(S02E17) Oh my my. It seems that things are really starting to shift on Chuck. Relationships are being reassessed, Chuck is being forced into certain directions, and before this season (and hopefully not the series) ends, I expect Charles to be forever altered by the events that occur. And I think Big Mike and Morgan have bonded like father and son, which may or may not be such a good thing. More on all the developments on Chuck after the jump -- just in case you haven't watch yet.
The more I think about Chuck and his Tron poster, the more I feel that at some point Chuck is only going to get the Intersect out of his head by going into the computer to face it. I'm not sure what "it" is, but there's some connection and in the movie, Jeff Bridges had to become part of the machine.
Using all the clues he's collected on the back of said Tron poster, Chuck went rogue this week -- and good for him! It's about time he asserted himself. He didn't go all The Prisoner -- "I am not a number!" -- but he did think and act for himself. Without permission or reporting to Sarah and Casey, he launched a computer search for Orion. Orion, who may or may not be related to Chuck responded in a sort of War Games style, typing messages onto the computer screen. What little we saw of Orion sort of looked like the black spy from Mad Magazine's Spy vs. Spy.
Unfortunately for Chuck, he's the only person motivated to get the Intersect out of his brain. It's became abundantly clear that to the General (who's probably shorter than Judge Judy) that he's only an asset. A valuable asset that she doesn't want to lose. Casey will follow the General's orders without question (that means the picture of Ronald Reagan should be going into mothballs), and Sarah will question, but ultimately follow orders, too. Chuck, therefore, knows now more than ever that he has to pursue Orion on his own from now on.
Yes, yes, it seems that Orion is a goner, but I don't believe it. (After all the Fulcrum agent faked his death with the pill that wasn't cyanide but looked like it.) Orion may or may not have been on the chopper that the predator zapped. We didn't see him get on the helicopter and, call me crazy, but I have the feeling that he's going to turn up again. Maybe it's the Mission: Impossible reference -- "this disk will self-destruct in five seconds" -- but he could have faked his death or escaped somehow. That's how they did it on Mission: Impossible. If he is gone, he left behind a whopper of a gift for Chuck, all those schematics and plans pertaining to the Intersect.
Chuck's double life is bound to get even more complicated now because as the last shot confirms, he's keeping the Orion information to himself. Meanwhile, the General has decided to make him a full-fledged spy. Note that she didn't offer to make him a spy; she commanded it. Chuck didn't get a vote. So much for democracy.
On the Buy More front, a TP attack from the Beverly Hills store prompted a skirmish between the stores over the release of a new gaming computer that was then exacerbated by a covert ops mix-up in the store after dark. Then, in a bow to The Right Stuff, Big Mike, Emmett, Morgan, Jeff and Lester marched out in formation and attacked the Bev Hills store. While the destruction was unexpected -- but impressive considering that Emmet swings like a little girl -- nothing in the show could top seeing the inside of Jeff's office. Can you imagine how it smelled? Ew.
Chuck' Show & Cast Photos
- CHUCK Adam Baldwin as Major John Casey stars in the episode "Chuck vs. the First Date." Airs Monday, September 29, 2008. NBC CHUCK Adam Baldwin as Major John Casey stars in the episode "Chuck vs. the First Date." Airs Monday, September 29, 2008. NBC CHUCK Michael Clarke Duncan as Colt and Yvonne Strahovski as Sarah Walker star in the episode "Chuck vs. the First Date." Airs Monday, September 29, 2008. NBC CHUCK Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski and Yvonne Strahovski as Sarah Walker star in the episode "Chuck vs. the First Date." Airs Monday, September 29, 2008. NBC CHUCK Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski and Yvonne Strahovski as Sarah Walker star in the episode "Chuck vs. the First Date." Airs Monday, September 29, 2008. NBC CHUCK Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski, Yvonne Strahovski as Sarah Walker and Michael Clarke Duncan as Colt star in the episode "Chuck vs. the First Date." Airs Monday, September 29, 2008. NBC CHUCK Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski stars in the episode "Chuck vs. the First Date." Airs Monday, September 29, 2008. NBC CHUCK Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski stars in the episode "Chuck vs. the First Date." Airs Monday, September 29, 2008. NBC CHUCK Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski and Yvonne Strahovski as Sarah Walker star in the episode "Chuck vs. the First Date." Airs Monday, September 29, 2008. NBC CHUCK Yvonne Strahovski as Sarah Walker stars in the episode "Chuck vs. the First Date." Airs Monday, September 29, 2008. NBC















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3-24-2009 @ 10:40AM
Ryan said...
Couple things...
Morgan really seemed to have grown with Chuck's constant absences. He's the new voice of reason in the Buy More gang.
So, does this mean Chuck gets a government pay check yet? The fact that they constantly demand things of him and don't pay him continues to irk me.
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3-24-2009 @ 3:19PM
Jason said...
I know, it's like a thorn in my side that I can't reach. Pay the man.
3-24-2009 @ 10:41AM
Bill said...
When Chuck was watching Orion's message, didn't Orion say something about 'Fulcrum's intersect'? Did anyone else catch that? Does that mean that Fulcrum has someone like Chuck too? Let's hope the show survives long enough for us to find out.
http://tvnewsandnotes.blogspot.com/
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3-24-2009 @ 11:20AM
Mike Rogus said...
Chuck IS the Fulcrum intersect. That's what they were doing in that suburban town. They were trying to implant their version of the intersect in someone and they succeeded when they tried to put it in chuck, that's what his red flashes are and how he can identify fulcrum agents now.
I imagine that Fulcrum didn't give up on making their own intersect after their team in the suburbs got killed, so I bet we will see an evil counterpart to chuck at some point.
3-24-2009 @ 10:58AM
George said...
Things I liked about this episode:
* Arnold Vosloo not only looked like Frank Langella, he seemed to be channeling Langella's "Frost/Nixon" performance.
* Given Vosloo's presence, I'm wondering whether Milbarge's domino-style destruction of the Beverly Hills Buy More was a nod to "The Mummy", given that something similar happened in the Museum of Antiquities. This show does those things, after all.
* Fulcrum has to have its own Intersect; I think it's an unwritten law on any sort of "individual with unwanted special powers" show that by the beginning of the third season, we meet an "evil" version of the protagonist. On better shows, that person (a) isn't 100% evil and could still be reformed, and (b) is someone the protagonist cares for. I'm guessing Morgan or Ellie.
I also think the Buy More is pretty solidly played out. Time to move on...
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3-24-2009 @ 11:26AM
oddworld said...
as noted, Chuck is sort of the Fulcrum intersect, but it's likely they've tried again. I like your point that the "evil protagonist" is usually a) redeemable and b) important. there's no way it's Morgan or Ellie - though we could see Morgan forcibly intersect-ed by Fulcrum at the end of the season (we've been hearing rumblings that the finale is a 'game-changer'). My guess? Jill is the new intersect. if that's the case, she did it by her own will. I'm calling it now.
3-24-2009 @ 3:13PM
brooke said...
George, I wondered the same thing about the domino effect destruction at the Beverly Hills Buy More. It was great to see Arnold Vosloo as yet another bad guy. Plus, the address where Chuck was supposed to meet Orion and ended up with Vasloo was Temple (Street, Road, forgive me, I forget...) I wonder if that too was a very small reference, being that the Mummy brought Evie back to his temple in order to resurrect Anok Sun Amon.
3-24-2009 @ 11:13AM
ac said...
For the love of God NBC do not cancel this for Leno!!!
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3-24-2009 @ 2:45PM
WhoElseButME said...
Chuck wins Monday night everytime for me. And I watch a lot of shows on Monday. (HIMYM, TBBT, RoE, GG) On the edge of my couch the whole time, prob stood up a few times too!. It is easily the most entertaining hour of TV. NBC bosses must renew. Its a gem.
BTW I love the 'new and improved' Chuck.
3-24-2009 @ 11:12AM
Susan said...
I think Orion will be Chuck's long lost father. This show is so great and so witty that it will be a huge mistake if it's cancelled. Please, powers-that-be, consider keeping it!
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3-24-2009 @ 11:42AM
Bill said...
I was thinking that the 'game-changer' is going to be something along the lines of Chuck's family and friends finding out about his other life.
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3-24-2009 @ 12:14PM
burningchrom3 said...
anyone else recognize Jeffs "office" as a nod to "rock and roll high school" in which clint howard's character(eaglebaugher) has a similiar in the boys bathroom?
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3-24-2009 @ 12:56PM
Gordon Werner said...
I like how they had the MQ-9 Reaper feature a Cylon eye (albeit green) considering Tricia Helfer is on the next episode
here is the real thing BTW: http://www.wa98121.us/buzz/photos/USAF/MQ-9_Afghanistan_takeoff_1_Oct_07.JPG
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3-24-2009 @ 2:06PM
Oscar Gordon said...
With all the other shout-outs, no one noticed the shout out to "The Untouchables" at the end? "I do not approve of your mthods... You're not from Burbank" Beautiful
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3-24-2009 @ 2:43PM
Sarah said...
Could 'Chuck' really get cancelled? Is it an actual possibility? I read the other posts here and I didn't know that the future of 'Chuck' was so uncertain.
I thought this was a great episode. I think Chuck's father could possibly be the Fulcrum Intersect. It would be the classic Hero's Struggle storyline to become enemies with one's own father. IE: Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. And, in keeping with George's post that the antagonist could be someone redeemable (much like Anakin Skywalker) Chuck's dad has potential to be redeemed as well.
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3-24-2009 @ 4:37PM
Leroy said...
That was clearly Gary Cole playing Orion. I recognized both the voice and the digitized face. Based on previous casting announcements, that means Orion is Chuck's father.
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3-24-2009 @ 4:51PM
LastJedi said...
Am I the only one who thought Orion looked a lot like Jeff Bridges?
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3-24-2009 @ 5:00PM
Sarah said...
Gary Cole plays Sarah's father. Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap) is supposed to be Chuck and Ellie's dad.
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3-24-2009 @ 9:27PM
MXS said...
Anyone catch the graphic novel Chuck was reading at the end? Ex Machina is a series about a man that can communicate with machines. Foreshadowing?
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3-25-2009 @ 10:34AM
Ian said...
I've been putting down a #savechuck hash tag on Twitter in the past few weeks.
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23savechuck
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