ChuckTV.net The CHUCK archive
Written by Rafe Judkins & Lauren LeFranc
Directed by Gail Mancuso
Last season in Chuck Vs The Role Models we were led to believe that Sarah had overcome her commitment issues when she agreed to move in with Chuck. In Suitcase we learn that was a baby step. While Sarah has apparently been able to set up a few pictures on the living room mantelpiece that appears to be the extent of her initial move in. In the following eight months she has been unable to take the next step and unpack the rest of her personal belongings. This is dramatized by the starkly naked image of her half of the bedroom closet.
It would seem that an unwillingness to unpack translates into an Achilles Heel for missions, though what exactly that weakness is, is never made clear. In an episode that postulates a ‘Smart Bullet’ such answers are left to the viewer to decide. Or accept on faith.
Suitcase is an episode where the B Storyline outmatches the A Storyline in every department. Isiah Mustafah as this week’s Greta outmatches the combined talents of Karolina Kurchova, Lou Ferrigno, and a barely present Bronson Pinchot. The BuyMore storyline has Morgan pointing out to Beckman that the government run BuyMore is too efficient. Such a well run retail outlet can only lead to having its cover blown. Morgan’s solution? Bring back the original BuyMore crew. The B storyline was tighter, more believable and arguably a more entertaining one than the ‘Smart Bullet,’ one for the ‘A’ storyline.
Throw in a Chuck that all but wolf whistled at an Intel photo of an enemy agent in a bikini, an overzealous Daddy Devon that marred a long awaited family scene, a Casey reset that has him reluctant to contact Alex, and the character manipulations to service the ‘A’ storyline show up in stark relief. The saving grace between the two storylines was, again, Morgan. A Morgan who notes Sarah’s reluctance to use the closet and at the same time susses out the weakness at the too efficient BuyMore all the while doling out sound relationship advice to Casey. Keep this up and the show should be renamed, ‘Morgan.’
The return of the original BuyMore gang is living proof for two conflicting adages; absence makes the heart grow fonder and some things work better in small doses.
Episode Flashes:
- bullet shot around corner. Cool. Impossible but cool
- Morgan noting Sarah still has not unpacked
- Isiah Mustafah as the next Greta. Funny and cool at the same time
- Milan scenes use same stairway from Chuck Vs The Tango
- ‘Have you been watching Project Runway?’
- Chuck and Sarah nod to upside down SpiderMan kissing scene
- Morgan aping Casey at the BuyMore
- Morgan telling Beckman about the BuyMore flaw – ‘Two minutes. Walk with me.’
- Greta demonstrating his shooting skills with a price gun
- Jeff & Lester living on the lam aka out in the wild a full seven minutes, in traffic, from Burbank; hiding from the, ‘Popo.’
- ‘These are not the boys you are looking for.’
- Jeff’s, ‘I think my water just broke,’ when hit with the first tranq dart.
- Casey emptying the tranq gun clip in disgust into Jeff
- Tranq Gloves!
- Chuck closing door on Sarah with an ILY before taking on the bad guys
- Sarah’s fight through dressing room and out into catwalk
- ‘You’re my home Chuck. You always have been.’
- Ellie looking through photo album.
- Closing shot of Sarah’s reaction look to thoughts of marriage and family
Like Chuck Vs The Anniversary the episode wobbles until the second half. When Chuck and Sarah are separated and Chuck tells Sarah he loves her before closing the door to face the bad guys it finally felt like the characters I knew and love had emerged. The scenes following that were all strong from Chuck’s fight against the baddies to Sarah’s catwalk fight to Sarah’s finally, truly moving in to Ellie taking out an old family album to Sarah’s panicked look at Chuck’s statement about possible marriage and family down the road for them.
Much like Role Models, Sarah’s forward progress is all internal. There is no moment in this episode where one can see any growth on Sarah’s part that led to her character evolution. All it seemed to take was Sarah seeing a well stocked closet of another spy. If it were that simple Chuck should have arranged for Sarah to visit such a closet before Sarah moved in.
Stand alone episodes work well if the mission involves or affects the characters in a personal way. Beyond a little closet window shopping there was no such personal involvement. Neither was there any progress made in the search for MamaB.
In many ways this episode is the antithesis of the best episodes of Season 3. In Season 3 a good episode would often end on a dark note. In Suitcase a dubious spy mission storyline is protected by having a strong, upbeat ending. Take your pick. My preference is the former.
If you are looking for an episode that has lots of Chuck and Sarah interplay then Chuck Vs The Suitcase will definitely fill the bill. It is great to see the return of the kick ass Sarah Walker. Too bad the storyline and the opponent do not allow for that return to feel more triumphant and noteworthy.
One final thing to ponder, if Morgan’s statements are so stupid, why is everyone always so shook up by them?
Keep this up and the show should be renamed, ‘Morgan.’
….i think someone is missing a season 1/2 Chuck Bartowski
The episode would have better played into season 4 if it had dealt with Chuck’s issues with the suitcase more. Not Sarah’s. Chuck has mommy issues and that’s what the season is about. Chuck has issues and his girlfriend has an unpacked suitcase constantly in his closet. His abandonment and rejection issues could have been further explored here instead of turning it into revisiting Sarah’s commitment issues, especially because the last half of season 2 and part of season 3 saw Sarah wanting a “normal life.”
Like really, the episode wasn’t THAT bad, and it’s not because I like the Chuck/Sarah interplay (well I do, but if anything, I feel that it is borderline almost sickeningly overdone…). Not every episode can be “vs. the Subway,” and this actually felt like a Season 1/2 episode of Chuck, a feeling that Season 3 has never captured/conveyed.
You can literally splice this episode amongst the ones in Season 1/2 and it wouldn’t feel out of place (future plot aside), which is good because an average episode of Chuck is a great 40 minutes of anything else.
And IMO, Morgan wasn’t THAT good, and I disagree that the B storyline outclasses the A storyline in every respect. The B didn’t do much story-wise either (a CIA-run Buy More would’ve been interesting and maybe the Gretas would actually do something).
Don’t get me wrong, Morgan was awesome but to say that the B storyline was THAT much better than the A…well, I disagree. Particularly when plot B is described as “more believable” than A. The idea that a CIA-run electronics retail store is “too efficient” (and thus must hire a bunch of civilian slackers) is actually getting points for realism in a show where the main character has a computer for a brain?
Well done Lou, you bring a lot of reasonable and accurate points to the table. As I made a comment on the Live Thread regarding Chuck vs The Suitcase as being somewhat lackluster as you pointed out Storyline B overtakes Storyline A is the perfect way of saying it. I guess I felt kind of cheated after Episode 1 spoiled us with the good stuff and Episode 2 kind of settled things back down again. Now I know what adrenaline junkies feel like :P.
However, it’s episodes like Chuck vs The Suitcase that make you truly appreciate Morgan as not only a funny, sidekick friend to Chuck, but extremely incite full. The first couple of seasons I got that sort of funny friend who kind of got the worse of the friendship but he progressed at such a gradual rate I hardly notice the character from season one. I don’t think Chuck vs The Suitcase would have been nearly as good in fans eyes if it wasn’t for Morgan carrying the heavy hand for the majority of the show. I said Episode 2 felt like the in between from massive Episode 1 premiere to setting the pace for the rest of the season and thanks to that goes to Morgan more than anything. Changing the Buy More, bringing Chuck down off his love pedestal into reality regarding the future and what that is for him and Sarah, and once more holding strong for Captain Awesome and Ellie with the deceit.
Go little bearded MAN!!
If the TV show Chuck , and the movie star wars had a love child , they would make a Jedspy 😀
These are not the boys you’re looking for 😉
That was the funniest scene in the entire episode!! And Casey shooting multiple tranqs at Jeff, but to no avail? CLASSIC!! The scene in which they all strut in to “Feed My Frankenstein” by Alice Cooper is also funny! 🙂 This is WHY I LOVE CHUCK!
I have to say that season 4 is starting off slowly compared to 3. I’ve enjoyed the 1st two episodes, but something was lacking until the second half of Suitcase. Basically the alternate storyline of the Buy Morons was a huge hole that needed to be filled quickly. From what I have noticed in seasons 1 through to 3, Sarah is the lone straightman with occasional comedy, and it’s worked! But so far the writers tried to add the character into the comedic mix and I don’t believe it has worked. Go back to the formula with tweaks. Chuck has abandonment issues, Sarah has commitment issues, Casey has issues, that’s your spy storyline. The other storyline is the non-spy world and how it’s just fun. From Capt. Awesome and Ellie to the Buy Morons, those are the high comedy moments that offset the light Chuck/Casey comedy. Leave Sarah as the straight. As much as episodes have already been written, I think that given the chance, Sarah should have an outlet. Chuck has everyone. Sarah internalizes. It may make for some interesting plotlines if she had a galpal.
May Chuck live through this season and keep it up!
Great review, I think the episode was a solid episode and I agree with you Lou that the episode could probably be seen as a stand alone episode. However, I think it is hard to compare this episode with the premier. Given every Chuck fan and I mean every Chuck fan was hyped for Chuck to return, the premier was bound to be more ‘explosive’.
Just like season 3, when it came to people’s favourite episodes, I don’t think I saw too many people name 3.02-3.04 as their favourite. It was more like, 3.06 onward that people remember or had favourite episodes because the storyline was becoming more interesting.
So I think 4.02 and the next couple of episodes will be like last season when it is trying to build the story through to say 4.06 and then it will get really interesting.
Actually similar to what you are saying Lou – I think the second half of the season will get more exciting while the first half of the season is for laying the ground works!!!
K.O.!!!!!
That was the best final punch of a cat fight I’ve seen yet from this excellent show!
This was one of the top shows yet to air. It was lacking nothing. However, I am getting the feel that Sarah and Chuck are ending up like Mom and Pop Bartowski. Is one going to leave in the future? Should that be Chuck’s fear? Should Sarah fear Chuck leaving for her protection again?
Is it Monday yet?
I was wondering if I was the only one who had issues with this episode. Thanks for the review Lou! Chuck’s obsession over Sarah’s suitcase issue in the first half had Chuck acting like his emotionally insecure self before they officially became a couple. While there will certainly be plenty of bumps in the road ahead I’m ready for this part of Chuck’s insecurity to disappear. Two grown-up spies are far better than one.
As for Volkoff Industries I’m more than ready to see this group of ruthless spies that Papa B. had warned Chuck about. Instead we get another “evil” woman who really didn’t stack up compared to other female villains Chuck and Sarah have faced in the past.
Don’t worry about that. We’ll see the main Bad Guys by and by. They’re just giving us the rogue gallery first.
Lou, I kind of agree that the first part of the episode was somewhat weaker, but I strongly disagree about the fact that, according to you, it should end on a downer.
We had enough of that already last year! The main thing that bothered me last year wasn’t even Shaw (though I was not very fond of him), but that almost every episode was ending on a downer until 3.12! Whether we like it or not, it was certainly one of the reason why we leaked a good bunch of viewers.
I don’t mind having some episodes ending on a downer, but the majority of them? No thanks!
I’m very happy that they came back to a more season 2-ish upbeat feel, especially about Chuck and Sarah. I’m pretty sure that the second half of the season will be darker, so I’m happy to have more upbeat episodes at the moment.
If you can’t really enjoy them, then I guess it’s your loss! 😉
You misunderstand me. Ending on a downer is not a pre-requisite.
I agree wholeheartedly on that one. Season Two through Mid-Season Three I felt as though my heart was being ripped out by both Chuck and Sarah bouncing all over the place, it was BRUTAL how they did that. It works if you do it right, but season 3 definitely had way too many downer episodes in the first half. It almost became routine that the entire episode you’d peak thinking “This will be the one!” and then at the end it all just got crushed time and time again. When Episode finally did happen I nearly cried in rejoice that it was over but now cant stop thinking ever since last season when they are going to kill it. I know they say Season 4 is all about changing that mindset and I sure hope so because 3 seasons of old let downs leave me thinking of not if but WHEN its all going to fail.
Wow this review managed to overlook all the fun and enjoyment of this episode! Overall I actually liked this episode a little better than the premiere. Perhaps I just bought into the story line of Sarah’s issues more but I actually thought they played that out better than I was expecting going into this season, knowing those issues would be brought up. In addition it had great humor from both Chuck and Sarah, and perfect doses of action and aww moments. A lot of people here were raving about Rafe Judkins and Lauren LeFranc after they penned Vs The Honeymooners, and I thought maybe it was just sugar shock from everyone being excited that Chuck And Sarah were finally together, but I have to say this episode really put me firmly in their corner, I think they are my new fav writing duo.
Yea I to agree it was kinda of a standalone. But as with most (not all) it kinda set the stage for story arc events in future episodes.
You have a good point about B plot being stronger than A plot, but upon 2nd review I believe that may be the intent. It set the stage to re-introduce the other show characters that were absent from 4.01 manly the Buy More personnel. I hope know that they don’t go sending General Beckman back behind the screen.
With the show not knowing if they we be back next season they have always since S2 performed some kind of character/story reset. In this case it was shown for Sarah and Casey. For me it more puzzling for Casey but being a spy like Sarah another spy rule was examined (or further explored) as to weather it applies to the Chuck spy world.
There was a 1980’s movie that had the villain developing smart bullets that were programed to home in on a persons unique heat signature. Perhaps a more stronger spy plot ?
Thanks for taking the time to provide a review
I have loved these first 2 episodes of season 4 but something just doesn’t seem to sit right with me. Even in season 3’s darkest moments it was still Chuck but now it just feels different somehow.
I loved the episode, but the “A” storyline was indeed weak.
Is there any explanation as to why Sarah didn’t shoot to Kill Sophia a) when she was holding Chuck; b) when she was right in front of Sarah and Sarah shot a bookcase and vases?
It is really not believable that all of Sarah’s clothes fill only one suitcase. Come on! And she always takes the same suitcase (with the same clothes) to all the missions?
And would Sophia really carry soooo many dresses around if she is staying in Milan for just a week? And with sooo many clothes, how come Sophia had one little suitcase where she put the sequine dress? (I know she probably had many more, but why on earth would any of the suitcase be so small?)
And how does the Intersect gets updates nowadays? How could Chuck know the code to a random hotel safe?
And how on earth wasn’t her cover compromised if she was in the cover of a magazine???? Come on! Since Sophia was working with Volkoff, and the fight was in a rather public place, Volkoff knows that the “cover girl” is actually an agent.
I think this season is great an all, but they are losing major points with details. We (the real fans) won’t stop watching because we already love it, but new viewers might think it is a little too unbelievable.
I second that, Anna. After the premiere I told my gf that last year’s premiere was a mess and that maybe C. Fedak wasn’t the best writer for the show at this point. So after this premiere I thought the same thing. But the second episode, though still enjoyable, didn’t “click” for me either. Seems like in these first two episodes that it’s lost some of the pizazz or something. Not sure. But I’m with Chuck no matter what. It’s early, and last year ended up being awesome so I have Chuck faith.
Oh, and for me, the real achilles heel is the fact that (now when Chuck and Sarah thought that their relationship was perfect and they had a “real future ahead of them”) Chuck wants to really move on with marriage and kids and Sarah is not ready for it.
I found it very funny to have them talk about a “bogus” achilles heel and feel confident to think they are in a good place in their relationship, to then, 10 seconds later, realize (at least Sarah and the viewers) that there is an achilles heel, but not that superficial one (the suitcase) Chuck assumed was the problem. That scene was a smart move.
Thanks for the review, but it didn’t feel at all like Role Models redux. It was my least favorite episode of the back six last season, this one was much better and funnier.
Ok on to my thoughts:
I loved the episode a lot. Chuck’s rambling tended to stroke me the wrong way after a while and I was mirroring Sarah’s face through it all.
Morgan was a lot more mature and competent which I liked he was much better then last week (still shuddering at the memory) I loved how BA he was with GB during his montage of the buy More glitch.
The last part of the episode had me in a sweet warm puddle of goo. Lots of squee/aww moments then. I loved Casey’s phone call to Alex seeing him smile like that when he calls himself dad, he seems to like the name. It was so sweet.
I loved the scene between Chuck and Sarah too, ”You’re my home Chuck, you always have been.” Aww. 😀
I also loved it when Ellie was looking through her photo album. I knew she was lying when she said she doesn’t need her mom, she does badly. And seeing Papa B in the photos made me nosotligic (sp?) I miss him a lot. 🙁
Very fun episode. Maybe not important in the search for mother but it was an episode of feeling at home, family helping each other to put down roots, working through issues together. And man, does this blended family have issues but none of them are annoying. If anything I find it all endearing. I can’t wait for next week. 🙂
just wondering if anyone knows how they did the photo album you could tell it really was them in their younger years
According to Alan Sepinwall’s review they were either real pictures of Scott Bakula and Linda Hamilton and their own kids or a real good job with PhotoShop.
I think its both
The spy bullet thing seemed a bit too far fetched, even for Chuck but i dont remember it being shot around a corner, as she popped out from behind a corner then shot
At the end of “the Role Models”, when Mr Turner wished Chuck and Sarah “many happy marriages”, Sarah looked slightly amused at the suggestion. In “the Suitcase” when Chuck mentioned marriage and babies, she looked horrified. I would assume then, that she’s OK with the idea of marriage, but terrified with the prospect of motherhood.
well maybe shes afraid of how much danger her kids would be in besides she knows what happend with the bartowski separation
it was funny when it took twenty tranks for jeff
Overall.. I love it..its fun, with some comedy moment, serious and catfight.. Much better than season 3…Its normal for any relationship has up and down moment plus with jealousy, envy and anxiety..That’s life…..Keep it up ………
Can’t wait for next Monday to come………
As far as the Achilles’ heel, what I understood was that Morgan said you think everything is perfect and then you discover the Achilles’ heel…in Sarah’s case, the suitcase represented her Achilles’ heel – her inability to fully commit. I don’t think the AH had anything to do with missions. Seemed pretty clear to me.
“bullet shot around corner. Cool. Impossible but cool” – Sarah said the bullet has a targeting chip which directs it to it’s target. Yes, impossible in the real world, but in Chuck world it makes perfect sense.
Sarah internalizes everything…she’s a friggin spy. She’s not used to showing her emotions, because for a spy that’s the deadliest mistake you can make. Not sure why that’s a “bad” thing.
I enjoyed this episode a great deal.
I’m starting to get tired of reading – and doing – TV reviews. It’s taking away my love of television. Too much picking apart of what was “wrong” with the episode by people who think they’re smarter than everyone else in the room.
I think that this episode was a lead in to the real Achilles Heel. Throughout the whole episode, we all though the AH would be the suitcase but then the EP ended with Sarah’s look when Chuck mentioned Marriage and Kids so maybe the Suitcase was the device used to get us accustom to the notion of an AH but then at the end, the true AH was revealed.
It just seems that Sarah likes the “idea†of a normal life but the reality may be very different as she also loves being a spy, so how can both work together? I guess that is where Momma B comes into it.
This was a great episode. In my top 10. It has all the elements that make Chuck great, Action, Comedy, Drama, tied together with great music.
To be honest, I don’t know where this Role Model comparison comes from. In short, I understand your explanation but I don’t understand your thought “process”.
One of the things that makes this epi great is the various references and call outs to previous epis. However, it isn’t Role Models that stands out it is Cougars. Leaving the obvious fight scene aside, it is another sign post of Sarah’s journey with Chuck. It has nothing to do with the fights, the mission or the closet; and don’t need a Sarah road map to understand where she was and where she ends up at the end of the epi. Quite simply, it is enough that Sarah is confronted with the baggage of her upbringing and spy life for her to realize that she is, in fact, at home.
And that, is the essence of this epi. It was outstanding just for that realization, that admission. And what did it take to get there? A mission, Chuck being in danger, a good old fashioned beat down and her own lovable baggage handler. Perfectly in process for Sarah Walker and a perfect addition to the start of a new story arch in the Chuckverse.
I Love how you just brought up the pilot. ” Well I can be your very own baggage handler” One of my favorites
Lou, as I’ve said before, a fair review; I know you’re not partial to these SpyLite, fun episodes.
I have a thought on why we don’t see a point in the episode where Sarah makes the decision to unpack. There isn’t a decision to be made. Both in Role Models and Suitcase Sarah has no idea that her actions aren’t normal; it’s just what she does. She doesn’t know that when a couple start to become serious about their relationship the next step is usually to officially move in together. She has always lived out of a suitcase so she doesn’t see that as weird. It is only when someone points out that it is not normal behaviour that she even considers the matter. There isn’t a big decision to make, she just needs to consider her actions and compare them to normal people. That’s why in both episodes she refers to herself as not having a normal upbringing. I think she really was okay with unpacking when Chuck stopped her after she hung up the one dress, but that was obviously a plot device. (a very good one IMHO).
This is just my take on that aspect of it. I really liked the episode and it is one I could watch anytime and enjoy. Fedak said they would be mixing it up this season and this was one of the lighter episodes. I’m sure the spy drama will return and I look forward to that too.
Lou, let me start off by saying that I see the points you are making and accept them as valid. Yes, the A plot of this episode was not exactly the best ever in terms of actual plot. However, I don’t think this episode was meant to be a drama heavy, plot packed, story arc advancing type of episode. What I think this episode was supposed to be is a return to the season 1-2 style of simply fun episode.
This episode really had nothing to do with the overall plot of the season, it was simply a fun standalone episode which was able to be led by the characters. And it was really, really funny. In my opinion, this was possibly the funniest episode of Chuck ever. Sure, plotwise it might have not been that strong, but it kept me laughing out loud the entire way through, something that hasn’t happened since at least season 2. It was really, really fun to watch. I am sure we will get back to the drama filled story arc advancing episodes soon enough, but it was nice to have this little interlude to remind us just how funny these characters can be.
Yep. Totally agreed and noted in the review.
As I said, not my favorite type of episode.
And I DID have fun watching it.
“Bullet shot around corner. Cool. Impossible but cool”
It’s a show about a guy with a computer in his brain. “Impossible” isn’t relevant.
well its concept thinking some things about the intersect I think are plausible have you ever taken psychology on subconscious memory and subliminal images
Rafael, Meandmine, coreymon Some very interesting perspectives it was nice to watch an episode and just go away having that good feeling. Even though their has been some worthy insights as to how it got there, the episode did finish on a strong note
I don´t get your praise of Morgan. He is certainly much better character than he was two years ago. But this development from “creepy stalker” to “knows it all guy” is a little crazy. He has no relationship, he has no life (he STILL lives Chuck´s life) and he cares about others´ people matters. I mean, Chuck´s character developemnt was beliaveable because it was slow and Chuck certainly wasn´t such a sociopath as Morgan. I don´t know, it´s weird. I know it´s difficult to find a balance in his character but this is already TOO much, imo.
Here’s what I thought:
1. There’s that clip in the ads with Chuck and the RING again! The question is, how are they going to carry on the show if Chuck and Sarah marry? NBC’s teasing us with this clip like a certain part of the promos for “Chuck Vs. The Colonel!”
2. Isaiah Mustafa.
BEST. CAMEO. EVER.
3. The Official Return Of The Buy-More Subplot
“No one should want to work at the Buy-More.”
-Morgan
My dad never laughed at a line from Chuck since “Chuck Vs. Tom Sawyer!”
Jeff, Lester, and Casey FTW! (That’s For The Win, by the way)
I was smiling all through the episode. Wow.
Now let’s see what “Chuck Vs. The Cubic Z” and the infamous “Ring” clip brings…
Thank you, Lou. This episode missed the mark for me, too. Frankly, it was rather dull. Only the Jeffster “campfire” scene saved it from reaching “Third Dimension” status.
This is the first episode in two years that I haven’t re-watched on NBC.com the next day. I’m beginning to worry about the GRETA experiment, and, more significantly, the revamped writing staff. This was LeJudkins’ most erratic effort to date.
I usually agree with almost everything Lou has to say in his reviews. But today we part company. I love the lighter episodes! I enjoy the rom/com banter between Chuck and Sarah because we haven’t really had a helluva lot of it ’cause they haven’t been together that long. True, Monday’s ep. it was extremely predicable i.e. Sarah’s annoyance with Chuck ogling the gorgeous spy and Chuck bumbling to recover her trust. There were still gems that cracked me up ex: Sarah’s “Is she NAKED?” and Chuck’s answer “Who?”. Absolutely absurd, but it was supposed to be. I really think Rafe and Lauren are excellent at this type of writing. I like the episode because I know there are meater ones down the road.
There are some things that do drive me crazy and leave me scratching my head:
1. Why in the heck is a girl like Sarah with Chuck anyway? She loves him because he is a decent human being, but I never see that moment in the spy world where she seems to trust him completely, the way he trusts her. He beams in admiration at her spy skills and she never shows that same admiration, IMO. Even Casey says, “Chuck should be here. He is a good spy.” All she says is “I miss him too.” I never see that professional respect from her. Can they stay together if she doesn’t respect him as a spy?
2. Why are they dumbing Chuck down? In season one, Chuck had a more limited intersect ability and no spy experience but seemed to be able to get out of a tight situation using his intellect. He was always the rock steady, go-to guy at the Buy More because he was smarter and more level-headed than everyone else. And now it’s Morgan? Morgan, the one who eats the mystery meat out of the Buy More fridge as a dare is dispensing advice to Diane and analyzing Chuck and Sarah’s relationship? Here’s the other amazing thing. He’s apparently dating Casey’s daughter. I can’t wait to see how they explain her attraction to him. Don’t get me wrong. I love Morgan, and Morgan and Chuck together, but not at the expense of Chuck and his growth. I want to believe that if Chuck lost the intersect tomorrow, he would still be able to survive a spy mission on his smarts and experience. It wouldn’t be pretty, but he could do it. I would love to see this kind of growth in the character.
3. Chuck, just tell Ellie you’re a spy. Yawn! We have seen it before and it won’t be as funny now. Just frustrating.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, Chuck! Can’t wait for Monday!
No disrespect intended, and I think you make many valid points, but I do have to disagree with you on one. I don’t think they are dumbing Chuck down at all. In fact, one of my fav parts of the episode was Chuck’s ingenius idea of the tranq gloves. And in the first episode of this season, he hacked into a Russian spy computer. Neither of these things needed a flash.
I think he’s still a goofy guy, but that doesn’t mean he’s not smart and good at what he knows how to do.
Just my humble opinion, though.
I just wanted to say a couple quick things.
1.I think that people are analysing Sarah finally using her part of the closet. Chuck is probably the most normal boyfriend that she has ever had, so some of the subtleties of a normal relationship escape her and she said herself that she has lived out of hotel rooms or been a spy her entire life. I think that she finally caved and used her half of the closet because she wants to make Chuck happy and she could see that something that would not take much work on her part would help their relationship.
2.I can understand people wondering at the fact that “if Morgan’s statements are so stupid, why is everyone always so shook up by them?”. If you are looking at this episode as an isolated episode, then this is a valid complaint, but you have to remember that Chuck has known Morgan for 20-something years and even in the first couple seasons (of Chuck) that Morgan hasn’t exactly been very sage-like. I think that the characters are still partly thinking of Morgan as immature but i think that will change during this season.
And finally, to those people compaining about smart bullets, the show is based on the premise that a computer filled with secrets and can make Chuck do awesome stuff like kung-fu was implanted in his brain via encoded images. You can’t take some of the stuff in this show too seriously.
Yeah.. I agreed with you Steve…….Why the fuse of smart bullet! Enjoy the show…..its entertaining..its different..Like chuck said to sarah.. I love you because you are different. Can’t wait monday.
Just wanted to say one more thing on the (im)maturity of Morgan, even though he can be mature at times, everyone should be reminded that this is the same Morgan that thought that sexting was a good idea and sexted with Sarah.
When you look at season one and compare it with season 4 you see how much Chuck has changed it would be nice to bring back a little of the season one magic that has been missing so far from season 4.