7th Day of (TV) Christmas: Chuck
Today we're bringing you the dual charm of Zachary Levi and a Chuck Christmas. As he says in the beginning of the episode, "Prepare to be heartwarmed." And that's exactly what this episode is.
The setup here is fairly simple: when a car chase ends with the car slamming into the Buy More, Chuck, his sister, and the employees are all taken hostage. I'd forgotten this, but there's a neat bit of foreshadowing when the employees are watching the chase and one comments on how she thinks it's going to end with a crash and hostage situation, which sounds crazy when she says it but is exactly what happens next. Nice job, writers!
What I like most about this episode is that it's a nice example of Chuck being a caring, sympathetic person without being a pushover. He immediately feels for Ned, the hostage-taker, and wants to help him out of (what seems to be) a really tough situation. Chuck is set up as a character that genuinely likes most of the people around him and wants to be a good person. He likes to help people. But too often on this show that translates into him being easily pushed around by Sarah and Casey or running from danger. This time he's separated from his handlers long enough that we get to see him make some serious decisions to protect the people he loves.
However. HOWEVER. I cannot condone the season 2 Chuck haircut. It is... an abomination...
There's also a cute subplot about Sarah hating Christmas and seeing a bit more of her vulnerability. The is it/isn't it real of Chuck and Sarah's relationship is at its best in the moments when they both want so badly for it to be real and don't know how to navigate that. I'll admit that their relationship bugged me as the show went on, but this episode is one of my favorite examples of it working well.
I remember that when I originally watched the show, the ending of this episode and the subsequent drama it caused really bugged me. It seemed like a misunderstanding just for the sake of conflict. This time re-watching, I actually really liked it. It feels like one of the first times Chuck is forced to see the reality of his connection with the CIA, the way that his and Sarah's relationship will always be tied to the danger and violence of the situation. It makes the stakes of the show feel like real world violence and not just the almost-violence of network TV in this era.
To me, this isn't just a good Christmas episode, but one of my favorite episodes of the show overall. I love getting to see Chuck be an adorable badass set to holiday music. Who wouldn't, eh?
Happy Watching!
CT
The setup here is fairly simple: when a car chase ends with the car slamming into the Buy More, Chuck, his sister, and the employees are all taken hostage. I'd forgotten this, but there's a neat bit of foreshadowing when the employees are watching the chase and one comments on how she thinks it's going to end with a crash and hostage situation, which sounds crazy when she says it but is exactly what happens next. Nice job, writers!
What I like most about this episode is that it's a nice example of Chuck being a caring, sympathetic person without being a pushover. He immediately feels for Ned, the hostage-taker, and wants to help him out of (what seems to be) a really tough situation. Chuck is set up as a character that genuinely likes most of the people around him and wants to be a good person. He likes to help people. But too often on this show that translates into him being easily pushed around by Sarah and Casey or running from danger. This time he's separated from his handlers long enough that we get to see him make some serious decisions to protect the people he loves.
 |
| Image from IMDb |
However. HOWEVER. I cannot condone the season 2 Chuck haircut. It is... an abomination...
There's also a cute subplot about Sarah hating Christmas and seeing a bit more of her vulnerability. The is it/isn't it real of Chuck and Sarah's relationship is at its best in the moments when they both want so badly for it to be real and don't know how to navigate that. I'll admit that their relationship bugged me as the show went on, but this episode is one of my favorite examples of it working well.
 |
| Image from IMDb |
I remember that when I originally watched the show, the ending of this episode and the subsequent drama it caused really bugged me. It seemed like a misunderstanding just for the sake of conflict. This time re-watching, I actually really liked it. It feels like one of the first times Chuck is forced to see the reality of his connection with the CIA, the way that his and Sarah's relationship will always be tied to the danger and violence of the situation. It makes the stakes of the show feel like real world violence and not just the almost-violence of network TV in this era.
To me, this isn't just a good Christmas episode, but one of my favorite episodes of the show overall. I love getting to see Chuck be an adorable badass set to holiday music. Who wouldn't, eh?
Happy Watching!
CT
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