Tuesday 9 March 2010

Chuck v the Beard

Chuck v the Beard was perhaps the best episode of the current season. A throwback to previous seasons it was fun filled hour with humour, drama, Buy More shenanigans & Jeffster! I had a perma grin on my face throughout the episode & can't wait for what Schwartz, Fedak et all have in store for next week. Here are some more thoughts on the Chuck v the Beard:

  • Having Morgan find out about Chuck's secret was brilliant. I was convinced he'd be the last to know & thought the potential for conflict as well as comedy in that storyline would mean that it was continually mined. However the way Morgan handled the situation had me in stitches. From his awesome reaction to finding out Chuck's secret to his prodding of the Ring agent Ewok style he simply was terrific. With Morgan on side Chuck knows he has someone to rely on. Alongside Ellie, Morgan has always been Chuck's closest confidant. Losing that has upset Chuck deeply as he has alluded to on several occasions. Now with Morgan to fall back on Chuck will be more grounded while also enabling him to be a better spy. The conflicts in Chuck's life whether that be the perennial question about Sarah or the hiding/lying to Ellie have been a great burden on Chuck. He now has a release valve through the person he can rely on the most. And in terms of comedic potential there's plenty of it where Morgan's concerned.
  • Is it me or is Shaw turning into a liability for Team Bartowski. The Ring know he's alive & are coming after him even harder. At the same time he seems as determined to take them down. The fact that his wife was killed by them may be clouding his judgement something a spy should not allow as he told Sarah when he wanted to blow up Castle with Chuck inside. As yet he hasn't provided any clear intelligence that would help the Team take down or even harm the Ring. If he is to justify his position as Team leader he has to offer something other than love interest for Sarah.
  • The Ring agents provided the typical Chuck plot holes for the episode. How comes there wasn't a team waiting at the hotel to take out Casey, Sarah & Shaw? Having found the information they were after surely they should have moved quickly to get it back to headquarters? And the delay in killing Casey & Chuck/Morgan was classic bad guy duh moment. Why don't we untie the secret agent so that he can take us all out?
  • Zachary Levi's directorial debut was very good. It did not stand out as massively different from a typical Chuck episode but I did like the different touches he employed such as the flash grenade used by Casey as he enters the Ring agent's hotel room. Also surprisingly given that he was directing the show Zachary Levi had plenty of screen time.
  • The Buy More shenanigans were as usual hilarious. Some people don't like that element of the show but for me it is an integral part of the show as the intersect. The best bits were the apple swallowing by Jeff, the Buy More revolution with a recreation of the marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima only with the Buy Moria flag instead, Jeff Barnes complaining about stress at the Buy More! And of course all capped with the long awaited return of Jeffster! Also loved the reference to tragically departed Emmett Milbarge in the form of the Buy Moria flag & the mace.
  • Awesome was awesome for a bit until his kryptonite made a re-appearance. Devon's reaction to the whole Chuck spy world shows he is more than college frat boy. As opposed to Morgan he offers a serious perspective on the danger the spy world presents. None more so than the danger to Ellie. From the outside it might all appear to be sexy, glamorous & action packed but there is a huge price to pay for getting caught up in international espionage. And it's a price Devon is not willing to contend.
  • That said I would hate the thought of Devon & Ellie being off the show for an extended length of time. The Chuck/Ellie relationship is central to the show & their slightly weird little family when you add in Morgan & Awesome contrasts nicely with the spy world all that entails.
Best Quotes from Chuck v the Beard
  1. "Bag'em & tag'em Sarah" Morgan Grimes coolly adapts to the spy world.
  2. "The only thing I hate more than hippy, neo-liberal fascist anarchists are the hypocrite fat cat suits they eventually grow up to become." - John Casey sincerely wanting in on the Buy Moria revolution
  3. "I just reclaimed my awesomeness" - An exasperated Devon 'Captain Awesome' Woodcomb as he realises he's in the middle of another spy operation.
  4. "Just a little something I use to take the edge off a stressful day" - Jeff Barnes proves appearances can be deceiving as working at the Buy More is capable of inducing stress.
  5. "Do not wager against the brown beauty & the snake" - Lester Patel as he Jeff strike again in winning money off their clueless colleagues.
  6. "You're the best Nerd Herder we have" - Morgan. Even with Chuck hardly there he still proves to be the best of the Nerd Herders, which is not surprising when you consider his competition is Jeff & Lester.

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