(Published July 28, PDI-Entertainment)
By Oliver M. Pulumbarit
Contributor
The comedy-action series “Chuck” is about the geek who suddenly gains something special, a potentially dangerous gift. You’ve seen this before so you may not take the weekly show very seriously, especially because of its light tone and generally inconsequential storylines. Its take on espionage isn’t earth-shaking, either.
But that said, “Chuck” grows on you and wins you over in due time. It’s easier to appreciate it as a fantasy show with occasional romance and action bits. It’s campy and escapist, quite prescriptive in addressing the need for angst-free viewing.
A few repetitive introductory episodes are followed by some attention-grabbing ones, particularly those that focus on the main character’s simple but intriguing past. Such parts move the story forward and upset the status quo, temporarily.
Created by Josh Schwartz (“The O.C.”) and Chris Fedak, “Chuck” is mostly about the adventures of the geek-next-door underdog, who must balance his typical daily duties with a secret life that involves spies, assassins, and covert missions.
We root for smart guy Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi), a tech store clerk and repairman who lacks a social life. He hasn’t dated in a while, and isn’t that interested in the women that his concerned sister Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) introduces to him.
An estranged friend-roommate from Stanford, Bryce Larkin (Matthew Bomer), sends him an unexpected message, a barrage of images containing tons of information that his brain immediately soaks up. Bryce is actually a rogue operative who, for unknown reasons, hands Chuck the
This sends NSA and CIA agents Casey and Sarah (Adam Baldwin and Yvonne Strahovski) after him. Chuck now has priceless information in his head, which he discovers can be both convenient and extremely dangerous. Certain images (of faces, symbols, and objects) trigger instant recollection of criminal records, secret locations, and even his forgotten memories. But he still has to put different pieces together.
Chuck’s adventures are pretty rudimentary; he basically points his new agent handlers to the right direction, slightly bungles up the mission somehow, but ultimately has a hand in fixing things and saving the day later. That’s pretty much the show’s existing formula. It also constantly shows tension between him and Sarah, who’s now undercover as his new girlfriend. During his day job, he’s pestered by an envious coworker, and is watched by Casey, who just got hired by the store.
The spy biz scenarios here are simplified and simplistic; the show certainly is no “Alias,” nor does it aspire to be. Apart from the occasional absence of logical resolutions to some missions or situations, there’s the lack of credible threats. These areas really need some serious fine-tuning.
The relationships in Chuck Bartowski’s life--with his pseudo-girlfriend, his coworkers and family--are mainly the reasons that make the show continuously appealing, aside from its generally attractive cast. It takes time to warm up to, but we eventually cheer the reluctant hero, who’s suddenly very important in the scheme of things and has to fight twice the frustrating odds stacked against him.
“Chuck” airs Mondays, 8 p.m., on RPN-C/S.
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