Too Much McG
Chuck - Season 1 (2007)
rating: 2 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Netflix
Chuck the show isn’t as good as it could be because Chuck the character can’t be the hero I want him to. The central premise, essentially, is that nothing bad that has happened to Chuck is ever Chuck’s fault. His best friend gets him kicked out of college for cheating, but Chuck didn’t cheat. That same best friend stole Chuck’s girl, but Chuck doesn’t know why. Chuck misses the one day a year he and his sister always spend together because Chuck had to help solve a national emergency. Or thought he did, although someone could have solved it without him. Chuck doesn’t get promoted at work because he can’t show up for the interview. Chuck’s father left him; Chuck’s mother died.
On paper, the good things that happen to Chuck – Chuck, after all, is a comedy – happen because he deserves to be happy. Chuck’s a nice guy who is loyal to the people he loves and helpful to everyone. He likes Star Wars and video games. His best friend is a socially impossible dork, but he means well. And that’s the problem: Chuck is oblivious to the point of arrogance: a geek daydream in which the choices you make have no bearing on the person you are. After all, wouldn’t the world reward you if only someone realized how much you deserve the woman, the riches, and the lifestyle? Wouldn’t every day be a girl-on-girl martial arts spectacular, staged not for your entertainment, but your very survival?
It’s a world without real regret, and it isn’t true. Burn Notice is just as stupid but twice as fun because Michael broke the heroine’s heart, and every time he and Fiona go out on a mission together, the heartbreak is a part of the scene. Sure, we want Chuck to get the blonde – they’re a cute couple - but whether he does or doesn’t, the stakes aren’t particularly high.
rating: 2 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Netflix
Chuck the show isn’t as good as it could be because Chuck the character can’t be the hero I want him to. The central premise, essentially, is that nothing bad that has happened to Chuck is ever Chuck’s fault. His best friend gets him kicked out of college for cheating, but Chuck didn’t cheat. That same best friend stole Chuck’s girl, but Chuck doesn’t know why. Chuck misses the one day a year he and his sister always spend together because Chuck had to help solve a national emergency. Or thought he did, although someone could have solved it without him. Chuck doesn’t get promoted at work because he can’t show up for the interview. Chuck’s father left him; Chuck’s mother died.
On paper, the good things that happen to Chuck – Chuck, after all, is a comedy – happen because he deserves to be happy. Chuck’s a nice guy who is loyal to the people he loves and helpful to everyone. He likes Star Wars and video games. His best friend is a socially impossible dork, but he means well. And that’s the problem: Chuck is oblivious to the point of arrogance: a geek daydream in which the choices you make have no bearing on the person you are. After all, wouldn’t the world reward you if only someone realized how much you deserve the woman, the riches, and the lifestyle? Wouldn’t every day be a girl-on-girl martial arts spectacular, staged not for your entertainment, but your very survival?
It’s a world without real regret, and it isn’t true. Burn Notice is just as stupid but twice as fun because Michael broke the heroine’s heart, and every time he and Fiona go out on a mission together, the heartbreak is a part of the scene. Sure, we want Chuck to get the blonde – they’re a cute couple - but whether he does or doesn’t, the stakes aren’t particularly high.
posted by NPK at 11:08 PM
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