Chuck - Season Four (1 Viewer)

[Greg_S_H]

Adam, if your spoiler says S and C are going to break up, I reserve the right as a Chuck fanboy to say it is not boring and is the greatest development of all time. Really, though, in case this is the last season, let it end off happily.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

No worries, Greg! Nothing to do with Sarah and Chuck at all. Just a bit of casting info and a plot tease to let Dave know that wedding planning and apartment hunts aren't all that's in store for our protagonist through the rest of this season.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Thanks, Adam. You read my mind. It was kind of worrying me and I was going to have to look if you hadn't said something.

 

[Jeremiah]

OK, I must have missed an episode or 2 because I have no idea what happen to Dalton and Hamilton. Would anyone be so kind as to fill me in?

 

[DaveF]

Here's what you missed

Volkoff was captured. Frost, Chuck's mom, was freed from her double-agent thing under Volkoff. She spent quality time with her granddaughter, and then left to parts unknown. Chuck proposed to Sarah, and she's been freaking out over the wedding plans. Morgan feels like a third wheel in the house with C&S, so left and is living at home, then the BuyMore, while apartment hunting. Casey has been recruited into some new super-secret effort being constructed in Castle, unbeknownst to everyone else, except Morgan who tumbled to it by accident.

 

[Greg_S_H]

You really need to watch Chuck vs. the Push Mix. It answers most questions you might have and is one of the best episodes in the entire run. But basically, Chuck came up with a plan that led to Volkoff's arrest, and Mary went back to being a spy (because they can't afford Hamilton as a secondary character every episode). She'll probably be back for the finale.

 

[DaveF]

If that's one where Volkoff is captured, I agree it's about the best, most satisfying episode this season. In fact, it would have been a good season closer.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I'm glad they're getting to the heart of the Intersect, and I liked that they showcased why it's not enough to simply plug it into a standard issue agent's brain. Chuck's geekiness and science background provide context for the information stored in the Intersect that makes it infinitely more useable. I also liked the hints that Robin Givens's character pulled rank on General Beckman, and Beckman mounted a strategic retreat until she had leverage to move.


It was also a good episode to showcase how far Casey has evolved over the course of the show. He was pretty much just like the Gretas when the show began. He's better at his job as a result of working with Chuck.

 

[Greg_S_H]

It also deepened the heroism of our lead to have Old Spice acknowledge what a burden having the Intersect is every moment of the day. Chuck lives with that with little complaint.

 

[Jacinto]

The burden of the Intersect aside, I was under the impression that most people's brains just can't handle the intersect, based on several past episodes where people got their brains scrambled trying to "download" it. Shaw using it, and now these two Greta's make Chuck's and Orion's brain function a little less unique now.

 

[DaveF]

I liked this episode: it created some real tension. I'm actually disappointed that the alternate intersects were tested and dismissed in a single episode. The first season used the prospect that Chuck would be killed to otherwise put into "storage" by the CIA when his immediate usefulness was over; for a show of this levity that didn't bring real tension because we knew they wouldn't go there. But the notion that Chuck might be simply displaced, made again non-special, just another wasted youth working a dead-end job, that's a real and interesting threat.


In contrast, my wife didn't care for it at all. And she noted that they've completely discarded the magic watch that keeps Chuck sane I chalk it up to improvements in Intersect science.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by DaveF

In contrast, my wife didn't care for it at all. And she noted that they've completely discarded the magic watch that keeps Chuck sane I chalk it up to improvements in Intersect science.

This was explicitly addressed early on this season. The work Papa Bartowski had Ellie do on that super laptop with the green sparks was to fix the problem that
made the magic watch necessary. To recap: Chuck needs the magic watch; Chuck's mom blocks the Intersect for his brain; Ellie solves her father's riddle and fixes the problem, but can't solve the second riddle; Awesome gives Chuck the laptop; Chuck solves the second riddle and is imprinted with the fixed Intersect; Chuck no longer needs the magic watch.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Good choice getting Allan Kroeker for this episode. Blowed up shit is his bread and butter. This episode looked like Star Trek. The pig running from the coming explosion was dumb, but it was funny as hell. It's that kind of week, I guess. Outsourced had a rat with glowing eyes in an air duct--also a silly funny visual.

 

[Bob_S.]

I can't believe it guys. I went through 3.5 seasons without watching a single episode and accidently came across it about 2 months ago waiting for The Cape to come on. I loved the show so much, I immediately rented seasons 1-3 from netflix. I'm currently half way through season 3. I hope this show stays on for at least a couple more seasons and when it does end, Chuck and Sarah better be together!!

 

[Michael Harris]

Bob - welcome to one of the most fun shows on TV.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Hear, hear! Always good to have a new Nerd Herder onboard!

 

[Greg_S_H]

Good return. There were Volkoffs and Bartowskis all over the place. I'm glad Casey's getting more screentime and that he might be heading to a reunion soon.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Really strong episode. Timothy Dalton is giving one of the more entertaining performances on TV right now.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Okay, I see a lot of people say, "Even if you're not a Nielsen family, watch it live. It counts more than watching a recording." Here's the thing, though: when I record, my DVR is tuned to the program! Do the DVR ratings people say, "Well, that doesn't count because it's being recorded"? How do they know I'm not watching as I record? If I watch live but maybe want to save it to watch again later, I'm hurting the show? Admittedly, I time-shift almost everything. But, it seems like I could just set another box in the house to the channel and not record. It's things like this that make me think DVR data is pretty worthless to the advertisers.


The last ep of the season is called "Chuck vs. the Cliffhanger." Signs are pointing to this being a very bad season for them to decide to leave things dangling at the end.

 

[Josh Dial]

Originally Posted by Greg_S_H


The last ep of the season is called "Chuck vs. the Cliffhanger." Signs are pointing to this being a very bad season for them to decide to leave things dangling at the end.

Of course there's always the chance that Chuck "defeats" the cliffhanger (since he always wins), and the season ends with next-to-nothing dangling in the wind, story-wise.