Chuck vs. The Undercover Lover
After way too long a wait,
Chuck returned with two new episodes tonight. Why they were on a Thursday and separated by a part as mysterious as the one in Donald Trump's hair is beyond me, but hey, I'll take what I can get!
First up, we got a glimpse of Casey like we've never seen him: a besotted romantic. As Chuck proclaimed, "It's alive!" So what, or who, had Casey smiling, for a change? A Russian photojournalist named Ilsa, who moments after receiving a necklace from him, walked into a bomb. Poor Casey...his flashback on it was heartbreaking. Not a minute later, Chuck flashes on the mother lode of Intersect info: a cache of Russian weapons dealers all staying at a local hotel. But also in the bunch? Casey's lost love. And she's the guest of honor as the bride-to-be of the big baddie. Poor, poor Casey.
Chuck was the perfect blend of nosy and nice, helping (or so he thought)Casey win back his lady. But then Chuck discovered something else about Ilsa: she was actually a spy herself on a mission, and she had to tell John goodbye, returning the symbolic necklace. Poor, poor, poor Casey.
Choosing to lose himself in some Scotch and sappy Neil Diamond, Casey crashed at his place until Chuck came in to check on him. In the process, a Russian bug was found on Ilsa's necklace: her spy cover had been blown and she was in danger. Casey stumbled to arms and he and Chuck raced to the hotel to halt the wedding. But they didn't stop to think that THEY had been picked up by the bug too, so they walked right into a trap. A dramatic fight scene and a really high dive into the pool (ouch) later, Casey saves the day and his woman.
Elsewhere, Ellie and Awesome hit a rough patch in their relationship, and it was Morgan to the rescue, of all people. Morgan's "retail therapist" routine was surpisingly effective. But where was Anna?
There was so much to love in this episode (and I mean beyond just having the show back!). Here are only a few of the great moments:
" The Buy More poker night. I'm surprised Awesome didn't want to stick around to at least take off his shirt, but I can understand why he wanted out of there when the other guys went for their belts.
" Chuck's face at getting caught under the bed when Ilsa and Casey were about to get reacquainted. And then Casey holding the gun at the bed when the Russian was there with Ilsa.
" Fan girls everywhere should be thrilled that there was finally some shirtless Casey action.
" A quality guy fight, complete with yet more examples of just how hard-headed Casey is when the thugs repeatedly broke hands punching him.
" Casey's slo-mo from the pool, in all his dripping, steamy goodness.
" She looks good with a gun. Such a Casey line!
" Casey shoving Chuck away at the end. Who didn't see that coming? But it was still funny.
That was by no means even remotely close to all the great stuff, but I need to keep this short so I have room for the next episode. So let's hear what stood out for you in this one!
Now on to Chuck.2 for the evening.
Chuck found a bug at the store, and it turned out not to be from the CIA or the NSA. With Chuck's cover possibly compromised, the agencies went into full exterminator mode looking for the rest of the bugs. And to do that, they cleaned out the store...literally. After finding over two dozen more devices, but no receiver, the intrepid trio followed a convoluted trail that led to Morgan, Big Mike's marlin, and a delivery girl who hid her identity better than her bosom. But it was too late: Chuck was called in to a secure bunker for his safety. Sarah got there just in time to say goodbye, but the agent was killed by the mole. One chick fight later, Chuck is off the hook, and Big Mike's marlin was back on the wall.
Morgan and the Buy More crew were back to being annoying, sadly. I wanted to reach into the screen and throttle those three morons. When Chuck slapped Morgan, I cheered. He so deserved it for such a long time. And again, where was Anna?
The subplot dealing with Awesome's ring was, to me, more important than Chuck's cover being blown. Maybe because I knew that wouldn't happen, and while I should have known nothing would happen to the ring either, it just seemed like more of a probability. But it also kept Chuck "real" in that he was more concerned about it than himself or the implications of his secret getting out.
So for now, all is right in the world for Chuck, but the ending scene, with Casey and Sarah on the outside looking in, was ominous. Let's hope we see more
Chuck soon, as the clever cast commercials promised (weren't those a hoot!?).
Thoughts? Let's hear what you thought of this two-for Thursday edition of the Nerd Herd Hero.
There's even more Chuck
in our
Online Video Guide.
Check it out!
