Chuck (2007-????)Created by: Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak
Season: Three (2009-2010)
Genre: Comedy | Action | Drama
Number of Episodes: 19
Episode Running Time: 60 Minutes
Viewed: Owned DVD
No more Mr. Nice Spy.
[IMDb]
Comments: This review contains spoilers from Season 3. If you plan on watching Chuck soon or in the future, look elsewhere (unless you don't care about that sort of thing).
So the third season of Chuck divided a lot of fans, mainly for two reasons. The first was that Chuck and Sarah, after two years of the will-they/won't-they drama, were essentially split up and given separate love interests. Kristin Kreuk (of Smallville fame) had a four-episode arc where she worked at the Buy More, and had about one episode's worth of romance with the Chuckster. On the other hand, Brandon Routh (of Superman Returns) played a large role in the third season as he transferred into Team Bartowski, teaching Chuck how to be a spy while seducing Sarah at the same time. They had much more of a developed relationship (albeit offscreen), and that really annoyed a lot of loyal Chuck fans.
The second reason was the darker tone that Season 3 took on. There wasn't as much humor in the episodes, and there was constant worries over Chuck being able to kill someone. The Buy More wasn't used as often as before, and there weren't as many high jinks occurring as fans were used to. So what did I think?
I loved Season 3. Granted, it's not quite as good as its predecessor (Season 2 was my favorite singular television season I've seen in years), but I think Chuck was given a lot of unnecessary grief. While I prefer Chuck and Sarah to not see other people also, I liked the inclusion of Routh (it didn't hurt that I loved Superman Returns and generally like the guy). Right after I finished the second season, I accidentally read a headline on IMDb's message board stating that Season 3 sucked because Sarah cheated on Chuck. I was heartbroken after that, because they did such a great job building the romance between the two. But that person was generally incorrect, because both had their own separate relationships, and Sarah was never "cheating" on Chuck. The two finally did get together toward the end of the season, and while the initial spark from Season 2 isn't there, it's still extremely satisfying.
The interesting thing about Season 3 of Chuck was that it was initially green-lit for 13 episodes, but 6 more were tagged on later. So the first 13 episodes played out as one cohesive season, and end on what feels like a season finale with "Chuck Versus the Other Guy" (I actually thought that episode would have made a great series finale, but I'll never complain about more Chuck). The remaining six episodes then feel a bit like a different season, but they do reincorporate storylines eventually to reconnect the episodes. I enjoyed the added six episodes, but I guess I'm one of the few that thought the first 13 episodes of Season 3 were... awesome.
The main thing I didn't like in the season was the inclusion of Morgan to Team Bartowski. I'm all for him knowing the secret and helping out occasionally, but it only stretches an already incredibly thin premise that they would add some random guy to a C.I.A. team simply because he's Chuck's friend and Casey has a soft spot for him. I don't know, it just kind of annoys me. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the intersect all of a sudden "crushing" Chuck's brain, and that some magic watch fixed it, but I can live with it.
Anyway, I was a really big fan of Season 3 of Chuck. It's a fun show that's always entertaining, even when there's a more serious nature to it. As I've said a few times before, I expect Season 4 to be the last just because it was barely saved for Season 3, and then super-barely saved for Season 4. It's a great show that I'd love to see continue for years, but at the same time it's hard to keep a show with a specific premise like this consistently fresh. Here's hoping to a Season 5, and that if the show does go out, it goes out with style. Chuck style.
So the third season of Chuck divided a lot of fans, mainly for two reasons. The first was that Chuck and Sarah, after two years of the will-they/won't-they drama, were essentially split up and given separate love interests. Kristin Kreuk (of Smallville fame) had a four-episode arc where she worked at the Buy More, and had about one episode's worth of romance with the Chuckster. On the other hand, Brandon Routh (of Superman Returns) played a large role in the third season as he transferred into Team Bartowski, teaching Chuck how to be a spy while seducing Sarah at the same time. They had much more of a developed relationship (albeit offscreen), and that really annoyed a lot of loyal Chuck fans.
The second reason was the darker tone that Season 3 took on. There wasn't as much humor in the episodes, and there was constant worries over Chuck being able to kill someone. The Buy More wasn't used as often as before, and there weren't as many high jinks occurring as fans were used to. So what did I think?
I loved Season 3. Granted, it's not quite as good as its predecessor (Season 2 was my favorite singular television season I've seen in years), but I think Chuck was given a lot of unnecessary grief. While I prefer Chuck and Sarah to not see other people also, I liked the inclusion of Routh (it didn't hurt that I loved Superman Returns and generally like the guy). Right after I finished the second season, I accidentally read a headline on IMDb's message board stating that Season 3 sucked because Sarah cheated on Chuck. I was heartbroken after that, because they did such a great job building the romance between the two. But that person was generally incorrect, because both had their own separate relationships, and Sarah was never "cheating" on Chuck. The two finally did get together toward the end of the season, and while the initial spark from Season 2 isn't there, it's still extremely satisfying.
The interesting thing about Season 3 of Chuck was that it was initially green-lit for 13 episodes, but 6 more were tagged on later. So the first 13 episodes played out as one cohesive season, and end on what feels like a season finale with "Chuck Versus the Other Guy" (I actually thought that episode would have made a great series finale, but I'll never complain about more Chuck). The remaining six episodes then feel a bit like a different season, but they do reincorporate storylines eventually to reconnect the episodes. I enjoyed the added six episodes, but I guess I'm one of the few that thought the first 13 episodes of Season 3 were... awesome.
The main thing I didn't like in the season was the inclusion of Morgan to Team Bartowski. I'm all for him knowing the secret and helping out occasionally, but it only stretches an already incredibly thin premise that they would add some random guy to a C.I.A. team simply because he's Chuck's friend and Casey has a soft spot for him. I don't know, it just kind of annoys me. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the intersect all of a sudden "crushing" Chuck's brain, and that some magic watch fixed it, but I can live with it.
Anyway, I was a really big fan of Season 3 of Chuck. It's a fun show that's always entertaining, even when there's a more serious nature to it. As I've said a few times before, I expect Season 4 to be the last just because it was barely saved for Season 3, and then super-barely saved for Season 4. It's a great show that I'd love to see continue for years, but at the same time it's hard to keep a show with a specific premise like this consistently fresh. Here's hoping to a Season 5, and that if the show does go out, it goes out with style. Chuck style.
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