and please, please, please take the time to see the remarkable analyses (that’s plural!) in the The Weekly ‘Spoil Us O Canada’ Thread that precedes this) and asserting that there’s something going on here.

After the 7 month hiatus, 20 days isn’t too long to see if they’re right.  Is it?

- joe

Chuck Vs. The Mask

Well guys, I really have mixed feelings about last nights episode.  I’m not sure who I was watching: Team Bartowski or Team Bi-Polar.  It seemed like the two halves of the episode were written by two different people-like those choose your own adventure books I used to love as a kid.

The episode started well, with a straight forward rejection of Shaw by Sarah, Chuck seemingly still smitten with Sarah (as perceived by Hannah), and a very poorly received kiss initiated by Hannah.  Girls (guys too, but I’m interested in the female perspective), if you saw something different, let me know, but I thought it was pretty blah in the kiss department.  I had no problem with the little jealousy bit, particularly in context with the way Sarah seemed to light up at being teamed with Chuck, “Let’s go, partner.”

Then somewhere, something happened that I must have missed.  Sarah goes from fending off Shaw’s interest to accepting backrubs.  And that whole, “I didn’t really  mind the neck thing” seemed forced.  Chuck sneaking into the home theater room for  a makeout session with Hannah was pretty lame as well, but at least it wasn’t as bad as the spoilers made it seem like it was going to be.  Maybe that was the point.  I feel like in this whole Chuck and Sarah storyline portion, we the viewer missed the wink.  Did Sarah get a message from Beckman, cluing her in and she and Chuck devise this whole “go our own way” (sorry, channeling Fleetwood Mac this morning) plot to figure out what was going on?  I about gagged when Sarah smilingly told Chuck he knows she goes for the hero type.

Now for the B story.  Morgan is being made to look like a buffoon.  He has been trying to grow, take on more responsibility, and express interest in Hannah, all the while helping Ellie.  Ellie is being portrayed as a harried busy-body.  I always felt she was a strong character and perhaps I’m being too serious (like that ever happens but I don’t see the strong confident woman who stood up to serve as the matriarch of her family when their mom split.  And why in the world would she accept that Chuck and Devon for that matter’s behavior all stems around Chuck “secretly dating” Hannah?  Seems she doesn’t want to dig any further, afraid of what she might find or just a poorly written “ending” to Chuck’s antics.  That leaves a devastated Morgan.  I know Chuck has been busy, but I don’t think he would ever be that intentional clueless or hurtful to his best friend.

That leads us to the clip from the next episode (I think it is then next one) where Chuck decks Shaw.  We know very little, but how are we supposed to swallow what I’ve outlined above and then have any sympathy whatsoever for Chuck and Sarah when Shaw pokes him in the chest with the “You had your chance” line?

Now I know this was a rather downer post, but I started off so happy in the first half, only to sit in my chair shaking my head for the second half.  I will re-watch the episode after work if  I can, but I’m curious as to what you saw and experienced with Chuck vs. The Mask.

-amyabn

2 hour Finale

Many of you have probably already heard Ausiello reporting via NBC that S3 will end with a 2-hour season finale on May 24.  (http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/02/08/save-the-date-chuck-finale-set-for-may-24/).

This does pose a couple of questions.    If you simply count the Mondays, one episode a week, we should get to episode 19 on May 17.   First thing that occurs to me is they may just  skip one week along the way for reasons yet unknown, and make 19 a two hour episode   (most likely scenario, I think).   If they are linking 18 and 19 into a 2-hour event (like they did for the premier), it means they’ll be skipping two weeks somewhere after the Olympics (bummer, hope that isn’t the story).    The best, and least likely scenario, is they aren’t skipping any weeks; and the season finale represents a previously unordered episode 3.20, of 2-hour duration (be still my heart!).  

I’ll post more information here as it comes available.

The Weekly “Spoil Us, O Canada!” Thread

You Give Us Your Snow, Now Give Us Your Early Impressions!

Well, this is the last time you get to beat us in the Great White South to the proverbial punch, so please, take this opportunity to speculate before the showing of The Mask, and to expound and elaborate after!  And please don’t worry about how we’ll spend our evening.  I hear there’s a little show called The Superbowl on tonight.  Nice, quiet evening.  Nothing major…

Hannah becomes more involved! Shaw returns!! The promo shows Chuck and Sarah displaying all sorts of petty jealousy in a way that makes you go “Awwwww – they care!”

And it’s the last episode before the Olympics. We’re facing three weeks (and two intervening Mondays) without Chuck, and the possibility that the we’re left in suspense all that time.  Of the break, Josh Schwartz said:

We certainly didn’t know it was going to be that before we shot the episode, so it’s not built to be this crazy cliffhanger that’s going to sustain you during the Olympics. It is an emotional cliffhanger, and it definitely sets the table for where the characters are coming and what the back half of the season is going to be.

Sounds like plenty of grist for our mill!

Usual cautions to the spoiler-sensitive apply!

- joe

The Enemy

Many of us have made reference to the fact that we know very little about the enemies in Chuck, so I thought I would start a new thread to analyze what we know so far.

Fulcrum is comprised of people from various backgrounds.  They recruit spies as well as scientists like Jill and computer genisuses like Roarke.

Roarke had RIOS, the Roarke Industries Operating System, which seems to have been designed to serve as a trojan horse to gather information.  Roarke also worked on designing a new Intersect and had a history with Mr. Stephen Bartowski, aka Orion.  In Colonel, he was ready to try and transform Fulcrum agents into Intersected spies.  Their training facility in downtown LA was full of visual propaganda, ala previous Fascist/Comunist regimes.  We also know they recruit and have members in different countries spy services.  Cole Barker was working to get after Fulcrum agents in Beefcake and Lethal Weapon.

The Ring is comprised of multiple different different groups.  We also learn that they never lose (vs. Ring).  They are seeking an Intersect, they have sophisticated communications equipment (those fancy phones), and they are very aggressive.  We know that in Angel, they wanted to keep the status quo be eliminating the dictator before he made his announcement of democratic elections.

So what is their agenda?  I’m curious as to what you guys think and how Team Bartowski will go about defeating them.

-amyabn

Oh Yes, It’s Snowing

And This Boy From Buffalo Is Impressed

Just a little global warming. Please?

It’s been a while since I’ve seen this much snow in the area. I’m house-bound, but no, it doesn’t bother me. If I can’t run, shovelling for exercise will do, in a pinch.

Ernie and I are at ground zero for this storm. So far, we still have electricity and supplies, but I’m rounding up the sled-dogs, just in case. If you don’t hear from me for a couple of days, it’s only because I’ve joined the two-hundred thousand or so people who are without power. That’ll make getting onto the internet just a little tricky…

So far, so good. In fact, DC is actually very nice when the politicians are out of town.

But if I miss Chuck on Monday at 8:00, I will go just a little nutz until I see it on-line. Ignore any news you hear coming from the metro DC area saying “Crazed Chuck fan eats TV. (Demands Subway Footlongs.)”

- joe

Ernie vs. The Fake Name

Here in the DC Metro area we’re having a blizzard. A real one, not just the inch of snow and moderately slick roads that is all it usually takes to shut the city down.  A real honest to god 2 feet in under 24 hours blizzard that qualifies as a storm even in Pittsburgh or Buffalo or Michigan. Well last night I lost power at about 7, while I was watching Chuck on OnDemand and having some dinner. So annoying. Rather than fish around for candles and the last book I was reading I decided to go to bed. I woke up about 10 when everything came back on and did the usual trip around the house resetting breakers (household tip, always turn certain large appliances off at the breaker so not everything comes on at once when power is restored) and checking the heat pump, all the fun stuff. When I’d finished I’d had a three hour nap and enough activity that I wasn’t immediately interested in getting back to bed, so I sat down at my computer and relived a bit of my past. This isn’t about Chuck so much as something that happened on this board recently and some of my thoughts, after the jump.

USA Interview With J. Schwartz

Oh, Don’t Groan!

If you follow the NBC boards for Chuck you’ve probably seen the news of the interview with Josh Schwartz in USA Weekend.

What I find interesting is his take on the ratings – He notes that they are better than last year (good), NBC will have more hours to fill (good), he takes nothing for granted (good) and he still has an ulcer (uh… BTDT! Wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy!).

As for our mysterious, love-him-or-hate-him Daniel Shaw:

Shaw is going to reveal himself to be interwoven into the story in ways we’ve never really attempted before, so it’s a much more ambitious character for us.

The interview is rather up to date, having taken place after the airing of Nacho Sampler. Chuck’s emotional state, and the darker tone of the show is something USA’s interviewer, Brian Truitt, was smart enough to ask about.

We’re seeing Chuck delving more into the spy game and even getting a smidge cold-blooded. Was that always where you wanted to go with the character, dipping into that a little?
We always wanted the character to evolve. We didn’t want him to just be the guy who sits in the car three years later. It’s always been in our minds that he was definitely going to shift and evolve and grow and grow up. Certainly giving him the Intersect download at the end of last season, which gave him all these new powers, we knew that was going to push his character out of the car and into the action. We wanted to measure the emotional consequences.

The emotional consequences to Chuck or to the viewers?  He doesn’t say.

- joe

Casey Reverting?

I wanted to get your ideas on Casey, our favorite quip-meister.  I really felt that at the end of Season 2, Casey had come to appreciate Chuck for who he was and while he found Chuck completely unorthodox, he got the mission done, which is paramount in Casey’s mind.   I would dare say they became friends.  What puzzles me is the reversion Casey has taken in Season 3.

On one hand, he seems to openly not care about Chuck and Sarah’s personal relationship, which I see as a good thing.  He also has completely accepted Chuck’s 180 degree turn around about wanting to be a spy.  Yes, he has scoffed openly about Chuck’s abilities, but all in all, he is pushing Chuck to be what he isn’t-you can pick the metaphor:  Bryce, Cole, Shaw, or him.   Rather than assessing how the new Intersect is working (or not working for that matter), he continuously pushes despite the emotional state it is putting Chuck in.  He also seems to completely have forgotten what made Chuck and Team Bartowski special.  I wanted to see what you guys thought about Season 3 Casey.

-amyabn