by Jenn Kim
AHHHHHH, CHUCK!! Holy crap a lot went down this week. A lot of AWESOMENESS, that is.
OK so first, I have to take some time out to wax obsession about my childhood hero, Scott Bakula. (*Sigh.) I think I discovered Quantum Leap at the tender age of eleven, and was immediately taken with Bakula’s sweet, caring, and unassuming portrayal of Dr. Sam Beckett. Dr. Sam Beckett was pretty much the epitome of a young (nerdy) girl’s manifestation of perfection: brilliant, self-sacrificing, ridiculously gentlemanly, and easy on the eyes. Also, the whole “can’t control his leaps so he doesn’t know how to get home” thing was so damn COMPELLING and TRAGIC, particularly when Sam would leap into a situation that he didn’t want to leave (remember when he fell in love with that Asian psychiatrist who could tell Sam was trapped inside someone else’s body? Yeah, I so wanted to be her), or when he would leap and encounter family members in the past (like that time he was in the body of that Navy SEAL from his brother’s squad and he had to determine whether he was there to save his brother’s life or ensure the success of the mission. *SOB, such heart-breaking decisions!!!)
Sigh, the tragedy of being trapped in time. He must’ve felt so alone, particularly when his only guide in time was pre-Cylon Dean Stockwell, the hologram in the form of everyone’s favorite middle-aged pervert with a heart of gold. Anyway, watching Sam leap in time to different situations and different bodies was pretty much amazing. Watching Scott Bakula dress up in various women’s clothing (remember that beauty pageant episode??) after Sam leaped (leapt??) into female bodies blew my eleven-year-old mind. Oh Quantum Leap and Scott Bakula. You both did so much for breaking gender norms, you don’t even know.
Er…my apologies for the rant…so yeah, back to Chuck: in what is quite possibly the best casting in the history of all casting, Scott Bakula guest stars as Chuck and Ellie’s dad, Steve Bartowski. Chuck and Sarah finally find the long-since-left father, who turns out to be a hunched, paranoid and muttering residue of a very reclusive man. After some (hot) prodding by Chuck (“I don’t want to hear what you can’t do. I’ve SEEN what you can’t do!”), Chuck’s dad agrees to return to Chuck and Ellie’s home so that he can attend Ellie’s wedding.
Some good awkward family moments later (man the show will just not let up on Awesome’s bachelor party), and it’s revealed that Chuck’s father believes that Ted Roark, a bloated, balding, Hawaiian-shirt wearing version of Bill Gates, has stolen all of Steve’s brilliant software ideas from him. Chuck flashes on his dad’s pamphlet of Roark’s new operating system, Rios, and the CIA assign Chuck to work at Roark’s company because they believe Rios is infected with a dangerous virus that could wipe out computers across the world.
And then we get a glimpse of the kind of life and job Chuck was supposed to have had Bryce Larkin not interfered. Apparently his dream job entails reciting love sonnets for Stanford, wearing scarves indoors and using giant fitness balls as chairs. Regardless, it’s enough to give Chuck further resolve to get the intersect out of his head, and he pours over the information Orion had secretly sent him. Chuck puts two and two together and realizes that Roark is building an intersect, so (after a hilarious confrontation with Casey) he breaks into Roark Instruments and finds his father being man-handled by security.
And surprise of all surprises, we discover that Chuck’s dad is FRICKIN’ ORION!!! HOLY CRAP! Little sister and I discussed how we would be disappointed if the show went to such an obvious conclusion, but I must admit that I loved watching Chuck and his dad stand side by side in awesome CIA-father-son-fashion. Also, I suppose it would be the only logical explanation for Chuck’s dad leaving so abruptly without making him total jerk-face scum, and the only rationale for Orion giving a crap about Chuck’s life and safety. Anyway, we discover Chuck’s dad is completely bad-ass and brilliant, and had built the “really cool parts” of the intersect. He therefore knows enough about the technology to get the intersect out of Chuck’s head.
*Sigh. But of course, Roark and his men capture the recently reunited pair before Chuck is able to be de-intersected. Turns out Roark is Fulcrum, and in exchange for letting Chuck go, Chuck’s dad must stay and repair the new intersect at Roark Instruments. After an emotional (with slow motion!) parting of ways between father and son, Chuck and the gang get prepped for their next mission: to rescue Steven Bartowski. Which means…we still get some more Scott Bakula!! *Clap clap. Ah I don’t think I could ask for more in life.
Some more Chuckle thoughts…
- I also loved Scott Bakula on Murphy Brown.
- “We’ll work on those ball skills.”
- “Is that a tranq gun? You don’t even have the common courtesy to threaten me with an actual fire arm.”
- Chuck can flash on demand now! Though his flash-face is looking more and more like Andy Samberg’s “Jizz in My Pants” face.
- *Snort. Suuuuure, Scott Bakula always had a way with the machines and Chevy Chase was the one who always had a way with the girls. *Snort.
- I like that Glasvegas song as much as the next person, but it was a bit overkill. We get it. Chuck’s dad is gone. For now.
- I know Awesome was trying to be sweet when he made Ellie those pancakes, but wasn’t it kind of like pouring salt over an already gushing wound? “Here you go, here’s the pancake-dinner your dad promised to make for you when he abandoned you over a decade ago. I decided to make it to support you during this difficult time, but in reality all it did was crushingly remind you of the relationship you’ll never have with your dad. Yum I make great pancakes. I’m such a good guy!!!”
- So the next episode is entitled “Chuck vs. the First Kill”. Intriguing!!!!
- I am SO psyched that episodes of Quantum Leap are now available on the NBC website. So. PSYCHED.
- Sorry this post took awhile to write; I have this tendency to keep failing at life these days.
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About Jenn Kim: When she’s not questioning her decision to enter lawyer-hood-dom, Jenn enjoys stalking celebrities and getting over her totally rational fear of zombies. She also idolizes Joss Whedon, and is crossing her fingers that Nathan Fillion and NPH will accept her friend requests.
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When she's not questioning her decision to enter lawyer-hood-dom, Jenn enjoys stalking celebrities and getting over her totally rational fear of zombies. She also idolizes Joss Whedon, and is crossing her fingers that Nathan Fillion and NPH will accept her friend requests. 
FAIL. this show is not Lost. Scott Bakula should appear as Dr. Sam Beckett, an intrepid researcher at the Dharma Initiative circa 1977. And then McGuyver would come out, punch him in the face, and blow up the the swan station with a tube of toothpaste, a pen cap, and a fistful of belly button lint.
very excellent review – and very excellent (and hairy) scott bakula "glamour" photos haha. i do not know if that was your doing, but they are great.
i thought this ep was wonderful! and moving! chuck and ellie had some good acting moments, what with the tears, and the daddy issues! and i really enjoyed how they made scott bakula a bumbly nerdy mad scientist – like father like son. attractive tall (hairy) men being made considerably dorkier/more unassuming than you might think. excellent.
but speaking of fail: sarah and casey's "nerdy undercover" glasses and shirts. did casey actually have one of those string glasses-holders?! who owns those?! no self-respecting emo-nerd that worships steve jobs (btdubs – i think that chevy chase was more a steve jobs than a bill gates) would actually wear those haha.
and i cant wait for the wedding! gettin ready for some emotionally fulfilling, action-packed, safe entertainment (with an overly literal soundtrack), as per usual. i hope we get a song that says "my daddy's back, i'm marrying an awesome man, and my brother is secretly an undercover spy"!
haha i wish i could take credit for that amazing 80s glamour picture of mr. bakula, but our lovely editor found it.
i know, casey and sarah's nerd outfits were pretty sad. although i thought casey looked cute in plaid.
Searching for shirtless pics of dreamboats like Scott Bakula is a hobby of mine.
I have to say, the acting and casting this week was really top-notch. I keep forgetting how good Scott Bakula is, and then he'll go and do something like this or Boston Legal and I'll be surprised all over again. And Chevy Chase! Whoever said comedians make the best dramatic actors was right. Chevy gives great sleaze.
This was one of my favorite episodes of the entire series so far, and I have high hopes for the rest of the season. Please let Chuck be able to at least tell Ellie what he really does for a living. She deserves to know the truth after all the crap she's been through lately.