"Undercover" - Chuck vs. the American Hero Podcast

Sorry this is a little late but hopefully this will hold you over while Chuck is taking a little break.  Enjoy!

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Chuck vs. the American Hero: Thoughts from a Ho

Overall, what a great episode.  “American Hero” had everything from comedy to romance to suspense and did a spectacular job balancing and meshing those aspects into top-notch entertainment. 

Instead here are some of my thoughts on the episode. Next week look for a larger, longer character and storyline analysis and thought summary of how Season 3, Part I played out.

-          The opening scene with Chuck in Beckman’s office was the perfect example of Chuck done right.  I enjoy when the show makes light of the government or serious issues, and this scene did not disappoint.  Beckman’s office was depicted as ordinary and casual, like your run-of-the-mill business full of secretaries and cubicles rather than a place concerned National Security.  I’m also a big fan of the Beckman and Chuck interactions as she does put up with Chuck’s “process” as she called it.  I find it refreshing to see an “outsider” of Team B interact with Chuck and how the outsider reacts to his ways, and who doesn’t like Chuck’s awkwardness in the presence of the General?

-       The combination of Morgan, Devon and Casey was absolutely fantastic. I sincerely hope this isn’t the last time we see these three joining up.  I want to be in that freakish bubble of handsomeness and don’t worry Morgan; I put you in that bubble too.  Honestly when most of the leading men band together, what’s not to like?

-       Jeffster.  Need I say more?  When Jeffster stalks I’m guaranteed to love it.  “Both men are physically fit, should be lively,” another great line from Jeff.  The show knows how to use these two well and they often seem to steal an episode even when they aren’t the main story.

I see you...

-       Shaw:  Did anyone else want to play the Darth Vader “NOOOOOOOO” when Shaw found out?  No, just me?  Anyway I liked this reveal a lot (I have to say I called it) and very happy the show did something like it.  I’m not going to go in-depth about Shaw as we still have one more episode. But to sum up, it is safe to say I liked the idea of Shaw but for whatever reason it just didn’t play out very well.  More to come on that next week.

-       In the final scene before Sarah was about to leave her apartment, you see her toss the gun on the bed.  It was a bit of a metaphor for her trying to leave her spy life behind but we all know it just never works that easily.

-       Chuck and Sarah:  In the beginning of the episode Sarah states plain and simple why she doesn’t want to be with him: he isn’t the guy she fell for.  Part of me wanted to scream out “hypocrite” since she not only kills people but in “Third Dimension” I feel like she sort of expected Chuck simply to move on from the Mauser incident.  In the end Sarah chose Chuck without knowing that he didn’t shoot the mark.  Finally it seems that Chuck and Sarah are on the same page.  Hooray! Chuck repeating, the phrase “I love you” to Sarah and just to say it out loud worked perfectly.   Yes it seems like he flip-flops every other episode on whether he wants to be a spy, be with Sarah or both.  I’m choosing to believe that Chuck wanted to runaway not to shrink away from his responsibilities but because he gets what Sarah was trying to tell him in the very first episode of this season; nothing else matters.

-       Best line: “I love you Sarah Walker.  Always have.”  I mean COME ON, nothing else was close to this line.  I don’t know how Sarah didn’t run off with him right then and there . It was the sweetest moment and made my heart melt. 

-       Runner up: “You are a Bartowski Chuck, start acting like one.”  This surprising line from Ellie was perfect as it reflects how I felt.  I thought Ellie was well used in this episode and, although she didn’t have many lines, she summed it all up when she did.

Some questions prior to the finale:

-       What does Sarah shooting Eve mean?  Was Eve a double agent and if not, why was she ordered to be killed?

-       Which path will Shaw choose?  He can either go the crazy path or realize no one is at fault and surrender his revenge. 

-       Will Casey continue to be a civilian or will we see him reinstated by the finale?

-       Can we see the budget cuts?  In a review by Alan Sepinwall* he suggests that the show is on a smaller scale due to the cuts and we are seeing the effects.  In “Colonel” we had a big explosion and the fight scenes were bigger and grander.  Although there have been some decent fight scenes this season, they seem few and far between.  Fulcrum seemed more fearsome than the Ring and perhaps this is part of the reason why.  Even the Ring leader, and yes I’m calling him that because the Ring seems like a circus, didn’t seem fearsome enough (though I do love Mark Sheppard from BSG – though I miss the shades). 

*If you haven’t read the review I highly recommend you do so.  I think he brings up excellent points and says things better than I ever could.  http://sepinwall.blogspot.com

- So what did you all think of the episode?

 

Rules of commenting:

1. Be Nice! (though I can take the heat)

2. No crashing through restaurant glass windows.

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