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[Cornballer]

Chuck Day!

Enjoy the episode!

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Timothy Dalton's back! Awesome.

 

[celebi23]

Yvonne Night!

 

[DJ_Lae]

I finally finished ripping my entire Chuck collection so I can stream it to my TV, and I've been going through the first season again (on the second last episode).

It's aged pretty well, and is much more enjoyable to watch than the third season. It's not as good as the second, and I can't really peg single episodes as stellar, but it's a solid season.

The oddest thing, probably, is how subdued Jeff & Lester are in the first season.

 

[celebi23]

Hah! "Do you have Uno?"

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Volkoff wanting to make amends to everybody is so funny

 

[WascallyWabbit]

Good episode, liked the beginning more than the end, but still solid. Vivian Volkoff's accent is hot...

So excited for next week

Spoiler

the return of Sarah's dad!

Also, after Sarah and Casey's talk on the mountains

Spoiler

does anyone else think that Sarah's mom is some kind of cop? It seems they were hinting heavily at the

 

[Apoc29]

I liked seeing Dalton again, but I'm not particularly excited about Vivian being the villain now. I hope that as long as she's on the show, Dalton will be too.

I'm not sure how Ellie's making so much progress with the computer; either she's suddenly become smarter than the CIA hackers or her father has tailor-made it to be easier for just her. I don't even know what the nature of her "work" is, whether it's solving riddles or translating binary code. It's all very sketchy how this is being played out.

 

[Screaming_Gremlin]

I'm not sure how Ellie's making so much progress with the computer; either she's suddenly become smarter than the CIA hackers or her father has tailor-made it to be easier for just her.

Fairly certain it is that last part. I think his laptop in the past seems to be fairly advanced when it comes to biometric security.

As for the episode I enjoyed it for the most part. It was nice to see Dalton on the show again, especially when he doesn't have to be evil, at least not for the full episode.

- Morgan and Casey being completely in sync was pretty hilarious. I am somewhat surprised they are actually bringing up Alex's mom again, especially after they decided not to go anywhere with it last time.

- The Chuck/Sarah pre-nup storyline was pretty stupid, but it was surprisingly downplayed for most of the episode, which is a plus... I guess.

- As I said earlier, I am really glad that Dalton was back, since I think he has been the highlight of this season (along with Morgan). I am not sure if I like making Vivian the main villain, since I don't think she has any chance of living up to Dalton, but I guess I will see where they go with it. I have to admit I was actually sort of surprised she tried to kill him as well.

- The fact that the game of Uno wasn't just an end of act one liner was amazing.

- Sort of curious who Agent-X is supposed to be and where they are going with that storyline. I doubt it is Chuck and I assume it isn't going to be a newly introduced character. Maybe it is actually supposed to be Ellie? Although that doesn't seem to make sense if Volkoff apparently saw whoever it is as a threat. Maybe Papa Bartowski cloned himself days before he was killed.

- Sort of curious who Sarah's mom is supposed to be, so hopefully we actually get an answer for that this season.

- As for the Ellie/Chuck, that is another storyline I can't say I have developed any interest in at all.

Can't wait for the guest star next week, even if the plot seems sort of stupid from the preview.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

What in the dang? Strahovski on collegehumor.com with "Three Pop Stars, One Song". *marginally NSFW*

Eh. Could have been better. Could have been worse.

 

[Wads]

I'm not sure why Chuck just didn't call her on the lie...

 

[Incendiary]

Dalton made this episode, aside from him the best part was the Uno game. I really expected it to be a throwaway gag and then seeing the two playing high-stakes Uno afterwards was awesome.

I'm still hoping to have Timothy Dalton and Ray Wise on the same screen either facing off or being super evil together. I don't know if Ray Wise is scheduled to be in any more episodes, but I really hope so.

I hope Agent X is a new character. If we go into a season 5, it would be cool to add another recurring character to the mix. The only other acceptable Agent X in my opinion would be Zombie Bryce.

 

[Rokam]

Clearly Morgan is Agent X and they're going to give us a Morgan and Casey spin off.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Dalton made this episode, aside from him the best part was the Uno game. I really expected it to be a throwaway gag and then seeing the two playing high-stakes Uno afterwards was awesome.

I'm still hoping to have Timothy Dalton and Ray Wise on the same screen either facing off or being super evil together. I don't know if Ray Wise is scheduled to be in any more episodes, but I really hope so.

I hope Agent X is a new character. If we go into a season 5, it would be cool to add another recurring character to the mix. The only other acceptable Agent X in my opinion would be Zombie Bryce.

Ray Wise planning a hostile takeover and running into an escaped Volkoff would be awesome.

 

[Captain Blood]

The SOIAF reference in the beginning made the episode for me. haha

 

[Cornballer]

Solid episode. It felt a little scattered, but they covered a lot of ground. (I feel like I've been saying that a lot this season.) I'm not quite buying Vivian as evil yet. Even with S3's problems, the build up towards Shaw being a bad guy worked very well. Vivian still lacks some depth as a villain. Dalton was hilarious - I love that they just let him cut loose and go to work as a comedian. Good times. The stuff with Ellie was a little silly, but it really ramped up at the end with the lie. Nice scene for Chuck there. Anyway, I'm still excited for the last few episodes of this season - bring it on.

 

[Cornballer]

Reviews:
- Sepinwall
- Onion A|V Club

- Promo for next week's episode

The SOIAF reference in the beginning made the episode for me. haha

Yeah, I got a good laugh out of that. Such a Chuck response to that scene, too.

 

[roosters93]

Clearly Morgan is Agent X and they're going to give us a Morgan and Casey spin off.

Haha awesome

 

[jey_16]

Solid episode....I liked the whole "be cool" angle for chuck. They are setting it up for a massive cliffhanger

 

[Dooraven]

Really liked this episode. Fantastic Return from break.
Uno part was awesome and so was Volkoff's monologue to the Somalian.

The SOIAF reference in the beginning made the episode for me. haha

Song of Ice and Fire reference? Must have completely missed that, what was it?

 

[Zod the Bear]

Song of Ice and Fire reference? Must have completely missed that, what was it?

I had to rewind to catch it. While reading a book says,

Spoiler

"Eddard, you don't let your kids keep a direwolf. That's a terrible idea."

Then Sarah prenup stuff.

Copied from Cornballer in the GoT thread, as I don't remember wording.

 

[Dooraven]

Thanks, yep I did completely miss that .

 

[Vanillalite]

Started strong with the Martin reference and the Casey Morgan thing. IDK I sort of fell off with this one half way through though. Just wasn't totally feeling it. I think my biggest problem is Vivian Volkoff just doesn't come off as a good character in any way to me. Just not a fan of her character or how it's being portrayed and taken along. Dalton as Volkoff was so great that obviously anything else might feel like a step down, but IDK she just doesn't come off as believable to me.

Plus while she did try and kill the team by blowing up part of Castle, she just feels disconnected where as the other bad guys so far in all 4 seasons of Chuck all had more personal connections to the main reoccurring cast so it felt like more was on the line. That it was personal on some level persay.

PS: You knew Chuck was gonna puss out at the end. While Chuck might be more normal and out going than some of the rest of the buy more crew he's not exactly Mr. Self Assured even if he is one of the world's greatest super spies.

 

[BJK]

Ray Wise planning a hostile takeover and running into an escaped Volkoff would be awesome.

I enjoyed the first half of the episode more, because I thought they were making it look like some 3rd party was shooting at Vivian to make her think the U.S. was trying to take her out. (I was hoping it would be an excuse to bring Wise back.)


As-is, the idea of her turning into some sort of super-villain is a bit too muddled for my liking. (To the show's credit, the episode was only co-written by Nicholas Wooten....so I'm not surprised I liked it more than his solo-written ep's.)

Sidenote: Not sold on Vivian the villain, but Lauren Cohen is incredibly attractive (even when sharing screen time with Yvonne). Been meaning to say that for a few episodes now, actually.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

I thought it was a solid, if not great episode. Enjoyed it for what it was, and Dalton being back was good. Mostly it felt like a transition episode for future things, which isn't a bad thing. I like it when Chuck lays down the groundwork for something down the line.

Next week is going to be awesome though.

 

[Cornballer]

Streams:
- NBC.com
- Hulu

 

[Ceebs]

The finale's conflict I think is pretty obvious at this point. That DNA weapon will be targeting Agent X who will have Bartowski DNA threatening to wipe out the entire clan.

 

[Cornballer]

Reviews:
- Sepinwall
- Onion A|V Club
- TV Squad
- Zap2It

Additional vids:
- E! News Behind the Scenes of Chuck 4.20 "Chuck Versus The Family Volkoff"
- Slightly better copy of the promo for next week's episode

 

[WascallyWabbit]

I thought i read in an interview (most likely linked from this thread) somewhere with Fedak that mama Walker wouldn't be showing up this season, can anyone else confirm, or am i remembering wrong?

 

[Cornballer]

I thought i read in an interview (most likely linked from this thread) somewhere with Fedak that mama Walker wouldn't be showing up this season, can anyone else confirm, or am i remembering wrong?

Fedak discusses it here. Note: there are a few spoilers for this season in the article.

 

[gdt]

I loved it. I was constantly cracking up. Dalton is just too good.

 

[WascallyWabbit]

Fedak discusses it here. Note: there are a few spoilers for this season in the article.

thank you, good sir

 

[Cornballer]

Ugh. Terrible numbers last night.

NBC’s Chuck fell to a series low 1.3 adults 18-49 rating on Monday night, and the re-premiere of Law & Order: Los Angeles stumbled badly, drawing just a 1.5 rating for its two hour special.

Josh Schwartz says:

So maybe you didn't know it was a new episode... Right?

Very simple: 4 more episodes left. You all watch em = good things happen. You don't and... Well you all will.

Sepinwall's take from yesterday's review:

If the show can ge back close to a 2.0 rating among adults 18-49, I imagine it'll come back for a fifth (and presumably final) year. If the numbers keep hovering around a 1.7 or, God forbid, a 1.5, then it'll be hard for NBC to justify renewal, even at the reduced post-season 2 price.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

Terrible numbers are not surprising. I saw almost no advertising for the show, and no one I knew had any clue it was back last night. I expect Fringe to be down this week as well. These hiatuses kill ratings.

 

[Seth C]

1.3? Yeah, nice knowing you guys. Enjoy the last 4 episodes.

 

[Screaming_Gremlin]

Terrible numbers are not surprising. I saw almost no advertising for the show, and no one I knew had any clue it was back last night. I expect Fringe to be down this week as well. These hiatuses kill ratings.

It had a 1.5 last week with a repeat, so at least that many people should have known it was a new episode. I can't imagine at this point there is any way we are getting a new season barring WB decides just to give the episodes to NBC for free.

 

[Cornballer]

The only slight positive is that just about everything was down last night, but a 1.3 is still far too low.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

Ugh. Terrible numbers last night.
Josh Schwartz says:
Sepinwall's take from yesterday's review:

Holy crap.

 

[Solo]

Im fine with it ending. We've gotten 3 more seasons then we ever should have from a ratings standpoint, and creatively, the show peaked long ago. 4 more episodes works for me.

Will be watching yesterday's episode some time today.

 

[Screaming_Gremlin]

Im fine with it ending. We've gotten 3 more seasons then we ever should have from a ratings standpoint, and creatively, the show peaked long ago. 4 more episodes works for me.

I am sort of in agreement with this and weirdly this isn't bugging me as much as I thought it would. Still, ending on a cliffhanger is going to annoy me. Although I will blame Fedak and Schwartz for that more than NBC. They have gone through 2 seasons in a row of barely scraping by yet they still insist on ending the season without any sort of closure.

 

[Seth C]

I am sort of in agreement with this and weirdly this isn't bugging me as much as I thought it would. Still, when this season ends on a cliffhanger it is really going to bug me. Although I will blame Fedak and Schwartz for that more than NBC. They have gone through 2 seasons in a row of barely scraping by yet they still insist on ending the season without any sort of closure.

I'm fine with the show ending, aside from that. Hopefully we will get lucky and they will throw us a bone and give them a 6 episode closure, or even just a 2 hour series finale. I don't know. Something.

 

[gdt]

Boy, that is a terrible number.

And yeah, I'm fine if it ends.

 

[Sir Garbageman]

I am sort of in agreement with this and weirdly this isn't bugging me as much as I thought it would. Still, ending on a cliffhanger is going to annoy me. Although I will blame Fedak and Schwartz for that more than NBC. They have gone through 2 seasons in a row of barely scraping by yet they still insist on ending the season without any sort of closure.

I agree with this on all counts.

 

[Arjen]

Decent episode, Dalton was awesome as always, and the scene with Casey and Morgan at breakfast was great.
Also nice to have an continueing story arc again, curious who this agent x wil turn out to be.

 

[Captain Blood]

Yikes those numbers are rough. Would it kill them to throw a couple ads out there to let people know the show is coming back. I would bet money that if the show had continued as scheduled without taking all these dumb breaks we would still be seeing the consistent 1.7+

 

[Domino Theory]

Yeah this show's getting cancelled. What a shame, I love Chuck and it's my first time watching it live as it airs on TV. Looks like it's my last.

This is what happens when you take so many stupid fucking pointless breaks and don't notify people of when it's coming back.

And if Chuck's ratings have been declining for a few seasons now, why has it stayed at its time-slot? You'd think they'd take a hint at some point and realize they might need to move it to another day/time.

 

[threenote]

Stupid NBC. Actually, every channel is killing their shows, these hiatuses are ruining shows (see: Desperate Housewives).

 

[jey_16]

1.3.....yikes, there is no way it's getting renewed

 

[Hasphat'sAnts]

I'll just assume the show ended on Vs. The Push Mix. Perfect ending to the series.

Pisses me off to no end they're ending the show on a cliffhanger. Can't blame them for Season 2, but this time, really?

 

[DuckRacer]

Vivian's development as a villain has been absolutely horrible. We're introduced to her as someone who doesn't know (nor care) about her father at all, and wants no part in his dealings. Then in her next episode, she helps out Chuck and co. in order to speak to her father for a few minutes. Of course, that doesn't happen. She's angry about being "lied" to, but to the point of ordering a hit on Chuck and the rest of Castle? Then we find out she's rebuilding Volkoff's business, and personally seeking out highly critical weapons. All in a short period of time, all because she was lied to. I know the writers want to keep the Volkoff storyline going, but how ham-fisted can you get?