Episode 4.07

“Chuck vs. the First Fight”
Airdate: November 1, 2010
Gallery: Promotional Photos | Screencaps

Moments From The Set – added 09.24.10

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to go to the Chuck set and watch them film part of episode 4.07, “Chuck vs. the First Fight“. NBC requested that we hold most of the episode-specific intel until closer to when this episode airs on November 1, so I thought I’d share some random, non-spoilery moments from the set with you in this week’s Friday Five.

1. Ana Gasteyer is a huge True Blood fan. In our interview with her, she joked that she’s using her guest appearance on Chuck as a springboard to True Blood. If only she’d known earlier that one of the True Blood directors is directing the Halloween episode of Community, also filming this week.
2. Yvonne rehearses her scenes in stocking feet. Her wardrobe on this particular day included a gorgeous pair of high-heeled black boots. Instead of running in them over and over while rehearsing and blocking the scenes, she took them off and ran around in her socks. Definitely more comfortable, and pretty adorable as well.
3. Although there weren’t any burping contests and no one broke into song, the between scenes activity was still fun to watch. At one point, Zac was jumping up on a bannister and bouncing off again over and over. A few minutes later, Yvonne decided to see if she could do the splits on that same bannister; she could.
4. Linda Hamilton happily chatted with everyone around her or wandered off to explore the set between takes. She and Yvonne had their heads together a few times, and Zac was teasing her after one particular scene. This is clearly a woman delighted to be working on Chuck.
5. Timothy Dalton’s stunt double almost gave me a heart attack. When he reported to the set, he looked so much like Brandon Routh, I thought I was seeing a major, major, MAJOR spoiler. But once he was attired in a replica of Timothy’s wardrobe and had his hair colored and styled to look the same, the shock wore off.

Keep an eye out for our next episode of Chuck vs. the Podcast (probably coming Saturday) which will have more scoop from the set, including an interview with Zachary Levi. And of course we’ll have a feature closer to when “Chuck vs. the First Fight” airs.

Casting News – added 09.13.10

Fancast just confirmed that SNL funny lady Ana Gasteyer has been cast in Chuck episode 4.07, “Chuck vs. the First Fight.” She’ll play Dasha, a “ruthless operative for the nefarious Volkoff organization” with a penchant for torture using “small-ish implements”.

It looks like Volkoff is going to be our Ring/Fulcrum this season. Dolph Lundgren’s character in the season premiere is an operative for Volkoff Industries, sending Casey and Sarah to Russia in pursuit. Will this evil organization be a real threat? Is Mama Bartowski somehow connected? Only one week to go until we start getting answers!

Guest Stars – added 08.26.10

Wow, the casting news for Chuck season 4 has been amazing already, and now comes word from several sources that a former James Bond will be joining the show for multiple episodes. Timothy Dalton (The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill) will join Chuck later this season in an as yet unannounced role. Will he take the place of Roan Montgomery as Chuck’s mentor? Is he one of the mysterious and constellation-named agents Orion kept intel on in his basement? Is he this season’s uber-villain? Stay tuned!

Updated: And just after we hit “publish”, the NBC release arrived in our inbox. Dalton will play “a mysterious stranger who has a history with Chuck’s mom.” So probably one of those constellations in the basement, eh?

Updated Again: Ausiello brings further scoop in the form of squashing the rumor that Dalton’s character is Chuck’s father. He also confirms that Dalton’s first episode will be 4.07, titled “Chuck vs. the First Fight”.