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So you watched the latest episode of CHUCK and were obviously blown away. But what did you love the most? Was it the bachelor party and all of its epic failures? The bachelorette party and all of the beefcake in attendance? Or the action elements and the antics of those thrust into the madness? Or was it discovering that Agent X was nothing more than the carcass of a field mouse in a maze of moldy Monterey cheese?
Alright so that last part isn't true but it is a fun little tongue twister.
The episode was great, wonderful, excellent!!!
ReplyDeleteAll I could ask for and more!
Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen it.
signed - Nostradamus
The East Coast may never see it. Presidents supposed to speak @8:15. I swear this show can't catch a break. If Chuck is pre-emptied what does this do to chances for a S5.
ReplyDeleteLOL that totally sounded like you Magnus ;) - anyway thank you "Nostradamus" (*wink*) for the positive sentiments since worrying cuts into our overall enjoyment of the show immensely!
ReplyDeleteBTW thank you Magnus for bringing "enjoyment by podcast" to us for 7 days in the row just to tide us over from one Monday to the other!
From awhile ago:
ReplyDelete"By season's end, Chuck will pretty much solidify his desire to be a Buy Moron forever."
Like Volkoff assuming his cover and forgetting his real id?
AWESOME! Just awesome! My mom and I loved it!
ReplyDeleteThought it was amazing! It was the perfect combo of action and comedy. And don't even get me started on that twist! I'm definitely watching it again in the near future. Anyone else feel like they have/want to rewatch all of season 4 after that episode?
ReplyDeleteIt was really good! Who Agent X is was very predicable, but the episode was awesome! Can't wait for the wedding!
ReplyDeletechuck never lets me down!
ReplyDeleteI loved the episode it was funny how chuck thought that they were going to Las Vegas and not. Also jeff talking to the hot assassin like she was a stripper. I love Sarah's bath tub scene that was hot. I love the mother who casey wishes was his. We need more funny episodes like this. I also liked when Captain awesome and morgan were making the spears and talking and casey killing them. Over all awesome episode I would give it 97/100 and that is because of 1 or 2 ok scenes.
ReplyDeleteMagnus,
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the episode. Sort of justifies Mary's absence for so long.
Loved the Granny aka Casey's Cougar.
Interesting twist. Wish there was more time to flesh out this storyline.
Ellie's purpose is now clear.
Looking forward to the next two episodes.
Vlad
I'll have to watch this episode again without all the #NotANielsenFamily tweeting, but from what I saw it was a lot of fun. No wonder Volkoff was afraid of Agent X. He was always his own worst enemy. Guess we know where Tuttle came from!
ReplyDeleteAlso loved how uninterested Sarah was in the beefcakes, and her teasing in the bathtub before Chuck left.
No preemption here in the MSP area (central time). Was Chuck preempted on the east coast?
Really liked the episode. Also liked the subtle hints about Volkoff/Agent X. Like with Tuttle and Chuck early, early on, and the sheep.. and then the sheep showed up at his old home. I thought that was really cool. I hope they really go the right way.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the possible death/whatever could happen next.. not sure if I heard right, but did Chuck yell 'Ellie" during the preview? I hope not.
As far as his mom's mission.. being gone twenty years still seems absurd, but the fact that she could have been doing it for Stephen.. is just awesome.
Also liked Ellie's inclusion, even if it was spoiled during the last preview.
Oh, and @Anon (if that is your real name) up there.. solidify his desire to be a Buy Moron forever? Are you insinuating that Chuck would forget who he is now? I was thinking about that, actually, and I could see how that sort of cliffhanger would *really* irk people.. so I'm curious if we head down that path.
ReplyDeleteI was central time, Mel.. but no pre-empting here, thank goodness. Worried about elsewhere though.
ReplyDeleteI also loved the teasing. My god Sarah was hot. (Sorry for the triple post here, Magnus. Things just keep popping in my head tonight.)
Everything about Chuck was excellent. I enjoyed it so much. It was action filled and lots of humor. I love the strippers showing up for the bachelorette party. Love the crazy camp bachelor party. Ellie learning about Chuck being the intersect. Casey's face was epic when the tough Mama is shooting her weapon, even the song they played. It was just great and I can't wait for more episodes. I wish Chuck continues for many more seasons.
ReplyDelete@wyndzorz
ReplyDeleteyeah, that is what i was insinuating, and i can definitely see why that'd get rated a zero by Magnus, even moreso if it winds up being a series finale.
Guess it's cool that Frost had a baby with Orion's buddy, Volkoff. Orion would approve, knowing that Volkoff isn't all that bad of a guy.
ReplyDeleteHey, by the way, we met Vivian's grandmother.
How cool is that?
Frost had a baby with Volkoff? LOL!
ReplyDeleteI love that Agent X storyline very much. Such an awesome idea. And I had absolutely no inkling, that it might play out this way.
ReplyDeleteAnd the bachelor/bachelorette parties were very funny. The episode just was a lot of fun and that Volkoff reveal added a lot of depth.
The callback to Sarah´s Wienerlicious cover was also a lot of fun. And I liked that they adressed the lack of people that could show up to Sarah´s bachelorette party.
The conversation between Ellie and Chuck in Ellie´s home was also fantastic. I liked the tone and how easy it was for them to talk.
When he brought Ellie to Castle Chuck was very much in show off mode, though. And I get that he would be much more confidant and proud of his accomplishments than earlier in the series, but I sometimes miss his humility. I know he is supposed to be the hero, but I wouldn´t mind some humbling experience for him in the future.
I loved Casey in the woods and with Volkoff´s mother. He was really great in the ep.
Also liked Chuck using his computer skills.
And again this Agent X storyline is simply fabulous. I can´t wait for more. And how fantastic that this also means more Timothy Dalton. :D
awelle
Yeeeeah. Gonna go on record here and say Vivian isn't Frost and Voloff's kid, LOL. That's just... no. So wrong.
ReplyDeleteAnd Chuck getting retconned back to the Buy More would suck, It'd suck so hard, it'd suck the suck out of suck. Let's hope that's not the case with the season finale/series finale/whatever.
FYI, you will all be surprised by my reaction to this episode... but I will save that for the podcast. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was a great episode. Looks like they saved all the budget money for the last 5 episodes. that looked like a season 1/2 episode. When they said that the house was in england, volkoff shot straight to the top of my list of who agent x was. turned out i was right, But i love this twist. Magnus hes not returning till the finale correct?
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping by 'surprised' you don't mean disappointed, Magnus. So far, I've yet to really disagree with you as far as an episode's rating goes.
ReplyDeleteDisappointed doesn't cover it. In fact, I pegged who had written this episode without noticing it in the credits. I know my writers. ;)
ReplyDeleteAhh.. who was it, Magnus? I didn't catch it.
ReplyDeleteKlemmer and DeGregorio.
ReplyDeleteI didn't hate the episode or anything like that... but I will discuss my problems with it in the podcast. I will say here that I now understand why my sources didn't hype up this episode. They know me well. :)
Hmm, now I am really curious what you didn´t like. You did know the storyline before, didn´t you?
ReplyDeleteawelle
Ahh. Well, if I may? Comparing to last week.. I truly think last week.. or er, the week before, rather.. was better than this episode as a whole. I think it was just.. put together better than this one. This one had a few different plot threads going at the same time, and I don't think they all worked well together. There were some great moments in this episode, however, that I thoroughly enjoyed, but I can see how this wouldn't be one of your faves. Looking forward to your podcast tomorrow though, Magnus.
ReplyDeleteAnd Klemmer/DiGregorio eh? Meh. Aisle of Terror and Gobbler were pretty blah this season, though A-Team was alright.
It is too easy to say "I didn't like it" because my problem with it is more substantive than that. There were fun moments. Good scenes. Things that made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteThis episode was ok for me. The humor is the main reason I watch, and it was kind of painful tonight, so I felt disconnected fom the episode.
ReplyDeleteLoved the return of shirtless Awesome, though.
Yeah, I get ya. Not trying to change your opinion or anything. I can see how you may not have enjoyed this episode as much as "Wedding PLanner" or what have you. What about hype for the next couple eps? Is it up there?
ReplyDeleteYeah, the "hype" for the other two is much higher.
ReplyDeleteAwesome to hear. Really looking forward to it. The scene at the end of next week's preview had me sweating, but I'm super excited to see where it all goes. Also like all the tie-ins that the Agent X reveal brought. Man.. such good storytelling. If only they were that good all the time.
ReplyDeleteYeah... we are definitely going to disagree tomorrow. ;)
ReplyDeleteAs for that promo... it may have inspired me to do a promo for Honeymooners that makes it seem like a super angsty episode.
Magnus - sorry if I missed but did you ever say why you don't like the cliffhanger or do you not want reveal? Meaning do you think it's lame, predictable, ect?
ReplyDeleteTony
Here is what I have said about the cliffhanger:
ReplyDelete1. If I had to give it a rating of 1 to 10, it is a zero.
2. I hate it.
3. I can't explain why I hate it until everyone has seen it.
at the end of the episode i wasn't feeling great about it. it made me laugh (loved casey and the granny) but i think that some parts went on too long or at parts it was a little boring or something. i think i just had hyped it up so much in my mind it and it could have been done better. especially sarah - they could have had a lot more fun with those strippers
ReplyDeleteMF
It was okay. I actually thought it was hilarious and so did my sister, but just okay otherwise. I knew it was Volkoff from a mile away. But the jokes worked for me and Volkoff's mom needs to come back.
ReplyDeleteI thought the character dynamics were actually well written.
Nah. I was fairly confident that you disliked a lot of the storytelling tonight based on how the episode went, so I was resigned to that. Was just expressing my personal interests in tonight's episode. I'm just trying to enjoy Chuck as much as possible, because honestly.. I don't like it's chances for a S5 renewal. That's neither here nor there, though.
ReplyDeleteAs for the cliffhanger, yeah. I'm not sure what to think of the rating system. Out of curiosity, what was your rating for Season 2's cliffhanger to Season 3, and Season 3's to Season 4?
Also, TVMcGee (the guy you loved one week, hated the next) gave it an A- it seems.
ReplyDeleteMagnus, something is really confusing me about this whole Agent X is Volkoff plot, and I'm hoping you will discuss this a bit in the podcast!
ReplyDeleteIf Alexi and Stephen were friends in the 80s, or at least knew each other, wouldn't that mean that Alexi knew of Mary Bartowski before she went undercover in an attempt to take Volkoff down? After all, Chuck and Ellie were born in the 80s, meaning Stephen and Mary were married during the acquaintanceship of Stephen and Alexi, right? Sorry if this is just me missing something...
Thanks for your time! Can't wait for the podcast. I too did not like this episode...
i actually think sepinwall's review of the episode was spot on. he put my incoherent thoughts into sentences
ReplyDeleteMF
Funny how the opinions turned once DR said he had some issues with it...
ReplyDeleteI for my self enjoyed it a lot and for me it's one of the best of this season. And one of the main reasons is, aside of the fact that the Agent X storyline is simply fantastic for it could open some very interesting doors, that this twist gave the whole arc of the first half of this season a far better taste (with his mom going undercover for ~20 years in particular). Also explains why Volkoff has an English accent. :)
And yeah, it was predictable that Agent X was Volkoff the moment Elli explained the thing with the undercover identity, but that's the way they've always done it. Main audience probably didn't figured it.
Just my two cents...
Bob
The season 2 cliffhanger was great. I would have given it a 10. Season 3 was OK but not a cliffhanger in the traditional sense. More like foreshadowing. I guess it would have gotten a 7.
ReplyDeleteAh. Hm. I was mostly curious so I could compare it to what this was. So this cliffhanger is not only awful, but.. well, whatever word is worse than awful. Obviously a forgettable one. God I hope the show doesn't end with this season and that cliffhanger.
ReplyDeleteAs for the PapaB knowing Volkoff, meaning Mary knew him too.. I'm guessing a lot of what Volkoff knew before the 'undercover' bit happened was forgotten/pushed back deep in his mind. That's my only thought on it.
No, it is not forgettable. If it was, it would have gotten a 1.
ReplyDeleteSo then, you basically feel it just be non-existent, lol. Well crap. See, now I don't know if I even want to see it. I referenced this in a post...somewhere (can't remember where) that I don't want the finale for S4 Chuck to be like the ending of a good movie. Awesome, awesome movie 103 of the 104 minutes, and then the last minute was pure crap, making me only remember as..crap.
ReplyDeleteIf you loved this episode, then I think you will love the cliffhanger.
ReplyDeletePretty fun episode in my point of view .. not a top3 of the season but fun anyways :) I might be dumb .. but when i first heard of Agent X i never thought it would turn up to be Volkoff (congrats to the fortune tellers around here who knew it from the begining :D)
ReplyDeleteI rate this episode 8.5/10
But still .. the show kinda lacks the sexy side in the back 11.. in mean sure .. they showed a cute bath scene and a little Villain cleveage but it's not even close to the level of flirting/hotness in the past .. and therefore the decline in man viewers no poOOnany no ratings :(
Looking forward to your podcast MAGNUS i predict it will be fun like always :P
p.s. one last thing .. can u please spoil if the last 2 eps contains any level of hotness ?:))
Hmm I think i may I figured out what is the cliffhanger. O good this is uhhh, noooo , oh come on , oh no. :(
ReplyDeleteIf you loved this episode.. you may love the cliffhanger. Well huh. Possible to go any deeper than that? Maybe.. what part of this episode specifically? I guess you couldn't as that'd probably give too much away.
ReplyDeleteI truly didn't have a big problem with the episode, and I feel as long as the cliffhanger for S4 doesn't involve someone's life 'in jeopardy'.. I'll be alright. I'm not one of the fans that's all over the 'will they/won't they' get married this season as I haven't really cared too much for that. Sure I've cared about plot lines around it (Sarah's dad and Wedding Planner in general), but not the actual event itself. Still, having one of the characters' lives in the 'will they/won't they die' scenario seems sort of awful.
But yeah. Curse you and your ambiguousness.
Oh and lemme say.. I really enjoyed Casey in tonight's episode. One of his best ones I think as he had a large range, from funny to serious.
We can talk about it in two weeks. :)
ReplyDeleteCurses. Foiled again.
ReplyDeleteWell thanks for the back and forth Magnus. Looking forward to the podcast tomorrow.
Liked the bin laden photo - nice timing
ReplyDeleteMagnus, I equally love and hate you. And for that, you have my deepest respect.
ReplyDelete"Magnus, I equally love and hate you."
ReplyDeleteDid we date?
Magnus, what are Chuck's chances at a renewal now?
ReplyDeleteRazorback,
ReplyDeleteon the last podcast you said that we can have the perception that sarah dies.... am i hearing that correctly? so at the end of the cliffhanger ep. it is up to decide whether we think she is dead or alive?
if ur not able to say this in the comments to due spoilers or whatever can you pm me or can i send u an email, fb message, or twit idc haha i need to know
Sorry, Tooker... I am not going to share private spoilers with you. Well, unless you make it so that I can't refuse. ;)
ReplyDeletemelwicker, I haven't gotten any update on renewal chances.
Well you already gave the spoiler in ur podcast.... so are u able to explain it? I agree with you though there are particular reasons why this episode did not work for me.
ReplyDeleteIf not what would make it unrefusable
I will explain it in two weeks.
ReplyDeleteokay.... i will try to show some sort of patience.
ReplyDeleteand with the things that i didnt really enjoy, i feel like there is so much information and scenes that are needed to be packed into the final episodes of a season that they almost "wasted" time persay by showing the big mike thing. yet biggest of all the thing that bothered me was them showing the sheep at the house. the effects of the background as they arrive at the house were terrible and also i do not think it would be that easy to cut through a laptop of such magnitude and thickness
Yeah... well, this is what they seem to do every season. The penultimate episode is usually one of the best of the season and then we get to the finale and they cram so much into it that it fails to deliver in total. I am not sure if that will happen this time. I have little doubt that some people will absolutely love the finale, plus the cliffhanger.
ReplyDeleteWell. If the cliffhanger is with such drama as it leaves someone's life at stake, could "Chuck" producers or whatever use that to make a case to add another season proving they have a great lead in to start off the next season? Also"
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think the viewer ratings will be for tonights episode?
Do you think that Chuck will be renewed? i have counted the number of episodes that are being cancelled to the ones that are renewed and as long as Law and Order LA keeps sliding that would make it more than half. Could they make it one more season to the fact that they cant really afford canceling any more and at least they know what they have with Chuck.
NBC, or any other network, couldn't give two twittlesticks about how a show runner ends a show when it comes down to renewal time. It isn't like they sit there going "You know... CHUCK has crappy ratings but man that cliffhanger... I mean, we can't leave the audience on that. They will get all emo and stuff. So, let's lose $20 million next year making sure they are happy with the ending."
ReplyDeleteSooooo there is hotness amongst the angst/drama?
ReplyDeleteSCORE
O, what did you enjoy better: the Sarah bath tub moment or the belly dancing scene? for some reason I rathered the tub because her voice was so intriguing and confident whereas in the other one she was putting on a gimmick to get what she wanted.
ReplyDeleteO and what about the ratings and renewal chance?
Not even close... belly dance.
ReplyDeleteHaha. First off.. no doubt that some fans will absolutely love the finale/cliffhanger? Really? I'm starting to believe that this may be a shipper-friendly ending.. and if that's the case (which it may not be, of course), I'm not sure how I feel about that, really. Please god do not tell me that they're going the 'Sarah's pregnant' route? As much as she'd be a killer MILF.. just oh god, Haha.
ReplyDeleteThat episode had some nice moments, but the whole wasn't really equal to the sum of its parts for me. For one thing, given the relative ages of the people we have seen, the big mystery, the identity of Agent X, was obvious from the second they mentioned the location of the house. I was just holding out hope that they would turn the tables on me and make it Jeff. Instead, they went for the melodramatic redemption tale.
ReplyDeleteOh well, bring on the next episode! Also, Sarah in a tub. Enough said.
Jim
"this may be a shipper-friendly ending"
ReplyDeleteI think shipper friendly or unfriendly will be entirely beside the point. The cliffhanger will involve the show runners trying to be cutesy, in the vein of "Oh, look! Volkov was really a good guy all along. Aren't we clever?"
Or not.
Jim
Yep.
ReplyDeletewhat is a shipper friendly ending
ReplyDeleteI DID NOT SAY IT WAS A SHIPPER FRIENDLY ENDING.
ReplyDeleteJust making sure you all understand... someone else said it... I am not the person who did.
Oh, what is the point? I am sure it is already posted on 12 sites that I said it is shipper friendly, even though I didn't.
@Wyndzorz - There are extremely FEW storylines or surprise twists they could possibly do with this show that could actually be a deal-breaker for me, but the "Sarah is pregnant" storyline would probably THE one thing that would be the deal-breaker hahahaha. Or at least the only thing I can think of at the moment. I am a ridiculously loyal viewer in the sense that if I love a show at any point during its lifetime, I will continue to watch it YEARS after it has gone into the crapper before I finally give up. But yeah the "Sarah is preggers" storyline would just be the biggest buzzkill I could ever have in relation to Chuck, LOL. Is that awful to say? Does that make me a terrible person considering that I am female and should have some sort of mothering instinct?? Ha ha, but IMO it would just be the worst.
ReplyDeleteIt just immediately makes me think of Alias when The Affleck knocked up Jen Garner and they were forced into the "Syd is preggers" storyline. Now to be fair, the show had already sucked pretty hardcore for a couple seasons by then, so that was certainly NOT the one thing that killed the show. But IMO it was definitely the final nail in the coffin, because it resulted in an Alias withOUT its main character getting to do ANYTHING interesting. I think that was what finally made me disinterested enough to stop watching.
To me a "Chuck: without "kicka$$ Sarah" is just not Chuck at all. ;-)
Oh and here's my opinion of the ep. Sorry I am basically copy/pasting what I put on Sepinwall's page because well, that sums up my opinion. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think as a whole this was not one of my top faves, but I thought it ended nicely (and it was still pretty o.k. overall). I knew that Agent X was going to be Volkoff as soon as they showed the location of the house, so that was a little predictable, but I liked the way it tied some pieces of the backstories together in a way that I never had anticipated before. It suddenly makes sense how Mary got involved with Volkoff and it also gives Volkoff a much more interesting backstory in terms of how he turned into a psycho. So I thought that was cool. I also thought the gun-toting grandma was hilarious.
Oh and I agree with one of the other commenters on this blog who said that the Big Mike/Lester/Jeff subplot felt like a waste of precious time. It definitely did, mostly because it just wasn't interesting. I like the Buy Morons, but this one just kinda took away precious time from the main storyline.
p.s. The preview for next week has me NERVOUS. I want to see it NOW.
The badass granny needs to be Clara's new nanny that can protect Clara while Ellie is off with Chuck.
ReplyDeleteWhere did you post it ??? I think they spent to much time with the 3 wierdows. Yes there were funny parts but some of the funny went stupid, like granny with the gun, the play on cities and thunder. Sarah in tub nice Ellies non reaction and stripper scene not cool . Ratings =1.3 if lucky. Thanks for the positive outlook on renual but with episodes like this were doomed.
ReplyDeletewow I just read all the comments and Magnus I have to be blunt it makes for a very depressing read ... bummer.
ReplyDeleteI kind thought they would go with Volkov but I was uncertain because the promo kinda threw me and I didn't figure out how they would tie it into the storyline.
>>Though what I wanted most to know Magnus is as we where speculating about the identity of Agent X around here you mentioned one guess you wished they would have gone with ... so please tell who would you have loved to see as Agent X and why?
Oh and come on PPL lets not declare things (people said just by shooting the breeze) to be facts/spoilers ... and I'm not only talking about the "shipper friendly" thing.
ReplyDeleteSo lets not get ahead of ourselves and READ before we WRITE. ;) Come on we all know how this goes ... I'm sure we all have played the "Whisper Down the Lane" game at some point in preschool. ;)
Great episode. Not perfect in every sense IMO, but the epic saga stuff was back and magnificently too. The bachelor party & Big Mike/Jeff/Lesster arcs dragged a bit too much for my taste but were funny enough nevertheless.
ReplyDeleteThe story explained Dalton in his Tuttle-like outfit on this infamous cast/crew photo in the hospital. The synopsis of 4.24 made it already more clear but the revelation of Volkoff's real original persona in Agent X resolves at least my wonderment. (this Volkoff twist created probably also a few minor plot holes in pre 4.14 episodes but who carez, it is Chuck.)
Magnus, Fedak mentioned very recently in a spoiler that if Chuck gets a season 5 he "would love to be able to tell the story of a Chuck baby". Has this wish of Fedak any connection with your opinion about the cliffhanger? (I know, if so you wouldn't admit it anyway now, I understand)
What's so bad about a Sarah is pregnant ending if it happened? If the show got cancelled its not like you will have to see it & the shippers are happy, well at least this shipper would be lol. But anyway pregnancy talk is fruitless because the writers wouldn't have the guts to go there.
ReplyDeleteAs long as it's not a Sarah's life is in danger cliffhanger, I won't throw anything at my TV. But since magnus said that somre people will love ther cliffhanger...well I doubt anyone would love Sarah's life being in danger, so I rule that out. I'm just happy that at least some people will love it...better then no one loving it.
- J
They could always flash forward to after she gives birth so she doesn't have to miss any of the action. Just saying.
ReplyDeleteThough parents never have sex on TV, and lawd knows we need more CS sexytime.
Did someone say retcon?
ReplyDeleteMaybe it will be the time for Sarah to stay in the car. i would'nt mind she can stil bring fire power to the team lol
ReplyDeleteIt's funny. I'm not surprised by your reaction and I look forward to hearing the podcast.
ReplyDeleteI know you go into episodes with a lot of knowledge about what is going to happen and, thus, you are more focussed on execution than most of us.
But, yesterday, I got home late and purposely spoiled myself on the way home by reading twitter and the NBC boards.
So, I knew what was going to happen and what the reveal was. It does make for a different viewing experience.
I still ended the episode very thrilled about the turn of events and how it sets up the final episodes. That's what my thoughts were on at the end. It did accomplish that. I'm one who was suffering from some malaise about not having that intense "what happens next" feeling after 413. At least I have a bit of that feeling back.
Except for concerns about that pesky "zero" cliffhanger.
After rewatching, I thought that Sarah had quite little to do in this episode. Which is understandable, as the whole cast was featured and Casey got a few good moments for once, but I still missed Sarah in action.
ReplyDeleteAnd I somehow remember you teasing some great scenes with Chuck and Sarah for this ep? Or did I make that up?
I hope we get some more action with the two of them. Either in the working together sense, or basically any other way they could interact more. And it would be really nice, if they could cram in some hotness between them before Sarah gets taken out.
I usually really loved the penultimate episodes. So my expectations for next week are pretty high. They are much lower for the finale. That probably means, I might end up dissappointed next week, but I just loved Colonel very very much.
awelle
dkd, for me the execution is always more important than anything else. And even when an episode has fun moments, or exciting ones, or adds something interesting to the plot, if it isn't executed very well, I disconnect from it. And that isn't just on CHUCK, that is every show I watch.
ReplyDeleteI have quit shows over less. So, obviously, I love this show enough to ignore crap execution. ;)
Ignore is the wrong word... push it to the side while seething. ;)
ReplyDeletethe only really cliffhanger i can see DR or other men 18-34 giving a zero is that sarah is pregnant.I really don't see any logical storyline that would fit unless they do something completely random.
ReplyDeleteI still have my theory that he gave the cliffhanger a zero because the cliffhanger is not a cliffhanger.
Why is cliffhanger on chuck's life in danger?? He always saves everyboy's life and survives!!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise volkoff was Agent X, I was surprised.
But I wonder how could papaB and alexei be friends??
I didn't like the bachelor party. I was expecting like devon's bachelor party season 2x18
Not the best of season 4 but its Chuck and i love it!! JUst wish they would amp up the love scenes btw Chuck and Sarah. If it was a little more adulty?? we may improve ratings wise i mean if you look back on seasons we have had some really good moments and then they stopped them, why? Love this show but just want a little more action!
ReplyDeletePS Cant wait for the podcast
C
Hows this for a zero cliff hanger. The goal now is to fix Volkoff, make him normal again. When they Fix Volkoff, Chuck accidentally gets exposed. we find out that before season 1 at some point Chuck was an agent for the CIA, a very good one. Orion changed him to the person we see now so Chuck could have a normal life.
ReplyDeleteTW0073
Not even close to a zero cliffhanger.
ReplyDeleteBTW can't wait for the pod cast. ratings are out chuck up to 1.4
ReplyDeleteTW0073
1.4 it looks like, not great still, but at least not down, especially if your source was still confident at 1.3, as long as Chuck doesnt drop farther to make them reconsider.
ReplyDeleteThe cliffhanger must be something that doesn't make any sense in the context of the show.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about something. Prior to this episode airing, you said the episode wouldn't be what people were expecting. What did you think they expected vs. what was delivered?
Other than most people being wrong about the identity of Agent X, I sense most people got what they were expecting, based on the promo.
(I was going to ask that before the episode aired, but decided to wait)
Hola Amigo - been meaning to ask you a nagging question: By rating the Cliffhanger with a 'zero'... is that meant to represent a numerical value? or is that another of your famous [ or infamous] codes or super secret acronym....
ReplyDeleteHmm..."Chuck vs Agent X" got 1.4 in the ratings, huh? Still not good, but better than I expected. Are you guys sure that Chuck got 1,4 in the ratings last night? Maybe it was because Chuck was featured in a USA Today article.
ReplyDeleteI hope the ratings rise even more, but I'm not expecting it.
Looks like Chuck won the USA Today newspaper's "Save Our Shows" poll. I think this might influence NBC's opinion on saving Chuck.
ReplyDeleteDidn't CHUCK win the USA Today survey weeks ago? It is old news now.
ReplyDeleteLast 2 episodes have been really great! I was getting nervous about the shows comedy factor.
ReplyDeleteI will say, it still bugs me that Vivian got this evil this quickly. It just isnt that believable. Sure, she felt betrayed by chuck, and she might be getting some advice from the lawyer, but still, her personally being this evil, to the point where she would strike out at the people Chuck loves, doesnt make sense to me.
ReplyDeleteI don't have much of an issue with the speed with which Vivian turned evil. It isn't like it happened in one episode. Plus, the villain is the hero of their own story.
ReplyDeleteI choose to see Vivian as a "sociopath in waiting" who just lept at the first good excuse to go bad. Maybe the show didn't give me a lot of ammunition to feel that way, but she did kill that guy rather easily in her first episode. Then, she found it quite easy to stab Riley through the hand.
ReplyDeleteBoth incidents showed that she was decidedly not like Chuck.
Yep... she seems like someone predisposed to doing evil.
ReplyDeleteCannot wait for your podcast... I have my issues about last night's episode and I want to listen yours;))
ReplyDeleteFinally we rose a bit I hope it's a good sign and will continue this way till the end of the season...
nena
"..the villain is the hero of their own story. "
ReplyDelete"I choose to see Vivian as a "sociopath in waiting".."
Where else in this fandom can you get such sheer profundity!
If Vivian is predisposed to doing evil, and assuming its not genetically inherited from her father (since his evilness is not inherent, but a side effect of the Agent X thing)...
ReplyDeleteDoes that mean Vivian's predisposition towards evil results from her upbringing? Or does it mean she's got a super-evil Mother out there? (Or is she dead? Killed by evil Volkoff or one of his competitors or something? Why wouldn't she be involved in Vivian's upbringing, if she were still alive?)
On http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/05/03/tv-ratings-monday-chuck-up-a-little-law-house-the-chicago-codehawaii-five-0-mike-molly-slip-hit-lows/91256 it says that Chuck episode got a 1.4 I think that is better then 1.3 which was I think the last episode rating.
ReplyDeleteFinal 18-49 rating: 1.38
ReplyDeleteMen 18-49 was 1.49. Because the Men 18-34 rating was still a weak 0.92, Men 35-49 must have picked up the slack.
Women 18-49 was 1.27.
Well, that is still an increase. Let's see if next week follows the trend of the second episode back from any break tanking. ;)
ReplyDeleteRatings talk:
ReplyDeleteI didn't think the ratings would go down even with the poor amount of promotion, but I am pleased they went up a bit.
Competitively, I don't see House or DWTS having any momentum going. Both were down vs. their previous rating.
But, HIMYM seems to have momentum. I don't watch the show, but even I've seen their the media talking about how they have promised a wedding in the 5/16 episode as opposed to a "will they/won't they" wedding that the coy Chuck producers are pushing(or not).
Despite that, I'm unusually a little optimistic about next week's ratings because of the story momentum.
Well, I enjoyed this episode, but after reading the comments I think that I can see your point: you always criticized the episodes where the actors seemed to be not too much in it, as if they were just "let's do this, and move on", if you know what I mean...
ReplyDeleteBut I still think it was an overall a good episode, not the best, but good. And yes, Sarah in the bathtub... :-)
Two short questions: about the cliffhanger, did you mentione a kind of "phase six" for the finale? So it might be right who speculated about Chuck being accidentally brainwashed? So he would go back to season 1, and also Sarah would have "her Chuck" as she (and the shippers) always wanted?
Second question: do you think that at this point a change of 0.1 (up or down) could still affect the decisions of NBC about the renewal? Or it is already 99% taken?
Mike and I just did the greatest podcast ever... that didn't record...
ReplyDelete"Mike and I just did the greatest podcast ever... that didn't record..."
ReplyDeleteThat´s horrible!! I´ve been waiting for that and I know how annoying it is to redo something, but you still need to do that soon. Please.
awelle
I just watched it cause I have to watch it the day after on hulu. Before coming to this blog I had a solid opinion of the episode, cause it gripped me from the beginning and I couldn't shake it. Whatever you call it magnus, the pacing, the storytelling, the execution, I hated it. What was up with the 20 cut scene of them trying the tea? what was up with morgan casey chuck and awesome just sitting on the other side of the river for 5 minutes of the episode? What was up with all the forced family sentiment between Chuck and Ellie? the whole episode it felt like someone trying to say something and just falling over their words, stuttering, forgetting what they were saying, when I knew what they were trying to say
ReplyDeleteas for the cliffhanger: Volkoff becoming his cover + chuck wanting to work in the buymore his whole life = Chuck completing his transformation to a spy, maybe forgetting who he was?
So next episode is shippery despite the promo? good to hear.
Also pretty crazy coincidence with Casey's "special" targets. put the crosshairs down and a little to the left (UBLs left) and he would have been predicting history.
rich
FFFFUUUUUU
ReplyDeletethat definately sucks. has that happenned before? or was this the first time?
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that was a surprise is that the Intersect could work in different ways. We always were led to believe it was about implanting knowledge or skills. But, now they've expanded it to include implanted personalities.
ReplyDeleteCould there be even more? Implanted memories? Distorted realities? Could it make you think someone is alive who isn't and make you believe you are talking to them?
This question based on your recent podcast references to BSG's "Head Six".
Could the Intersect be used to make you think you got married to someone who is really dead?
Anyone seen Brazil, now that would send a lot of fans crazy, Tuttle! Think about it!!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said - "What's so bad about a Sarah is pregnant ending if it happened? If the show got cancelled its not like you will have to see it & the shippers are happy, well at least this shipper would be lol. But anyway pregnancy talk is fruitless because the writers wouldn't have the guts to go there."
ReplyDeleteI should clarify that my earlier comment about the theoretical "Sarah is preggers" storyline sounding awful to me was written under the assumption that we actually do get a 5th season. If she gets preggers and that's the end of the entire series, then I don't really care much either way. I just wouldn't want to watch the whole thing play out because then Sarah would be doing nothing interesting for a long time (i.e. no a$$-kicking). ;-)
Also when you say that "pregnancy talk is fruitless because the writers wouldn't have the guts to go there," ... well ... Chris Fedak actually gave this specific quote to TV Guide in an article posted yesterday: "I would love to be able to tell the story of a Chuck baby." So ... yeah. That comment was specifically in regards to whether they'll get a season 5, too. Maybe I don't want a 5th season after all? Hahaha we'll see. I hope this isn't the 0/10 cliffhanger. ;-)
I dont think a pregnancy would necessarily be a horrible storyline. Itd all be in the execution. You could write away most of the pregnancy downtime for sarah (maybe she's a couple months in, plus the summer gap, then born early), and there are multiple ways to manage the baby being taken care of when Chuck\Sarah have to be out on a mission as to not disrupt those moments of the show too much.
ReplyDeleteSarah getting pregnant would kill the show and lose yet more 18-34 males. Why is it that the plot points that the shippers want are always show killers. They give you no where to go with the story. I actually thought the back end of S3 was probably the sweet spot in terms of balancing the romance with Chuck and Sarah being spies. S4 feels like a final season. Now I remember Magnus or was it CF saying that TPTB are looking to change a few things structurally with the show.
ReplyDeleteI guess we shall see if it works. I really hope it's not a pregnancy though as it's generally a plot that is devoid of imagination and is a gross misuse of your lead actress in an 'Action Dramedy'.
Someone in the show is definitely shot or stabbed at the end of next week's episode by someone working for Vivian... that's obvious, right? The cliffhanger in this case that people would hate, especially if CHUCK gets canceled, is not knowing whether this person lives or dies, or if the final episode closes on their hospital monitor and they flat-line.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely one of the best episodes of the season...
ReplyDeleteLas Vecas & Reneaux are examples of the greatest twists in all of television history.