Posted by Janie Logan Mar 9, 2010, 13:15 GMT
Morgan thought it was the best news he had ever heard when he found out that his friend, Chuck, is a real-life, save-the-world spy. Photo courtesy of NBC Universal.
In a season that has been understandably darker as Chuck has continued to evolve as a real spy, this week's episode was more fun and lighthearted, but it also moved the story forward. Agents from the Ring came to the Buy More posing as potential buyers, but they were actually searching for the CIA base of operations. Casey, Sarah, and Shaw were off on a mission, leaving Chuck behind because Intersect 2.0 hasn't been working right. We know that he has trouble flashing whenever his emotions get in the way, and he has had to deal with a lot of stuff recently with nobody to talk to.
Captain Awesome knows Chuck's secret but hates lying to Ellie, so he is trying to stay removed from Chuck's spy life (even going so far as to suggest to Ellie that they go to Africa and join Doctors without Borders). Casey shuts down all of Chuck's attempts to open up to him with a grunt and an insult, while Sarah and Shaw are a big part of the problem. Chuck was crushed in the last episode when he overheard Sarah confiding in Shaw and telling him her real name--something she has never told Chuck in 2 years. Then when Sarah was almost killed by the assassin, Chuck had to deal with all his feelings for her that he has been suppressing since Shaw swooped in with his Superman muscles.
So in "Chuck vs. the Beard," it was the Tiny Bearded One to the rescue! Morgan has known for a long time that his relationship with Chuck has changed. They have been best friends since childhood, but Chuck has this whole other life that he knows nothing about. When Morgan saw the bad guys break into Castle from the hidden entrance behind Casey's locker, he went to find Chuck so they could be heroes and save the day. All the things that Chuck has been keeping secret to protect him from came crashing down.
Meanwhile, the other Buy More employees were completely oblivious as to what was really happening with the store, so they staged a revolution to save their jobs from "The Man." Big Mike gave a rousing speech straight out of Braveheart, and Jeffster performed Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son." Then Casey showed up and joined the effort: "The only thing I hate more than hippie, neo-liberal fascists and anarchists are the hypocrite fat cat suits they grow up to become."
Nobody had any idea what was going on down in Castle. Handcuffed together and believing they were going to die, it was actually a relief to Chuck to be able to tell Morgan everything about the Intersect and Sarah. No longer feeling blocked by all that complicated emotional stress, Chuck flashed with his kung fu skills and took down the Ring agents. Sarah, Casey, and Shaw had been locked out the whole time and unable to help. They were very surprised when the smoke cleared to find one Morgan Guillermo Grimes emerging, but Chuck assured them and General Beckman of his friend's unswerving loyalty. The episode ended with the two of them grabbing a couple of meatball subs (yay for Subway sponsorship!) and playing Duck Hunt like old times.
Joshua Gomez and Zachary Levi both delivered great performances this week. Levi also made an impressive directorial debut. My favorite moments were the revolution scene with the Buy More nerds arming themselves with plastic guns and raising the flag like the American soldiers at Iwo Jima, and the flash bang grenade in the hotel room that felt just like Call of Duty. I'm glad they gave Levi such a significant episode to direct, and hopefully he will get more opportunities in the future.
Now halfway through Season 3, we have a few major developments looming on the horizon. For one thing, that phone call to Casey on the Ring's special phone. Clearly it was a voice from his past, so I wonder if it has to do with "Alex Coburn" whom Paulie Walnuts mentioned in "Chuck vs. the Fake Name." Nobody knows about the intel that the Ring managed to send out before Chuck knocked them out, so this gives an advantage to the enemy.
Seeing how Morgan fits into the spy world will add a whole new exciting dynamic to the show. We can also look forward to the return of Scott Bakula as Chuck's dad later this season!
No news has come yet of a Season 4 renewal, but given NBC's serious programming troubles, it seems unlikely that they would let go of Chuck since it has such a devoted fan base and a great creative team led by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak.
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