We saw some inspired casting last week in the form of Swoosie Kurtz and Fred Willard as a Hart to Hart-like couple that Chuck and Sarah were supposed to emulate. Needless to say, that didn’t work out quite as planned. We also saw Casey trying to train Morgan; the latter now seems to be the designated fish-out-of-water. That didn’t quite work out, either. This week, according to my guide:
Chuck thinks a dream he has foretells danger for a visiting head of state.
which doesn’t seem all that exciting, but if last week’s preview is any indication:
I liked this episode much better than last week’s. I’m glad they are getting back to the Intersect as a major plot point, rather than just being a handy tool that kicks in when Chuck needs it, or doesn’t kick in because he’s stressed. Some of the best episodes, IMO, have been the ones where the Intersect–and the villains’ actions to obtain it–played a major role. In the past, they’ve ended each season with a big update/change to the Intersect, which has led to new paths for the story to follow. Hopefully they’re headed that way with the end of this season.
So will we be seeing more of Christopher Lloyd next week? His part in this episode didn’t amount to much, so I’m guessing he’ll turn out to be a bigger player (maybe a villain) next week.
I pretty much enjoyed the episode, but I’m not too sure about this dream stuff. To me it seemed less like the information on the intersect invading his subconscious, and more like a form of telepathy or future-telling, which doesn’t seem to fit the show’s established reality. I hope this doesn’t become a major plot device going forward.
Also, I grinned in anticipation when I saw Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (Freddy “Boom Boom” Washington!) in the opening credits. Too bad he didn’t really have anything to do.
The opening scene was funny where Chuck & Sarah were watching TV. There was nothing on because, “Monday night is pretty much a wasteland.” So they end up on “Spies Like Us”, which stars Chevy Chase, who had a pivotal, but small, role last season. Fun stuff.
Yeah, that was great. And then when the doc told Chuck that all the other patients in the mental institution had also been government agents, Chuck says, “Spies… like me?”
I’m just worried that Ellie is going to be in a position where it will have to be revealed to her what virtually everybody else on the show already knows. Keeping her in the dark continues to have some real potential, so having everyone (except the Buy More flunkies) in on the game seems like a real waste.
Still, fun episode, with the massive tranquing of the Crazy Crew being a highlight.
That opening scene was simply Chuck-tastic. I guess the TV show Chuck doesn’t exist in the world of Chuck, so what else is there to watch on Monday night? Odd that Chuck doesn’t see the resemblance between Emmett Fitz-Hume on Spies Like Us and Ted Roark, late of Fulcrum. For that matter, why didn’t Chuck recognize the name “Emmett Millbarge”?
Another scene that had me laughing out loud was General Beckman in dishabille, with a man-friend walking obliviously in the background.
I almost didn’t recognize Christopher Lloyd. A lesser show would have cast him as one of the crazy inmates. Instead, they went for the “Doc” reference and cast him as the sanest person in the whole show.
I have to admit, I am a bit torn about the whole “Ellie situation” – sometimes I think it would be better to keep her in the dark about Chuck’s spy shenanigans, and at other times I just wish that she would find out already! I dunno…
I thought that was wonderful. Christopher Lloyd is so distinctive in the characters that he plays- it was amazing how hard it was to see him in this role. Even his very distinctive voice was almost unrecognizable.
Right, and I think that’s been one of the show’s problems lately. The Intersect makes Chuck unique, and uniquely dangerous to his opponents from an “intel” perspective. He should be a major target, if only to kill him to get the Intersect out of the game. In the first couple of seasons, the danger to Chuck felt more intense because not only was he participating in missions where he used the intersect to gain information, but he also was always in danger of being captured or taken out because of what was in his head. Plus he didn’t know kung-fu. I think the show was more interesting when Chuck had to rely on his wits and on Casey and Sarah to get out of sticky situations.
Still loving the show overall, though. It was good to see Anna again, if only briefly. Loved when Casey tranqued Morgan at the opera, and I may or may not have teared up a little when Sarah went to the doc’s house to tell him she had to go see Chuck, and Casey was already there making the same request.
I am anxiously waiting to hear if NBC is going to pick up Chuck for season 4. The ratings haven’t been too good lately, but there has been some unofficial third-party reports that say it is likely to be renewed.
