How I love hyperbole.
There is a lot of buzz about last Monday’s episode of CHUCK called “Chuck Vs. The Nacho Sampler.” Now while I’m not sure if it’s the greatest episode ever, I will say that it was some of the best writing I’ve seen for this show; the last 10 minutes being especially good. In fact, this episode had some good writing lessons to be learned if you are someone who writes spec scripts.
Spec writers are often told that their script samples must be new, fresh, dynamic and offer different takes on an already existing premise. Then they tell you you’re not allowed to change anything… Okay.
It’s a paradox yes, but there were some things in this episode of CHUCK that could provide great examples of just how to pull it off.
If you write television spec scripts, especially if you might spec CHUCK, you can do worse than to check it out. See what the writers of CHUCK just did with their own show.
Watch the whole episode and read my take after the jump.
The first three quarters of the story ran like a typical CHUCK episode: Haha… Ooh, she’s hot… Okay, get on with it… Nice… Oh please, that’s just ridiculous… Uh oh, someone said “Chuck’s not ready for___” everybody drink… et cetera. But in the episode wrap, we got to see a little bit of the toll that the spy business is playing on Chuck and his world; the suspicions, the broken promises, the betrayals and the lies. What’s even better is that we get to see this through the eyes of everyone around him, and not necessarily through the eyes of Chuck, who has chosen to bury such introspect in a glass of Johnnie Walker Black. This is not very common for CHUCK, which is usually a little more direct with their story and characters.
It would almost seem as if the main story was a giant 45 minute red herring just to set up the outstanding denouement.
This show has long suffered from a perception of being a little too silly and has drawn the wrong kind of comparisons (unfairly) to shows like GET SMART. But now they seem to be taking their ridiculous premise and adding a touch of human plausibility to it; not in regards to the spy stuff, but the human relationship stuff. You can only live a double life for so long, and the writers seems to be showcasing this idea. It has always existed in the show, it has simply been brought to the forefront.
See for yourself.
Chuck Vs. Nacho Sampler. Written by Matt Miller & Scott Rosenbaum
Hulu isn’t going to keep this up forever. So if the video doesn’t work, or if you live outside of the U.S., it might be worth your 2 bucks to simply download the episode from Amazon here:
Chuck Versus the Nacho Sampler
I particularly enjoyed this episode’s bookending by use of a flashback to Chuck and Sarah’s first meeting; the infamous “Vicky Vale” scene from the very first episode. But what I loved most about it was the shift in perspective. At the beginning, the scene was just as we saw it in the pilot, but at the end it was replayed from Sarah’s perspective. Nothing in this scene was new. We knew Sarah viewed Chuck as nothing more than an “asset” back then. What the scene revealed when juxtaposed to the story was the level of regret Sarah carries for what she believes she is turning Chuck into. And it’s all unsaid. No wonky expositionary dialogue. No spoon fed narration. It’s just thrown out there. And you can’t miss it, even if this was the first episode of CHUCK you have ever seen. Didn’t seem like much, but to me that’s good writing. Take something old and make it new. Connect yesterday to today. Take a little inventory while you’re at it.
Also, CHUCK flirts with one of the most tired cliches in all of storytelling: The Johnnie Walker scene. How many times have we seen a character make a hard choice and then they have to console themselves by drowning their sorrows in alcohol? Too many. But what is different about this scene is that it’s so far out of place with the character and with the series in general, that it appeared fresh. And Chuck’s drinking wasn’t a sorrowful “Woe is me” kind of drink. He slammed the drink down in anger as if punishing himself for burning that “asset.” Self-destructive behavior is very un-Chucklike, but not too far out of the realm of possibility for the character. Remember, this is someone giving up everything he has in exchange for everything he’s ever wanted. That’s what makes it work. The writers straddled a very fine line, but ultimately got away with it. Spec writers might not be inclined to take a risk like that, but if you really know the show and the characters, what’s wrong with straddling that line? It could pay off.
And notice how Chuck’s double life appears to be getting much more complicated. No Lois Lanes on CHUCK anymore. Thank God for that. The people around Chuck are beginning to have their suspicions; Morgan and Ellie especially. They look to combine resources and exchange notes to figure out what Chuck is up to. For too long, this show has been too cute and clever in having Chuck dodge discovery by some trick or lame excuse, and the other characters have looked a little stupid in not being able to figure it all out. Now however, it would seem that Chuck’s personal life can potentially be as dangerous as his spy life. You can also throw in the assumption that if Morgan, Ellie and the others discover that Chuck is a spy, it will put their lives in danger too. How easy was that? Before, there was really no sense that there were real consequences to Chuck being discovered. This turn serves as a great example of the places where you can find conflict, and add challenges the character without changing up character dynamics. All the writers did here was turn an already existing conflict up a notch, and bring it to the forefront. Spec writers need to always be thinking like this too. You need to work with what’s there, and this was a great example of how it’s done.
As I said, there are a lot of the writing lessons to be learned from this episode, especially for those writers looking to break in.
How to make old information new. How to use what we know and spin it into something fresh. How to take existing character dynamics and nudge them in compelling and fresh ways. How to effectively use or twist a cliche. How to best identify what is at stake; and when and how to pocket that revelation and spring it on the viewer. And there are probably many more that I haven’t touched on. If you have seen something I missed, I’d love to hear your input.
So what did you think of this episode? Is this good writing, or am I just so bad at it, that when encountered with mediocrity, I swoon?
Let me know what you think. And if you have other examples from other shows, please feel free to mention them.
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