Chuck Vs The Couch Lock

Weekend at Bernie’s Casey’s!

Photo by: Michael Ansell/NBC

 This week saw a very Casey-centric episode; filling in a little more of his past while having the character grow a little more by the end of it.

 Serious kudos should go to all involved, especially Adam Baldwin who was able to convey so much whilst doing so little. I didn’t think it would be possible to emote whilst paralysed on a couch and wearing a Stormtrooper helmet, but he managed it!

 Who could fail to love Morgan in this episode? There is a real hero beneath that Halo-playing, beardy exterior, and I think that Casey has recognized that.

 Despite having nothing to prove to anyone, he risked his life to save his friends, thus proving his bravery. Well, as the saying goes, he’s either mighty brave or mighty stupid, and sometimes I think it’s a bit of both, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Okay, so maybe part of his selfless act stemmed from the fact that he wanted to help find Casey and was sent packing back to the Buy More, but over all, Morgan has manned-up enormously since the first season.

 The relationship between Alex and Morgan should be interesting to see over the course of the rest of this season, and just how closely Casey keeps tabs on them. Despite giving his blessing (although not without warning) and having warmed to Morgan a little more in this episode, I don't think Casey will let him far out of his sight when it come to dating his daughter.

 Jeff and Lester managed to sink further down into the social gutter. We knew that Jeff has some substance issues, but Lester? I thought he was the one that was supposed to be keeping Jeff as close to the straight and narrow as is possible for someone that messed up.

 As a former player of Magic: The Gathering, I did like the reference, although I'm not sure I'd be up for an evening playing it with Jeffster. Also we had the amusing notion that Casey can detect Jeff and Lester by smell. Either of them are the man your man could smell like, if he’s not careful!

 We had the strongest 'indication' that Chuck’s mother might be playing for the other side. No, not in that way! I mean that she’s working with the bad guys, or at least working for them. The fact that Casey's A-Team flat out told Chuck and Sarah that Frost was their boss and Volkoff's right hand, to which Chuck voices his concern that his mom might be one of the bad guys was a little clichéd but I can't really fault the writing.

 There was also the cliché of Chuck telling Sarah that he was going to stop searching for his mom, followed by the phone call from her. It should be interesting to see what she has to say for herself next week.

 It must be something about the new writers coming in, with one minor exception; all of them have absolutely nailed it. Possibly because they have come in during the shows run, as opposed to those who started with the show, they have the benefit of having an outside perspective. It’s kinda like the best possible fan-fiction making it to the screen, all within the confines of an ongoing plot.

 Lovely pop-culture references sprinkled throughout the episode, including the A-Team shout out, which just had to be done.

 One point I would bring up is that if the vault with the gold had been sealed for 10 years, how come they'd not figured out another way of getting the gold out, other than using Casey's cold dead hand? Just a thought.

  As always, I recommend checking out the latest ChuckYouTuesday podcast – just click the link to the Chuckgasmic blog in the side bar, but please remember it contains strong language.

 Next week: Chuck Vs The Aisle of Terror which guest starts Freddie Krueger himself – Robert Englund. After this weeks’ cliffhanger ending, it should be a good one!

Extra: It has been announced that Chuck has been picked up for a full season with an extra 11 episodes ordered!