Chuck: The Complete Second Season
Warner Home Video DVD Release Date: January 5, 2010
Cast:
By Ken Shallcross
After a short first and full second season,
NBC's action spy comedy Chuck returned for a third
season at the beginning of 2010. To coincide with the return of the show to the
airwaves, Chuck: The Complete Second Season got simultaneous DVD
and Blu-ray release. But this release is not without error…
THE SERIES:
For a recap of
the series, check out my review of Chuck: The Complete
First Season. Note that in
the second season, Scott Bakula is revealed to be Chuck's father, Chevy Chase
plays an arch villain, Captain Awesome and Ellie get married in the season
finale and Chuck has the Intersect removed from his brain, only to
have an 'Intersect 2.0' installed, that gives him the power to flash on combat
and spy techniques, like disarming explosives and Kung Fu. Other guest stars
include Tony Hale, Michael Clarke Duncan, Melinda Clarke, John Laroquette,
Michael Strahan, Nicole Richie, Ben Savage, Jordana Brewster, Gary Cole, Michael
Rooker, Dominic Monaghan, Andy Richter, Jenny McCarthy and more.
THE EPISODES:
After a
shortened first season (writer's strike of 2007), Chuck
returned with a full
22-episode second season that ran in the 2008-2009 season. Sticking with the
"Chuck Versus the ___" format, titles are: "Chuck Versus the First Date," "Chuck
Versus the Seduction," "Chuck Versus the Break-Up," "Chuck Versus the Cougars,"
"Chuck Versus Tom Sawyer," "Chuck Versus the Ex," "Chuck Versus the Fat Lady,"
"Chuck Versus the Gravitron," "Chuck Versus the Sensei," "Chuck Versus the
DeLorean," "Chuck Versus Santa Claus," "Chuck Versus the Third Dimension,"
"Chuck Versus the Suburbs," "Chuck Versus the Best Friend," "Chuck Versus the
Beefcake," "Chuck Versus the Lethal Weapon," "Chuck Versus the Predator," "Chuck
Versus the Broken Heart," "Chuck Versus the Dream Job," "Chuck Versus the First
Kill," "Chuck Versus the Colonel" and "Chuck Versus the Ring."
SOUND + VISION:
Chuck is presented in its televised 16x9
Widescreen format. In HD on TV the show looks good; but it is shot on
16mm, which gives it a rugged, grainy feel. So, do you
need that on Blu-ray? The standard definition DVD does just as good of
a job, especially in a FauxHD (up-converting) set-up. It's not
as sharp as the Blu-ray may be, but the images are crisp and clean
and the colors are vibrant. Overall, a satisfactory presentation
for this fan.
Audio is actually top-notch. Presented in
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, there is excellent use of
the rear speakers during action sequences and Chuck's 'flashes.' An excellent job for a
TV series. A Portuguese Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround track
is also present.
Subtitles are available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese,
Chinese and Thai.
PACKAGING/ LAYOUT:
Chuck: The Complete Second Season comes in the same style packaging as
the first season: a thick opaque plastic snapcase has three double-sided thin flopping trays inside,
which hold a total of six DVDs. The snapcase is housed in a sturdy
cardboard cover. A 14-page booklet contains episode and special features details, and disc contents
layout - a very nice added touch that is all too uncommon these
days.
Disc menus are simple. The main menu allows playing
all episodes together, selecting them individually from a submenu,
watching special features (i.e. Declassified Scenes for the applicable episodes) or selecting "Languages."
There are four episodes on discs 1 through 5; Disc 6 holds the final two
episodes and the bulk of the supplemental bonus features. Interesting note: the main menu
screen doesn't tell you what disc you are watching; kind of a lame oversight.
Episodes average 42 to 43 minutes in length and are split into 7
chapters.
Chuck: The Complete Second Season runs a total of 1034 minutes, not including bonus
features.
It should be noted in this area that there seems to be a
blunder on the studio's part. As was advertised, the initial pressing of the set
was to include special 3-D glasses for the post-Super Bowl episode "Chuck Versus
the Third Dimension," which aired in 3-D. Apparently the demand was higher than
they anticipated (or at least that is what they are claiming) and many sets went
out without glasses or 3-D episode included. So, the studio has instituted a way
to get your glasses and 3-D episode. (Note: the 3-D episode is found in the
bonus features section, not within the mix of the set's episodes) Check out the
notice on TVShowsOnDVD.com.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Special features are a good improvement
over last time, but we are still missing audio commentaries. Returning are deleted
scenes, a gag reel, webisodes and a handful of featurettes. Here's a look:
-
Declassified Scenes
- There are 40 deleted scenes
for 17 of the episodes, spread across the six discs. All are relatively short,
but the total time adds up to almost 37 minutes. Each one adds a little bit
to the perspective of the episode, but it's easy to see why they
were cut and you won't miss them when you are watching the series.
-
Chuck Versus the Webisodes -
On the website, five short Buy More training bits were featured. They are all here. A
great inclusion and at least this time they included all five webisodes (from
one of the online content subjects) instead of just a sampling. Bits are:
-
Buy More #7: Customer Service (2:17)
- At the Nerd Herd service desk, not all occupational hazards are unwelcome.
-
Buy More #14: Work Ethic (2:17) - Emmett's secrets for Buy
More career success: show up early and keep your eyes and ears open.
-
Buy More #15: Employee Health (1:28)
- John Casey explains how to rid the Buy More of unwanted pests.
-
Buy More #17: Leadership (2:18) - Even
Big Mike knows that sometimes a manager has to look the other way.
-
Buy More #24: Youth Marketing (1:53) - Young
or old, loyal customers are created by great sales associates, like Morgan Grimes.
-
Chuck: A Real-Life Captain
Awesome Tip for Being Awesome
- There are actually four of these
little bits found on Disc 6: "First Dates" (1:16), "High School Reunions" (:34), "Running
Into An Ex" (:32), and "Job Interviews" (:34). In them, Ryan McPartlin's "Devon/Captain Awesome" character gives
tips on how to be awesome in the style of a "The More
You Know" PSA. Complete throwaways… Would have actually been better as Easter Eggs.
-
Truth, Spies and Regular Guys: Exploring the
Mythology of Chuck (20:23)
- This is split into two parts: "The Secret Agents" (10:03) and "The Agents' Secrets"
(10:20). Both feature cast and crew interviews with clips of the show, focusing
on the characters (the first part) and Chuck's Intersect mind (the second part).
-
John Casey Presents: So You Want to Be a Deadly
Spy (2:40)
- Despite loving the hell out
of Adam Baldwin, this is a jokey throwaway item. Baldwin's character does a
fake news reel-style info bit on how to be a deadly spy. Silly.
-
Dude in Distress (17:44) - This featurette
is devoted to the stunts in Chuck, and some of the
bigger action sequences fro the second season. Standard stuff, but lengthy and interesting!
-
Chuck Versus the Chuckles
(7:36) -
Gag reel! Though it's not particularly hilarious, there are some good moments within.
-
Chuck Versus the Third Dimension (3D)
- If you have one
of the limited edition sets with the 3D glasses, you will find the 3D episode here
in the bonus features. The episode is said to never air in 3D
again, so this is your only chance to have it in 3D! Chuck
VERSUS THE SECOND DVD:
All
22 season two episodes of the fun spy comedy are on DVD just in time for the
start of the third season. Chuck: The Complete Second Season is
presented with a decent visual transfer, continued great audio, decent
packaging, and an improved batch of extras. If you are a fan of the show, this
set will go nicely on the shelf next to Chuck: The Complete
First Season.
Note to buyer, there is an $8
difference in the DVD and Blu-ray price, with the BRD being the more expensive for no
extra bonus features. Choice is yours, but I'd have to recommend the cheaper
of the sets… it's only a TV show - not a blockbuster flick.
SHOW SEASON SCORE: A
DVD SOUND + VISION SCORE: B+
DVD PACKAGING/ LAYOUT SCORE: A-
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES SCORE: B-
DVD OVERALL SCORE: B+
