Fandom Hero: Chuck Bartowski

Chuck: 2007-2012

When looking into the depths of Fandom there are a few people that stand among us as heroes. These are often fictional characters that we see being portrayed on film or television. Patrick has decided to look at one of his favourites Charles “Chuck” Bartowski from the show CHUCK.

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD.

Being honest I haven’t seen the five and final season of Chuck so there may be gaps missing in this profile of Charles “Chuck” Bartowski. Still having seen the first four seasons I feel that I have a good enough knowledge to present him as my first FANDOM HERO.

Zachary Levi and Charles Bartwoski

Ace in the Pack: Zachary Levi

Chuck is played brilliantly by Zachary Levi (Tangled). Levi is the ultimate everyman and that is the way in which he portrays Chuck as well. He uses his bumbling, oafish charm to a tee and allows us to see this normal person who has been trapped into this world of espionage. Okay, so how did that happen you might ask? Here is the necessary background.

Chuck is just a normal guy, he’s a bit of a slacker, and he was kicked out of college for allegedly cheating on a test. We find him on his birthday pining after his ex, Jill and he can’t enjoy his birthday party. We find out things are worse as Chuck has a dead end job at a superstore called the Buy More, where he is a part of the computer servicing Nerd Herd. We also find out that Chuck lives with his doctor sister and her doctor boyfriend, whom Chuck calls Captain Awesome. Sound normal so far. It is. But at the end of the night after Chuck and his best friend Morgan (a hilarious Joshua Gomez) finish playing video games into the night Chuck opens an email that lands him with a top secret government super computer in his head called the Intersect. Now the fun begins.

The Team: Sarah, Chuck and Casey

Once this has happened Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski, Dexter) of the CIA and Agent Casey (Adam Baldwin of Firefly fame) from the NSA are assigned to take out Chuck and recover the Intersect. However after Chuck finds out that Sarah, who was trying to infiltrate him by asking him out on a date, isn’t in love with him and that Casey is trying to kill him, he runs. However he doesn’t get far and when he helps Walker and Casey to stop a terrorist attack using the Intersect flashes he has and his Nerd Herder skills, Walker and Casey see that there may be potential for Chuck in the field of duty, that is until the Intersect can be removed from his head.

That is the basic set up of the show and we follow Chuck, Sarah and Casey on various mission through out the series. Most of these involve adventures involve Chick getting into trouble, Sarah and Casey trying to save him, Chuck inadvertently saves the day, but only with their help, but Chuck gets the praise and a kick up the butt at the same time. And the formula works. This is due to Levi and his excellent everyman qualities. The writers have put Chuck in an awkward situation but Levi carries every ridiculous situation really well and manages to make it easy to despense the feeling of disbelief. Levi is the anchor of the show and he manages to give Chuck subtle layers. Chuck fancies Sarah but feels he is too much of a nerd to ask her out (despite the fact that their cover story for her protecting him his that they are boyfriend and girlfriend). This yearning never becomes too annoying; he manages to balance it just right. Chuck also looks out for his family and friends and he has a strong sense of loyalty, something that causes him to be put in danger most of the time. This was played out at the start and I felt that by the end of season three when his secret was revealed it would change the dynamic but writers managed to mask it again which I felt helped the show gain some of the humour it had lost.

Levi manages to keep Chuck both an interesting comedic and dramatic character, never coming down to hard on either side. This helps the show to keep the audience on track, we know the show is funny but we also get the sense that there are lives at stake too. Chuck is a passenger really for the first two seasons but that is changed in season three which helps move the show on and the character of Chuck as well. Levi takes the change of direction and uses it to his and the show’s advantage.

Other Characters.

The other characters, outside those at the Buy More are much more on the serious side. For Casey it’s all about the job protect the Intersect, although he ends up liking Chuck in the end. Sarah is much more concerned about Chuck and we see that see has feelings toward Chuck beyond that as well. The will-they-won’t-they aspect of that relationship is nicely played out and doesn’t seem dragged out for too long. It helps add tension and humour to the show. Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) and Devon (Ryan McPartlin) are Chuck’s sister and boyfriend. For the most part they are kind of a broken record, always bugging Chuck to sort out his life and move on from the Buy More. Sarah falls into this at times always on about how loyal and caring Chuck is. Its better that this isn’t reiterated every episode (which it is), because we know this about him already. This is the writers’ fault, who for the most part get it right with regard to characters and story lines. The character of Chuck will always be the saving grace and pulls you away from those annoying traits allowing for them to be passing, if albeit frequent, moments in the show.

Humour: The Buy More gang gives the laughs

The Buy More characters are given much more free reign and it adds to the comedy aspect of the show immensely. Morgan, Lester (Vik Sahay), Jeff (Scott Krinsky) and “Big” Mike (Mark Christoper Lawrence) all have great fun with the characters. The writers use hilarious side by sides where the mission Chuck is on is some how replicated in the Buy More on some weird and absurd level. It adds whimsy and a level of daftness to the show that is sorely needed at times. Lester and Jeff in particular are too weird and strange characters. Watch their Jeffster music videos and you’ll see why.

Storylines

The storylines in the show are well thought out for the most part. We have individual episodes but they each have a seasonal arc/ mystery. This element of the show makes it addictive with big reveals and shocks coming from all angles at some stages. This keeps the show fresh and moving at a break neck speed. It also helps us to appreciate the quieter, more heartfelt moments in the show as well.   

Brandon Routh on set with Zachary Levi

The show also managed to pull some big name guest stars: Timothy Dalton, Linda Hamilton, Scott Bakula, Matt Bomer, Tony Hale, Brandon Routh, Kristin Kreuk, Jordana Brewster, Rachel Bilson, Chevy Chase, Gary Cole, Olivia Munn, and Summer Glau all had guest apperances in the show. A list like that would make any fanboy or fangirl cry with joy. In a way it shows the popularity of the show that it could attract such high profile names. I won’t go into anymore details as it may spoil some of the surprises for people who want to view the show themselves.

I think Chuck is a show that will appeal to a lot of people but it’s not for everyone. I liked it and I think the character of Chuck has a great deal to do with it. If you like action and comedy with a sprinkle of espionage and intrigue then this may be the show for you. If you stick with it through its ups and downs I think it may be because of the hero of the piece and one of my Fandom Heroes: Chuck.