tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post3960489068824785047..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Chuck, "Chuck vs. Tom Sawyer": Chuck's got the touchAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-57591081321828925482009-05-01T20:17:00.000-04:002009-05-01T20:17:00.000-04:00One pop culture reference you missed: the terroris...One pop culture reference you missed: the terrorist guy's name is "Farrokh Bulsara", which is Freddie Mercury's real name.ThinkDifferenthttp://thinkdifferent767.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-61615270151479922912008-11-05T17:55:00.000-05:002008-11-05T17:55:00.000-05:00dale - according to my recordings list, the SNL th...dale - according to my recordings list, the SNL thingie was on from 9 to 11. Doesn't Chuck usually air at 8?<BR/><BR/>well, it's good to know he'll be back next week, at least (though really, that last ep is a hard act to follow)Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-37163078145412966262008-11-05T17:47:00.000-05:002008-11-05T17:47:00.000-05:00Chuck wasn't on because NBC decided to air a speci...Chuck wasn't on because NBC decided to air a special election-themed SNL. The next episode (Chuck versus the Ex) is on the 10th.Dalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03209362793224791824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-47664722875629445112008-11-03T13:40:00.000-05:002008-11-03T13:40:00.000-05:00No Chuck this week? Did they fall behind on produc...No Chuck this week? Did they fall behind on production? Did they think a game show would get better ratings? (probably cost-wise, it will) or<BR/>did I miss something else (there doesn't seem to be any epic competition...)<BR/><BR/>Also, do November sweeps start at the beginning of the month, or sometime later? (seems I once read about some other month's sweeps not including a certain week of said month, but no explanation was given.)Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-46720207257565339082008-11-01T14:11:00.000-04:002008-11-01T14:11:00.000-04:00and you know, if I'd just read the reply *here,* i...and you know, if I'd just read the reply *here,* instead of my mailbox (where it appeared without its underlying link) I could have saved myself all that research that you already did. darn stupid choices.<BR/><BR/>thanks :-)<BR/><BR/>I guess those pre-season full season pickups don't give me the same thrill that the normally timed ones do. (Either that or I trust who ever is actually in charge at NBC as I do Les "I won't cancel any of our new shows before the end of the year (in November)" Moonves.)<BR/><BR/>You know I'm really not at all clear on who is programming at NBC. I thought Silverman was out, but I heard his name the other day...Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-73823826551310240462008-11-01T07:53:00.000-04:002008-11-01T07:53:00.000-04:00Did I miss a pickup?Yes.<I>Did I miss a pickup?</I><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2008/08/chuck-josh-schwartz-interview.html" REL="nofollow">Yes.</A>Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-63732753290724807622008-11-01T03:21:00.000-04:002008-11-01T03:21:00.000-04:00a friend said something the other day about Chuck ...a friend said something the other day about Chuck "burning off" episodes -<BR/>the futon critic is listing arcs, thanksgiving episodes and 22 episodes.<BR/>Did I miss a pickup?<BR/>(or is she right? I can't find anything other than the ratings which would imply she is)Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-86278607224773149952008-10-29T12:47:00.000-04:002008-10-29T12:47:00.000-04:00So that makes two of us and, maybe, the dude who c...So that makes two of us and, maybe, the dude who created it? It's always surprising to me when I'm channel surfing and one of the low rent movie channels is playing it. But, I always stop. <BR/><BR/>@karen...I think the Gas N Sip scene probably pops into my head more than the "In Your Eyes" scene. Awesome. <BR/><BR/>@rick...I wondered about the possible sales from the crowd as well. It seemed as though that was a good opportunity to make a bit of money and after last week you would think that at least *one* member of the Buy More crew would have seen the potential in a room full of nerds surrounded by electronics.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-73784920583054282312008-10-29T00:51:00.000-04:002008-10-29T00:51:00.000-04:00I wanted the whole arcade game angle to be an homa...<I>I wanted the whole arcade game angle to be an homage to "The Last Starfighter" but then it took a bit of a twist. Plus, I'm going to assume that most people probably don't love that movie as much as I do.</I><BR/><BR/>I probably do because I thought of that movie during the video gaming sequences :-)<BR/><BR/>@jenn., I'm not giving up my intellectual property rights. That's $5 per usage, please ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-60622435168027466342008-10-28T23:44:00.000-04:002008-10-28T23:44:00.000-04:00Alan Sepinwall said..."(I thought Morgan, aka, Jos...<I>Alan Sepinwall said...<BR/>"(I thought Morgan, aka, Joshua Gomez, was a little annoying in season 1, but he's grown on me a lot and I am a fan now)."<BR/><BR/>Classic case of the creative team recognizing they were using a good actor in a bad way. As Schwartz put<BR/>it in our interview over the summer: <BR/><BR/>"Part of the reason Morgan bumped for people was he was always getting in Chuck's way, he was the thing always jeopardizing Chuck and it became, "Why is Chuck friends with him?" And now he's definitely much more Chuck's, you know, buddy."</I><BR/><BR/>Actually that's my one worry about this season. That the A and B storylines are too separate. Thematically they mesh, but plotwise, there's no overlap. I do think this is more sustainable, but if Chuck and Morgan aren't shown doing something together soon, Morgan will be little more than a friendly Lester.<BR/><BR/>Most shows can get away with a completely separate A and B story, because the characters in each switch every week. But otherwise it risks becoming the first season of Alias, with a vestigial B story.<BR/><BR/>It's nowhere there yet, but the characters work so well together that I want to see them have fun.afogliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02820361829972093800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-56421972459573091272008-10-28T22:39:00.000-04:002008-10-28T22:39:00.000-04:00I love Chuck. It was quite good last year, but th...I love Chuck. It was quite good last year, but they really have gotten the recipe right this year. I also love Alan's reviews and look forward to them.<BR/><BR/>Finally, I love and shall now proceed to steal and propagate the term "nerd up." It is a phrase whose time has come.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-19317117146499491972008-10-28T22:01:00.000-04:002008-10-28T22:01:00.000-04:00How is it that Buster & Big Mike didn't sh...How is it that Buster & Big Mike didn't shower Chuck with praise after that? Sure, thevideo game thing was nice, but more importantly, the Buy More was PACKED with single geeky guys in their 40s. The register totals must have been through the roof.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-13104358691242962842008-10-28T19:48:00.000-04:002008-10-28T19:48:00.000-04:00Oh, bless you, Amysa! That "Gas and Sip" was reve...Oh, bless you, <B>Amysa</B>! That "Gas and Sip" was reverberating in my brain, and I just couldn't place it. But it's the sight of the best scene in that whole movie, when Cusack's friends are telling him how to get over his breakup in the crudest possible way:<BR/>"If you guys know so much about women then why are you in the parking lot of the Gas and Sip on a Saturday night?"<BR/>[pause] "By choice, man; by choice!"<BR/><BR/>Comedy gold. First time I ever saw Piven, too.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01288100796201737845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-72914126728502382032008-10-28T19:24:00.000-04:002008-10-28T19:24:00.000-04:00As far as pop culture references go, I'm going to ...As far as pop culture references go, I'm going to assume that the Gas N Sip is a shout out to "Say Anything", what with Josh Schwartz being in love with Cameron Crowe and all. <BR/><BR/>I wanted the whole arcade game angle to be an homage to "The Last Starfighter" but then it took a bit of a twist. Plus, I'm going to assume that most people probably don't love that movie as much as I do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-47278281195125613332008-10-28T16:56:00.000-04:002008-10-28T16:56:00.000-04:00dez, how does one "nerd up"?Same way as one "cowbo...<I>dez, how does one "nerd up"?</I><BR/><BR/>Same way as one "cowboys up" or "mans up," I suppose, only with, you know, nerdy things :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-78963143153056696342008-10-28T15:32:00.000-04:002008-10-28T15:32:00.000-04:00In this version of reality, Stanford is a nest of ...In this version of reality, Stanford is a nest of spies, so hells yeah they take missions as course credit. How else would all those gun-in-backpack-stashing bozos graduate, anyway? That seemed plausible to me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-7323360950315645662008-10-28T14:31:00.000-04:002008-10-28T14:31:00.000-04:00At one point, I'm pretty sure they showed a comput...<I>At one point, I'm pretty sure they showed a computer screen with the Twin Galaxies Web site on it.</I><BR/><BR/>Yes, during the montage of the nerds of southern California learning that Jeff would be revisiting his Missile Command. <BR/><BR/>Big difference between the Futurama episode and this Chuck was that Fry defended the earth from space invaders using, well, Space Invaders, while Chuck stopped a satellite using Missile Command before Casey and missile command shot it down. <BR/><BR/>I think someone else already mentioned that Morimoto was the one carry-over from the original Iron Chef to Food Network's Iron Chef America. <BR/><BR/>Buffy is certainly an apt comparison (though I understand the reluctance to make it)-- not only because of the characters struggle with their various demons or identities, but because they're both intentionally cheesy and aware of it. As Buffy borrows from monster movies, Chuck appropriates the cliches of spy movies. We realize that they're cliches. But unlike, say, Heroes, that borrows liberally from every comic book every written, the writers of Chuck are aware that their spy elements break no new ground and use those elements in a way that recognizes that the cliches are cliches. <BR/><BR/>If you subscribe to Netflix, <A HREF="http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_King_of_Kong/70068647" REL="nofollow">The King of Kong</A> is available for instant viewing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-82468743933028826972008-10-28T14:22:00.000-04:002008-10-28T14:22:00.000-04:00Anyone knows what was the music in the elevator?In...Anyone knows what was the music in the elevator?<BR/><BR/>In risk of out-geeking everyone, was it from 'Leisure Suit Larry'?Mrglasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11904825729610838862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-10779110089104515572008-10-28T14:11:00.000-04:002008-10-28T14:11:00.000-04:00(I thought Morgan, aka, Joshua Gomez, was a little...<I>(I thought Morgan, aka, Joshua Gomez, was a little annoying in season 1, but he's grown on me a lot and I am a fan now). </I><BR/><BR/>Classic case of the creative team recognizing they were using a good actor in a bad way. <A HREF="http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2008/08/chuck-josh-schwartz-interview.html" REL="nofollow">As Schwartz put<BR/>it</A> in our interview over the summer: <BR/><BR/><I>Part of the reason Morgan bumped for people was he was always getting in Chuck's way, he was the thing always jeopardizing Chuck and it became, "Why is Chuck friends with him?" And now he's definitely much more Chuck's, you know, buddy.</I>Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-3577642406927628972008-10-28T14:04:00.000-04:002008-10-28T14:04:00.000-04:00My goodness I do love this show. In fact, while I ...My goodness I do love this show. In fact, while I freaked out that my DVR wasn't recording HIMYM at 8:30 as well, it wasn't because I wasn't enjoying "Chuck" and "Chuck" has been the better & more consistent show this season than "Mother".<BR/><BR/>I also loved this show in season 1, so for me, the continued greatness is an extension of the work Josh Schwarz had already put in. <BR/><BR/>By the way, typical 30-something, 80's Geek male that I am, when Tony Hale introduced his character's name, I paused the DVR to explain to my wife the hilariousness of referencing one of the great 80's comedies, "Spies Like Us". My wife said "great, now press play, please".<BR/><BR/>And Alan, I wholeheartedly 2nd you on the 'awesomeness' that is Ryan McPartlin. He's also becoming the go to lothario for period shows, since he was in an episode this Summer of the surprisingly fun "Swingtown", and played on an old boyfriend of the swinger wife, Trina, whom he hooks back up with. <BR/><BR/>My guess is he needed some of that Ginseng shake for his Betty Draper tryst.<BR/><BR/>But, everything works in this show for me. And it's not just how much fun this show is, while combining it with a heart - it's specifically one of the best ensemble casts on Television. After you get past the usual suspects of "best overall cast" like "Lost" and "Mad Men" (maybe "Battlestar", too), I put "Chuck" right up there. <BR/><BR/>(I thought Morgan, aka, Joshua Gomez, was a little annoying in season 1, but he's grown on me a lot and I am a fan now).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-42284503977654187042008-10-28T13:41:00.000-04:002008-10-28T13:41:00.000-04:00Rush is like Jazz, there are moments of musical ge...Rush is like Jazz, there are moments of musical genius and then the song keeps going. In TV you do not have to listen to the whole thing, good editing makes it work.Ted Kerwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00506027632570080559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-26368851852924892082008-10-28T13:33:00.000-04:002008-10-28T13:33:00.000-04:00dez, how does one "nerd up"?mike, I caught that. T...<B>dez</B>, how does one "nerd up"?<BR/><BR/><B>mike</B>, I caught that. Top Gun, I still don't know what to think. Guilty pleasure?<BR/><BR/>Having missed most of season one, I hope to get caught up with Jane's, er, Casey's back story or hope the show provides it at some point. Adam's my favorite Baldwin "brother" by far.pixelwaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11029556288989983833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-32945713185844686272008-10-28T13:11:00.000-04:002008-10-28T13:11:00.000-04:00Samantha Who was a possibilty here but the schedul...Samantha Who was a possibilty here but the schedule was overloaded as was the DVR which necessitated a dump. Eli Stone and Pushing Daisies are still pending.Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-57144340795227347892008-10-28T13:02:00.000-04:002008-10-28T13:02:00.000-04:00Not to get too tangential, but it was nice to see ...Not to get too tangential, but it was nice to see a Samantha Who that gave Melissa McCarthy and Jennifer Esposito a chance to play off each other. Actually, their B plot was much funnier than the A plot.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00295270766215749309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-7329262215028642532008-10-28T12:18:00.000-04:002008-10-28T12:18:00.000-04:00So I'm the only Chuck fan keeping up with Samantha...<I>So I'm the only Chuck fan keeping up with Samantha Who? ... Because it was a Tony Hale double-feature tonight for me.</I><BR/><BR/>Not only that, but it involved some memory "flashes" from its title character as well!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com