Chuck – A perfect blend of everything that makes this show fun

Wow, kudos to the Chuck writing team. If ever there was an episode that captured every little nuance and quirk that makes Chuck such a fun show to watch, it was this one. It’s also key to note the use of the word fun. Like summer blockbusters, Chuck is the kind of show you sit down with a giant tub of popcorn, maybe some booze and a bunch of buddies to laugh, shout and throw things at the screen. Okay, maybe things got a little carried away last night but you can’t take this stuff too seriously.

But seriously, we got a little bit of everything tonight, except for Big Mike and Emmett who were conspicuously absent. Other than that, we touched base in a meaningful way with every single member of the cast.

Chuck & Morgan – Their friendship has been a backbone of this show since the beginning, and one of the major pieces connecting the spy world to the Buy More world. Tonight, Chuck risked everything to come to Morgan’s rescue, and Morgan … well he actually grew up a little bit. Not that he wasn’t spying on Anna in an incredibly involved and creepy way, but that he owned up to his own shortcomings and actually determined to go out and face the music with the Triad. Of course, he didn’t realize that the only reason the Triad thought he was a spy was because they found Chuck’s bug (seriously Chuck, you couldn’t have put that on the inside of the leg where it was less visible?).

Casey & Sarah – Downplaying the simmering “love” between Sarah and Chuck, we instead got a pretty straight-up spy caper performance out of Chuck’s handlers this week. A particular high note was when Casey was hanging onto the roof of Chuck’s car trying to negotiate his way in. Kudos on the remote control so that Casey could drive from the passenger side, but for some reason I thought we knew already that was possible. Still, we did get the contrived ending where Sarah thinks Chuck died in the explosion so she can get all emotional for a second before he steps into the frame. Just shut up and eat your popcorn. None of this is to be taken too seriously.

Jeffster – As proof of how not seriously to take the show, I present to you Jeffster. I don’t know when Jeff and Lester formed a band, but their storyline tied in perfectly with Awesome and Ellie’s. We even got that popcorn feel-good moment in the end when Jeffster got to audition for the engaged duo. Of course, they didn’t take it so far as to actually hire them, but the moment was still there. More popcorn?

Couples – Tonight was about couples. Of course we have Chuck and Sarah pining over one another, but it was Morgan’s pining over Anna that drove the plot of the entire episode. Then there’s Devon and Ellie, Jeff and Lester, hell, even the General is going out for drinks with Condoleezza Rice. Poor Casey, he’s all alone on this one. At least he has his gun. I can’t even imagine Casey in a relationship.

Car Chases, Chick Fights and Explosions – Come on now, what more do you need? We had two hot chicks fighting in a car and a car chase. But what is it that makes any summer blockbuster memorable? EXPLOSIONS! Okay, it was only a car but still it was a fiery explosion. This is a television budget, after all. But man, did they get the formula just right.

Clacked by Jason Hughes
on Feb 25, 2009 @ 10:00 EST5EDT