Goodbye "Chuck"

The NBC series "Chuck" ends tonight.

In the grand scheme of things, this probably won't mean much to people. It doesn't have a huge cult-following like "LOST"; it hasn't been promoted ad nauseaum like "The Sopranos"; it's pretty much just an awesome show. NBC did keep changing the night that it was shown, so maybe that contributed to the (in my opinion) short run of five seasons and the fact that it didn't have a huge following. However, "Chuck" holds a special place in my heart.

The first season ran from 2007-2008, and I didn't watch it. However, over that summer, all of the episodes were online (it was one of the first shows that did stream the whole season) and I had a lot of time. I was working at Washington University in St. Louis, doing textual editing. At night, I just didn't have too much to do, so I watched the series and enjoyed it.

Meanwhile, in Tuscaloosa, a guy I had never met, Adam Copeland, also decide to watch the series during that summer. Like me, he hadn't watched it during the year, but watched the episodes during that summer.

When school started in August of 2008, a few friends had a party and I was introduced to a cute, nerdy guy (just my type) named Adam Copeland. But he was a TESOLer and I hadn't seen him before (despite us being in the same department for over 1.5 years!), so I wasn't sure if I would get the chance to know him. Anyway, some of my close friends (Tamara, Nic, Natalie, Frederick, Nick, and Rachel) had decided to get together on Mondays (I think?) to watch "Heroes" that year, and they decided to also watch "Chuck" because it came on an hour earlier. When they asked if I wanted to join, I thought it would be fun...and I was right! Frederick had also asked Adam to join in, and so we got to know each other through these fun nights. "Heroes" just wasn't that wonderful, but all of us enjoyed "Chuck" quite a bit. Adam baked cookies for the group--who could resist that?--and, as we got a chance to chat, we discovered that we had both followed "Alias" and currently loved "LOST." We had a lot of other things in common too, and I found myself trying to ride with him to Chuck/Heroes nights or (subtly?) manipulating the seating so that I could be near him. Ah, 'twas true, young, puppy love.

Eventually, we did start hanging out together without "Chuck". And we found out that the combined nudge from friends and "Chuck" could result in a friendship, love, and a blissful relationship. No, we didn't have a "Chuck"-themed wedding. No, we won't be naming our child Chuck. But, we have continued to watch the series, and we both feel sad that it's going away. The series finale of "Chuck" certainly won't be the end of Adam-n-Cathy, but it's still a little sad to watch something that brought you together end. The pregnancy hormones could just be working overtime, but I know that "Chuck" does hold a special place in my heart and always will.

So, thanks to friends for providing a gathering place for me to get to know the future father of my child. Thanks to my now-husband for pretending not to notice how I wormed my way into your heart via a television show. And thanks to "Chuck" for giving me laughter, geekiness, spying galore, and, as it turned out, the love of my life.