Thomas Wheeler Persuasive Speech - Why You Should Watch ‘Chuck’!

11A1/AR

As I stand before you, I’m sure that many of you are wondering what on God’s green earth is Chuck. And more importantly, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “Why
should I listen to this weird kooky kid who’s talking about some weird programme about this weird geeky guy called Chuck?”. Well, I’m here to tell you some of those many
reasons why you should watch Chuck. But firstly, I guess it would help if I did tell you a little about the show first. I should warn you, my mother has often told me that I can
talk about things that interest me for way too long, I once spent an entire trip (walking from Greenway Road, Rumney to PC World, Llanrumney) talking about Star Wars:
Battlefront II and Republic Commandos, so be wary that this is only a condensed version of what I’d truly love to say to you, from deep down in my heart, things that
include so much, much, much (reoccurring) more depth and detail, but I’ll happily explain more if you would like an encore. I will start by saying that, as many of you are
well-aware, Star Wars has been my only true passion since 1999, but Chuck has easily pushed Star Wars aside to make room to share this number one spot in this heart
of mine.

Chuck has a bit of everything, really, but I guess it would be classed as mainly an action-comedy-drama (dramedy). It is a TV programme from the USA created by Josh
Schwartz, also creator of The OC and Gossip Girls, and Chris Fedak. The series is about a late-twenties "nerd", who receives an e-mail from an old college friend-turned-
nemesis, Bryce Larkin, who betrayed Chuck in college. When he opens it, the entire database of all the US government's secret information—a neural
supercomputer called The Intersect—is subliminally uploaded into his brain.

Since the information was stolen by Bryce and the government's copy destroyed in his attempted escape, and since Chuck experiences "flashes" of information from the
database activated by certain triggers around him (such as faces, voices, in-context keywords, and various objects), he must use the knowledge he now possesses to
help the government thwart assassins and international terrorists — upending his previously uneventful life. In order to preserve their safety, Chuck must keep his
newfound occupation a secret from his family and friends, forcing Casey and Walker to establish an (at first) uneasy alliance and secret identities; Sarah poses as
Chuck's girlfriend and takes a cover job at the local restaurant next to the Buy More (formerly, ‘Wienerlicious’, currently, ‘Orange Orange’) while Casey gets a job at the
Buy More (similar to Dixons), as a Green-Shirt sales assistant, with the shared goal of protecting Chuck at all costs. In the meantime, the government attempts to rebuild
the Intersect computer. Casey has orders to kill Chuck as soon as this new Intersect computer is ready, as was almost the case in the season two premiere.

The characters and their relationships featured in the show truly are great; there is so much depth and emotion to the characters, even the smaller ones, that effortlessly
keeps you involved in the story and the characters’ stories, situations and feelings, as all the cast’s chemistry is perfect – you really do feel for these characters. There are
many deep relationships in the show, some play a major part of the show, but there are also many smaller roles that are hinted at, having the potential to easily grow
beyond what is seen.

I’ll start off, of course, with the main character, Charles/Chuck Bartowski. As previously mentioned, he’s a nerd – everyone’s gotta love the nerds! – who, due to his
tendency to play video games a lot (Call of Duty or Gears of War, anyone?), and his betrayal by Bryce (framed him for cheating, and subsequently being thrown out of the
college, and then stole his only past girlfriend, Jill), doesn’t have much ambition, being stuck in his dead-end job in the “Nerd Herd”/technical help side of Buy More,
similar to the Dixons stores that we have here. Like a typical nerd, he also doesn’t get on well socially, having not been in a relationship since his betrayal by Bryce/Jill,
and so prefers to keep to himself and his life-long best friend, Morgan. Chuck is one of the most loyal, loving humorous, nerdiest, and good-hearted people you’ll ever
meet, be it in real life or fiction.

Chuck describes NSA agent, John Casey, as having an "angry centre," as opposed to the traditional "calm centre". He is gruff, straight-forward, cynical, and hard-edged,
and tends to keep everyone at an emotional distance. He is often sarcastic and ironic, and rarely shows signs of caring for anything other than his job and country (and
his bonsai tree). As an added bonus to all of that, Casey is played by none other than Adam Baldwin, who sci-fi fans will remember from the utterly amazing 2002 show,
Firefly, and the 2005 follow-up, Serenity, as the very similar Jayne Cobb, famous once again for his humour and his “very favourite” gun, Vera.

Sarah Walker is the beautiful, warm, kind and compassionate CIA agent, although she can be ruthless when she needs to be. She lacks Chuck's openly trusting nature
but displays a great deal of intuitiveness about others' character. She is also shown to be much more empathic and sympathetic to Chuck's plight than Casey, and is
highly protective of her asset, to an extent beyond the requirements of her mission to safeguard him. She typically objects to any orders to put him in dangerous situations
and openly warned Lou and Jill – both of whom Chuck carried on brief relationships with - not to hurt him. Sarah is quick to acknowledge and reinforce Chuck's own
abilities beyond the Intersect, and has told him on several occasions that he has made an excellent spy. Sarah has promised Chuck that she would never let anyone hurt
him and proved determined and willing to go to any extreme to protect him. She objects to lying or concealing information from Chuck and using him and his abilities and
relationships without his knowledge.

The biggest relationship is the one between Chuck and Sarah. It starts as the simple idea of the nerd loving the beautiful chick (it’s heartbreaking, let me tell you), but the
twist here is that the beautiful chick loves the nerd too, there’s just always something holding them back. As part of her original mission to find the Intersect computer and
tracing Bryce’s email to Chuck, she asks Chuck out on a date, but soon realises that Chuck is no spy. Throughout the series, Chuck and Sarah use the cover of boyfriend
and girlfriend. It is obvious from the start that Chuck feels far more for Sarah than just those feelings from their cover, but it seems, at first, that Sarah does not feel the
same way. However, as the series progresses, it becomes obvious that they are both attracted to each other, but due to the Intersect being in Chuck’s head, it means that
the spy life that they are both a part of is holding back their relationship. Added to this, many other barriers form, including Chuck breaking up with Sarah on multiple
occasions, due to him finding a “real” girlfriend (Lou and Jill), or as he simply can’t see their relationship moving forward (albeit because of the Intersect). Sarah’s past
relationship with Bryce and her attraction to Cole Barker, who, put simply, is an exact replica of James Bond (trust me – he even calls himself Bond while under torture!).
Even the most heartless of you here can’t help but cheer them both on during the more intimate scenes.

There are many other characters that I’d just love to mention, but I’ll reluctantly restrain myself by only mentioning two more, although, don’t get me wrong, other
characters will be mentioned. None of these characters are aware of Chuck’s spy life.

Chuck’s best friend, Morgan, is a small, bearded, Green-Shirt at the Buy More, and Chuck’s closest, longest and most loyal friend. He is very supportive and protective of
Chuck, wanting the best for him and often trying his best to cover for Chuck.

One of the show’s biggest relationships is that between Morgan and Chuck. They really have been through it all together. When Chuck’s mum took off when Chuck was in
fifth grade, Morgan was there to help him through it, even just by sharing a cherry cheesecake and playing Legend of Zelda all night. The best way to describe their
relationship is to simply use the recently-made-popular name, “bromance”, and to compare them to another TV “couple”/comedy duo – JD and Turk from Scrubs.

Chuck lives with his sister, Ellie, and her boyfriend, Devon (a.k.a. Captain Awesome, as “everything he does is awesome”). Functional sibling relationships seem to be
rarity on television, but Chuck and Ellie Bartowski have made it work. Although Chuck has to lie to her on a regular basis, and Ellie has a tendency to nag Chuck about his
ambitions, relationships (with Sarah) and future, the brother and sister duo put each other above everything else, as they have spent most of their lives without their
parents. Their familial love stays sweet without being overboard, and that honest devotion is a nice respite after dealing with your own family.

Chuck is good old-fashioned fun, an enjoyable hour of television that doesn't weigh you down with constant death or doom. It's the sort of show you want to watch while
eating ice cream with chocolate sauce and sprinkles. The spy stuff adds just enough action without dipping into Bourne-territory, and the cast keeps quipping even when
the bullets are flying. There's romance and intrigue, but through it all, the show reminds us that friends and family are what's most important. Oh, well, and saving the
world's nice too. Also, on what other show can you use a porn star-computer virus to disable a bomb? Or evacuate an entire store - bad guys included - with the word

Work in Progress – More reasons to add. – This is just a few ideas. – Much more
will be in speech/slideshow.
Thomas Wheeler Persuasive Speech - Why You Should Watch ‘Chuck’! 11A1/AR

'pineapple'? How about averting World War III with an old-school video game and a song by Rush? Paralleling Chuck's struggles in the spy world with Morgan's struggles
at the Buy More shows that the two really aren't so different after all. You too can survive in the world of espionage with the knowledge gained from a trip to Comic-Con.

There are many guest stars on Chuck. They may not be the huge names some other shows draw in, but it's always nice to see familiar faces that have been out of the
limelight for awhile, and the Chuck writers have a knack for using those guest spots to lampoon the actors' previous roles. A wink to the audience, and it's all in good fun,
plus they just keep coming - I guess us fans aren't the only ones who want to play in Chuck's playground.

To name but a few, there have been Morgan Fairchild and Bruce Boxleitner (the original TRON!), who have played Captain Awesome’s parents, Rachel Bilson, playing
Lou, a love interest of Chuck, Jordana Brewster, who plays Jill, another love interest for Chuck, Tony Hale (of Arrested Development fame), playing the hilarious Emmett
Milbarge, the assistant manager of Buy More, Dominic Monaghan (everyone’s favourite druggy, Charlie from Lost), who plays a Gallagher-esque rock star, Tricia Hefler,
who plays a temporary replacement handler for Sarah, and John Larroquette, who plays Roan Montgomery, a retired master spy of seduction.

Arnold Vosloo (the Mummy!), plays an elite enemy spy, as do Jenny McCarthy, Melinda Clarke, Nicole Richie and Michael Clarke Duncan (where do I start?), playing an
imposing enemy. Kevin Weisman (Marshall from Alias!) plays an acrobatic enemy, Tony Todd (THE Candyman!) plays the CIA superior to Sarah, and Carl Lumbly
(another Alias star) plays Casey’s old Sensei-turned-rogue spy. Chevy Chase also appears as Ted Roark, a major enemy and long-time rival to Stephen Bartowski,
Chuck’s dad, played by none-other than the sci-fi, time-travelling, legend that is Scott Bakula (QUANTUM LEAP!!!).

Season three has even more guest stars planned, already including Vinnie Jones, Brandon Routh and Kristin Kreuk.

One of my very favourite things about Chuck is that it constantly hides plot points in throwaway gags. This is very efficient writing, to say the least. All of these little jokes
are funny on their own; after all, this is a comedy. But it’s the ability of the writers to make these little jokes matter, to make them do double duty, that impresses me the
most. They always manage to surprise me since I can never identify what throwaway gag is going to come back later. It takes real skill to entertain the audience so
thoroughly that you don’t telegraph your plot points.

In the first episode, for instance, Morgan tells Chuck about how his computer was broke, due to him entering a porn site of a fictional porn star, Irene Demova. Morgan
fries two computers by going to this website. At the end of the episode, when there seems to be no apparent way of stopping a bomb, and time is running out fast, Chuck
decides to try entering the website, which fries the bomb’s timer.

Early on in one episode, Morgan lays out a blueprint of a facility and explains to Chuck all the tactical stratagems they will be using…for their Call of Duty game against
rival Large Mart. Now, this scene occurs when Chuck believes he will no longer be needed by the government and be able to return to his normal life, a life where the only
tactical stratagems he will require will be in a video game. It demonstrates two other things we love about the show: Chuck and Morgan’s friendship and the prominence
of video games (let me just ask you to name one other show that features a Zork reference in the pilot and an entire episode centred around Missile Command).
The scene is so natural and effective on its own that you don’t even realize it is setting up the climax of the episode, in which Chuck tricks Michael Clarke Duncan into
believing he’s walked into a trap. He repeats Morgan’s list of troops from earlier in the episode and then even gives him a call to have him confirm (and hilariously add that
he took out a sentry with a headshot). Bam! Call of Duty saves Chuck’s behind.

The Buy More also comes through in another episode. Once again, Morgan is up to some gaming shenanigans, this time showing Chuck a game copier that will copy
anything regardless of copy protection. This appears to be standard Buy More hijinks…until Chuck acquires a list of FULCRUM CIA operatives that is heavily encrypted
and cannot be copied by ordinary means. Enter the game copier from before!

In yet another episode, the writers pull off their old trick without the help of Morgan. About halfway through Chuck’s adventure with rock star Dominic Monaghan, a very
drunk Dominic points out his many tattoos, whose meanings he can’t keep track of, explaining that his manager takes care of them. It’s a great little joke about overly
tattooed rock stars, but it is also, in fact, a plot point! - Chuck flashes on one of the tattoos later in the episode and realises that they’re all secret messages.

There are so many things to love about Chuck, but one of my very favourite things on the show is the music used. And I don’t just mean good music that accentuates a
scene and is then forgotten… I’m talking about music that’s so great, you can fill your iPod with it, as I can assure you, I have. The great music on Chuck starts pretty
much with the first song in the pilot and it’s just been one great-music packed episode after another since then. Even if you’re not the typical mainstream music lover, the
variety of music on Chuck is so vast that there’s a little something for everyone. In any given episode you’ll find a mix of dance, rock, pop, alternative and maybe even
some classic rock. And the best part is that Alexandra Patsavas, the music supervisor for Chuck, is queen of discovering and showcasing those little known gems that end
up being the next big thing. Bands like Rooney, Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, Snow Patrol and The Fray have all received a big popularity boost after Alexandra
featured them on one of the shows she works on. A few of the great bands that have been used on Chuck include: Eels, Bon Iver, The Prodigy, Oasis, Huey Lewis and the
News, The Thermals, Styx, Toto, Talking Heads, Bloc Party, Gomez, Rogue Wave, Frightened Rabbit and The National.

Work in Progress – More reasons to add. – This is just a few ideas. – Much more
will be in speech/slideshow.
 Thomas Wheeler Persuasive Speech - Why You Should Watch ‘Chuck’! 11A1/AR

Season One - Episode Season Two - Episode Number UK Viewers in Thousands Rank (for Virgin 1)
UK Viewers in Thousands Rank (for Virgin 1)
Number
1 307,000 #1
1 242,000 #2
2 N/A* N/A*
2 296,000 #2
3 180,000 #8
3 297,000 #1
4 N/A** N/A**
4 268,000 #3
5 172,000 #5
5 153,000 #8
6 201,000 #7
6 326,000 #1
7 194,000 #2
7 238,000 #4
8 174,000 #5
8 247,000 #1
9 237,000 #3
9 277,000 #1
10 235,000 #3
10 348,000 #1
11 263,000 #1
11 297,000 #1
12 273,000 #4
12 274,000 #1
13 273,000 #1
13 278,000 #2
14 213,000 #2

Average U.S.

Season
Viewers
in Millions

1 8.68

2 7.36

Work in Progress – More reasons to add. – This is just a few ideas. – Much more
will be in speech/slideshow.