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Chuck Rundown: Episode 20, "Chuck vs. The First Kill"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:30:39 -0700

I wish I'd kept track of how many times someone said the word "trust" on this week's episode of Chuck, but suffice to say it was a lot. "Trust me," "I can't trust her," "Can you trust them?" - pretty much every variation imaginable popped up in "Chuck vs. The First Kill." So who can Chuck trust? To chat about it, just read more.

OK, if I were Chuck Bartowski, I'd be feeling awfully paranoid right now. With the exceptions of Ellie, Awesome, and Morgan, everyone in Chuck's life has ended up somehow connected to the spy world or to Fulcrum or to the Intersect in his brain. His dad's captured, his ex was even more evil than he imagined, and Sarah and Casey are increasingly at odds with the government on how to handle his secret. So yeah, trust is probably pretty top-of-mind for him these days. But what good does that do if the answer is that Chuck can't trust anyone?

Well, he can trust Sarah. We think. So far. And that's the big twist at the end of this episode: Chuck and Sarah are on the run, disobeying orders, ditching Chuck's tracking watch in a shopping basket at the Buy More (pity the poor shopper who picks it up . . . ). Beckman wants the mission shut down; keeping track of the increasingly squirrelly Chuck has become too dangerous, and Sarah's supposed to use Chuck's overwhelming trust of her to lure him into the Castle, where he'll be tranq-darted courtesy of Casey and shipped off to DC. But it turns out the government shouldn't have trusted Sarah so easily; she tells Chuck it's all a lie. Good thing for Chuck, and for us, that Sarah managed to keep her job a few episodes back, huh? Had the new handler been in charge, Chuck would probably be in an underground holding cell by now. Beckman has a point, though: Chuck's still pretty naive, even after all he's been through, and his trust of Jill means another Fulcrum agent is running free. But Chuck was right on that one; Jill did actually help, and it looks like instead of heading back to Fulcrum, she's just going to disappear for a while - maybe to Helsinki?

Speaking of which - this episode had a lot of laughs despite the dramatic finish, including the bittersweet awkwardness of Chuck and Jill's faux-engagement party and Chuck's first two kills, both at the hands of The Morgan. I love Chuck pointing out that he really is too nice a guy to let the Fulcrum agent drop 15 floors to his death, right before some faulty suit stitching wrecks all of Chuck's best intentions. The Buy More crew is also on fire as they first make a mess of the store to try to get Emmett kicked out, then suddenly put on their best behavior (and suits! even Jeff!) to get Millbarge promoted out of Burbank. Oh, little did they know, the first plan would have been better: Now it looks like they're stuck with Emmett for good, and poor, trusting Morgan is cast out.

Some other thoughts:

I'm surprised the government ponied up for a real engagement ring. Cubic zirconia probably would have been sufficient.
Love Casey trying to cheat off Chuck on the Fulcrum test - and Chuck positioning his elbow over his answers, grade school-style.
Ha: "Permission to drop the twerp into a deep, dark hole, General?" "Granted."
Also awesome: Casey blasting through the window with his gun, all "Looks like I passed that test."
The Fulcrum recruitment video was kind of crazy - a mix of American-as-apple-pie heartwarming images and horrible bloody things.

Chuck and Sarah are on the run, Chuck's dad is back near Barstow, and Fulcrum can't be far from learning Chuck's secret. These next two episodes better not be the last - save Chuck!

Photos courtesy of NBC

Chuck Rundown: Episode Eight, "Chuck vs. The Gravitron"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:30:12 -0800

Revenge can be sweet, can't it? On this week's Chuck, we find out what happens to you when you break a guy's heart, sleep with his best friend, turn up later to profess your love, and wind up being a government spy. (Short answer: nothing good.) But revenge isn't easy, as Chuck's feelings and general naivete get in the way time and again. To chat about this episode, just read more.

All season, we've built up to Chuck actually being a competent spy, andin "Chuck vs. The Gravitron," he does a lot of rather hardcore stuff: starting the Gravitron; running away into the hall of mirrors; hacking into the Castle's computer system; kissing Jill even after he knows she's out to get him, all for the sake of the mission. No matter how much you were initially rooting for Chuck and Jill's romance, didn't you cheer a little bit when he led her into the "detention" version of the Nerd Mobile?

Not that it was easy. Chuck's emotions get in the way a lot, and once in particular it seems nearly fatal - not just for himself but for Casey and Sarah as well. When Jill's hooked up to the lie detector, he sees his chance to finally get some answers about whether Jill loved him. He's relieved to learn that Jill never slept with Bryce at all; that was just Fulcrum's way of getting her out of the relationship. But at the slightest hint that they could be together again, Chuck gets all stupid and frees her. Sure enough, Chuck has a gun pointed at his brain just seconds later. Good thing he's used to that sort of thing by now.

Instead of a traditional love triangle, this episode has more of a "please don't kill me" triangle, with Sarah begging Jill not to hurt Chuck and Chuck begging Sarah not to hurt Jill (but going after Jill when he sees he's about to hurt Sarah). And has there ever been a better arrest line than "You're under arrest, Jill, and I'm breaking up with you"? But the finest moment belongs to Big Mike, who responds to the distress call at the Buy More still all gussied up in his fishing gear, throws Leader into a wall of electronics, and then congratulates Casey for stopping theft.

Some other thoughts:

Ellie's completely hilarious in this episode, freaking out about Thanksgiving with the Awesomes by cooking test turkeys and uninviting Morgan. When the Awesomes can't make it, she realizes what a mistake she made - which is good, because Morgan's already outside, rustling around in a garbage can for one of the test turkeys.
Also, good for Ellie for finally getting Chuck's hot-girl slo-mo treatment.
For the record, I don't know where they'd put a carnival in Palo Alto.
Loved the Buy More scenes, with Jeff carefully setting his trip wire ("it's kind of sad - he tripped over it last year") and Lester being shocked that there's more to Thanksgiving than turkey wrapped in plastic.
No matter how much Chuck might have wanted to believe in Jill, the Intersect in his brain doesn't lie. The second he knew her Fulcrum nickname, it was over.
Fulcrum's pretty creepy, huh? From leadership seminars to controlling your love life.
The end of Big Mike's sob story about thieves: "Husky lads throughout Burbank went without britches for Christmas."

So, Jill's detained, Chuck's single again, and Thanksgiving's saved for another year. And somehow, Fulcrum still doesn't know Chuck's the intersect - but I doubt we've seen the last of them. What did you all think?

Photos courtesy of NBC

TV Tonight: Chuck

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:15:49 -0800

The last time we saw Chuck Bartowski, he was in a fancy convertible, wind in his hair, heading down a Southern California freeway with his once and future girlfriend by his side. Sweet, right? Yeah . . . except that Jill's actually a devious (and possibly murderous) rogue spy who's after the computer's worth of secrets crammed into Chuck's brain.

On tonight's Chuck, our geeky hero will need to wrest himself out of Jill's grasp - plus come to terms with the fact that both his best friend (Bryce) and his possible soul mate (Jill) have spent the past year making his life even more miserable than it already was. Of course, his hot spy cover girl, Sarah, is one bright spot - but can they ever have a real relationship? Well, not if Chuck doesn't get out of this alive, that's for sure.

Of course, all bets are that Chuck finds a way to survive; his name's in the title of the show, after all. But Chuck has been particularly good this season at getting Chuck into and out of ridiculous predicaments, and I'm curious to see what crazy twists the writers have cooked up for tonight. It all goes down against the backdrop of Thanksgiving, with Elle trying to once again cook up a perfect dinner. To check out a preview, read more.

Chuck Rundown: Episode Seven, "Chuck Vs. The Fat Lady"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:30:38 -0800

On this week's Chuck, people start to get a little suspicious of our secret agent nerd. Jill's jealous of his dalliances with Sarah and can't believe Chuck has no feelings for a woman who goes to work in a tight red dress with fishnet stockings; Emmett wonders where Chuck actually goes all day; and Morgan begins to doubt that Chuck is being completely honest with him. But Chuck's secrets don't even turn out to be the most interesting ones in this episode. To talk about it, just read more.

Jill's a spy, you guys! And not just a spy but a Fulcrum agent, a rogue (like Bryce) who's after the Intersect - and, therefore, Chuck. I was a bit suspicious of Jill from the start - if Bryce became a spy, and Chuck got kicked out of Stanford so he wouldn't become a spy, what were the chances that the girl who came between them had nothing whatsoever to do with spying? But I'd almost convinced myself she was clean. I mean, she looked so legitimately terrified when held at gunpoint, and she seemed so devoted to Chuck. She couldn't really be out to get him, right? Uh, wrong. She is. And at this moment, she's driving Chuck somewhere along a California freeway, wind in her hair, most likely knowing that the CIA is going to have to work extra-hard to find them.

Of course, maybe if Chuck weren't so naive, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation. Sure, he can solve puzzles, and he's getting better at being a spy, but he's also got very little common sense. I get that the guy wants his privacy, but couldn't he at least take the tracking watch with him? And I know he's in love with Jill, but really, committing treason and putting himself in the line of fire (again) by stealing government property? If I had the opportunity to have the NSA and CIA keeping me out of trouble all the time, I'd roll with it, you know?

Meanwhile, this episode also tests Morgan's devotion to Chuck, as Emmett continues his mission of exposing Chuck Bartowski as something other than an upstanding member of the Nerd Herd. The scenes of Emmett attempting to blackmail the rest of the Buy More crew cracked me up (and Jeff continues to be on fire: "I don't rat. Only thing my mother taught me from the joint."), but the stuff with Morgan confronting Chuck had some real emotion behind it. More than anything, Morgan wants to be in, and Chuck's lie about Jill keeps Morgan on the outside. (Of course, he can't even imagine the extent of the other lies Chuck's been telling.) He's a true friend, though, and thanks to Emmett's hard night with a wine cooler, he has enough dirt to take the heat off Chuck for a while.

Some other thoughts:

That makes two shower scenes this year (. . . that I can remember) for Sarah, just one for Chuck. Any excuse to get those two soapy and naked is fine with me, even if it's a spray of powdered Hi-C.
Was Comic-Con an official sponsor of this episode?
Gotta love the out-of-context pocket dial from Chuck to Jill: She thinks Chuck and Sarah are having sex; Chuck's just stuck in a ventilation system. Do you think Jill is actually concerned that Chuck might be cheating, or is it all acting for the sake of her mission?
Emmett: "What is he into, Morgan? Uppers? Glue? A baby mama?"
Nerd code!

So much for Chuck's stable, real-life girlfriend. How will he get free of Jill? Will anyone take down Fulcrum? And should Chuck accept that his life will never be normal?

Photos courtesy of NBC

Chuck Rundown: Episode Six, "Chuck vs. The Ex"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:30:23 -0800

On this week's Chuck, we finally meet Jill, the ex-girlfriend who toyed with Chuck's heart and ultimately left him for Bryce Larkin (a not-uncommon theme in Chuck's life). She's gorgeous, she's smart - you can tell by the glasses - and she's eager to catch up with Chuck. She's also tied up in this week's mission, which adds some urgency to their unexpected reunion. Ready to talk about it? Just read more.

Jill reappears in Chuck's life just when he's caught himself thinking about her - specifically about the way things ended - while listening to "Jill Mix '03" on his iPhone. Their final moments together looked so painful that I was surprised it was a flashback and not a dream sequence, with Chuck insisting that he hadn't stolen tests and Jill's roommate hollering from the window that Jill was with Bryce now. So when Jill pops up, all sleek and professional and multiple-degreed, Chuck turns on the lying machine to make Jill think his life is awesome. You know, he owns a bunch of computer stores! He owns a hot, red convertible (that he can't figure out how to drive)! He's so popular at one fancy restaurant that everyone knows his name!

Thanks to an intrusion from Lester and Jeff, Jill figures out the lies and is none too keen on seeing Chuck again. But she still doesn't know the biggest truth of all: that he's actually working with the CIA, and their current mission involves investigating Jill's boss. Guy LeFleur turns out to be on the side of good, having researched and isolated a particular superbug, but he dies at the hands of a henchman who wants to use it for evil. What's more, the henchman is a CIA agent and Fulcrum member - so we're back to that. Meanwhile, the agent releases a superbug in a room full of conference-goers, and Chuck and Jill must team up to save their lives. Chuck deciding that swapping spit with Casey could save his life was hysterical, especially when Jill shows up in full Hazmat gear to tell him that's the dumbest thing she's ever heard.

The emotional stuff in this episode really worked for me: I believe that Chuck isn't over Jill and desperately wants her back, enough to bring that whole army of police officers with him when he finally tells the truth. And I suspect that this is going to be very hard for Sarah, as she sees what it might be like if Chuck could have an actual relationship with someone who has a whole history (and real name).

Some other thoughts:

Jeff is on fire these past few episodes! He's by far the best part of the Buy More CPR storyline, down to swallowing the pen cap so that everyone else can learn the Heimlich by watching him choke.
I wish there had been even more interaction between Captain Awesome and the Buy More staffers, but the scene with Morgan sneaking in to steal the test (and ending up with Ellie's ~~panties~~ underpants) is pretty classic on its own.
Chuck on buying a new suit: "I told you! Coupon!"
Casey's wig in the dinner scene is amazing.
"What's wrong with you?" Love these answers: "I drink too much." "My parents had impossible standards."
Naturally, Sarah had to wear glasses when she attempted to present a paper at the conference. It's the universal signal for smart.

So, Chuck and Jill are all lovey-dovey again. Good for him - but I'm suspicious of anyone involved with Bryce Larkin, so I'm not sure we know all there is to know about Jill yet. The next couple of weeks should be juicy. What did you think of this one?

Photos courtesy of NBC

TV Tonight: Chuck

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:30:20 -0800

If there's one thing we've known from the very first moments of NBC's Chuck, it's that Chuck's ex-girlfriend seriously screwed up his life. In the pilot episode, he's mooning over her so much, he can't even talk to the other girls at his birthday party. The list of things making Chuck's life miserable back then probably would have gone something like: Stanford, Bryce Larkin, and Jill.

Well, Bryce and Chuck have had a couple of chances to work through their issues (not that Chuck doesn't still hate him), and Chuck's got a Stanford diploma, so it's fitting that tonight's episode finds Chuck taking on the third item on that list when Jill (Jordana Brewster) resurfaces during one of Chuck's Nerd Herd calls. She's not supposed to know Chuck's working with the CIA, but from the looks of things in the promo below, that's not going to last long. Jill will be around for at least a couple of episodes, and I'm curious to see how she fits into the story. Will Chuck get another chance at love after all? To watch the promo, just read more.

Photo courtesy of NBC

Buzz News Roundup, 7/14

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:00:18 -0700

Army Wives will be back for a third season, with 18 episodes scheduled to air sometime in 2009, Zap2it reports.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms will star together in a "bachelor-party comedy" titled Hangover.
Jordana Brewster will guest-star on Chuck as Jill, the college girlfriend who legendarily broke Chuck's heart, reports Entertainment Weekly.
The success of Wall-E has apparently sparked new talk of a Hello, Dolly stage revival, Variety reports.
ABC and FX topped GLAAD's annual "responsibility index," Reuters reports, while NBC and Fox, among others, received failing grades.
ComingSoon has the news that Jon Heder will star in another Napoleon Dynamite-type oddball comedy, titled Loudermilk.
Gio wins? Ugly Betty's Christopher Gorham has been cast in the CBS midseason series Harper's Island - though ABC still insists we haven't seen the last of Henry, TV Guide reports.
ComingSoon writes that Fox has acquired the screen rights to the recent NYT bestseller One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War.

Photo courtesy of Lifetime