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Greetings Chuckophiles,
Finally we get the Valentine’s Day episode and boy, was there a lot going on. It’s no big surprise with so many characters to service and so many plots to advance that something had to give, and I felt like it was the mission story that got shortchanged. They didn’t show us or even hint at how Chuck, Sarah and Vivian went from being cornered in the horse stall to Sarah shooting the bad guys out of the sunroof of a car, likely for time or budget reasons. In contrast, they spent plenty of time on the sniper/horse chase plot but it still defied believability despite the fact that I’m usually a big fan of any scene that involves horses (although, to be fair, it might be my equestrian knowledge that made the scene less believable).
Ok, now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, it’s time to talk about the many things that I really liked about the episode.
Chuck and Morgan’s Valentine’s Day plan was completely ridiculous which also made it very funny. The look on Casey’s face when he walked into what must be his worst nightmare of “too much information†was priceless, as was the fact that he dragged them all to Castle without letting them change clothes. I was kind of surprised that “GB†didn’t make a snide comment about how they were all dressed.
Ellie and Awesome and the Buy Morians were enjoyable, albeit unnecessary to the overall episode plot. I have to admit that I loved Jeffster’s cover of Rusted Root’s Send Me on My Way and I’ve been singing it ever since. The scenes also served to give us a timeline – 3 months have passed since Clara was born (and Chuck proposed to Sarah).
I find myself wondering why Casey chose to needle Morgan about being a third wheel. Was he just having fun making Morgan feel insecure, or was he trying to force him into growing up a bit more for Alex’s sake? Regardless of his motivation, he definitely lit the fire under Morgan, which was further stoked by the fabulously awkward “hanging out†with Sarah. It’s fitting that on the first Valentine’s Day where both of them have girlfriends, Chuck and Morgan’s bromance takes center stage rather than either of their relationships.
The scene with Chuck and Morgan and Hans and Chewbacca was really sweet (although I was led to wonder who had custody of Chewie and Han for the 15 or so years before they moved in together two years ago). I think that more so than the end of the two of them living together, the figures present the nostalgia of their childhoods and the realization that somewhere along the way they’ve both grown up. I really liked them both taking a “toy†to bed with them and then the split screen with both of them on the other side of the wall. The look of concern on Sarah’s face as she watched Chuck sit there with Han showed how much she has come to understand Chuck and what his lifelong relationship with Morgan means to him. It’s an interesting development, thinking back to S2 (ep 2.14) when Chuck explained his relationship with Morgan to Sarah, basically telling her that Morgan would always be there for him, long after she was gone. I’m sure I speak for all the fans when I say that we’re glad that it looks like both Sarah AND Morgan are going to be part of Chuck’s family for long to come.
Of course I can’t discuss this episode without commenting on Vivian. I liked the parallels between Chuck and Vivian as well as the return of a “is she good or evil†plot now that Mama B’s allegiances have been definitely proven. Not only that, but her presence also gives justification for us to see more Timothy Dalton, which is completely win-win in my book. I’m very excited to see what is behind the door at Volkoff Industries and to get more information on where Vivian’s loyalties lie.
Lastly, I’m intrigued by the new passageway and secret door at Castle. Obviously Beckman knows something about what is going on, but she doesn’t seem to be in charge. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
Alright, tell me what you guys think. I’m going to go watch Love Actually…
Notable bits:
Great opening with Boris hunting Volkoff’s henchmen/woman
Morgan definitely overdoing it for Valentine’s Day
Morgan and Alex’s bizarre love ritual
Sarah taking a wardrobe cue from a certain lingerie company
Chuck making chocolate soufflés and planning to watch Love Actually (Yep, he’s definitely my perfect man!)
“These are not toys. They are collectibles†– Morgan
“No, I’ve been to those types of parties before…†– Sarah
“You live with Charah†– Casey
Sarah’s apparently never seen Pretty Woman?!
Chuck’s gymnastic routine on the uneven tree
“Morgan and Alex’s bizzare love ritua” lol Boy was that an understatement. Good review and a pretty good ep.
CASEY SAID CHARAH!!!!!!(: <3. made.my.day (:
Judkins and LeFranc strike again. This ep had a lot of good stuff going on throughout, well packed into 40 minutes, unlike earlier eps this season where they seemed to be low on ideas and stalling for time. I think Vivian is an interesting character, and so to a lesser degree is Jane Bentley. The music was pretty cool, too. The scene with Sarah in angel wings was priceless, as was “Chuck’s “uh…wh…what?†when Sarah said that she’d been to those kinds of parties before. The beginning felt a bit “Wookieâ€-esque, what with the subtitled foreigners getting shot one after another. I don’t think that Casey has much cause to feel professionally frustrated, as he got to both tend bar and do plenty of fancy shooting on the same mission.
“what with the subtitled foreigners getting shot one after another.”
– As I recall, it’s “Tango” that had them whacking subbed foreigners.
Where did Boris get his snipers, Stalag 13 ? Casey picks them off
one at a time ( even shooting the same guy twice ) and they only
get off one shot at him? Good mercenarys are hard to find.
“Where did Boris get his snipers?”
– Why, from the Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy, of course! Don’t think this episode was amiss with all the Star Wars references! 🙂
Good catch, Kon. I’ve only seen both episodes, what, 12 times? You’d think I’d remember.
Great opening with Boris hunting Volkoff’s henchmen: Fail to note That “Peggy” From The Discover Credit Card Commercials Was The First To Be Bumped Off.
I picked up on this, what’s the actors name?
“Peggy” Aka “Jurek” is Tudor Petrut A Romanian Born Actor Who Is Also A Math Teacher. – Bob aka: On Twitter “The_Ring_”
That opening segment with the Valentine’s Day “celebration” had me really laughing out loud. It was an unstoppable chain of events that topped out with Casey walking in on it and being thoroughly disgusted. It was like dad walking in on the kids and wishing he hadn’t seen what he just saw.
Loved Sarah’s outfit and that priceless look on her face when she said “surprise”….one of the best opening segments ever, in my opinion.
Casey’s too much information look was priceless!
Awkward Sarah-Morgan moments are always golden for me. I had to pause and laugh for a few minutes when Sarah went “RAWR!” It’s a shame the scene where the two of them were playing video games was cut!
Sarah’s surprise… wow. I also loved the contrast of Sarah being able to catch the bowl Chuck dropped, but getting herself stuck in a hook. Too bad Casey is such a killjoy (apparently Chuck, Sarah, and Morgan had very little time to change clothes). I’m probably better off not knowing what Alex and Morgan were exactly doing there…
Ellie luring Jeffster! with breastfeeding is so wrong and so hilarious. I would love to see more devious Ellie, please! Apparently “Push It” had a potent effect on Clara; now only Jeffster! can sooth her (to her parents’ chagrin). (Too bad the actual “Sleep Sheep” does not come in a Jeffster! model).
Lastly… ah, Vivian. I was a bit disappointed with the reveal that she’s Volkoff’s daughter, but I do like how her current alignment (after Chuck’s pep talk and Boris’s words) is left ambiguous. The next few episodes should be interesting.
Takes me back to when we brought home our first baby. Took
all the parenting classes…. Thought we were totally prepared.
Then it hits you like a ton of bricks. You have this tiny new life
that’s totally dependant on you. The resonsibility can be over-
whelming. My advice to Ellie and Devon….. Enjoy, this is the
good part, all down hill from here.
Loved the baby frazzled Ellie and Devon. The crying and lack
of sleep will grind you down. Enjoy it….. Parenting is all down
hill from here.
cay what makes the horseback riding scene not so believable? the effects? the events seemed plauseable
Micah,
LOL, Let me preface this with the fact that I’m kind of obsessive compulsive 🙂
Sarah’s “ratcatcher” shirt appeared to have the collar on backwards (it is supposed to attach in the back, not the front). Sarah going out on horseback, expecting trouble, yet not wearing a helmet that would actually protect her head (no chin strap, clearly apparel only, meanwhile, the one Vivian wore may have been a real one, so it wasn’t just to look the part). Then there was the issue of the two guys who suddenly appear on horseback wearing red hunt coats, yet live foxhunting is illegal in the UK and red coats are usually not worn outside of certain members of a hunt or at the world class shows(most people don’t wear hunt coats of any color on casual rides, but maybe rich English people do it differently than Americans). Also weird to me that they happened to have two guys all dressed up and two horses all tacked up just in case the dozen snipers failed. Additionally, the red coated guys’ two horses, which appeared to be Thoroughbreds, couldn’t catch Artemis, who was definitely NOT a Thoroughbred and appeared to be smaller as well.
Honestly, probably everyone else didn’t notice these details or let them bother them. It’s funny how I can often suspend my belief for some of the more out-there spy stuff, but small equestrian and medical details bug me. 😉
Cay
Was the chase back in Britian? I got the idea it was somewhere
in the LA area. After getting Vivian to safety in America why
would they go back to Blighty?
Foxhunting may technically be illegal, but it still happens. Also you can set hounds after a harmless scent trail instead.
Philippa,
True, but I still think the red coats were a bad wardrobe choice. 🙂
Thanks for the area background, BTW.
The stunt work was poor. Obviously a dummy behind the rider
in the long shots. When the horse reared up and threw Sarah the
stunt doubles face was blurred out. Not up to the usual high
standards of the show.
I didn’t catch the stunt work of Sarah and the horse. I thought the effects of Chuck and swinging on the tree branch like a gymnast was very poorly done. How does jump up there from a sitting position anyway?
I dunno either, but after Chuck’s routine on the tree branch, I was half-expecting three dudes to pop out from the nearby bushes with “10” signs.
That’s funny. At the end of Chucks Tarzan routine how’d he knock
both guys off there horses? He’d have to spread his legs 10 feet.
Well Zachary Levi does have super long legs! lol.
Loved the episode. Very funny and new story lines are good. The show is never stagnant, that’s for sure. My first question was,when Vivian was discovered to be Volcoff’s daughter, why didn’t a call go out to mama B for insight? She was there for 20 yrs.
just simply because the show cant afford to have linda hamilton on every ep i guess?
She probably didn’t know about her anyways.
My exact thoughts Russ. Why didn’t General Beckman call for Mary Bartowski to get involved after it was discovered that Vivian is Volkoff’s daughter? After all she spent 20 years with the man. At least it would have been worth a phone call.
My guess is that Chuck unknowingly has turned Vivian toward her father’s dark work. Mary would have been more guarded in her interactions with Vivian than Chuck, even Sarah would have been more cautious. Still it appears that this will set the stage for another showdown between the Volkfoff’s and the Bartowski’s.
I LOVED this episode, it was near perfect to me. I honestly can’t think of anything I didn’t like and there were so many memorable moments I can’t write them all. The show clicked on all cylinders. Unlike last week, every character was serviced well–no matter how long or short their on screen time. Big Mike’s one-liner “that’s why I got snaked” was priceless and he was there for about a minute. Jeffster was serviced well with a subtle performance from inside the teddy bear, Ellie and Awesome were adorable, and even Alex, who was only there for a few minutes had a memorable scene with Morgan. Heck, even the bad guy was great, I loved the opening and he was so nasty I cheered when Vivian shot him. Last week the bad guy played Lou Diamond Phillips (whom I love as actor) sort of faded into the background. I found Chuck’s flash and subsequent kicking off of the riders a great stunt and a relief from last week’s unrealistic and bumbling falling through the glass scene. For me, this is what good writing does for you. You have the same characters, same actors, same chemistry and it comes with completely different result. Maybe I’m just partial to team Judkins/Lefranc in general, but they do action sequences, dialogue, humor, occasional goofy moments (Chuck choking on the cocktail wiener, lol) and poignant character moments with equal amounts of skill and panache. I loved the final full-circle ending that tied together the story threads for each character…that everyone now has their own space, be it a room, mission, empire etc. Mr. Fedak and Mr. Schwartz, I’m officially casting my vote for Rafe and Lauren to co-write the Chuck and Sarah Wedding episode.
Big Mikes line was ” that’s why I got snipped ” ( vasectomy )
Oops! Of course that’s what he said, very funny line. Don’t know why I wrote “snaked” mind was wandering I guess, thanks for the correction.:-).
Your welcome, good post by the way.
Thank you very much. Some grammatical errors, I should really proofread before I hit submit…got too excited. Chuck does that to me. 🙂 Next week’s previews look great. Can’t wait. Long Live Chuck!
Great episode and great review.This is also a momentous episode because it’s the first time (as far as I know) that the fan-given term of “Charah†was used on-screen to refer to Chuck & Sarah’s relationship.
Was it also Casey who referred to Chuck’s mom as Mama B a few weeks back? That was a fan-generated term if I’m not mistaken. And remember the mafiosi from last season talking about “will they/won’t they”? I love how fan culture finds its way into the show from time to time. It’s kind of validating that they know and appreciate what goes on in our world.
Yea, Casey did call Mary ‘Mama B’. I too love how fan culture finds its way into the show from time to time
I sorry to be all negative but i not feeling the love for this show by the fans like it once was. I mean their used to be a lot more traffic around on chuck websites than this. It seem that their hardly anything going on anymore and their never no prmotion for Chuck anymore. With the rating that Chuck getting now I think now more than ever this is the last season of Chuck.
If I remember correctly, the ratings were similar this time of year the last two years, for good or bad. Not sure I can explain it, but what can we do that we aren’t already doing? Unless someone wants to hack Nielsen….
A bit of inside information from a genuine Somerset resident!
1. The manor house; yes, there are landed properties like that in Somerset. However, they would be unlikely to be red brick with white columns. New and old money tends to go for a cladding [at least] in local golden/brown-hued Mendip/Ham Hill stone. Think of the Georgian and fake Georgian architecture of Bath and Bristol.
2. The woods and gentle hills of the manor property are consonant with some parts of the Somerset landscape. I like the little bit of mist we saw; someone has paid attention to Somerset weather!
3. Nit-pick: Brits never, ever, EVER call random bar staff ‘dear’. Not even if they are smoking hot like Casey ;-). That’s what you say to little old ladies [GGG]. The local slang term for someone you know and like is ‘moi luvver’ or ‘my acker’, but a socialite wouldn’t say that!!!
4. Worcestershire [Chuck’s brief cover] is doable to Somerset. About a 3 hour drive each way, near enough. BTW, it’s pronounced ‘Wooster-shire’, ‘KTNX.
Said it on ‘He said’ and will repeat it here. Too much sizzle and not enough steak. Poor episode except for the fact that Morgan is moving out, hopefully he will get the Big Mike treatment and be restricted to one line from now on.
Correct me if I’m wrong but you’re not a big fan of Morgan are you?
Morgan is the most superfluous character in the history of television since Kazoo on the Flintstones. But my lack of interest in Morgan has nothing to do with the fact that this was a terrible episode, so what is the point of your question?
It seems there is no no more spark between Chuck and Sarah. Is like a couple that has been married for years. Kiss just a peck on the lips or cheek. Or it just me……
I think it’s just you 🙂 There might be a bit less outward flirtation on screen, but I don’t recognize their relationship as getting anything but stronger. For Valentine’s day, Sarah made chocolate covered strawberries and wore a pair of wings! Then we had the belly dancing seduction scene two weeks ago. I think it just hasn’t fit the episode plots for them to have major makeout sessions every week.
I think it is just you too. This couple is fantastic together, and their initimate moments are much more personal than the makeout sessions some of the crazy shippers want to see! I don’t mind an occasional show of passion either, but not if it distracts from the story.
…and if all else fails, the two of them always have a certain supply closet to go to. 😉
More seriously, I think it’s fine for the two to act like an old married couple. We let them have their moment in “Push Mix”, why not let them have their, uhurm, “activities” just for them as well?