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“You didn’t think I could have a relationship with your family?â€
This isn’t an easy episode to review. Emotionally, it was quite satisfying and had many good moments. But the writing and direction were awful—I wonder if some of these scenes were “leftover†from earlier episodes and just piled onto the plate to provide a filling, nourishing meal without much taste or flair.
But let’s start off with the good: Chuck and Sarah seem to have reached a moment of peace, although Chuck is quite unwilling to just let sleeping relationships lie. I’ve always imagined the stereotypical straight woman as the one pushing for more definitions, more movement forward, more answers and relationship goals, and the straight man as the one who wants to just sit back and enjoy the relationship without worrying about the future. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this: are Chuck and Sarah subverting the dominant paradigm, or are my gendered expectations out of whack?
Anyway, I’m so happy that Ellie got a chance to spend some quality time with her mother and her mother’s Russian paramour. Ellie deserved that, even though—once again—her husband and her brother are conspiring to keep her safe and happy by keeping her in the dark. Haven’t they learned yet that openness and honesty are the only ways a relationship (whether filial, fraternal, or sexual) can succeed in this universe?
Emotional resolutions aside, nothing about this episode gelled for me. For instance: what’s the point of the mini-plot in which Jeff and Lester sell BuyMore stock on Ebay? What, for the sake of all that is good and holy, was the point of Chuck and Morgan at a pole-dancing class? Was it to show how far Chuck has fallen, now that he’s “unplugged� If so, it would have fit better in an earlier episode. If it was just for the gag…well, Morgan shouting “jump!†was sort of funny, but the overwhelming feeling of extraneousness outweighed the humor.
Mr. Fabulous (aka Timothy Dalton) was still fabulous, and his vacillations between deeply evil and deeply disturbing (and his unawareness of those vacillations) were hilarious. But the charades scene—while funny at first—was too long. How many shots of James Bond doing the chicken dance do we need? And why, oh why, did we get brief off-kilter shots of Chuck’s face? To show that it was surreal? Yeah, I got that already.
I realize that sounds incredibly harsh. A lot of my dismay comes from my frustration—this episode had the potential for greatness: a mid-season ender, Timothy Dalton, Sarah Connor (!), Ellie reuniting with her mom, Chuck and Sarah having a decent heart-to-heart, Casey and Morgan with their wacky shenanigans. Despite all those ingredients, I stopped and re-started the episode three different times. The jokes felt flat, the pacing all wrong, and the important stakes were undersold while the less-important stakes (are we just now figuring out that Volkoff has a thing for Frost) were over-emphasized.
A few reviewers out there in the review-o-sphere have taken each episode of Chuck as prophecy, foretelling the entire show’s inevitable doom or success. I don’t think one bad pumpkin spoils the pie, though. Sometimes, Chuck strikes out. This is just one of those times.
Bytes
• Mama B: “Come with me if you want to live.†Finally!
• Morgan: “Not that I’m not flattered, but who has two thumbs and is taken? Boop, boop: this guy!â€
• Thomas Jefferson Barnes: “First, I need to you shave my back. I can’t reach the middle.â€
• Casey: “Better dead than red.â€
• Mama B: “Charles is my son.â€
Volkoff: “Really?â€
Mama B: “Really.â€
Volkoff: “Really?
Sarah: “Really.â€
Volkoff: “Really?â€
Chuck: “Really!†See? That pacing was just weird, but could have been so funny.
• Volkoff: “Kids love me!†Now that was funny.
• Chuck: “Devon, I know you’re the world’s worst liar. Right now, I need you to be awesome.â€
And Pieces
• Casey called Mama B, Mama B. He must read the fan sites.
• Yes, I caught the Die Hard reference.
• Morgan strapping the gun to his back…again, it could have been funny, but wasn’t.
• I almost forgot the most important part: Chuck knows kung fu. Again.
Two and a half out of four 7G Phones
(Thanks to all of you for patiently awaiting my late reviews for the past few weeks. I’m a seasonal day laborer in Santa’s workshop, and he’s been a real slave-driver this year. If you want to get in good with the big man, though, make sure to check out my reviews of Fringe and the Vampire Diaries at billiedoux.com. Otherwise, expect coal in your stocking!)
This ep was a step in the right direction of the mythology of Chuck.
Hmm, your points are fair, but the flat moments were well balanced with the funny in this episode. And stopping three times and restarting is always going to take someone out of the story, no matter how flat the pacing or jokes were…
Agree with the gender thing tho. it’s a pretty funny way to portray the whole issue as well!
Artemis, that’s a good point! I should add that I did watch it all at once for my reviewing re-watch–although my first view probably influenced my second one.
I’d love to hear from people who disagree, by the way. I had a feeling as I wrote this review that it would be rather inflammatory, but I thought it better to be honest than to be loved. 🙂
I mostly disagree with this review, it felt like a classic ‘Chuck’ episode, with some extra awesome Dalton added in. Perhaps that comes from not looking at the episode from all points of view, just an entertainment one. But for a mid season break episode, perhaps it could have had more of a cliff-hanger. However, what got me the most was the poor explanation of the whole Intersect issue, or lack thereof (or the convenient quick fix).
Also, Yippee Ki-Yay!
Your review was fair, even generous. This is a TV show, after all. Sometimes they aren’t very good. This one wasn’t.
However, I do disagree with the Morgan gun moment. Perfectly in character: All guts and courage. Training and execution, not so much. It’s how most movie fantasy moments in the “real” world DO end. Chuck, we’ve learned, has the skills to be a spy. Morgan, despite his courage, does not. So that was a fair payoff.
Otherwise, your 2.5 review was spot on.
I have to agree with Josie I thought this episode was quite mediocre at best. I have to say my biggest disappointment was Chuck getting the Intersect back so quickly. I had really hoped that he would get a chance to demonstrate his usefulness even without the Intersect but it never happened. I might just be nitpicking here but two scenes really frustrated me. In the scene when when Chuck and Sarah are attacked by the assassin, he does that one “pole-kick” and becomes completely useless. Didn’t he just tell Morgan he had taken combat training? Since becoming an agent he is in better shape can’t he at least throw a couple of punches? Also the scene when Volkoff threatens Sarah, Chuck just stands there mouth agape. He could at least move in front of Sarah and the gun as gesture, I had also hoped he would then make a real threat after Volkoff mocked his previous attempt. I was thinking “Come on this is the woman you love, do something!”. But once again I was disappointed.
I actually loved this episode (then again, I’m not very harsh or critical of Chuck, I tend to just love all the episodes). I actually found the strip-kick scene at the start funny and less of an illustration of Chuck’s fall from grace, but rather Morgan’s continued failure as a spy. I love how Morgan has matured as a person (becoming a manager, dating Alex) but that the writers are still retaining his bumbling nature when it comes to being a spy. It’s a good way to show that Chuck is special, able to demonstrate capabilities as a field agent, despite little to no training. I thought that this contrast between the two was a good way to establish that Chuck IS a spy without the Intersect without explicitly stating it. I thought the scenes with Volkoff were once again excellent, illustrating a range of awesome things such as how evil he truly is, how demented he is, as well as his love for Frost. Additionally, I thought that this episode was a great episode for Jeffster. it showed the creepy side of them that I still find funny, their idiocy, as well as their impossible wish to form Jeffster into a successful band.
So overall, I thoguht it was great (and I haven’t even mentioned the timely return of the Intersect, Awesome being awesome and Ellie showing everyone else that she is important) and a fantastic way to finish off mid-season.
I agree with you. Maybe my standards aren’t as high, or maybe I just look for different things to satisfy me about a tv show, but thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Sure, it was no “Phase 3,” but it still had everything that I love about my favorite show.
I was satisfied, and I can’t wait for January!
The episode was entertaining, but frustratingly lackluster particularly given Dalton’s fantastic individual contribution. I attribute this to the writers and producers beating themselves purple with the Stupid Sequoia(a very large stupid stick) before liberally applying it to their characters. Ellie and the big three received the most egregious treatment. I’ll pick on Chuck because critiquing Sarah would like lead to my being severely downrated. I can just feel the sting of the wet noodle.
Not only can Chuck no longer access the Intersect, but he’s lost the ability to utilize all his other skills as well. If there was ever a need for the head nerd herder to step up and handle a computer emergency, it was when Volkoff’s hacker disabled Casey’s weapons. No such luck. Without the Intersect Chuck is apparently little more than Sarah’s blow up doll. Good for sex, unloading on and using the carpool lane. Maybe the CIA should think of adding Jeff to the payroll to handle the technical stuff.
I was expecting Casey to say ” Chuck me” again when Chuck said ”Guys, I know kung fu, again.” 😉
The episode was good just not great which was disappointing for me. Sure it had it’s fun moments but it mostly left me cold.
Cons first:
I’m not pleased with the way Casey is being handled now. It’s like he’s the go to chew guy to banged over the head, shoved into a cell, held hostage without so much as fighting back and a so much as a by your leave. When in seasons past the BA Casey I know love would’ve put up much more of a fight. I’d like him back please.
Morgan, great guy and all but I wish the TPTB would make up their minds wither or not he’s a buffoon or BA for crying out loud.
Jeffster, sorry but I wash my hands clean of them, they used to be funny not they’re just there and it’s annoying the heck out of me.
Last thing, about Chuck, why did he lose the Intersect in the first place only to get it back? What was the point? Am I missing something?
Pros:
Great to get the ‘Aces, Charles’ again. (I miss Papa B so much. 🙁 )
Devon telling Chuck off at the end was nothing short of Awesome. 🙂
Volkoff was great at being comical and downright scary at the same time no one can do that as good as T. Dalton. 😉 He’s a good bad guy ( Daniel Shaw you got some competiction (sp?) buddy)
So here’s to the next part of the season. 🙂
Personally, I thought the writing and direction in this episode was very good, though the tension in the living room scene with Volkoff probably could have been accomplished more subtly, without the off-angle closeups.
My only real problem with the episode is that we still haven’t been given adequate explanation of exactly what the PSP device did to the Intersect, and why Mama B. said that Papa B. never wanted Chuck to see it. Hopefully, they’ll address that in the second half of the season.
I thought this episode was wonderful. It was funny, but serious. It resolved Chuck’s not trusting his mother. It got the Intersect back, and I also loved the password (Aces Charles). Timothy Dalton was once again awesome, and funny. I simply loved his line “Kids Love Me”, and playing charades. I thought the part with Chuck and Morgan training showed us that Morgan still does things the Morgan way. It worked into the plot with Chuck’s move in the fight. The Jeff and Lester plot with the phones worked in well. That is how the Volkoff and his people got into the Buymore. Overall I simply loved this episode, and thought it was a great way to go into the break.
I’m so frustrated.The episode had the potencial to be great but the writing was awful.
Ellie knew about the ”Αces,Charles”.Just look at 0.41.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi5XlYTozk4
That was a huge mistake from the writers.
Ellie was familiar with the quote, but perhaps not with the 1 or 11 part leading up to it. Since Papa B didn’t even really want Chuck to have the Intersect even knowing he could handle it, I think it’s safe to assume he absolutely didn’t want Ellie to have it, hence the hint being something Chuck would know but she wouldn’t. However at the same time he apparently wanted her to have at least part of the puzzle, since the first password was Ellie’s. Maybe he thought they both should have it? Perhaps because of some super-evil bad guy waiting in the wings that both will need Intersect powers to beat?
But would it have occurred to her that 1 or 11 = Aces, Charles? It didn’t occur to me, and I’ve probably heard the phrase more than Ellie has.
Totally agreed, Mel. I thought is was actually pretty cool that Stephen used warm memories in the hearts of both of his kids. Their clues didn’t make much sense to anyone but them…which meant that for Chuck to get the Intersect back, he and Ellie were going to have to work together, even if they didn’t realize it at the time.
Hence Papa B in the flashback saying “there is nothing broken in this whole world that the two of you can’t fix if you work together”
As for the review, I have to disagree with this review. What you found anoying and pointless, I found funny.
The hoarding of the phones by Jeff and Lester, besides being a joke, also served a purpose. It gave the writers a way of getting
Volkoff’s team into the Buy More without tripping alarms.
Remember the lady said she would do anything for one of those phones, but Morgan said they were “sold out”. It was Jeff going to his stash that got her in the door.
The closeups of the faces during the dinner scene I found really added to the tension and highlighted the creepiness of Volkoff.
I am not very critical when it comes to television shows, If I finish watching a show and feel that at the end of it I have been entertained, I like it.
There is a famous quote (I don’t recall the source) “I may not know art but I know what I like” and I liked this show alot.
For me a great episode, not as good as Phase 3 to me, but still a great episode.
Totally agree with you Gord. And as far as Ellie’s part of the puzzle, isn’t that what Mel and others have proposed all along, that Ellie would use her skills as a Neurologist to help Chuck someday? Well, she did just that. She said to Devon that she was looking at brain scans and had to rectify the differences b/w computer memory and human memory and solved the puzzle. My guess is those were Chuck’s scans and she fixed the intersect so that Chuck could proceed to download the fix at the end of the episode. I thought it was a great episode and I love how the pieces tied together. Sarah admitting that Mama B. is the only thing saving them from Volkoff now sets up the rest of the season. Take down the organization so Mama B. can finally be free.
To begin – I love CHUCK! Having said that, I’m disappointed with the way the writers seem to spend less and less time on actual “spy-related” episodes. I love that Chuck and Sarah are together; however, it’s time to get back to spy work.
Episode 4.10 was certainly less than it could have been given the talented actors. Timothy Dalton and Linda Hamilton are wonderful guest stars. Both bring the ability to make an episode something spectacular. Combine them with the talents of Zach Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Sarah Lancaster, etc. and we could see something very special on the small screen.
Interesting there have been no promo’s for 4.11. What’s coming next for the Team? We miss you Ali Adler!!!
7 weeks till the next episode of chuck 🙁
I was very happy with this episode. Chuck vs. Phase Three was just way too excellent of an episode. Following such an awesome episode, I didn’t expect vs. The Leftovers to top it.
It didn’t, but I still greatly enjoyed the episode. Volkof as disturbing paramour? Woah!
These are fair criticisms. I think I may have enjoyed it more than you did, but I agree that the problems you describe made a potentially great episode “only” really really good. I looked at it as a bunch of missed opportunities:
In Chuck vs. Fear of death we saw that chuck minus the intersect can still use his brain to help complete the mission—the part where he knew the bad guys would still be around after the auction, and that the diamonds were fake (as Casey said last season “before you had the intersect, you were smart”). When the evil hacker was disabling Castle’s weapon system, why didn’t Chuck take over a console from Casey ahd hack back? Even if not ultimately successful, give Casey the time he needed to get to the override? In addition, it would have been a callback to Armageddon (another fantastically fun Bruce Willis movie Fedak, Schartz—and I like a great deal—it gets unfairly criticized, but I digress).
In Fear of Death, he had numerous mini-flashes. I thought that was great, showing the battle in his mind as he tries to access the intersect. When Volkoff pointed the gun at him, and especially at Sarah, a more extended flast attempt would have been a powerful emotional moment. Again, even if unsuccessful, it would have added much more to that scene.
In his defense, the non-verbal communication between Chuck and Sarah at charades was excellent. He is a very smart intuitive guy/spy.
Casey going back for Morgan showed his friendship and loyalty, but after he was so easily captured, that just made him look stupid. He was completely wasted in this episode.
Agree about the re-intersect, what exactly was the point of the PSP, and Mama B’s comment about his father “never wanting you to see this”? Ellie “solved a memory problem” on the laptop before Chuck could get access. Did she fix something with the intersect? Although this section was a bit anti-climactic, I’m giving the writers the benefit of the doubt that we are going to find out more about this.
Despite these negatives, Dalton stole the show. I’ll add one of the funniest lines I haven’t seen any reviewer or commenter mention yet. When Volkoff cocks the gun trigger, he says ” I know I don’t need to do that, but I just love the sound it makes”. Every bad guy on every TV show makes sure he cocks the gun trigger when he is at point blank range, as if the gun can’t be fired without doing that first. I’m not a handgun owner, but even I know you don’t need to do that. Just one of those Hollywood cliches, and I laughed a lot. Charades was fantastic, and Dalton is a wonderful mad man. He saved this episode, and made it a lot of fun.
I’ve loved every episode of this season, and found every one to rewatchable numereous times. This one may “only” merit 3 or 4 viewings, and although I watch other shows such as Fringe, and Community, I rarely re-watch them. Chuck episodes stay on the DVR for a long time. I agree with one of the previous posts that I haven’t seen an episode yet that I didn’t like a lot on some level. I would give this 3 stars.
While any Chuck episode beats most things on TV these days, this one was not my favorite. I’d even say, only Timothy Dalton saved it from being my least favorite of the season (a place now held by Cubic Z). Dalton was terrific in the way he swung from threatening to mentally unbalanced and back again.
Things I loved:
– Dalton. Someone please sign him up for the rest of the season. Now.
– Awesome. They actually gave Devon something to do and it was terrific.
– The Die Hard story. This made me laugh. The “unable to reach the gun” ending was a waste – I wanted him to pull out the electric carving knife he had in Beard – but it was still fun. I like Morgan this season (Except in Cubic Z that was season 1 Morgan)
Things I didn’t like:
– The Mama B/Ellie angle wasn’t even addressed. No touching conversation between the two.
– Sarah. Was she tired out from Phase 3? Maybe I was expecting too much, but she was in most of the scenes, yet didn’t seem to participate much.
– Jeffster. They’ve gone from funny comic relief to creepy and annoying. I used to love them. Now I can’t stand them. give them a msical number once or twice a season, otherwise get rid of them.
– Re-intersecting. They blew a terrific growth opportunity for Chuck. Basically, he lost the intersect, whined a lot, proved that he was indeed useless without it (unlike season 1/2 Chuck who was a good spy using his wits), and then suddenly got it back. Completed waste of a chance to show that Chuck is more than the intersect. They should have left him without it for a couple more episodes and had him prove that he’s still a world class spy. They basically accomplished nothing in the mini-arc other than show how inept Chuck is and how badass Sarah can be (which I liked).
Last, but not least: Dear writers, can you PLEASE give Casey something to do in an episode other than playing third banana. Give him a showcase episode like Sarah had with Phase 3. I know Couch Lock was supposed to be a Casey episode, but he spent most of it paralyzed and Morgan had to save the day. Unleash the Casey at least for an episode or two.
I have to agree. This one didn’t do much for me. In fact, it ranks with 4.08 Fear of Death as my least favorite episodes this season.
I’m not of an artistic bent, nor am I a great “critic”. I mainly rate shows and episodes on how well I enjoy them from beginning to end, and how much I like to re-watch episodes.
I can and have rewatched all the episodes this year, except for 4.08-Fear of Death, and now this one 4.10-Leftovers. I’ll probably watch this one once more and then just let it go.
It’s always interesting to read all of the different points of view. My wife and I were perfectly happy with this episode, enjoyed it very much, and happy to add it to the growing story of Chuck. I tend to think of Chuck as a really great movie that is now approximately 45 hours long, and counting!
While I feel that there was something a bit off with this episode compared to last week, I feel like the criticism regarding the fact that the writers refuse to make Chuck “spy-capable” without the help of the Intersect is not really valid, at least in the world that the writers of this show have created. Chuck, as he’s been conceived as a character, will never belong in the spy world without the Intersect. It is, without a doubt, the single most important reason he is able to be a spy at all. There has never been a moment when Chuck has been truly capable without it. Does he bring some cool skills to the table without it? Sure? Are those skills enough to keep him from being killed? No. The only way a “normal” guy can be where Chuck finds himself, is through some extraordinary circumstance. The Intersect is not just a bunch of temporary “powers,” it literally creates the entire situation of the show. No writer on staff is going to create an entirely new premise, just to demonstrate that Chuck is gifted on his own in certain ways. The point is, he’s not, nor ever will be, gifted enough as a spy all on his own. The moment he is, he’s no longer Chuck. He’s Bond. That’s not the same show at all. Chuck has to accept his personal limitations, and so does the audience.
First off, YIPPIE-KAI-YAY MOTHERLOVER!!!!1!! Second off, was it wrong to laugh at the “aerobics” class? (Notice the use of “Bad Romance,” which is what JEFFSTER danced to at SDCC 2010.) It’s good to see Chuck get the Intersect back. “Guys, I Know Kung Fu” was the best Chuck quote EVER, so I’m glad to see it make an appearance. Once again, YIPPIE-KAI-YAY!
Over all I enjoyed this episode. The one thing that I was hoping is that the CIA would start to really train Chuck to be a spy. Who knows at some point Chuck might lose the intersect again. In my mind this is a big hole in the whole spy show that needs to be filled and a little bit of spy training (martial arts, fire arm, knife) would go a long way.
Rod
Agree. This had show had so many of the right ingredients for success, yet it the end it fell soooo flat. What a jumbled mess. I found myself looking at my watch at 40 minutes into the show feeling like they’ve just taken most of the show to cover what should have been collapsed into the first 15 minutes. It was a long drive for not a lot of fun. By the time it got to Chuck getting the Intersect back, I almost didn’t care. It seemed fait accompli at that point. There was no suspense whatsoever!! And when he did get the Intersect back, it rebooted at 2.0. Weak payoff for all the supposed build-up. They could have done so much more. “I know kung fu. Again.” That was a surprise??? Come on, maybe if they’d really given Chuch something to be surprised about (like Intersect 3.0) it the payoff would have been worth the wait. But after messy sprawl of the first 59 minutes, the ending was more of a let down — not because of what it was, but what it wasn’t!
To be completely honest, alot of people didn’t like this episode as much as others but after watching it, I truly enjoyed it. From a second round viewing that may be different but I found it funny and enjoyable with intensity built, and I was so happy to see Chuck return to the intersect, and what the consequences may be of Ellie solving the problem left to her by Orion, when he looked at the brain from an engineering versus medical perspective. Can we hope to see an improved intersect as a result?
All in all it wasn’t a standout episode but on par with the standard we’ve come to expect from Chuck, being the great show that it is. My opinion my vary from others but I truly do love this show!
As the “Phase Three” episode ended last week I found myself breathless. When “Leftovers” ended this week, I couldn’t decide whether to shrug or yawn. It wasn’t horrible, just bland. How unfortunate for Zac as a director, to have come off the success of “the Beard” last season only to deliver “Leftovers” this season. Too bad that the largest viewing audience in some time didn’t get something more compelling to lure them back in January.
I have said it before and I will say it again; I love Chuck. However, I don’t see it going beyond a Season 5 (if we even get that far) but the show would have run its course by then anyway. This episode was a perfect example of that. Everyone, except Fernando, was used in this episode and everyone was horrendously underused, except for Volkof but that was another swing and a miss. As great as he was in the earlier episode, he was terrible in this one.
Horrible waste of an episode, it was so bad that I believe that I saw Fonzie strapping on the waterskis for this one.
As for the gun strapped Morgan bit, I was praying the hot blonde would have taken her gun and eliminated the problem right then and there. Please let Morgan be the character who gets killed in the season finale. Please.
Personally I thought the episode kicked ass. It was funny, entertaining and had Timothy Dalton. Also it REALLY thoroughly showed just how much of a total psycho Volkov is.
Also lighten up people, it was a holiday episode, to be honest most shows “holiday episodes” are mainly designed to be entertaining and fun, it did this spectacularly well and also did a bit of story movement as well.
Seriously watch it again not thinking “how is this going to effect this, this, this etc”, just watch it and allow it to the job it set out to do and did well, just simply entertain you and leave you coming away with a smile on your face 🙂 (seriously a Morgan Die Hard mini story, that was just funny as hell….. though not as much as the game of charades, god Dalton is a fricking legend!)
Pete 🙂