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Chuck Rundown: Episode Five, "Chuck vs. Tom Sawyer"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:42:20 -0700

Wow, this week's episode of Chuck was one geek-iriffic hour. At one point, I asked my boyfriend, "Is Missile Command a real game?" He responded by burying his head in his hands (and bringing up a Wikipedia entry about kill screens). So maybe this one tested the outer limits of my geek cred; I think it's a tribute to Chuck that it didn't matter one bit. To talk about it, just read more.

Of all the Buy More folks who have gotten a spotlight episode of Chuck, Jeff is definitely my favorite. Who knew he was once a mulleted videogame champ, surrounded by beautiful women (were they part of the prize package?) and with "so many tasty options" for the rest of his life. Of course, 20 years later, the not-so-tasty option he's taken is the one where he's a Nerd Herder with a stalkerish fondness for Anna. Buy More: where ambition goes to die.

Jeff's not the No. 1 person I'd choose to be in control of the fate of the world, but that's exactly what happens. Embedded within every game of Missile Command are the codes for controlling a satellite that could launch World War III - and nobody, not even Jeff, has gotten that far in the game. Chuck's mission, then, is to bond socially with Jeff ("Great, so it comes down to either torturing him or torturing me") and convince him to make a Missile Command comeback. Fueled by red cough syrup, M&Ms (but no brown ones), and Anna dressed as a hula girl, he decides to do it . . . until the pressure of being on stage surrounded by his paunchy, nerdy, very single fans gets to him and he passes out cold.

Not to despair: Chuck takes the controls, realizes that the rhythm of the game matches that of Rush's "Tom Sawyer", and plays all the way to the kill screen, getting the satellite code, averting mass global destruction, and becoming a geek hero. Chuck saves world! I loved the scene of him standing by the game console, beaming, as he gets applause from a room full of nerds who knew they'd just witnessed greatness - but didn't realize just how great it was. And there's another triumph to come: Sarah and Casey arrange for Chuck to receive a Stanford diploma. A college graduate and savior of the world? Everything really is coming up Bartowski.

Some other thoughts:

For all the drama, this episode is also truly funny, from Awesome telling Chuck his special smoothie "does wonders for your wang energy" to Chuck getting out of a trip to Jeff's place by claiming an allergy to "every member of the polecat family."
Tony Hale's here! He's Emmett, the new Buy More assistant manager, and he clearly has it out for Chuck. Loved him reporting a "lewd use of a musical montage."
Jeff has drinking pants! And a "My name is Jeff and I'm lost" card.
Lester and Morgan are hilarious as they mourn the potential loss of their best friends. Chuck would never really reject a guy who owns a smoke machine and was a roadie for Mamma Mia! though.
Casey looks super awkward in his version of the Buy More uniform; Sarah just looks hot.
Nice random Zune diss! "No, I'm kidding. I'll get my iPod."
The episode ends on something of a wistful note, with Chuck making a wish on a burning-up satellite and Jeff approaching the Missile Command console, quarter in hand.

Are you looking forward to more Tony Hale? Surprised by anything in Jeff's past? Happy to learn that Chuck's middle name is Irving? Discuss!

Photos courtesy of NBC

Buzz News Roundup, 10/22

BuzzSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:32:07 -0700

Private Practice has been picked up for a full second season. - TV Week
Anne Hathaway will star in the romantic comedy The Fiance. - ComingSoon
Dominic Monaghan will guest-star in Chuck's 3-D episode in February. - Entertainment Weekly
Whoa - NBC might make a few more episodes of ER. - The Hollywood Reporter
Ashton Kutcher will star as a former hit man in the action-comedy Five Killers. - Variety
Tony Hale and newcomer Ben Koldyke have been cast as the leads in the Fox pilot Boldly Going Nowhere. - Zap2it
Naomi Watts is in talks to take the lead role in the based-on-a-true-story drama My Name Is Jody Williams. - The Hollywood Reporter
Kenny Chesney has scored his fifth No. 1 album on The Billboard 200. - Billboard

Buster's Turn! Tony Hale Cast on Chuck, Samantha Who?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:33:45 -0700

Remember that week when Arrested Development alumni were getting cast in things all over the place? Well, possibly the wackiest member of the Bluth gang - Tony Hale, who played mama's boy Buster - was nowhere to be found. But no more! The Hollywood Reporter made my morning with its story that Hale has landed recurring roles on two series, NBC's Chuck and ABC's Samantha Who?

On Samantha, Hale will play Andy Adams, a new doctor for amnesiac Samantha (Christina Applegate). OK, fine. But what I'm really ready for is his turn on Chuck: He's playing Emmett, a new assistant manager at Buy More who surely will have numerous chances to torture Chuck, Morgan, and the gang. According to the Reporter, Emmett makes his entrance as an efficiency expert sent in from corporate to whip the Buy More into shape but ends up staying on when he realizes just how poorly the store is run.

Neither of those roles sounds quite as absurd as the hook-handed Buster, but I'm thrilled to get to see Hale back on TV after his all-too-short run as the best thing about Andy Barker, PI. Does his casting make you more curious about either show?

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TV Preview: "Andy Barker, P.I."

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:36:32 -0700

Andy Barker is, well, a pretty boring guy. He's an accountant prone to wearing putty-colored suits, and the closest he gets to cursing is muttering "oh, cheese and crackers!" But then he moves into the office of a former private investigator and inherits some of the man's clients, thrusting himself into a life of murder, mystery, and mayhem.

That's the premise of "Andy Barker, P.I.," Andy Richter's cop-drama spoof, which premieres Thursday as part of NBC's new comedy lineup. After checking out a couple of episodes, I have both good news and bad news about the show. The bad: The premiere episode isn't wonderful. The good: Other episodes are much better, giving me hope that "Andy Barker" could become a great comedy if NBC gives it time to grow.

The show is simultaneously silly and sincere, and much of the credit for that tone goes to Richter, whose bumbling Andy approaches investigative work with the childlike enthusiasm of a guy who watches "Law & Order" reruns in bed at night. But the show's supporting characters really make the show work, so read more

Tony "Buster Bluth" Hale and Marshall Manesh are great as the friends who become Andy's detective team, and I couldn't get enough of Harve Presnell as Lew Staziak, the crusty old detective whose office Andy now occupies.

But for my money, the best supporting character is Andy's secretary, played by Nicole Randall Johnson. I loved her in "Significant Others," and in "Andy Barker," she embraces the sassy clerk stereotype and twists it so even the tired jokes feel fresh. In fact, that could be said of the show as a whole: It sticks close to TV conventions, but it knows how to play with them so they're funny again. The one exception might be Andy's wife, Jenny, whose earnestness is so over-the-top, it's grating.

"Andy Barker" is only getting five episodes as a try-out - six if you include the online exclusive - and that might not be enough time for the show to catch on. But "The Office" only got six episodes in its first season, failed to build much of an audience, and came back to become one of the best shows on TV. I'm not sure if that will happen to "Andy Barker," but the show certainly has potential. Can't wait till Thursday? You can watch all the episodes online right now.

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Why "Andy Barker" Should Do Better Than "The Knights of Prosperity"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 10:08:57 -0700

Watching the first few episodes of "Andy Barker, P.I." the other day, I was struck by its similarities to one of this year's other new comedies: the now-departed "Knights of Prosperity."

I was a big fan of "Knights" before its cancellation, and "Andy Barker" shares its screwball tone, layered with lots of pop-culture references and jokes that arise when normal folks are thrust into glamorous, intriguing circumstances. Interestingly, both shows also came from late-night writers: David Letterman's Worldwide Pants crew handled "Knights," while Conan O'Brien co-created "Andy Barker."

At first, those similarities made me fear that "Andy Barker" would end up following the low-audience, quick-cancellation path of "Knights." But upon further reflection, I think "Andy Barker" has a much better chance at survival. To find out why, read more

For several reasons, I think "Andy Barker" really should do better than "Knights." Consider:

"Knights" was a true serial where every episode built on the last, but each "Andy Barker" plot stands alone. A new viewer could pop in at any time and catch up - which is good, because each of the "Andy Barker" episodes I saw was better than the last.

"Andy Barker" has a better-known cast. While Donal Logue has his fans, Andy Richter built up a cult following from his time on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "Andy Richter Controls the Universe." The cast also includes Tony Hale, better known as Buster Bluth of the "Arrested Development" clan, another actor people are eager to see again.
"Andy Barker" is on NBC, which has made a point of developing and nurturing quirky little comedies. While "Knights" was unlike anything else on ABC and felt weird next to "According to Jim" and "George Lopez," "Andy Barker" makes perfect sense in NBC's Thursday lineup.
Also, NBC has proven willing to stick with comedies that don't get great ratings but deliver quality shows ("The Office" in its first season, for example). And NBC doesn't seem trigger-happy when a show doesn't hit right away: The early episodes of "30 Rock" were a mess, but it's developed into one of the funniest shows on TV.

So my hopes are high for "Andy Barker." Stay tuned for my full preview later today, and don't forget you can watch all the episodes online if you don't feel like waiting for Thursdays.

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