Monsters of Television

“Desolation. Frostbite. Must be Russia.”

The gang’s all here.

Previously on Chuck: Chuck whined a lot about his feelings, was challenged by Superman-gone-rogue, finally got the girl, committed the cheesiest episode of the series, went a little batty, had his dad come up with a fix with a ridiculous name (the Governor) to combat his battiness (the calming effect of which is reminiscent of when Harry pushes off in Requiem for a Dream), implicated everyone he knows into his dangerous profession, watched a horrific family event, wrecked the Buy More, let his friends take the rap for it, and was bestowed with a posthumous mission to find his mother. Oh, and he quit the gym. I mean the CIA.

Hope that wasn’t too spoilery.

I shouldn’t have come in with expectations. But here’s the thing about Chuck: any audience member that pays any attention to the massive clues they drop knows exactly what’s going on. You knew who Orion was by mid-second season when Sarah and Chuck were discussing their daddy issues. You know where Shaw was going to land when they kept dropping evil audio tags to his scenes. While the show on an episode-to-episode basis isn’t necessarily predictable, the seasonal arcs are.

With that in mind, I was a little excited about how this season might go. They set Chuck up to have his own secret-secrets outside of the CIA/NSA, the Buy More was gone, Morgan was under the tutelage of our favorite hatchet man Casey, and they could start building on the Chuck and Sarah dynamic (only to challenge it with a possible rogue status). Lots of intrigue cooking, simmering, becoming a nice broth. But sadly, it was not to be.

When did Chuck become the Psych of broadcast?

Let me discuss what I wanted to happen. I wanted to see Chuck carry out his father’s posthumous mission, have him go deeper into the rabbit hole as a rogue spy. I wanted to see Morgan start to become more Casey-like and, eventually, even become the child Casey never got to raise. Chuck would hide his spywork (since he’s not supposed to be in the espionage game anymore) and, eventually, would end up butting heads with his own former team. By doing what he thinks is right, Chuck would become the kind of rogue spy he was always missioned against. It would not only pit him and Sarah against each other but also him and his best friend. Lots of trust issues, lots of opportunity for character development, lots of story. They went another way.

I think what I always forget about Chuck is that they can never lose their goofy side which means Chuck can’t be evil. He can be hapless, he can be clumsy, he can be naive, but he can never be a bad guy. Unlike White Collar, Chuck operates in defined morality. There are good guys and bad guys. While Casey has been able to cross the line, it is heavily explained as part of his tumultuous back story. Chuck making active decisions for what he believes to be right even if they bend and break the rules is not an option. So instead of a dragged out storyline involving trust issues and questionable ethics, everything is wrapped up in a nice bow. Chuck and Morgan’s escapades around the globe to find Mama Bartowski end up being parallel to Sarah and Casey’s mission to bring down a Russian syndicate (because, now with FULCRUM and the Ring gone, what else do they have to do?). Eventually he goes against what his dad asks him to do and Chuck involves Casey and Sarah in his plan to find his mother AND goes back to being a spy (against what his sister explicitly asked of him), fulfilling the trope of the spy program: you can never walk away from a life of espionage.

I do like Sarah and Chuck together. I feel like we’re not going to have Office syndrome here. Where matching up Pam and Jim might have sunk that show (they still haven’t been able to fill the vacuum in story), it looks like the writers for Chuck will find new ways to replace the unrequited sexual tension between the two, probably by constantly saving each other from doom complicated with far more emotion now that they openly love each other. The growing pains of their having a “normal” relationship (I kind of liked the theme of sexting throughout this episode and how willing Sarah was to try it out for Chuck) should supplement the loss of the (lack of) pursuit just fine. There’s a lot of opportunity for saccharine stuff but, let’s face it, that was always kind of there. Remember when Chuck first said those three words in a long monologue through a steel door? Yeah. But I don’t think their getting together is going to cause a void the show will be desperate to fill.

The new Buy More, however, intrigues me. As the series progresses, the store has transitioned from the antipodal mundanity to Chuck’s spy life to an institution of comic relief that Chuck never really participates in to almost a vestigial part of this show. The collapse of the Buy More signified the end of an era for Chuck as they were able to shake the bonds of that original setting to focus exclusively on Chuck’s spy life. Instead, they rebuild it for a different kind of comic relief. Making it a full-fledged government installation, operated by a staff of spies, managed by General Beckman, is not only ridiculous but redundant with the brand new Castle. I can only see this as being insubstantial reason to cut away from the action and/or a way to somehow make working at the Buy More more ridiculous, especially with what I hear is supposed to occur. For instance, Greta is supposed to be a different person every week. This week is was the robotic Olivia Munn. Speaking of which:

Next week I hear Greta is going to be played by Isaiah Mustafa. With all the weird mechanisms in place (a slide entrance into the Castle command center? Really?), a Buy More that runs too efficiently, and, again, the redundancy, I see three options for this place: (1) it continues the tradition of being a vestigial part of the show, (2) in order to help the cover, Jeffster and Big Mike come back to run the place without knowing the secrets of most of the employees, or (3) the store will only pop up every once in a while when needed.

In any case, Chuck and Morgan will go back to working at the Buy More (because this show loves to hit the reset button) as they chase down Chuck’s mother (who might be a baddie — which could be good for the story). Ellie is pregnant with a baby Awesome so that’ll probably bring the appropriate sit-comminess to the show. I’m hopeful but prepared to be disappointed.

• Chuck and Sarah’s sexting theme (“Howlin’ for You” by The Black Keys) was perfect, and I’m not just saying that because I’m a die-hard, long-time Black Keys fan.
• Big cheer for Bonita Friedericy being added to the opening (filling Anna’s old spot)! Only took her three seasons of regular appearances to make it in there.
• Seriously, when did Chuck become Psych? The show has always made references to pop-culture but having Dolph Lundgren tell Casey that he must break him is over the top. I’m sure the Psych writers are kicking themselves for not thinking of it first.
• I’m a little upset that the establishing shot they use for when Chuck and Morgan originally ride a bus in Burbank isn’t an LA Metro bus but something else entirely.
• Hearts and stars for Casey missing his boy Chuck on missions. Also hearts and stars for the last place Chuck interviews at being Vandalay Industries. Something else I’m sure the Psych writers wish they did first.