Chuck’s terrorizing episode was kinda meh

Chuck and Ellie had a pretty frakked up childhood. If, like Chuck, I was faced with seeing my mother for the first time since I was nine years old, I’d expect to feel something. Instead, there was nothing but Chuck. Chuck just like he is when being a spy, as he is in love, when being a friend — plain ole Chuck. Turns out, there really isn’t much to Chuck. I’m thinking back to him in different scenarios, and they always play the same. I don’t know if this is all there is to Zachary Levi‘s range, or if the character is meant to be so stale. I mean, this is his only role with any meat to it. It could go either way.

Basically, Chuck hearing from and meeting the mother he hasn’t seen since he was nine was a bit of a letdown. Sarah seemed more moved by the event than Chuck did. Even there, though, the showdown where fiance and mother meet for the first time wasn’t much to shout about. They could have (should have) played that very funny. Instead is was mildly amusing. I can understand if they’re trying to make us think that since they’re all spies, they have to hold their emotions in check. But as it’s a comedy and not No Way Out, I don’t buy that being the angle.

Similarly, a no-doubt very hormonal Ellie didn’t seem to have much going on when dealing with her mother-in-law Honey, or when Chuck set up a meet-n-greet with their mom. She’s pregnant! Just being pregnant makes you an emotional time bomb. As Ellie and Chuck sat there waiting for Mom (Mary) to show up, there was no electricity, just the vaguest sense of apprehension. When she didn’t show, all Ellie asked was, “Why does mom keep doing this to us?” Keep? Have there been other missed opportunities since they were children where she was just a block away? Why in the hell didn’t she cry or get angry? Can you tell the lack of emotion drove me crazy??

While all of this is going down, Casey was utilizing Morgan as a Magnet. Missing the gist of the idea, Morgan thought it was a cool spy nickname — The Magnet. Their scenes, once again, were the brightness of the episode. Morgan did his impression of a spy just hanging out trying to look like a spy … and I laughed out loud. Joshua Gomez seriously steals the show these days.

Wearing his Buy More hat, Morgan engaged the asshats (oh — Nerd Herd) to decorate for Halloween. Mrs. B supposedly came to Chuck to seemingly turn over an insanity-inducing pepper spray to the CIA without getting caught — the potion created by Freddy Krueger (frankly, I didn’t catch his Chuck name).  He was immune to his own potion and thereby unstoppable, until he entered the truly insane haunted house created the Herd. So it’s official — they truly are insane. If only they’d cart them off to the asylum … I can dream!

After last week’s heart pounding Casey/Morgan infused brilliance, this fell flat. The opportunity was there with the Bartowskis coming face to face, but it was lost.  Truly just meh.

Miscellaneous tidbits:

• I have to note that the plastic surgeons used by Linda Hamilton and Morgan Fairchild are fabulous! They look older, but fresh, and still like themselves. That’s hardly something I can let go unmentioned.
• FINALLY! Someone on television brought to mind just how weird it is that telephone calls rarely end with goodbye. After Mrs. B hangs up without doing so, Chuck says, “You just hate saying goodbye like a normal person, don’t you?” I couldn’t agree more!

Clacked by Carissa Pavlica
on Oct 25, 2010 @ 21:00 EST5EDT