TV Series Lounge

There is no doubt that “Chuck vs. the Cat Squad” is Sarah’s Charlie’s Angels-like episode. She got a good exposure with this one and she never failed to entertain us.

It was the second straight stand alone installment, both of which have been a nice change of pace. The mission itself kept me interested, the level of attractiveness of the Cat Squad didn’t hurt, and there was enough long running plots on a personal level to keep my thirst for serialization quenched.

After a second straight episode without Jeff, Lester and Big Mike, I’m afraid we did hit a bit of road bump in terms of comedy, though. Let’s take a look at how the Chuck Triple Threat held up this week. But, first, get that lip stick off your shirt.

Comedy
I didn’t really notice until the episode started to come to a close, but there were hardly any one-liners. Chuck had a couple here and there, but Morgan was too busy getting upset at Carina and trying to make it up to Alex to be funny. Without Jeff, Lester and Big Mike, it ended up on the lesser side of comedy.  This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. though.  For a show that is usually hilarious, I didn’t think any less of it because I wasn’t cracking up half the time.

Action
From the introduction of the Cat Squad to Chuck falling through the roof before traning all of the bad guys, there were plenty of action sequences.  None were better than Sarah versus Zondra in the circle, however. Not only was this an awesome fight in which both ladies thought the other was a trader, but it was also extremely hot.  Maybe the short gym shorts do it for me, but this was definitely one of my favorite Chuck girl on girl fights… and there have been many.

Heart
I don’t care how understated and sweet it was to allow Chuck’s proposal from two weeks ago to go down in silence from thirty feet away, it could never make my allergies act up like Sarah’s proposal to Ellie did this week. The build up to this moment was perfect. They started with a short heart to heart earlier in the episode, which set things up nicely for when they got back together at the end.

As soon as Sarah began to ask the question, for some reason it got really dusty around me.  I knew what she was going to ask, and when it came out of her mouth it was like somebody opened up the flood gates. With Sarah’s family out of the picture, and no one from the Cat Squad good enough, Ellie was the obvious choice for maid of honor.  That didn’t make it any less fantastic when Sarah made that decision.  A budding relationship between these two could really create a nice new dynamic for the show.

Then there was the saga of the bearded wonder.  Like I noted earlier, Morgan didn’t create much laughter, but he was busy keeping his girlfriend.  Honestly, if you had told me in season one that Morgan would have two hot girls fighting over him, I would have said you were crazy.

That is the beauty of Chuck: the nerds get the girls, and it gives hope to the rest of the nerds out there.  Carina’s antics kept getting in the way of Morgan and Alex, but I was extremely pleased that Morgan never once thought about straying. When the bearded one finally got to tell his girlfriend that he “loves her loves her,” it was another fabulously sweet moment. If this thing with Morgan and Alex lasts, it means John Casey is the only one left to find his soul mate.

I can’t wait for next season when we watch him fall deeply in love, outpouring emotion episode after episode. On second thought… nahhhh. That’s not Casey.

Moving Forward
With the engagement party having come and gone, I definitely can see wedding bells in the near future. Is that the season finale we are leading up to?  They have done a wedding for a finale in the past, so might they not want to repeat themselves? I’m okay with the repetition if it means we get to witness another ridiculous Chuck wedding with an inappropriate Jeffster! performance.

So what do you expect on the next episode?

You can check other Chuck Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

Hey guys, we got some interesting interview statements for you to sort out. I don’t think what Krinsky means on this one but definitely there is a minor spoiler in it. Read below to know the same.

Scott Krinsky shared a minor spoiler with the TV Guide Magazine on Chuck and Sarah:

“I could imagine that if Chuck and Sarah were to get married, how could you not find a way to include Jeffster in that, right? If the wedding happens, there’s probably a good possibility that he’ll be booked as the wedding band.”

So what do you think of this spoiler?

You can check other Chuck Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

Hail John in this episode! He really made a difference. John Larroquette’s return to Chuck as super spy Roan Montgomery in “Chuck Versus the Seduction Impossible” was a nice way of coming back strong after last week’s finale-like masterpiece.

According to TV Fanatic, there was only a bit of action, but plenty of laughs and heart. So after you apologize for the accidental touching in the changing space, let’s take a look at what went down with the Chuck Triple Threat on this week’s episode.

Action
The missions in “Chuck Versus the Seduction Impossible,” which gave Chuck, Sarah and Casey their much-needed break from the rest of the extended Bartowski family, seemed to be handled without that many problems.  A couple of tranqs saved Roan the first time around, while some shots by Casey from behind a wall and a gigantic bazooka shot from General Beckman saved the day for everyone in round two.

And how about Diane Beckman doing her thing this week?  Not only was it nice to see her helping out Chuck, Sarah and Casey in the field, but she made it clear that she was just as unprepared to settle down as Roan… and she was a dirty blonde back in the eighties!

Which brings me to my first note of comedy from the episode…

Comedy
Roan finishes his long story about him and General Beckman in the past, and Chuck’s first and only response is “Beckman was a dirty blonde?” Classic!  I mean, Chuck really was on his game this week, as he also apologized for the accidental touching, unintentionally referred to Sarah as a ball and chain, and had an extremely difficult time saying no to water or pliers when Sarah offered them to him.

Without Lester, Jeff, and Big Mike, it was up to Morgan and Casey to pick up the slack in the comedy department. Although there weren’t as many laughs as usual, Morgan still made my night by asking “Is she trying to kill me?” and “Who’s gonna be the best man?” when finding out about Sarah wanting to elope with Chuck.

And then there was Casey attempting to seduce the female guard – that is, until he called her fat, which forced him to go with the old “tranq and explode” strategy that Roan suggested in the first place.

Heart
This week’s Chuck and Sarah predicament focused on Sarah wanting to elope and Chuck feelings differently  After thinking it mostly had to do with Chuck’s family being so obnoxious, it came to the forefront that it was really about the fact that Sarah has no family. That was definitely a sad moment.  Which brings me to my next question: what is going to happen if they have a real wedding in Burbank?

Is Gary Cole going to come back to walk Sarah down the aisle? If that doesn’t happen, I assume John Casey would gladly step in as make-shift daddy.  I wouldn’t be disappointed with either of those scenarios.

Then we had Mama Bartowski, hanging around as the world’s best grandma. You see, this is the kind of action I needed to see from Linda Hamilton in order to get me to care about what happened to Mama B in the previous few episodes.  If she had been even remotely as caring as this in the past, maybe I would have given a crap whether or not she was saved from Volkoff’s clutches.  Anyway, I’m glad to see her taking an interest in baby Clara, even if Ellie is going to take away most of her duties as caregiver.

Moving Forward
So where does Mama Bartowski go from here?  Is Linda Hamilton going to stick around as a regular grandma?  I don’t see that happening.  I assume she needs to either head back into the field… or die.  Yeah, I said it.  It’s kind of a waste to just have her in five minutes of an episode here and there, taking care of her grandbaby.

Before I sign off here, let us take a minute to thank Yvonne Strahovski for that belly dance. Wow.

Any comment on this episode?

You can check other Chuck Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

Next week on Chuck, there will be a new mission. So what about it? TV Line has a scoop.

In addition there will also be additional guest that will surely make the succeeding episodes interesting and exciting.

How will previously-announced guest star Robin Given play into them? Producer Chris Fedak tackled this question, among others, in a new interview with TV Line. Regarding Mike Tyson’s ex-wife, he said:

She comes into our story in episode 16 and she very much speaks to the mythology of the show. After episode 14 and 15, which are both really fun standalone episodes, we bring back the mythology and what’s happening inside the bigger Volkolff arc  – and Robin’s character factors into that.

She plays a kind of a foil of sorts to Chuck. But she also knows a lot of things that Chuck doesn’t know. She also has a lot of secrets that are even kept from Gen. Beckman. So it’s an interesting deepening of the spy world.

Lauren Cohan will also show up on episode 16, possibly as Volkoff’s daughter.

Any reactions guys?

You can check other Chuck Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

There are lots of events that occurred in Chuck and I know you are all excited to know more on what will happen next or who will be the next guests and mainstays. Read below the spoiler from Zap2it.

Despite the events of “Chuck Versus the Push Mix,” viewers have not heard the last from Volkoff.

Producer Chris Fedak has broken the wonderful news to Zap2It that veteran actor Ray Wise will guest star later this season as the evil mastermind’s attorney.

As you can guess from this tidbit, Timothy Dalton will also return as Volkoff himself later this season. Fedak says he hopes the actor can reprise the role on “multiple episodes.”

Look for Wise to appear on season’s 16th episode, “Chuck vs. the Masquerade.” This will also feature the debuts of Lauren Cohan and Robin Givens.

Any reaction with this development?

You can check other Chuck Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

Good thing it comes when I needed most it.

On the heels of ABC announcing plans for a Charlie’s Angels remake this fall, Chuck producer Chris Fedak says his show is about to “pay homage” to this classic series.

On February 14, look for Mini Anden to reprise her role as Sarah’s former spy pal, Carina Miller. She won’t arrive on the scene alone, either, as Fedak tells Michael Ausiello viewers can expect “a wild bunch” when Mercedes Masöhn and Mircea Monroe also guest star and form “The Cat Squad.”

Elsewhere: Isaiah Mustafa and Stacy Keibler will return later this season as Greta, as Fedak promises the series “will explain what the whole Greta thing is about.”

So do you like this spoiler?

You can check other Chuck Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

There are rumors before that “Chuck Versus the Push Mix” will be the season 4 finale episode. But NBC says otherwise as it confirmed a 24 episodes season 4! So what happened on episode 13?

TV Fanatic: Creator Josh Schwartz Tweeted fans that this was “the episode you’ve been waiting for.”  He said “the last 5 mins of episode 13 are the best 5 mins CHUCK has ever done.” Needless to say, my expectations were extremely high. However, because of all the hype, I was a little disappointed.

If this had actually played out as the series finale, I would have been much happier with it.  Everything wrapped up nicely and all of our favorite characters finished the hour healthy and happy.

Between Mama B being there for the birth of Baby Awesome, the emotionally stable new family of Casey, Alex and Morgan, and Chuck’s quiet and successful proposal to Sarah, it should have been making me cry like a baby.  Regretfully, I wasn’t nearly as Schwartz assumed I would be.  Here are a couple reasons why:

Although this hypothetical 13 episode season brought positives – like the lack of filler eps – it also did rush things a bit.  One of the main storylines of this stretch was saving Mama Bartowski from the clutches of the evil Volkoff, but I never got into it.  We only just met Mary 12 episodes ago, and I haven’t had the chance to get to know her well enough to care about her well-being.

Then again, maybe the problem wasn’t the fact that things went too quickly, but rather that I did not enjoy the character, or the way Linda Hamilton was playing her.  Hamilton sure has been a stoic figure since joining the show in this fourth season’s premiere, but not once has she made me feel bad for the fact that Mary’s been away from her family for all of these years.

And I know that it’s possible to be a hardcore spy with a hard exterior and still open up to your fellow characters and the audience.  Case and point: John Casey and Sarah Walker.

So when Mama B was the one chosen to join Ellie and Awesome in the delivery room for the birth of baby Claire, I didn’t think “awww.”  I kind of thought, “why does this lady deserve to even be around for this?”

Also not living up to the hype was the final moments with Chuck and Sarah.  While the audio of the floor buffer leading to pure silence at the end of the episode was truly fantastic, the video it was overlaying didn’t do much in terms of heart.  Sure, it was nice to see Chuck finally propose to the woman he loves, but that isn’t as big of a deal as some other milestones in this relationship.  When they first got together and we saw them smiling and in love; that was breathtaking.  Even when we first realized Sarah liked Chuck in that way; that was fantastic.

These two adults moving their serious relationship into engagement?  Not so much.

What did work extremely well at the end was the love that was going on between Casey, his daughter, and his daughter’s boyfriend.  Since Alex first came on the scene, everything between her and Casey has been played beautifully by everyone involved.  The more time Casey has spent with her, the more in touch with his feelings he has become, and that growth has been fantastic to watch.  For Morgan to now be there every step of the way just makes it that much more glorious.

Of course, “Chuck Versus the Push Mix” wasn’t all about the final act, so let’s take a look at what else worked or didn’t work from the episode.

Chuck’s master plan to take down Volkoff was just great to watch.  From the early moments of him and Morgan plotting it out on the cork board with office supplies, to not thinking things were going his way in the middle of it, to him quietly waiting for the evil do-er in the dark cabin of his father… Chuck was certainly on his game.

How much has this dude grown as a human being in four seasons?  In every facet of his life he has become a stud, and capturing Volkoff and the Hydra certainly make him worthy of some admiration. Oh, and a chopper!

I wasn’t surprised, but a bit disappointed, that Volkoff hadn’t suspected any wrong doing by Frost this entire time.  I wanted to respect this guy as an evil mastermind.  Instead, I will respect him as an aloof evil boss with a sensitive side and a love for ice cream.  Seriously, stealth weapons and an ice cream parlor?  What else could you ask for on a huge ship like the Contessa?  When the camera cut to him with his henchmen and he was chowing down on a double scoop of chocolate and vanilla, I absolutely lost it.

What didn’t work was my favorite fictional band of all time. This was the first time that I was truly unimpressed by a Jeffster! performance.  Not only did I not enjoy the song choice (obvious and bad), but they didn’t show nearly enough drama. Although it did get them kicked out of the hospital, I didn’t feel it was the true essence of Jeffster!

Ok, this is a good episode but not a series finale material. Good thing they did not end the season with this episode?

What do you think?

You can check other Chuck Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

The 12th episode of Chuck is another great episode. I mean this is a typical Chuck episode and I like it.

TV Fanatic shares their insights on “Chuck Versus the Gobbler.” Draped in leather, wearing a jet black wig and sunglasses, this was not the blonde, orange mini skirt-donning, ice cream scooper we knew from a couple of seasons ago.

Sarah was attempting to convince Volkoff that she had turned bad this week, and while that may have proved to be easier than one might imagine, it involved tearing herself away from Chuck.  This was not an easy task for Agent Walker.

While some have complained that Chuck and Sarah have never been able to just be happy, I ask: who wants to watch that?  Chuck has done a good job lately of keeping conflict between our romantic heroes, yet not making any of it seem stale.

Sarah is undercover in Volkoff Industries and, therefore, has to stay away from Chuck.  Mama B explains that keeping her distance from Chuck will make things easier, so Sarah declines to read Charles’s text message near the end of the episode.  The fact that we know how much Sarah misses Chuck makes the fact that she hits that decline button so much more of a gut punch.

Before we ponder what may lie ahead for our favorite CIA agents, let’s take a look at what we got out of the Chuck Triple Threat this week.

Action
We should begin with the epic fight between Sarah and Casey. That second fall from the platform looked like a doozy for Casey, and seeing him so helpless in that hospital bed was a new experience.  It’s not often that a character has any physical repercussions for all of the trouble he/she gets into.  This latest injury might make the stakes seem a little more real in the future.  If Casey is up and at ’em in the next  episode, I will be angry.

There was also the nice moment when Sarah took out Volkoff’s three guards like they were standing still, which they were.  Chuck got in on things when he took out The Gobbler after a long struggle at the prison.  Now, I understand that The Intersect allows Chuck to be able to fight like a pro, but it shouldn’t make him more tolerable to pain.

This huge dude’s punches would’ve knocked him out in season one.  Is it normal for Chuck to have gained this much tolerance?  And, finally, we had Volkoff just flat out shoot The Gobbler in the head for disappointing him.  I did not see that coming!  It was shades of Emmett Milbarge getting mirked in the face a couple seasons ago.

Comedy
There weren’t many one-liners this week from the Buy Morons, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t make that scene count.  It was nice to get Awesome and Ellie back for the first time in 2011, and Awesome’s plan to get Ellie off of the name Grunka for their baby was, in a word, awesome!

Which would turn you off to the name more: Lester losing his virginity to a Grunka?  There being a serial killer named Grunka?  Or Jeff simply liking the name Grunka?  I’m going with Lester.

Of course, Morgan had his moments.  Some of my favorites included him practicing his tough guy voice; telling Casey that his daughter was wearing Morgan’s t-shirt because it’s cold and sometimes they have “shirt parties;” all of his antics at the faux birthday party for the security guard; and his introduction of Chuck as a “real killer” at the prison.

Heart
Like I noted at the beginning of the review, this episode’s heartfelt moments began and ended with Sarah and Chuck being so close, but having to be so far away for now.  My favorite was the both sweet and hilarious moment that Chuck told Sarah he loved her, kissed his finger, and then placed it on Sarah’s cheek.  Him immediately asking “Was that weird? That whole finger kissy thingy?” had me bursting out in laughter, but it was very sweet.

This Volkoff guy is really growing on me.  He may be the evil bad guy, but he is also a romantic sap, and I like that combination.  This week, he explained that he loves paintings, poetry, and the art of massage, before begging Mama B to have dinner, lunch, breakfast, or a bit of cake with him.  He is a sucker for the ladies, and hopefully it will help Sarah get Mama B out of there for good one of these days.

Moving Forward
So Sarah is in now. Volkoff buys that she’s turned on the CIA, right?  Or does he?  I never questioned that he would let Sarah into the fold this easily, but I did a double take when he so quickly allowed her to see everything in the Hydra eyeball.  After he demolished it and downloaded it to a more secure location, I’m back to thinking maybe he doesn’t trust her after all.

Do do you like the 12th episode?

You can check other Chuck Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

Welcome back Chuck! Indeed, the TV series came back with a bang! So what you are waiting for? Read below and see what happened!

TV Fanatic: A multi-week layoff didn’t affect “Chuck Versus the Balcony” too much, as the episode was filled with everything you could ask for, including Morgan acting as a double agent, a couple of preempted marriage proposals and another fantastic musical performance by Jeffster!

Let’s get right to the Chuck Triple Threat, which was in full force this week.

Action
The episode started right away – with no “previously on” segment – following an operative being chased down to a wine cellar in France.  It was a nice bit of action that set up for story. The same basement was where we were able to witness Sarah take out her fair share of French bad guys in order to save Casey.  However, it was her stumbling drunk act that was the best part.

Chuck got in on the action, as well, taking out Pierre and friends on two separate occasions.  The first, my personal favorite, was when he knocked them out cold in slow motion.  Super spy kicks are one thing, but doing it all while managing to not spill your vino?  Fantastic stuff.  He then finished the job on the balcony with a variety of wall moves. Not as sweet as catching a wine glass on the back side of your hand, but still pretty cool.

Comedy
The laughs started early in this one, with Sarah telling the story of her parents’ disastrous proposal.  As she explained everything that went wrong, it was obvious that Chuck had been planning the exact same thing. Watching him squirm put a big smile on my face.  But when Chuck got outside and Morgan was waiting for him with flowers, balloons, and a top hat, that was when I knew we were in for quite a night of hilarity.

The B story this week, starring the Buy More crew, was equally humorous. The plot of having someone not want an arranged marriage, but then changing his mind when he finds out his arranged bride to be is hot, has been done to death, but that didn’t make it any less funny to watch Lester go through it.

Between Big Mike telling Lester that the “three fours” he met online equal a 12, Lester waxing on about the traditional methods of his Canadian family, and that ridiculous tent Lester put together, it was a glorious side plot.  Seriously, what was your favorite part of Lester’s traditionalist cave?  I can’t decide between Jeff wearing a toga and playing whatever that instrument was, or the wide array of décor Lester came up with (flat screen TVs, Canadian flags, and menorahs).

And, yes, there was plenty of other moments that had me nearing a knee slap.  To name two: the triumphant return of Jeffster! and Lester’s leather outfit.  I mean, how could his arranged wife not go for him while wearing that?  There was also when the bride to be told Lester that watching his  performance was “the most uncomfortable five minutes of my life.”  And there was also Chuck’s English accent in which he called Casey “John John.”

Heart
We were treated Chuck attempting to propose to Sarah. After finding out about her parents disaster of a proposal, Morgan came up with the idea of doing it while they were in France.  Watching Morgan quarterback this like it was a mission was just fantastic.  Watching Sarah take control of Chuck’s proposal through Morgan was even better.  But watching Sarah get nervous for the first time in her life, and then seeing our favorite spy couple confess their love for each other in front of the full moon on that balcony, was absolute bliss for a fan of this show.

So when the CIA came in and ruined the entire thing, I cannot say that I have been much angrier at a TV screen.  I definitely yelled out loud as they took Sarah away for treason.

Moving Forward
While the long-running plot of Mama Bartowski and Volkoff was sidelined for most of this episode, they did a good job of keeping us involved, as the ending teased us about what’s ahead.  Will Sarah going undercover for Volkoff work out as planned?  Of course not.  But it should make things interesting for both our favorite Burbank spies and us, the fans.

You can check other Chuck Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

Episode Reviews:

• Episode 24 Finale: Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger
• Episode 23: Chuck Versus the Last Details
• Episode 22: Chuck Versus Agent X
• Episode 21
• Episode 20
• Episode 19
• Episode 18
• Episode 17
• Episode 16
• Episode 15
• Episode 14
• Episode 13
• Episode 12
• Episode 11
• Episode 10
• Episode 9
• Episode 8
• Episode 7
• Episode 6
• Episode 5
• Episode 4
• Episode 3
• Episode 2
• Episode 1