CHUCK: “Chuck Versus the Bearded Bandit” – RECAP

The latest episode of Chuck left a rather unpleasant taste in my mouth. While I enjoyed the twist ending of Morgan defecting to rival spy company, Verbanski Corp, and losing all his nerdy knowledge of such things as Star Wars and Indiana Jones, I felt uneasy on the journey to get there. Making Morgan in to this huge jerk is a marvelous idea, but I can’t help but notice we’ve reached this point already in Episode 2. I doubt this is any fault of the writers; 13 episode seasons can feel rushed at times because you have a deadline and not much time to get there. Things need to move along at a brisker pace, but they still need to feel earned. I’m not sure that I believed Morgan’s transformation this quickly. I could have used another episode exploring the Intersect altering his brain before making the big flip to Verbanski.

It was just so out of character for Morgan to suddenly be so reckless and dismissive of Chuck. They managed to save it in the end by showing his mind has literally been altered by the Intersect, but otherwise I couldn’t make sense of why Morgan was behaving so irrationally. Yeah, he may be jazzed to be a spy and maybe he’s a little jealous of Chuck, but the level of disrespect he reaches comes out of nowhere fast and isn’t the Morgan I know and love. He is fiercely loyal and would know when to stop and listen to Chuck. I really do love the idea of his personality being altered, but the change should have been more gradual so it didn’t seem as obvious. When it’s clear someone is acting out of character, it’s hard to watch knowing they wouldn’t normally make those choices.

As for Chuck acting as Morgan’s handler, he needed to grow some balls. Take for instance the store robbery scene. The store is being robbed and Morgan and Chuck save the day. The two freak out because they think they look like the bad guys, but I really think they could have explained themselves out of the situation. It didn’t look that bad. In fact, Chuck looked more like a hero than Morgan, but for some reason he lost his marbles and fled. If he’s going to be Morgan’s handler, he needs to be able to correct the mistakes Morgan will inevitably make, to demonstrate the proper way to handle situations. Running from the police was improper and I couldn’t believe Chuck wouldn’t realize that. He needs to take charge of situations more. He’s the CEO of a spy company for crying out loud!

Now what I did like, for the most part, was the parallels drawn between Season 1 Chuck and Season 5 Morgan. Both were new to having the Intersect and had to deal with being stuck with the van, doing surveillance. Now, Season 1 Chuck would often help out Sarah and Casey when they were really in a jam. Otherwise he would do his best to stay put, simply because he realized he wasn’t the right guy for the job. Morgan, on the other hand, recklessly throws himself in to dangerous situations to prove he’s worthy to be the Intersect. The truth is, he’s not. He doesn’t respect the gift he’s been given or, more accurately, he doesn’t fear it. It’s clearly changing him for the worse and I’m very intrigued with where the show is going with this. I have a hunch Morgan’s altered personality is a result of the Intersect not being designed for him. Chuck historically has been the only person who could operate the Intersect successfully without any issues. He’s special. I think that will come in to play with Morgan.

Carrie-Anne Moss makes her first appearance as Gertrude Verbanski, an old flame of Casey’s that also tried to kill him. She didn’t have much to do in “Chuck Versus the Bearded Bandit”, but she made her presence known loud and clear. Her company seems to be a good threat to Carmichael Industries and the drama should only skyrocket now that Morgan has spilled that he’s the Intersect and is willing to join her team. It really does feel like the writers have an endgame in mind and the pieces are being set up. Morgan going to Verbanski Corp. feels like the first big move in Chuck’s final season, but only time will tell if it was worth it. If Morgan’s behavior doesn’t pay off, I won’t be able to forgive this episode.