FBI(Fringe Benefits Inc.)Ep Review - 3.11: Reciprocity

Join us in our temporarily constructed shared reality known as a podcast, as we discuss the latest episode of Fringe.

CNN - 4.12: Chuck Vs The Gobbler

Welcome back gang!

Take a listen to our Audio Episode Review of CNN 4.12 - Chuck Vs The Gobbler
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Thanks to my fellow podcasters Jan, Karen, and Joe.

Miss any episodes? You can find them all at CNN - Chuck Nerdposium Netcast and every time you watch it helps to support us!

As always this podcast is family and office safe.

Tangled and Dangled. - Episode 4.12: Chuck Vs The Gobbler

Written by Craig DiGregorio

Directed by Milan Cheylon

'In media res' beginnings to an episode used to be all the vogue back in the day as they say. Check out spy show Alias for textbook examples. Nothing niftier than opening an episode with an intense action sequence that stops with a decisive moment only to fade to black. A cliffhanger to start things off! What a great way to lure a viewer in! Cool, right?

Not really. The problem with such a story telling device is that it starts an episode with something that is all furious motion with no context. In media res story starts are a gimmick that should make a viewer wary because they either start or end with a disclaimer that a whole bunch of story needs to happen before the context and payoff for the opening scene is realized. In Chuck Vs The Gobbler the fight between Sarah and Casey ends with a fade to black and a title card telling us we are jumping back to two days earlier.(Which over the course of the episode raises eyebrows about the amount of shuttling back and forth from Russia, Sarah is able to do in a two day period.)

When in media res is used it is a lock that after the time jump a lot of setup is about to be dumped on the viewer. If written and paced well we are shown as much as possible the events that lead up to that sneek peek scene. More often than not in media res is used because there is too much setup to show and the viewer has to wade through a lot of exposition before the show gains any traction. So it is no surprise when all the scenes up to Sarah's arrival at Volkoff's headquarters just before the title cards are about bringing the viewer up to speed.

So instead of being shown anything about Sarah building up on her cover as a rogue CIA agent we are told by Morgan and Casey. We are also told about Chuck's mental state and the fears he has about how Sarah being a double agent is placing her in danger. Quite a leap in the lead couple's mental and emotional mind sets since the end of the previous episode where Chuck and Sarah were in total proposal mode. So the info dump start of the Gobbler makes it cumbersome for the viewer to make the jump and connect emotionally with the current situation. As much as I enjoyed the previous episode, Chuck Vs The Balcony, it may have been advisable to use the back half of that episode to set up the Sarah Double Agent story for the Gobbler. This would have kept the viewers in synch with the story being told in the Gobbler.

The other burden the Gobbler carries is that the reasons why Mama B has been on a twenty year mission desparately need to be addressed – not to mention all the other dangling story line threads such as the PSP and laptop – in a plausible way. Does the Gobbler do that? Mileages will vary but not by a long shot in my book. With one episode left in the Volkoff/Mama B arc, the Mauser Mop - which first appeared in Season Two to brush aside Chuck's issues about Sarah gunning down an unarmed opponent - looms large to make an unwelcome reappearance to once again sweep under the rug all the unresolved tangled storylines of Season Four. Gobbler offers up some possibilities of some answers only. The Hydra database could be the start but there are many more questions to be answered. Will Chuck Vs The Push Mix be up to that task? We will find out next Monday.

Top Dogs

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

• Morgan work shopping his tough guy voice
• Evil Sarah!
• Volkoff into poetry, painting – puppy dog!, and the art of massage
• Sarah applies for a job with Volkoff. Volkoff telling Sarah she is so much fun!
• Volkoff telling MamaB he likes to control and manipulate people while looking at Sarah
• Volkoff's, Me Too! toast to Sarah's, 'I love a good suicide mission.'
• Alex in Morgan's previously unopened collector's Back to the Future t-shirt
• Ellie wanting to call their baby Grunka!
• Casey grilling Morgan about Alex
• Hello boys!
• Morgan loves sour dough bread
• Yuri the Gobbler is Hydra!
• A disappointed Volkoff is not someone to trifle with
• Morgan's 'text message peeking while looking like I'm not peeking' look
• Volkoff manipulating Sarah, Casey, and Chuck
• 'Let's make it exciting. Have some fun with it!'
• Where did Casey go to get tested to determine how far he could safely fall?
• Clara Woodcombe!

Season arc story telling issues aside there is still much to like here. The welcome return of Timothy Dalton as Valkoff is much like Heath Ledger's turn as The Joker in The Dark Knight. Dalton clearly is having so much fun and is so much fun to watch. His candid revelation that he enjoys controlling and manipulating people is the cause for Chuck's concerns at the end of the episode. This maybe being misread by some viewers because of the show repeatedly having characters doubt one another and failing to return messages. Such is not the case here. Chuck is not doubting Sarah. He is deathly concerned for her.

The whole cast gets a turn in this episode including the most welcome return of Casey's daughter, and Morgan's new love, Alex. Her appearance in a previously pristine Back to the Future T-shirt from Morgan nerdily captures how far their relationship has come. Too bad Alex was not around more so that her appearance at Casey's bedside at the hospital would have carried more emotional heft. Mama B's intentions are clearer, but still not satisfactorily solidified. Still she has some great moments with Volkoff plus some touching ones with Sarah. Yvonne Strahovski, as usual, does stellar work here harkening back to those pre-couple days where she was restrained to expressing herself solely through facial and body language cues. Morgan and Casey have some great moments together and the Ellie/Devon baby naming conflict – Grunka! - was an exercise in skillful manipulation of Devon by Ellie.

Chuck sadly is still stuck in react mode this episode. Josh Schwartz has trumpeted that the final ten minutes of Chuck Vs The Push Mix are the best the show has ever done. A 'Take Charge Chuck' in those final ten minutes would be a most welcome sight to see indeed.

FBI(Fringe Benefits Inc.)Ep Review - 3.10: The Firefly

Join us in our temporarily constructed shared reality known as a podcast, as we discuss the latest episode of Fringe.

CNN - 4.11: Chuck Vs The Balcony

Welcome back gang!

Take a listen to our Audio Episode Review of CNN 4.11 - Chuck Vs The Balcony
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Join Jan, Karen, Joe, and myself as we whet Chuck fan hunger appetites waiting for the resumption of Season 4.

Thanks to my fellow podcasters Jan, Karen, and Joe.

Miss any episodes? You can find them all at CNN - Chuck Nerdposium Netcast and every time you watch it helps to support us!

As always this podcast is family and office safe.

Is It Love? Definitely! - Episode 4.11: Chuck Vs The Balcony

Written by Max Denby

Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar

Chuck is back! And not just the show but the character too.

Let me clarify that. Chuck the show is back after a 7 week holiday hiatus. Chuck the character is starting to show some light again from under the bushel this season arc has put him under. It is a welcome start and the bushel should be removed completely by the time the 4.13 showdown confrontation with Volkoff rolls around.

Between Chuck reverting to a child state every time his mother showed up to being hamstrung by the loss of the Intersect to struggling to balance his spy life with his personal life; Chuck has been in react mode for the vast majority of this season. He has been a fire fighting pawn. Chuck has been given little to no opportunity to display those qualities that won Sarah and audiences alike over. This has been a fantastic season for Sarah Walker growth, Morgan Grimes growth, and even some small scraps of Casey growth. But for Chuck it has been a tough haul. And the big reason for me why Season 4 has been an underwhelming experience from the big picture view.

It is a debilitating problem for a show when your titular character is not being used to his best or fullest capabilities. The old writing dilemma of telling a story honestly is a constant battle between plot and character. With good writing the plot unfolds based on the character's established traits. Weaker writing bends the character to fulfil story requirements. Good writing takes time. In television time is a precious commodity. The writing for Chuck the character has taken the plot driver road. For me it is quite obvious that Chuck has been subjugated to serve the story points so far this season.

With the end game in sight the need for the heroic Chuck has re-surfaced. Before the break, Chuck had reacquired the Intersect as a prelude to making the climatic charge that will happen in 4.12 and 4.13. We saw Chuck in the Balcony able to properly prioritize mission versus personal priorities for the first time in a long while. Praise the stars! While he desperately wants to make the perfect proposal to Sarah, Chuck does not let that, or Morgan, sway him from a proper course. A more than welcome return to form by someone who admits that he is not a great multi-tasker.

It was also a welcome sight to see Chuck taking charge from time to time in the spy world. For the first time in a while Zac Levi looked like he was having fun playing Chuck! Proposing to someone as special as a Sarah Walker is a daunting task indeed, so any skittishness Chuck relayed in the personal moments is understandable. He knows he is no James Bond, or Bryce Larkin, or Cole Barker, or a Daniel Shaw. Okay, okay. Chuck definitely trumps a Daniel Shaw any day! Actually Chuck trumps them all. Just ask Sarah Walker.

Chuck learns via Casey that there are no perfect moments. All you need is your girl and the intestinal fortitude to ask THE QUESTION.



And that is all the matters.

Episode Flashes: Add your own in the comments.

• Former Chuck show runner Scott Rosenbaum gets a nod in the opening action scene
• Chuck aborting proposal in restaurant after Sarah tells him about her parent's proposal horror story under similar circumstances – 'Not enough balloons. No carb thing?'
• Sarah oblivious to proposal abort
• Casey's, 'Some moron was clogging up Ventura Blvd with a horse and carriage.'
• Casey's mumbling about being a Colonel and being devoted to man-servant on the mission
• Sarah's protective instincts kick as she tells Beckman about taking down Volkoff
• Chuck stating he is not a good multi-tasker
• Morgan running submission to help Chuck propose to Sarah in the French Looouvre Valley aka The Garden of France
• Morgan's Fixer – Big Mike
• Lester comes from 'Old Country' aka Canada. A HinJew from Saskatchewan. A nod to the Canadian comedy series, 'Little Mosque on the Prairie?'
• Morgan telling Chuck, 'Watch Sarah. She will show you the spot.'
• Morgan makes sure Chuck mints in both pockets. Q eat your heart out!
• 'Casey is your man-servant. Let him man serve you.' 'Oh Jon, Jon!
• Villain Pierre licks hypo and gives Chuck writer Lauren Lefranc a shout out identifying that the chip is in a bottle of '86 Chateau Lefranc.
• Nod to Danny Kaye's Court Jester- ' A peppery pino with a stable on the label and a stork on the cork.
• Sarah plays flirty drunk to disarm some baddies.
• Two Buck Chuck
• Chuck flashes and fights with wine glass in hand.
• Casey still spot on in the spy world intuiting Beckman has switched the chip.
• Lester is a lucky little Canadian.
• Castle engineers should be complimented on making the spy facility acoustically accessible for eavesdropping – Sarah finds out about the proposal sub-mission.
• Sarah surprises Morgan – 'I am someone deadly.'
• 'I'm a spy. I hate surprises.'
• Sarah takes over proposal mission and Morgan Grimes becomes double agent!
• Sarah wanting the proposal to happen for Chuck.... and for her.
• Sarah's, and Chuck's intuition about something with the exchange mission being off, prove to be true.
• Full Moon Proposal sub mission.
• Morgan working the dual headsets! Woot!
• Morgan covers all sub-mission contingencies. He equips Chuck with Tide-To-Go tubes.
• Casey steps in to help Full Moon Proposal sub-mission.
• Nervous Sarah. 'I don't get butterflies.'
• Morgan calming Sarah by giving his blessing to marry Chuck. Sweet moment.
• Casey catches dropped ring. Sarah retrieves ring and preserves Chuck's illusion of being in control of the proposal. Now that's true teamwork!
• Chuck telling Sarah that being with her anywhere is the most beautiful place in the world.
• Casey's, 'She's good.' to Sarah's, 'I didn't fall in love with James Bond. I fell in love with you.'
• Casey mentions Alex's mom and his girl Kathleen! Huzzah!
• Casey's advice to Chuck, 'Forget the balcony. All you need is the girl.'
• Sarah's tearful promise to bring MamaB back to Chuck.

"Chuck vs. the Balcony" started out with a seemingly generic mission that adroitly morphed into the launch pad for the next two episodes that will deal with taking down Volkoff. Seizing on an opportunity inspired by Sarah's request that some initiative be formed to take down Volkoff and rescue MamaB, General Beckman quickly manufactured that opportunity. So quickly that Sarah never had the chance to explain it to Chuck. Using the followup buy to cast Sarah in the role of double agent, Beckman has given Sarah the means of getting into Volkoff's organization. Sarah's innately strong protective drive was also used effectively as the catalyst for her request to Beckman during the opening restaurant scene when Chuck lamented his lack of attention to Sarah because of the Volkoff situation.

During the same scene Chuck's proposal plans were humorously scuttled as an oblivious Sarah recounted the horror of her parent's proposal. This episode made excellent use of the main cast with Morgan's behind the scenes proposal submission activities providing some very funny counterpoints to the main missions. Sarah's discovery and commandeering of the proposal, making Morgan a double agent in the process was well played being touching and funny at the same time. By the time Casey swooped in to help, the show was using the main cast members to their best abilities. It was great to see Chuck's friends working in unison to maintain the illusion that he was in control of the situation. Right down to Sarah scooping up the dropped engagement ring and putting it back in Chuck's pocket.

The villains were forgettable this week but with the focus on the relationships between the main cast members this is an understandable non-issue. The BuyMore plot was more palatable to me this time because of the Canadian basis but the Jeffster Whitesnake performance of, 'Is This Love?' fell flat. Non-Canadians were doubtless not nearly so enthralled. I cannot help but wonder each time how the episode would have played out if there had been some Ellie/Devon and/or Alex subplot to support the main storyline instead.

A wonderfully, entertaining return episode for Chuck with some snappy one liners, many in jokes, and the inevitable clash between professional and personal lives for Chuck and Sarah. Chuck works best as a show when the missions are plausible and any implausibilities are kept to the humorous aspects of the relationships between the characters. "Chuck vs. the Balcony" was such an episode.

CNN Season 4 - MidSeason Smorgasbord - Part 2

Welcome back gang!

Last episode was the appetizer. This one is the main course! Enjoy!

Take a listen to our concluding Audio Discussion about Chuck Season 4 on the CNN Season 4 - MidSeason Smorgasbord - Part 2 of 2 Podcast:

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Join Jan, Karen, Joe, Mary, and myself as we whet Chuck fan hunger appetites waiting for the resumption of Season 4.

Thanks to my fellow podcasters, Jan, Karen, and Joe.

Special thanks to Special Guest Mary Scavarda whom can be found online at True Blush Girls and on Twitter at - @mary3s


Miss any episodes? You can find them all at CNN - Chuck Nerdposium Netcast, and every time you watch it helps to support us!


As always this podcast is family and office safe.

CNN Season 4 - MidSeason Smorgasbord - Part 1

Welcome back gang!

Take a listen to our Audio Discussion about Chuck Season 4 on the CNN Season 4 - MidSeason Smorgasbord - Part 1 of 2 Podcast:

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Join Jan, Karen, Joe, Mary, and myself as we whet Chuck fan hunger appetites waiting for the resumption of Season 4. Catch Part 1 of 2 this week and then check back next week and you can take the edge of your Chuck hunger once again with Part 2 of our Season 4 Smorgasbord before the season resumes on Jan 17th.

Thanks to my fellow podcasters, Jan, Karen, and Joe.

Special thanks to Special Guest Mary Scavarda whom can be found online at True Blush Girls and on Twitter at - @mary3s


Miss any episodes? You can find them all at CNN - Chuck Nerdposium Netcast, and every time you watch it helps to support us!


As always this podcast is family and office safe.

ODONTV - Podcast 4 - 'Misfits' - Juvenile Delinquent SuperHeroes?

The fourth ODONTV podcast on the current state of TV!

Join me as I chat with Fellow Podcaster Mary Scavarda whom can be found online at True Blush Girls and on Twitter at - @mary3s

CNN Bonus Holiday Episode - Frea O'Scanlin's - 'What Fates Impose'

Welcome back gang!

A special Holiday Treat Podcast this time!

I have a small present for all of you Chuck fans. An interview with writer Frea O'Scanlin. She has expertly crafted a very big present for Chuck fans.

It is an epic; in length, scope and writing skill, Chuck story.

While you are waiting for the return of new Chuck episodes next year now is a great time to check out one of THE best Chuck stories ever written.
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Imagine a story where instead of Chuck moping about his breaking up with college sweetheart Jill for five years, Chuck has been laboring away in isolated bunkers for the US Government.

Imagine Bryce visiting Chuck one time with his partner reluctantly in tow. Sarah Walker.

Go a step further and picture Chuck receiving a mysterious email from Bryce and Sarah speeding to said isolated bunker in hopes of confronting/capturing Bryce. Or at the least, Chuck. Whom, Sarah has never been able to get out of her mind since their one meeting.

Intrigued? Trust me. Check it out and you will encounter an Alternate Universe story that parallels the established canon in a wonderfully crafted tale..

Thanks to writer Frea O'Scanlin for allowing me to interview her. Hope you listeners will find Frea's tale of how she came to write this mammoth story and her writing process interesting, educational, and entertaining.

Frea, with the help of her minions, runs a blog - Castle Inanity - where you can be kept apprised of not only her writing projects but those of many others too.

If you only do one thing, skip this interview, and go to Frea's blog where you can find the story in multiple eBook formats for easy, portable reading. Here is a great chance to check out that shiny new, and very hungry, eBook Reader you received for Christmas!

Miss any episodes? You can find them all at CNN - Chuck Nerdposium Netcast.

Note this interview was conducted a while ago so some elements are out of date ie the story now stands at 45 chapters.