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I feel like I haven't said this in awhile: that was a great episode of Chuck! Honestly I've felt a bit lackluster about the last couple of seasons, but tonight things gelled in ways they haven't gelled in awhile. All of the various subplots intersected together with the main plot fabulously. Also, Ben Browder had a brief guest appearance, and if you don't know, I was a huge Farscape fan, so this was doubly exciting. Too bad he did not have a larger role, but oh well!
Okay let's get down to recapping business, shall we? If you don't recall, as of the last episode, Chuck was taken by new nefarious dude Quinn, and Sarah had to download the bad Intersect to try to save him. We pick up right where it left off, with Quinn loading Chuck onto a bullet train in Japan (why Japan? this was never explained), and Sarah and Casey in hot pursuit thanks to her new Intersect abilities. While they are after Chuck, Devon, Ellie and Alex are trying to see if they can figure out what the Intersect did to Morgan's brain so they can help Sarah when they get back. There's some kind of suppression device they can use to stop the effects, but not until they're back. Also, Lester and Jeff still remember that something weird is going on in the Buy More, but they don't particularly recall what exactly it is.
Back in Japan, the gang manages to lock Quinn up and Sarah finally tells Chuck that she has the faulty Intersect. Their plan is to just hang on the train until it gets to its destination, but of course we know how these sorts of plans go. Quinn has sent some people (including the aforementioned Ben Browder!) to pick up Alex and hold her hostage. He makes Casey be his lackey in the meantime, getting Chuck and Sarah back to see him face to face. He wants them to break into a secure facility and steal the pristine Intersect so that he can have it. But Sarah does some flashing and takes him out - only she throws him out the window, even though she tried to make herself stop. It turns out her brain is already starting to deteriorate. The more she flashes, the worse it gets.
Because Quinn had to keep calling his minions every half hour in order to keep Alex alive, Casey has to recruit Morgan and Devon to get her back before the time runs out. They, however, get caught by the minions in question, and locked up with Alex. Luckily, however, it just so happens that Lester and Jeff saw the whole kidnapping thing happen from the start. They find the dropped bluetooth device Casey is still on, and he tells them the schpiel - they're spies, etc. - and they end up saving the day in Burbank.
Back on the train, however, things aren't looking good for Sarah. Ellie and Chuck confab about it, and decide he has to figure out a way to build a suppression device there on the train. He manages to get a laptop and the necessary supplies and starts downloading the software, but the internet goes down thanks to Quinn, who of course, despite being thrown out of a bullet train window, survived and pulled himself back inside. That's what villains do, duh.
Quinn and Chuck get their fight on while Sarah hangs back with a blindfold over her eyes - any new flash could cause her memory to completely go. But Quinn manages to get away. Sarah feels/sees him go past, and goes after him. He locks them both in one of the luggage cars and starts a decoupling procedure. Sarah tries to get out, but he tranqs her, and whisks her away to points unknown.
Now it would've made sense to stop the episode there, but we still have one act left. Sarah comes to with Quinn, who wants to get the bad Intersect out of her, then use her to get him the good one. She refuses, but he's got some psychedelic cards to show her that make her brain go completely screwy. She manages to activate her homing beacon for the others, but they don't make it there in time. She wakes up in her old apartment, having no memory of the last three years, with Quinn showing up claiming to be her handler with instructions to kill one Chuck Bartowski.
Dun dun dun! Next week is the two hour series finale, if you can believe it. The amazing thing is not so much that the show is ending, but that it managed to get five seasons in the first place. Long live the Buy More!
Song Choices:
Days are Forgotten - Kasabian
She Tows the Line - Crooked Fingers
Quotes:
"It was stuffy in here, you know, so I thought I'd open the window, and then I thought maybe I'd escape." - Chuck
"The newly unimpaired you is a master of the obvious." - Lester
Lester: We need a plan.
Jeff: It should be keen and clever, utilizing our unique talents.
Lester: Do we have any of those?
Jeff: I think you are uniquely wasteful and destructive.
Lester: Let's build on that.
"We have something better than a Buy More, we have a train full of Japanese people." - Chuck
"I will not have my last words to Alex be a demand for pizza combos!" - Morgan
"Wow. Casey rolls strong, like raring for the apocalypse strong." - Devon
"You're outgunned, outmanned, and out...side. And it's a lovely day." - Lester
Jeff: Behold the flames of destiny!
Lester: What he said.
Previous Episode -- Next Episode
- Chuck 5x12 "...vs. Sarah"
Full disclosure: I'm writing the recap for this episode before I've watched the finale one, as it felt very non-finale-y. Therefore, executive decision: write the recaps separately. She don't remember nothin'.Last week, we were left with...
- ...set: Chuck 4x09 "...vs. Phase Three"
After last week's cliffhanger, things really got kicked up a notch this week. Is it me, or has it been a while since we got to see Sarah really let loose and kick some serious ass? Because boy was she doing a lot of that tonight! In case you don't...
- ...set: Chuck 4x08 "...vs. The Fear Of Death"
After the events of the previous episode, Chuck has been left Intersect-less. But never fear, it's not gone, it's just suppressed! General Beckman brings in some of the top dudes to try to figure out what is blocking the intersect in Chuck's...
- ...set: Chuck 4x05 "...vs. The Couch Lock"
This week we thankfully got to take a rest from all of the romantic melodrama between Chuck and Sarah to focus on other things. Those things being some more developments in the Volkoff/Frost department, as well as Morgan, Alex and Casey. You see, a team...
- ...set: Chuck 3x17 "chuck Versus The Living Dead"
This episode, while still good, felt a lot like a setup for next week's two hour finale. The pieces are in place, and the preview for next week looks awesome. But let's talk about this week, shall we? It all starts with Chuck confessing to Morgan...
Lists
Chuck 5x11 "...vs. the Bullet Train"
I feel like I haven't said this in awhile: that was a great episode of Chuck! Honestly I've felt a bit lackluster about the last couple of seasons, but tonight things gelled in ways they haven't gelled in awhile. All of the various subplots intersected together with the main plot fabulously. Also, Ben Browder had a brief guest appearance, and if you don't know, I was a huge Farscape fan, so this was doubly exciting. Too bad he did not have a larger role, but oh well!
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| Standing and staring is our specialty at Carmichael Industries. |
Back in Japan, the gang manages to lock Quinn up and Sarah finally tells Chuck that she has the faulty Intersect. Their plan is to just hang on the train until it gets to its destination, but of course we know how these sorts of plans go. Quinn has sent some people (including the aforementioned Ben Browder!) to pick up Alex and hold her hostage. He makes Casey be his lackey in the meantime, getting Chuck and Sarah back to see him face to face. He wants them to break into a secure facility and steal the pristine Intersect so that he can have it. But Sarah does some flashing and takes him out - only she throws him out the window, even though she tried to make herself stop. It turns out her brain is already starting to deteriorate. The more she flashes, the worse it gets.
Because Quinn had to keep calling his minions every half hour in order to keep Alex alive, Casey has to recruit Morgan and Devon to get her back before the time runs out. They, however, get caught by the minions in question, and locked up with Alex. Luckily, however, it just so happens that Lester and Jeff saw the whole kidnapping thing happen from the start. They find the dropped bluetooth device Casey is still on, and he tells them the schpiel - they're spies, etc. - and they end up saving the day in Burbank.
Back on the train, however, things aren't looking good for Sarah. Ellie and Chuck confab about it, and decide he has to figure out a way to build a suppression device there on the train. He manages to get a laptop and the necessary supplies and starts downloading the software, but the internet goes down thanks to Quinn, who of course, despite being thrown out of a bullet train window, survived and pulled himself back inside. That's what villains do, duh.
Quinn and Chuck get their fight on while Sarah hangs back with a blindfold over her eyes - any new flash could cause her memory to completely go. But Quinn manages to get away. Sarah feels/sees him go past, and goes after him. He locks them both in one of the luggage cars and starts a decoupling procedure. Sarah tries to get out, but he tranqs her, and whisks her away to points unknown.
Now it would've made sense to stop the episode there, but we still have one act left. Sarah comes to with Quinn, who wants to get the bad Intersect out of her, then use her to get him the good one. She refuses, but he's got some psychedelic cards to show her that make her brain go completely screwy. She manages to activate her homing beacon for the others, but they don't make it there in time. She wakes up in her old apartment, having no memory of the last three years, with Quinn showing up claiming to be her handler with instructions to kill one Chuck Bartowski.
Dun dun dun! Next week is the two hour series finale, if you can believe it. The amazing thing is not so much that the show is ending, but that it managed to get five seasons in the first place. Long live the Buy More!
Song Choices:
Days are Forgotten - Kasabian
She Tows the Line - Crooked Fingers
Quotes:
"It was stuffy in here, you know, so I thought I'd open the window, and then I thought maybe I'd escape." - Chuck
"The newly unimpaired you is a master of the obvious." - Lester
Lester: We need a plan.
Jeff: It should be keen and clever, utilizing our unique talents.
Lester: Do we have any of those?
Jeff: I think you are uniquely wasteful and destructive.
Lester: Let's build on that.
"We have something better than a Buy More, we have a train full of Japanese people." - Chuck
"I will not have my last words to Alex be a demand for pizza combos!" - Morgan
"Wow. Casey rolls strong, like raring for the apocalypse strong." - Devon
"You're outgunned, outmanned, and out...side. And it's a lovely day." - Lester
Jeff: Behold the flames of destiny!
Lester: What he said.
Previous Episode -- Next Episode
- Chuck 5x12 "...vs. Sarah"
Full disclosure: I'm writing the recap for this episode before I've watched the finale one, as it felt very non-finale-y. Therefore, executive decision: write the recaps separately. She don't remember nothin'.Last week, we were left with...
- ...set: Chuck 4x09 "...vs. Phase Three"
After last week's cliffhanger, things really got kicked up a notch this week. Is it me, or has it been a while since we got to see Sarah really let loose and kick some serious ass? Because boy was she doing a lot of that tonight! In case you don't...
- ...set: Chuck 4x08 "...vs. The Fear Of Death"
After the events of the previous episode, Chuck has been left Intersect-less. But never fear, it's not gone, it's just suppressed! General Beckman brings in some of the top dudes to try to figure out what is blocking the intersect in Chuck's...
- ...set: Chuck 4x05 "...vs. The Couch Lock"
This week we thankfully got to take a rest from all of the romantic melodrama between Chuck and Sarah to focus on other things. Those things being some more developments in the Volkoff/Frost department, as well as Morgan, Alex and Casey. You see, a team...
- ...set: Chuck 3x17 "chuck Versus The Living Dead"
This episode, while still good, felt a lot like a setup for next week's two hour finale. The pieces are in place, and the preview for next week looks awesome. But let's talk about this week, shall we? It all starts with Chuck confessing to Morgan...