Here is a brief rundown of my thoughts regarding the final season of Chuck. I plan on doing a much longer post when the show officially ends next year, but I wanted to jot some things down while yesterday's panel was still fresh in my mind. What follows are my personal opinions only.
You can see my thoughts after the jump.
P.S. New Curtain Call entry drops tomorrow AND the Fringe Rewatch is back, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel (chat starts at 7:30 CT).
Today is Sunday, so that means that, sadly, quite possibly the last ever Comic Con panel for Chuck has now passed. I say quite possibly only because with NBC, one can never be too sure that the network won't get desperate and extend Chuck yet again. But I think we all know that is very unlikely to happen and I can't deny that that makes me sad.
For you see, while my...affection for the show has lessened somewhat over the years, this is still my fandom. I am really going to miss Chuck when it's gone. I know what most of you are probably thinking. You're probably thinking that by Chuck I really mean Yvonne, and we all know I'd be lying if I even tried to deny that. So yes, I will miss Yvonne most of all. Frea will probably need to be on suicide watch after the series finale. Either that or I'll have to go to some kind of rehab facility to get over my SWP addiction. But be that as it may, I actually will miss more than just Yvonne Strahovski and Sarah Walker. Hard to believe, I know, but it's true.
I'm going to miss this fandom and the people I've met in it. I don't plan on disappearing, but I've known enough fandoms over the years to know that when most shows end, the fandom tends to break apart too. And that will be a sad day. So while I still enjoy the show and still like Chuck and Sarah and will always be a huge Yvonne fanboy, I just wanted to say thanks to this fandom for making me want to stick around till the end. I've made some real friends because of this show and I'll always be grateful to the show for that.
I also wanted to say thank you to the people who've read my stories, thank you to the people who write stories, thank to those who read this blog and comment, thank you to everyone who follows me on twitter, and the biggest thanks of all to those of you who link me to stuff about YS/SW. Haha. You guys are all awesome and I hope to see you around even after the show ends.
As for the final season itself, I just say let it ride, guys. I intend to just watch and hope I enjoy. That's one of the biggest reasons why Frea and I will most likely no longer be doing any mxpw vs. Frea reviews. Do what you need to do to enjoy the show. If Morgansect gets too much for you, you can think of ways to console me after I no longer get a weekly dose of Sarah Walker. Sounds like a good use of your time to me!
So what were your impressions about Chuck's panel at Comic Con? How do you feel about the show ending? Will you also be sad about no more Sarah Walker? Let me know!
I know exactly how you feel. There are some great people in this fandom. We may have our differences on how we all write our stories, but quite frankly its those differences that make it interesting sometimes.
ReplyDeleteMost people have different reasons for watching this show, but I've always been a sucker for the underdog and I'm not just talking about Chuck Bartowski. In their own way, Sarah and Casey are underdogs too, stuck doing the only thing they know how to do and losing theirselves a little at a time.
These three character fit together perfectly and watching them grow up and grow together was probably the best part of the series.
A special thanks to you guys here at CI for giving others your input,sharing your experiences and opening this forum. I for one will always be thankful for what you guys have brought to this fandom.
I'm sorry to hear you won't be reviewing anymore - for me, analysis is part and parcel of enjoying a show, so I'm still going to be rambling in my own space. :P
ReplyDeleteIt feels a little early for a "retrospective", for me. We still have one (admittedly short) season to go. I'll take stock then, I think. :)
I find it all bittersweet. Like Zach said, I'm very happy the show will actually get to show us its ending, but sad at the fact that the show has come to its final run. We won't get to see the many adventures C/S take on, hear Casey's grunts, drool over Awesome's abs, watch Baby Clara grow, and plenty more other things that have attracted all of us to the show. I'll miss the actors in these roles. (Hopefully we'll still see them on tv/movies.) Most of all I'll miss how happy the show made me, laughing at it's comedy, gushing over the romance, just overall enjoying myself while watching it. Getting to read CI's reviews of the episodes, discussions with friends , sharing your pov with one another, reading the amazing stories writers such as you, Frea, Wep, and many more write and share. This show has led me to meet and discover cool people, blogs, sites. I'm very thankful for that. The Chuck community truly has a way of making you feel special. :) Much love.
ReplyDelete@Chuckfan - I enjoy the underdog aspect to the show as well. Sarah's journey has been my main point of interest since the beginning.
ReplyDeleteOh, and we are grateful to have you and everyone else who comments here!
@Ayefah - We will still have reaction posts for the new episodes where people can comment, so you can still analyze to your heart's content. Also, I will probably post my own thoughts about the episodes if I am inspired enough. We just decided to not do anymore reviews. For our own sanity.
And I realize that we still have a season to go, but after seeing Zac get all choked up about the show, it got me thinking. And Frea wasn't around to talk me out of it. Heh.
@Cat - We are glad to have you! And I am glad you've enjoyed your time spent on the blog. Awesome.
I'm more stoked about S5 than I was going into S4. Aside from the Morgansect, which I'm less enthused about, I'm really keen on the split from the CIA. It's something I feel was LONG overdue. I think it should have happened as early as when C/S hooked up, or at the end of S3. From a narrative standpoint the CIA outlived it's usefulness and would have made a better foil (maybe not adversary but more rival) than driver of the plot. I mean just look at S4, it was more a grudge against Clan Bartowski, a pseudo-spy Hatfelds and McCoys, than it was a CIA vs. Ring fight. I find the idea of Clan B vs. The world/Big Brother as entertaining a plot for the show as I do with Frea's R&J.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame really as I think a CIA split at the end of S3 would have given the show the shot in the arm it needed going into S4. Who knows maybe a freer writers room working this new angle could have propelled the show from a barely 2.0 average rating for the year to a 2.5+ which might not sound like a big difference but if the show finished the year with an average of say 2.5-2.7 and a more vibrant feel it might not be getting a swan song season but a new lease on life.
ReplyDeleteI get how you feel even though it's less than a year since I discovered Chuck.
ReplyDeleteAfter discovering Chuck through Mass Effect and Miranda, I fell in love with the show right from the first episode. I still love the show even though it has come a long way from the two first seasons. Season 3 for me wasn't so bad as I knew that Chuck would get together before Season 4.
I loved Season 4 even though it wasn't as good as the first two seasons and it had a few not-so-good episodes. Still I get why some people have lost interest in the show since S3 and S4, some parts of the show just aren't as good as they were and the show has changed a lot. I'm looking forward to seeing what the writers do with the morgansect before judging anything.
Sarah/Yvonne is still the main reason I keep watching the show and I'm thankful there's going to be one more season and hopefully Yvonne's appereance in ME3 won't be just a small cameo. I'm also looking forward to Killer Elite, even if her role isn't that big. Just seeing Yvonne on the big screen is worth the ticket price ;)
I've also loved all the great fanfic stories I'v read and want to thank everyone who has written fanfic for Chuck.
-SH
It is only over if we all decided to stop following all things Chuck. When the show ends(as they all do) does not mean that it can be remembered. Personally, I look forward to Frea's and the rest of the CI writings more than new episodes so for me as long you keep writing Chuck doesn't go away it just takes on a different form.
ReplyDeleteThat is just my two cents however.
------HB
I agree with HB. Does the end of Chuck mean the end of Chuck discussion or Chuck FF? I certainly hope not. Chuck should get to syndication next season, at least I hope it does and maybe its cult following will grow once again. There have been many shows that became more popular in syndication. Hell I just started watching BSG about a month ago when it came on BBC America.
ReplyDeleteOne of the few regrets I have about my Chuck obsession is I didn't go on line about the show until last May when my other obsession and Zach did a duet and I volunteered to try and build a bridge between the fanbases. I have gained so many great friends because of it and have really fine tunes my appreciation for the actors and the show a great deal. I have also found a great new obsession in FanFiction. Something I never expected I would find but HB is right it ain't over till we says its over and I hope to follow many of the great writers here for many many years to come. Plus I hope to read more stories about the amazing characters for many years to come. There are almost 3000 Chuck stories in FF and I've read probably less than a sixth of them so there are lots of things to read and still much to discuss. But thanks again to everyone here and all the other great writers and bloggers I've met along the way. We still have a great future with Sarah Walker, Chuck Bartowski et al.
I suspect that the end of Chuck will herald a marked decrease in the fandom, but by no means will it go away. Hell, Buffy has been off the air for over five years and there are still excellent fics being written.
ReplyDeleteI am not too sure about the Morgansect thing, but I won't pass judgement until I see what TPTB come up with. They seem to have a vision of how this season is going to roll, so I won't grumble until I see things first-hand. Chuck going back to being Chuck is something I look forward to. Not that I don't like seeing him kick-ass but him being brilliant is always a treat to watch
With luck, a few more episodes will be ordered on top of the standing 13. Regardless, all I know for sure is that I am grateful that the show WILL have an ending that can be planned for rather than a heartbreaking cancellation. Looking at you Pushing Daisies.
Oh, and I will miss the hell out of Sarah. Her storyline and character development have been a treat to watch.
It looks like a lot of us were feeling melancholy about the Chuck panel at Comic Con last weekend. I didn't realize beforehand how affecting it would be to watch the proceedings. It never occurred to me that seeing the cast and the fans coming to terms with the end would manage to seep through the crappy internet video and hit me square in the forehead. But as I watched the final, standing ovation I kind of understood.
ReplyDeleteThis wasn't about the end of Chuck's adventures. It was about the break up of family.
So after sitting there and contemplating all of it I realized something else. The saying goodbye thing, it wasn't just about that panel at Comic Con. The real opportunity is the season itself. It's the chance for us to continue being part of the fan base just a little bit longer. To troll the net for spoilers and speculate what will happen. To laugh (or cry) about the last episode. To blather endlessly about what we love and hate about the show. A chance to savor every bit of this activity for one last time. Before we all just drift away.
The real gift in knowing it's the end is not taking anything for granted. I hope we can all find a way to take advantage of it.
I finally watched the ComicCon panel today. I shouldn't have. Not because I didn't like the panel - I did. And it's the last one I'll watch. And it finally sunk in. What will we do when we don't have Chuck?
ReplyDeleteI really didn't want to dwell on that too much - and I appreciated MXPW's article, so I shifted it a bit - and I think I'm going to start a hashtag on twitter
#IfWeDidntHaveChuck ...
...flashing would get you thrown in jail.
...we wouldn't have know what a mind cheater was.
...we'd think The Giant Blonde Shemale was the title of a B-Movie.
...stay in the car would be something you say to your dog.
...we wouldn't have What Fates Impose.
...Project Omaha would be a secret steak recipe.
...Chara would be be confused with Charo.
I know I'm just scratching the surface, and maybe it's too early for what could be considered a eulogy, but Joni Mitchell once sang that don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got till it's gone - and it doesn't seem right to do that to this show.
So, I invite you to add your own.
#IfWeDidntHaveChuck we wouldn't have each other.