Chuck vs the Honeymooners

[black_panda_ops]

I've been one of the people who was quietly wishing Chuck had NOT been renewed for season 3. I really didn't like many of the episodes at the beginning of the season. Not so much because of the mechanical insertion of competing love interests, though that did suck, but because it seemed like every episode was a spy test. It just didn't feel like

Comments

[lacylaces]

I'm not loving S3 like I did 1 & 2 either. I think it has become very focused on the spy tests.

I'm missing the fun, silly, show with heart and drama that I fell in love with. There have been some moments of the things I love about it but it's been a lot more darker this season. Not that I don't like dark but it's not why I love Chuck.

I'm a little scared about what Season 4 will be like.

[black_panda_ops]

See it doesn't seem darker to me, it seems less weighty. But maybe I'm not paying attention. I know I drifted during a LOT of episodes.

I did like the episode where we met Casey's ex fiancee and daughter too. The ring hasn't panned out to be much of a spy org. I think that's a huge part of what I liked about season 2, was learning about the conspiracy behind the intersect.

[lacylaces]

The one w/ Casey's past was good.

It does have less depth I think, but it seems to be more serious in tone (i.e. has Chuck changed into a spy = not a nice person/guy anymore). I'm not sure how to explain it other than it's just not as much fun as it was for me to watch as in the past.

The ring really hasn't been much of a threat at all and is just not as interesting as fulcrum was.

[black_panda_ops]

Yeah, and Chuck struggling with being a nice guy vs dealing with these threats was what interested me.

If the threats aren't threatening much, then the tension isn't there between his ideals and sense of duty.

[angryscientist]

I sort of quit Chuck after the first 5 episodes this season. Is it worth going back or is the quality stuck on not-so-crappy-but-still-mediocre?

[black_panda_ops]

There is this country music song and the refrain is "I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was". That's Chuck this season. Flashes of great fun struggling in an uninspired story.
I do think it's getting better. It's quit screwing with the boring shipper stalls. Chuck vs the Tooth seems to introduce a viable conflict to take the show forward. But yeah it's struggling. The action scenes are still gorgeous, the music rocks.