Chuck"Chuck Versus the Sizzling Shrimp"
Original Air Date: October 23, 2007
Jeff L - TwoCents Staff Writer
Morgan is planning an "Evening with Morgan". For dramatic tension we’re being led to believe that Chuck isn’t hanging out with his sister or his buddy Morgan anymore since he became a super spy. It is a somewhat hackneyed plot device, especially since we just saw the whole gang hanging out last week playing board games. The Evening with Morgan is going to be a big to-do with sizzling shrimp from Bamboo Dragon, Enter the Dragon on DVD and, if Morgan has his way down in Chinatown, a bunch of fireworks.
Continue Reading...
Posts
Chuck
ReplyDelete"Chuck Versus the Sizzling Shrimp"
Original Air Date: October 23, 2007
Jeff L - TwoCents Staff Writer
Morgan is planning an "Evening with Morgan". For dramatic tension we’re being led to believe that Chuck isn’t hanging out with his sister or his buddy Morgan anymore since he became a super spy. It is a somewhat hackneyed plot device, especially since we just saw the whole gang hanging out last week playing board games. The Evening with Morgan is going to be a big to-do with sizzling shrimp from Bamboo Dragon, Enter the Dragon on DVD and, if Morgan has his way down in Chinatown, a bunch of fireworks.
Across town, at the Chinese consulate, Jack Baur is holding a terrorist hostage inside the embassy…I’m kidding, but a guy is talking on a cell phone to his sister back in China as he walks from the embassy and into an ambush where’s his clubbed and thrown into a waiting van.
Down in Chinatown, Sarah, Morgan and Chuck are heading to eat the sizzling shrimp at the Bamboo Dragon. It’s closed for a private party, but Morgan has a buddy who works in the kitchen so they go around back. While Morgan is securing the shrimp Chuck spots a waitress and flashes that she’s a Chinese super spy. He tells Casey and Morgan about her and they take off, forcing Chuck to miss out on Evening with Morgan.
Back at the Buy More, the big boss is going all Glengarry Glen Ross on the green shirts. There’s a sales contest and the winner gets an iPhone and the loser gets fired. Que the montage of Morgan being a terrible salesman. Of course, Morgan is going to get fired unless he can get his old buddy Chuck to help him out, but Chuck is busy on a stakeout.
They tail the Chinese spy who’s tailing a Chinese mafia guy who’s in a wheelchair (James Hong, “every movie ever made” seriously…look this guy up, his imdb page is like 10 miles long). The spy lady is going after the mob guy and Casey and Sarah jump in on the action as the wheelchair mob guy makes a break for it. Chuck, who’s waiting in the car, sees him hightailing it and helps him to his limo. Once he’s inside they bring out the kidnapped guy from the embassy and throw him in the trunk. Chuck is bewildered, but as the limo peels out the spy girl tells Chuck she’s trying to save her brother. Casey and Sarah show up with their guns drawn and the spy gal takes off.
The next day Casey and Sarah tell Chuck to forget about it. It’s none of their business. Some spies these guys are. Spy girl calls Chuck at the Nerd Herd booth and tells him she knows he’s a spy, because she recognized Casey and Sarah and she knows they are with him and he’s going to help her rescue her brother from the mob. The Chinese mafia is holding her brother for ransom since he’s some kind of big-wig in the Chinese government. Casey and Sarah can only agree to help if they can convince the spy to defect.
They hash out a deal in an armed standoff in the Buy More backroom and Chuck has to miss Mother’s Day (yes Mother’s Day in October) with his sister to help with the rescue. Turns out only he knows how to tap into the mafia compounds cameras. Don’t they teach these spies ANYTHING?
The operation takes a wrong turn and Casey, Sarah and the spy lady are all captured. The mafia guy tells them that China has refused to pay any ransom for the official they’ve kidnapped but he thinks they’ll reconsider now that he has their top spy and two American agents as bargaining chips. Chuck, who was waiting in the surveillance van, sets off a bunch of fireworks and the distraction gives him enough time to cut Casey and Sarah loose. There’s a big fight scene/action sequence that would do Mr. Miyagi proud.
They nab the mafia guy and save the day.
Back home Chuck tells his sister he’s sorry he missed Mother’s Day. They celebrate the day their mother left them when they were kids and they had to learn to take care of themselves. He’s never missed their holiday before and Ellie thinks she knows why. It’s because Chuck has a girlfriend (Sarah) now. Chuck says that it and Ellie agrees to have brother and sister Mother’s Day the next night. Chuck shows up but Morgan is there and so is Sarah. Chuck wasn’t there for Morgan either, but Ellie saved the day by swooping in at the last minute before the contest ended and buying enough electronics (she’s a doctor anyway she can afford it) to land Morgan second place in the contest.
I wasn’t too happy with this episode and I’m beginning to think that Ellie is completely superfluous. The plot device about Chuck not spending time with her anymore was utterly ridiculous. Why is him being a spy so important that he can’t even tell his sister? Then she’d at least get off his back. 2 stars out of 5 stars.
I agree. Ellie, Captain Awesome and as far as I'm concerned Morgan are all uneeded characters on the show.
ReplyDelete