In This Section
TV Guide Spotlight
Also on TVGuide.com
|
« TV Is My Escape
Chuck vs. Tom Sawyer
My god it was like reliving my formative years all over again. Rush, Atari, Missile Command, mullets (okay not me – but lots of my guy friends had it!) – yep…how very sad is that? I don’t want to believe that I was the geeky…and yet too many signs point to it being true. Nowadays I try my hand at Need For Speed 2.
Only in the world of Chuck would the world be saved by winning a pop culture, arcane Atari video game and have it be downright, thoroughly entertaining. I’ve said it once, I will say it again…I “heart” Chuck. Quick thoughts, highlights and observations follow:
-- So Jeff was a Missile Command champion 20 some odd years ago! That explains so much!
-- I loved that all of the Buy More employees told the efficiency expert that Chuck was the glue that holds the store together.
-- Poor Ellie – she is so concerned that Chuck is reverting back to his “Morgan years” – one of my favorite exchanges of the night was between Ellie and Awesome when she gets off the phone with Chuck and turns to Awesome asking if he thought Chuck was on drugs. Awesome’s response: “It would explain a lot”
-- Ellie’s description of Jeff – “Nerd Herd, creepy, serial killer Jeff?”
-- Jeff’s stalker music video of Anna – does he understand that his “muse” will turn him into a pretzel if she ever discovered that such a thing existed.
-- Jeff carrying a card around that says he is lost and to send him to the address on the card.
-- So the creator of Missile Command actually commanded missiles!
-- Sarah’s Nerd Herd outfit.
-- Anna in a hula skirt – in fact all of Jeff’s demands in order to play Missile Command
-- Chuck saving the world by winning the game! And Sarah having total trust in him to do so.
-- Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” being consider the music of the universe!
-- Chuck totally messing up the International Radio Operations Alphabet: Oscar, Zelda, Penguin, Gamma, Sector, Boboh”
-- Sarah and Casey working together to get Chuck his degree from Stanford.
Inside shout out of the week: did every catch the terrorist’s name? If so do you know whose real name that was?
Chuck is preempted next week but the following week we finally get to meet Jill!!
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
Oct 28, 2008 8:04 PM
|
Great blog, CA. You hit all of my highlights. Thanks.
Since I was a couple of decades past my formative years by the 1980's, I wasn't familiar with Rush or Missile Command. I knew about Atari, but I've never been into video games.
In spite of being unfamiliar with all of that, I loved last night's episode--it was one of the most entertaining of the series.
Jeff's stalker video of Anna was creepy, but her performance in it was great. I'm always happy to see her in an episode.
Inside shout out of the week: did every catch the terrorist’s name? If so do you know whose real name that was?
I don't remember. Are you going to tell us?
|
|
Oct 28, 2008 10:25 PM
|
Hiya CA and Marci! Great blog! I loved the episode. It brought back my college days. I worked in the bowling alley/games room of the union building and gave out many rolls of quarters for Atari, Space Invaders and Pac Man.
I loved Chuck finally getting that diploma! Yay Chuck! Yay Sarah and Casey for making it happen. But now will Ellie expect him to move on from the Buy More? Because it seems to be a magnet for world terrorists. I don't think Chuck would flash on nearly as many people if he worked in, say, a lab at Raytheon or somewhere else his degree could take him. Besides, he's the glue! I loved that.
|
|
Oct 28, 2008 11:21 PM
|
CA - great write-up. Thanks! You missed one of my favorite lines:
Chuck: "I'm gonna need to borrow your girlfriend."
Morgan: "Yeah, no problem."
I would love to know just how they convinced Anna to get in that outfit! 
|
|
Oct 29, 2008 12:28 PM
|
I loved everything about the episode but I still have to wonder how the code was written for the "kill screen" based upon the Rush song "Tom Sawyer" when Missle Command was released in 1980 (therefore the code was written in 1979) and "Tom Sawyer" wasn't released until 1981.
I guess those guys at Atari really WERE ahead of their time. Heck, apparently they were ahead of time itself!
|
|
Oct 29, 2008 3:38 PM
|
Hi Marci -- The inside shout-out to another 80's Icon was the name of the terrorist: Farrokh Bulsara. That was the birth name Freddie Mercury, vocalist of Queen.
Hi Coug -- Though I have no doubt that Ellie will wish for more for Chuck, I really can't envision a Chuck without a Buy More!
Hi MR -- D'oh. How did I miss that one!
Hi Darclyte -- LOL. I try not to think too hard on the time/space continuum issues that crop up in shows like Chuck! My head would hurt too much!
|
|
Oct 29, 2008 5:02 PM
|
|
|
