Six reasons to watch Chuck

CHUCK 101:  Spy comedy on NBC, 2007-renewed for next season

1. It's actually science fiction.  Really!  See, there's this cool computer called the Intersect that can download information straight into Chuck's brain, and the villains have sinister futuristic inventions that must be captured  by our favorite CIA agents. . . and, OK, it's just barely science fiction.  But barely is enough for some.

2. The Buy More shenanigans.  The antics of the Buy More misfits are hilarious, especially in the first few seasons.  (The Buy More, for those who have not seen the show, is the cheap electronics store, located above the secret underground CIA base, that serves as Chuck's cover job).  In a classic episode, scenes from a dangerous spy mission are intercut with scenes from the Buy More, and often these scenes are so funny that you are as anxious to get back to the Buy More as you are to get back to the suspenseful plot.

3. The amazing recurring guest stars.  Some very talented actors have portrayed some very weird and wonderful recurring characters on Chuck:  Scott Bakula (as Chuck's crazy yet genius father), Timothy Dalton (as a charmingly creepy villain), Linda Hamilton (as Chuck's is-she-or-isn't-she-evil mother), and John Larroquette (as the CIA's best seducer), to name a few.

4. The preposterous notions of spyhood.  Being a spy is not a job, in the world of Chuck, it's a calling.  The spies on the show go crazy whenever anyone has a secret.  They lie to each other, interrogate each other, follow each other: they can't help it.  They are SPIES!  Sarah and Casey have no "normal" lives to go back to between assignments, and Chuck's "normal" sister and brother-in-law keep being sucked into Chuck's spy life, in terribly amusing ways.

5. The humor of everyday life.  Whatever is happening in your life right now, Chuck has made fun of it.  I have small children, so I'll never forget the episode in which baby Clara (Chuck's new niece) will only fall asleep to the awful sounds of Jeffster's music played by a stolen stuffed sheep.  Chuck is like a good sitcom made better by the introduction of plot!

6. Characters actually change.  Over the course of the show, Chuck goes from bumbling, clueless spy to nervous, expert spy.  (And if something idiotic has to be done for the sake of a laugh, we now have Morgan as trainee spy to do it.)   Casey reconnects with his family and becomes a bit more human, and Sarah actually unpacks her suitcase and starts to make a home!  It's heartwarming, really.  No, it's hysterical.  It's "Chuck." 

Spring Break

There was not one day, from the third week of January until the second week of May, when all four of us were well.  That's my excuse.  Now, back to the good stuff.

February Interlude

Snow days, sick kids, disability flare-up, no time.

Coming in March, I hope: comments on Being Human versions 1 and 2, and V. 

Superheroes R Us: Human Target and The Cape

Let's not quibble over whether these shows are actually science fiction or fantasy.  They both spring from a comic book tradition, and that makes them speculative enough for me.  So. . .

Human Target is the wittiest, funniest show about ex-assassins you will ever see.  Each episode, Christopher Chance and his team save someone from being assassinated, in an action-packed plot with as many gunfights, heists, explosions, and clever deceptions as a person could want. But what makes this show shine is the banter between the characters and the great comic acting.  Jackie Earl Haley (as Guerro) manages to be creepy and hilarious at the same time, and Chi McBride (as Winston) does fed up and funny like no one else. Luckily, these talented character actors have intelligent, sparkling dialogue to work with.  Catch this undervalued show before it disappears! 

I haven't been able to bring myself to watch the third episode of The Cape.  There were moments when the first two episodes were watchable: action sequences when no one was talking; times the dialogue got so bad the characters themselves successfully made fun of it; opportunities to gaze at Summer Glau.  But I spent most of the time groaning at the awful writing and discussing pacing problems with my husband.  If this script had been submitted to my writer's group, it would have had "awkward, awkward" scribbled all over the dialogue. As for pacing, the pilot tried to do an entire superhero origin story, something that took eight years on Smallville, and two hours in Spiderman and other superhero action films.  Cramming that many stages and concepts into forty minutes ironically made the pilot slow, in the same way that flipping through a book is more boring than actually reading a chapter.  And did no one notice that the first scene with the circus performers was completely inconsistent with the characters as they were later established?  Personally, I don't have time for a show this bad, but feel free to comment if it gets better!