Written by written by Mark Miller/Scott Rosenbaum
Directed by Allan Kroeker
Chuck, 'Piece of cake.'
Except it never is in the spy world.
The
other shoe has dropped. The closing moments show Chuck downing a
generous shot of Johnny Walker Black after burning his asset. It is a
watershed moment for the character and the series. Almost half way to
the 13 episode third season arc and Chuck is no longer able to skate
around the dirtier side of the job. In the Nacho Sampler he meets and
faces up to those responsibilities. And in the process changes who he
is forever.
'I completed my first solo mish.'
Fresh
off his first solo mission we find a slightly cocky Chuck chuckling at
the apparent ease of his next assignment; take on a lonely and brillinat
nerd and turn him into an asset. It seems that one, Manoosh Depak, has
developed tech that the Ring is interested in. Casey has fun poking at
Chuck using his background records at first to compare how close Chuck
and Manoosh are. Though Chuck stumbles a bit out of the gate, Manoosh
desperate for friendship, latches on to what seems like a kindred
spirit. By the end of the episode Manoosh totally trusts Chuck. Just
what any good handler hopes to achieve with their asset.
'Classic Geek Tragedy. Sound familiar?'
The
parallels between Chuck and Manoosh, and two big thumbs up to actor
Fahim Anwar for creating a sympathetic and a Chuck clone like character
but with his own unique characteristics, are plain to see. If not for
how each came into contact with the Intersect; Chuck's fate could
easily have been the same as the that befalls Manoosh.
Each
team member of Team Bartowski sees the parallels. Casey uses them as
opportunities to needle Chuck. Sarah is obviously uncomfortable having
to use her seduction skills on an asset that is all too much like the
person she has fallen in love with. Chuck can, better than anyone,
empathize with Manoosh's plight.
This
is good writing. To take on an asset and then have to burn them is
difficult enough for a first time handler. To do so when that asset is
used to hold up a mirror to those involved gives the episode that extra
bit of empathy and poignancy that makes this such a strong one.
- Nerd Burns Fellow Nerd
'Just don't think about it Chuck. It makes spying a lot easier.'
During
Chuck's indoctrination as a handler Sarah continues to worry that they
are pushing Chuck too fast. She also struggles with the potential
emotional trauma Chuck may face if they have to burn the asset. A term
which covers a wide variety of possible solutions from lifetime
imprisonment to termination. Sarah knows from her experience with
Chuck that being a handler is rife with inner conflict, especially if
the handler becomes compromised by their asset.
Plus
she knows that Chuck may have to make decisions and take actions that
are not reversible. Life changing moments that will forever separate
Chuck from the person he was and the spy he will become. Chuck is going
from a dipping a toe into the pool moment to near full submersion. He
will be taking a person's trust to manipulate them to attain a goal and
then discarding that person.
Episode Flashes:
-
Casey ragging on Chuck – one solo mish does not an agent make! -
Weap - Con! -
Chuck's first Johnny Walker Black -
the drooping laser pen and Chuck's aim -
Sarah Seduction of Manoosh -
great callback to the pilot Vicki Vale scene to bookend the episode -
Sarah's sadness at watching Chuck become a spy -
Casey's quiet pride at Chuck becoming a spy -
Hannah telling Morgan, in his broom closet office, about Chuck's Paris trip to the climatic strain of Swan Lake -
Jeff & Lester – professional stalkers that do solid spy work on Hannah's background -
Sarah's Frak Off T-Shirt -
Morgan in a smoking jacket replete with cravat -
Weap-Con floorshow models complete with automatic weapons
Casey, 'The kid is growing up. He's becoming a spy. That's a good thing.'
Sarah, 'Is it?'
Throughout
the episode Sarah sees repeated demonstrations by Chuck of his growing
abilities as a spy. Abilities, that Casey painfully reminds Sarah, that
Chuck has picked up from Sarah. His handling of Manoosh, his ability to
lie to Ellie, being capable of burning an asset by preventing his
escape and then telling Manoosh to his face that he is not Manoosh's
friend but a spy; all prove over and over again that Chuck Barktowski
from the first two seasons is gone. The very qualities that made Chuck
special to Sarah are being tainted by the spy world. Will there be
anything left of Chuck to differentiate him from any other spy?
Sarah, 'Piece of cake.'
As
both Chuck, in a clever pilot flashback, and Sarah have found out that
expression does not apply in the spy world. There is a price to be
paid with other people's lives and their own. Sarah seeing Chuck lose
his innocence is hard for her to bear. Chuck laments that loss too.
But hopefully, Chuck will realize just how much Sarah has done for him
when she was his handler. Sarah put herself on the line for Chuck since
the beginning. Repeatedly standing up for him to prevent Chuck from
being burned. This realization can only help to bring the two of them
together in the long run.
I
must admit my first viewing of the episode left me ambivalent. There
were parts that I loved but at the end of it the episode seemed uneven.
Subsequent rewatches made me realize that I was very much feeling the
same things that Sarah was feeling. Even though I knew these moments
were coming and had to come for Chuck, I did not like seeing them. Now I
am able to embrace this necessary evolution of the Chuck character like
a parent leaving their child on their first day of school. It is a
bittersweet moment. When one can feel that deeply about a fictional
character it is a testament to the power of art.
With
Ellie and Morgan on alert that there is something going on with Chuck,
the walls between Chuck's dual life are getting ever thinner. Much like
the barrier is between Chuck and Sarah.
The rollercoaster has started its first descent.
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