Listen, Chuck (and Chuck's writers), we need to talk. I love your show, I really do, but do you honestly need to make every other episode some variation on "Chuck is convinced his new spy friends don't have his best interests at heart, Chuck decides to trust someone else, Chuck is wrong and sees the error of his ways"? Because seriously, we get it. Lucky for you, I'm willing to overlook that because the peripheral action was so awesome. A mad genius who wants to blow up the world! The Buy More crowd in Halloween finery! Captain Awesome trying to teach Morgan to be a man! And the glorious return of Harry Tang! Huzzah!

Do you expect me to talk? No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to spoil!

Do you ever wonder where spies get all the cool toys, like remote-control jet-skis and ejector seats and locator watches? Now we know: They get them from their cadre of repressed genius kids who were recruited for their Tetris skills and who are now bent on making things go boom. All righty then.

Our Bad Guy of the Week is Laszlo, the above repressed genius, who escapes from captivity and starts hanging out at the arcade, where he runs into Morgan (of course) and where Chuck recognizes him. Laszlo spins a tale of youth lost, a life wasted when he was secreted in the bowels of a secret lab and forces to come up with cool stuff for spies. He just wants a normal life, one where he can kick back and watch all the James Bond movies he's missed! He warns Chuck that his "friends" in the secret spy business are just using him, and are not to be trusted, and zzzz ... oh, sorry, I just napped through that bit, as it's the same damn storyline they use every other week. Sarah and Casey, their bosses, the government, etc., they all see Chuck as an asset, not as the adorable, cuddly, geekeriffic person that he is. We get it. Move on. 

On Laszlo's prompting, Chuck finds a bunch of bugs that Casey and Sarah have secreted around his room -- how unexpected! This confirms for him that he's just as abused and persecuted as poor wee Laszlo, so they bond over Bond -- until Laszlo reveals that he identifies with the bad guy and tries to channel a little War Games with our nation's nuclear fighter pilots in Guam. Hey... that guy's crazy! Just like Sarah and Casey said! How utterly unexpected!

Long story short, Chuck figures out Laszlo wants to blow up the Santa Monica pier, where he was recruited way back when he was a little bitty evil genius in training, and Chuck  uses his fine grasp of the obvious -- Laszlo lies! -- to disarm the bomb that Laszlo had built into the Herder. Chuck's a hero!

And hey, that's great and all, but it's much more fun to watch the civilians. Highlights include:

• The entire staff of Buy More gathered in the break room to watch Morgan challenge the Mystery Crisper -- the break room fridge where employee food goes to die. It's like Christopher Walken in Deer Hunter, but instead of Russian Roulette, he's playing Find the E. Coli.
• The Halloween costumes! Oh, the costumes made my little heart go pitter-pat. First off, Captain Awesome in a fig leaf (and now I know why he and Ellie are together -- Rowr!) as Adam, offering to show Chuck his snake. Then there's Big Mike as a pimp, Anna as a goth catwoman (as opposed to all those perky catwomen out there...), Les and Jeff as American Gothic (hee!), and Harry Tang as Woody the cowboy from Toy Story.   
• And then there's Chuck and Morgan's perennial costume, variously described as a "two-man sea cucumber thing" (Ellie) and a" stupid space penis costume" (Harry Tang). It's a Sandworm, thank you very much -- a Shai-Hulud from Dune, to be specific. And it's utterly awesome. (But it does look like a space penis.)
• Did you catch the Sergio Leone-esque music in the background every time Cowboy Harry Tang came on screen? Bliss! Plus, Harry is described as having "the charm of a prostate exam" by Big Mike. And as an extra bonus, we find out his full name: Harold Tiberius Tang. And the geek shout-outs just keep coming....
• Speaking of geek shout-outs -- did anyone else cheer when Casey sarcastically asked if Laszlo was going to hurt him with his mind? You got the line wrong, though, Casey -- you meant "kill you with his brain."
• More Casey goodness: "I do not like feeling like Team Chuck's little fat kid!" And then there was the look on his face when he proves that yes, Chuck and Morgan really did spend four hours talking about the proper sandwich to take on a desert island -- and the look at his end when Chuck wreaks his revenge. Priceless.
• Captain Awesome emerged as not only fun to look at, but also rather awesome. First, he congratulates Chuck's potential promotion as "outstanding" -- although he has to stop himself from using his go-to word. Then, he takes Morgan under his wing and tries to teach him to be a man -- starting with teaching him to tuck in his shirt. Hee!
• Chuck finally, finally losing his cool at Morgan. I'll quote it in full: "I used to be cool? When was that, when we were 13? Well I'm sorry to go changing on you, buddy, but in case you haven't noticed, we are now, chronologically speaking, adults. Also, unless you want to work retail for the rest of your life, and, by the way, drag me down with you in the process, I would suggest that you grow up!" Yes, it was harsh, but Chuck's not wrong. But that blow-up made the scene where Morgan and Chuck's eyes meet across the crowded room and they run to each other to make up all the more sweet -- and hysterical.

Comments

agree that the whole "Chuck doesn't trust his handlers but then trusts the bad guy and realizes he should have trusted the handlers" storyline is getting played out, but other than that, I thought this episode was great. Morgan has had great storylines the last 2 episodes, which is good, because I actually like Morgan a lot, but don't think he was being used well in the first few episodes. The slow motion scene after Chuck found out Morgan interviewed for him was brilliant. Also, I absolutely loved Adam Baldwin's reaction to the sandwich conversation.

Chris | Oct 29, 2007 9:39:49 PM | #

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This episode was pretty meh for me, but next week, well, sure does look like Bryce is alive, what with chasing Chuck around with a gun and all.

Corey | Oct 29, 2007 10:27:50 PM | #

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Corey - One word "flashback."

Gavin | Oct 29, 2007 10:37:54 PM | #

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I was surprised that NBC was supporting Disney so much tonight what with 2 shows including Woody - Chuck and Journeyman. Odd.

As for the ep, to me this seemed like the definition of middle of the road ep for this show.

Rishi | Oct 29, 2007 11:08:13 PM | #

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Yes! I only caught two mintes last night, but they cheered me. "Hurt me with his mind" should have been "kill me with his brain," you're right. But it was enough to make this Firefly fan cheer.

Michelle | Oct 30, 2007 5:20:53 AM | #

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this show does keep improving and i like what they are building to, although i'm surprised that they are going to reveal Bryce's back story so soon. I figured it would be spring before they did that. Oh well, i'm happy to see it just the same and how could any geek not have mentioned Sarah in the Slave Leia costume?! That girl is hot!! Just wish Chuck's sis had a costume more like Captain Awesome's.

steve | Oct 30, 2007 6:22:25 AM | #

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Well, NBC is also promoting the heck out of Dreamworks' "Bee Movie", so the tie-ins to Woody would make sense. Though I thought Tang was just a generic cowboy (Ka-POW!) rather than a character.

This episode's plot was abysmal, but it didn't matter. The action was fast paced ("Aaaaaah-- uhhh.. Ladies."), the humor was spot on (expressions of Casey, Morgan, and of course, Chuck), the geek meter was off the scale, and just enough sex appeal (Adam & Eve, Leia, the giant Sandworm).

Anyone else reminded that the evil genius was from the same program that was in "Dante and Randal and Jay and Silent Bob and a Bunch of New Characters and Lando, Take Part in a Whole Bunch of Movie Parodies Including But Not Exclusive To, The Bad News Bears, The Last Starfighter, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Plus a High School Reunion?" (Wikipedia that title; one of the jokes does parody "Last Starfighter" and other games/movies that use the game-recruitment plot device)

pakopako | Oct 30, 2007 7:09:43 AM | #

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steve - No one is sure if the show will last until spring

Corey | Oct 30, 2007 8:20:29 AM | #

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I hope it does last till spring Corey. This is one of my favorite shows of the new season. I think it would be cool to see Ellie and Captain Awesome at their jobs once. We always see them in the house.

Darius | Oct 30, 2007 8:33:57 AM | #

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Am I the only one sick of the Bee-Movie spots on NBC? Please stop; I can't take any more Seinfeld!!

Matt | Oct 30, 2007 8:44:31 AM | #

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The car bomb timer stopped at 007, the same as the atom bomb timer in the film "Goldfinger."

Eddie | Oct 30, 2007 8:48:09 AM | #

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It's very rare that I ever give a TV epsiode an A+ rating, but this episode of "Chuck" deserved one. This was their best effort since the "awesome" premiere. I'll admit that the whole not trusting Casey and Sarah storyline is getting old, but the rest of the episode worked for me.

I absolutely loved how Captain Awesome was the one to teach Chuck to tango, and this week he gave Morgan a man makeover. Morgan was looking sharp in the vest and tie, and I actually cheered when he stepped in for Chuck's promotion interview. Chuck was so happy to see Morgan that he let him be the head of the sandworm costume this year! AWWWW! :-)

I adored everyone's Halloween costumes, especially "Adam and Eve". Harry Tang (the Cowboy?) was back with a vengeance this week, and he really enjoyed calling Chuck HIS employee.

I'm glad that I wasn't the only Firefly fan who was thinking: "Careful, Casey, or he'll kill you with his brain!" Casey was hilarious when he told Chuck that he had heard him going "solo" in his bedroom, instead of getting with Sarah. ;-)

Corey: I'm pretty sure that the NBC previews showed Bryce in Chuck's flashbacks only. I don't think that the writers have brought Bryce back from the dead...yet.

Paige | Oct 30, 2007 8:55:11 AM | #

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Adam Baldwin is prefect for that part.

Alex | Oct 30, 2007 8:59:27 AM | #

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A really great episode of Chuck. I laughed for almost the whole hour. You missed the best moment of the episode in your highlights though. Chuck & Morgan re-enacting the Ryan & Marissa New Year's scene from The OC was priceless.

JJSC | Oct 30, 2007 9:54:50 AM | #

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It was a fun episode, as most of the episodes have been so far. That said, at some point, they have to do a little character development with Chuck. Almost all the characters have had some level of character development, but Chuck seems to have moved the least, in my opinion.

But that said, this show clearly isn't advertised as a serious show. It's fun and enjoyable, and it was a good episode.

Tony | Oct 30, 2007 10:10:49 AM | #

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i love the buy more employees dressed as the "american gothic" couple...

priceless!

bottomlesswells | Oct 30, 2007 10:40:09 AM | #

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Corey,
Its true the ratings aren't great for this show, but NBC is really in no position to pull any show that might get them at least some buzz or the 18-49 rating. Plus, the potential for a writer's strike is definitely giving the networks pause for cancelling anything. I think Chuck has a better than average chance of making it through this year. Still, i'm glad to see they are moving along with explaining what went down at Stanford.
Matt, DVR is your best friend. I haven't seen more than two seconds of that insipid Bee movie crap thanks to it.

steve | Oct 30, 2007 12:13:15 PM | #

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I'm in agreement with those that have said they need to make Chuck grow a little and we saw a bit of that last nite. They writers almost did the impossible - make Morgan, if not likeable, at least sympathetic. He alllllllmost got there with Awesomes help and guidance (that guy is so over-the-top it's hilarious).
The Buy More crew really made the most of their few minutes, especially Big Mike. Does anyone else want to see Casey do his hand-in-the-face take-down on Tang?
As a general comment, if the show can focus it's humor a little more on the mass audience (like it tried to do last nite with the Bond stuff) and less on the 'in-jokes' which I suspect go over the head of 75% of it's viewers, then it will be okay once Dancing with the Stars is over in a few weeks.
I really want to see Chuck use his intelligence (after all he was almost a Stanford grad) along with his memory so he can actually be part of the team instead of just an organic flash drive. Let the boy grow...

wmeador | Oct 30, 2007 12:33:41 PM | #

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I know I'll catch hell for this, but I'll say it anyway...Jerry Seinfeld is a worthless dick. As far as I'm concerned, after seeing the 25th commercial for his stupid little movie (which was 24 too many), I'll likely never watch it, rent it or mention it after this little rant again. Done now. Okay, for those who are worried about NBC canning a bunch of shows just because of low rating, fear not...right now General Electric and NBC are so strapped for cash that even if a show was making a .2 in the ratings, it would likely still be on the air, because they can't afford to spend money on a show like Chuck and then yank it for low ratings. CBS can do it (hence Viva Laughling getting flushed after only two episodes, and rightfully so, horrific as it was), because they have cash. In some ways, this is better for we, the viewers, because maybe we'll at least get most of a season of a show that in any other year would've already been consigned to the waste bin, even as good as this one is. Monday's episode of Chuck was, yes, yet another "let's show Chuck how untrustworthy the US government's employees actually are, mwa-ha-ha-ha" plot, but I think it is still being emphasized to show that Chuck is such a decent guy. If he ever does start to completely trust his, er, co-workers in the various letter orgs of the guvment, Chuck himself might change. His verbal slap of Morgan's face, necessary as it was, seemed completely out of character for him because it was...but even somebody like Chuck has his limits. I get the feeling that if Sarah ever makes him choose between what's in his head and the safety and well-being of his family and friends, Chuck will buy a shotgun and blow his brains out before allowing anything to happen to somebody he loves. So while some of the sub-plots might seem recycled in every show, I believe there is a point to it. In the meantime, I'm willing to overlook it, because Chuck is such a fun show to watch. All my favorite parts have already been mentioned, but for me, the kicker was when Morgan complimented Chuck during the non-interview by stating the Chuck could quote The Wrath of Khan flawlessly (or some such). Now it would've been perfect if Morgan had gone up to Tang and said, "Have you heard the old Klingon proverb about how revenge is a dish best served cold? It is very cold...in spaaaaaaaaaaaaaace."

Dark Disciple | Oct 30, 2007 12:59:34 PM | #

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Yay! I wasn't the only one who caught the Firefly ref.

whitesilence | Oct 30, 2007 1:59:32 PM | #

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did anyone else catch the homage to ryan and marissa in the new years episode of the oc, when chuck raced to morgan at the halloween party as "dice" played?

mark | Oct 30, 2007 2:56:36 PM | #

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Mark, I caught the homage and LOVED it! The fact that those guys (josh schwartz, et al.) are able to poke little jokes at themselves is one of the reasons that I'll at least try anything they put on the air.

katie71483 | Oct 30, 2007 3:33:20 PM | #

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While I sort of agree with your initial rant, I totally understood why Chuck acted the way he did this episode. He felt a sort of kinship with this guy because of the way this whole spy thing came about. I will give them a break this week, but they do need to get away from that formula.

Corey - I agree that Bryce is totally alive and will pop up one these days. I do think next week is going to be a flashback, but it seems pretty obvious to me that he will show up just as Chuck and Sarah start to get closer & muck things up for them.

What is up with some of these items that Casey wears when no one else is around? Too funny.

Jodie | Oct 30, 2007 5:52:11 PM | #

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Was it just me, or did some of that Sergio Leone-esque music sound like the theme music from Dune? And I mean the Dune music by Toto from the 1984 movie, not anything from the SciFi channel. I'd swear that music sounded like the theme from Dune...

MossMan | Oct 31, 2007 8:49:53 AM | #

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Apparetnly I'm the only one who feels for the evil genius Lazslo! I thought this episode proved perfectly that the gov't was not to be trusted; what with all the bugs around Chuck's house, they imprisoned an 11 year old for ten years so he could work for them making video games that turn into thermo nuclear weapons. Is it any wonder poor Jared went nuts? He probably didn't start out that way until the Gov't got hold of him. Smacked a lot of Jared of The Pretender to me - without the mad destructive side.
Casey's agenda has always been that as soon as Chuck stops being useful he'll be eliminated so I think the don't trust you're handlers part shouldn't be forgotten so easily. Another thing with all the bugs in Chuck's house his handlers still never seem to know where he is once he's left Buy More, so far not much has happened round his house.
And I wish the writers would quit trying to pretend any sort of romance is possible with Sarah - yes she's hot but she and Chuck have no romantic chemistry whatsoever so give it a rest. The show's much better when they're not doing all those winsome looks at each other it's so forced and quite jarring.

Big Mike was awesome - a real bad Mother F***er! My body's a temple!!

Sirius | Oct 31, 2007 9:39:47 AM | #

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Yep, I'm with Sirius on most parts...Remember, Casey has orders to kill Chuck in 6 months when Intercept 2 is finished. And Sarah in the previous one did lie to him about her and Bryce's relationship. She had good reasons to, but it would still be hurtful to Chuck when he found out.
(I disagree about the romantic chemestry...it wasn't really on in this episode, but in others, for sure).

The golden character, though, remains Captain Awesome. Because he really is. He appears to be the sterotypical frat guy grown up, but he's not. He roots for Chuck, He roots for Morgan. He's just a genuinely good guy...kind of the older brother you wish you had...cool, successful, but not obnoxious about it.

VideoBeagle | Nov 1, 2007 12:17:45 PM | #

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,hfvb

| Oct 12, 2008 9:09:43 AM | #

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