Welcome to the maiden test of the new format I'm trying. See the previous post (Tinkering With the Format, Yo!) for details. Let's get into it.
What Happened, Yo!:
-The intersect is affecting Morgan's brain and is making him act erratically.
-Feeling unappreciated by Carmichael Industries, he goes to work for their competitors at Verbanski Corp, the CEO of which Casey has feelings for.
-Before leaving, Morgan steals information about an assignment General Beckman has secretly given the team, and breaks up with Alex.
-Chuck thinks Morgan is just abusing his power like he did in seventh grade when he grew a moustache, and Casey is furious at Morgan, but Sarah begins to suspect something is wrong with him.
-The team breaks into Verbanski Corp to steal back their assignment. Casey and Gertrude Verbanski have a moment. Chuck confronts Morgan who tells them they aren't friends. Chuck manages to tranq Morgan and they escape.
-Ellie tells Sarsh something has been done to the intersect and when Beckman reveals that she wasn't the one who sent the intersect glasses, the team realizes that Clyde Decker had probably sent them in an effort to do something to Chuck. Chuck also realizes Morgan is losing his memory and who he is.
-Finding Morgan is on his way to the sight of their assignment (to capture a man who has classified CIA secrets), there's a confrontation at a helicopter pad, where Chuck is able to get Morgan to remember who he was, and Casey saves Gertrude after a massive explosion. Carmichael Industries gets their target and an agreement is made to split the bounty with Verbanski Corp.
-The team has some money again, and Morgan is back to normal, but Casey is still mad at him and kicks him out, so Sarah and Chuck let him live with them again. All is well...
-Until Chuck learns from Beckman that the CIA has a kill order out on Morgan for talking about the intersect. We then see Morgan approach his van, with a car bomb underneath.
-To Be Continued.
I Liked This:
I really liked the Chuck/Morgan dynamic, which was the the front and centre of this episode. Morgan has been an important character from the beginning because of his relationship with Chuck, and it was good to see that here. I also enjoyed Casey's romantic subplot with Gertrude. Casey has been lacking a proper romantic interest for some time now, and it's handled well here. I also continue to enjoy Ellie's proper integration into the spy world and Beckman's return was appreciated. I miss her as a character. This was also probably the best episode of the fifth season so far.
But...
The minor Captain Awesome/Buy More subplot wasn't that great. I'm hoping a rehabilitated Jeff sticks though, as that could actually add potential to the Buy More. I'm also a little bummed that Morgan having the intersect is being resolved so soon, but hopefully this'll be a good thing in the long run.
Grade: Captain Awesome! (Great)
Memorable Moments
-The scene where Chuck pantses Morgan, just like Morgan was pantsed in the seventh grade was a clever way to tranq Morgan, who had been able to dodge the darts in bullet time, before that happened.
-Again Captain Awesome's story wasn't that great, but it did lead to a great Jeff line now that he's stopped sleeping under his car and seems normal: “I will not be party to the reckless endangerment of a coworker!”
Showing posts with label Chuck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chuck. Show all posts
Monday, 14 November 2011
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Chuck: Chuck vs. The Zoom
If you had told me back in 2007 that Chuck, one of the first primetime shows I started watching from the beginning would last 5 seasons, I wouldn't have been surprised. I didn't know better. But now that I do know better, I'm amazed this show has lasted as long as it has. By my count, the show has done about 5 different episodes that were designed to be series finales if the show got cancelled. And it seemed really likely that Chuck was a goner last season. But here it is, back for the final(?) time: the fifth chapter of the regular guy turned superspy.
Except this time around, things are a little different. Chuck and company no longer work for the government, thanks to the enigmatic Clyde Decker, and have started a freelance spy company with the fortune they were given by Hartley Winterbottom after he was freed from being stuck in the identity of criminal mastermind, Alexi Volkoff. Chuck also no longer has the Intersect, as Clyde has taken it from him, but he and Sarah are married. Chuck has also bought the Buy More, as a front for his spy business. Ellie is fully aware of Chuck's spy activities and is supportive. And Morgan has accidentally become the new Intersect, after putting on sunglasses that General Beckman had sent to Chuck. It's a bold new status quo and it opens up plenty of exciting possibilities for the final season. And judging by this premiere episode, we're in for a great conclusion.
We open with the members of Carmichael Industries in the midst of a mission: getting a rare vase and microchip from a bad guy played by Mark Hamill, of Star Wars fame. This scene shows where everyone is at and also shows that Chuck and company are still "working out the kinks" of their new business, including their new intersect. Morgan is a much different breed of intersect than Chuck, being more wanting to get into action than Chuck was at first, and less in control of his skills. He also prefers calling his flashes "Zoom's", hence the title of the episode. We don't see much of Morgan in action this episode, but when we do, we see that even with "kinks" to still work out, he's adjusting pretty good.
Not adjusting as good is Chuck, who is missing the intersect and is unsure of his role on this new team, now that he's ordinary again. Even though he's miles away from season 1 Chuck, he still feels inferior on a team with two superspies and an intersect. And much of his emotional arc for this episode has him figuring out who he is on this team: the leader. Before we can get to that point though, he has to be a masseuse on a mission for the bad guy's bodyguard, and step in to save the day on the main mission involving getting money back from a Ponzi-esque villain when Clyde Decker returns to freeze the bad guy's accounts, even though this will expose Chuck's team. This climax- where Chuck uses his brains to work out a plan to get his team out and insist that they leave him, before revealing that he's left his team a message insisting they not leave him and maneuvering them into a position where they can catch him as he causes a distraction, makes a run for it and jumps out a window- works beautifully and is easily the best part of the episode. Not just because it's awesome, but because it confirms what Ellie said and what we knew all along. The intersect
Meanwhile, Chuck is also trying to find a dream home for him and Sarah, without Sarah finding out. This "mission" (Operation: Toes In The Sand. You figure out the acronym.) doesn't go so well for the secrecy part, since Sarah is a super spy. But in the end, he does manage to find the perfect place. There's just one problem though: they're broke. You see, they had already used most of their money starting up the company and on various expenses, and because they made a donation to get into the bad guy's party, Clyde Decker was able to freeze all their leftover money. This is a good twist because it gives our heroes another factor to deal with, plus it makes the Buy More relevant again.
Because, honestly the show should've gotten rid of the Buy More a long time ago. It was fine for the first two seasons and even for the first 13 episodes of season 3, but after they blew it up at the end of season 3, they should've kept it that way. Rebuilding it as a CIA base in season 4 did practically nothing for the show. The Jeff and Lester subplot in this episode was a distraction, but luckily it was short and the conclusion was funny. And since they did keep the thing around, it now provides a source of income for Carmichael Industries. The only problem is Chuck needs to make the store profitable in order for this to happen. This is good for the show and should make for some nice stories going forward. And maybe Chuck and Sarah will even get their dream home someday.
In the meantime, Chuck gets it's final season off to a great start. As sad as I am that this is the final season, I'm grateful that the show has survived this long. And I know that the people behind Chuck can deliver a memorable send-off for the show. Even though I don't think that there's really been some big plan behind the events of the series as the last episode of season 4 and the last scene of this one imply, I for one am looking forward to seeing Chuck face his biggest challenge yet.
Grade: Captain Awesome (Great)
Memorable Moments
-Yeah, I changed the title of the great rating for this show from Totally Awesome to Captain Awesome (who was missing this week.). I felt it fit.
-Morgan's anti-baseball rant was surprisingly timely, considering that Chuck had to go up against game 7 of the world series and nobody saw that coming.
Except this time around, things are a little different. Chuck and company no longer work for the government, thanks to the enigmatic Clyde Decker, and have started a freelance spy company with the fortune they were given by Hartley Winterbottom after he was freed from being stuck in the identity of criminal mastermind, Alexi Volkoff. Chuck also no longer has the Intersect, as Clyde has taken it from him, but he and Sarah are married. Chuck has also bought the Buy More, as a front for his spy business. Ellie is fully aware of Chuck's spy activities and is supportive. And Morgan has accidentally become the new Intersect, after putting on sunglasses that General Beckman had sent to Chuck. It's a bold new status quo and it opens up plenty of exciting possibilities for the final season. And judging by this premiere episode, we're in for a great conclusion.
We open with the members of Carmichael Industries in the midst of a mission: getting a rare vase and microchip from a bad guy played by Mark Hamill, of Star Wars fame. This scene shows where everyone is at and also shows that Chuck and company are still "working out the kinks" of their new business, including their new intersect. Morgan is a much different breed of intersect than Chuck, being more wanting to get into action than Chuck was at first, and less in control of his skills. He also prefers calling his flashes "Zoom's", hence the title of the episode. We don't see much of Morgan in action this episode, but when we do, we see that even with "kinks" to still work out, he's adjusting pretty good.
Not adjusting as good is Chuck, who is missing the intersect and is unsure of his role on this new team, now that he's ordinary again. Even though he's miles away from season 1 Chuck, he still feels inferior on a team with two superspies and an intersect. And much of his emotional arc for this episode has him figuring out who he is on this team: the leader. Before we can get to that point though, he has to be a masseuse on a mission for the bad guy's bodyguard, and step in to save the day on the main mission involving getting money back from a Ponzi-esque villain when Clyde Decker returns to freeze the bad guy's accounts, even though this will expose Chuck's team. This climax- where Chuck uses his brains to work out a plan to get his team out and insist that they leave him, before revealing that he's left his team a message insisting they not leave him and maneuvering them into a position where they can catch him as he causes a distraction, makes a run for it and jumps out a window- works beautifully and is easily the best part of the episode. Not just because it's awesome, but because it confirms what Ellie said and what we knew all along. The intersect
Meanwhile, Chuck is also trying to find a dream home for him and Sarah, without Sarah finding out. This "mission" (Operation: Toes In The Sand. You figure out the acronym.) doesn't go so well for the secrecy part, since Sarah is a super spy. But in the end, he does manage to find the perfect place. There's just one problem though: they're broke. You see, they had already used most of their money starting up the company and on various expenses, and because they made a donation to get into the bad guy's party, Clyde Decker was able to freeze all their leftover money. This is a good twist because it gives our heroes another factor to deal with, plus it makes the Buy More relevant again.
Because, honestly the show should've gotten rid of the Buy More a long time ago. It was fine for the first two seasons and even for the first 13 episodes of season 3, but after they blew it up at the end of season 3, they should've kept it that way. Rebuilding it as a CIA base in season 4 did practically nothing for the show. The Jeff and Lester subplot in this episode was a distraction, but luckily it was short and the conclusion was funny. And since they did keep the thing around, it now provides a source of income for Carmichael Industries. The only problem is Chuck needs to make the store profitable in order for this to happen. This is good for the show and should make for some nice stories going forward. And maybe Chuck and Sarah will even get their dream home someday.
In the meantime, Chuck gets it's final season off to a great start. As sad as I am that this is the final season, I'm grateful that the show has survived this long. And I know that the people behind Chuck can deliver a memorable send-off for the show. Even though I don't think that there's really been some big plan behind the events of the series as the last episode of season 4 and the last scene of this one imply, I for one am looking forward to seeing Chuck face his biggest challenge yet.
Grade: Captain Awesome (Great)
Memorable Moments
-Yeah, I changed the title of the great rating for this show from Totally Awesome to Captain Awesome (who was missing this week.). I felt it fit.
-Morgan's anti-baseball rant was surprisingly timely, considering that Chuck had to go up against game 7 of the world series and nobody saw that coming.
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