tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post8697484614498670237..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Chuck, "Chuck vs. the Pink Slip" & "Chuck vs. the Three Words": Death to Smooshie?Alan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-36159157323170117892012-03-14T17:08:40.272-04:002012-03-14T17:08:40.272-04:00It's late to comment, i know but i do know wha...It's late to comment, i know but i do know what Carina says in swedish "jag slänger nycklarna till dig, kommer du att tappa dem då?" witch means: i gonna throw the keys to you, are you gonna catch them?<br /><br />I'm swedisch:3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-84840649517152163552010-01-22T23:45:09.543-05:002010-01-22T23:45:09.543-05:00"O captain, my captain" is a quote from ..."O captain, my captain" is a quote from Walt Whitman's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Captain!_My_Captain!" rel="nofollow">"Leaves of Grass</a>," alluded to in <i>Dead Poets Society</i>, and currently being beaten into the ground in a Levi's ad campaign. So it pretty much hits all the cultural touchstones, high, low, and medium.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01288100796201737845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-84170707018625632412010-01-13T07:56:01.808-05:002010-01-13T07:56:01.808-05:00The official song title is "Just Like Paradis...The official song title is "Just Like Paradise," from <a href="http://www.chronologicalsnobbery.com/2009/12/david-lee-roths-little-aint-enough-1991.html" rel="nofollow">David Lee Roth</a>'s second solo LP, "Skyscraper," from back in '88. It's probably the most prominently that song has been featured in quite some time.<br /><br />It is interesting to see how much of the status quo was restored after the last season finale. Chuck is back at the Buy More despite the acquisition of so many new skills, the sexual tension between Chuck and Agent Walker remains unresolved, and all of the minor characters (ave Anna Wu) are back and occupying their usual positions in the narrative. But as you say, it's difficult to object that the writers have kept the Buy More so prominent when characters like Jeff, Lester, and Big Mike are so delightfully fun. It would, however, be interesting to see the show stray a bit further away from the Buy More and apartment sets, at least a little, as the arcs progress.Ransomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04044839274236944783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-35162101711441347992010-01-12T20:05:58.946-05:002010-01-12T20:05:58.946-05:00Thanks to Chris Wittman for posting the info about...Thanks to Chris Wittman for posting the info about the Imogen Heap sign used in the Chuck season premiere! You saved me a lot of searching.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-19674769048611456732010-01-12T19:09:23.322-05:002010-01-12T19:09:23.322-05:00Carina said "Jag kommer sakna dig kompis"...Carina said "Jag kommer sakna dig kompis" which means "I'm going to miss you buddy". I'd love to know what Sarah said, anyone from Poland reading this? ;)Sara Murenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14484981887727070851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-18021134071152943122010-01-12T14:49:18.349-05:002010-01-12T14:49:18.349-05:00OK, I watched the first season over the summer and...OK, I watched the first season over the summer and liked it pretty well. Almost got the second season from iTunes, but decided to wait til the Blu-ray set hit. I grabbed that last week, but haven't watched any of it since I am currently rewatching all of Lost getting ready for season six (3 eps into S5 at the moment).<br /><br />I watched the first half hour of "Chuck vs. the Pink Slip" and was pretty underwhelmed. Nothing seemed to be clicking for me. The songs were overbearing, though, which might have been part of the reason. I guess the first season made as much use of songs as soundtrack, but I blanked it out? It seemed like every scene had some crappy accompaniment.<br /><br />The car commercial didn't help, either. There were a couple of funny moments, but I sat there thinking "this was the only way to get the show back on the air?"<br /><br />Oh well. I've got all 3 episiodes on the TiVo, and will check them out. Hopefully the next couple remind me of what I liked before.Dave Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-90540155281060366022010-01-12T10:45:51.466-05:002010-01-12T10:45:51.466-05:00Love the review, but I especially love the Tribe C...Love the review, but I especially love the Tribe Called Quest reference :)Bobmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01604050338240551711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-86983380208702947262010-01-12T10:42:17.813-05:002010-01-12T10:42:17.813-05:00I really enjoyed the frst episode. Complete shock...I really enjoyed the frst episode. Complete shock that Emmet was offed, but that is okay. I loved the cover story. <br /><br />In "Three Words," the C/S may have seemed a bit contrived, but they needed it for the episode. After all, it was ..."vs. the Three Words." I think they might back off of their relationship being the focus for a while.<br /><br />One, considering Mondays episode, it seems the writers want to take their relarionship in a different direction. Two, Brandon Routh is suppose to be somewhat of a love interest for Sarah. I think they have him slated for eight episodes. And three, Kristen Kreuk is suppose to be somewhat of a love interest for Chuck, and I think they have her in four episodes.<br /><br />All in all, Chuck is a great show, and I am glad the idiots that run NBC were forced to realize it even if it is for just one more season.<br /><br />As an aside, the article mentioned Moonlighting. IMO, when that show lost it was when they started focusing more on the relationship between the characters and forgot about the weekly story. Unfortunately, I think the same went for Smallville.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-62220063117966149532010-01-12T07:14:53.237-05:002010-01-12T07:14:53.237-05:00I must be one of the few that didn't like the ...I must be one of the few that didn't like the first episode AT ALL. I had a lot of friends tune in for the first time, and based on my description of the show, they were a bit confused by the first episode because it was NOT light and funny at all. It was dark and repetitive ("Chuck don't get emotional. No seriously, Chuck, don't get emotional. Chuck....emotions). Unfortunately, this meant they didn't stick around to see the 2nd and 3rd episodes, which were more typically like the Chuck of the past.<br /><br />Having said that, I loved episodes 2 and 3. I hope I'm able to get my friends to tune in again and give it another chance.Jayneehttp://cootiehog.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-9759898715403171262010-01-12T00:57:30.776-05:002010-01-12T00:57:30.776-05:00yes, have to admit i squealed with delight when &q...yes, have to admit i squealed with delight when "backwards walk" came on. (didn't know i had one in me.)<br /><br />perfect for the scene.<br /><br />also very late but props to mike for his use of defenistration. :)stephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01659343222150619245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-6923778463297845802010-01-11T23:14:48.145-05:002010-01-11T23:14:48.145-05:00I'm late to it because I just watched Sunday&#...I'm late to it because I just watched Sunday's episode tonight but..<br /><br /><br /><br /><i>When Chuck goes to the Buy More to get more cheese balls, Lester says, "Oh Captain, my Captain."<br /></i><br /><br />I don't know if it was a movie reference or a literaary one, but it cracked me up.<br /><br />And I loved Morgan's lament "Could not flip the shrimp, man - could not flip the shrimp" about his misadvernture at Benihana's .<br /><br />What a <i>great</i> review and I'm so glad to get the songs titles that I didn't know. I particularly loved Frightened Rabbit's "Backwards Walk". Awesome, all of it, thank you for your part.Allison DeWittnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-87773774094216020892010-01-11T21:54:27.921-05:002010-01-11T21:54:27.921-05:00Awesome review, as usual, Alan.
One pop culture r...Awesome review, as usual, Alan.<br /><br />One pop culture reference you missed and I can't believe no one else has mentioned: Dead Poet's Society. When Chuck goes to the Buy More to get more cheese balls, Lester says, "Oh Captain, my Captain."Melissanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-24616229951931345952010-01-11T20:06:47.356-05:002010-01-11T20:06:47.356-05:00Bruce, first I heard of these ads were during the ...Bruce, first I heard of these ads were during the comments. Still haven't seen them.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-60188530989156236412010-01-11T20:01:01.897-05:002010-01-11T20:01:01.897-05:00Out of curiosity: were the two road trip scenes pa...<i>Out of curiosity: were the two road trip scenes part of the screener sent to critics?</i><br />Given that those were ads for Honda, and not actually part of the show, probably not.Alysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16065643331158632047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-48601362394417981352010-01-11T19:43:05.664-05:002010-01-11T19:43:05.664-05:00Out of curiosity: were the two road trip scenes p...Out of curiosity: were the two road trip scenes part of the screener sent to critics?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02526375231642061690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-78187185847068954832010-01-11T19:41:13.183-05:002010-01-11T19:41:13.183-05:00I enjoyed the Awesome road trip / car advertisemen...I enjoyed the Awesome road trip / car advertisement and couldn't even tell for sure whether it was part of the show or an ad until the 2nd one popped up later. I'm curious how these segments work -- are they written by the regular writers? Is this sort of thing happening on other shows as well, or just Chuck because its in such dire straits? Definitely preferable to a regular ad, and its a bonus to get the extra Chuck content, but not sure how scalable this is.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02526375231642061690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-60051927076979582612010-01-11T19:11:33.376-05:002010-01-11T19:11:33.376-05:00I can't believe you missed the most obvious po...I can't believe you missed the most obvious pop culture reference - El Bucho is the name of the bad guy from Desperado!Juliehttp://www.neophytenurse.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-21586077304377631132010-01-11T18:44:13.908-05:002010-01-11T18:44:13.908-05:00I agree. At the end of last season, i thought Chuc...I agree. At the end of last season, i thought Chuck (the character) would end up being badass yet still himself. They brought him back but his flashes are blocked by his emotions. They need to toughen him up and make him badass. And Chuck and Sarah need to be together already!!! It's getting old, the whole continual bickering back and forth. The show's still great, I just hope things beome different then what we saw in the first 2 eps. Well, here's to tonight.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-22283733742039814912010-01-11T18:06:30.837-05:002010-01-11T18:06:30.837-05:00I don't know, Alan. I was so very disappointe...I don't know, Alan. I was so very disappointed in the premiere. The end of last season promised a game changer of sorts, and that did not really come to fruition. Chuck was whiny and annoying and it felt forced, like a regression for the sake of cheap laughs. If this is what the new season consists of, I am not sure I will continue to watch much longer.Boricua in Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10408201125366918838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-66853104385161236102010-01-11T15:44:06.269-05:002010-01-11T15:44:06.269-05:00I couldn't agree more with the complaints abou...I couldn't agree more with the complaints about Chuck whining about his desire to "talk" mid-mission. It was wholly unrealistic and pathetic, especially given the fact that they have very limited time to get the mission done. They could have gotten the same points across (Chuck making his big speech) without building it up so that you wanted to punch him first.<br /><br />The rest of the two hours were fantastic though. Tony Hale being killed off utterly shocked me. It was so cold and cruel - it was a sharp stab of reality in an often unrealistic (in a good way) show. His character was superb, even if he never got a chance to really do much more than be annoying, and I will really miss him.Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-74027739796678940942010-01-11T15:11:42.197-05:002010-01-11T15:11:42.197-05:00Wondering if there were any first time viewers out...Wondering if there were any first time viewers out there and what they thought? Anyone?RSRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05953792488992249222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-88140437348463125612010-01-11T15:11:09.826-05:002010-01-11T15:11:09.826-05:00I loved it, though really hope the writers are wor...I loved it, though really hope the writers are working towards getting Chuck/Sarah together in this season. I actually like romantic angst and the Chuck/Sarah relationship is one of my fav elements of the show, but even I have my limits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-73889185075833885512010-01-11T15:11:02.783-05:002010-01-11T15:11:02.783-05:00(Ryan's quote, whose HTML Blogger disallowed:)...(Ryan's quote, whose HTML Blogger disallowed:)<br /><br />The business with "Shaw" and Beckman clearly involves the ongoing mythology of "The Ring," of which former Big Bad Fulcrum was only one piece. What might Chuck have learned about that group had he opened up the suitcase? And if Chuck, Sarah, and Casey are supposed to take down the ring, why can't/won't Beckman give them all the necessary and available intel? I hopeful both questions will be answered in the weeks to come.cgeyenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-54747358038707251892010-01-11T15:09:43.888-05:002010-01-11T15:09:43.888-05:00From Ryan:
The business with "Shaw" an...From <a href="http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2009-1-13-monkeys-as-critics/posts/recap-chuck-chuck-versus-the-pink-slip-and-chuck-versus-the-three-words" rel="nofollow">Ryan: </a> <br />The business with "Shaw" and Beckman clearly involves the ongoing mythology of "The Ring," of which former Big Bad Fulcrum was only one piece. What might Chuck have learned about that group had he opened up the suitcase? And if Chuck, Sarah, and Casey are supposed to take down the ring, why can't/won't Beckman give them all the necessary and available intel? I hopeful both questions will be answered in the weeks to come.<br /><br />My conjectures? The Golden Suitcase (and a tip o' the hat to REPO MAN, I bet) contains a device that targets human brainwaves and shorts them out through any satellite/cellphone system -- the real "button" to control the Intersect 2.0 should it get out of hand. If Chuck sees it, he knows the govmint sees him only as a weapon -- and any chance of his leading a normal life, with or without the Intersect, is gone. Why else bar Casey and Sarah from seeing it? The other MacGuffins they cared for they had to know about, in order to neutralize them when, inevitably, the bad guys got their hands on them near the climax.<br /><br />And the mysterious Agent Shaw? The lovely and talented Mark Sheppard, of course. You don't comply with the Sheppard Full Employment Act of 2009-10 without giving the man something meaty to chew on -- and he Twittered he's in an upcoming CHUCK arc....cgeyenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-49491253828618122502010-01-11T13:27:42.769-05:002010-01-11T13:27:42.769-05:00In the Casey/Chuck sparring scene I thought it was...In the Casey/Chuck sparring scene I thought it was great that it showed Casey also knowing how to help Chuck trigger the Intersect.Taleenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13465468178554091355noreply@blogger.com