Oh Chuck, this is the kind of show I think you should be. Well played. Well played, indeed. Even the use of high profile guest actors didn’t detract from the perfect blend of emotional tension, humor and action — shaken, not stirred.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Kristin Kreuk were on hand, and I was more than thrilled to see that they weren’t both playing the types of roles you expect guest stars to play on this series. Brandon Routh was back as well, in the role of Shaw. I’m still not sure about that guy, but I think that’s because Chuck has trained me to never trust anyone.
No Captain Awesome or Ellie this episode, but the balance worked out fine. Instead, while Chuck was off on his first solo mission, it afforded Casey time to interact at the Buy More with Morgan. I love that Casey has this cover at the Buy More, and it was great seeing it explored more. He really can be quite scary.
Wouldn’t it be fun if he and Morgan became mismatched friends? The kind where neither of them really know how it happened. I can see it happening. Morgan played on Casey’s principles in getting his assistance to get Lester and his goons in line, and Casey’s hypnosis of Lester was just beautifully awesome.
As for Chuck, Shaw sent him on a doozy of a mission, which makes me not trust him. At the same time, I kind of agree that Sarah and Casey haven’t been pushing Chuck to be all he can be in the spy world. I’ve been wanting to see him grow a bit as a spy, and this episode offered that in spades. He even flashed some 2.0 abilities on command.
Steve Austin, as expected, played a villainous goon. I was a little taken out of the drama by just how horribly he delivered his lines, but wrestle-acting isn’t always the same as real acting. Luckily, he had that female Ring agent working with him. And it was not Kristin Kreuk.
Again that mistrust makes me think there’s more to Kreuk’s character than we were led to believe, but I kind of hope there isn’t. I thought she had a great rapport with Chuck, and would love for her to stick around for awhile as a genuine, non-spy-related, love interest for him.
We need Chuck to have outside relationships that can be tested and strained by his spywork, and this is the perfect set up for one. Plus, it distracts us from the ongoing not-love affair not-happening between him and Sarah, which is a good thing.
Kreuk is at least back next week, per the previews, so we’ll see how her storyline plays out. I fear she’ll tie into the Ring somehow, or something else, but am hoping she doesn’t. Another innocent bystander torn apart by the Intersect. That’s what we need.
Plus, Chuck really needs to get him some. And Lana Lang ain’t a bad get for a geek.
Clacked by Jason Hughes 
on Jan 26, 2010 @ 15:00 EST5EDT
Lana Lang aint a bad get for anyone.
I agree somewhat with your Stone Cold analysis, partly b/c I always thought of him as Stone Cold first. I did like some of the little things, like the “got ya” look he shot him after poisoning his drink.
I hope Shaw isn’t a Ring agent, and I doubt he is if his story about his wife is true. Hopefully he’s there to push Chuck to be able to take care of himself to some extent, much like this episode.
The hypnosis scene was classic!
On IMDB it shows that Kristin Kreuk will appear in
4 episodes of Chuck.
Sarah and Casey hadn’t been pushing Chuck in the past because he was an irreplaceable asset, and it was their job to insulate the Intersect from direct contact with any enemy agents or threats, not send him toward them. They coddled him because he had no business risking death or capture by trying to help with the mission. Apparently, that’s changed now, and they’re having trouble adapting.
Shaw sending Chuck on the mission was fine. The problem was that he made it more dangerous than necessary by withholding vital information twice, first about the passenger Ring agent, then the stewardess one, so that Chuck was not prepared. He knew exactly who they were and could have arrested them and seized the key at baggage check-in at the airport. Obviously, he did it in the worst way possible just to see if Chuck was up to the challenge.
Excuse me, flight attendant, not stewardess. How embarrassing.