Once I get done with tracking down a copy of The John Larroquette Show, I will be able to give you a review of last night's episode, after the jump....
“Guys, we need a mission.” - Sarah Walker
So where do we go from here? After last week's “epic” episode that had meant to function as a series finale, if needed, Chuck has to once again figure out what new story it's going to tell. Luckily, tonight's episode, though fairly low-key (at least in comparison) seemed to be hinting at a new direction in which the show could head.
As it has been stated before, Chuck has had some problems with letting Chuck's emotional problems spill over onto the mission of the week. But when the emotions spill over for both Chuck and Sarah, then things get interesting. Chuck and Sarah are suddenly on the same playing field, and it has the double effect of humanizing Sarah and making Chuck's problems seem a little more valid. Things become far less annoying, and far more funny. Some might say that it is in fact unrealistic or out of character for these spies to be controlled by their emotion, but to that I say a) Chuck's a comedy, let it go, b) these are human beings, not robots, and c) even Casey has been emotionally effected by missions. In fact, as long as the emotions don't cause these spies to screw up the mission, I'm generally okay with having them treat their time in the field as some sort of nightmarish group session.
And, yet, as good as this was, it was actually the worst thing in the episode (which lets you know how strong this episode was.) The reveal that Sarah doesn't want a wedding because of her estranged family, and Chuck's promised to track them down for her, may have been a bit over-obvious, but if I am reading this correctly, this shall serve as the next arc for the show. This is a good thing, because I have always felt that Chuck becoming a spy isn't just about him growing up, but also how helps Sarah reconnect with here humanity. So a humanizing storyline like this one would be good for the character, I think. Plus, as season one taught us, this show isn't that good when it goes about aimlessly, so hopefully this (or some other) arc will help drive the drama forward.
But on to the other elements tonight. I don't really remember Larroquette's performance from season 2, and that usually isn't a good thing. Actually, I've never really been a fan of past guest spots on any show; maybe it's because I missed him in his heyday, but I don't really get the appeal. However, tonight, for some reason, I found him to be hilarious, and I really enjoyed his presence throughout the hour. Even better, it gave us the first real storyline involving General Beckman, who deserves one as she has been part of the official cast since the start of the season. Even though I was never really a fan of the string of Montgomery-Beckman hookup jokes (I always felt they were a little too gag-y), they managed to wring some actual pathos out of the scenario, and much like Sarah, Beckman was humanized a little tonight.
But the best two elements of the night were those that were downplayed, that existed on the periphery. (Whether their quality was in relation to their limited screen time, I can't really say.) First, in what is most likely a setup for later appearance in the season, we watched as Casey, who had finally connected with the daughter he abandoned years ago, finally gets around to trying to figure out how to reconcile with his ex-finance (or was it wife? I can't remember). Though Kathleen has a husband, and Casey seems happy that's she's happy, it obvious he still carries a torch for her, and look forward to this paying us emotional dividends, if Adam Baldwin's performance is any indication.
Tonight also got around to dealing with Ellie and her feelings toward her spy family. Ellie has too often been presented as a nag in this regard, and so it was nice to see that show is taking steps to correct this, I can only assume that this is setup for when she finds out that Chuck has returned to the spy game, so we can hopefully avoid some of the repeated scenarios we've had in the past.
What did everybody else think?
Additional Thoughts:
“Again, Casey, I can't apologize enough for that accidental touching in there...”
Alex's adoption of the Casey glare? Hilarious.
“If you get us caught because you sneeze, we are officially the worst spies in the world.” Uh-oh, I think the writers are catching on.
“Oh God, he's going to charm her.”
“I've never felt polyester against my skin before.”
“Beckman was a dirty blonde?” “It was the 80's; everything was dirty blonde.”
“...but, uh, enjoy your wall.”
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