Chuck Threatening to Jump the Shark

Please, I’m begging you, refrain from making Chuck too silly and unbelievable. We know it’s a little fantastical anyway but that’s the show’s dangerous tightrope that also makes it endearing.

Chuck is about the only drama worth watching that isn’t gruesome and grotesque (e.g., House or CSI) or simply unintelligent, Dynasty-like soap opera tripe (e.g., Desperate Housewives). Besides reality shows, a good hour long feature is rare if you’re not interested in decomposing corpses or cougars cat fighting.

In the season premiere last night there was one scene that was treading the line between quirky originality and jumping the shark and it involved Morgan (Chuck’s annoying sidekick - thank God they toned him down from the initial episodes!) literally having a cage match among his co-workers to determine who should be the assistant manager. Now, a fantasy about a cage match would’ve sufficed but a literal one made me wince.

In fact, I’ve been wincing through all of the episodes of Chuck because the writers seem to be threatening to JTS at any time. They’re toying with us. After the cage death match I actually barely made it through the ending. Please, writer and producers, resist the temptation to JTS. Your show is much beloved by a certain segment and that segment is over 14 and said segment will not exist if you pander to 14 year olds with ridiculously unbelievable plot situations. Chuck is already fantastical enough and the plot holes are easy to ignore but if Chuck dons a wet suit I’ll have to quit watching. That would be a shame because Chuck is the only show that isn’t a reality show that I’ve actually liked, no, make that almost loved.

Don’t go breaking my heart.