I wanted to get this up and posted between emails at work. Looks like a long evening for me, but I have Chuck to look forward too! See you after the episode airs!
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amyabn
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Ernie Davis
Faith
joe
thinkling
Chuck This 
Well, I just finished and must say, well, meh. After the high of the last couple of episodes, this felt slow to me. The pacing seemed off. It isn’t that I didn’t like the episode, but other than the Sarah realizations and actually verbalizing her feelings, Casey too for that matter, I didn’t find it terribly funny or fun. Chuck took a step back in not sharing with Sarah. What happened to the faith in the relationship?
Bummed that Anna and Morgan couldn’t really talk. I’d love to see Julia Ling on more if we get another season. Morgan certainly has matured, and I like what they’ve done with him.
The Ring plot is pretty straight forward-lure Orion out. I hope they bring Ellie in on the good guys (ie. Team Bartowski) before too long. I really think she will get the Intersect torch passed to her.
I’m looking forward to what you guys thought.
It’s that darn Sarah’s fault. She just won’t let Chuck talk. How’s the guy supposed to tell her he might be dying after she confesses her love and tells him she looking forward to living an entire life with him. 😉
I laughed at Sarah cutting Chuck off; that was a first! Of course, she did let him talk later when he fibbed. I didn’t like that, but I would say, speaking as a guy (with a chronic health condition), you never want to make too big a deal of these things. I always tell my wife I’m invincible, I think she’s on to me though.
This also gives Sarah an excuse to get REALLY angry when she finds out what’s going on. Chuck will say something along the lines of “well, they returned me to duty, how big a deal can it be!” And then she’ll hit him in the head with a pillow (with all the stuffing pushed up in one end, of course)
I agree amy. Very flat. The good episode seems to last for hours while the bad one seems to take minutes. Come on Elle is not the dumb.
I liked this episode. I understood Chuck’s reason for not telling Sarah about the doctor’s concerns. You don’t answer a first ILY, perhaps Sarah’s first ever, with I might be going insane. Let her enjoy the moment, there’ll be time for the discussion later.
Wow. Intense…let the drama begin. First thoughts—
Nice to see “doc” was a good guy and Chuck was right…but this arc is going to be tough….
And of course, not to bury the lead…but the “three little” words were uttered more than once…but it stopped an important conversation dead in its tracks.
It was also nice to see Morgan “cowboy up” to Anna.
What did everyone else think?
First off Nooooooooooooooo. No more Shaw.
Second, it did seem a bit slow at first but it really picked up at the end. The General cares, Casey cares and Sarah loves Chuck and says it out loud. Chuck flashing while drugged and attacking thin air was funny and Merlin’s Army even more so.
So Doc Brown wasn’t bad, Morgan got tranq’d and Ellie is being manipulated by the Ring. That last dream/flash of Chuck’s was very interesting, him in a hospital bed and Shaw being alive, if true set up the rest of the season big time. Morgan being done with Anna was a bit of a downer, but I think that they are setting him up for a relationship with Casey’s daughter.
Chuck hiding the truth of what the Doc said was a bit disapointing but I suspect that he will tell her the truth shortly. It was a bit understandable as Sarah had just told him that she loves him and is looking forward to their life together, what was he supposed to say “yeah that’s all good but I may still be going crazy anyways”.
Over all I liked it, not as much as the last two but a lot more than most of this season. I see it as sort of like Predator or Dream Job (not as good as DJ though) in that it was a lot of exposition setting up the next three episodes.
My feelings are similar herder. I loved the futile fight of Chuck and the lunatics. Great end to that scene too; Sarah’s “I’ll always come for you Chuck” and lunatic says “Merlin will come for you too!” That was funny! I’m a sucker for the mix of sweet and ridiculous, beautiful scene.
Doc Brown surprised me, I really expected him to be no good.
A question, the Ring is using Ellie to get at Orion, presumably for the intersect work that he did. Does that mean that they don’t yet know that there is a functioning intersect and that it is in Chuck’s head? If Shaw is alive wouldn’t that be job one, get Chuck not Stephen Bartowski? If they do have a live Shaw, wouldn’t he be able to tell them that the real weak spot of Chuck is Sarah not Ellie or is Ellie more available for subversion than Sarah.
Some good qustions herder. Perhaps with The Ring’s cell organization, only the people Shaw is with know about Chuck. Besides, the ability to make their own intersects is probably more desireable than capturing Chuck.
Calling Sarah Chuck’s weak spot is kind of funny; that’s a weak spot that bites. Ellie would be easier to capture or control; and has the added bonus of providing leverage against Chuck or Orion.
Well, I think that if the Ring grab Orion, Stephen Bartowski, they wouldn’t need Chuck; Chuck’s father has proven he can build a very powerful, and somewhat stable intersect. If they capture him, they wouldn’t need Chuck, they can unleash an army of intersect agents. Plus the fact that Shaw said he wouldn’t reveal Chuck’s secret, though shooting him in the chest may change that. If they bring Shaw back, he might as well be like Arnold in the Terminator, going after Sarah Connor, or should I say Sarah Walker in this case. They have to start double tapping people in the head. I also like the “Dune” reference Morgan brought up, “Fear is the mind killer”, big fan of the movie, but never really gave the books a try.
Hmmm… Some random thoughts as they pop into my head:
“Monday nights is a wasteland.”
Sarah (“I love you”); Casey (already at Doc’s house and his earlier conversations with Sarah); and even Beckman (“I care for him too.”)… Looks like everyone was lovin’ on Chuck.
That’s all they brought Anna in for? We’ve been looking forward to her return only to see that her big scenes were her getting blown off by Morgan 3 times? I felt that was a waste of a great character and a great opportunity.
And Christopher Lloyd was oddly deadpan and emotionless. I realize that was the character choice he made and I wasn’t expecting him to go all wild-eyed Doc Brown/Rev. Jim, but he was surprisingly boring. It was like he was channelling Ben Stein.
Looks like Ellie’s gonna find out about Spy World very soon…
Was that Freddie “Boom Boom” Washington as the president?
Shaw’s back. Oh jeeeeeeezzzzz…
It was Freddie “boom boom”
It would have been interesting how this ep would have worked earlier in the year had the angst of the interest replaced the PLI angst…the writers would have had more time to craft the issue at hand instead of a throw away line about Chuck’s vivid dreams in Final Exam.
I agree about Christopher Lloyd…I kinda wanted to shake him awake.
Random thought
Who was the woman in Chuck’s dream? Foreshadowing Momma B’s return?
I think it was the woman from the news, but i’ll have to rewatch
I actually enjoyed the episode pretty much from start to finish although it certainly felt a lot like a boulder rolling down hill, picking up steam as it reached the base. I thought there was a good mix of comedy, action and drama. Also, I found myself worrying and wishing the commercials would go by more quickly during the breaks. I’ll have something more detailed and cogent to say after some sleep and another viewing.
Just tried to rewatch some of the highlights and the dvd recording didn’t take, I’ll have to go with my initial assesment which is that I liked it.
I was so sure Shaw would be back 🙂
Hope they nip those dreams in the bud though. I m not liking the whole premonition angle they suddenly gave Chuck
Oh liked the episode overall, it was less dramatic than I thought it would be and perhaps a bit slow paced but it was a nice setup for the finale. 3D Chess and all that mess.
Still have 40 min to go..A lot of bad reviews already. A little concern =(
Don’t worry…I think it’s supposed to be high stakes. This is like herder said an exposition to the future plots.
I loved it
My quick take – this was every bit as thrilling as Predator. I’m a sucker for exactly this kind of spy story, I admit, and of course I was thrilled with Sarah saying “I love you.” twice to Chuck.
Hum… had a premonition earlier today that Sarah was going to demure one last time. I’m so glad they got past this already!
I definitely like the new Morgan. But I really don’t want to see Anna go like that. If TPTB bring her back after making Morgan worthy, already, and make Anna work for him this time, I would love it. Sadly, this gives them too easy an out to just drop the character permanently. Bah!
PS: I like Zombie Shaw a whole lot better than the live version!
I agree, he was really spooky in this one.
Well, many of us have been calling for a more compelling antagonist, Evil Shaw would fit the bill. He is more beleivable as a villan than as a hero.
I agree Joe, I pretty much loved this episode, except for Chuck’s lies in the end. I’m even kind of happy to have Shaw back as a pure villain (I’m assuming that’s what we are to conclude).
It did start a little slow, but I loved the fight of lunatics, Sarah saving the day (just like old times), and Sarah’s declaration at the end.
Agreed! But even then, if Chuck’s little “cover up” is addressed properly in the next episode (especially if it’s early in the episode), it’ll be okay with me.
Ditto Dave. My thoughts exactly. Although, I think after the last scene, Sarah might start getting the suspicions that not everything is cool.
I don’t think they closed the door on Anna definitively. Only that Morgan is past her now. Of course, now that Anna got blown off, she totally wants him (hmmmm….why is it that Morgan attracts chicks only AFTER he blows them off ;)). Would be funny seeing Anna coming back every so often in S4 trying to win Morgan back.
That would be a fun recurring gag. Its been speculated a lot that getting rid of Anna opens the romantic angle for Morgan and Casey’s daughter. That makes me laugh just thinking about it, I hope they go that way.
Ok… so I hacen’t read any of your post yet, but I have only one thing to say:
wow!
auch!
uhhh!
cliff hanger ha?!
I have never laughed harder, and been more worried about a Chuck episode. I am going to have to rewatch again, it is just so much to take in!
There were a few particularly good jokes and sight gags. Chuck and Sarah watching “Spies Like Us” and her complaining about the lack of spy realism with Chevy Chase and Dan Akroyd was great as was Chuck having to explain humor to her. Also great was the wind treatment for Skip Johnson as Morgan doesn’t have hair that will blow in the wind. Jeff being pleased about getting the lumpy middle aged women in appliances to hit on was creepy but funny. Merlin’s Army was genius.
I m pretty sure that spies like us thing was Sarah’s attempt at a joke … you know the bit about breaking protocols and the coy smile afterwards
I duuno. Remember, Sarah has confessed that she is “not funny” (or at least thinks she’s not). I could honestly see her not getting that movie.
Of course *I* find it hilarious that they showed a clip of that movie, when Chevy Chase (as Roark) was killed in S2. I’d love for Sarah to go “hey doesn’t that spy on TV remind you of someone…?” 😉
Great episode. Sarah is really coming into her own now. Ellie being recruited by the Ring. Shaw haunting Chuck.
Wow can it be next week already?
I took a few minutes to try and asimilate the episode, after watching it and i think its good. And although it showed an interesting mix of drama/action/comedy, well “mixed” in my opinion, I’m having cross feelings about it…
It was a very intense episode. I think the climax points of the differente plots were very well played. They were set apart form each other (as it always are), but in this particular episode, as the intensity of it bottled up, each climax point (hope this is the correct term in English), gave the show a rythem that it was hard to asimilate.
I don’t know if i’m making myself understood jeje (though I have a major in social communications, analyzing a show in a foreign language is difficult!).
What i’m trying to say, is that each substory this week was intense and charged by itself, they had almost equal weight and importance this week, which is not what ussually happens in this show. So when each of them was resolved, in the last 10 minutes or so, it gave the episode a rythem more intense toward the end than in the first 30′ of it.
Which is intensify by the cliff hanger in the ending… Thus the feeling of overwelm i’m having at the moment… i think. 🙂
Ok… i’m babling right now, so if you don’t understand anything that i wrote, pls feel free to tell me! And i’ll try to make more sense!
Best!
buu.. gotta go to bed. I have one hour difference with ET and its already after midnight here 😦
Oh, you did fine, Lola! I’m so impressed with all our non-English speaking visitors!
I must say, I agree with what you said, too. I’m a fan of this kind of ‘intensity’ (that was a good word to use)!
I thought it was one of those episodes that fit the mood we saw at the end of season 2, which is something we haven’t seen up to now in S3.
I agree with both of you, this is the blend of drama and comedy (and action) I like best.
Lola… your english is great! It’s cool to have more South Americans on the blog. Yo soy Peruana 🙂 tu de Argentina no?
I agree, this ep was charged! I liked the ep after watching a second time. there was a lot going on and many things brought out: the effects of the intersect on Chuck, There is a looney bin for over-stressed CIA Agents, Ellie has a way to communicate with her dad (How about Chuck?), The ring wants Orion and is using ELlie to lure him out, why is the ring using Casey to scare Ellie? and finally Sarah tells Chuck she loves him.
With so little of the season left in so curious to know what twsit they are preparing for us.
Thanks guys!
Jen May, yes, I’m from Argentina, i’m currently in Buenos Aires 🙂 Nice to see a preuvian too! You are actually in peru?
Overall, it was a great eps! slow diggestion needed for this one, but amazing anyway.
I have one particular shoot in mind, that i can seem to shake: its a shoot from Anna’s point of view. When Morgan is coming out of the back store in his tux, they used the wind machine, though it didn’t actually Blow any hair of morgan, but the intire mane of this very hairy buymorian 🙂 jajaa.
No, i live in the US, in Miami, FL. My family moved here a while back, 15 yrs ago.
I’ve had a song stuck in my head since i saw your name yesterday: Lola, te quedaste sola, Lola, se te fue tu amor… from Micky Gonzalez, Peruvian musician 😛
It’s a change from having “Hey Joe, where are you going with that gun in your hand” by Jimi Hendrix every time i see Joe’s name 🙂
That Morgan scene was pure genius, i loved it too.
Well, just finished re-watching. I also felt that it moved slow, and it had me feeling Sarah would say more. I hope we see her more open from here on.
Overall, i had fun watching and laughed outoud a lot! Morgan in his tux, i loved it and loved his entrance. Jeff’s “I like seconds” was perfectly creepy. The crazy spies were hilarions, it had me wondering how in the world do you cast someone for the roll of Merlin. It was also nice to see a grown-up Morgan, taking one more step in his growth… but i really do hope he gets to patch things up with Ana. Is the the thing with Casey’s daugheter just a theory? And.. hello!!! finally Sarah tells Chuck the words he’s been dying to hear. Too bad it was bittersweet for him.
Yvonne again did an AMAZING job portraying Sarah’s emotions and she actually had me imagining myslef in her spot… of having the man you love in that situation. I also felt the lying.
I hope they don’t just sweep Chuck’s lies under the rug. I didn’t like them. He should have trusted Sarah when he took off with Morgan, and should still tell Sarah the Doc’s final prognosis. I know though, that he is holding back to not freak out Sarah, or to not strain their new relationship, but the lies will just make things worse. I’m hoping they clear this up real soon.
My theory is that the nightmares will continue (unless C&S go relax on a vaca!) and that this may lead to Chuck looking to get the Intersect out of his head again. I’m curious to sese how things develop with Ellie.
I’m gotta go to sleep. I look fwd to reading everyone’s comments tomorrow. G’night!
Yvonne again did an AMAZING job portraying Sarah’s emotions and she actually had me imagining myslef in her spot… of having the man you love in that situation. I also felt the lying.
I certainly could put myself in Chuck’s shoes, feeling like you just had to hold back that information… After hearing Sarah say “I’ll always come back for you.”, he couldn’t help but think that he won’t be able to make the same promise. Heartbreak!
I disagree about Chuck telling Sarah when he took off with Morgan. It’s quite apparent that both Sarah and Casey concur with the general and think Chuck’s losing his marbles at that point. Sarah would have told the general and Chuck would have been back on the doctor’s couch. The proof is in the pudding. If Casey and Sarah put any credence in Chuck’s dream and his conclusions they would have been at the concert. Instead, they’re in Castle when Beckman contacts them.
He took off on a mission with “Cobra”… Sarah would have been more useful had things runed out for the worse. You could see in her face when she caught up to Chuck that she was not happy with his taking off like that and she said she should have come to her and she would have helped. Sarah has Chck’s back… even swallowd up her discomfort and went running with him after finding out he had gone off on this mission on his own. In short, i think she would have given him teh benefit of the dobt and helped him.
Yeah, but he needed to appeal to her feelings for him in order to get an assist. That’s not a healthy thing to do in a relationship. Morgan supported him rather unconditionally.
Again, Chuck maintained he was right in front of the general. Sarah and Casey already had all the intelligence he had to give and they didn’t even bother to attend the concert just in case he wasn’t crazy. What would have been the purpose of a further appeal for action? Chuck went to the only person who didn’t reject his dream as nonsense brought on by stress and Morgan stepped up.
As an aside, one thing I’m not liking about Morgan’s knowledge of Chuck’s double life is that he’s being used as a way for the TPTB to have Chuck avoid speaking with Sarah. Sarah used to be the only one Chuck could confide in regarding spy related troubles. Now, there’s Morgan so they writers can bypass her and have him talk with Morgan in order to generate angst.
I agree with you in that Chuck now goes to Morgan when he could be going to Sarah. I think the not going to Sarah now is in mpart because he is still not fully secure in their relationship or doens’t want to get her involved to not get her in trouble.
I still believe Sarah would have supported him. the fact that she could question or challenge what he believes is happening doesn’t mean that she wouldn’t be there for him.
I don’t get the whole looney bin though… it was a funny thing and all wioth those ol’ crazy spies, i guess showing Chuck what could happen to him, but i dont’get how it is he gets dragged there. I guess the President of Zamibia pulled some strings to get him there.
Well yeah the President had to apologize himself! In Zamibian!
The thing is Chuck told Sarah he was fine, and didn’t seem to do anything about his dream. So Sarah didn’t really have any reasons to do anything either.
If he’d just told her he would feel better just to go at the symphony to be sure, she would have come with him. Even Casey.
Weaselone-
Chuck having to appeal to Sarah with “I Love You” to get her help is just another of the Season 3 “ick factor” problems.
Back in Season 1, in Crown Vic, Chuck went to Sarah even when she was angry with him and suspected him of being jealous. And she helped without question or hesitation when he believed in what he was doing. It was part of the charm of Seasons 1/2: Sarah ALWAYS believed in Chuck without question.
Of course, it may just have been sloppy writing in this scene (I actually liked the episode), but TPTB have really lost their footing in how they portray the characters now.
Why no love for Ernie? He called it…general beckman has a thing for Chuck: “I care about him too” 😀
still watching right now but so far wow. Emotional stuff.
Knew you’d love it, Faith!
As for Ernie, you know we can’t let him get a big head now! 😉
Beckman is just waiting for Sarah to break Chuck’s heart, then Dianne will be there to pick up the pieces. She’s been slow playing him for years. Did you see how jealous Chuck got when he saw the other man in Beckman’s kitchen? It’s all coming together… 😉
I get a mental image of Beckman in Monty Burns mode tapping her fingers and muttering “excellent”. Then again Beckman as sexual predator probably isn’t a mental image that I want in my head.
Ernie, your comment was really funny to read! thanks…jaja
Even her hair looked nicer in this Ep. I think you are on to somethign here Ernie.
Am I the only one who was disappointed that Beckman and Roan are no longer together?
That Diane… who knew she was such a player. I’m sure she still keeps Roan’s number handy.
Laroquette might be a little pricey for a background sight gag. But Roan is certainly one of the characters I would love to see return.
Seeing Roan in the background would have been worth everything they paid Routh and more. It would have caused a second Chuckopalypse, but the good kind.
I don’t WANT General Beckman liking Chuck. It really does destroy the Chuck-against-the-bureaucracy thing.
I liked it a lot better when Sarah called Beckman “a soldier” and that clearly meant she felt everyone was expendable. It was a great meme in Seasons 1 and Season 2.
You don’t want that nastiness in your A characters (like Casey, who had to be softened), but now that Beckman “cares” about Chuck, there’s no one for him to fight against.
Part of the fun of Chuck was always that he was fighting spies AND government idiocy…
That is a fair point, but this is a slightly different situation. It’s more akin to an agent having cancer or a progressive illness than sending them into harms way for a mission. I think people in the military would back me up on that.
We in the military learn to compartmentalize our personalities. Just because Beckman can be hardnosed at times(to the point of sacrificing him if need be)doesn’t mean she doesn’t like or care about Chuck personally. Many commanders take on a paternal outlook with their subordinates. Tough love is definately a part of that sometimes, but so does genuinely caring. If anything, that makes it more poignant if Beckman has to do the “unthinkable”.
I also view the General’s concern for Chuck’s health as separate from their job/duty. When the time comes to put the job first she’ll push for that and she and Chuck will continue to clash in some cases, but that’s not to say she doens’t feel concern for his well being.
Uh, Ernie, this is a TV show…If everyone has to be “human,” well, then let’s forget the Intersect, etc.
My point is that Chuck started as a show where an unwilling spy fought both the bad guys and the crushing bureaucracy. Holding on to the Beckman who simply doesn’t care; just wants the job done; measures the ends, not the means; had value.
It’s one thing to “humanize” Beckman by having her talk about Roan and having a Cosmo with Condi. But the minute that she starts caring about Chuck as anything more but a cog in the wheel, you lose another important angle of the show that can be played.
Losing Beckman as the symbol of the inflexible, immovable, unfeeling bureaucracy will hurt the show. Especially THIS show, where they villains have never been particularly believable or interestingly evil.
It’s a smallish point, I know, but it just adds to the muddle that the show has become. A lot of what made Chuck unique in Seasons 1 and Season 2 was sacrificed for the Season 3 reset. That was inevitable. It wasn’t necessary to lose the Chuck versus the bureaucracy angle, too.
Beckman the Charah shipper who cares about her agents simply isn’t as useful to the storytelling.
By the way, my comments are NOT meant to be anti-military. I never saw Beckman as a “soldier” in the military sense. She didn’t represent that. She was the more amorphous “government run amok.” I don’t want my comments to be viewed as a suggestion that the U.S. military doesn’t care about its foot soldiers.
As a prior jarhead myself…I’ve always been taught Mission Accomplishment first and then Troop Welfare but it was always debateable. I think military has a different mentality than the CIA/NSA anyway especdially their field agents. They are always taught to carry on with the original mission at all cost and to trust no one in the process. Military guys in the field are trained to trust the the men and women by your side at all times (military personnel) You have to beleive that they have your back as you do with them
They’ve already “humanized” Beckman by comments like “Tell agent Walker I’m sorry” in DeLorean. Doesn’t mean she’s not “bureaucracy” to fight. In the end, she went against Chuck everytime it was important.
Plus having Chuck burning assets and shooting people make the fight against “bureaucracy” a little less important (the gap between Chuck and Beckman hasn’t been reduced only from Beckman perspective).
In the end even though Beckman cares, Chuck still has to prove himself and fight his hierarchy in that episode.
I don’t see any of the things that they have had Beckman say change the character in any way. I always saw her as a sort of character that everyone was afraid of. She may be able to say the odd nice thing, but bottom line they are all still afraid of her (except for some strange reason, Morgan). “Do you both think that I’m an idiot” “no Maam”…”release Agent Walker”, it’s all so very funny.
I’m with Paul. I’m in the Army and he’s spot on. I really didn’t have a problem with either Beckman or Casey as Chuck has finally worn them down! Not too soft, but at least able to show some emotion.
Who are currently with Amy? I’m on the last 30 days of a deployment to Iraq.
Paul, I sent you an email on that. 🙂 Get home safe!
Wow, that was good. That was really good. That was way, way better than last week’s outing. Why couldn’t Chuck have been this awesome all season?
Random thoughts:
– Major props to Morgan for sticking it to Anna (although I felt her character was a bit underused).
– DreamShaw is creepy. Really creepy. (I like it.)
– I still don’t think that Justin makes a good villain, and I still don’t think that Scott Holroyd is doing a great job. But, if it makes any sense, I like how the character is contributing to the plot more than I like the character itself. I’m intrigued as to what he’s planning next.
– Captain Awesome is awesome even when he’s recovering from fake malaria.
– Dr. Dreyfus turned out to be pretty boring. He was more of a plot device than a character, but since this episode was pretty jam-packed, I can forgive that.
– This episode was a little cheesy at times. Have Beckman and Casey really gone that soft?
– I watched this episode with my sister and when Chuck punched the doctor in the face, I asked her how Chuck knew that he’d knocked the right tooth out. It turns out he didn’t.
– Zachary Levi is an excellent physical comedian. I was in stitches when he flashed on fighting skills but was too disoriented to use them properly.
– I’m not too worried about Chuck lying to Sarah at the end of the episode. I’m sure that the truth will come out soon, and even if it does come out in an angst-filled way, it definitely won’t break up Chuck and Sarah. (You have my personal guarantee. You can even torch my place instead of Schwartz’s or Fedak’s if it does.)
I am incredibly excited for what’s to come. Things are getting intense.
Pretty close to what I’m feeling 11 hours later, Merve.
Except that I think Holroyd is doing Okay. I can believe that he’s gained Ellie’s confidence.
I agree whole heartedly. This ep. had more of a season 2 vibe. The next 3 hours should be awesome. I’m actually looking forward to the return of Shaw. He should be a great villian and I can’t wait for Chuck to fill him full of lead again.
I´ll have to watch this again a few hundred times. But i loved seeing Chuck shoot Shaw again and again.. Also loved the backstage of gral Beckman, the look on chucks face when he sees a man on the back.. and her hair.. lol
Hi, Sole.
I was thinking last night that this may not be my absolute favorite episode (lots of competition for that slot, after all). But this may be the one I re-watch the most times.
wow – I am so far off from where you guys are at – I hate to interrupt the lovefest, but …
I am disappointed about chuck lying to sarah – often logical, justifiable lies lead to illogical unjustifiable ones down the road – so much for chuck and sarah ‘in trust’ with each other – lasted an ep ot two at best
So we got happy sarah for all of two episodes, with little relief in sight for that poor lady. At some point, she should just be a spy herself, casey’s partner as a faux super spy couple, and find some hot civilian to marry, I’ll bet plenty of men would be content to be her ‘normal’ guy and tell her the truth, take care of the kids, and let her ‘save the world’ with her day job
I googled for reviews, read the first 4 or 5, the reviewers didn’t like 3.16 very much either
I have blogged non stop about this show is not meant for dark drama, the first 13 showed that, I am afraid the last 4 might show the same thing.
Also, for 2 straight weeks 4 different guest stars have flopped – gotta be the writing not the acting – maybe BR’s performance in the first 13 wasn’t his fault either.
speaking of BR – what is he doing on this show still – geez enough already
speaking of enough already how much more more in touch with his feminine side is casey going to become – and beckman with hers?
Since so many readers here liked it, I will leave the rest of my dislike for the episode off the table – and just say I hope these last 3 work well – in the past, I have dissed Papa B as Papa ‘reset’, right now i am waiting for his return on pins and needles, this show is so in need of some logic and consistency, maybe his appearance will stabilize things
I would have to guess the reviews will not help renewal, interesting to me that the reviewers seem to have liked the chuck-lite version (3.14 & 3.15) more than the darker themed show of season 3 – my opinion on such matters is on record – I was scared when I read fedak or mcneil say that 14 & 15 were a 2 episode break, and then they ‘return’ to the good stuff – in ‘fedak speak’ good to him means bad for me
Just one comment Jason. Chuck’s lies to Sarah have little to do with trust. He’s just being protective of her feelings albeit foolishly in my opinion. There’s no malice in his actions.
I think I read the lie more like Weaselone. I think its a mistake, and I didn’t like him doing it, but it didn’t register as that big a deal. Hopefully it will be addressed quickly.
I thought that telling Sarah the doctor’s concerns right after she told Chuck she loved him, possibly saying those three words to someone for the first time ever, would have been almost cruel.
Ernie, i’m sure that’s why he didn’t say it, but the lie still sucks, even if i understand Chuck’s motives. YOu never want to give anyoen you love any bad news, specially after they tell you they love you for the first time.
After having Chuck wake up from another nightmare at the end of the ep i’m sure she’ll realize that something is still going on.
I still don’t like him witholding info. It’s like he came home with a potentially fatal diagnosis and Sarah isn’t supposed to notice when he keeps having nightmares? I hope they resolve it very quickly and mobilize TB (along with Awesome and Ellie-it’s about time she finds out) to rescue PapaB and help Chuck.
I think you have to give Chuck the benefit of doubt on the lie. Like Ernie said that was probably the first time she’s ever said those words and all she was thinking about was a future with him. Chuck bringing up what Doc said would’ve been horrible.
I second that Amy.
Besides, It’s nice to see Sarah’s happy, even if it is for a few seconds, i know i’ve been wanting to see her giving it all for a long time. Taht’s all, going to sleep now, it 1.15 am in Argentina, c u tomorrow…
review 😉
I really liked it. It was very emotional and full of the good, caring stuff that we’ve gotten accustomed in Chuck.
“I love you”
*silence*
Emotionally constipated girlfriend burn! Haha.
My favorite part? Obviously the I love you…but also Chuck’s “Best part of my life (my girlfriend). She’s a little distant, she doesn’t say it back…she can be more communicative though. Even though I know that she loves me…I know that”
Words are magic and in Sarah’s case all the more so. The words probably mean more to her than Chuck could ever imagine and having said them and putting herself out there even more I really believe her emotional awakening is complete. I’m very happy for her, for both of them.
Now for my gripes…I argued against this earlier but now that I actually saw the episode I take exception to the lying. Not just the lying but the withholding the truth. From the very beginning when he didn’t let her know his fears/his plan and came to Morgan instead.
Look I get it. I get that he doesn’t want to worry her. I get that telling her about his condition after her big reveal isn’t exactly the best moment but here’s the thing…it’s not rational. When you love someone you’re allowed to be worried about them. He needs to give her that chance to be worried because she cares about him more than she’s ever cared for anyone. By not telling her, he’s not only robbing her of the few moments in which she can act like a “real girl,” he’s also robbing her of the few ways she can show she loves him.
They’re in a committed relationship. In a committed relationship you have to share the good and the bad. Chuck’s wrong on this one. Even Morgan called it early, “Sarah doesn’t believe you?” She deserves to know, that’s all I will say.
Now for something not shipper related. I absolutely loved Morgan…again. Is it me or is it looking better and better every episode? I’m seriously crushing on Morgan in a tux Plus I thought it was funny how he didn’t need Chuck to tell him what to do. He came into his decision all by himself…he tried to talk to Chuck though and failed lol…and he stood by it. Way to go Morgan! The loser of Sbarro you are no more.
Ellie…secrets are poison. If there’s one thing that’s in my opinion foreshadowed in this episode it’s the downfall of lies…Chuck and Awesome lying to Ellie about Chuck has led to Ellie believing someone else’s word over that of her family. I’m guessing the trust and lies will keep on popping up not just in Ellie’s case but the repercussions of Chuck lying to Sarah too.
Faith, I’m with you. I don’t approve of Chuck’s actions. However, they didn’t bother me too much because I think that they came from a good place in his heart. As such, I think that I should try to justify them, if only to play devil’s advocate.
Throughout the series there have been a number of special moments between Chuck and Sarah that have a great importance to Chuck, but that carry an even deeper signficance for Sarah. In “Sandworm,” when Chuck and Sarah take their first real photo together, it’s important to Chuck because it proves to him that Sarah doesn’t see him as just an asset. But for Sarah, it’s her first attempt at having something “real” with Chuck, and by now we know how important that is for her. The break-up speech in “Break Up” clearly hurts Chuck because he is letting go of the woman he loves. But the speech hurts Sarah even more; she not only has to let go of the man she loves, but she also has to hear him tell her that she can never have anything “real” or “normal.” When Chuck gives Sarah the charm bracelet in “Santa Claus,” for Chuck it’s an acknowledgment that Sarah is the “real deal,” so to speak. But for Sarah, it’s even more significant. Up until that point, she had probably never received many real gifts from anyone other than her father. Her first real gift being something with that level of meaning must have been a huge moment for her. It wasn’t a gift to Sarah the spy; it was a gift to Sarah the woman.
I’d say that Sarah’s “I love you” to Chuck was a similar moment. The difference here is that Chuck now understands its significance to Sarah. I don’t think that he grasped just how important the three moments I mentioned above were to Sarah until maybe “Honeymooners” or “Role Models.” Now he finally understands the importance of the comfort, stability, and normalcy that he provides for Sarah. When Sarah says, “I love you” to Chuck, it’s a relief for him, but it’s also a confirmation of what he has sort of known all along. But for Sarah, it’s a huge step. She is completely honest, open, and vulnerable in that moment. For a change, she really says exactly what she means. She talks about how she keeps thinking about her future with Chuck, actually echoing a line from Chuck’s speech in “Break Up.” It’s an acknowledgment that come hell or high water, she wants to spend the rest of her life with Chuck. It’s one of the few times that she has ever let herself be that vulnerable. She is almost scared as she waits for Chuck to say, “I love you too.” She is extremely relieved and comforted to hear Chuck say those words. (And she’s even more relieved and comforted to hear that Chuck is fine, but I might be getting ahead of myself.) Hearing those words from Chuck shows her that she really “has it all.” She not only gets to live her life serving a higher purpose, but more importantly, she also found stability, comfort, and normalcy in a man she loves. It’s quite possibly everything that she ever wanted.
Of course Chuck shouldn’t have been so foolish. Of course he should have manned up and told her that he may not be fine. Of course the truth is generally preferable to lies – I think I’m paraphrasing Albus Dumbledore here, so please forgive me. But Chuck now understands the significance of some of his past actions toward Sarah. He understands what he took away from her in “Break Up” and again in Prague. He can’t bear to do it again; in his eyes, it would be too cruel. Sarah would have been devastated to hear that not only may Chuck be unable to provide her with stability and comfort, but also that he may one day be unable to love her back. Just look at how relieved she looked when she hugged Chuck after he told her that he was fine.
That being said, what Chuck did was incredibly short-sighted. Sarah will realize that something is amiss and the truth will come out. But even if I don’t agree with Chuck’s actions, I can see that he had good intentions. It’s too bad that the road to hell is paved with them.
Sorry, that was incredibly long bit of overanalyzing, and I feel like I’m telling you what you already know! But I think it’s good to put it in writing so that us Chuck-a-holics can debate and discuss it at length.
I like the thoughts Merve. It is indeed as powerful a moment and as big a step as she will probably ever take in this relationship. I said something about her emotional awakening being complete and it is. With this it is.
Chuck was never any good at reading her…someone made a joke about the fact that in his Stanford transcripts he had a C in psychology and it’s very telling lol. But with all that said I can’t excuse it. Which is not to say that’s what you’re doing…but for me, however way you look at it in my opinion (protective instincts, appreciative that in that moment she was holding the world in her arms, etc.) it’s still wrong.
I guess I also took exception to the fact that he can freely tell Morgan. It reminds me of Best Friend’s “before you got here, and long after you’ve gone. Morgan is my family.” Sarah’s “I’ll always come back for you” in my opinion is a foreshadowing and a pointed statement addressing his lack of trust/his fears and still he didn’t pay mind to it.
But most of all I get this bad feeling in my gut with relation to the lie when I examine it next to Sarah’s very heartfelt statement to the Doc: “I’d like to go to the hospital tonight, try to talk to him. Try to figure this out, help him somehow. Please, I love him.” She’s wants to help, it’s her job as someone who loves him to want to help and she’s entitled to the same if not more trust that Morgan gets. Whether or not it could lead to her dreams crashing because it’s doing that anyway. She’s strong, she can handle it. Chuck is wrong on this one.
I do agree with most of this Faith, but I’m not sure how big a deal Chuck’s lie will be. I do sympathize with not wanting to worry someone until you have all the information. If I were Chuck I’d be thinking I need to talk to Orion. I do think Chuck needs to clue Sarah in on the potential problem, but they’re both new to this whole relationship thing, it doesn’t surprise me they not have all the rules figured out yet.
I do agree about the Ellie thing. It is interesting she’s a bigger risk now by not knowing what’s really going on than ever. I expect that will be a consequence of this story line, Ellie will find everything out.
Jem, You give voice to my thoughts in all the shipper and non-shipper stuff.
Morgan looked cute in his tux. I think confidence looks good on him (it does on ewveryone). The idea of the air air-blown hair at his entrance was pure genius, i loved it.
Merve, i agree that Awsome was awesome and this is the first time i see him as hot… i think malaria does for Awesome what confidence does for Morgan. Even though i dont’ think of Morgan as hot… 😛 I also like and agree with your post reply to Faith.
i really thought having Chuck and Sarah together for once would put this show back to the top, but i was wrong. What made this show so amazing for me was the they want to but they cant relationship not this they are relationship right now. IMO the episodes so far with Chuck and Sarah together have been boring and unsuspenseful. The last 5 or so mins of this episode changed that.
I really loved this episode.
The dreams were great. I was worried how they would be handled but it worked perfectly.
I liked Shaw being his dream guide, it makes sense in a twisted way. And who didn’t love him being shot again and again. The ending dream with him was hit and miss though. I’m guessing its the Intersect putting together information again, probably about the doctor harvesting organs and reconstructing/re-engineering tissue.
Loved Justin again the way he played Ellie was great. Turning her against Casey and drawing out Papa B in one move. Very Nice. I can’t help but think of “A house divided against itself cannot stand” in regards to what he’s doing.
It was nice to see Sarah struggling at the beginning of the episode to say ILY. And it was bothering Chuck so it was good to see him vocalize it. I also liked how you saw Sarah slowly realize that things might not work out and she fought for him.
Casey being worried worked but after last week’s bromance with Morgan it felt like a little much. But I blame that on last week episode not this one.
And now the lie. It completely fits into Chuck’s character. He thinks he’s protecting her just like he lied about the mole. Its stupid but I understand it she just poured her heart out to him and he wasn’t going to crush her. I’m sure she’ll find out and she’ll be angry. I’m wondering if she’ll find out because of Papa B showing up but I hope Chuck tells her.
JC, I’m going to have to agree with you on the dreams. They were really well-done; the director and the editors did a great job with them! I especially liked that instead of going for a blurry dream sequence sort of feel, they actually made the dreams seem “vivid.” BizzaroSarah, UndeadShaw, the sudden location changes, the intercutting with Intersect images – all of it was brilliantly done.
I was worried they were going to go over the top with the dreams like a lot of shows do. But it was a perfect mix of flashes and Chuck’s own fears & doubts.
I couldn’t watch Chuck ’til I go home:(
But thanks for sharing ep! It sounds great!
I LOVED this episode!!! It had alot of sweet moments between Chuck & Sarah, character evolution from Casey and Morgan, Ellie on the road to possibly finding out about Chuck (and her dad), and possibly the Ring actually posing a threat. I was NOT a fan of Shaw in the first 13 episodes but forgive me, I really think he could be a terrific nemesis for Chuck! He seems to play the bad guy part MUCH better than the good guy/spy stuff. How cool if he’s the bad guy through season 4! I loved how Ellie is slowly being dragged into it…also, how about Awesome’s comments about dying from malaria vs. dying by a spy…we could see the entire B family in the spy world…HERE’S TO 6 MORE SEASONS!!!
Hi, Freddy. You’re right! Zombie-Shaw is a great nemesis for Chuck.
And I can’t wait for Devon and Chuck to set Ellie straight. You just know that’s coming!
I’m really conflicted about Shaw being alive.
He makes a great villain because of his history with Chuck and Sarah. And he knows basically everything about Team B all the weaknesses and strengths.
But on the other hand, they did the whole return from the dead with Bryce already. And lets be honest his character comes with tons of baggage with the fan base. So I’m worried no matter how good of a villain he is people will hate it.
Everyone please don’t forget to go to rewardtv.com and tell nielsen you watched Chuck!
I wasn’t too impressed with the episode. It was pretty slow moving, the premise of it definitely needed more buildup (like hi guys suddenly Chuck is having these dreams OOPS he’s going insane … what? They should have dropped some hints for a couple of episodes before exploding this, it would have worked better.
Other complaint, everybody is suddenly way too nice. Like Casey for example. Makes me wonder if they plan to kill of Casey and they are just humanizing him to the nth degree to make his death more “dramatic”
Also the whole Chuck the fortune teller angle is a bit jumping the shakish for me, so I hope it ends. The whole intersect concept is on some level a stretch, but giving the guy predictive powers is too much. Obviously they laced it with a “but” (as in but he’ll lose his mind in time) but looking at the promo, PapaB seems to have a device that cures intersect ailments. So …
Sarah’s I love you … great. In that it happened. Not so great that they have to tie every step forward in their relationship with some major drama prompting it. Oh you ‘re almost insane, damn, I love you and I just managed to vocalize it. For me it would have worked better in a honeymooners final scene type of setting, with no anvils.
Umm…the Intersect has always told the future since the pilot. The hotel hadn’t blown up yet when Chuck and the Intersect linked the disparate details provided by the different intelligence agencies regarding the Stanfield assassination attempt. I’m not certain how the dreams in this episode are any different. All they truly revealed was the identity of a scientist who would pass valuable information to the Ring via a false tooth. That could all reasonably be contained within the Intersect. It’s not as though the Intersect was providing tomorrow’s winning lottery numbers.
Yepp. It’s that exactly how this thing works. The intersect database originally was created to share cia/nsa Intel and finding correlations. It really was used this way in the Pilot. Later this intersect function becomes stunted a little. To resurrect this in his dreams seems to be a good storyline to me…
All in all, there’s been ‘precedent’, if not hinting about this, Alex, at least as far back as Chuck’s dream about Sarah pulling a knife on him after the Mauser incident (in 3-D). Well, maybe some nightmares are just nightmares, but then again, maybe not.
You (and Weaselone, Thanks!) got me thinking about how the intersect is supposed to be a computer that does data-mining to recognize correlations and patterns in the data that analysts miss. If such a thing existed (and data-mining certainly does exist) then it would look like fortune telling. Wouldn’t it? The knowledge would come out of the data, seemingly from nowhere.
Heh! I’d bet that a real intersect would probably work through dreams much more readily than though conscious memory. 😉
Oupps. Haven’t seen your quote. Writing in English takes endless time to me 😉
Chuck has mentioned in several episodes now that he “Has the MOST vivid dreams!”. I think they were trying to prepare us for last night’s ep.
So my guess is that Chuck will continue to have these dreams, since he isn’t cured, as long as he has the intersect in his brain and it gets used and puts stress on his brain, he will still experience this “malfunction” (can we call it that?) of the intersect and have these half flash/half dreams that he has been having.
I’m sure Sarah knows not all is OK after that last nigthmare we saw him have.
I only had time to quickly skim the comments before heading “off to church” this morning – but does anybody really think that Shaw is STILL ALIVE?
I’m looking at his appearance in Chuck’s dreams as figurative – as in “The Ring” isn’t dead – it’s still out there and is going to be a thorn in Chuck’s side (or in his head). Shaw=Ring
As others have alluded, IF Shaw is ALIVE, The Ring wouldn’t bother trying to find Papa B. They’d know Chuck has the Intersect in his head from Shaw and they’d just go after him.
I DID enjoy this episode. Loved having Anna back. Hopefully she’s back to STAY – and will be around for ALL of S4 when we hear about CHUCK’s renewal in the next week or so.
Good day, all. gotta run!
Rick I’m of 2 minds about Shaw right now:
The first is that he is dead and Chuck is merely using his image as his representation of the fear and anxiety he is feeling. I DON’T think that Chuck is psychic or anything like that. His dreams are, IMHO, flashes in his sleep interacting with his subconscious. Where does the flash end and the fantasy dream begin?
On the other hand, Shaw saying he’s alive could be foreshadowing to that truth….however, I don’t think he’s uninjured and running free. I don’t buy some of the convoluted theories that Shaw was wearing squibs and Chuck really only fired blanks. I think if Shaw is alive, Chuck having a dream of himself in a hospital ICU alludes to Shaw being alive but critically injured.
I’m not sure how i feel about this episode. It was nice. Like OK! Not Bad! A good one! Since 3×12/3×13 especially 3×14 there was so much chemistry between zac & yvonne. I missed that a little bit in this episode. I don’t know exactly why. Clearly it was nice to see, Sarah really cares about Chuck kind of like a real boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. The Spy Stuff works solid for me. Chuck does not want to frighten Sarah and he holds back the info’s about his health status, OK, too. I think the way Sarahs I love you was used for the drama is bothering me. It should had been any other more personal Moment. Using this for a “cliffhanger”? I don’t know? Like i said: I’m not sure how i feel about this episode.
Chuck being drugged and laying on the ground, he can see Sarah saving his life. It’s like a role reversal of the Showdown scene of the Shaw Showdown in 3×13…
great catch! I love it.
After re watching this episode several times, i can say: it’s really a very good episode. I don’t like the first Scene (I Love you) and Sarah wasn’t answering. Like Televisionary said in his review http://bit.ly/aiOF35 . It’s odd to me, too.
They are in a comfortable committed relationship…
But the rest even the last I Love You scene, re watching it several times, there is no chemistry problem at all. Only the drama aspect is dark.
Sarah’s hug is heartwarming and you can see her being glad and comfortable.
This episode is special in the way, that it’s really a “re watcher” episode.
ich konnte nicht wiederstehen 😉
“So, obviously, the Zamibian president is going to be assassinated by the Ring at the Beethoven concert.” LOL
I just love how they played with the crazy related vocabulary.
Was anyone bothered by Chuck’s reaction to sitting on the therapist’s couch…as if he had never been on one before?
Remember in—was it Delorean or Cougars—when he told Sarah about not owning the sins of her father…and that it took him a lot of therapy to understand that? It bothered me…all it would have taken was…a line acknowledging he’s been there done that…
Maybe a minor thing…in an ep I’m still trying to decide how much I like.
I just wrote it off as Chuck not wanting a repeat experience. He may have gone through therapy to deal with the loss of his parents, but he may never have been comfortable sitting on that couch. Indeed, it may have brought back the memories of his earlier therapy. He does initially talk of his father.
Good point, weaselone…it just seemed as if the writers were inventing the experience for Chuck…and they have done–at times–a good job referencing past eps.
…in an ep I’m still trying to decide how much I like.
i know exactly what you mean 😉
yeah, it bothered me too, i seemed that he didn´t know how to do therapy, and that ep came to my mind as well..
I took his line about therapy in Delorean as figurative. Like a lot of time and thinking, a lot of talking with Ellie, etc.
I noticed it, but it didn’t bother me. He could have gone to some sort of counseling or group that wasn’t actually meeting with a therapist like this was. “Therapy” covers a lot of ground.
Yeah I am a teacher and we run all sorts of therapy groups at school. He could have been put in one after his mom left. They have them for children of divorce and so forth. Also most therapists let you sit in a comfy chair instead of lay on the couch. Dr Dreyfus is apparently a traditionalist!
Wow, there are very diverse opinions on this episode. Although I’ve only seen it once and have several areas I’d like to go back to, I’m going to check into the I liked it – I really liked it camp. Why?
– A return of drama & suspense. What are these dreams telling Chuck, why are they happening and where will they lead? They have the potential to have the most profound affect on his professional and personal life – beyond anything else we have experienced on the show. Everything he wanted, everything he now has in his grasp, could be ripped away from him. I guess that’s why I saw his lying to Sarah at the end differently than most other posters. He isn’t doing this to separate himself from Sarah, he lied in a desperate attempt to hold onto what he just got – verbal confirmation of Sarah’s love. And then there is Ellie’s involvement in Chuck’s spy life. I was very uncomfortable watching her interaction with the RING because I saw how devastating her involvement could be to Team & Family B. I think the slow, careful way the RING is taking her in is so believable, so in character for her and that it will continue to build over the next three episodes. I am worried for Ellie (a new development for me), I am worried for all of them.
– A strengthening of the bonds in Team B. Sarah finally saying those three words was a highlight for sure. I think we all knew it, but hearing it is so satisfying. But that wasn’t the only revelation – General B admitting she likes Chuck too and Casey being at the Doctor’s house before Sarah arrives were watershed revelations and equally satisfying. It leaves me wondering if these bonds are being strengthened to show the real threat to them over the next 3 episodes.
– Morgan’s growth. I flat out loved Morgan this episode. I’ve always liked the little guy, but this episode I saw so much more in him. He is in charge of his life now. He knows he has value. He does not need the kind of relationship that Ana Wu offers – he is better than that! The continued growth of Morgan Grimes is one of the best parts of this season and I predict great things for and from him before the season ends.
– Finally, the effective use of guest stars. I know I am in the minority here, but I liked how all three were used last night. Creepy unDead Dream Shaw has so much more life than Stiff As Board Is He Breathing? Shaw. If he is a villain over the next three, great! Loved Justin and the way he played Ellie was great. And Doc was also great IMHO, a serious tone that could not be ignored from such a great comedic actor.
This was a lot longer than I planned – wonder what else I’ll see when I watch it again – and again. I am really looking forward to the next three episodes – and a full
I haven’t read all the comments yet but I’m gonna to shoot it!
I don’t think Shaw will come back anyway…hopely not:(
But I rather think that maybe Shaw is a symbol of Ring’s returing just as how Chuck use Shaw as represent of Ring in this episode.
They actually didn’t have lots of details about Ring.Hopeful the Ring can get more plots in season 4!lol
And I know this words have been said for maybe a thousand times but I really really love this episode! It’s EPIC!
It’s a long time I haven’t being laughing all the time!
Here’s something I think that’s kinda hilarious!
1.Bechman versus the cymbals
2.Chuk’s love confession to Doc.
3.Jeff is a housewife lover!
4. Casey tranq Morgan and pat him as a cat!
5.The Merlin army
6.Awesome and Morgan’s bromance scene
And Awesome is awesome in this episode!
As for Ellie I think that it’s okay for me that she was fooled by Justin, after all there’s lots and lots of suspicious things happened around her.
I love the little joke that Chuck told Sarah!Perfectly show that Sarah’s spyness and Chuck’s commoness.It’s a great combination.
And Morgan’s tip”Sarah doesn’t believe you?” It think that may points out that Chuck still a little insecure with Sarah.But it all clear up after Sarah said ILY,twice.
(Actually I would say it’s about 3 or 4 times)
And WOW it’s a long comment sorry for the length, I try to keep it short!
At last but not the least, here’s a song I would like to share to everybody.
It fits well for Chuck and Sarah now,IMO.
But anyway,enjoy
MLTR – Sweetest Surprise
Only one thing bothered me in this ep. Chuck had a regular flash on the doctor which told him he was with the Ring, so why did everyone still not believe him, and chuck him in the psych ward? Just a minor nitpick. Otherwise I thought the episode was pretty good. Not brilliant, but entertaining television none the less 🙂
Because he never said “Sarah! I had a flash on the doctor at the symphony and it showed the Ring intel in his tooth!”
It’s a plot hole. They needed to give Chuck some credible reason to do something “crazy” and get himself thrown into the psych ward, but couldn’t give that reason to Sarah because it would push her over the line from dubious to believing.
This would have short circuited later scenes when she has to sort out her belief in him from the evidence which stands in direct contradiction. Her demonstration of this faith and loyalty takes on added weight in this context, and gives us some clue as to the changes in her thinking that allowed her to finally say ILY at the end.
sarah being ‘late night hungry’ for takeout food in the dream – can’t think of many reasons to place that in the dream other than maybe she is or will become pregnant – if she is already – wonder how much drama TPTB would want to give the drama ‘hungry’ chuck fandom by messing with who is the daddy – LOL?
Well, Morgan did catch her drinking orange juice from the jug in the middle of the night during the last episode. Maybe Sarah’s a woman who enjoys a late night snack.
I don’t mind the pregnancy scare idea, but I can’t emphisise how much I don’t want a “who’s the daddy” plot line. The only other potential to Chuck is too depressing to contemplate.
I think that that was a really good way of doing the dream. In dreams, people tend to say slightly odd things in a completely matter-of-fact way. Adding that little tidbit made the dream seem more like a real dream rather than a clichéd soap opera dream sequence.
But it does seem as if Sarah has an unnatural predilection for junk food: gourment wieners, frozen yogurt, pizza with no olives, cheeseburgers with extra pickles, chocolate croissants, etc. I guess that we can now add Zamibian takeout to that list.
(On a completely random note, is Zamibia supposed to be some sort of merger between Namibia and Zambia?)
That’s how I took “Zamibia” Merve. Its at the same latitude as “Costa Gravis.”
You dare describe Zamibian take out as junk food? By maligning their cuisine, you spit in the face of all Zamibians.
😉
Well Merve, she has lived in a hotel room for going on 3 years with no discernible kitchen. The woman is the queen of takeout!
One look at her and you know she must burn like 5000 calories a day!
Another 1.9 in the ratings last night for CHUCK. We didn’t “fall” any, but didn’t rise either. So take it either way you want it. If you’re an optimist, it’s “good news.” If you’re not so optimistic, it’s “not so good news.”
Chuck did, however, continue to be the highest rated prime time show for NBC on Monday night.
Hopefully we’ll get an S4, but to put it back again on Monday nights would just seem to me to NOT make much sense. After three years in that slot, it hasn’t grown its audience. IF it’s to come back for an S4, it will be interesting to see what night and what time they’ll put it on.
Oh, well. We’ll know by Sunday evening what the future holds. Don’t know if it makes any difference, but it couldn’t hurt to “re-watch” this most recent episode (and others) at NBC.COM.
If you want to help out the ratings a bit you can take the quiz/survey thing here: http://www.rewardtv.com/home/default.sdo
Every little bit helps. I think Chuck was still NBCs top rated show yesterday though right? Anyway right rewatch Chuck episodes on NBC.com with the advertising.
If you want to help in the ratings do the quiz/survey thing here: http://www.rewardtv.com/home/default.sdo
Also yeah watch those Chuck episodes online at NBC.com until we get the announcement on Sunday.
I think they have already made up their mind in terms of renewal and were just waiting to find out if they would order 13 or 22 episodes. So that is good news. Bad News…. It doesn’t seem like they have any plans whatsoever to change its time slot.
These are just an opinion based on all the interviews,tweeter chats,blogs, and hearsays
It’d be nice to get a full 22 episode order on a different night time – but at this point, ANY renewal is a GOOD renewal!! Beats the alternative, that’s for sure!
Rick, wasn’t sure you heard but there are some good news before last night. 1. THR and Angela Bromsted and 2. Ausiello’s 4th season pickup rumblings.
Not definite but encouraging.
I just read that Jem. THe article mentioned that it’s rumored that Chuck’s been picked up for 13 with the possibility of adding 9 more.
All rumors, but i hope they are based on truth!
A few days ago there was a post about a way to take a nielsen survey online and have it count for ratings. I can’t find it now. Does anyone else remember this and could you please repost the site? Is it legit?
I did it. It only took a second here: http://www.rewardtv.com/home/default.sdo
I don’t know FOR CERTAIN if it’s legit, but it’s being pushed on the CHUCKTV.NET web site which is pretty reliable.
Here’s the link: http://chucktv.net/2010/05/11/chuck-declassified-mission-tuesday-may-11/
Watch the show again if you DVD’s or VHS’d or TIVO’d or whatever – and pay attention to the commercials. Then go do the survery. As far as I can see, it can’t hurt. And the sooner we do it – like today – the sooner they’ll get the info. before the big announcement by NBC on Sunday (of course, they may have already made their decision and this may all be for nothing, but you know us Chuckaholics – we’ll do most ANYTHING to help save our show!).
So re-watch the show and give the survey a shot. Remember, they want answers about the commmercials, too!
Good luck. Keep on Chuckin’!!
Yeah please do this everybody if you haven’t already! Couldn’t hurt.
I did this morning 🙂 thankfully (and proudly!) i got all Chuck questions right. Even some of the commercials, but some i couldn’t remember at all.
Please remember to specify tha tyou watch the show live.
took the quiz but I got 2 of the commercials wrong =(
Don’t think it matters if you miss questions – even re: the commercials. What they’re trying to find out is what people REMEMBER – what sticks out in their minds. If you don’t remember, then you don’t remember – and that tells them something. So….. GO FOR IT!!!
I watched the show and took notes on the commercials. I missed 1 question about a Chuck commercial and the last question about some random web commercial. The questions were harder than I thought. I am miffed I didn’t get 100.
I missed one question too. The background of an E-Trade commercial. It’s probably a good thing to not get a perfect score, they might disregard an obvious attempt to manipulate the results. The thing is, they never asked if you already own/buy the products. I love my local Subway, I probably average two subs a week, and I already buy Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. As for Windows… Well sorry about that one.
I just took it too. I don’t know if it will help, but it certainly can’t hurt!
It has to be done today! You can only answer about what you watched yesterday/last night, so get hot people!
Pretty gutsy that Ellie, uh? She has just been told Casey is a very dnagerous man and she goes off on her own to investigate! Both Bartowskis had took off on their own solo missions in this ep, and both were though as being coo-coo.
“The truth is in the tooth!” i loved this line. Cracked up, and Chuck coughing up the tooth?? Sarah lookign grossed out and pulling back her hands as Chuck says, with somewhat of a crazy look in his face, “Sarah… give your boyfriend your hand”. VEry funny moments in a situation that was stressfu for both C&S. You could see the effect all of it was having on Sarah.
I really enjoyed their hug after Sarah tells Chuck that she loves him. There is pure love and joy in her face, maybe a feeling of finally being freed from her own fear and finally saying those words to him. Too bad that on the other side we have Chuck’s worried face. I hope the lies get cleared soon, i didn’t like them.
I loved the “give your boyfriend your hand” moment. They actors did a amazing job in that scene.
Did anyone notice—I mean how couldn’t you—the rorschach test on the tv screens at the BuyMore…how funny.
I watched the ep for a second time and I have to say I enjoyed it more…yes, Jen…the truth is in the tooth! What a funny line!
Did you notice how much ground was covered in the first 15 minutes?
That is the return of one of the running gags from last year, the screens at the Buy More always showed something connected with the plot. I haven’t seen it much this year, in Honeymooners there was a couple embracing in the sunset and now for the Tooth there was the rorschach test.
I really liked that ep. Here’s a few things I liked.
– The first scene between CS, normal life, and then the dream, I liked it. I was actually surprised to see Shaw. I thought if he’d be back it would be later. He didn’t bother me because he didn’t have actual interactions with others. He was just Chuck’s mind speaking. It wasn’t about Shaw himself. Plus Chuck got to kill him again and Shaw drown in the fountain lol.
– “Busy” Beckman, hilarious. “These dreams you’re having are getting in the way of your work, and our sleep.” A loved that line. And then later, “aided by the world class spy that is Morgan Grimes” lol. And she doesn’t just care about Chuck, obviously she cares about Sarah too.
– Loved all the “crazy”, “insane” and all lines through the all episode. Like “This is crazy. A therapist?”
– Loved Chuck in therapy talking about Sarah, after about one minute, when he didn’t even wanna talk in the first place. Make you think about Morgan’s “And when you want to talk about Sarah -which is constantly- we talk about Sarah.” lol And I laughed so hard after Doc Dreyfus “Do you?”
– I liked Morgan checking in on Awesome.
– Morgan was great in the all episode, as usual now, and he got some really funny line.
– Casey’s attemp to be social with Ellie, hilarious.
– Chuck lying to Sarah the first time didn’t bother me, considering his past, he thought his father was crazy for years, and that even though things are great with her, he still feels insecure sometimes. He doesn’t want to take the chance of scare her away.
– Chuck telling Morgan about his dream. 1st “I guess he’s kind of handsome in an authoritative kind of way.” lol “Sarah doesn’t believe you?” I liked that one. And I like that Morgan doesn’t question Chuck’s sanity one second. “What’s your pant size, Chuck?” Morgan aren’t you the Intersect on Chuck?!
– I liked the scene of Anna’s return with the music, first with Jeff and Lester and then Morgan in tux. And Skipp’s hair lol.
– Awesome fan of ER lol.
– I liked the Ring story. I don’t mind Justin. I’ve seen the actor in something else the other day and he was really bad. But here he’s fine. And I like how they use the character. I think the Ring actually played well. Bartowskis have a strong sense of duty. They played the crazy card, and Ellie still believes her father is crazy. Weird things are happening around her since 3 years now. And nobody would tell her the truth. So I completely believe Ellie would fall for it. I’m a little worried about it though. But I like Ellie being involve in the spy stuff.
– I liked that Sarah gave Chuck the benefit of the doubt at the symphony.
– Sarah and Casey friendship was well played. Her “he told me he was fine” was clearly for him. I think he went to Doc Dreyfus as much for Chuck than for her. They developed some kind of ability to hug telepathically. It’s like the third one they share at Dreyfus’s doorstep.
– The scene when Casey and Sarah went to see Chuck was amazing. Zach Levi owned that scene. Then when Casey leaves, YS is amazing as usual, and we got some abandonment issues from Chuck “Sarah, you can’t give up on me, okay?” and her answer “I won’t” which she didn’t.
– Sarah’s “you don’t understand. He’s not like other people. He is… Incredibly special.” “I need him to be okay.” “I love him.” “I’m begging you.” and “I’ll always come back for you.” were priceless.
– Merlin’s Army: awesome!
– Drugged Chuck seeing Sarah coming to save him the Other Guy style!
– Loved the ILY scene.
– Chuck’s lie bothered me a little but it can be explained. Not only by Chuck not wanting to ruin the moment, but also him not wanting to see the truth, telling Sarah would actually mean that something’s not right. And as soon as she knows, he probably will have to do something about it (for her), like trying to remove it, and I’m not sure he wants to do that and give up the spy life. I just hope that he doesn’t keep it from her for too long.
– Finally, I don’t really know if Shaw’s alive. That’s a possibility but I hope not. I think it makes more sense to have him dead, and representing the Ring in Chuck’s mind. But if he’s alive, I hope he’s not behind the Ring actions since Paris, but more like getting medical assistance from them but not actually being a ring leader, and only becoming a real villain behind the organisation at the end of the season. That could work for me.
I’m really looking forward the next three episodes. Orion seems to have been up to some stuff on his own. What will Justin ask Ellie to do? How the story will play out between Ellie contacting her dad, what the ring wants from him, and Chuck being the Intersect 2.0? What about CS? Sarah isn’t quote in the next 2 synopsis and she’s not even in the promo. What about Casey’s daughter? Will Awesome die? Will Morgan? Can’t wait!
I forgot. The episode is obviously “heavier”, but I like that because it was well mixed IMO. As much fun as Role Models was I couldn’t take a whole season of episode like that. The Tooth really entertained me with drama, romance, and comedy. I’d say the spy stuff like the fight at the end wasn’t great, but we got Intersect mythology instead. So all in all, great episode.
Great rundown…but don’t forget Chuck goin all drugged up Kung-Fu style. So funny.
Too bad he didn’t flash on Drunken Monkey style… 😉
Loved your post Crumby =P i read it all 🙂
There are a lot of great lines in this ep… just as in all the eps. Just one of the reasons i love this show so much.
Definitley Sarah expressing that kind of open feeling and emotion for Chuck is great, makes her more real than ever before and it will interesting to continue to see how they combine both Sarah’s… the woman in love and the spy, in one.
The opening scene was great. The way Chuck looks at Sarah then almost like he still can’t believe he’s got her. My heart broke a little for Chuck in the opening scene when he tells her he loves her, but i think Chuck (and all of us) understand Sarah and her background and was being patient with her. It was a great scene Like he said, he knew she loves him.
I like your Sarah/Casey kind of ability to hug telepathically…
Great post Crumby. Agree with pretty much all. I could handle a whole series worth of “Honeymooner” type episodes but I did like the use of drama in Tooth. And I love the recurring themes of friendship, love, and partnership. I am now very excited about the next two weeks!
I didn’t realized how long my post was before posting it, but hey I haven’t been around here much lately, must have been missing it!
Yeah the “drugged up kung-fu style” was really funny. I think it’s one of the episode where I really thought while watching it “damn ZL is a good actor”. Not that he’s usually not, but I found him particularly good in this one.
I totally read the first scene the way you did Jen, with Chuck’s look “I still can’t believe I got her” and then his patience with her. After all, it took Chuck, the opened one, more than 2 years to tell her the 3 words.
@Dave I would say that Honeymooners was really special in his uniqueness. I loved that episode, and I loved it way more than Role Models. Honeymooners is one of the best episodes of the series to me I think. But I found Role Models really “light” and it was a little to much for me (I still think it’s a great episode though). Plus there weren’t much of interactions between the 3 couples story. It bothered me a little. In Tooth everything is linked in some way, by at least a scene.
I think I like more episodes that are really part of an arc than standalone’s one, and that is just me.
My thought about Casey in this ep is that finally he’s like family. You can see his concern for Chuck and Sarah. He offers to take Sarah to go see Chuck and adds “nothing will make him happier than seein you” and later he’s at the Doc’s house. I don’t think they are turning him too much into a softie, i don’t mind this development in him. I think the love and friendship that has been demostrated towards hims (Like in Tic Tac) has changed him and now he shows the same loyalty and friendship in return. He’s only a man, not a robot.
I didn’t think he was too much of a softie in that ep, but in Role Models I did.
I mean I like Corgan, Crimes or Masey (have we settled for a name yet?) but they didn’t share as much as original Team B together. So Casey beeing there for Sarah while Chuck’s going crazy didn’t seem as weird as Casey telling Morgan he’s here for him.
Jen, I agree. Casey was in many ways like a less dysfunctional Sarah. He has emotions, but his personality has always been that just isn’t affectionate. Kathleen knew that and expressly told us so in Tic Tac. Casey is all about loyalty and honor. If anything has been proven to him in the last 3 years is that Team B will have his back NO MATTER WHAT. They’ve stuck their necks out for him so many times (and vice versa) that he can never really repay them, but his sense of honor will force him to try.
You’re absolutely right, Paul. This quote made me goosebumps. Just sayin…
I think they’re softening Casey up so they have the option of making him a family man without it causing whiplash. They do mention he has to protect his daughter in the season finale. Who knows what that could lead to.
I would mostly like that development, as long as it isn’t taken too far. I mean, it would take the fun right out of things if he could no longer tease Chuck and Sarah!
Dave, I see Casey relishing his big brother role-the one where no one else can mess with them, but he can do whatever he wants! Bring on the Casey quips!
Oh yeah Amy, I love that image. But it looks like next week, big brother and big sister are going to a fight for dominance!
I enjoyed the episode very much. And I don’t know why everyone has to make a big stink about it. What the critics think is just screwed. I never really pay attention to their views much.
Ok on to my thoughts. Least to greatest of the night for me:
Anna, Not sure why she came back if only to bring Morgan a box of old stuff and wanting him back she didn’t have much to do either.
Jeffster, bleh as always.
Shaw, creepy as a bad guy but too much and you’re faced with trouble go easy writers on him if you please.
Doc I’m happy to be proved wrong about him being a baddie, he’s a good guy though he had me going at first when Chuck went to see him for the first time. Maybe it was his voice that was suspicous…
Sarah was wonderful, her love and loyalty for Chuck is touching and so sweet and I’m pleased she’s finally said those three special words though if it had been in the finale it would have been even more perfect.
Justin is turning out to be a great sinister villain it’ll be interesting where he goes after this.
Chuck is always great him calling Sarah sweetheart was one my most favorite moments.
Casey continues to be the MAN loved how he beat sarah to doc’s house for her and chuck’s behalf.
Ellie working for Ring is scary can’t wait to find out what happens next.
I there’re two simple reasons for the appearence of Anna
1) shows how much Morgan has grown this season. He’s not so desperate he’ll run right back to satisfy Anna’s whim. It also sets up the idea of Morgan moving on.
2) fans wanted to see her back.
We got a leak!
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/05/11/rumored-Chuck-lives-on-with-13-episode-renewal/51147?utm_campaign=WP-TWITTER&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter
thx cas – wish they just come out and tell us, option for back 9, that would be, well ‘awesome’
Saying a prayer that this is true! Sqeeee!
double squeee on that yay!!! 🙂
Ok as a grown ma. I will now stand loud and proud and say SQUEEE!!
According to the article it will be a fall release, so that means we will get a Christmas episode. I am going to start a campaign to have Ali Adler in charge of it. Please oh Please.
And a Thanksgiving episode!!
I don’t know where to put this but I guess this will work.
So this guy who writes for NY Magazine tweeted this: For those who’ve asked: As Ausiello, et al have said: CHUCK will be back. Just a matter of how many eps/fall vs. mid. Unrelated to HEROES.
Don’t know how reliable it is but certainly encouraging rumors.
second watch for me, I am over pouting about shaw being back, second view I was much more positive, this board was so gushing over 3.16, turned my head to the good. Casey is so much sarah’s protective big brother right now – if gary cole can’t attend, I think casey would be perfect to give the bride away (I was going to say maid of honor, but I promised myself to be more positive)
Sarah was so on the chuck train in 3.16 – very different than the wistful banter of 3.15 (which was sort of cute), more like 3.14.
How many times in the last 5-10 episodes has chuck been right and beckman or shaw wrong? Listen to the guy for pete’s sakes – the show is called chuck – he likely is going where the action is?
The ONLY problem with the lie at the end, is will that lie be played as a contrivance between CS – of course we all get why he didn’t say the truth – if used as a way to build a wall between them, then it’ll be a mighty lame way to do it (I don’t trust TPTB at all when it comes to CS)
Funny, his sad face did not ruin that moment for me, after all, they have tried to run together 3 diff times, have admittedly loved one another for 3 years, and possible have run up a triple digit ‘doing it’ score in 3 or 4 elapsed weeks of time – ILU from sarah to chuck was shown in actions a long time ago, sometime between getting her phone fixed and hard salami! But yet, it was really nice to hear ILU, as was the “I’ll always come back for you”, plus so will Merlin!!!!
”Casey is so Sarah’s protective big brother right now”
Yep, he is. not only to her, the other boys chuck and Morgan too. I’m loving the strong family theme on Chuck just how TPTB treat the issue of family so highly really impresses me. Chuck is a one of a kind show and I bet one of the last of it’s kind they don’t make them like this anymore. 😦
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