Chuck - "Chuck Vs. the Bearded Bandit"

Season 5, Episode 2

Last week, I posited that it was strange that Chuck would give us a premiere that held off on giving us a look the new Intersect that is Morgan. I appreciated the move to focus instead on the show’s lead, even though he’s no longer the character the gives the show it’s hook; it was a moment of subtlety, of paring down the pace from a show that usually doesn’t do such things, and I thought that was admirable. And yet considering that this is show that usually runs right through the plot elements that it does have on it slate was what made Morgan’s relegation to the sidelines stand out so much. So tonight’s episode saw a much greater focus placed on Morgan, all though now I’m wishing that wasn’t the case.

The sticking point, I think, was the ending, or more specifically, what the ending means in terms of the next episode (thanks, previews). But before we get to that, I need to say something that I think might prove divisive: I liked the idea of Morgan becoming mad with power As I said last week, Morgan is the kind of character who is easily excitable, and him letting the intersect go to his head seems like something that the character would do. So about halfway through the episode, as began bucking authority and taking matter into his own hands, I thought the show might be on to something.

Unfortunately, they didn’t stop there. While Morgan’s attitude in the middle section was understandable, and more importantly, not strong enough to be annoying, the show kept pushing it, and he eventually did reach that point where is attitude was simultaneously emo and grating. If this was just a case of characterization gone too far, I would just assume that the show has gone too far too fast – as they are wont to do. But instead, the teaser for next week (or, if you chose not to see that, Morgan’s inability to remember fundamental movie characters) points to the fact that this isn’t just characterization; for whatever reason, the show is kicking in a new bit of Intersect mythology, and they’re doing it fast.

Last season, the two biggest complaints were that the first half of the season moved to fast because the show was trying to write towards what it then thought as the time was the series finale, and that the second part was too slow and disjointed because the writers were thrown off by NBC’s order for the back eleven.  But what I can’t understand is why the show is moving so fast now. They know that they have exactly thirteen episodes, so why rush to get a bunch of stuff in? I would gladly watched a leisurely-paced thirteen episodes that didn’t over stretch its reached, and just allowed me a few more weeks with the characters that I love. Instead, we’ve got Morgan being used for the sake over and over-ramped plot, and considering this is only the second episode, I’m worried what this means for the rest of the season.

(Sadly, Chris Fedak more or less admits that writers are always been fast paced with the story when faced with a supposed end date.)

 But that’s not the say that the entire episode was a bust. The introduction of Carrie-Ann Moss as Gertrude Verbanski – and the whole idea of Carmichael Industries going up against private security firms much bigger and monied than they are – was a good deal of fun*, and I like the idea of Casey starting a romantic relationship with her; the two had some good chemistry in their brief time on screen, and though they been few and far between, Casey’s personal stories have usually delivered. I also liked the idea of Chuck becoming Morgan’s handler, because even though he was sidelined narratively a little in this episode, it’s always good to keep enough focus on Chuck, and remembering that his role in Carmichael Industries is a big transition for him is a good way to do that.

*(Actually, up until the point that Morgan became super emo, I had actually planed on saying that the whole episode felt fun, in ways that the show had reached for the past couple of seasons. Alas, I thought too soon.)

But I do think that the show’s further transformation into procedural is getting in the way. Tonight’s case, which saw the gang hired by Carl Sneijder, played by Jeff Fahey (LAPIDUS!), to “rescue” his brother, was fairly inconsequential, even considering the twist that Sneijder wanted to kill his brother, and the dues ex machina ending of having Verbanski save Chuck and Morgan. Really, this case was just a boiler-plate story that served as the background for the larger developments in the episode. And while I appreciate that the show isn’t becoming a full-blown procedural, and that there’s still plenty of time for the more serialized elements, I just wish the show wouldn’t be so blasé about the unimportant nature of these missions.

Last week’s episode seemed like a turning point for the show, and while all season premieres are situated that way (and also the 14^th episode of every season, according to that Fedak interview), this one seemed like it was going to reverse the problems that had developed over the past couple of years, especially the show’s panache for unrealistic emotions and over-plotting. Apparently, that was all just in my hopeful little mind.

Next Week: When Morgan – and the Intersect – goes bad.

Quotes And Other Thoughts:

I could talk about the Buy More plot, but what’s the point? Last week, it seemed like the show was trying to incorporate the store into the main plot more, but in all honesty, shooting a commercial is a plot that could belong in any season of the show.

Morgan’s done a lot of crazy shit in the past, but him becoming the “Bearded Bandit” in the convenience store was just over-the-top stupid. I’m just going to assume it was all part of that “Morgan has become broken” build-up. (Also, the Halloween decorations were just another reminder of the fact that the show got bumped back a week from its original premiere date.)

Chuck’s Casey impression was pretty on point, don’t you think?

“It made a nasty scar right over one of my favorite scars.”

“What? Is that an actual tumbleweed?”

“You just found out that the Zoom is mightier than the sword, my friend.”

“The Buy More seems…empty. Are we recognizing International Pancake Day?”

“Man, I am so over this Jeffster thing.” “Me too.”

“You ever had sex with someone who’s just tried to kill you? It’s incredible.”