Five chunks of CHUCK

Versus The Business Trip

Bloggers note: At the very top of this post I want to give a shout-out and dedication to one of this Blog's best supporters Lianne (aka @breddgal); I really appreciate the kind words and this is the best way I could think to say thanks...much of the material I expand on in these posts begin from tweets and discussion with brilliant Chucksters like you!! I also can't let the opportunity pass without saying congratulations on your re-tweet from Nerd 01...Mr Zach Levi! Any of you fellow CHUCK fans reading this who don't follow her...you should! Because quite frankly... she is FRAKKIN' Aces!!  

A re-tweet from Zach...you better frakking believe it!!

1. Smoke and mirrors with the bait and switch


The group of Chucksters which I like to call the "one word review crew" are some of the coolest CHUCK fans in the twitterverse who like to come together at the end of each new CHUCK episode and use just one word to sum up our personal thoughts on the episode. It really is a great way to look back on each show and on the words of others I find myself re-watching these episodes to see what others see and it really is such a great experience.


If ever there was a Zen Master of Chuck it would be @dren-lla and his one word contribution for this ep was "shell-game" which is a great summary of how the episode played out. Business Trip was a really good episode but it seemed to get carried away with the bait & switch tactics, even to the point that some of the plot moves were telegraphed well in advance.  I like that this episode of CHUCK attempted to do something a little different...it may have fallen a little flat in this area by trying a little too much to engineer plot twists and suspense but this just one small facet of a good episode that got it right in many other areas!



2. Who needs normal?


One of the central themes of CHUCK versus The Business Trip is the yearning of Sarah and Chuck to be normal people and a normal couple but seriously can Chuck and Sarah every really be normal?

Chuck is a guy who had the intersect downloaded in his brain when nobody else could, he was willing to risk his life day in day out despite any spy train; not because he is crazy (but you could argue he is just a little bit) or fearless but because of sense of honour and obligation. Once he found out what failure to stop Fulcrum or The Ring meant he laid it all on the line...that ain't normal!

Sarah Walker (Bartowski) was raised partly by a con-artist Dad and spent much of the last half of her life as a CIA agent training, fighting, throwing knives, quelling rebellions, stopping terrorists and dancing with Mikael Gorbachev...that is just the fun stuff! In truth her character had to battle a lot of hardships and she is only just adjusting to a stable life with Chuck and his (and now her) family. Keeping an asset that important to the enemy alive for as long as her and Casey did is not normal; it really is pretty freaking fantastic!

Then I think back to the wisdom of Dren_lla's shell-game analysis, the show is presenting us (and Chuck & Sarah) with the question of what normal life is for them. They are doing it in a Socratic method of sorts; by asking all the questions and allowing themselves to come to the right conclusion in their own time. In time they will realise that the normal is really abnormal for them! Plus who in their right mind wants to be normal when they could be awesome...like Chuck and Sarah!



These two a normal couple?...I doubt it!


   3. JEFFSTER...no more?


Wow...who would have thought after so long together something as minor as attempted poisoning could separate this duo!! I like the idea of the new calm, insight and frankly less-stalkerish Jeff; especially its impact on Lester who feels he has lost his best buddy in the whole entire world.

I guess for Lester he feels a little like Chuck did in the last couple of eps, he is slowly losing (or has already lost) his best friend. But a word of advice Lester...perhaps you should have taken a page out of the Chuck playbook and pantsed Jeff rather the attempting to poison Jeff (and others) with carbon monoxide!! That actually may have prevented the cops being called...

OK everybody if this is to be the last we see of Jeffster as duo, what's your favourite memory...no doubt many will say "Mr. Roboto" at the Woodcomb Wedding (Take 1) but for it will always be Jeffster kicking it old skool and unplugged with "Leaving on a Jetplane..."

Man... Peter, Paul & Jeffster sure has a certain ring to it!!

Jeffrey, get the turtle-necks...tonight we go unplugged!

4.Schwartz, shorts and long long legs!

Holy Smokes... Yvonne Strahovski turned the awesome dial up to 11 and blasted out the awesome amp and speakers!  Back by extremely popular demand came Nerd Herd Sarah...ready for any computer (or swimming pool) emergency.

This episode also has me reflecting on how awesome shorts are especially when worn so remarkably by one Yvonne Strahovski in the hotel and pool scene! Then I remembered...hang on I have seen similar short shorts stylings recently; it was Rachel Bilson on Hart of Dixie.

What do these show have in common besides impeccable leading lady fashion (to this fashion Luddite at least)? The answer is of course...Mr. Josh Schwartz!!

I am loving your work Schwartz...carry on!!

As long as Sarah Walker's legs looked in shorts, they looked much longer contorted in her Lotus Sportscar...yowza!! Maybe that is what Buzz Lightyear means "To infinity and beyond"...actually that would explain a lot!



Honey, you obviously didn't buy the Lotus for the  leg room



5. Semper Fidelis & family values

This was actually my favourite part of the episode...for me it went right to the core of what the whole show of CHUCK is about...family, loyalty and the devotion to those you love and the ideals you hold close to your heart. In fact, my one word review for the episode was "Devotion"...

• You had Chuck and Sarah who are devoted to not just making a life for each other but both are willing to risk it all for the safety of the other as Chuck and Sarah did in this ep (and every other ep!)
• Chuck was willing to become the "Human Target" and assume Morgan's identity so his bet buddy was no longer at risk of being whacked!!
• Devon is willing to forgo his happiness as a stay at home dad with Clara so that Ellie can spend quality time with her daughter and re-connect as mother and child.
• Perhaps the bravest and most faithful to his values as always was Casey; both he and Sarah knew for the team and most importantly the family to be safe the viper needed to be taken care of by any means necessary! Casey knows that the taking of a life is not something to be taken lightly especially now he is a civilian but he did it for the safety of his daughter, his partners and his best friends...

Why do they do all this? Because they are family, a family that is always faithful to each other no matter what!! Semper Fi for better or worse that is one of the things that I love the most about the show, it is a show about family that the whole family can watch...not many like that anymore! It is a topic I could go on about forever and it might be a theme I devote a whole post to in the near future...

My final thought on the Chuck ep is this...showing the CHUCK family at it's best right before Thanksgiving, the family holiday that means so much to those who celebrate the holiday in the US was a true masterstroke.

Family is one of life's great joys and we can never have enough reminders of how important family is to us all no matter how unconventional they may be. At the end of the day it is just great to know that there are people on your side willing to fight for you and we can all be thankful for that!

Till next time...stay awesome!!




Semper Fi...We got your back


Ps: You know where to find me on Twitter (@moggyvouk_82)...I would be happy to hear (and re-tweet) any of your CHUCK one word reviews!