Well, it’s about time. After six episodes leaving us Chuck fans in the dark as to why the title character got kicked out of Stanford, we finally learned why the Nerd Herder happened upon such a stroke of bad luck back in college. And I don’t know about you, PopWatchers, but I certainly didn’t expect to see that Bryce — the character we had long vilified for being a traitor — actually had quite a big heart.
Turns out that Sarah’s ex, and Chuck’s former nemesis, planted the stolen tests in Chuck’s dorm room in order to keep him from being recruited from the CIA. Though I have a hard time believing that potential spies have no choice in the matter — and that the government hires several students per class to join the trade — the episode’s arc allowed us to see a different side of our main character. For the first time this season, Chuck made us wonder if the Nerd Herder was actually meant to be a spy, good heart and all.
Not only was Chuck originally placed on the list of potential recruits at Stanford (thanks to abnormally high test scores in a symbolism class), but last night’s episode showed Chuck undertaking a mission for reasons other than his computer/brain. After Stanford professor George Fleming — who once taught Chuck and, more importantly, also happened to be a CIA asset — disappeared from the government’s watchful eye, our hero was called into action. Chuck was understandably more than reluctant to help at first, being that Fleming was the professor who kicked him out of school. But after glancing at his old Stanford ID, and immediately flashing for a still mysterious reason, Chuck decided that the only way to get answers as to why he was in the intersect was to confront Fleming himself.
Chuck and his two handlers discovered Fleming’s location, but anIcelandic enemy shot Fleming down with a crossbow after Chuck ran afterthe professor (Come on, Sarah and Casey! You should know better than toleave Chuck in the car!). Thus, Chuck was forced to return to hiswould-be alma mater — and face one mean library late fee — to locate adisc that the Icelandic archer was attempting to confiscate. AfterChuck found the disc — and realized, upon looking at its contents, thathe was meant to be recruited by the CIA his senior year — the gangfound trouble, and became part of a high-octane shootout in Stanford’slecture halls. But Chuck’s quick thinking led him to call for theassistance of several extremely good-looking student CIA spies and,naturally, the bad guys were vanquished.
One last glance at the disc showed Chuck that Bryce had goodintentions for his roommate, and proved to viewers that Sarah has yetto completely let go of her ex. Though she seemed to have beeninfluenced by Chuck’s perception of Bryce over the past few episodes,her tearful exit after seeing Bryce’s generosity made her feelingsobvious: Sarah is not letting go, and though the teaser for next week’sepisode made it seem as though Sarah and Chuck will get quite (ahem!) close, I doubt she’ll be ready to forget Bryce anytime soon.
As for Chuck, it seems his dislike for his old roommate is destinedto wane, but I wonder if Ellie or Morgan will be at all suspicious ifthey notice his 180-degree turn when it comes to Bryce. And though itwas quite benevolent for Bryce to save Chuck from a life of deceptionand murder, how can he explain thrusting his ex-roommate back into sucha life by sending him the encrypted e-mail? Seems we’ll still have towait on that one.
But, of course, an episode of Chuck wouldn’t be completewithout its scene killer, Morgan. To the writers’ credit, Morgan didtone down his usual irritating nature just a bit, if only to make wayfor Harry Tang, a character that seems to be intent on stealingMorgan’s title of most annoying attempt at comic relief. This week,Harry — or Sauron, depending on who you talk to — began his reign asassistant manager at the Buy More and, as expected, abused his newpower to no end. Not only did he stagger lunch times for the store’semployees so none of them could eat together, but he also blockedeveryone’s ability to change channels on the big screen TVs by takingcontrol of a sole, universal remote (disappointing, considering how funthe employees’ television show-identification game seemed). But thanksto Morgan’s plan to impede Harry’s use of the remote, Chuck’s bestfriend was able to regain a sense of authority over the new boss. Andcan I commend Chuck for finally showcasing the sassy Anna Wu, acharacter that, until now, had been wrongfully cast in the background?Too long have the producers ignored the Buy More employees surroundingChuck and Morgan, and now that we know the previously pleasant Lesteris quite the traitor himself, it will be interesting to see how thecontinuously changing dynamics between the Nerd Herders will play out.
What about you, PopWatchers? Do you enjoy the character developmentwithin the Buy More? Are you happy with the explanation as to why Chuckgot expelled from Stanford? Upon learning this new information, do youhave any guesses as to why Bryce sent Chuck the encoded message? Did itseem accurate to have Oasis playing in the background during Chuck’spost-’90s college years? And, finally, were you happy to see thatCaptain Awesome was, once again, shirtless?
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I was very happy to learn about why Bryce did what he did, and I’m sure Sarah is now second-guessing writing him off for “betraying” her. I still want to know why Bryce stole Chuck’s girlfriend and why he sent Chuck all the info, but all in good time I guess. And Morgan actually wasn’t that annoying because he defeated Tang, shocking.
Liked the show, especially the explanation regarding Bryce, but this was really the first week that I found Morgan annoying. I thought the story line was a complete distraction. I think his character has been written into a corner and is far to one dimensional. I don’t see how they can rectify this without Chuck actually confiding in him and changing his characters dynamic.
The main thing that annoyed me about last night’s ep was the use of Oasis. I guess the song’s content makes sense – you know, don’t look back in anger – but it seemed anachronistic. I think that song came out when I was in high school in the mid-90s.
I think that it makes perfect sense now why Bryce sent Chuck the email. He needed to get the information to someone that would be able to use it and make sense of it, and with Chuck’s abilities in symbolism and encrypted messages, it was a natural choice.
This show just keeps getting better and better.
I still think Bryce sent it to Chuck by accident. He was shot while scrolling through names in his PDA and it just happened to stop on Chuck’s e-mail. Am I the only one that has thought that’s what happened since the first episode?
Great episode last night! I had a feeling there was more to Bryce than an evil agenda, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he’s alive and well and in NSA captivity(and I’m sure Casey put him there). I’ve never really had a problem with Morgan, although I can’t believe you don’t find Lester to be more irritating. That character has never been enjoyable for me and I kind of tune out when he’s on screen.
mscisluv hit the nail on the head. I thought it qas quite obvious that Bryce sent the images to Chuck because he’s a natural at this kind of thing, and the show is getting better and better. I can’t wait to see what happens next week with Rachel Bilson vying for Chuck.
Mmm, shirtless Awesome was breathtaking! Less Morgan is always better but somehow I didn’t find Tang as annoying as Morgan can be. Nice to see more of the lovely Anna Wu. Still loving the show!
I loved the line “O.C. season 2, underrated” during the tv game. That’s two straight weeks of O.C. references leading up to Rahel Bilson’s first appearance.
The e-mail couldn’t have been an accident. The e-mail had a password to unlock it that was specific to Chuck and Bryce’s relationship (if you remember it had to do with the game they developed at Stanford). That would mean Bryce meant for only Chuck to see it.
Cam – I think he had to have sent it on purpose. The way Chuck got in to open it was to solve a puzzle that he and Bryce created in college. There is no one else who would have known how to open the file.
You guys beat me to it. Bryce had encrypted the email with the game only he and Chuck knew, so only Chuck could have opened it. It wouldn’t have been accidental, because Bryce would have no “logical” reason to have Chuck’s email address. It was clearly there in case of emergency.
(P.S. Dear Kate: When used as a possessive, there is no apostrophe in “its” – “its scene killer”. I am not surprised to see this in comments, but you’re a professional writer, yes?)
This show is great! I liked that Bryce turned out to be a “good” guy. Altho I am still wondering about the whole girlfriend stealing thing. I think that some of the other comments make sense as to about why he sent Chuck the info. I could buy that it was by mistake as he scrolled names in his PDA, as much as I could buy that he sent it to him b/c of his symbolism background.
Who by the way was gift shop girl in Scrubs! as a blonde though. I prefer her as a brunette.
Harry is worse than Morgan but I felt the annoyance factor was lower this week b/c the other Buy Morers were in the show more. That’s what I’ve been asking for. Go Anna Wu…I want more of you!
I could care less about the Oasis issue. And Captain Awesome was great again, but I would still rather see more, ahem of Ellie!
Also, NBC is doing the obvious boy doesn’t get girl until season 8 thing that they do. Sarah obviously is going to have to reevaluate Bryce betraying her now. So Shuck is on hold. boo!
Bryce sent it to chuck because chuck did well on the tests for deciphering images encoded in pics
I don’t think about this show too much, I just enjoy it a lot! But now that i do think about it, i agree with the newer posts about it not being an accident. It was encrypted with a puzzle they created! You guys are good. You should be recruited by the CIA! Thanks for reminding me of that.
I am a EW magazine subscriber.
I read the latest “Hit List” no 4 about a picture of a young Sean Connery. Where is that painting or picture. I have never seen it in any magazines. Thanks for info., Roy
I think Bryce sent it to Chuck because he knew he could trust him. Obviously if Bryce is a “good guy” now and was stealing secrets from the government then the CIA or NSA is either evil or corrupt. They are now the ones that cannot be trusted. We’ve seen evidence of this throughout the show w/ the “shifty-eyed” NSA woman ordering Chuck’s death at the beginning of the season. Bryce couldn’t trust anyone he knew in his present life at the time of his death so he sent it to someone from his past, who yes can understand the secrets but more importantly will do the right thing/actions with them.
I LOVE this show! Best diaglogue on TV. When is this going to get a full TV Watch column?
Not surprised about the reveal on Bryce’s actions and intentions. Also wouldn’t be surprised to find that Bryce isn’t really dead.
ooooooh you bring up a some good points. Maybe Sarah is really a bad guy and can’t be trusted, and will eventually turn on Chuck down the road. Maybe that’s why Bryce ending things with her and why he didn’t send the files to her in the first place.
- Now that we’ve got the full monty of ALL of the co-workers, I say we refer to them as “Buy-Morons”.
- I’ve been to Stanford on football weekend and was surprised to see that last night, half the alum were CIA – irony or satire as half usually can’t tie their own shoes correctly.
- Kate Ward (reviewer) is surprised that it is 6+ episodes to get the Bryce story? Of course, this is the first week of sweeps. This is the entree’ – you’ve been snacking on the anti-pasta til ‘now.
Love this show… Totally agree that it wouldn’t be shocking to find out that Bryce is still alive. Looking forward to seeing Rachel Bilson next week!!!
I think the use of Oasis’s “Don’t Look Back in Anger” was due to the song’s theme/message – not to set the year. This is Chuck – not Cold Case. They only flashed back five years – do we really need a song to remind us of the time period?
When Bryce sent the information to chuck was no accident. What I don’t understand is why did he have chuck on his phone list. I mean why would he keep him there specially since they did not speak to each other for three years. That just odd. By the way, Bryce is Definately alive. I know so because it will make an incredible story line, or plot twist at the end of the season.
Still some loose ends to clean up but for the most part, I do enjoy seeing how all of this will play out in the rest of the season. I’m glad that they are showing the Bryce was not all bad and he have a heart when it came to Chuck. I’m sure he sent the file to chuck because he knew he would have it stuck in his brain due to his scores from the tests. Nice to see Chuck do more than “flash on someone” for a change. They do need to use more of the rest of the cast the have. They all are very good actors and need to be in the story line more. Go Chuck!!!!
Do you enjoy the character development within the Buy More?
–yes
Are you happy with the explanation as to why Chuck got expelled from Stanford?
–yes
Upon learning this new information, do you have any guesses as to why Bryce sent Chuck the encoded message?
–He scored the highest on the exam.
Did it seem accurate to have Oasis playing in the background during Chuck’s post-’90s college years?
–Duh. ‘Don’t look back in anger…’ They spelled it out for us cause that was what he was doing in the scene. Not looking back in anger anymore.
And, finally, were you happy to see that Captain Awesome was, once again, shirtless?
-Of course
Chuck is the more purely enjoyable show to watch this season. Really liked getting the Stanford backstory. Maybe this will toughen up Chuck a bit and he’ll start owning his new spy life, since he can’t spend what’s left of the season staying in the car and hiding under furniture during shootouts.
My favourite line: the one about high def showing every “wrinkle”, er make that “twinkle”, in the lady general’s face/eyes.
I was so bored by the Buy More scenes–I couldn’t wait to get back to Chuck and spy gang. I agree–less Morgan and Tang, more everyone else! I’m looking forward to seeing Rachel Bilson again! Rachel and Chuck would make a cute couple.
I really like Chuck so far and it was nice to fill in some of his backstory, with more to come. I like the goings-on at the Buy More, too, and Harry Tang is one of my favorite characters (he’s also Dexter’s bud and fellow crime lab worker on that show). When they told us his middle name, “Tiberius,” last week, I laughed out loud. I’d like to see a serious gun battle, rather than the “A-Team”-style shoot-em-up in the lecture hall (how many shots were fired without a single hit or gad guy going down?). I like the show’s jokey tone, but maybe a few more serious moments?