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fandomhigh_ooc2009-11-22 11:01 pm
knowsnokungfu.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh_ooc2009-11-22 11:01 pm
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Spotlight on Fandoms: Chuck
What It's All About
Chuck is a spy dramedy created by Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz, the latter whom some of you may know as the creator of The OC and Gossip Girl. It's about a seemingly normal, yet socially awkward nerd who one day downloads a super computer full of government secrets into his brain. The premise sounds super lame, we know, but it's really quite delightful and well written.
Chuck must deal with his new life as a spy, maintain his day job at the Buy More, and deal with his family and friends as well as his complicated love life. You can expect lots of spy intrigue, ridiculous, yet awesome adventures, cool special effects, lots of laughs, and plenty of pretty. Basically, it fits right into Fandom.
The Spies
Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi): Our nerdy and lovable hero. He's really just a nice guy thrown into a world of spies and danger that scares the crap out of him. While he comes across as very much the underachiever, working at the supervisor of a Buy More Nerd Herd and living at home with his sister, he is actually very bright and has more sense than most of the people he works with put together. Not always the most socially gifted guy out, but he really tries, is funny, a total romantic and just wants a nice normal life with a nice normal girl. Unfortunately, the supercomputer in his brain and the spies, terrorists and bombs that show up in his life don't really mix well with a plan like that.
Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski): Sarah is Chuck's CIA handler and main love interest. She kicks a lot of ass and looks damned good doing it. In terms of personality, Sarah tends to be friendly but reserved. Raised by a con artist father, she was already used to keeping up a cover when she was recruited into the CIA during high school. She's an expert in about anything the CIA could throw at her, from languages to weaponry. She does her best to keep her personal feelings off to one side, not always successfully. For example, before she was assigned to Chuck, she was partnered with (and in love with) Bryce Larkin. Her cover is as Chuck's fast-food-working girlfriend. At first she insisted this was just a cover, but by the end of the second season it's become widely known in the Chuck world that their romantic relationship would be real if she didn't need to protect him.
John Casey (Adam Baldwin): Chuck's NSA handler. He takes his job very seriously and is very good at it. He's a bit on the conservative side and even keeps a shrine to Ronald Reagan in his apartment. His favorite mode of communication is grunts and annoyed glares. Basically, he is Jayne with a brain. He often acts annoyed at Chuck, even insulting him. It's very clear he feels some affection for Chuck, though. His hobbies include trimming bonsai trees, glaring, and shooting stuff. He once took out a guy with a microwave and it was awesome.
General Diane Beckman (Bonita Friedericy): She's the no-nonsense military official who heads the Intersect project, the Intersect being the supercomputer in Chuck's brain. She's tough and seemingly shows little emotion, though she might be Condoleeza Rice's BFF.
Family, Friends, and Co-workers
Morgan Grimes (Joshua Gomez): Best friend of one Chuck Bartowski, he is completely in the dark regarding the spies and danger all around. They've been friends since they were in about 5th grade, seen Chuck through all the rough times and flashbacks suggest that Chuck has been looking out for and protecting him for most of the time they've known each other. He's quirky, seems to lack a lot of common sense and provides a lot of comic relief. He isn't particularly mature, especially early on in the series, spending most of his time avoiding work at work and playing video games, but seems to be growing a little more well-rounded as it progresses.
Ellie Bartowski (Sarah Lancaster): Chuck's older sister. She has no idea that he is a secret government spy with a computer in his brain. She can be a bit of a nag, but she always has Chuck's best interest at heart. She is pretty much the epitome of the "promotion to parent" tv trope as she pretty much had to be the mother figure after their parents abandoned them at a young age. She's a doctor, a cardiologist to be specific, and an excellent cook. Morgan has had a crush on her for a very long time, though she does not share the same affection for him. Besides, she has the most awesome boyfriend ever.
Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb (Ryan McPartlin): Ellie's significant other. He very much lives up to his nickname. He is also a doctor, having met Ellie in med school. He's very athletic and is always trying to talk people into rock climbing and white water rafting. He is a master of pep talk, often giving Chuck and Morgan advice. He loves the word awesome, which is partially where his nickname comes from. His genes are the other reason. Ellie and Chuck even refer to his parents as the Awesomes.
Lester Patel (Vik Sahay): One of Chuck's fellow Nerd Herdminions employees. He, like most of the Buy More group is unmotivated and lazy and goes out of his way to avoid customers and, well, doing much of anything that might require work. You'll find he's usually one of the ones organising an eating competition in the break room or with partner in crime Jeff sneaking around with a video camera filming female shoppers.
Jeff Barnes (Scott Krinsky): Jeff is the oldest of the Nerds, a... bit of a creepy perv and the best friend of Lester. These two pretty much come as a double pack ninety-nine percent of the time and even have their own band during the second season, 'Jeffster'. He's also the world champion of an 80's arcade game 'Missile Command', usually drunk, and undoubtedly the oddest in that small group.
Anna Wu (Julia Ling): Anna is the only female Nerd Herd employee we really get to meet. She may be small but she's also tough and surprisingly scary when she puts her mind to it. The rest of them would probably get their collective asses kicked by her, no problem.
Michael "Big Mike" Tucker (Mark Christopher Lawrence): Manager of the Burbank Buy More. He's prefers to minimize his work load and he'll give compliments or complaints depending on how much work he has to do. He does take his managerial duties very seriously despite this, especially on Black Friday. He's loves to fish and even has a giant marlin mounted on the wall in his office. He has a relationship with Morgan's mother, much to his dismay.
Recurring Characters
Bryce Larkin (Matthew Bomer): He was Chuck's best friend at Stanford until he got him expelled and stole his girlfriend. Oh, and years later he would be responsible for that pesky computer being in Chuck's head. He had his reasons for doing a lot of these things, all mostly good. Really! But it doesn't really help matters that he was once Sarah's CIA partner and ex, though. Morgan summed it up best: "If Chuck is Solo, Larkin is his Fett."
Stephen Bartowski (Scott Bakula): Chuck and Ellie's absentee father. In the first season he was only fleetingly referenced as a flaky parent figure with a few mental issues who abandoned them at a young age after promising them pancakes and hadn't been seen since. He really only wants the best for his kids, but does go about it in strange ways.
Jill Roberts (Jordana Brewster): College girlfriend of Chuck and his first love. Early on in the series he still seems to be pining for her even four years after she dumped him and slept with his best friend. Like a lot of people in this series, she is not who she claims to be.
Emmett Milbarge (Tony Hale): An efficiency expert sent to evaluate the Buy More, though is promoted to manager later on. He's very uptight and thinks he is better than everyone else. He tries to make life hell for the other employees. He takes his job very seriously. Despite this, he is very much part of the comic relief aspect of the show.
CIA Director Langston Graham (Tony Todd): He was the CIA head of the Intersect project and recruited Sarah when she was still in high school.
Season One Overview
The first season, as with most series' sets up the premise, puts the Intersect into Chuck's brain, introduces those quirky characters, and sets the whole thing in motion. There's terrorists, spies, bombs, and nerds. Amongst other things.
Seaon Two Overview
More enemy spies, wedding plans and the return of a certain absentee parent. Oh, and more of those pesky relationship complications. Things never can run true, of course.
That's really vague-ing it up and stuffing it into a teeny-tiny little nutshell. We don't want to give too much away, obviously.
Reasons To Watch
Lots of action. Things explode, there are shootouts, there are martial arts stunts, there's a lot of cool spy gadgets, etc.
Lots of humor. You will laugh a lot if you watch. The dialogue is witty and some of the hijinks these characters get into are amusing.
Lots of pop culture references. Many fandoms represented in this game have had shout-outs, including Star Wars, Dune, The OC (we're still waiting for the Gossip Girl shout-out), BSG, and Firefly. An example of a Firefly reference: Casey has used the phrase 'shiny.'
The guest stars are used well, including Nicole Ritchie and Chevy Chase. Seriously. We couldn't believe it either. Other awesome guest stars include those mentioned in the recurring characters section, Rachel Bilson, Melinda Clarke, Tricia Helfer, Gary Cole as Sarah's father, Morgan Fairchild and Bruce Boxleitner as Captain Awesome's parents, and so many more.
If all else fails, there is the pretty to fall back on. There's plenty of that on this show.
Clips of Awesome
There are spoilers in these, so you have been warned. Asterisks on clips that are plot spoilery.
*Bryce ruining Chuck's life some more. Also? Matthew Bomer is hot and badass in this scene.
Captain Awesome and Chuck do the Tango!
Chuck wants to know anything about Sarah. This scene is both sweet and sad.
Name That TV Show! Many shows represented in game are mentioned in this clip. Oh and there is a very definite Lord of the Rings shout-out here.
Chuck trying to win back a girl he likes after screwing up. Included for meta purposes and for being adorable.
Chuck and Casey are a bit tied up.
Anna rescues Morgan by kicking Michael Strahan's ass. Awesome soundtrack in this clip as well.
Sarah kicking Nicole Ritchie's ass. The music choice is just...inspired.
Jeffster performs! Casey's reaction is hilarious. Plus, there's cute shippiness.
Casey just wants to be part of the team.
*Mr. Roboto! This is pretty much the essence of this show. Seriously. If you don't get hooked after watching this, you likely never will.
Season One can be purchased pretty much anywhere dvds are sold, including Amazon. It is also available in blu-ray format. Season Two will be available for purchase January 5 on dvd and blu-ray. It can be purchased on iTunes as well.
The two-hour Season Three premiere will air on NBC January 10 at 8pm in the states. It will move to its regular timeslot January 11 at 8pm. You can catch episodes on hulu or NBC's main website as well. A list of where it airs outside the US can be found here.
[co-written by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
awesomebigsis and knowsnokungfu, with an assist by saveyoulater!]
Chuck is a spy dramedy created by Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz, the latter whom some of you may know as the creator of The OC and Gossip Girl. It's about a seemingly normal, yet socially awkward nerd who one day downloads a super computer full of government secrets into his brain. The premise sounds super lame, we know, but it's really quite delightful and well written.
Chuck must deal with his new life as a spy, maintain his day job at the Buy More, and deal with his family and friends as well as his complicated love life. You can expect lots of spy intrigue, ridiculous, yet awesome adventures, cool special effects, lots of laughs, and plenty of pretty. Basically, it fits right into Fandom.
The Spies
Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi): Our nerdy and lovable hero. He's really just a nice guy thrown into a world of spies and danger that scares the crap out of him. While he comes across as very much the underachiever, working at the supervisor of a Buy More Nerd Herd and living at home with his sister, he is actually very bright and has more sense than most of the people he works with put together. Not always the most socially gifted guy out, but he really tries, is funny, a total romantic and just wants a nice normal life with a nice normal girl. Unfortunately, the supercomputer in his brain and the spies, terrorists and bombs that show up in his life don't really mix well with a plan like that.
Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski): Sarah is Chuck's CIA handler and main love interest. She kicks a lot of ass and looks damned good doing it. In terms of personality, Sarah tends to be friendly but reserved. Raised by a con artist father, she was already used to keeping up a cover when she was recruited into the CIA during high school. She's an expert in about anything the CIA could throw at her, from languages to weaponry. She does her best to keep her personal feelings off to one side, not always successfully. For example, before she was assigned to Chuck, she was partnered with (and in love with) Bryce Larkin. Her cover is as Chuck's fast-food-working girlfriend. At first she insisted this was just a cover, but by the end of the second season it's become widely known in the Chuck world that their romantic relationship would be real if she didn't need to protect him.
John Casey (Adam Baldwin): Chuck's NSA handler. He takes his job very seriously and is very good at it. He's a bit on the conservative side and even keeps a shrine to Ronald Reagan in his apartment. His favorite mode of communication is grunts and annoyed glares. Basically, he is Jayne with a brain. He often acts annoyed at Chuck, even insulting him. It's very clear he feels some affection for Chuck, though. His hobbies include trimming bonsai trees, glaring, and shooting stuff. He once took out a guy with a microwave and it was awesome.
General Diane Beckman (Bonita Friedericy): She's the no-nonsense military official who heads the Intersect project, the Intersect being the supercomputer in Chuck's brain. She's tough and seemingly shows little emotion, though she might be Condoleeza Rice's BFF.
Family, Friends, and Co-workers
Morgan Grimes (Joshua Gomez): Best friend of one Chuck Bartowski, he is completely in the dark regarding the spies and danger all around. They've been friends since they were in about 5th grade, seen Chuck through all the rough times and flashbacks suggest that Chuck has been looking out for and protecting him for most of the time they've known each other. He's quirky, seems to lack a lot of common sense and provides a lot of comic relief. He isn't particularly mature, especially early on in the series, spending most of his time avoiding work at work and playing video games, but seems to be growing a little more well-rounded as it progresses.
Ellie Bartowski (Sarah Lancaster): Chuck's older sister. She has no idea that he is a secret government spy with a computer in his brain. She can be a bit of a nag, but she always has Chuck's best interest at heart. She is pretty much the epitome of the "promotion to parent" tv trope as she pretty much had to be the mother figure after their parents abandoned them at a young age. She's a doctor, a cardiologist to be specific, and an excellent cook. Morgan has had a crush on her for a very long time, though she does not share the same affection for him. Besides, she has the most awesome boyfriend ever.
Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb (Ryan McPartlin): Ellie's significant other. He very much lives up to his nickname. He is also a doctor, having met Ellie in med school. He's very athletic and is always trying to talk people into rock climbing and white water rafting. He is a master of pep talk, often giving Chuck and Morgan advice. He loves the word awesome, which is partially where his nickname comes from. His genes are the other reason. Ellie and Chuck even refer to his parents as the Awesomes.
Lester Patel (Vik Sahay): One of Chuck's fellow Nerd Herd
Jeff Barnes (Scott Krinsky): Jeff is the oldest of the Nerds, a... bit of a creepy perv and the best friend of Lester. These two pretty much come as a double pack ninety-nine percent of the time and even have their own band during the second season, 'Jeffster'. He's also the world champion of an 80's arcade game 'Missile Command', usually drunk, and undoubtedly the oddest in that small group.
Anna Wu (Julia Ling): Anna is the only female Nerd Herd employee we really get to meet. She may be small but she's also tough and surprisingly scary when she puts her mind to it. The rest of them would probably get their collective asses kicked by her, no problem.
Michael "Big Mike" Tucker (Mark Christopher Lawrence): Manager of the Burbank Buy More. He's prefers to minimize his work load and he'll give compliments or complaints depending on how much work he has to do. He does take his managerial duties very seriously despite this, especially on Black Friday. He's loves to fish and even has a giant marlin mounted on the wall in his office. He has a relationship with Morgan's mother, much to his dismay.
Recurring Characters
Bryce Larkin (Matthew Bomer): He was Chuck's best friend at Stanford until he got him expelled and stole his girlfriend. Oh, and years later he would be responsible for that pesky computer being in Chuck's head. He had his reasons for doing a lot of these things, all mostly good. Really! But it doesn't really help matters that he was once Sarah's CIA partner and ex, though. Morgan summed it up best: "If Chuck is Solo, Larkin is his Fett."
Stephen Bartowski (Scott Bakula): Chuck and Ellie's absentee father. In the first season he was only fleetingly referenced as a flaky parent figure with a few mental issues who abandoned them at a young age after promising them pancakes and hadn't been seen since. He really only wants the best for his kids, but does go about it in strange ways.
Jill Roberts (Jordana Brewster): College girlfriend of Chuck and his first love. Early on in the series he still seems to be pining for her even four years after she dumped him and slept with his best friend. Like a lot of people in this series, she is not who she claims to be.
Emmett Milbarge (Tony Hale): An efficiency expert sent to evaluate the Buy More, though is promoted to manager later on. He's very uptight and thinks he is better than everyone else. He tries to make life hell for the other employees. He takes his job very seriously. Despite this, he is very much part of the comic relief aspect of the show.
CIA Director Langston Graham (Tony Todd): He was the CIA head of the Intersect project and recruited Sarah when she was still in high school.
Season One Overview
The first season, as with most series' sets up the premise, puts the Intersect into Chuck's brain, introduces those quirky characters, and sets the whole thing in motion. There's terrorists, spies, bombs, and nerds. Amongst other things.
Seaon Two Overview
More enemy spies, wedding plans and the return of a certain absentee parent. Oh, and more of those pesky relationship complications. Things never can run true, of course.
That's really vague-ing it up and stuffing it into a teeny-tiny little nutshell. We don't want to give too much away, obviously.
Reasons To Watch
Lots of action. Things explode, there are shootouts, there are martial arts stunts, there's a lot of cool spy gadgets, etc.
Lots of humor. You will laugh a lot if you watch. The dialogue is witty and some of the hijinks these characters get into are amusing.
Lots of pop culture references. Many fandoms represented in this game have had shout-outs, including Star Wars, Dune, The OC (we're still waiting for the Gossip Girl shout-out), BSG, and Firefly. An example of a Firefly reference: Casey has used the phrase 'shiny.'
The guest stars are used well, including Nicole Ritchie and Chevy Chase. Seriously. We couldn't believe it either. Other awesome guest stars include those mentioned in the recurring characters section, Rachel Bilson, Melinda Clarke, Tricia Helfer, Gary Cole as Sarah's father, Morgan Fairchild and Bruce Boxleitner as Captain Awesome's parents, and so many more.
If all else fails, there is the pretty to fall back on. There's plenty of that on this show.
Clips of Awesome
There are spoilers in these, so you have been warned. Asterisks on clips that are plot spoilery.
*Bryce ruining Chuck's life some more. Also? Matthew Bomer is hot and badass in this scene.
Captain Awesome and Chuck do the Tango!
Chuck wants to know anything about Sarah. This scene is both sweet and sad.
Name That TV Show! Many shows represented in game are mentioned in this clip. Oh and there is a very definite Lord of the Rings shout-out here.
Chuck trying to win back a girl he likes after screwing up. Included for meta purposes and for being adorable.
Chuck and Casey are a bit tied up.
Anna rescues Morgan by kicking Michael Strahan's ass. Awesome soundtrack in this clip as well.
Sarah kicking Nicole Ritchie's ass. The music choice is just...inspired.
Jeffster performs! Casey's reaction is hilarious. Plus, there's cute shippiness.
Casey just wants to be part of the team.
*Mr. Roboto! This is pretty much the essence of this show. Seriously. If you don't get hooked after watching this, you likely never will.
Season One can be purchased pretty much anywhere dvds are sold, including Amazon. It is also available in blu-ray format. Season Two will be available for purchase January 5 on dvd and blu-ray. It can be purchased on iTunes as well.
The two-hour Season Three premiere will air on NBC January 10 at 8pm in the states. It will move to its regular timeslot January 11 at 8pm. You can catch episodes on hulu or NBC's main website as well. A list of where it airs outside the US can be found here.
[co-written by
awesomebigsis and knowsnokungfu, with an assist by saveyoulater!]