Chuck Bartowski: A Modern Sleeping Beauty

As a fan of fairy tales and an avid TV watcher, now and then I find myself watching a show and suddenly realizing that it’s a reimagination of a classic tale beginning with “once upon a time…” and (we hope) ending with “…happily ever after.” Jen Grisanti explored how Showtime’s Shameless is a modern retelling of Cinderella, and now it’s my turn to make a comparison, but with a twist.

I’m a Chuck fan. Have been since I first heard about the project in the spring of 2007 and launched the first Chuck fansite with Bethanne just a couple of days after NBC announced that the show would be on their fall lineup. Now in the middle of its fourth season, Chuck has a solid foundation to build self-referential episodes on (see: the return of John Larroquette in this week’s episode), but its longevity also allows the viewer to see themes and arcs that weren’t obvious in the beginning. Such as the fact that Chuck Bartowski is really Sleeping Beauty.

When we first meet Chuck, he’s a slacker in a dead-end job. He spends his days selling electronics and fixing computers and his nights watching sci-fi and playing video games. Although he’s a likable guy, he’s almost a hermit with his social circle consisting of his sister, his sister’s boyfriend, and his best friend Morgan. These three parallel the protective, supportive fairy godmothers who hid Aurora away from the wicked witch for years. Despite their care, Aurora eventually found her way to her parents’ castle where she pricked her finger on enchanted bobbin and fell into a deep sleep. Five years prior to the start of the series, Chuck was one of the brightest in his class at Stanford, destined for great things, as was Princess Aurora, when he suffered the one-two punch of being kicked out for cheating and losing his girlfriend, both at the hands of his supposed friend, Bryce. Retreating to his sister’s house in Burbank, Chuck fell into something of a coma himself, going through his days more or less in a dream-like haze.

In the fairy tale, Aurora is revived by her true love’s kiss. The prince must fight his way through many obstacles to finally reach her side and bring her back from a dream world brought on by the witch’s spell. In the pilot episode of Chuck, he meets his own true love when Sarah Walker enters his life. Although she doesn’t kiss him for several more episodes, she is enough to rouse him from his stupor and reach out for something more than his life has become. Add the Intersect and his new status as an asset, and Chuck is well on his way to a revival. The process of bringing him back fully takes a couple of seasons, and it’s not without obstacles and fights, but in the end, Chuck and his Prince(ss) Charming appear to have beaten the wicked witch and are on the path to living happily ever after.

NB: I wrote this before tonight’s episode, so it was particularly satisfying to hear Mama B telling baby Clara the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, with her own spin.

Chuck airs Mondays at 8/7c on NBC.