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- TV Series: Chuck
- Episode: Chuck Vs. the Beard
- Starring: Zachary Levi, Sarah Lancaster, Adam Baldwin, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez
- Written By: Scott Roseenbaum
- Directed By: Zachary Levi
- Network: NBC
- Series:
Chuck: Chuck Vs the Beard Review
Big Mike Rallies the Troops to Save His Store By
Stephen Lackey
March 09, 2010
Chuck (Zachary Levi) in NBC's CHUCK(2010).
© NBC/Bob Trate
This episode, building on the events of the last few installments, does a fantastic job of making you feel the weight that’s on Chuck’s shoulders. Chuck has no problem putting his life on the line in the spy business, but the inability to blow off steam with anyone finally took its toll on him in this episode. At one time, Sarah could be that sounding board for him but things are way too complicated between them now. He doesn’t trust Shaw and Casey’s not exactly the heart to heart type. The truth is that Chuck could end up like Casey without a good support system. Emotional exhaustion can have physical ramifications. For the world at large, that sort of exhaustion causes headaches, insomnia, or back pain but for Chuck, the Intersect shuts down. His emotional well being has always had an effect on the success or fail of the Intersect from the beginning and now while he needs to get a lot off of his chest it doesn’t work at all. Because of this, Chuck gets sidelined from the latest mission.
Chuck being benched actually makes the situation with the Intersect even worse because Chuck’s emotional state deteriorates even further. He believes that he gave up everything he ever wanted to be a spy and now Shaw and the gang have taken that from him. This change of pace for Chuck was actually cool for one reason; it forced him back into the Buy More and interacting with Morgan and the gang. The typical formula is that the Buy More story arcs and the spy stories are all separate. So, it was actually good seeing Chuck run around the Buy More. Speaking of the Buy More, the store is in complete chaos due to a couple of potential buyers coming in to interview the staff to decide whether they should all be “terminated”. The Buy More segments are usually extremely funny and a nice break from the spy action. The Buy More story in this episode is a mixed bag. There are some funny moments but the silliness goes to a new level that just feels a bit too far this time. With that said, Jeffster is back and that’s never a bad thing. Jeffster’s performance also leads to a couple of really funny lines too.
The producers of Chuck have been hinting that someone new would learn Chuck’s secret this season and that finally happened in this episode. If you’ve ever read Daredevil comics the sheer number of people that knew his secret at one point no so long ago made him even having a secret identity seem ridiculous. Now the new person knows the secret plus Awesome. All that’s left is Ellie and everyone Chuck is closest to will know his secret. Doesn’t seem like such a secret anymore. It’s a fine line the writers have to walk with Chuck’s evolution as a character on one side and the original set up of the show on the other. This decision feels right though. Chuck needs somebody he can bond with outside of the spies and that can’t be Awesome because of Chuck’s sister.
While the silliness level in this episode is a little too much, overall the episode is funny and the action is really suspenseful. Oddly, Sarah gets the least to do this go around. Even Casey was more involved in both the spy story and the Buy More story than Sarah. The results are good but Chuck and Sarah are central to the success of this show so her lack of involvement stood out a bit in the episode. This episode was directed by Zachary Levi and overall, the episode is a success.
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I really enjoyed the episode, and I really like what happened with Morgan learning Chuck's secret. The one part I don't like is Chuck's distance from Sarah. I'm sure the story arcs will bring them back around to one another, but without their interaction, the heart of the show is missing. I like that everyone BUT the sister know, because it'll be fun watching everyone try to keep it from her. The show, although I have really enjoyed it from day one, is intantly forgettable once the episode is over. It's fun, silly, over the top, and a lot more fun than any of the reality shows on TV. Bachelor/Bachelorette...fine if you have ten cats, live in a housecoat and eat your emotions while watching TV. The biggest loser...Yeah, I want to sit and watch fat people lose weight for two hours. American Idol...Survivor...Dancing with the Tards, err, Stars...Thank god there are actually still some scripted (as if the "reality" shows aren't) shows to enjoy.