Chuck: Season 3

With all the TV I watch, there is a clear choice for favorite TV show - Chuck. Although it was just a bit more serious than the previous seasons, the third season was just as awesome as the first two.The third season actually picks up a few months after the conclusion of season two. Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) has just returned to Burbank after some training that will help him use the enhanced features he got by downloading the intersect 2.0 into his brain. Now, instead of just flashing on information, he can also flash on skills needed like hand to hand fighting or laser avoiding. However, his emotions make these new upgrades glitchy, so his skills can come and go at the most inopportune times.Meanwhile, his CIA handler Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) is back in town to rejoin the team despite the fact that Chuck broke her heart. NSA handler John Casey (Adam Baldwin) is thrilled that with each new mission, Chuck seems to be becoming a better spy. Sarah, on the other hand, is watching the man she fell in love with slip away behind the new spy Chuck.And on the home front? Chuck's best friend Morgan (Joshua Gomez) and Chuck become roommates. Chuck's sister Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) gets a fellowship she wants while Ellie's husband Devon, aka Captain Awesome, (Ryan McPartlin) tries to figure out a way to get Ellie out of the dangerous world that Chuck inhabits. The gang at the Buy More is still there to provide some comedy. And we finally learn something that Captain Awesome isn't awesome at.Underneath all this is a new group out to get the Intersect and steal all the secrets locked away in Chuck's mind. Can the group bring them down while keeping Chuck's true identity a secret?Why do I love the show? Because it finds the right balance between comedy and drama. The show takes itself seriously enough that we care for the characters and are concerned when they are in danger. But the characters are just as likely to get out of danger by some crazy coincidence as they are by some great bit of action. It's that unpredictability and humor that keep me loving every minute.Plus there are the great characters. Yes, the Nerds at the Buy More (think a Best Buy clone) are turning into one note characters and losing some of their humor this year. But the rest of the characters are still very real, deep characters that we truly do care about. I want to spend time with these guys, and above all, I want to see them happy. The guest cast rounds out and compliments the great main characters. Notable guest stars this season include Kristin Kreuk of Smallville, Brandon Routh from Superman Returns, and Scott Bakula.The show was originally renewed for a thirteen episode third season which was extended to nineteen episodes the rest of NBC's schedule did poorly in the ratings. As a result, we get two story arcs that are sort of connected. It's not ideal, but it does work and all the episodes are extremely entertaining.This show is the perfect marriage of writing and acting. There are many times where we know exactly what a character is thinking or feeling just by a look on their face. You can't pull that off without both. It does help that this is season three, so we know the characters. But I still maintain that either poor writing or acting would produce laughable results instead of truly touching moments that reveal quite a bit about the characters.That does bring me back to what I mentioned at the very beginning. This season was much more serious than the first two. Don't get me wrong, there were still some great comedic moments. But they weren't as plentiful as the themes of the year grew more serious. Some fans didn't like that; I found it to be a very nice maturing that felt right. If they lighten things up again, I won't complain any, but for this season, it worked.And I haven't even talked about the stunts yet. This show is still an action show, and it manages to produce some nice sequences. They aren't quite feature fill elaborate, but they are quite fun for TV.All 19 episodes of season three are included in this boxed set. We don't get any commentaries, but we do get deleted scenes and bloopers. There's also a featurette with interviews about this season of the show and a mockumentary on Jeffster, the fake band two of the characters have. It could have more special features, but the episodes themselves more than make up for this lack.Slightly more serious or not, Chuck is still the best thing on TV right now. If you haven't watched this show yet, you are in for a real treat. And if you already like the show, you'll be thrilled to have season three at your fingertips anytime you want it.

Edit: I contacted Amazon directly to complain about not having episode 18 included in the complete season and they credited my account the money it costs to buy episode 18.This rating is not for the show at all, it is entirely for the digital purchase. The title is "Chuck: The Complete Third Season" but yet the season finale (episode 18) is not included in the cost. You have to pay for that episode separately (an additional $2.99). The title is completely deceptive.

There's a bit, just a tiny bit, of a backlash with the decision to allow Chuck Bartowski to actually whup some asss. There's some feeling that Chuck should've stayed the lovable klutzy wuss who contributes solely thru his smarts and his Intersect intel flashes. But these are observations offered by friends of mine who are sort of lame. Me, I love it that now villains truly cannot front on Chuck, that Chuck - providing his emotions don't hinder his upgrade (the Intersect II) from lending him, say, martial arts skills - now can take on the most formidable cats in a life-or-death rumble. The direct fallout, of course, is that his handlers are given less chances to spring into action. That was one thing I was bemoaning, that the lovely Agent Walker wasn't given more to do in the way of buttkicking. However, emotionally, romantically, Sarah Walker's plate is pretty full. She and Chuck once again put you on a stressful emotional roller coaster.Writers have to keep finding ways to keep Chuck and Sarah apart, of course, even though we already know that these two truly care for each other. Theoretically, the Intersect II makes Chuck into the perfect spy, our Nerd Herder now able to access pretty much whichever skills set he requires to fulfill his missions. What hinders him isn't only his forays into immaturity but his inherent humanity, his inability to kill, although Sarah considers this to be Chuck's greatest asset. There's a swerve thrown in which kicks off this third season. Chuck with his new abilities now intends to be the best spy he can be, to the extent that several months ago he'd dismissed Sarah's plea that they quit the skullduggery business and go away together. As the first episode opens, we learn that Chuck and Sarah have been estranged since then. And because this alone apparently isn't enough to mess up the viewer's day, Kristin Kreuk and Brandon Routh are ushered in with recurring roles, serving as the respective romantic foils and further obstacles to Chuck and Sarah's getting together. At least, Brandon Routh - as Agent Shaw, the new team leader of Project Bartowski - also advances the overarching plot. As if Chuck's shot at landing Sarah weren't dire enough, now he's got Superman as a rival. Damn writers.Putting aside the ongoing romantic tug of war, one really fun element is Chuck's new ability to access a whole mess of skills sets. Besides watching Chuck throw down with the kung fu and the gymnastics, we also see him do things like play the flamenco guitar, speak Korean, even dance elegantly. All these borrowed talents (except maybe the speaking Korean part) come in really handy with the black ops missions because Operation Bartowski is kept busy foiling those nasty plots hatched by the Ring, a secret criminal cabal which, by the way, encompasses the Fulcrum group (Fulcrum being the Big Bad of the prior two seasons).CHUCK blankets a heap of genres, it's what makes the show so great. The unrequited romance, the sweet espionage thriller, the awesome geek comedy. The spy stuff is always offset by the odd and kinda creepy Nerd Herders and their prankings at the Buy More store. I get a kick out of the rock band wannabe, Jeffster.Faithful viewers who'd been pining and moping for the past two seasons are in for some really gratifying moments. Chuck can't be expected to keep his secrets from those closest to him, not when there's so much cloak & dagger traffic going on at the Buy More and the yogurt place and around his apartment complex. So, yeah, events unfold and result in irrevocable shifts in the status quo and in the character dynamics. Season 3 delivers with a plentitude of fan joy. There's even a chance that love conquers all. This cast only gets better. I seriously don't even want to single out any one actor because every one is so very on point. The Awesomes are given larger roles to play. Morgan Grimes becomes more likable. We learn Sarah Walker's real first name. I love what's done to make John Casey more human, or as human as the supremely bottled-up NSA Colonel can get. All hail Adam Baldwin (okay, dude is an icon; I must single him out). And, dammit, okay, I have to applaud Zachary Levi on his physicality because the man absolutely sells his action scenes. Zachary Levi, stand up. Or, put another way, up Chuck!There originally were only thirteen episodes slated for Season 3, but then six more were ordered. These nineteen episodes are caught on 5 discs, with the following special features: "Chuck-Fu and Dim Sum" - an overview of Season 3 (00:21:51 minutes long); the video mockumentary "The Jeffster Revolution" (00:10:54 minutes); 6 minutes' worth of outtakes; and tons of "Declassified Scenes" which are basically bonus scenes spread throughout the five discs.

What can you say...It's a classic TV show with great talent. Adam Baldwin is subtly hilarious, Zach--he's terrific as always, and Yvonne is a find. I love the series.The last few seasons are an emotional roller coaster ride, and so you get fully invested with each character. I mean, how often do you get a spy series that is about spies without all of the gratuitous violence, and hilarity at the same time. I love it!

Chuck was a great TV show. It had the best combination of humor and action and excellent characters. A lot of reviews will tell you all about how good the show was, so I won't add too much other than to say, its a must watch.Seasons 1 and 2 had a blu ray that was slightly better than DVD. For this season, I think it is noticeably better and would recommend the blu ray to anyone.

With Chuck's Intersect powers now including a physical element, he has become more useful to the NSA/CIA and so the missions become more serious. Sadly, so does the series, with somewhat less of the humour from Seasons 1 and 2 that arose whenever Chuck was in over his head. However, a long-running sub-plot featuring Captain Awesome goes some way to redress that.The good news is that the interrelationships of the characters are as strongly written as ever, with the actors inhabiting them so comfortably, it's hard to remember that this is only fiction.Recurring guest star Brandon Routh is a significant addition to Team Bartowski as they go up against "The Ring", who have taken over from "Fulcrum" as the 'big bad'. Routh was the last actor to play Superman on the big screen, while another new guest star, Kristin Kreuk, was a show regular on pre-Superman TV show Smallville and now appears as a potential love interest for our hero.Chuck's newly-returned father - played to eccentric perfection by genre favourite Scott Bakula - continues to play an important part where both Chuck's personal and professional lives intersect (see what I did there?). Another stand-out guest is Armand Assante, chewing the scenery for all it's worth as a flamboyant South American dictator.Oh, and some more people find out the truth about Chuck. All in all, it's top stuff.

The series goes from strength to strength. The 19 episodes here (originally only 13 were intended) are wonderfully inventive, full of surprises and very funny indeed.Heading the great cast, as ever, is Zachary Levi as Chuck - his computerized brain responsible for even more awesome skills. Disturbingly, though, every flash is apparently damaging the cells, likely to cause irreparable harm. The season thus has serious undercurrents.Everybody this time has more to do, all rising to the challenge as their characters evolve. Chuck himself forever gains in stature - he licensed to kill but not wishing to, his emotions a barrier to being the perfect spy. Can he cope against the most powerful enemy yet, The Ring aiming to control the CIA? Newcomer Brandon Routh ("Superman Returns") makes his presence felt. Surely he is not a threat to the Chuck-Sarah relationship?Best episodes? High on the list is No.9 with Buy More invaded - indeed a classic, full of twists and turns. As for the grand finale! Prepare for tears and excitement. Just when you think it is all over, a last minute shock will cause gasps - and cheers. Why the cheers? Now there HAS to be a Season 4.Enjoyable bonuses include a mockumentary - "The Jeffster Sound", Buy More's creepiest and weirdest proudly demonstrating their musical talents.Salute a series where all are on top form! Wholeheartedly recommended.

Hi....Now after stumbling on to Chuck a few years ago and took a chance on buying the first series without knowing what it was about (me being British and the series being American) I really did not know what I was in for.Well! Series 1, very good, Geek and general life drop-out get his chance to shine and get the girl....which at times is painful due to the fact that Chuck is a really nice guy, nay! Gentleman.Series 2, Chuck becomes more of his own man and influences the team with his 'there is no need to kill' attitude, and also finds that he himself has become more than he could have imagined.Series 3, Chuck not only becomes a spy but as the general says 'I cannot condone this.....but off the record, its about time!'So for all you out there wanting to know about Season 3 of Chuck that is all I'm going to say except...If you got Season1 and 2 you really need this one and I'm waiting for season 4 to come down in price and I'll get that.As I understand it they are making season 5 which will be the last season for Chuck and for us Chuckies, so we'll have to find new heroes to champion.....Sob! Sob! (Yes.. grown men do cry)

I was so happy when I ordered this DVD, I love Chuck, (maybe a little to much some times) during the days where I was waiting for the DVD to be delivered, I sat and watched Chuck season 1 & 2 in total joy. When season 3 arrived, my TV and DVD player was on until I had watched all episodes, and extras. (a little sad I know)Since then I have watched the season 5-6 times, and am currently in the proses of watching AGAIN :)Though now that I am unable to watch season four and have to wait until September 2011 for the DVD release, :( At least I have seasons 1, 2 & 3 to keep me company.And it may sound stupid but watching Chuck has actually helped me cut down on smoking almost even to the extent of being able to go days with out a cigarette.I would recommend buying this even if you have never seen the show before, You will be gripped, the fights in this season are excellent. The way that the smallest of lines are significant in later episodes is what i think keeps me glued to the screen. Now that I have seen the season so many times I have been able to find small faults, Mistakes in the background ect, but that's expected.This season rely brings Morgan Grimes to life, and Also Casey, the story around him makes the audience connect with the emotionally challenged Casey we all know and love. This season also brings Jefster to a new level. Jeff and Lester are more involved this season, and that is a good thing.Now on to the way that the season ends!!! Don't worry I am not going to spoil it. All I can say is WOW. There are thing that I just didn't expect. The writers rely came up good with this. And I cannot wait for season 4 to be released on DVD....September 2011 Needs to hurry up

Well I loved season 1, I adored season 2, what can I say about season 3, well for a start I loved and adored it! Chuck gets better with every episode. (sidebar Chuck has a new haircut which makes him even more dreamy!) This season follows on Chucks journey from nerd to super spy, his relationship with Sarah, will other friends family find out his secret? fantastic scenes at the Buy More (jeffster classic!) The middle -ish of the season there is a Morgan episode which I think is the best ever ep, much more Morgan this year and John Casey starts developing his human side. Super guest stars again Brandon Routh for one. The end of the season is so amazing! Buy Now!!!! Extras on the dvd a couple of good behind the scenes cast and crew, outtakes and a jeffster doc, plus deleted scenes.