This was a really interesting analysis! My favourite part was you connecting Chuck's 80s suits in S3 as him dressing like Bart during Bart's rise in the 1980s.
That said I do think you take Chuck's behaviour out of context sometimes, for example of course his behaviour towards Jenny and Serena in the Pilot is awful, but at that time Chuck is himself a 16 year old child. Moreover a child who is a victim of statutory rape from his Dad's employees (if it was Blair or Serena having underage sex with their parents' adult employees, would you think they had any power in that scenario!?) and possibly also a victim of child sexual abuse from his nannies. You can see why he has screwed up ideas about sex and consent! If Chuck kept behaving that way I would understand the negativity, but we see him explicitly ask for Blair's consent in the limo and then consent is not an issue again. He goes to therapy, he apologises sincerely to Jenny and Blair. I would have loved to see Chuck apologise to Serena too, but it doesn't seem to be something that Serena is struggling with - they develop a bickering siblings vibe soon after which lasts the rest of the show.
I don't agree with your analysis of Chuck and Jenny sleeping together either. Chuck isn't some grown-ass 35 year old man, he's 18 or 19 to Jenny's 17, and he is just as heartbroken as she is. They both feel rejected and hurt and they use each other.
This was a really interesting analysis! My favourite part was you connecting Chuck's 80s suits in S3 as him dressing like Bart during Bart's rise in the 1980s.
That said I do think you take Chuck's behaviour out of context sometimes, for example of course his behaviour towards Jenny and Serena in the Pilot is awful, but at that time Chuck is himself a 16 year old child. Moreover a child who is a victim of statutory rape from his Dad's employees (if it was Blair or Serena having underage sex with their parents' adult employees, would you think they had any power in that scenario!?) and possibly also a victim of child sexual abuse from his nannies. You can see why he has screwed up ideas about sex and consent! If Chuck kept behaving that way I would understand the negativity, but we see him explicitly ask for Blair's consent in the limo and then consent is not an issue again. He goes to therapy, he apologises sincerely to Jenny and Blair. I would have loved to see Chuck apologise to Serena too, but it doesn't seem to be something that Serena is struggling with - they develop a bickering siblings vibe soon after which lasts the rest of the show.
I don't agree with your analysis of Chuck and Jenny sleeping together either. Chuck isn't some grown-ass 35 year old man, he's 18 or 19 to Jenny's 17, and he is just as heartbroken as she is. They both feel rejected and hurt and they use each other.