She Said: Chuck 5.01 – Chuck vs the Zoom

Hey Chucksters! I’m so glad that we finally have new Chuck episodes to talk about and that I have the continued honor of sharing my thoughts on every episode with all of you! I really liked ‘Zoom’ and I think it sets up lots of exciting possibilities for the next 12 episodes. We got a good look at the (amusing) new team dynamic, the Morgansect, a hint of what Decker is planning, a Star Trek AND a Star Wars cameo and also got to see Chuck being pretty awesome sans-Intersect. In many ways, it seems like once again, the powers that be have listened to the fans and given us what we’ve asked for – it’s like they read our minds (or posts)!

In the months that have passed since we last saw our heroes, much has changed. Carmichael Industries is up and running and the team has managed to spend all but 40-some million of the nearly a billion dollars from the Volkoff fortune. However, despite those expenditures (a satellite, private jet, lots of fresh shrimp), the business is far from successful. Morgan has been accepted as the Intersect and as an important member of the team by both Sarah and Casey, seemingly much faster than it took for Chuck to attain the same status. Chuck, while clearly the team leader, is now stuck in the van organizing while Morgan, Casey and Sarah go on missions. Despite these changes, Chuck’s relationship with both Sarah and Morgan still seems strong, although his disappointment is palpable when Sarah and Casey override his attempts to be more actively involved in their missions.

A real improvement in Chuck’s relationships(one that we’ve been clamoring for!) is the fact that Ellie now appears to be fully briefed into his world. After screaming “tell her already!” at my TV way too many times to count over the last two seasons, I’m ecstatic to see that Chuck and Ellie appear to finally be done with keeping secrets from each other and can finally work together utilizing their considerable individual strengths. I loved the scene in Castle where Ellie assured Chuck that the intersect glasses have no reloads left but that he doesn’t need the Intersect because he has plenty of natural skills. She’s always been the one to encourage him to reach his potential and for once they are both on the same page in terms of what that potential is. I hope (and expect) that she continues to be his adviser and confidant as the season progresses – both the character and the actress are too good to waste!

Although I for one wasn’t worried, it is nice to see that Chuck and Sarah’s relationship doesn’t seem to have suffered from their nuptials. They seem to be working as the consummate (haha) team, despite the fact that Sarah is more often working directly with Morgan than Chuck during missions. The side plot about Chuck wanting to buy her a dream house reiterated his devotion to her and his desire to try to make up for all the hardships in her life. The reveal that Sarah’s idea of the perfect house is a rather inexpensive stereotypical “American Dream” with a white picket fence and a red door was another nice peek into her back story – it was the house she always dreamed of as a kid, when she longed for a normal life. I couldn’t help but get a sappy smile on my face at Sarah’s “richer or poorer” speech in front of her dream house that they could no longer afford to buy after Decker froze their remaining 40 mil in assets. Perhaps fans that have complained that Chuck and Sarah’s relationship isn’t sexy enough anymore will at least be a bit pacified by her seducing him to find out about Morgan and Chuck’s house shopping side mission. I personally thought it was a bit unfair to show so much of Sarah in lingerie without showing us Devon without his shirt, but it’s a man’s world…

Although Chuck is definitely mourning the loss of the intersect and is envious of Morgan for having it, he is careful to not let it get between them (although I have some questions about how long it will last!). Obviously, Morgan having the intersect was a point that rankled many fans in the season 4 finale, but I’m enjoying it so far. It is a great device to totally change the team dynamic and allow Chuck to prove himself. When Mama B suppressed the Intersect last season and then Chuck reloaded it from Ellie’s laptop within a few episodes, many of us felt that it was too soon and he never got the chance to prove to himself or others that he could be a productive spy without it. This season, it appears that Chuck is likely to be sans-Intersect for a while and based on the precedent that this episode set, we should get to see Chuck prove definitively to himself and those around him that his value lies in his brain alone, not in the Intersect. Chuck’s competence without the Intersect was on full display this episode, even if he still seems to doubt himself.

While Morgan Fu was pretty impressive, Chuck seems to have been training as well – his ability to fight hand-to-hand seems to have improved greatly since last year’s “Strip Kick” training. I always wondered why they didn’t train him more in defense as a back-up to the Intersect but it seems that that deficit has been at least partially remedied as he was able to join in the fight rather than watching Sarah, Casey and Morgan take out all the bad guys. I also loved that Chuck was the one who saved the day at the end, by using his brain, his computer skills, and his uncanny ability to jump out of a three story window right onto the top of the van without even a scratch. Meanwhile, Morgan, despite the Intersect, is still Morgan – he’s definitely a different kind of asset than Chuck was and it seems that upcoming episodes will even further distinguish them.

The Buy More plot seemed a bit forced, but the obvious goal, to set it up to have a higher profile in the future,  was accomplished. They gave us just enough to demonstrate that Chuck and Sarah are going to need to take a firmer hand in managing the store both to keep Jeff and Lester from doing anything illegal and because they now need the store as a source of revenue. I’ve definitely had my days when I could really do without the Buy More, but now that it’s here to stay, I hope they can write it as integral to the central plot like they did for some of the more entertaining episodes in the past (e.g. V the Best Friend, V Santa Claus) rather than using it solely as a vehicle for Jeffster! hijinks (as much as I love Jeffster!). Speaking of Jeff and Lester, maybe it’s just me, but I love the idea of Sarah cracking the whip (metaphorically) on them! We’ve seen how easily she can manipulate Morgan. I think her intimidating Jeff and Lester into actually working could be comedic gold, although I’m not sure how that could be accomplished without her and Chuck admitting that they have a stake in the store.

They gave very little away about the nature of the vast conspiracy that Decker alluded to in the season 4 finale, but we did get a few tidbits about their endgame. Clearly they see Chuck as a threat and are monitoring him closely. It reminds me a bit of season 1 and early season 2 when the government was planning on eliminating Chuck as soon as they could get a new Intersect up and running. Now, like then, it appears that Chuck has something that they need or they would be taking him out instead of surveilling him and discussing him at clandestine meetings. I’m very intrigued by Decker’s repeated assertion that everything that has happened in Chuck’s life so far has been part of a vast plan…for what?? For better or worse, we’ll find out in the next 12 episodes.

Other Notables:
“Baseball is boring” – yet another case of inadvertent perfect timing (like Casey’s Bin Laden target the week he was killed in S4)
Chuck and Sarah casually discussing their ideal house while under gunpoint on the balcony during the cold open
the “Master Spy” routine
“I want it noted that I took out six of their guys” – Casey
“I’m so sorry, fishies, about your pond” – Morgan, infiltrating security at Mark Hamil’s compound, while Casey, Chuck and Sarah told everyone how ruthless he is
“We can buff that right out” – Morgan, after breaking the vase
Who cares about school teachers? Stealing money from Rush Limbaugh really gets Casey’s ire!
“Did you ever play any non-video game sports?” – Casey to Chuck
“If I was standing on my wallet, I’d be tall” – Morgan, as Michael Carmichael
Chuck’s hilarious oiled up fight with “400 pounds of meat” (or was that “me”?)
Jeff’s fake injury after being trampled by housewives at the release of the talking Justin Beiber doll
Morgan and Sarah’s “secret handshake”
Toes In The Sand (T.I.T.S.) yes, it’s juvenile, and yes it made me laugh every time!

The previews for next week look awesome – can’t wait! In the meantime, though, let’s hear what YOU thought of the episode! P.S – I’m posting this from a Starbucks at a grocery store as I woke up this morning to ~6 inches of snow and no power! Crazy!!!

Cay

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63 comments

  1. I missed the Star Trek cameo–who was it?

  2. Some of the intersect skills seem to have to have rubbed off on Chuck. He clearly retained some of the fighting moves he was exposed to by the intersect. Like Casey said, before the intersect, he was smart. I think that the combination of his native smarts and what he gleaned fro the intersect whilst he had it are the factors that make Chuck the threat Decker clearly finds him to be.

  3. Their client was Nelix from Star Trek Voyager.

  4. I absolutely hated this episode of Chuck. I rank it right down there with Mask.
    I didn’t find Morgansect funny at all. The only times I found Morgan amusing was the secret handshake with Sarah, and the bit about baseball, for the same reasons Cay stated.

    I thought the whole story of Chuck trying to find Sarah a dream house was the perfect combination of funny and heartwarming. It was the only part of the episode that worked for me (of course I’m including Sarah “torturing” Chuck to get the secret in this).

    I found the villains to be extremely disappointing. They made a big deal of having Luke Skywalker but then didn’t really give him anything to do. Then the other villain they had couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag.

    The fight/action sequences I found mundane and Chuck’s rescue of the team I found a little too contrived. In fact the whole mission seemed poorly written.

    I also found the way they used the conspiracy in this episode to be poorly done. Decker and his conspiracy goons should be operating much more covertly. After all Chuck threatened to expose the Agent X conspriacy if he went after them.

    I also miss Chuck/Sarah spy missions – now its Sarah / Morgan. Lets face it that dance scene would have been so much better if it were a Chuck/Sarah dance scene. With Morgan it was just pathetic.

    I’m not giving up on the show yet, but so far I’m not liking the new direction.

    • Wow. That’s some harsh criticism, Gord. I really enjoyed this episode and the new direction for the team. I hope it turns around for you.

      • Mel – I really hope it turns around for me too. I’m really hoping I will enjoy the Gertrude/Casey episodes and the synopsis for episode 4 looks pretty good (a Chuck and Sarah spy mission). Keeping my fingers crossed.

    • the episode wasn’t bad, but i absolutley hate that Morgan and not Chuck is the intersect! Everything in that show would have been better with Chuck on he missions instead of Morgan. I really hope Chuck gets the intersect back, i wouldn’t mind if both Chuck and Morgan had the intersect, but Chuck needs it back!!!! I already know he is good without it, he is smart and a good spy but with the intersect he is a great spy.

  5. I wonder if folks were turned off by Chuck not having the intersect? Would of been nice if Mark Hamil would of been on the whole show. Morgan did a good job on the Moves. I like to see Chuck get the intersect back. I just hope Chuck wins on Decker I really do not like him. Compared to Shaw he worse.

  6. I have to agree with gord on this episode, just awful. Chuck was already a neurotic mess before losing the intersect, and now he’s back to sad sack mode. Yeah he ended up saving the day in the end, but only after Ellie, Sarah, and even Morgan had to give him a pep talk. Nobody had give him a confidence speech to disarm that bomb in the pilot, which he did without using the intersect. But now he is just a whiny insecure wuss who has to told he’s special. I know he’s not James bond, but the unconfident douche he has become is really hard to watch. Oh and one more thing, if i have to sit through another Morgan/Sarah only spy mission, i might just punch my TV.

  7. I wonder if Decker is really the bad guy he now seems to be. His conspiracy speech can be interpreted in more ways: “Now you all see how important he is and why he must fail”. The fact he says Chuck is important rather than dangerous is interesting. Something is going on i.m.o.

  8. I still think giving Morgan the intersect was the worst idea the writers ever had. Not only doesn’t make it any sense, but it also makes Morgan as a character way to important. He was also as a side-kick, but is not worth a show runner. Just my opinion.

  9. I’m really sorry to say that I have to echo much of what Gord said. I was worried when I saw the trailer for this episode and sadly it was much worse than I could have imagined. The whole thing was disjointed and the entire dynamic seemed to have gone from the show. All this was overshadowed though by Morgan. I can’t take anywhere near this much Morgan in one episode and it was a blessed relief when someone finally knocked him out. I too love this show far too much to give up on it and I’m sure that we’ll see some great stuff before the final series is complete. This episode however, was a real low point for Chuck and I can’t see it improving dramatically while the episodes seem destined to be so Morgan heavy and Chuck and Sarah light. Woe, is me 🙁

  10. I have let my feelings on Morgan known in some other postings so I’ll leave that one alone. I agree that the episode seemed disjointed with an ever changing direction that was tough to follow. I really hope they are taking the first couple of episodes to get the direction for the season going and the intersect out of the idiots head. I wouldn’t call it bad, but it was #4 our of 5 in my view of season premiers (I despised the season 3 premier)

  11. I have to agree with Gord, Superdude, Rob, and Ralph. If I can use a “booorrring” baseball reference, this show hasn’t been able to get the ball out of the infield since Chuck got on one knee in season 4 episode 13. Mel is right, we are being harsh, but after all the subway sandwiches and letters to NBC/advertisers, I’m disappointed. This show did a magical job of balancing a suspenseful spy storyline and an exciting love/relationship storyline while always being able to make us laugh. That’s the Chuck we fought for and loved, but since that thoughtful and well written proposal, in my opinion, the spy story with Vivian was boring and the Chuck and Sarah’s relationship progression has felt extremely rushed. Now we have the “Morgansect”, which may soon replace the phrase “jumping the shark” in TV lore, and Decker, whom apparently forgot about the Agent X threat (along with Chuck and the writers). At least we still have the comedy, but unfortunately there is a reason they don’t make hour long comedies. My love for the show and its characters will keep me glued to the set along with the 999,999 others in my demographic. I’ll just have to put on my “rally cap” and hope for the writers come mount a “9th inning comeback.”
    Thanks to Mel and Liz for this site and allowing us to discuss our favorite show. I’m glad to see a lot of you are still enjoying it.

    • Ignoring the Agent X threat was really a major screw up by Fedak and Wootton. It is really strange since they were the writers that brought it up in the first place. It will be interesting to see if they fill the plot hole or it was just a screw up.

      4 years of flashing and now its zooming. The idiot Morgan speaks and all will bow down or Mel will express her displeasure with you.

      • Good observation on who the writers were for both episodes, didn’t notice that. The show has had many gaps in the storyline and some characters back stories, but they have all been minor till this point. The Agent X threat is what tied up the season four back end, how do you forget? I too will hope they fill the plot hole.

        As far as Mel, she is entitled to her opinion. We can’t forget that she is the one that runs the site and allows us to all share our feeling on our favorite show, and one of the key reasons this show is still on the air. For this we should all be grateful.

        With this being said, I can’t believe how many people are accepting the show mediocrity. I’m not just talking about the one episode, it’s been then last 11. Since then I haven’t felt any fear on missions or of villains, believable drama of character relationships, or passion with Chuck and Sarah (rehearsing and reading of vows excluded). Still hopeing for a great last 12.

      • Thanks, Greg. 🙂

      • Sam, patience is a virtue, give it time to be fleshed out. However, now that Agent X has been neutralized (i.e. intersect removed), I’m not sure there is a threat. What does Chuck have to prove it to anyone and who does he take it to when he doesn’t know who he can trust (aside from Beckman)?

        Why do you need to make comments like this? It’s petty and rude. Mel works her butt off to make this a fun, constructive site. If you don’t like it here, then don’t come. Make your own “I hate Morgan” site.

      • Sam, if you don’t like the fact that I also have an opinion and am prone to expressing it on the site I’ve run for the last 4.5 years for the purpose of expressing my opinion, then it may be time to find somewhere else to post.

      • Now that actually is harsh! I hate Morgan as much as the next man…..and then some, but I think having a pop at Mel is going a little too far. I know we are all passionate about this show and maybe get more emotional than we probably should about a TV show, but Mel has done a great job on this site and has obviously put in a huge amount of time so that miserable sods like me can come here and have a rant. I say keep up the great work Mel, if anyone is entitled to their opinion on this site it’s you.

  12. Wow! Some harsh criticisms!! I don’t think that Morgan will have the intersect long from what I’ve seen, heard and read so everyone can calm down. Someone wrote that this was like Mask. Well if you remember the next episode after Mask was awesome: The Beard and it will probably be that way this time. Be patient!! I think the episode was great!! Especially the ending with Chuck saving the day!! He isn’t a wuss either. My only complaint was at the end standing in front of the house why he is questioning his role when clearly earlier he was in charge, unless it was because of him having the money!! Now I get it..I also think Chuck will somehow get the intersect back or it is already somehow in him ever since he was a kid that has to play in somehow. I just hope they have enough time to answer all the questions and finish the story cohesively in 12 more episodes. They wasted Mark Hamill too!! Thinking ahead don’t you think that Chuck the Movie would be awesome?

    • Well, I hate to burst your bubble but the episode after Mask was Fake Name – another one that a lot of fans hated – not Beard. Obviously it was so painful for you that you blocked it right out of your memory. LOL.

      That being said, I was the one (or at least one of those) who compared it to Mask, but I’m also hopeful that this is a one of anomally. I really want to enjoy the final season of Chuck, but from what I saw in Zoom, I’m having huge doubts – especially with Morgansect.

  13. For me it was a great episode.
    The only problem I think is that this season there are only 13 episodes it’s also the series finale.
    In this first chapter the producers and writers had to compress topics that will be important stuffs during this season. If the series had been 24 episodes, the story of episode 1 it was made in 2 or 3 episode.
    – The start of the Carmichael Industrie.
    – Start of Decker conspiracy.
    – Bankruptcy o Carmichael Industrie.
    – Start of Morgan with the Intersect
    – The relationship between Chuck and Sarah married I think is very solid and will be even more because whenever someone attacked them the relation has grown stronger.

    All of these and sure that I forget something more in one Episode is very much
    but necesary because we have only 13 Episodes this season.

    • I’m so glad to hear that you liked it, Toni, considering your comments in the last couple of weeks about how awful you thought this season was going to be. Sounds like you were pleasantly surprised! 🙂

  14. Itabashi Zangitan

    “Everyone just be cool. Everybody just chill out!!!” “Hand me that case Yuri and after that it’s Pragrogey time.”

    See. The problem with most of the comments here, is that they wrongly blame Morgan being the intersect, for what is poor quality writing. Morgan being the intersect is not a bad idea, it’s a great idea, as it creates a scenario where Chuck has to deal with problems without the Intersect, but also allows contrast and comparison, showing the audience how Chuck would do things, vs how Morgan would do things as Intersects. Although I may add, the drama of Chuck not having the Intersect needs to be furthur addressed – but this would be too deep for just a season premiere. I would expect the issue to be touched upon, and in more dramatic fashion.

    I’m dissappointed in this episode, as is the case with most Neo-Chuck episodes post S03E13. Since, other than the weak writing. Poor usage of the Buy More cast and no interweaving of the Buy More subplot with the main spyplot. In contrast to Classic-Chuck plans, the plan used in vs the Zoom, seemed more suicidal or an extremely desperate attempt then the “genius” plans Chuck Bartowski is renowned for. Plus, a good Chuck episode is incomplete without Casey kicking ass and one-lining about it.

  15. Nice review thanks for sharing It was a good episode I think as long as Wotten around that best we going to get and he diffidently needs to be a co-writer and not stand alone. Episode wasn’t packed with as much story lines as I was fearing. This is a weakness I think Chris has, he tries to put a lot of information and at times effects proper setup of plot.

    One of the things I noticed is that Ellie mentioned she was not able to access the code to this version of Intersect. I think that key information going forward.

    I’m not as bothered about Morgansect as others seem to be. My major concern is the conspiracy story. Last 2 seasons show didn’t do good job of delivering satisfactory showing of major plot line of the season and hope they correct that this year. But for those who hope Morgan loses the intersect soon I think you going to be disappointed

  16. I think the conspiracy is a powerful lobby with the help of part of the CIA with Decker at the head, they want to make a Coup d’Etat to the Governement of the USA or create an Governement in the shadow and only Chuck and his group will be able to blow up this operation.
    Decker’s obsession could be a simple thing like that in episode 4×24 Chuck said to him, that he had a pen drive with everything he had done for project X and this information is dangerous for Decker’s career.

  17. Huh–I’m really surprised at all the negative comments. I’m with you, Mel–I think they introduced a lot, but they handled it all really well. I was worried about the Morgan-sect, but I think there was so much for Chuck fans to love in this episode.

    I for one am determined to enjoy the heck out of the next 12 episodes.

  18. Wow, I’m kind of surprised that so many hated this episode so much!!! The comparisons to the Mask are particularly surprising to me because I don’t see how their could be a comparison to the uproar that one caused. I guess that proves that it wasn’t just the Chuck-Sarah relationship that got everyone so upset!

    Just goes to show differences in opinions. Many of you seem to think that the writers are horrible and I think that they gave us what many of us asked for all season. Is it a case of “watch what you wish for” or something else entirely?

    Looking back over the 5 season premieres, I have to say that all of them have fallen a bit flat for me, with the exception of the Pilot. I think it’s because the finales have all been pretty great so expectations are very high. Plus, we’re all very emotionally involved, as we’ve proven time and time again. The same thing happens every year for me at Christmas – I look forward to it all year and then invariably end up disappointed when it’s all said and done. Doesn’t keep me from getting excited the next year, though.

    I’m confident that when all is said and done this season, that I’ll be satisfied. There’s nothing I can do about it, so I’m just going to enjoy the ride! What does getting upset or complaining about it accomplish at this point? The stories are written and almost all filmed. As Decker said, this is the “end game” and I’m not going to waste it!

  19. People, people, people…work with us here! Every season has to have time to build. The sprint comes at the end of a race. Savor. Give it time. How many times have you thought an episode might have been a bit off and then you went back and rewatched it and started getting some of the subtlety and nuances? LIfe isn’t about icing and steak everyday. It’s about substance and working towards a goal. No whining. Just enjoyment. Goofraba!

    • Normally I’d agree with you Nan and although I didn’t enjoy Mask as an episode very much, I wasn’t one of those who got too upset about it because I was confident about where the story was heading and that you sometimes have to take to lows to make the highs that much better. Unfortunately, when season four ended my worst fear for season five was not that Morgan was the intersect, it was that the new avenues and extra plots this opened up would clearly revolve far more around Morgan. I can’t take Morgan for much more than ten seconds at a time so whether the intersect stays or goes, the tone seems to have been set for him to be a far bigger and sometime pivotal role in the show. This is what made zoom borderline unwatchable for me and why I thought it was hands down the worst Chuck so far.
      I’m honestly glad that many of you enjoyed this episode, this has been a fabulous show and if you don’t have an issue with Morgans character then I can certainly see why people are still enjoying it, there were some great lines that I know I would have loved if I wasn’t so irritated. As Cay says, it’s pretty much done and dusted now so it is what it is.
      It’s been a great ride and we’re in the final leg so lets hope as many of us as possible get as much fun as we can out of what’s left. I’ll be recording from now on so that I have the mercy of the fast forward option and I’ll be chuffed if I can get a couple more Morgan free episode before we’re done.
      By the way, I’ll be absolutely delighted if we’re back here in a couple of weeks having seen some awesome episode and you’re all saying ‘In your face Rob’ 😉

    • Couldn’t agree more, Nan!

  20. You forgot “Time to be a man! No, MORE than a man! Start with the man . . . ” Morgan gets some of the best one-liners in the whole series!

  21. I also say get the intersect out of Morgan. He is fine as the side kick. But he stinks as a main character. Chuck needs the intersect to be on par with Sara for the action. The dance scene was bad with Morgan. Chuck would have been better at it. As a fan I have a stake in watching Chuck do the action using the intersect. His saving the day would have been more thrilling using the intersect. Remember the intersect was only repressed not removed. A situation where Sara is about to be killed should awaken the intersect within him. Lets hope it is not episode 12 when he gets it back, but maybe episode 4 because I get the impression from what I read from Mels’ review that it will not happen by episode 3.

    • I don’t want to damping your spirits dude but I don’t think Chuck going to be getting the intersect back. I think the plan for the end game was to have Chuck become a competent spy with out it. Using his wits on the fly is what going to make him a unique agent with Casey and Sarah and for now Morgan.

      I suggest you don’t hold your breath on Morgan loosing the intersect anytime soon I think he going to be having it for most of the remaining episodes. It going to change the dynamics of his friendship with Chuck IMO he going to be seduced to the dark side and Chuck going to be trying to bring him back to the light

      • Your missing the point. Chuck needs the intersect so he can perform as well as using his brains to lead. I am sure he will get the intersect back so he can properly deal with Decker. Sorry to burst your bubble but Chuck without the intersect is like the ocean without salt.

  22. After watching the episode, I must admit that I was a little disappointed. The smoothness of Team Bartowski seems to be missing and I can’t put my finger on why I felt that way. I’m not blaming Morgan on this as he’s been part of the team for a while, but maybe he’s trying too hard to be the super spy??? I really need to rewatch it to see if I can figure it out. I’m hoping that they will get it back in the next episodes. I miss the old team dynamics and hope they get it back. It just seems that they don’t seem to know how to work together anymore. Hope things get better.

  23. Newsflash people Morgan has always been a main character not to the same extent as Chuck but still an integral part of the show. if you want to hate something, hate the intersect.

  24. You’re right Nan. This thing needs time to build and the rewatches always help. It is difficult though, when you’ve never thought Morgan should have ever been a part of the team. In the know, sure. Going on missions? ecchhhh. I’m certainly here for the end, no matter what. Criticism of the show does not mean I hate the show and shouldn’t watch but instead is indicative of how much I love it and want it to be the best that it can be. I guess that’s silly now though.

    • Silly, no. It shows how passionate and invested we are in Chuck. We love the characters to the point we think we have ownership. There will be a pay-off with the team. We just have to let Chuck find his way again and he will and he will take us along on his road of discovery. Let Morgan grow too.

  25. I think the smoothness of the team doesn’t feel the same because the dynamics are different. The obvious intersect switch changes things, but also that they are running their own company and Chuck is now the leader of team, something that he never truly was. Beckman, for the most part, told them their missions. Now that is Chuck’s responsibility. I think as the season goes on these new dynamics will feel more natural and the smoothness in the team will be back.

    Be patient everyone, as far as the dynamics go this really is unchartered waters

    • You’re right. I just felt a little let down. Starting a new business would be hard, and stepping into the role of leader would be hard for me, so I will look forward to this Friday and see. One thing I’ve been able to figure out is the dynamics between Chuck and Casey. It felt wrong and I realized I was feeling bad as to how Casey just seemed to push Chuck aside. Remember how Casey said that Chuck was the second best spy he had worked with in last season’s final? It just seemed to me that he had pushed Chuck;s friendship aside.

      On a side note, I watched a you tube of DragonCon with Garrett Wang and Robert Duncan Mcneill and Robbie mentioned that the production team were joking on what a spin off could be and he said that he thought that it would be funny to have “baby Clara” put on the glasses and get the intersect!! Had to laugh at that!! It would be funny seeing a baby with ‘kung fu’

  26. People: “don’t freak out”. There are “adjustment” episodes at the beginning of every season that (1) recover from the cliffhanger of the previous season (in the case of seasons 3, 4 and now 5) and (2) set up the main story arc of the current season. I found this particular episode to be okay, more of less at the level of last season’s premier episode, and certainly much better than season 3. It had several good moments. I am confident that the next 12 episodes will build from here and become an enjoyable season overall…

  27. Chuck without the intersect is a bore. The whole attraction of Chuck was the nerd finally getting the win. Now that he’s matured into uber-spy and he’s practically James Bond he’s no longer the guy I want to cheer for. Morgan makes a pitiful intersect. He’s a moron, he’s suppose to be a moron; that’s his fill in the show. They are missing the original charm of the show. I think I’m just going to watch reruns of the first 4 seasons. Additionally, I miss Sarah’s long hair.

  28. Wow it surprises me that some people hated this episode so much. I admit that it wasn’t one of my favourites, but it was ok. For one thing, I liked it that Chuck proved he can be a hero on his own:when he was de-intersected in season 4, it bumped me out that he wasn’t able to save himself and needed Sarah to save him (don’t get me wrong, the Thai episode is one of my favourites). Even in the first two seasons, when Chuck had the 1.0, he would always come up with a smart solution, and we hadn’t seen that in a long time. Regarding the Morgansect, I believe that Morgan hasn’t changed a bit. He was always a comic relief and that’s exactly what he was in this episode as well. It’s not like he gets EVERYTHING right and overshadows Chuck! If you think about it, him failing to handle the Intersect as effectively as Chuck did proves that Chuck is special (and because he is smart, not just because he happened to be born with an extraordinary brain!). The Charah chemistry is not as strong, not because the actors do something wrong, but because the characters’ relationship has changed: at first, they couldn’t be together, that’s why everything was steamy. Now their relationship has become deeper and isn’t just physical. After all, it was a transitional episode-give it time to evolve.

  29. I think everyone should reserve their comments on the Morgansect. They gave us clues that something is different with this version (Ellies talk – one time download) and I think it’s tied to the conspiracy. The note in 4.24 said it was meant for Chuck but Morgan downloaded it. How did Decker know about the Bale mission? Someone is monitoring the Morgansect that could have an intended virus. If Morgan goes mad from the Morgansect — who’s going to save his best friend with his computer knowledge and smarts? This could be a great storyline developing for hero Chuck. Let’s wait and see.

  30. Finally watched the pilot,. I just cant take so much Morgan. Someone said up above that hes always been a main character, maybe obviously not to the extent Chuck or Sarah but still a main character, and while I’d actually agree with that, there always seemed to be the right balance of him. We got him in small enough doses that he didnt annoy the crap out of me…sadly, he did that with this episode. I’ll keeping watching, but, I dont know, Im leaning on thinking I’m out until Chuck gets the intersect back…I think I could stomach Morgansect if Chuck at least had the intersect too. Though that unfortunately, doesnt seem to be happening any time soon.

    • Laura, I get where you’re coming from, but I hope you don’t skip the next few episodes. The 11/11 episode is REALLY good. Carrie-Ann Moss has a large role, and Adam Baldwin gets to play some fun scenes with her. It would be a shame if you missed that!

  31. After waiting so long, I am sorry to say I was really disappointed in the return episode of Chuck (my favorite show). What makes Chuck so appealing is the closeness and love between Chuck and Sarah. Their interaction is everything. You could almost do the show with just the two of them and it would be great. Sure hope they change the story line, which could be hard since the next several episodes are allready done. However, I will stay loyal because of the joy they have brought me these past four years.

    Paul

  32. Mel: Some question???

    Chuck and Sarah are owners of all the Buy Mores or anly from the Burbank Store???

  33. I’m sorry but I think the people who are saying that the latest Chuck episode is “rubbish” are wrong as the series opener was a great episode. Also the “Morgansect” is a great new dynamic which will do wonders with this series and keep us on our toes. About the whole “Agent X threat” mishap, maybe the writers messed up or maybe they did it on purpose to show that Decker isn’t afraid of Chuck, we don’t know all we have to do is put our trust in the writers as they know best!!

    I live in England which means that I have to get up at 4 in the morning each Saturday to watch the Chuck episode and it’s killed me that I’ve not been able to do as much as others to help the show; so get over your Morgan hate (who by the way Joshua Gomez plays brilliantly) and be a true Chuck fan and watch the hell out of this series!!!

  34. Firstly – it is great to find this site – don’t know how I missed it over these last 3-4 years.

    Quite excited about the latest episode – but I can’t say if that was due to a lack of Chuck – or that it was a good episode.

    Although I love this programme – I agree with Kabar’s Edge when he says the show is missing a lot of the original charm – makes me wonder if it was a mistake to get Chuck and Sarah together or keep stringing the relationship a la Friends.

    For me – it lost something in series 3 – although 4 did some things to get better.

    Looking forward to the next episodes.

    Yep – I agree more should have been done with the guest stars
    Casey – seems to have been domesticated –
    Liked the “Zoom” that Morgan does

  35. First of all, soooooooo happy Chuck is back; a void has been filled!

    I thought the episode was good for the first one of the season and I think it sets things up nicely for the next 12 episodes. I have to admit i’m not a big fan of Morgan with the Intersect but I do like how the writers are dealing with Chuck sans the Intersect and his relationship with Morgan and Sarah because of this change!

    As for the Chuck/Sarah relationship, I still think these two have the best chemistry in a tv show ever and I’m sure that’ll continue throughout the rest of the season. Plus, I love the fact they’re married now 🙂

    But am I the only one who misses Sarah’s long hair? Haha

  36. I loved this episode. I think Chuck has everything I wish I could see regularly on tv: adventure, romance, comedy, originality. I thought the episode was a fun way to see the characters deal with the new situation of the Morgansect. I loved Sarah as the trophy bride for moneyed Morgan — I thought it was a great dynamic and lots of fun. I think the actors played it very well, I thought the writers did a very good job, and I loved what they came up with for Chuck’s plan.

    It might be that I enjoyed the pacing of the episode more than others because I had the opportunity to watch the show with my dad, who had somehow removed all the commercial breaks. I did feel like going from the beginning of the independent Carmichael Industries to its bankruptcy felt rushed, but I chalked that up to the short season.

    I also just want to say that I don’t know how I missed this site over the years, but I really appreciated Mel’s synopsis. I also want to thank whomever of the folks who use this site who had a hand in keeping Chuck from cancellation. It’s been my favorite show for years and I know a lot of work went into keeping it alive.