Plot: What’s it about?
While shows come and go, few remain on my DVR or even more importantly, ones that I make time to sit down and watch. “Chuck” is one of those shows and after the first season, I was hooked. Actually after the first episode I was hooked. Unlike “Heroes” which has turned into a hot mess, “Chuck” got better as the second season came on the air. The show was one heavily affected by the writer’s strike a few years back, so the true second season only had about six episodes, with the show returning full-time last winter for a full official third season. The cast is all back and we even get a few guest stars and a few minor plot twists, however the main plot line is still intact in that Chuck’s got a whole lot of data stored in his noggin and there are plenty of people who will stop at nothing to get at it.
For the uninitiated, Chuck (Zachary Levi) works at the local Buy More (if you’ve ever been in a “Best Buy” you’ll undoubtedly recognize the similarities except that their motif is blue as opposed to “Buy More’s” green). Working with government agents Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) and trigger happy tough guy John Casey (Adam Baldwin in his best role to date) they constantly thwart the enemies all the while under the guise of being humble retail employees. The second season gave us some more insight into Chuck and his past by introducing us to Chuck’s father (Scott Bakula) as well as a Bill Gates/Steve Jobs type of villain (Chevy Chase). The relationship between Chuck and Sarah is explored a little more as well with both wanting to keep it professional, but it’s easier said than done. We also get a new manager of the Buy More with a notable “Arrested Development” alumn guest-starring and there’s the usual bevy other guest stars to boot. Simply put, “Chuck” is more of what made the show great and unlike a lot of shows, it certainly doesn’t suffer from the “Sophomore Slump”.
Video: How does it look?
Chuck” is shown in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that looks just as good, but not quite as good, as the HD broadcast. Colors are bright and vivid and though there are a few areas which aren’t that great (namely the backgrounds), the standard DVD’s do a great job at representing how the show looks on television. Flesh tones seem warm and natural and though we’re not dealing with a motion picture here, I was surprised at how truly good some of the episodes really looked. Fans of “Chuck” will be pleased to see these looking ever so good and this fan has added the first season to his collection.
Audio: How does it sound?
Like the first season, “Chuck” is encoded with the same Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack found on the standard DVD. Let’s face it, most television shows aren’t really geared for the “home theater” audience but this does have a few instances that aren’t too shabby. Dialogue is the main focus of these tracks, however, and I found nothing really wrong with the way this sounds on Blu-ray. There are a few ambient surround effects that come into play but you’ll do best to set your expectations to a more moderate level. Sit back and enjoy “Chuck”!
Supplements: What are the extras?
We get a bit more on the supplemental side with this second season starting out with a few featurettes. First up is “Truth, Spies and Regular Guys” as the mythology of the show is explored. It’s basically a behind the scenes featurette, but for those new to the show it might help bring you up to speed. Next up is a short “Dude in Distress” which is a montage of some of the season’s best action sequences. We are treated to some of the webisodes which, admittedly, I hadn’t seen until this set arrived. It actually made me like the show more, if that’s possible. Captain Awesome (Ryan McPartlin) who plays Chuck’s brother-in-law gives us some of his insight into “being awesome”, I’ll let that speak for itself. Lastly, John Casey (Baldwin) gives us some tips with “So you want to be a deadly spy?” and shows us why that job might not be all it’s cracked up to be. There are some deleted scenes as well as a gag reel.
