Chuck Gets A Clue. And Ellie Does Too? - Ep. 4.19: Chuck Vs The Muuurder!

Written by Alex Katsnelson & Kristen Newman

Directed by Alan Kroeker

It is a true measure of affection for these characters that a small scene between Chuck, Sarah, and Casey decompressing together after their latest mission makes wading through a filler episode like this one still rewarding.

A bottle - meaning the episode was confined to standing sets such as the Castle, BuyMore etc - and filler episode; this one ran on three tracks. The A storyline had Chuck in charge of the Intersect Project which quickly became a locked Castle aka room mystery. The B storyline had the BuyMore battling it out with the LargeMart over stolen mascots. The C storyline had Ellie digging deeper into PapaB's Intersect Research on the laptop.

Vacuum Packed - Ep. 4.18 – Chuck Vs The A Team

Written by Phil Klemmer

Directed by Kevin Mock

Serialized vs Stand Alone.

As a series Chuck has flipped between these two types of story telling approaches with mixed results. Even the most ardent fan will recognize the inconsistencies that have cropped up over the past four seasons in the show's mythos. These become even more pronounced when the stand alone episodes try to operate in a vacuum, ignoring or contradicting previously established show mythology and history.

That the Intersect was something so overwhelmingly complex that only a unique individual could withstand having it inserted into their brain has been long abandoned by the show. The number of people that can survive being Intersected increases with each season. What was once postulated being unique to Chuck, his brain's ability to absorb being Intersected without harmful or fatal effects, is now commonplace. Now the show conceit has shrunk down to that it is Chuck himself that is special as a person. His personality and set of moral ethics is what makes him the only one that can handle having the Intersect in his head without losing his humanity. Time after time Chuck's specialness is ignored by the Intelligence Agencies Power Brokers when new Intersects are desired.

It would seem that the recent economic downturn has also affected the available number of bad guys too. In the pilot the goal was to be able to produce an army of Intersected Agents to protect the free world. Now, contradicting that original goal, there are only enough bad guys to keep one Intersect team employed.

The A Team.

The setup of having Chuck and Sarah demoted to the Dog Walking Team does not bear up even under the most cursory examination. All the success history of Team Bartowski is also ignored so the new A Team can arise and replace them. Of course, all this suspect situational setup is irrelevant to the viewer if it leads to entertaining story results. I found the results mildly entertaining with the Hurt Locker Chuck bomb defusing scene at the climax the definite highlight.

Another problematic aspect of this episode is the muddied motivations of why Casey joined the new team. The show wants to set up tension between Casey and his old team mates but the show cannot make Casey out to be a bad guy. So they gloss over Casey's motivations for dumping Chuck and Sarah. His third wheel laments make little sense when we find out he has left to helm a team of two Intersects. If he felt like a third wheel on Team Bartowski with one Intersect how does this move to the new team make any sense? So the whole exercise of having Casey sneaking off to lead the new team is to create pointless false drama.

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

• Morgan almost gaining control over his torture peeing problem
• Missionless Chuck and Sarah bored and playing board games
• Morgan describing Casey as his domestic partner
• the new A Team – Rick & Vicki
• the Jana extraction assignment turns out to be a real 'dog' of a mission
• stir crazy Ellie wants the Orion laptop
• Ellie seduces Jeff and Lester.... again
• Jeff the Psychic
• CBS approved bio-residue scanning goggles
• Lecter-like plexiglass jail cell in the new Castle wing
• Hurt Locker Chuck and the Apple Juice solution
• iPhone bomb detonator
• Chuck is now Overseer of all Intersect Projects
• the Gretas relief at having the Intersect removed
• Ellie gets the Orion laptop as Bentley does an end run around Beckman and Chuck

Just Like Old Times

There was some interesting stuff at the end of this episode. Ellie being given the Orion laptop by Bentley certainly sets up some intriguing story possibilities. What was a throw away line by Captain Rick about feeling bad for Chuck having the Intersect in his head really grabbed my interest. It is doubtful the show will pursue that comment any further but an exploration of the burden of Chuck having an Intersect is one that I would find fascinating.

Moving On - Ep. 4.16 – Chuck Vs The Masquerade

Written by Rafe Judkins & Lauren Lefranc

Directed by Patrick Norris

Phew!

The typical episode of Chuck can often be crammed with a lot of story threads. Masquerade wins the award for containing the most amount of material in a forty-two minute episode in the series. There are at least five concurrent story lines all dealing to one degree or another with characters moving on with the next chapter in their lives. Not only that but the entire cast appears in the episode as well as the introduction of the two new characters. If that were not impressive enough, this episode also serves the function of being the setup episode for the next story arc for the remainder of Season Four.

Again. Phew!

It is notable that as far as character beats go there is nary a false step here. This comes as no surprise when the writing credits show us that the writing team of Judkins & Lefranc are behind the keyboard. They have consistently displayed an understanding of the show and the characters that have made them fan favorites since they came on board in Season Three. The fact that they are writing a setup episode instead of a payoff episode, along with the most glaring example on the show's quality because of the budget and scheduling cuts since Season Three, is more of a factor as to why Masquerade does not resonate as emotionally as their previous efforts.

Masquerade deals with people facing the fact that they are moving into a new phase of their life. Decisions need to be made that will take characters down new roads. For Morgan it is the awareness that he needs to move out and modify his bromance relationship with Chuck. For Vivian it is finding a purpose and direction in her life. For Chuck and Sarah it is the impending move towards becoming life partners. For Casey it is deciding whether after four years on Team Bartowski - his longest assignment, it is time to leave while on top. For Devon and Ellie it is the moving of Clara sleeping in their room to her own bedroom.

Opening with a shockingly graphic head shot, shades of the Emmett Millbarge death at the beginning of Season Three, we are put on notice that the next chapter in the series has started. The show quickly returns to its lighter comedic nature with the Valentine's Day activities at Casa Bartowski. Morgan and Alex's weird pastiche of tantric sex activities are played against Chuck and Sarah's much tamer Love Machine T-Shirt and Sarah's cute angel wings. All this comes to a crashing halt as Casey intrudes and has his own form of flashing as he tries to process what he is seeing. That is followed by a funny scene as Team Bartowski troops into the Castle still attired in their Valentine's Day regalia.

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

• Head shot wake up call
• Chuck and Morgan rose petalled Valentine's Day fist pump
• bear skin rugs and Love Actually
• Chuck's Love Machine T-Shirt and Sarah's Angel Wings and Pretty Woman references
• Casey breaking in on Valentine's Day at Casa Bartowski
• Morgan asking GB if next mission has a party theme
• Eyes Wide Shut masquerade
• Casey and Morgan dealing with being the Third Wheel
• Scruffy Ellie and Devon – smell like vomit and Cheerios
• Ellie's breast feeding diversion
• Sarah and Morgan try to 'hang' with one another
• Sarah playing with Star Wars toys
• Chuck and Vivian comparing notes on the state of their lives
• Vivian has been fully trained as an agent
• Han and Chewie end up with up Clara a la Toy Story 3
• end of an era for many characters
• Vivian searching for her destiny at Volkoff's headquarters

Sometimes words fail...

It was intriguing to see Vivian Volkoff's life compared against Chuck's. They are two people who grew up sheltered from their parents true natures. Yet upon discovery, both are directly impacted by that revelation. Chuck chooses the path of good. Vivian looks like she may be taking a different fork in the road. We know that she has been, for all intensive purposes, trained as an agent and that she has the character makeup to pull the trigger if the need arises. Will her discovery of her father's legacy sway her to the dark side? Time will tell.

The initially more intriguing character is Robin Givens mysterious NCS Covert Ops Director Jane Bentley. She is actively recruiting Casey to take on a new assignment as the leader of a team she is putting together. Will Casey decide to leave Team Bartowski? Whatever he decides we know he will not leave Burbank. Is procuring Casey, Bentley's true purpose or does she have other end games in mind?

Chuck and Morgan painfully realize through the difficult decision of how to deal with their Han Solo and Chewbacca collectible Star Wars figures that they are both moving on to the next stage of their life. The final solution arrived at by Morgan is a great Toy Story 3 homage with Clara Woodcombe inheriting the inseparable duo.

No doubt the show continually tries to do the best with its available resources it has at hand. Green screen effects shots are usually evidence of these reductions. At least they are quick and short in duration. In Masquerade there is an extended sequence starting when Sarah leaves on horseback disguised as Vivian until Vivian returns to the stable and the showdown with Boris which is undercut by these resource issues. Suffice it to say the outdoor horse sequences and Casey's being on the top moment are not the series's finest.

Masquerade has some great character beats; a scruffy looking Ellie and Devon, Sarah joking with Chuck about being knowledgeable about sex parties, Casey being praised for his bar tending skills, Ellie and Devon conspiring to steal the music playing lamb toy from Jeff and Lester via the breast feeding diversionary tactic, and Morgan asking GB if there is a party theme to consider on their next mission to name a few.

The table has been set. Questions have been raised with the multiple cliff hangers. A return of a sense of urgency and danger with this next arc would be an awesome development.

Canine Consternation Ep. 4.15 – Chuck Vs The C.A.T. Squad

Written by Nicholas Wootton

Directed by Paul Marks

Some folks like chocolate,

I'll take vanilla.

I say baseball over football.

And to me,

Man's best friend doesn't bark or fetch a ball.

See, personally, I like C.A.T.S.

With that coda sprung from Morgan's ever overactive pop cultured imagination an explanation was provided why I consider this one of the weaker entries this season.

I am a dog person.

On paper the idea of an episode where Sarah is re-united with former team mates with the added bonus of one of them being Carina scans like a recipe for a fantastic episode. Especially with the history between Carina and Morgan, who is now in a full blown relationship with Alex. Much like last year's Role Models, the execution was not up to the concept.

The episode gets off to a good start with a fun Charlie's Angels montage of the C.A.T. Squad punctuated by a cat claws swipe at the end. This is followed out by a Girl's Night Out that starts with the C.A.T.s literally dropping in and swooping Sarah away. The next day's scenes with a hungover Sarah and Carina in bed with Morgan are also fun. This makes for an enjoyable first half of the episode but once again an underwhelming and totally predictable spy story filled with a succession of contrivances have the episode limping to the finish line.

Neither Chuck or Sarah fare well in this episode. Both are victims of being manipulated to service the plot because the thrust of the episode is predicated upon one of them acting unilaterally for the the both of them. Again. Good intentions aside, Chuck and Sarah have already seen the consequences of making decisions on their own without discussing them first.

What makes this device more problematic is that it used to create false drama sacrificing character likability in the process. Sarah publicly berating Chuck in front of a group of peers was not pleasant the first time in Fear of Death and is no more so this time. Especially since there is no follow through. If such a confrontation leads to relationship growth between the two of them so that they agree to discuss such decisions beforehand and take their issues behind closed doors then the relationship fights serve a purpose. If the fights are used to create melodrama because there is no followup then it diminishes the characters. Sarah's outbursts hurt her character as does continuing acceptance of verbal abuse and making apologies hurts Chuck's.

Chuck and Sarah having arguments can be quite entertaining. If they are used properly. Doing it for fun and relationship growth is fine. Using it to generate false drama is not enjoyable.

Turning to the spy story, any time the climax of a spy story is going to take place in the Castle and BuyMore the chances of contrivances appearing to resolve said spy conflict climb noticeably. From the moment Chuck touches the skylight and falls through and on, the amount of hand waving needed to accept all the contrivances made me feel like I was miming a hummingbird. My litmus test for contrivance threshold is if Casey falls prey to it too. With Casey literally taking a powder in the Castle that threshold was exceeded.

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

• Morgan's Charlie's Angels/C.A.T. Squad montage
• Engagement Invitation listing Chuck first
• Morgan has Carina's contact info
• C.A.T.'s drop in for a Girl's Night Out
• hung over Sarah
• Morgan's double take of a naked Carina
• Sarah's 'Old Hen' friends
• Bye, bye Porsche!
• The Gentle Hand
• Casey not buying Morgan's assertion that Carina is hitting on him
• Casey telling Chuck he has put his past with Kathleen behind him
• Where does Sarah hide those knives?
• Amy as muscle
• Chuck using broken CDs as Ninja stars. Cool and clever!
• Machine guns under pink tafetta
• Ellie is the Maid of Honor!
• Sarah and Ellie scenes! So long overdue.

The C.A.T.s Together Again

Morgan and Carina had some fun scenes together but that storyline fizzled out at the lipstick on the collar gambit. That storyline did set up a nice beat where Alex waved off Carina's intended apology because Morgan had verbally expressed his love to her.

The actresses cast for Zondra and Amy were well chosen. Zondra and Sarah had some good confrontational scenes which were somewhat undermined by a rather pedestrian fight scene. Probably a casualty of time pressures.

Without a doubt the highlight of the episode was the long, long overdue scenes between Sarah and Ellie. Both are played by great actresses and for the show not to have taken far greater opportunities of the two of them together is perplexing. Things are looking up though as their conversations have set up a storyline where the two of should be spending some time together in future episodes. Also heartening in this episode was the scene between Casey and Chuck in the van. This was a seed planting scene that hopefully will get some payoff for the Casey, Alex and Kathleen dynamic down the road. Great to see the show doing this as it does not happen very often.

Will subsequent episodes continue to have Chuck and Sarah making decisions for each other without talking to one another first? Hopefully with this episode that plot contrivance has been declawed.

Moroccan Madcaps Ep. 4.14 – Chuck Vs The Seduction Impossible

Written by Kristin Newman & Chris Fedak

Directed by Patrick Norris

Acknowledging the shallowness of this statement I bow to the same device that other reviewers have knelt to:

Sarah belly-dancing!

Beyond that a detailed review of this episode seems superfluous. Especially for an episode that embraces the fun and silly with reckless abandon. Freed of the shackles of this season's shaggy spy story arc, Chuck Vs The Seduction Impossible is a straight out Roan-led romp that lands in the upper tier of Chuck's more fun episodes. The showrunners should seriously Get Smart and tailor Chuck to follow the tone of that show and steer clear of any further convoluted spy mythos based stories that sunk shows like Alias.

The hilarious incongruity of the image of a RPG'ed Beckman makes trips like this into comedy a hoot. It was really great to see Beckman from behind the desk and the show harken back to, and expand upon, the inferred history she shares with Roan Montgomery. Beckman in the 80s as a dirty blonde was another priceless moment – though I wish they had taken the opportunity to adorn her with a Farrah Fawcett styled mane of hair.

Roan returned with that smooth style still intact. His double seduction showed us, that while Roan may grumble at Adam West Batman style wall climbing these days, he has not lost a step in romantic subterfuge. His romance advice to Chuck and Sarah helped them to take that needed step back. Plus seeing his advice to Chuck about seducing Sarah into dropping her elopement request preemptively thwarted by Sarah using the very same tactic was niftily carried out. Her near total disarmament of Chuck was all the funnier because of that earlier setup. Did I mention Sarah belly-dancing?

Morgan, with the best of intentions, nearly caused a family incident by asking Casey to reconnect with Kathleen. The sadness felt by Casey when he steeled himself to visit Katherine, only to discover she is seeing someone else, was made even stronger by his unilateral stoic congratulations to her. (A microcosm of the pacing issues this season has had, imagine how much more powerful that beat would have been if the storyline of Casey re-uniting with Kathleen had been sprinkled throughout the first 13 episodes?) Beyond that everything else Casey was involved with was comedy gold. His attempted 'seduction' of the guard inter cut with the painful reaction shots of Chuck, Sarah, and Roan was well played.

Back to Morgan. He gave Chuck dubious relationship advice about not backing down to Sarah on the elopement idea, motivated more by Morgan's desire for a big wedding best man opportunity rather than altruistic motives. This advice leads to some funny pieces of inter-play as Chuck starts saying no to Sarah over mundane issues until it leads up to Chuck giving a stunned Sarah an ill advised Woman declarative.

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

• Roan gets a Casablanca entrance. Sweet.
• Casey beats strategic retreat at first sign of trouble from baby Clara
• Casey doing a slowly building tower of menace when he believes Morgan is trying to tell him that Alex is pregnant.
• Chuck & Sarah face their greatest challenge – family marriage pressure
• Beckman and Roan's Never Ending World Wide Love Tour
• Beckman belts from the bottle
• Roan – now a silver fox – is still sooo smooth
• 'You always over pack for missions.'
• Morgan devastated by Sarah's elopement plan
• 'No to Sarah...'
• Chuck with a laser!
• Whoa! Casey using a tranq gun!?!?!?!
• 'Naughty little turn coat.' , 'Naughty little turn on.'
• Alex invokes the Casey death stare
• 'No... woman.' versus 'Mr. Sarah Walker.' Hmmm... which was more awkward?
• Casey's seduction of guard versus reaction shots from Roan, Chuck, and Sarah
• 'Tranq and explode!'
• Roan as a Green Shirt suffers polyester stylessness chafing.
• Winds of Change – Berlin Wall Fall and dirty blonde Beckman
• Sarah strikes first in the seduction game against Chuck
• Belly-dancing!
• 'Yeeeaaahhh...'
• Casey faces 127 Hours arm amputation scenario
• MamaB modifying spy missions for Clara baby stories
• Bazooka Beckman. DUCK!
• 'Never go on a mission angry.'

Not as sexy as Sarah bellydancing but Bazooka Beckman sure strikes an unforgettable image.

MamaB and Ellie had some nice bonding moments but the swift abruptness that Ellie arrived at the decision to give MamaB her blessing to go back into the spy world was jarring to the extreme. Especially since the show has spent the past four seasons making an unrepentant stance of saying how it important it was to have Ellie keep the show rooted in the real world. How much longer will the show keep up the unaware Ellie storyline about Chuck? It would not surprise if it played out that Ellie finding out about Chuck being a spy concluded with all the explosiveness of a soggy fire cracker.

Chuck and Sarah played off of each other well this episode. Their dual reactions of wanting to escape family marriage pressures via a mission was expected and still funny. It was disconcerting for the show to have the two of them come so far together and yet have Sarah still not reveal anything about her family background to Chuck. No doubt this will turn into one of the story threads going forward. We all look forward to such revelations and the hopeful return of Gary Cole. Who knows, maybe even Mama Walker too? Let the casting speculations about her resume.

Last, but certainly not least, it was most awesome to see Team Bartowski back together again!

Season/Stand Alone Schism – Episode 4.13: Chuck Vs The Push Mix

Written by Lauren LeFranc & Rafe Judkins

Directed by Peter Lauer

Set up in the second episode of the season, Chuck Vs The Suitcase, the show finally caught up to the audience and gave them the Chuck and Sarah engagement. Waiting for eleven episodes was a test in patience, and story pacing, especially after the multiple aborted attempts in Chuck Vs The Balcony. Fortunately when the proposal came it was shot from a distance. No further words were needed because they had all been said before. Much like the pull away shot on the Mexican Beach at the end of The Shawshank Redemption, when Red finally tracks down Andy Dufresne, some things can be conveyed as eloquently by visuals alone. Sarah's embrace made it quite clear what her answer was.

Viewed as a stand alone episode, Chuck Vs The Push Mix was lot of fun. Chuck finally was released from his season long shackles and made a stand. Using his long dormant wits Chuck manuevered Volkoff to the Orion cabin. Here Chuck fittingly used his father's, aka Orion, tech in conjunction with his brains to bring Volkoff down. No Intersect needed, thank you very much. Showrunner Josh Schwartz trumpeted that the last ten minutes of this episode were the best ten minutes ever done in the series. For my money I will take the showdown sequence in the Orion cabin between Chuck and Volkoff as being more entertaining. But even that sequence would not constitute the best ten minutes of Chuck ever.

Chuck and Morgan had a lot of great scenes from the arming themselves at the Castle with office supplies so they could map out their strategy, to the torture bathroom from hell scenes where the first go around they grabbed the wrong guy, to the scuba suit scenes where Morgan flopped around in his flippers and learned to his chagrin that he should have worn clothes underneath, and to the Morgan laser room scene – even if it was recycled from before and went on a bit too long.

Timothy Dalton as Volkoff continued to delight. His need to talk to MamaB after feeling down about fatally dealing with an unsatisfactory employee and his having an ice cream cone aboard the Contessa was great stuff. Volkoff's mania and scenery chewing, threat menacing ability shone brightly in the Orion cabin. His ego swagger was great to see quashed when it dawned on him that Chuck had outsmarted him. Chuck duping Volkoff into giving up the password to his Hydra data base was a sweet moment indeed.

MamaB and Sarah had their moments but this was really Chuck's episode. It was great to see Alex again even though she did not have much to do. Casey gave Awesome some sage words on advice on about being there for Ellie as Clara's birth became imminent. It was a hoot to see Awesome fall apart when his meticulously planned going into baby hospital run failed out of the gate because the Push Mix CD was missing.

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

• 'That is a Casey grunt!'
• Data Flash! Yay!
• CGI Robot Spy. I'm having a Johnny Quest flashback!
• Volkoff iPhone pic! LOL
• The Contessa is ......
• Chuck makes a stand. Finally!
• Office supplies = Chuck plan time.
• Orion is alive? !?!?!?
• Chuck makes Ellie's Push Mix
• Ellie's placenta made into vitamin pills? Eww! How are we going to unhear that?
• CIA Hotline 800-555-0149 – for use in Push Mix Loss Emergencies only
• Chuck and Morgan snatching the wrong guy
• ...... a ship! Bought on Craigslist Dubai. A floating fortress of fun complete with ice cream parlour
• Morgan with flippers = Yoga Seal – new branch of the Marines perhaps?
• Sarah's coat fits Morgan fine despite his worry about his broad shoulders
• Devon's Awesome Baby Run Plan falls about without Push Mix. Plan B = CIA Hotline!
• 'Death is a solution to all problems.' Volkoff quotes his favorite poet and humanitarian.
• 'No one touches my Frost!'
• Chuck(Orion) / Volkoff showdown in the Orion cabin
• Chuck outsmarts Volkoff
• Clara Woodcombe is born!
• Chuck proposes
• Sarah accepts
• Power Sweeper brushes away all the season arc dangling and unresolved story lines.

Chuck Plays On Volkoff's Pride

Turning to the seasonal arc, Chuck Vs the Push Mix, addressed none of the carry forward items. This blunts the payoffs of the season arc. MamaB and Volkoff's motivations are never clear so there was never any sense of real danger during this arc. Part of the problem also there is no clear story device of tension pushing the main characters. In the first two seasons there was always the threat of Chuck being bunkered. The third season had the tension of Chuck literally losing himself to become a spy. This season the main driving force is Chuck finding a moment to propose to Sarah. Enjoyable for the characters but hardly the story line to place all the marbles on for driving tension.

Given the track record of the past three seasons, and as painful as it is for a big fan of serialized storytelling as myself to suggest, the show would do better to switch its focus to stand alone episodes. Or very short story arcs of two to three episodes. The power sweeper in the last shot gave me an unexpected chuckle. Look! There goes all the unresolved season story threads! The inability to hold and satisfactorily answer story threads of longer arcs this season, and previous ones, offer ample evidence that a switch in story telling gears should be tried.

Chuck Vs the Push Mix offers a lot of entertainment as a stand alone episode. Many great moments as we have come to expect from this fantastic cast spiced up by the superlative work of Timothy Dalton and Linda Hamilton.

It bears repeating. The episode ended with the perfect proposal scene.

Tangled and Dangled. - Episode 4.12: Chuck Vs The Gobbler

Written by Craig DiGregorio

Directed by Milan Cheylon

'In media res' beginnings to an episode used to be all the vogue back in the day as they say. Check out spy show Alias for textbook examples. Nothing niftier than opening an episode with an intense action sequence that stops with a decisive moment only to fade to black. A cliffhanger to start things off! What a great way to lure a viewer in! Cool, right?

Not really. The problem with such a story telling device is that it starts an episode with something that is all furious motion with no context. In media res story starts are a gimmick that should make a viewer wary because they either start or end with a disclaimer that a whole bunch of story needs to happen before the context and payoff for the opening scene is realized. In Chuck Vs The Gobbler the fight between Sarah and Casey ends with a fade to black and a title card telling us we are jumping back to two days earlier.(Which over the course of the episode raises eyebrows about the amount of shuttling back and forth from Russia, Sarah is able to do in a two day period.)

When in media res is used it is a lock that after the time jump a lot of setup is about to be dumped on the viewer. If written and paced well we are shown as much as possible the events that lead up to that sneek peek scene. More often than not in media res is used because there is too much setup to show and the viewer has to wade through a lot of exposition before the show gains any traction. So it is no surprise when all the scenes up to Sarah's arrival at Volkoff's headquarters just before the title cards are about bringing the viewer up to speed.

So instead of being shown anything about Sarah building up on her cover as a rogue CIA agent we are told by Morgan and Casey. We are also told about Chuck's mental state and the fears he has about how Sarah being a double agent is placing her in danger. Quite a leap in the lead couple's mental and emotional mind sets since the end of the previous episode where Chuck and Sarah were in total proposal mode. So the info dump start of the Gobbler makes it cumbersome for the viewer to make the jump and connect emotionally with the current situation. As much as I enjoyed the previous episode, Chuck Vs The Balcony, it may have been advisable to use the back half of that episode to set up the Sarah Double Agent story for the Gobbler. This would have kept the viewers in synch with the story being told in the Gobbler.

The other burden the Gobbler carries is that the reasons why Mama B has been on a twenty year mission desparately need to be addressed – not to mention all the other dangling story line threads such as the PSP and laptop – in a plausible way. Does the Gobbler do that? Mileages will vary but not by a long shot in my book. With one episode left in the Volkoff/Mama B arc, the Mauser Mop - which first appeared in Season Two to brush aside Chuck's issues about Sarah gunning down an unarmed opponent - looms large to make an unwelcome reappearance to once again sweep under the rug all the unresolved tangled storylines of Season Four. Gobbler offers up some possibilities of some answers only. The Hydra database could be the start but there are many more questions to be answered. Will Chuck Vs The Push Mix be up to that task? We will find out next Monday.

Top Dogs

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

• Morgan work shopping his tough guy voice
• Evil Sarah!
• Volkoff into poetry, painting – puppy dog!, and the art of massage
• Sarah applies for a job with Volkoff. Volkoff telling Sarah she is so much fun!
• Volkoff telling MamaB he likes to control and manipulate people while looking at Sarah
• Volkoff's, Me Too! toast to Sarah's, 'I love a good suicide mission.'
• Alex in Morgan's previously unopened collector's Back to the Future t-shirt
• Ellie wanting to call their baby Grunka!
• Casey grilling Morgan about Alex
• Hello boys!
• Morgan loves sour dough bread
• Yuri the Gobbler is Hydra!
• A disappointed Volkoff is not someone to trifle with
• Morgan's 'text message peeking while looking like I'm not peeking' look
• Volkoff manipulating Sarah, Casey, and Chuck
• 'Let's make it exciting. Have some fun with it!'
• Where did Casey go to get tested to determine how far he could safely fall?
• Clara Woodcombe!

Season arc story telling issues aside there is still much to like here. The welcome return of Timothy Dalton as Valkoff is much like Heath Ledger's turn as The Joker in The Dark Knight. Dalton clearly is having so much fun and is so much fun to watch. His candid revelation that he enjoys controlling and manipulating people is the cause for Chuck's concerns at the end of the episode. This maybe being misread by some viewers because of the show repeatedly having characters doubt one another and failing to return messages. Such is not the case here. Chuck is not doubting Sarah. He is deathly concerned for her.

The whole cast gets a turn in this episode including the most welcome return of Casey's daughter, and Morgan's new love, Alex. Her appearance in a previously pristine Back to the Future T-shirt from Morgan nerdily captures how far their relationship has come. Too bad Alex was not around more so that her appearance at Casey's bedside at the hospital would have carried more emotional heft. Mama B's intentions are clearer, but still not satisfactorily solidified. Still she has some great moments with Volkoff plus some touching ones with Sarah. Yvonne Strahovski, as usual, does stellar work here harkening back to those pre-couple days where she was restrained to expressing herself solely through facial and body language cues. Morgan and Casey have some great moments together and the Ellie/Devon baby naming conflict – Grunka! - was an exercise in skillful manipulation of Devon by Ellie.

Chuck sadly is still stuck in react mode this episode. Josh Schwartz has trumpeted that the final ten minutes of Chuck Vs The Push Mix are the best the show has ever done. A 'Take Charge Chuck' in those final ten minutes would be a most welcome sight to see indeed.

Is It Love? Definitely! - Episode 4.11: Chuck Vs The Balcony

Written by Max Denby

Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar

Chuck is back! And not just the show but the character too.

Let me clarify that. Chuck the show is back after a 7 week holiday hiatus. Chuck the character is starting to show some light again from under the bushel this season arc has put him under. It is a welcome start and the bushel should be removed completely by the time the 4.13 showdown confrontation with Volkoff rolls around.

Between Chuck reverting to a child state every time his mother showed up to being hamstrung by the loss of the Intersect to struggling to balance his spy life with his personal life; Chuck has been in react mode for the vast majority of this season. He has been a fire fighting pawn. Chuck has been given little to no opportunity to display those qualities that won Sarah and audiences alike over. This has been a fantastic season for Sarah Walker growth, Morgan Grimes growth, and even some small scraps of Casey growth. But for Chuck it has been a tough haul. And the big reason for me why Season 4 has been an underwhelming experience from the big picture view.

It is a debilitating problem for a show when your titular character is not being used to his best or fullest capabilities. The old writing dilemma of telling a story honestly is a constant battle between plot and character. With good writing the plot unfolds based on the character's established traits. Weaker writing bends the character to fulfil story requirements. Good writing takes time. In television time is a precious commodity. The writing for Chuck the character has taken the plot driver road. For me it is quite obvious that Chuck has been subjugated to serve the story points so far this season.

With the end game in sight the need for the heroic Chuck has re-surfaced. Before the break, Chuck had reacquired the Intersect as a prelude to making the climatic charge that will happen in 4.12 and 4.13. We saw Chuck in the Balcony able to properly prioritize mission versus personal priorities for the first time in a long while. Praise the stars! While he desperately wants to make the perfect proposal to Sarah, Chuck does not let that, or Morgan, sway him from a proper course. A more than welcome return to form by someone who admits that he is not a great multi-tasker.

It was also a welcome sight to see Chuck taking charge from time to time in the spy world. For the first time in a while Zac Levi looked like he was having fun playing Chuck! Proposing to someone as special as a Sarah Walker is a daunting task indeed, so any skittishness Chuck relayed in the personal moments is understandable. He knows he is no James Bond, or Bryce Larkin, or Cole Barker, or a Daniel Shaw. Okay, okay. Chuck definitely trumps a Daniel Shaw any day! Actually Chuck trumps them all. Just ask Sarah Walker.

Chuck learns via Casey that there are no perfect moments. All you need is your girl and the intestinal fortitude to ask THE QUESTION.



And that is all the matters.

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

• Former Chuck show runner Scott Rosenbaum gets a nod in the opening action scene
• Chuck aborting proposal in restaurant after Sarah tells him about her parent's proposal horror story under similar circumstances – 'Not enough balloons. No carb thing?'
• Sarah oblivious to proposal abort
• Casey's, 'Some moron was clogging up Ventura Blvd with a horse and carriage.'
• Casey's mumbling about being a Colonel and being devoted to man-servant on the mission
• Sarah's protective instincts kick as she tells Beckman about taking down Volkoff
• Chuck stating he is not a good multi-tasker
• Morgan running submission to help Chuck propose to Sarah in the French Looouvre Valley aka The Garden of France
• Morgan's Fixer – Big Mike
• Lester comes from 'Old Country' aka Canada. A HinJew from Saskatchewan. A nod to the Canadian comedy series, 'Little Mosque on the Prairie?'
• Morgan telling Chuck, 'Watch Sarah. She will show you the spot.'
• Morgan makes sure Chuck mints in both pockets. Q eat your heart out!
• 'Casey is your man-servant. Let him man serve you.' 'Oh Jon, Jon!
• Villain Pierre licks hypo and gives Chuck writer Lauren Lefranc a shout out identifying that the chip is in a bottle of '86 Chateau Lefranc.
• Nod to Danny Kaye's Court Jester- ' A peppery pino with a stable on the label and a stork on the cork.
• Sarah plays flirty drunk to disarm some baddies.
• Two Buck Chuck
• Chuck flashes and fights with wine glass in hand.
• Casey still spot on in the spy world intuiting Beckman has switched the chip.
• Lester is a lucky little Canadian.
• Castle engineers should be complimented on making the spy facility acoustically accessible for eavesdropping – Sarah finds out about the proposal sub-mission.
• Sarah surprises Morgan – 'I am someone deadly.'
• 'I'm a spy. I hate surprises.'
• Sarah takes over proposal mission and Morgan Grimes becomes double agent!
• Sarah wanting the proposal to happen for Chuck.... and for her.
• Sarah's, and Chuck's intuition about something with the exchange mission being off, prove to be true.
• Full Moon Proposal sub mission.
• Morgan working the dual headsets! Woot!
• Morgan covers all sub-mission contingencies. He equips Chuck with Tide-To-Go tubes.
• Casey steps in to help Full Moon Proposal sub-mission.
• Nervous Sarah. 'I don't get butterflies.'
• Morgan calming Sarah by giving his blessing to marry Chuck. Sweet moment.
• Casey catches dropped ring. Sarah retrieves ring and preserves Chuck's illusion of being in control of the proposal. Now that's true teamwork!
• Chuck telling Sarah that being with her anywhere is the most beautiful place in the world.
• Casey's, 'She's good.' to Sarah's, 'I didn't fall in love with James Bond. I fell in love with you.'
• Casey mentions Alex's mom and his girl Kathleen! Huzzah!
• Casey's advice to Chuck, 'Forget the balcony. All you need is the girl.'
• Sarah's tearful promise to bring MamaB back to Chuck.

"Chuck vs. the Balcony" started out with a seemingly generic mission that adroitly morphed into the launch pad for the next two episodes that will deal with taking down Volkoff. Seizing on an opportunity inspired by Sarah's request that some initiative be formed to take down Volkoff and rescue MamaB, General Beckman quickly manufactured that opportunity. So quickly that Sarah never had the chance to explain it to Chuck. Using the followup buy to cast Sarah in the role of double agent, Beckman has given Sarah the means of getting into Volkoff's organization. Sarah's innately strong protective drive was also used effectively as the catalyst for her request to Beckman during the opening restaurant scene when Chuck lamented his lack of attention to Sarah because of the Volkoff situation.

During the same scene Chuck's proposal plans were humorously scuttled as an oblivious Sarah recounted the horror of her parent's proposal. This episode made excellent use of the main cast with Morgan's behind the scenes proposal submission activities providing some very funny counterpoints to the main missions. Sarah's discovery and commandeering of the proposal, making Morgan a double agent in the process was well played being touching and funny at the same time. By the time Casey swooped in to help, the show was using the main cast members to their best abilities. It was great to see Chuck's friends working in unison to maintain the illusion that he was in control of the situation. Right down to Sarah scooping up the dropped engagement ring and putting it back in Chuck's pocket.

The villains were forgettable this week but with the focus on the relationships between the main cast members this is an understandable non-issue. The BuyMore plot was more palatable to me this time because of the Canadian basis but the Jeffster Whitesnake performance of, 'Is This Love?' fell flat. Non-Canadians were doubtless not nearly so enthralled. I cannot help but wonder each time how the episode would have played out if there had been some Ellie/Devon and/or Alex subplot to support the main storyline instead.

A wonderfully, entertaining return episode for Chuck with some snappy one liners, many in jokes, and the inevitable clash between professional and personal lives for Chuck and Sarah. Chuck works best as a show when the missions are plausible and any implausibilities are kept to the humorous aspects of the relationships between the characters. "Chuck vs. the Balcony" was such an episode.

Dalton Does It Better – Episode 4.10: Chuck Vs The Leftovers

Written by Henry Alonso Meyers

Directed by Zachary Levi

“Nobody does it better

Makes me feel sad for the rest

Nobody does it half as good as you

Baby, you’re the best “

The Spy Who Loved Me

Carly Simon

Dalton. Timothy Dalton. Guest star extraordinaire.

In Chuck Vs Phase 3, Yvonne Strahovski elevated a solid episode storyline with her outstanding performance, turning it into the signature episode for the series.

Timothy Dalton gives a guest start performance that also soars to great heights. But he is not so fortunate on the storyline side. His performance takes place in an episode that disappointingly concurs with the episode title.

This is one of the funniest episodes of the season and, if you maintain a 50,000 foot view, the individual scenes do offer good laughs. The best bit by far was Chuck and Morgan taking defense lessons via a Strip Kick Aerobics class. Even better that there was payoff to that bit when Chuck used one of the class moves to take down a baddie later on. However, diving down to levels where more detail is revealed the mechanical nature of the plot and the recycling of bits from previous Chuck holiday episodes, including more Die Hard references, detract from the fun. Mileage on the laughs will vary from individual to individual but for myself this episode, when Dalton was not onscreen, felt forced.

By far the best element of this episode was Timothy Dalton. He dominated the screen every second he was on the screen. The now revealed volatile and erratic nature of the Volkoff allows Dalton to run roughshod over everyone. One second dashing. The next, incensed. Another beat; sensitive and caring. The next; commanding and violent. The fact that his Achilles Heel is MamaB is a rather cliche but Dalton exploits to its fullest. So much so, that when he is onscreen he obliterates everyone else. All they can do is stand back and hope Volkoff does not lash out at them. Volkoff is a certifiable loon and Dalton can be seen having a ball with the character because of it. His performance gave me that same vibe when I first saw Anthony Hopkins portray Hannibal Lecter in Silence Of The Lambs.

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

* Ah a villain listening to classical music. Cliche but it always works
* Chuck Unplugged
* Strip Kick! ‘I saw an infomercial.’
* ‘Casey can never know about this.’
* ‘Come with me if you want to live.’ MamaB to the rescue
* Big Mike is so slick shilling Subway subs. Who can resist?
* ‘Who has two thumbs and is taken?’
* Morgan enjoying a foot massage a la Die Hard and the carpet trick.
* ‘Shave my back.’
* Volkoff’s Die Hard Assault Team
* Nerd Machine sticker on Volkoff’s computer expert’s laptop
* CIA Internal Defence System – not so special
* Fatman & Indian – the not so dynamic duo
* ‘Hand Frost the damn phone!’
* ‘I got lucky. I got assigned to you.’
* Casey gives Morgan a gun. Again.
* ‘Is that a threat?’
* Exploding Soccer Ball Of Doom
* ‘That’s how you threaten somebody.’
* Sarah and Chuck holding hands before going into battle
* ‘Charles is my son.’ Really? Really. Really? ….Really!
* ‘Kids love me!’
* Chuck and Sarah’s silent planning during charades
* Volkoff doing charades
* Devon needs to be Awesome. Again.
* ‘Cold. But surprisingly soothing.’
* ‘I don’t have to really do that. I just love the sound.’
* ‘You see. That is a real threat.’ MamaB protects her family.
* Morgan unable to reach taped gun
* Chuck knows Kung-Fu. Again.

With the totality of the spy arc pretty well revealed now, and we were told way back in Chuck Vs the Coup D’Etat that MamaB was a kept woman, Season 4 seems destined to be another season with another underwhelming spy storyline. At least in the first thirteen episodes. The saving element is, obviously, Timothy Dalton’s virtuoso, mesmerizing portrayal of Volkoff. To use the series’s best villain solely in the service of a kept woman storyline seems all the more the pity.


I fully disclose that my expectations of the Chuck being deIntersected arc not being realized undermine my enjoyment of this episode. But even from the perspective of judging what the show delivered, the resolution to said arc is undramatic, leaves many dangling – and somewhat contradictory plot threads, and offered no character growth for Chuck. He is literally handed the remedy via Devon. No struggle to reacquire it. No chances to show his mettle without it. No strengthening of family bonds. If anything Chuck was diminished during this arc. Chuck Vs The Couch Lock is my one of favourite episodes so far this season. It also one of the few episodes where Chuck felt like Chuck this season. Henry Alonso Meyers did not fare as well with this outing.

MamaB’s assertion that PapaB never wanted Chuck to be subjected to the Intersect Suppressing PSP does not ring true nor does her motivation. How leaving Chuck defenceless makes any character sense is impossible to ascertain given the paucity of details. There may be very valid reasons for what transpired but without any context, the reasons behind the creation of the PSP and the laptop, appear to serve only one purpose: as very mechanical story devices to facilitate the loss and retrieval of the Intersect. This is borne out by how the episode glosses over Chuck’s reacquisition of the Intersect. Will these questions be answered at a later date? Given some of the unresolved dangling story threads ie Devon giving Chuck the laptop which is expressly against Ellie’s wishes; the answer is not likely.

Even worse the deIntersect arc ends with Ellie still in the dark about Chuck spying and having the Intersect. With the PapaB heirlooms in the form of the car and the laptop, MamaB on the scene, Ellie’s impending motherhood, and the off season announcement that this is a season about family; this was the PERFECT time to bring Ellie into the know. Even more disappointment abounds; Chuck, Devon, and Ellie are back to lying and keeping secrets from one another. It is a writer’s maxim that writers should not give the fans what they want, they should give fans something better. I am hard pressed to envision a scenario that exceeds the possible payoff that was waiting to be realized in this episode.

All that aside, watch this episode to see Timothy Dalton’s performance. What a coup for the show in being able to cast him! His tenure on the show is a precious treat rarely seen on television.

She-Ra! Er... She-Male! - Episode 4.09: Chuck Vs Phase 3

Written by Kristin Newman

Directed by Anton Cropper

That's the power of love!

Many TV series have precious rare moments of alchemy when storyline, series history, character development, writing, acting, directing, music, etc and probably catering too for all that is possible; come together in a rare, magical confluence of energies to create an episode that transcends their normal output. Such episodes become the show's insignia. Lost fans often refer to, 'The Constant,' as such an episode.

Now Chuck has its signature episode; Chuck Vs Phase Three.

And like, 'The Constant,' it deals with love and faith and hope and the lengths and strengths that the couples involved will go to and the power they draw from their partnership. In Chuck Vs Phase 3, we see the power of the Chuck and Sarah relationship persevere through its greatest challenge. As is characteristic for the two of them; Chuck fights his battle on a mental landscape while Sarah cuts a swath of chaos on those who are in any way a physical barrier to her finding Chuck.

A defenseless Chuck, Intersect Impotent, kidnapped in the previous episode and whisked away to an undisclosed location takes on a, “Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind,” battle for his mind. Chuck tries to protect his sanity and his memories as The Belgian, played in a delicious evil Dr. Kildare manner by Richard Chamberlain, and his assistant probe Chuck's psyche trying to find the mental lever that will turn the trick and cause Chuck to flash.

At the same time, Team Bartowski is scouring the globe in a vain and desperate attempt to find Chuck. And we get to see a Sarah Walker that we have been waiting to see since the series started. Vulnerable, strong, frustrated, worried, fearful, angry; out of control. A little crazed. Or in the understatement of the episode as Beckman put it, 'On the edge.' As Casey so insight-fully notes we are seeing glimpses of the Sarah Walker that existed before she met Chuck.

This is a tour de force, brauva performance by Yvonne Strahovski. She must have be so pumped when the script for this episode was handed to her. An actor's dream script. Never has she had to carry so much of an episode as she does in this one. Not just emotionally but physically as well. Have to imagine Yvonne was drained on both planes by the time this episode finished filming. She excelled at both.

On a visceral level seeing Sarah go on a rampage is a thrilling sight to see. From breaking the rules to torturing a source to butting heads with Casey to cutting a swathe through Thailand - generating a fearsome reputation as the 'She-Male' in the process - to besting the best in a pit fight, and to storming The Belgian's hideout; this was a Sarah as an unstoppable force of nature. (Was I the only one who thought Sarah's hair style in the beginning made her look like a rampaging Indian Warrior with a headdress on?)

It is the emotional beats that Yvonne carried off that make the lasting impression. She got to play the entire emotional spectrum. Often both sides of the same emotion. Sometimes Sarah was instilling fear. Other times she was experiencing it. The moment in the bedroom where Sarah approaches Chuck's shirt and hesitates slightly before touching it spoke volumes.

Never has Sarah been so vulnerable. Never has Sarah been so strong. Never has Sarah been so open.

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

• The entire episode! Pick any moment and its golden.

Writer Kristen Newman suffers no sophomore slump here after her first episode, Chuck Vs The Coup D'Etat. She continues to display her grasp of the characters and comedic beats. The dialogue crackles in this one and this is a very quotable episode. All the characters get moments to shine. Casey gets to growl, stand up to Sarah, kibitz with Morgan, and have amusingly interesting glimpses into his character too. The waitress recognition moment at the pit fight was a wonderful comedic touch.

Morgan continues to be the all knowing sage, The Magnet, gets to display his leaping before looking bravery stepping in between Sarah and Casey, and continues to be relationship adviser to Chuck and Sarah. By the end of this episode Morgan has made sure that Chuck and Sarah are on the same page relationship-wise. Morgan is truly a, 'Connector.'

Kudos for the stunt team and to the editing team as well. The scene where dream and real Sarah bring Chuck back from the precipice of losing himself was beautifully cut together.

Next week, Frost and Volkoff return. For Thanksgiving leftovers no less. How will this all play out and how will Ellie and the Roark laptop play out? Next episode, 'Chuck Vs The Leftovers,' should provide some answers.

Narrative Nerve Pinch - Episode 4.08: Chuck Vs The Fear of Death

Written by Nicholas Wootton

Directed by Robert Duncan McNeil

Most frustrating episode ever.

Why?

Loved the guest stars. Loved the work of the cast, with one blameless exception. Loved the concept of Chuck being captured. Loved Sarah's reaction to Chuck's capture. Loved Casey and Morgan teaming up with Sarah to go find Chuck. Loved the action sequences.

Disappointed with the story narrative.

It is a given within the Chuckverse that fans have to relax their suspension of disbelief. We do it every week because the payoff is often worth it in terms of character moments and entertainment value. Each of us has our own subjective tipping point where the strain on credibility exceeds that disbelief threshold and disarms the entertainment payoff. For myself it revolves around whether or not the story beats being carried off feel honest to the characters or characters are made stupid to support the storyline.

In this episode we have Chuck unable to flash. In essence, an injured field agent with an indeterminate recovery period. So the notion that sending him in the field so injured, with minimal support, and gamble on the Pure Fear of Death restoring his flashing ability makes no sense. Even within the Chuckverse. This episode also reopens the series old question as to why Chuck is not being given traditional field training as a backup or supplement to his Intersect abilities.
It is illogical to put Chuck, a very unique and very valuable resource; an All Star if you will, in actual mortal danger. Beyond transparent dramatic ones. It is akin to sending a star injured baseball player out onto the outfield with a broken catching arm and telling him to perform the same duties with his other arm. Without a catching glove. It also makes General Beckman incompetent and makes her a transparent story device; harming the character in the process.

There are many less credibility straining story lines to get Chuck to a position where he ends up captured. Could not the same result been achieved by duping Chuck into thinking he was on a real mission instead as one example? Throw all these factors together and for me that suspension of disbelief tipping point is exceeded. If you were able to accept the storyline then obviously this episode will work much better for you.

What was really interesting about the episode was that the diagnosis for Chuck's inability to flash seems to be a false one. That false assumption being that whatever the MamaB PSP Intersect Upgrade did to Chuck has suppressed the Intersect. Laboratory methods fail to work so Agent Rye's Pure Fear of Death hypothesis is given a go. By now questions about Chuck's character in terms of bravery and self-confidence have been answered several times over. So further exploration of these themes is redundant. Especially if the flashing problem turns out to simply a technical one. It may just be a matter of software incompatibility between Intersect 2.0, which PapaB did not work on, and the PSP update.

Based on what we saw in this episode it seems most probable that the suppression theory of the Intersect is wrong. Chuck faced multiple moments of danger but still was unable to flash.

PFOD as Intersect Cure? Don't Think So!

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

• 'What was the point of the water?'
• 'That sounds like candor.'
• Summer Glau as Greta = hotness
• Casey developing itchy trigger finger because he has not been on a mission for a month
• Ninjas!
• 'Agent Rye. Jim Rye.'
• 'Physical. Psychological. Painful. Brutal.' 'Let's get physical.'
• Sarah 'flashing' on Spy School training Karate Kempo forms
• 'Mama....mia'
• PFOD
• Sarah's exasperated, 'Then there's no safety net!'
• You say GON-DOH-LA , I say GON-DOLA
• 'Sir. You are already the highest bidder.'
• 'Operation. Get A Greta'
• Star Trek Neck Nerve Pinch Reference!
• Chucksicle
• Chuck takes an online gemology class. 'Very convenient.'
• Alex and Casey talking about friendship
• 'Just curious. Which one do you think is the pyschotic one?'
• 'Greta to the cage.' lured by a Subway sub
• Gstaad!
• Casey rescuing Jeff & Lester
• Casey dressing down Greta and calling on their history with previous crews
• 'Did I just get shot?' Bye, bye, Rye.
• Richard Chamberlain menacing as Chuck's captor
• Angry Sarah!
• Casey and Morgan telling Sarah 'We'll go together,' to find Chuck. Great family moment.

Full marks to the cast, and guest stars, for doing yeoman's work with the material. Yvonne Strahovski continues to nail it, week in and week out. Adam Baldwin has been a rock all season even while being under-utilized to an extent. The guest stars were fun and Richard Chamberlain's brief turn in this one sets him up nicely as a force to be feared and reckoned with in the next one.

Summer Glau was fun to watch too even if the amount of screen time and storyline of the BuyMore took away precious screen time that could have been better used in the main storyline. With Jeff and Lester cluing into the constant succession of Gretas, does this spell the end of the Greta concept?

Robert Riggle was a hoot as a manic version of Crocodile Hunter mixed with Dr. Phil. His over the top zest for being a spy was entertaining to watch and his character will be missed. Too bad he was not used in a sensible storyline.

What saves this episode, that seems to be mostly smoke screen because everything that happened in it is based on a false assumption about the Intersect issue, is the last five minutes. Once Chuck is captured the story narrative really springs to life. Sarah has her best moments, angrily defiant to anyone that gets in her way of finding Chuck. Casey's nonverbal reactions to her outburst spoke volumes and when he and Morgan showed up, not to confront Sarah, but to offer their aid and support; it is one of the series's great, 'characters as a family,' moments.

One of the story ideas fans having been waiting for awhile, Chuck or Sarah being captured for an extended length of time and being rescued by the other, is finally in play. While this episode did not generate the same level of tension and excitement that the end of Chuck Vs The Fat Lady did when Casey and Sarah thought Chuck had been captured by Jill, the promos for the next episode – Chuck Vs Phase 3 - look to fulfill, if not exceed, expectations as Sarah goes Rambo on a Chuck Rescue.

A Fistful of Fakeouts - Episode 4.07: Chuck Vs The First Fight

Written by Lauren LeFranc & Rafe Judkins

Directed by Allan Kroeker

Well played Chuck showrunners. Not only did you throw a curve ball at us, diverting us from the obvious Dalton as the baddie casting connection, with Timothy Dalton playing a frumpy MI6 Handler by the name of Tuttle; you simultaneously deked us out about the title and how it would play out in the episode.

Well played.

Move over Dream Job, I now have a favorite new episode. All things Chuck just work so much better when the spine of the show is based on a compelling spy story. The humor flows more naturally and feels funnier, the nerd references have more pop, the relationships gain more emotional weight, character motivations are often in conflict with the spy story creating extra layers of tension, and the weaknesses of the show diminish; if not vanish altogether. Conversely when the spine of the show is based on the relationship between Chuck and Sarah those very same elements rarely work together as well. The reason for that bears further examination.

It is oft quoted that the Chuck and Sarah relationship is the heart of the show. (I like to think that heart also includes all the relationships of which, indisputably, the Chuck and Sarah is the major one.) But to paraphrase the original Star Trek episode, 'The Trouble with Tribbles,' 'Too much of anything, even love, is not a good thing.' Those loveable but prolific tribbles soon inhabited every corner of the screen distracting the characters from the real threat. After three Chuck episodes in a row(4.02 – 4.04) that focused on Chuck and Sarah, even the most die hard relationship fans were ready for a change of pace. That is because the spy stories ended up being generic and not emotionally engaging for the principal characters and by extension, the audience. There was no sense of danger. No tension.



When the spy mission is the spine of the story, comments about the show firing on all cylinders or being a balanced episode are often seen. Why is that? It is because all the characters are on equal footing in such episodes. When the episode is based on a relationship issue between Chuck and Sarah the only characters directly involved are, obviously, Chuck and Sarah. This focus creates an imbalance or barrier between the leads and the other characters. The other characters are hobbled from the get go. They can either only be involved in the main storyline from an indirect vantage point or the episode must contain a separate storyline for them. Which dilutes both storylines.

Things go even better when all the elements that go into making a show come together to create something that is greater than the individual sum of the parts. It is rather magical. Always hoped for. Occasionally happens. Can never be manufactured. Casting the right person for a part and having that person not only handle the role but go beyond what was envisioned is every show's hope. Timothy Dalton as Tuttle, aka Volkoff, is one of those moments.

Dalton brings such an energy, such a glee, such a joy of life to the screen that it synergistically affects the other actors around him. Dalton's scenes with Zac Levi were so much fun to watch. As his reveal at the end of the episode. Amazing. Also amazing is what a little change in wardrobe, hair style, and body language can bring to an actor. Scott Bakula had the same transformative moment in Season Two's Dream Job when he went from being PapaB to Orion. Tuttle becomes Volkoff and those preconceived images the audience had of Dalton because of his Bond heritage served that reveal moment well. Too bad the Tuttle character has been lost so quickly but par for the course on a show where plot elements are often burnt through so rapidly. Tuttle was a lot of fun.

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

• Sarah distracted by MamaB during briefing with Beckman
• 'calm' Chuck
• Phalanx computer and triangular? discs
• Chuck 'waltzes in' by Tom, Jerry, Casey & other agents to see MamaB in the Castle
• Sarah turns a high heel spike into a weapon, Morgan pays the price
• 'Morgan, please don't touch my chest.'
• 'I'm sorry. The code one more time.'
• Morgan, unlike Chuck, confronts Casey about their 'First Fight'
• 'Do I get to parachute out of a plane on a horse?'
• Subtle, undercover Morgan dropping ear piece into glass of water
• Tuttle and the plastic fork, 'I'd like to apologize for addressing you in a harsh tone.'
• 'Had my first sexual experience while watching Lawrence of Arabia.' Tuttle cracks under threat of torture
• 'Oh cool! A tiny weapons standoff!'
• Close quarters plane fight and another big guy prove too much for the Intersect.
• Tuttle's 'Here! Catch!' knife throw
• Morgan brokers a deal with MamaB. 'I haven't had a decent Rice Krispie square since..'
• Tuttle teases Chuck about only have one parachute
• 'Thrilling! Reminds me of that episode of Alias. I loved that show!'
• Sheep truck bonding
• Ellie and MamaB meet and talk, Sarah listens
• MamaB tells Ellie about the car that matches the one in the paper
• The Indestructible Woman! Scars and beauty marks!
• Sarah's exasperated, 'Is there anybody you didn't tell about our fight?'
• Morgan accepts Casey 'apology'
• Sarah a bit behind on social media with a 'Friendsters' shoutout
• 'Fighting with you is exhausting.'
• Chuck and Sarah fight through their 'First Fight'
• Tuttle is shot!
• MamaB zaps Chuck with some form of Intersect update via a PSP!
• 'There is no Tuttle, Charles.' Volkoff unveiled!
• Chuck cannot flash. No more Intersect or?
• PapaB narrates letter left for Ellie
• Ellie ends up with a present not only from PapaB but Orion too

Linda Hamilton continues to thrive as MamaB. Her stern exterior is broken by the most unexpected moments. Morgan showing up in the Castle detention cell to plead with MamaB is one of those great beats. MamaB talking to Ellie about their family history is another as she ends the scene brushing Ellie's hair behind her ear. What is so great about the scene is that Casey and Sarah, in their own way, get to show they are part of the Bartowski family too. Casey's subdued and regretful interruption that it is time to for MamaB to go along with Sarah's reactions as she sits in the background and gets to hear a recounting of family history that is so relevant for her, are quiet moments that show how much 'family' there is with these characters.

This episode also demonstrated that bringing Morgan into the spy world is the right choice. Morgan's struggle with the earpiece and glass of water was very funny. The Morgan/Casey 'First Fight' was carried out with aplomb; like the Chuck and Sarah fight; and resolved 'in mission', in ways that befitted both groups of characters. And Ellie! Ahhh Ellie. Is this a sign of things to come? Is Ellie really going to play a role in the spy world or will she simply carry a baton for a short bit? I hope the right answer is the first choice. Each time we get a glimpse of Sarah Lancaster's acting ability it becomes ever more painful when she sinks back down into the background again. With Chuck in Intersect limbo could Ellie's neuroscience abilities along with the Orion laptop left in the car become the story tool to unlock Chuck? The sharing and familial bonding that could occur in such a storyline gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Imagine how it would play out if Ellie was actively involved in those moments!



Laura Lefranc and Rafe Judkins continue to demonstrate their skill in handling not just the characters but their ability to interweave previous events from the show into their most current writing assignment. They also have the comedy down pat and this time really shone with the mission storyline.

Chuck and Sarah could be facing their toughest challenge yet. Hanging on to their personal and professional lifes in a world where Chuck can no longer access or has the Intersect.

Chuck the show, and Chuck the character, finally has an adversary to take note of in Volkoff.

That's The Way, Uhuh, Uhuh - Episode 4.05: Chuck Vs The Couch Lock

Written by Henry Alonso Meyers

Directed by Michael Schultz

'That's The Way, Uhuh, Uhuh! I like it! Uhuh. Uhuh.'

K.C. & The Sunshine Band

OR

'Build A Solid Spy Story And Good Episodes Will Come.'

Field of Dreams Paraphrase

After three consecutive episodes of Chuck and Sarah relationship hand holding, and BuyMore resetting, the show returned to the spy story with The Couch Lock. In a big way too. This episode did so many things right that it made me giddy with joy.

In model, 'Show don't tell,' manner, this episode dramatized Chuck's realization that his quest to find his mother is putting his immediate loved ones in mortal danger. Casey, Morgan, and Sarah were placed in harm's way as a direct result of what Chuck set in motion. By using the supporting players to show this it is a win, win situation. Not only do we get to share with Chuck the experience of what he has caused to happen but Casey and Morgan get to grow as characters, interact with the leads more, and play off one another in both dramatic and humorous ways.

Why was this all possible? Because the episode had a solid story foundation to work from. The longevity of a series comes down to its characters. The strength of individual episodes come down to how strong the story engine is. With Chuck being a spy based show that equates to having solid missions. Those missions work even better when an emotional connection can be forged between it and the cast. The more characters with personal stakes in the mission the better. With Couch Lock the initial emotional hooks are with Casey and his former A-Team members. This one works even better because it ties in to the season arc for MamaB, Morgan's relationship with Casey and his daughter Alex, and the aforementioned Chuck episode arc of weighing the cost of the end goal versus the means he is using to get there.


 

Casey Unlocked!

With all that to work with the episode becomes a gold mine of character beats, action set pieces, comedy, heart felt moments, and just plain old fun. Riffing off of the A-Team, Charade, Weekend At Bernie's, and Entrapment to name a few there was very much to like about this one. This episode also makes the best use of Jeff and Lester since Dream Job and the American Hero where their unknowing participation in the spy storyline is seamless and as a result very funny. Another sign of a good episode is when the BuyMore supports the main storyline instead of detracting from it.

Episode Flashes: - so much to pick from this week! Too much. Add your own in the comments.

* The Casey A-Team: Packard, T.I., MacIntosh,
* Clinton and his mouthy wife
* Casey smelling Jeff & Lester
* 'White Zin. Magic of the Gathering, If you have the manna.' Jeff &Lester riffing
* Morgan with Alex while staying under Casey's radar at the BuyMore
* great to see Chuck and Morgan talking openly at the BuyMore
* 'You know. The A-Team.' 'I was the A-Team.'
* 'Casey. We have to kill you.'
* Sarah's look of pride at Chuck's plan to draw out the A-Team
* Chuck's discomfort with Beckman congratulating him on putting duty above emotion
* Fakeadeathonol
* 'Little alone time before I die. Pay some bills.'
* Morgan's 'mish' callback quickly dismissed by Chuck
* Casey 'Charade' funeral scene done to Oingo Boingo's – 'Dead Man's Party'
* Casey freaking out Morgan when he opens his eyes
* Casey being stuck with American Flag pin and lit cigar
* 'Forgiveness. Big gun loving. Commie hating. Forgiveness.' Morgan's hilarious eulogy.
* A-Team stealing of Casey from church
* Casey's tracker on cat. Chuck's frantic, 'Don't shoot it,' to tactical squad
* Casey ordering his feet to move
* Jeff and Lester knowing the exact dumpster Casey is in.
* Red Batphone at the BuyMore!
* 'Strait laced ones.' 'Every one likes to get their freak on.' 'Sometimes I like to feel official too.'
* 'You don't say uh-oh!'
* Snarky Sarah – 'You could have told me that before I crawled under those lasers.' - should have been a hommage to Entrapment there though
* Casey couch locked with a StormTroopers helmet to boot
* Morgan getting Alex out of harm's way.
* Alex, like her father, prefers to be direct.
* Sarah's, 'Getting bored,' to Chuck.
* Morgan trying to break Casey's couch lock by slapping him, 'Like slapping a car!'
* Morgan breaking Casey's couch lock by telling him about Alex – great Casey reaction shots and loved the use of Russian themed music during this sequence
* 'Frost is our boss.' Volkoff's right hand clean up specialist.
* Casey and Morgan at the Iranian bunker door. Morgan with a battery hand-held fan.
* 'That's 3 to 1 Casey!' 'Just the way I like it.'
* Holy Goldfinger!
* 'Let there be darkness!
* 'Is that a little girl?'
* Name: Morgan. Expertise: None.
* Morgan waking up to Sarah
* 'I died?' 'Yeah. Just for 3 secs.'
* 'We wake up in some of the best dumpsters in the city.'
* Morgan party invitation to Casey made up like a top secret document.
* Casey covering for Morgan with Alex
* Alex to Morgan, 'You are brave.'
* 'Break her heart, I break your everything.'
* Chuck and Sarah fountain scene. Chuck deciding to give up search for MamaB as price is too high.
* MamaB calling Chuck.

With the exception of Big Mike, everyone puts in an appearance and none of it felt contrived. Especially nice was the family gathering at Morgan's party. Adam Baldwin really demonstrated a lot of acting range with even more minimal body movement because of his Weekend At Bernie's Couch Lockdown. The eye emotings he did, mostly with Morgan, were hilarious. But really the episode belonged to Morgan as he 'died' for three seconds and proved to Casey that he is indeed a good guy. Casey and Morgan scenes are gold and this episode gave us twenty-four carat ones. Morgan and Alex continued to show their chemistry from the previous episode was no fluke. Also very refreshing to see Alex being very open and direct in her talks with Morgan.


For an episode that had so many of Zac Levi's real life friends such as Joel David Moore and Eric Roberts in it, it was unfortunate that Chuck and Sarah were somewhat subordinate in the episode. All to the good mind you because that is what the story called for. It has been awhile since the Chuck that I really liked so much as a character has had a chance to come out but he did this episode. He learned a lesson and was willing to give up the search for his mother. Great to see his priorities back in proper order.

Fortunately, for dramatic purposes, Chuck's activities have caught Volkoff's attention and, no doubt, prompted him to bring in his cleaner. MamaB.

Exciting!

Superb, Sweet And Sexy! - Episode 4.04: Chuck Vs The Coup D'Etat

Written by Kristin Newman

Directed by Robert Duncan McNeil

Everyone brings their own set of expectations to the things they indulge in during their leisure time. Even within a shared experience such as a TV show those expectations can vary widely. Even one as telegraphed as Chuck. So when I sit back, watch an episode that operates heavily in the areas which are not in my preferred pleasure zones and still come away with a big, sloppy grin on my ugly mug, it can only mean one thing; an exceptional episode.

Rookie Chuck writer, Kristen Newman of, 'That 70's Show,' and 'How I Met Your Mother,' background experience serves up a goldmine episode of character nugget rich moments. She displays a flair for the comedic with layered dialogue that leads, more often than not, from a character moment to another or even a scene transition in a skilled and seamless matter.

One of my favorite beats is when Chuck is talking relationships, Sarah is talking mission, Chuck flashes on one of Sarah's intel pictures of the Costa Gravas nuclear weapons panel, Chuck switches to talking mission and nuclear, and Sarah switches to relationship talk using the nuclear comment as her jumping off point before Chuck brings them both back in synch and talking about the mission.

Funny. Clever. Witty. Seamless. An awesome bit of writing.

Kristen gives each of the regular cast and the main guest stars great lines and beats to play. Armand Assante returns with zest and vigor and Tia Texada as his embittered spouse matches him beat for beat. Casey and Morgan continue to explore their relationship now becoming even more complicated and filled with even more comedic potential with the return Casey's long lost daughter, Alex. Mekanna Melvin makes a fetching return as Alex, made all the more so awesome that there is definite on screen chemistry between her and Josh Gomez's Morgan Grimes.

Morgan was back on track character wise after being somewhat sublimated in the last episode to facilitate the return of Big Mike. He channeled the audience's exasperation with Chuck and Sarah's communication issues, indirectly led to the closing scene with Sarah telling a 'sleeping' Chuck what her answer would be to the big question via the seemingly ill advised selfhelp relationship book , kivitzed with Casey, was wise and emboldened enough by Alex to follow Big Mike's advice, and went for the jam in his soul.

All this, and while we are all eager to see Casey and Morgan interaction, the little bearded one is not just entering into in-law situations with not just one powerful father figure, but two! Morgan navigating stormy patriarchal seas of not only Casey but Big Mike as well. Plus being in a romance. Plus managing a BuyMore. Plus being a spy! And we thought Chuck was doing a big juggling act back in the Season One and Two days. Talk about a busy guy!

The Chuck and Sarah dynamics were a lot of fun this week too. Especially as we got to see them played off of Ellie and Devon, the Communication All-Stars. From the awkward faux proposal opening to the still awkward surveillance van scene to the bikini decision and various types of communication scene to their shared fight scene right on to the final bedroom scene; each them of them, like real partners, had individual and shared moments to shine as they worked on being better communicators.

Episode Flashes: - an embarrasment of riches in this episode, more than I can list

• The real Morgan is back this week! Yippee!
• Morgan channeling audience on Chuck & Sarah being crap communicators while being the masters of precious looks
• Morgan nailing the heart of the awkward faux engagement – how would Chuck have reacted if Sarah had said yes
• Devon talking to baby and sharing his fab workout jams
• wheelchair Casey in Castle for 'fresh air'
• Beckman back to monitor status - Boo!
• Beckman's – 'Anyone who was not shot recently.'
• Generalissmo's hilarious Costa Gravas travelogue video
• Smooth product placement via Devon and Goya
• Babymoon
• Bikinis &'Yes. That. Both....all of them.' & 'There are many ways to communicate.'
• Morgan trying to take care of Casey.
• 'Dad.' 'Daughter.' 'Morgan, how'd the pot roast turn out?'
• Roman Holiday movie
• 'Grimes, give her a five minute head start.'
• Chuck's cuddling needs versus Sarah's needs for thirty minutes of silence.
• Awesome's awesome smile at seeing his statue
• Generalissimo's wife, Hortencia
• Generalissimo's senses immediately picking up on the fragrance of a ripe fruit aka Ellie's pregnancy
• 'Way to go, marble me!'
• 'Follow the stink of commie.'
• Tall and brunette versus charming and handsome. Sarah and Chuck characters captured in dialogue.
• Red door. 'Get me out of here!'
• Alex & Morgan movie marathons
• Big Mike on Casey, 'That's not a daddy you want to be giving you a spanking.'
• Chuck shaking his head no but saying yes to Sarah's question about the 101 Questions book
• Costa Gravas = Chuck and Sarah = nuclear
• General Beckman's – 'Costa Gravas is nuclear!'
• Casey nailing the full scope of those involved with the Coup
• a red polka dotted, laser sighted Casey proclaiming, 'Cute. Too bad you didn't bring enough.'
• 'The stench of tyranny.'
• Big Mike talking the goods to Morgan about love via Bolognia singing like the happiest bird in the sky to knowing about being with the right one because you feel the sweet, smooth jams rise up from your soul
• 'What rebel leader goes to a marriage counsellor?'
• Alex and Morgan!
• Sarah talking to Chuck in his 'sleep.' Best of all it is left open to our interpretation. Was Chuck awake or asleep? Either scenario works for me. And works well.

'Too bad you didn't bring enough.' - One good leg, seriously painted John Casey. Bad Ass!

Quibbles? Sure, but most of them are based on the way the season is being handled.

For this episode, the first half was stronger than the second. The resolution was cribbed far too much from 3.02 - Chuck Vs The Three Words where Chuck talked down Carina's supposed boyfriend in a similar manner. It was great to see Chuck tell Ellie about his quest to find their mother but a continuing disappointment that he is hiding his spy life from Ellie. At least Chuck is dropping hints to Ellie. It irks me though to see the show continually under use Sarah Lancaster as Ellie. The actress and the character deserve better. I do not see the purpose or plus side to keeping both of them on a short leash. They unleashed Morgan and look what happened. Why not do the same for Ellie?

Three episodes in a row where the Chuck and Sarah relationship shaped the mission. With the exceptions of the Cubic Z and the Anniversary there has been a paucity of tension and drama to the episodes. When an episode is a good as the Coup D'etat I can forego that requirement.

Really enjoyed this episode and hope for those of you who are into the show for primarily for the relationship are happy with the season to this point. Let me know in the comments section where you want to see the emphasis placed on the future direction of the show. Do you want the focus to continue to be on the relationship? Or would you like to see the spy mythology and MamaB storyline start to rev up?

I barely mentioned how awesome Casey and Awesome were this episode too.  Another sign of a great episode.

Giving The Past The Shaft - Episode 4.03: Chuck Vs The Cubic Z

Written by Nicholas Wootton

Directed by Norman Buckley

First time Chuck writer Nicholas Wootton sets up a Chuck episode that aims high but is undercut by execution factors outside his control and the restrictions of the world which the show has set upon itself. He has a solid grasp on the spy material but the world of BuyMore retail ridiculousness was flat.

The spy storyline of a prisoner transfer of characters from Chuck and Sarah's past is a great idea but is hampered by the need to tie a BuyMore storyline to it. The Cubic Z gives some excellent emotional hooks for Sarah into the main storyline only to have them undercut by placing the burden of carrying those moments on Nicole Ritchie. The episode gives a triumphant return to Big Mike but at the expense of Morgan's character.

For Sarah, the reappearance of high school nemesis, Heather Chandler, could not come at a worse time. Having a romantic getaway canceled in the midst of relationship strain over commitment issues places Sarah in a vulnerable position. And like the true predator she is, Heather Chandler senses Sarah's weakness and exploits for pure enjoyment. It is this aspect of the Heather character which works so well and which Nicole Ritchie can carry off with relish.

The return of Steve Austin's Hugo Panzer clicked on all fronts. He was big, bad, crafty, powerful and engagingly evil. Everything you want in a bad guy. Hugo was plain fun to watch and his fight scenes with Chuck were great, especially the Cage Match. His eventual put down by Big Mike was good – though the Big Mike put down of Leader from Season Two is still Big Mike's signature take out in my books.

Automatic Evilness!

Episode Flashes:

• Video game called Spy Attack

• Morgan blogging about listening skills

• 'Beyond DeNiro serious. That's Russell Crowe serious.'

• 'Filter, filter!'

• Chuck and Morgan taking a moment to enjoy angst free relationships

• Sarah putting a beating on Casey, fighting like a pit bull

• Sarah and Casey talking relationships!!!!!!!!

• 'Jenny Burton, my old high school punching bag.'

• 'I am Cobra!'

• Hugo Panzer! Steve Austin rocked this episode.

• Great to see Big Mike. Great to see him ask Morgan's blessing to marry his mom.

• Supply closet shenanigans!

• Tough cop. Silent cop.

• Heather is very good at the needling. Not so much the emotional insights.

• Sarah telling Chuck to not let Heather get under his skin. LOL

• Volkoff engineered prison transfer? Intriguing

• Hugo/Greta fight scene

• Casey with flaky Voice Recognition Control Interface

• Castle air ducts are big enough to handle Star Trek Enterprise turbolifts!

• Heather chides with Jenny/Sarah name

• Hehee - Sarah responds with head kick

• four way melee between Chuck, Sarah, Hugo, and Heather

• Sarah's, 'That felt good.'

• Rooftop fight! Girls and automatic weapons!

• 'Back up.' 'You back up.' 'No! You back up!'

• Hugo/Chuck cage match

• 'Mike. Big Mike.'

• Casey and Sarah continue to give each other relationship advice!!!!!!!!

• Operation Beacon: Frost and Volkoff seem very close. Hmmmm.

• Chuck and Sarah agree to take things slow

• Fate via a ring drop seems to counter them

The best character interchanges took place between Sarah and Casey this episode. Who would have thought that the two spies of the show would not only be having personal conversations but good ones at that two seasons ago? Sarah's pit bull aggression while fighting Casey was hilarious. Chuck, Intersect or no, do not make this female dynamo angry!

For the first time this season, an episode hit the ground running. The pacing of the episode was good even when certain elements were not working such as the whole BuyMore Spy Attack video game launch and the return of Big Mike. I love Big Mike as much as the next person and it was great to see him again. Unfortunately his return was at the expense of Morgan's character and to an extent Chuck's. Chuck should have taken down Hugo in the cage. And no way, would Hugo leave the cage without killing Chuck.

Also does this mean the end of Beckman's onsite presence? If so, that is a most unwelcome reversion.

It was also a welcome sight to actually have Sarah's conflict over learning that she was no longer the person Heather claimed, to be visibly dramatized. This was done through Heather's character as well as during the decisive moment on the rooftop battle when Sarah frees Heather to help in the fight instead of giving her up. Unfortunate then that Heather's last speech to Sarah about Chuck and love and Sarah being able to change came out as an exposition infodump instead of a heartfelt moment.

To balance that though the episode had several terrific action scenes. The brief but violent fight between Greta and Hugo made an impact. Along with the rooftop fight, Chuck's cage match with Hugo, and Sarah's feel good putdown of Heather the episode earns top marks on the action front.

Another thing the episode did well was to show that Volkoff has far reaching power. To be able to arrange prisoner transfers and intercept and replace rescue teams keeps his presence in our minds. It also shows he holds a grudge. Heather's reveal about Operation Beacon and that Frost was never far from Volkoff's side continues to muddy the waters as to where MamaB's loyalties lie.

While the closing cliffhanger was not all that much, I did like the notion that even though Chuck and Sarah have agreed to take things slow, the timing of an engagement ring showing up at that very instance plants the seed of thought that Fate may have something else in mind for them as far as a timeline is involved.