"This isn't what it looks like! I'm actually just an intelligence asset
for the CIA and Devon was helping me out on a mission..."
That's right folks.
Until Awesome cheats on his wife, with her brother, Chuck, I am refusing to watch the show*. Because as a fan who put in the effort to bring the show back for a third season - e-mailing studio heads, signing petitions, going to UK conventions, taking part in the Subway campaign with Zac Levi - I am entitled now to have the show go exactly how I want it to. It doesn't matter that the writer's have other ideas in mind, that they have a storyline plotted out which doesn't include my personal ship, I'm not going to watch. Then the writer's have no choice but to put in what I want to keep the ratings up.
That sounds fair right? Completely rational and reasonable?
Of course not, it sounds like a whiny child throwing their toys out of the pram because they can't get their own way. Yet this is exactly what a number of Chuck 'fans' are doing in light of developments in last night's episode, Chuck vs. The Mask.
By the end of this episode, both Chuck and Sarah had finally found themselves with new love interests. Chuck with Kristen Kreuk's perky Nerd Herder, Hannah and Sarah with Brandon Routh's super sexy spy, Shaw. Honestly, I am quite happy with this turn of events. The Chuck/Sarah storyline is sweet but honestly, it was starting to grate at the start of this season, I'm glad they're taking a break from it.
However, not everyone is thinking quite so clearly about this turn of events.
A small section of the Chuck fanbase has announced they're going to boycott the show because Chuck and Sarah aren't a couple, because they're flirting with relationships with other people. This will apparently send a message to the writers that the fans aren't happy with this direction and that'll make the writers give into their demands. Of course, that's exactly how it works! If the show loses ratings, it's not going to get cancelled, it's going to get turned into a perfect fanfiction adventure!
My point here is this. Just because the fan effort is a big part of why this show is still around, it does not give us the right to dictate the way the show has to go. Boycotting it will diminish the chances for a fourth season, rather than getting your pairing onscreen. Have faith in the writers. These people have crafted a storyline for the show already, they have created these characters and this pairing you obviously care about, give them chance to create the right set up for their inevitable romance, rather than b***h because they're both happy in the meantime.
It's looking like we're already going to have to fight for a fourth season of the show - and I will fight - boycotting it now isn't going to help in any way. In fact, this negativity is only going to frighten NBC. Why would they bring back a show when the fans are this against one story point?
So please, rabid Chuck/Sarah fans, calm down, yes? Take these next few Chuck free weeks to calm down from this 'betrayal' and go back to the show when it returns on March 1st. Remember that every obstacle Chuck and Sarah have to overcome to come together will make their relationship stronger.
And hey, if all else fails, take a leaf out of the slashers book. Mentally insert your own deleted scenes, look at the subtext, enjoy reading between the lines for a while. We've created entire communities built on this, you'd be surprised by just how fun it can be.
*Oh and in reference to my subject line, I am, of course, taking the piss. I love Ellie and Awesome together, my shipping of Chuck and Awesome is my own warping of the subtext and I wouldn't want it in the show. Unless they want Chuck to kiss Awesome to keep up a cover because I wouldn't complain,
