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'Chuck': School for seduction
Chuck gets lessons from an old-school, legendary spy this week, and his liver may never recover. Plus, it's guest-star-a-go-go, with John Larroquette and Melinda Clarke competing for best super-spy honors. Oh, and there's a knee-buckling kiss. Everybody wins!
The spoiler was in a Bulgarian prison for 7 years -- you'll never break it!
Chuck is seriously bummed that he's still stuck in spy-land -- this means he can't quit the Buy More, and he and Sarah can't date! That doesn't mean they aren't still fake-dating -- there's a hysterical scene of Sarah getting the soft-focus, hair-blowing, 80s-music-video treatment as she comes to collect Chuck. She even kisses him -- but alas, it's a cover kiss.
In the new hideout (a secret room accessed through Sarah's cover job's walk-in freezer), General Beckman gives the team their marching orders: The REAL cipher is out there, and the smart money says former KGB agent Sasha Banacheck has it and is preparing to sell it. This woman is a certified bad-ass (after all, she's gone under cover as Lady Heather and Julie Cooper), so they'll need to get assistance from the superspy who knows her best -- legendary retired agent Roan Montgomery. (Played by John Larroquette, who knows from smarmy, lecherous, and yet somehow charming characters.)
Things start off rocky -- Roan has passed out after a bender -- but after a restorative shower and a few breakfast martinis, Roan is on the case. They'll have to seduce the cipher out of her, but she'll spot Casey as an agent a mile away. They have to send in someone who she's never read as a spy. Gee, do you think this might be a job for Chuck?
Roan tries to teach Chuck everything he knows, but most of what he knows seems to involve martinis. Sarah gets peevish -- Chuck doesn't need to put on an act, he's great as is! Roan goads Chuck into planting one hell of a kiss on Sarah, and she's defensive about how weak-kneed it made her. She's calmly encouraging when Chuck is screwing up his seduction technique in the bar, and Roan thinks it means she liiiiikes Chuck. She insists that Chuck is an asset, nothing more, and if she acts like she likes him, it's just because she's doing her job. Unfortunately, Chuck overhears this, which prompts him to put phase four of Roan's seduction plan into effect -- Be a Bastard. It seems to work. Sasha invites him up to her room.
But Sasha is not idiot -- she's seen the Montgomery technique before. Fortunately, Chuck is able divest Sasha of the cipher (she's wearing it as a necklace), avoid her knife, lock himself out on the balcony, and fall/leap to safety. Unfortunately, Sasha's goons take Sarah and Casey prisoner. Chuck asks Roan for help in rescuing them, but Roan refuses -- he's alive today because he know when to cut his losses and run.
Fortunately, Roan has a change of heart and helps Chuck lure Sasha and her goons to the Buy More, and fisticuffs ensue. Chuck takes the cipher and locks himself on the roof, out of harm's way -- but Sasha takes Sarah hostage and drags her out to the her car. Chuck has to heroically swing off the roof (using the "Under New Assistant Management" banner that Lester put up) and save the day.
So after that kiss, and that performance, and some coaching from Roan, Chuck is totally going to score with Sarah, right? Yeah, one problem -- when he shows up at her door wearing a white dinner jacket, bearing a bottle of Chateau Margaux and a single red rose ("Known in several countries as 'The Montgomery,'" Roan says), he's greeted by Sarah ... and Bryce. "Miss me?" Bryce asks. Yeah, but I have a feeling Chuck's aim is improving.
Civilian Stories
Lester institutes a reign of terror at Buy More, but the Buy Morons are revolting. (Sorry, I couldn't resist). When Lester brings out the Wheel of Misfortune that doles out horrifying tasks, Morgan takes the first spin -- and lands on "You're fired!" Anna quits, and Jeff follows her, and other co-worker follows Jeff, until Les is there alone. He grovels to get the staff back, and Anna forces him to take his own spin of the wheel. Les gets diaper-station duty. Heh.
In other news, Ellie complains that Captain Awesome hasn't taken her on a real date or done anything romantic in ages. Awesome pledges to put together and awesome evening, but things go awry when Morgan convinces Awesome that he knows Ellie best. (After all, he's been stalking her for 19 years.) Morgan suggests Richard Marx, Klondike Bars and Sister Act, which doesn't go over well. Awesome confesses the lack of awesomeness to Chuck, who decides to make the government pull its weight -- he asks Beckman to have agents infiltrate the apartment for Operation: Romance. It works.
Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends
- Les tries to institute some changes with the Buy Morons, insisting on being called Mr. Patel, or Boss, or (in deference to Morgan's latino heritage) "El Jefe."
- When Lester's bluster doesn't work, he goes to Big Mike for advice. "Don't you watch Animal Planet?" Big Mike asks. "Find the wounded gazelle and pounce!" That gazelle is obviously Morgan.
- That “Under New Assistant Manager” banner gets shredded and put back together. Now it reads “New Ass Man.” “I’m not new,” Big Mike grumbles when he sees it.
- Casey is bummed to find out they'll be dealing with Roan -- he was Casey's instructor at Seduction School, and he failed Casey twice. By the end of the episode, they've bonded, and Roan confesses he kept failing Casey because Casey's partner was too damn pretty to let graduate.
- Roan's reputation is apparently deserved. He greets General Beckman with a silky "Hello, Diane!" The hard-as-nails general starts to simper.
- Roan's first lesson for Chuck? "The proper way to drink a martini. Hold the stem, nod to mark, slowly tilt back. A moment to learn, a lifetime to perfect."
- Chuck, on Roan: "His liver must look like camouflage!"
- Roan despairs at Chuck's seductions skills: "Perhaps I've moved too fast. Have you had intercourse before?"
- After Sasha rejects him and Sarah say he's not a spy and she doesn't like him like that, Chuck finally gets the inspiration to be bad. He confronts Sasha at the elevator: "Just before you drift off to sleep, you'll have one final, terrifying thought... that you passed up an evening with the greatest lover you'll ever know. ...A man trained in the art of seduction. A man who has traveled the world sampling women of every culture and creed. So I will offer one final time -- before boarding my jet and heading off for an undisclosed rendezvous, for which I am already late -- can I buy you a club soda?"
- Sasha's response? "No thank you. But you can take me up to my room and make mad passionate sex to me. "
- After Chuck makes it off the balcony, he scampers down the sidewalk, exulting at his escape. "He leaps from the balcony, lands with a flourish, and the Russian judge gives it a 9.4!"
- Again with the Huey Lewis! Do they have any idea how much time I spend watching old Huey Lewis videos on YouTube every time they include one of his songs? Have mercy, music supervisors!
This show is just too cool for words. However, since words are the only way we humans can communicate, here's some anyway...
I liked this episode because it brought back some of what made the first season so fun: namely, Chuck's almost-eighth-grade crush on Sarah and her equally-ninth-grade-ish not-crush (girls mature faster, you see...) on him. It's believable without sinking into the swamp of sweet stupidity.
My favorite moment? When the general let her hair down (almost literally) when Roan appeared on the secret hideout monitor and said, "Hello, Diane." Nice job on making a hard-as-nails woman get a little ooshy, whoever the actress is who plays the general. I still miss Tony Todd, though. Not enough deep voices on this show.
I'm not a John Laroquette fan, never have been, probably never will be. However, I did enjoy his portrayal of Roan. I think Alan Dale would've been awesome as Roan, too, especially if he employed his original accent. The man can play anything.
The Buy More scenes were interspersed just right with the main storyline, which is as it should be. Does make me wonder though...just what did Big Mike mean when he said, "I'm not new," when he saw the "New Ass Man" sign? Is that big fish in his office symbolic of something...or is a fish just a fish? I hate Big Mike, because every time I see him, I feel the need to run to Krispy Kreme and buy me a dozen glazed and eat half of them before I get home. Damn you, Big Mike, damn you! :P
Revenant | Oct 6, 2008 8:23:10 PM | #This show is Awesome(tm)!
Seriously, I'm really glad and relieved that the show is maintaining the same tone and originality from Season 1. I've worked on several friends and family members to give it a try, and I think it's working. Keep up the good work, guys!
Cornelius | Oct 6, 2008 9:06:44 PM | #aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh! im sorry, that ending just make me wanna scream in front of the tv.
chuck is back on track. to be honest im quite disappointed with last week's episode. but this episode reminded me why i fell in love with this show. awesome.
Im not into Lester as the assistant manager of Buy More though. i heard Buster Bluth will be replacing him. yay!
This show's extremely entertaining, the best hour of television all week, and I watch a crapload of tv! with endearing characters, escapism at it's best! Kudos to the creators of the show! Cant wait for next week!!!
Ron | Oct 6, 2008 10:48:10 PM | #I wonder if Huey Lewis ever
going to make a cameo??
wouldn't it be funny
if he played chuck father or
any other character father!
this show makes me miss "the middleman" two different shows
with good writing!!!
Seriously...3 Huey Lewis songs in 2 episodes....
I'm not complaining, mind you...but that's kinda weird...
Unless Huey Lewis is the head of Fulcrum!
I'm loving all the Huey Lewis songs. Classic!
Great episode. I'm so glad they've already given Chuck a full season.
I'm also ready for Lester to be demoted. He used to be comedic in all his shenanigans with Jeff, but now he's just irritating.
Looking forward to next week and the explanation of why Bryce is in Sarah's apartment.
Amy | Oct 7, 2008 5:34:15 AM | #Such a great episode.
Dory | Oct 7, 2008 6:40:27 AM | #I'm not sure how, but "Chuck" has become really elusive to talk about with me.
"Chuck" is no longer a "guilty pleasure" that I enjoy watching in secret but won't admit I was watching TV that hour, to an "extremely guilty pleasure" that I enjoy watching in secret but will immediately say I was watching something else EXCEPT this.
I have no idea why the cast is meshing so well, especially with the various guest-stars of the week. Technically "Chuck" is a bunch of walking cliches, yet everyone plays their part to the hilt and pulls it off flawlessly.
It's probably all the comic-book-esque monologue lines everyone mutters to themselves ("His liver must look like camouflage!" "Is that a Crown Victoria I see about to plow through the window?")
pakopako | Oct 7, 2008 7:19:07 AM | #Being a falling down Huey Lewis fan, I'm totally digging all of the Huey tunes the past two weeks. Methinks a trend is developing. I'll add a second vote to have Huey guest star in some way.
John | Oct 7, 2008 8:49:01 AM | #Love the show and Huey Lewis.
TV Fan | Oct 7, 2008 9:03:13 AM | #Another fun episode. Laughed out loud several times. Levi is great as Chuck, and who doesn't love Larroquette as a spy. NBC is having tough times with then Nielsen's, I hope the show sticks around. Its easily one of the best on the air.
jbw | Oct 7, 2008 10:07:04 AM | #Casey is my secret crush - I loved the scene of him in his apartment with his headphones on eavesdropping on Chuck and Roan while cleaning his guns.
This and Life are 2 of the best shows on TV right now!
DaisyRose | Oct 7, 2008 10:09:27 AM | #Its so sad that this show does not get the ratings it deserves. I hate the Nielsen ratings. I simply cannot believe that they are that accurate. They do not take into account college students. I think their sampling is only about 1000 households. How can you accurately figure what 300 million people are watching with that small of a sampling size? Everyone has different lives so how can you say you have a cross-section of America. I bet if they replace the Nielson households with different families with the same demographics, the results would change significantly. I wish that when they change to that digital thing next year, there is some way to determine through bandwidth or something how many televisions are actually tuned to a channel.
SLP | Oct 7, 2008 10:22:25 AM | #I am in love with this show. I've even gotten my husband to watch it--typically he thinks if I like a show, he probably won't. We agree on Supernatural and not much else.
I think the Huey Lewis songs are part of what has drawn my hubby into the show. Well, that and how it is totally made of awesome.
Jen | Oct 7, 2008 11:23:04 AM | #the show will get cancelled next year if the ratings continue the way they are, which is a shame, because the show rocks.
Ron | Oct 7, 2008 3:59:11 PM | #the ratings suck that is true, but they don't have anything else to replace it and they surely score well with the prized 18-49 crowd, so i think they'll be able to squeeze another season out of this show. I just love how they manage to put Sarah in the sexiest outfits possible every week! Now let's see more of Chuck's sister!
Steve | Oct 8, 2008 7:04:17 AM | #I have to agree with everyone else's comments. Chuck is one of the few shows that hasn't suffered the dreaded 'Sophomore Slump'! I really loved how they mixed the 80s Huey Lewis songs with the classical opera music that was playing when Julie Cooper (Sasha) invited Chuck up to her room. Maybe the producers can get Huey as aguest star (since I know that he used to play Haley's father on One Tree Hill).
This show consistently has great guest stars every week. My only complaint was that the opening credits ruined the surprise of Bryce showing up at the end of the episode. I don't read spoilers, but I knew that Bryce was going to return when I saw Matthew Bomer's name in the opening credits (they should have put his name in the closing credits). :-(
The writers really put in some small details that turn out to be funny, like Morgan thinking Richard Marx's song would be romantic, and 'what would you do for a Klondike bar?'. My favorite gag was when Chuck put the banner back up it read 'New Ass Man'! ;-)
If I had to venture a guess, the Huey Lewis influences stem from the one song he wrote, which I think they used in the 1st episode this season, "It's Hip to Be Square" which is essentially a description of Chuck the ultimate in cool geekiness/hip squarness.
sac | Oct 8, 2008 9:27:07 AM | #Why hasn't Matthew Bomer (Bryce) done more work since Tru Calling and Chuck?
He seems to be able to pull off the confident, suave, charming, leading-man type of stuff quite well.
i just adore this show to pieces. guess i'm just a sucker for tall lanky guys that make me laugh.
littlebit | Oct 9, 2008 5:11:10 PM | #Way too much Huey Lewis on this program. There are far better 80's references that the show could utilize or plumb.
The After the Fire reference, used in the promos, is a good example of something much more clever and/or appropos.
Now, if we could only bring back the Wiener Girl outfit....
Jail Huey | Oct 11, 2008 2:11:18 PM | #
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