“Bring me my husband’s head!”
The average American male has been desensitized by enough domestic sitcoms to dismiss the above as playful hyperbole on the part of our better halves. It’s only when uttered by a shrieking woman waving a machine gun that we tend to sit up a little straighter. It’s the fine line between the semi-real and surreal that NBC’s spy dramedy Chuck has walked for four seasons now, the delightfully ridiculous effect of which was on full display in Monday’s “Chuck vs. the Coup D’Etat.”
This particular episode found it’s footing through the use of a strong central theme, the presence of which was obvious from the outset of each of the main storylines. Chuck and Sarah are unsure where each of them stands on the issue of marriage and embark on a series of self-help exercises meant to bring them closer together (the importance of communication). Elly is feeling overwhelmed by Awesome’s baby-mania and asks him to go on one final romantic getaway (the importance of communication). The wife of a dictator is feeling stifled in her marriage and stages a military coup to throw him out of power (the importance of communication…?).
Elly’s getaway is provided by Generalissimo Goya, played with gleeful gusto by guest star Armand Assante, who somehow makes it seem bone chillingly plausible that a man who performs operatic renditions of “Beso Me Mucho” at state dinners is also at the head of a country with nuclear capabilities. As a thank you for the lifesaving medical care Awesome provided almost a year ago in “Chuck vs. the Angel de la Muerte,” the trip to the fictional Costa Gravas provided an opportunity for the show do what it does best, allowing Chuck’s two worlds to collide into comedic chaos.
Chuck’s core strength has been it’s willingness to push and evolve it’s core dynamics, arranging and than rearranging them to find the most potent combinations. When Elly discovered Chuck’s secret at the end of last season, her subsequent demand that he quit the spy life for his own safety was simultaneously understandable and grating to fans who felt that Elly over-mothers her little brother. This made it all the more fun when Chuck finally got to show-off for his sister in a terrifically executed kung-fu sequence where he helps take down three Costa-Gravan soldiers. The moment was terrifically played by Sarah Lancaster, who’s wide eyes hinted at a newfound respect for her brother’s capabilities. I’m interested to see how this impacts her future feelings towards Chuck’s alleged retirement.
Things continued to evolve on the home front as well, as a new wrinkle occurred in the relationship between one of television’s all-time great odd couples. Morgan’s discovery of Chuck’s secret and his adoption of John Casey as his espionage idol was one of season three’s most gratifying developments. His passionate kiss with Casey’s long lost daughter Alex not only opened the door for some hilarious future complications, but also helped to integrate the occasionally shoehorned Buy More subplot with the rest of the episode by suggesting that too much talking is just as detrimental as not enough. Which is a sentiment that will mean little to Casey once he discovers exactly where Morgan’s beard has been.
As for the final scene between Chuck and Sarah, I saw it coming from the moment our hero mentioned that one of the relationship exercises was talking to your lover while they were asleep… But Sarah’s nocturnal declaration still got me. So much for my worldly cynicism. Such is the power of Chuck (or the sappiness of this writer). A great installment in what has so far been an enjoyable season, “Chuck vs. the Coup D’Etat advanced each of the year’s arcs, and much like it’s titular character, left me smiling at the though of what’s coming next.
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