Monsters of Television

“Oh, feelings. I see why you came to me.”

Alexei, you might be my favorite.

Two weeks ago, we watched “vs The Balcony” and its structure completely crumble around one of the most important plot arcs in the series. Up there with the Chucknsarah relationship and Chuck balancing a normal life with being the Intersect (regretfully, the latter of which has been hastily abandoned), the correlation between Chuck/Sarah and Orion/Frost has been the ultimate reflection for the future of the core relationship and the ghost that haunts it, even if the arc has defied Chuck’s general stance on being completely obvious about all plotlines. Of course, I flew into reactionary rage about it, whining about the show’s inconsistency and how one of the most important turnarounds the show has accomplished in four seasons was sullied by a “vs the Honeymooners”-esque level of camp.

However, the last two episodes have made up for it.

Granted, I’m a little disappointed we’ve come so far in this arc in the last two episodes but I’m also not at all surprised. Chuck typically likes to come up with a good idea and then burn through it like filler episodes are the sweet, sweet relief to the overexcitement that comes with story. From a different series, I might have expected something a little more drawn out so that the confrontation that happens in “vs The Push Mix” might actually occur closer to the end of the season. That felt like the natural progression for something like this, especially we’re only a little more than halfway through the remaining episodes.

But, to be fair, it appears Chuck has something else in mind for the culmination of the season.

“Chuck vs The Gobbler”

The first indication that we were going to deal with a 3-episode stand rather than drawing it out for the remainder of the season was Morgan and Casey’s compression of story at the beginning of this episode. Morgan’s insistence on the emotional hit Chuck is taking with Sarah’s absence combined with Casey’s mentioning Sarah’s success with jobs as a rogue agent eliminate those stories from being played out over time. Instead, we just straight to the meat: Sarah ingratiating herself to Volkoff and beginning her alliance with Frost. Which leads to the quick reunion of Team Intersect.

We’re supposed to understand that Sarah’s been gone for a while and that her absence has been felt. Instead, we only see them apart for a total of maybe ten minutes of air time. They hatch a plan together and execute it together. Even though Sarah is apparently working for the enemy and is “deep undercover,” there really is no difference between this episode and last week’s except that Sarah doesn’t go home with the team. While the characters remark on Sarah’s absence, the audience may not actually feel a difference.

It sounds like I’m harping on the episode but I really liked it. What made up for any inconsistencies storytelling compression are the small things that root this show back in its foundation. Casey one-liners (disgusted by The Gobbler’s victims: “That’s impressive”). Chuck and Morgan sharing a nerd-alert when Alex is wearing a rare Back to the Future shirt. The awkward finger-kiss. Even small things like Awesome and Chuck communing. They’re little bits that don’t depend on the slapstick of the Buy More to carry the comedic parts of the show. They’re reminiscent of Chuck’s golden days (seasons 1 and 2). They’re fun. And, as Noel remarked in the last podcast, when was the last time Chuck was just fun?

Why this episode is different than the other, more campy, episodes, is that it’s able to balance a decent story structure with the different plotlines and then punch it up with character-driven comedy (rather than situational comedy). Not only that, but the episode ends in stakes. Granted, these are stakes that, outside the vacuum of watching, aren’t really stakes at all (it’s not like Chuck can really not know whose side Sarah’s on) but Casey getting hurt, Sarah proving herself to Volkoff in front of Chuck — these things created some anxiety for a show that usually seems hell-bent on holding your hand and telling you it’s going to be okay.

Additional note: hey, do you guys remember that Chuck has a sister named Ellie? Was a pretty important part of the series back in the day? I really liked her plotline for “vs the Gobbler.” Manipulate your friends and family in order to get what you need? Shows that she has some Bartowski in her (well, not so much Steve as Mary). Chuck does something similar but that’s more implicating all your loved ones into danger because you’re kind of a jackass.

“Chuck vs The Push Mix”

“I like to think of this as my floating fortress — of fun.”

“Dude, this is totally what Mario feels like in World 3. No wonder he can only get flower or mushroom from the box at the end.”

What’s great about this episode is that it starts with Chuck flashing on intelligence, not in order to use his kung-fu. It’s been a while since he’s looked at something or someone and know immediately what or who it is instead of just kicking it across the room. Action Chuck stepping back for Brainy Chuck is a good theme for this episode. As Casey heals and Sarah goes deeper undercover (wearing the same leather bodysuit and ridiculous heels the whole time), it’s up to Chuck to make his “I’m About to Be a Jackass” face and take matters into his own hands, which ultimately means creating a plan that utilizes his skills as a nerd and not a fighter.

As a person that seems to have the Intersect under control, you would think that might infect his way of thinking: he can literally take down entire henchmen armies single-handedly so why not just go in guns blazing? Instead, Chuck and Morgan concoct a pretty devious plan using a little bit of deus ex machina (did they mention Orion’s virus before?) and a lot of nerdy ingenuity, sprinkled with some Back to the Future references (“Twin Pines Cabin” — jawsome).

But this is the Chuck I like, the one that uses his wits and suffers his humanity while trying to accomplish his mission. Despite being around guns all the time and seeing people being shot every mission, he’s still uncomfortable with the concept of being responsible for a bullet wound, fatal or not. He still executes his plan of non-violence with the same study of behavior Sarah or Casey would employ but with less bloody or bruised outcomes. Also, I’m down for any time Morgan can be employed on a mission. I can’t say I was ever skeptical of Morgan’s presence in the agency since I always thought it was going to be great but he’s carved out a nice little role for himself as being the comic relief now that Chuck has grown too big for it. I mean, come on: “yoga seal.” Slipping through the lasers. It’s good stuff. And the fact that his sensibilities align with Chuck’s (as opposed to Sarah and Casey conceding to his anxiety) make them a pretty good team.

And while we see the final confrontation here against Volkoff (vindicating for the arc but sad for us as it marks Timothy Dalton’s exit), the show’s major theme is family, creating new ones and reunited estranged ones.

Of course, this is all rooted in the impending birth of little Clara Woodcomb. As Awesome freaks out, Ellie takes care of him while giving birth (fitting) and we have the confluence of all the characters descending upon the hospital. A telling line comes from the group (not including Casey or Alex who are elsewhere in the hospital) responding to the nurse’s question of whether they’re family. They all consider themselves to be. They’re all linked in the intricate web Chuck has created, sucking everyone in to his vortex, except, today, they are there for Ellie. Even Jeffster makes an appearance and, in their own way, contributes what they feel is important for the growth of the next generation because they honestly care about what happens to this child. Sure, they’re concern manifests in a ridiculous guerrilla performance of Salt ‘n’ Pepa’s “Push It” but they mean well.

Within the big happy are several splinter families that take shape during the time in the hospital. Obviously, Ellie and Devin welcome Clara into the world with Frost by their side. Was Mary really the best choice, by the way, to go into the delivery room? Shouldn’t Chuck, the guy who’s been at his sister’s side for (most of) the time her mother abandoned her, be the one to watch his niece be born? Whether Linda Hamilton meant it or not, I liked her reaction to the birth: pretty nonchalant and kind of, well, frosty.

Possibly my favorite family to take shape, though, is Morgan, Casey, and Alex. I kind of wish the chronology of Morgan and Casey’s relationship in respect of Casey’s relationship with Alex allowed me to say Morgan and Casey gained a daughter. But as Casey grows into something more resembling human (though his ham-handed speech to Devin about seeing the child be born felt like he’s learning to be human by watching Full House reruns) and steps into being a father, the three of them have a bond and I love that they portioned them off together near the end.

The family that we’ve all been waiting to start, however, finally kicked off. Chuck proposes to Sarah, his actual proposal drowned out to the audience by a nearby floor waxer. It is the missive of Casey’s advice at the end of “vs the Balcony” and what Sarah would ask for in the event: simple, honest, and sterile. Maybe not the last thing. Chuck’s high-flying romantic desires are sweet and all, but why Sarah likes him is for his simplicity in a life that can seem overly complicated and compromising. A proposal reduced to body language in a sterile environment, nothing but them, is not only the exhibition of Chuck’s innate personality but also a demonstration of what Sarah wants from him: serenity in the uncomplicated. I’ve been against the proposal since I think it’s come so soon after their consummation but this sits well with me.

But what do we do now?

The preview for next week features that very question: “We need a bad guy.” It also features Sarah Walker as a belly dancer but that’s besides the point. They’ve squashed FULCRUM, the Ring, and Volkoff Industries. Who is the big bad? What are these people going to work against now? Does Frost kind of hang out now that she’s done with her 20-year-long mission? The season looks as if it might escalate toward the Chucknsarah wedding. But where are the obstacles? What do you guys think?