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RSS'Chuck': Orion revealed!
Tonight, people, was a big night on "Chuck." You had your special guest star appearance by Scott Bakula. You had your special guest star appearance by Chevy Chase. You had your special guest recapper appearance by me. Okay, that last one wasn't a huge deal, but it was still a pretty great episode. After all, Orion was revealed.
Scott Bakula as Chuck's dad, Steve, was just outstanding. He even got to say "oh boy," when he first saw Ellie. You have to love the "Quantum Leap" references, Bakula even made one during the NBC lineup announcement before the show started.
Things really got going when we learned that Chuck's dad claimed that super-techno-whiz-guy Ted Roark (Chevy Chase), who was about to announce some new software, stole everything from Chuck's dad. As for Roark's company? Yeah, Chuck totally flashed on it because the new software was going to (this next bit has to be said in your best evil voice) -- destroy the world's computer networks. Roark later talked at NextExpo (the big conference where the software was going to go live) about how the OS was "going to change the world." Little did he know... or did he?
Chuck had to go in to check out Roark Industries and the old man was not pleased when he learned that nugget. It also didn't help that he learned it at dinner from Morgan, who learned it from Lester and Jeff. Bad feelings all around there.
Just as the software was going to be released at NextExpo, our poor hero (who at least got to go in as himself this week) had to jump on stage, explain the software virus to Roark, and when Roark didn't buy it, run through the audience with the magic software releasing button. He was not successful, the software was released, and Chuck crawled back into his life and tried to hide by learning more about Orion's Intersect cards.
That didn't so much work. As it turned out, Roark Industries' campus had the intersect, it was all in Orion's cards. Too bad Sarah and Casey couldn't accept that because Chuck had no proof what with his not being able to tell them how he figured it out.
Oh, Casey got to the bottom of it when he grabbed the Intersect plans from Chuck and forced Chuck into divulging how he got them., but that didn't go well for Casey. Chuck did the unthinkable -- he was going to back to Roark Industries come hell or high water, so he shot Casey with a tranquilizer gun twice, and when that failed to stop the big guy, Chuck jabbed him in the neck with a third dart. Those two are going to have some mighty big issues to work out down the line. I can't imagine Casey's going to let that slide.
I was a little worried about Chuck going it alone at Roark, but I needn't have been because Chuck's dad made it there before Chuck did. And, spoilers ahead if you haven't seen the episode, after Chuck saved his dad, his dad saved him right back. How? Well, his dad had the handy-dandy Orion wrist computer on him as Chuck's dad is Orion. Okay, that was probably pretty even money in any pools out there, but it was still cool to learn and to watch dad take out the guy from "The Mummy."
And that's when we got it, the big moment inside Roark Industries (because the Orion reveal wasn't big enough). Chuck was there with his dad and all ready to get the Intersect out of his head. Essentially it involved overwriting Chuck's brain, perhaps a scary prospect, but it all failed because Roark's Intersect wasn't working right. Roark and his men then barged in and Steve had to trade his life for his boy's.
Steve is now working goodness knows where for Roark, trying to fix Roark's Intersect, and Chuck may have to walk Ellie down the aisle after all.
See what I mean, quite the episode. Can you possibly wait for next week?
Bits and pieces:
- How great were the balance balls during Chuck's job interview at Roark Industries? That was enough for me to know I wouldn't belong in that company.
- I know this recap is often written from a feminine point of view, so I apologize for the digression, but Sarah in nerd attire at NextExpo? It worked for me.
- Awesome was still struggling with his bachelor party debacle this week, but Steve set him straight, explaining that Ellie was just worried Awesome would turn into her dad. Silly Ellie, Awesome's awesome. Not that Chuck's dad isn't, but Awesome won't have to leave like Steve did. Unless of course there's more awesome to Awesome than meets the eye.
- So, that's why Chuck's dad left, he couldn't stay knowing he was Orion, he would have put Ellie and Chuck in jeopardy. What a sweet man.
- How bad is it going to go if Ellie ever finds out about Chuck and their dad? That woman is going to need a lot of therapy.
The TV and Film Guy's Reviews - oh boy.
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I thought that Chuck took out the Mummy guy with a tranquilizer dart, not his Dad. Sarah and Casey's nerd disguises were pretty lame. They could have had some fun and given her bad hair and maybe a fat suit under her clothes.
Scott Bakula was very good and Chevy Chase was "Chevy Chase." Very different feeling to the episode with such a small "Buy Morons" storyline.
A couple of problems for me. If Roark was Fulcrum all along, why did he let Chuck go after the NextExpo incident? Chuck mentioned CIA afterall.
And, if Roark was was Fulcrum all along, why would he let Chuck go at the end? He still must not know Chuck is the Intersect.
All things considered, a very enjoyable episode. Next week looks interesting too.
Sad to say it but Chuck has officially jumped the shark (or nuked the fridge for the younger crowd) with unsurprising revelation that his father is Orion.
What's really unfortunate about that is I was starting to feel this season was improving with Chuck's drive to rid himself of the intersect.
What's next? Casey is his long lost third cousin? Morgan has actually worked for Ful*** all along? Oh and of course General Beckman is really his mother who gave him up for adoption (I mean why else would she have been looking for Orion all these years right).
While I find the FAofW (Fulcrum Agent of the Week) stories are a little repetetive they're far and away better than finding out half of the people in Chuck's life were connected to superspies before he came anywhere near the intersect.
M.
Ellie got her doctorate in HENPECKING. She's pretty, but that doesn't excuse her domineering personality. Run, Devon!
I'm still enjoying Chuck, but I agree with M that it's getting a bit ridiculous that everybody in his life turns out to be a spy. Alias did it better.
alias did NOT do it better. i liked that show until they started coming up with all these ridiculously convoluted interconnections between people. it's stupid. and i'm keeping my fingers crossed that chuck won't go down this line.
I tend to just watch and enjoy this show for what it is, without anaylzing every detail and calling it unrealistic, but after reading these comments, I do have a question -- did Gen. Beckman not know that Orion was Chuck's dad? And why didn't she? If he was CIA and was around for the early part of Chuck and Ellie's lives, how was the CIA unaware of his family? And if he wasn't CIA, how did "Orion" come to create the Intersect for the CIA?
One other nitpick, I can't really figure why Ellie wanted her dad to come back to walk her down the aisle anyway -- since he ditched them, why wouldn't she just ask Chuck?
This show just keeps getting better and better. Adding Dr. Sam Becket as Chuck's dad and making him a great scientist is fantastic. So he created the Intersect AND the Quantum Leap Accelerator! I'm glad to see Chevy Chase working again, too. Plus, The Mummy! He's a really good villain, and it seems like he's enjoying the roll; I hope we get to see more of him.
A pretty light Sarah and Casey episode. I did like Morgan being all sad when he heard that Chuck was leaving the Buy More.
Actually, it was probably better that most people guessed that Chuck's dad was Orion long before it was revealed. Hell, once they started revealing the developer of the Intersect was still around, you had to figure it would be Chuck's father eventually.
The writers must have really been testing us this week. The "oh boy" from Scott Bakula was QL, natch, but Chevy Chase's historical reference was a bit more obscure. (The reference was from Fletch.)