Chuck Review: Please Don’t Put A Ring On It

Some of the best missions on Chuck aren’t always the ones where the team gallivants across the globe, donning intriguing costumes and faux aliases. Some of them are just sweet and simple and happen right in their backyard. This week, Chuck and Sarah got trapped in the Dungeon, babysitting two old foes, Hugo Panzer, played by Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Heather Chandler, played by Nicole Richie. It’s nice to see some familiar faces, even when they’re villains, because it reminds us loyal viewers how far Chuck and Sarah have both come since all the laughs and lovin’ began.

Plus, confining all the spy work to the Dungeon and, subsequently, to the Buy More, allowed for the seamless inclusion of all the non-government players. And you know they bring a lot of the show’s funny. Still, the focal point of the episode was our lovers and Sarah’s reaction to Chuck’s admission, last week, that he sees marriage and babies in their future. Now, we knew the repercussions would resonate far and wide, but who knew that Sarah was such a softie when it comes to having the tough and hard conversations.

She mentioned at every turn that she and Chuck needed to have a “chat,” which freaked Chuck out since she would give no more details, and their “chats” kept getting interrupted. (That’s the horror of working with someone you love.) Then, Heather turned up, and she knows exactly how to push every one of Sarah’s buttons. Once she found out about Sarah’s geektastic partner turned lover AND partner, Heather had a field day reminding Sarah that they’re alike, that she’d been in the exact kind of relationship Sarah’s in now and that she had to stab that love in the back. Once a down and dirty spy, always a down and dirty spy. Chuck’s face, as he watched the calm and collected girl he fell for get frazzled and stressed out, turned from confusion to worry since he had no clue why Heather was even getting under Sarah’s skin in the first place. But man did Zachary Levi look adorable.

Now, back to our story. Hugo and Heather both happened to be linked to Volkoff, who conveniently designed a plan to have Heather and Hugo imprisoned at the same time so that Hugo could take Heather out. Apparently, she spoiled a $500,000 deal for Volkoff, and he’s being petty about it. So we spent most of the hour running from the very big and scary Hugo and trying to keep Heather safe without letting her escape. (Chuck also flashed on her and discovered a link between Heather and Frost, codename Mommy.) Casey was trapped outside the dungeon temporarily because he’d been working the rather crazy Buy More floor. Consequently, what ensued was a lot of close-quarters smackdowns, to which Austin is no stranger. Besides the wrestling ring, Chuck and Hugo also met in a plane. (“Chuck vs. First Class,” another tight-spaced, fantastic episode.) This time, they get confined to ventilation ducts and the Buy More cage. Overall, the fight scenes were ridiculously awesome!

Once Casey got in and helped get the prisoners under control, they head to the roof to await the CIA transport. Unfortunately, Volkoff is one step ahead of them and sent their own men instead to ambush the group. Casey got shot, and Chuck followed after Hugo to catch him in time for their cage battle. So Heather and Sarah got pinned down on the roof. Heather said she knows Walker and that she’ll just hand her over. Instead Sarah handed her Casey’s gun and displayed a little faith, which ended up working out for the best, in the end, as Heather found it in her heart to not only help Sarah take out the baddies and save her from taking a bullet but to also tell Chuck what she knows about Frost and Volkoff. (It wasn’t much, but she told them that Frost was always standing next to Volkoff. Not really a clue but makes Mommy appear very suspicious.)

While all this was happening, Morgan had his first big test as Buy More/Spy Haven manager. Big Mike returned proud but also begging for a job and requesting Morgan’s permission to ask for his mother’s hand in marriage. It couldn’t have been a worse time as disgruntled gamers were camping in line for a week to buy a new video game. The Buy More was severely unready to handle the demand with their 8 copies.

I loved this portion because it reminded me of the old days but so much had changed that it felt fresh. Still Morgan folded under the pressure, and Big Mike stepped in to calm the masses. With a trashed store, Morgan appeared to have failed, but really he sort of won. He realized that he has a soon-to-be stepdad who respects and cares for him, has his back as his new assistant manager and didn’t even flip out when Morgan lost the ring during all the mayhem. I’d say that’s pretty lucky, especially for Morgan.

Overall, the episode was solid. My only qualm was the ending in the ending…again. The lost engagement ring found its way into Chuck’s hands, right as he and Sarah finally slowed down for their “chat.” She opened up and was very honest. And even Chuck admitted he was nowhere near ready for children yet. But because of cheesy fate, the ring made its way from the Buy More floor, through the vents and into the Dungeon, landing smack dab in Chuck’s hand almost like it’d been planned all along. That would have been enough to take the episode down a big notch. But then, Sarah and Chuck stare at each other blankly. They mumble some awkward nonsense, and it fades to black! Really?!

Next week will undoubtedly be all about each other feeling bad about their negative response to the question that neither was going to ask in the first place. It’s too predictable and lame. This is the second week in a row where the writers have thrown away the set-up for the next episode, a set-up that has to do with Chuck and Sarah’s relationship, and it comes across as so obvious and ludicrous. Last season, we just wanted these guys together, and now that they’re together, we’re speeding from 0 to 100. I know Josh Schwartz promised this season will not be a will they or won’t they, but why not, then, just let them be?

Okay, now that I’ve got that out. What did you think about this week’s “Chuck vs. the Cubic Z”? Did you think that this week’s Greta, Stacy Keibler, was one cameo too many? Shocked Big Mike was about to propose with a cubic z or does love have no carats? If Sarah and Chuck are going to keep pulling away from each other each week, do you wish that the writers had not gone down the relationship route? Sound off!

QUOTABLES

“We don’t have the authority to use the spy closet for what it is we use it for, but we do it anyway. Don’t we?” – Chuck

“What monkey flung this?” – Lester

“We are professionals. And I cannot hear a word you’re saying.” – Chuck, as he plugs his ears.

“Thanks for that, movie dork. I bet you have, like, a Tron poster in your room.” – Heather

Season 4, Episode 3: Chuck vs the Cubic Z (originally aired October 4, 2010)

For more on Chuck, click here.

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Images courtesy of NBC and Greg Gayne.