After enjoying some of the most fun on television last week with a big helping of nacho samplers, it’s time to do it all again for Episode 3.07 – Chuck Versus the Mask.

“It’s murder on your ears.”

After a break from Shaw, he’s back in what I considered to be a much better use of his character.  Though his fascination with Sarah seems sorta sudden, it’s fun to watch him flounder.

I credit the writers a lot here.  It’s easy to bring in a new love interest for Sarah, but handling it this way seems much more mature.  Add Hannah to the mix and it’s a surprisingly believable road block.

Only time will tell how serious these new budding relationships are, but I like this particular quadrangle more than some of the romantic tension of the past.

I don’t even completely hate Shaw this week… not completely anyway.

“When do I get to blow something up?”

The humor usually comes from Morgan, Chuck and Casey but I liked the subtle humor between Shaw and Sarah, especially the coffee incident.

Casey was mostly background fodder this episode, but as impressive as always.  I wonder if he turned off the conversation between Chuck and Sarah because they “gab like girls” or because he’s on to Shaw.  My guess is the latter.

I really like when we get those hints of Casey being smarter than his character is often written.  I credit a lot of that to Adam Baldwin’s ability to give knowing looks at the right time… or is that knowing grunts?

“That’s like six knocks short!”

With such a great cast of characters, the show sometimes gets locked in a rut of putting the same group together every week.  They really broke out of this rut by throwing Morgan and Ellie into a partnership.

I’m not sure if this means less Awesome (that would be sad), but I do like the way Morgan and Ellie play off each other.  It was an element of the show that was frequent in the first season but has since fallen by the wayside.

Now they just need all of Ellie and Morgan’s time together to lead Awesome to think that Ellie’s cheating on him with Morgan.  That could be some funny times.  Poor Awesome’s life can’t take much more twisting.

“If you’re into that strong kinda superman-y type.”

It just doesn’t seem to take much to pique Sarah’s interest.  Though I’m sure Shaw is as good at necking as the next guy, is that really all it takes?

I suppose they were on their deathbeds during their confessions, but still.  It’ll be interesting to see if Sarah closes back up and tries to take it back.

And how much did Hannah have to do with Sarah’s new interest in Shaw?  With both of them being pulled different directions, it’s hard to point fingers.  It’s just a tough, but semi-realistic situation that I think keeps them apart in an interesting way.

Also, the superman-y quote was great.  It was bound to happen and I think Zack Levi pulled it off perfectly.  It was too hard to pass up a superman comment with both Kristin Kreuk and Brandon Routh on the show.

“Hope you’re ready for your big boy bike, Bartowski.”

So Chuck has been deemed a “real” spy finally.  Is that going to change the dynamics?  How much of this is Shaw just getting Chuck away from Sarah?

Speaking of big boy bikes, Chuck really manned up at the end when talking to Sarah about Hannah.  They both just want the other to be happy which is a sure sign of love.  Too bad it has to break our hearts in the process.

You know, I really believe that both Sarah and Chuck see something in their new potential loves and I can appreciate that.  It hurts to see them apart, but it’s nice to see them in relationships that feel “right.”

Those facial expressions from Yvonne Strahovski during that conversations may have overtaken some of her best to date.  She is simply a stunning actress.

“Sarah and I have a very unique relationship.”

I’m sure I’ve left out a ton about this episode.  Like last week, this episode really furthered along multiple plot lines and it is some of the best writing we’ve seen in the series.

How about Yvonne Strahovski in her repelling scene?  That girl is ripped.  I bet she packs quite a punch and even Adam Baldwin is scared of her.  If Strahotski.com ever gets on her bad side, I might have to go into witness protection.

Another week without Kristin Kreuk sharing the camera with Yvonne.  I like it this way, to be honest.  Without Kristin Kreuk succumbing to UNeTYS (Ugly Next to Yvonne Syndrome), I can continue to think she’s a cute little addition to the Nerd Herd.

Well, I loved tonight’s episode and I’m glad to see the Ring plot being furthered.  I owe an apology to Brandon Routh because he really brought Shaw to life in this episode.  But can Shaw be trusted?

Screen caps should be up tomorrow, but until then — how are you handling Chuck and Sarah letting go of one another?  Talk it out in the comments!

It’s taken from the Chuck Season 1 gag reel and it shows Yvonne reacting to a stunt gone bad.

(It might take a sec to load… be patient…)

I think we can all agree that Yvonne Strahovski adds adorable to other favorite adjectives, like hot, gorgeous, and beautiful.

This episode offered some phenomenal shots of Yvonne Strahovski.  There are the obvious caps of the ‘Frak Off’ shirt and the bedroom scene afterward, but also some really fun facial expressions.

I’m sure that some people will notice that there are some missing shots that certainly happened in the show.  It’s a fine line to walk between capturing what’s there tastefully and not.  It’s only a judgment call by me, but some things didn’t make the cut on those grounds.

Also be sure to check out the Episode 6 Music.  If you like a song, buy it! Any proceeds from buying through those links go directly towards paying for Strahotski.com hosting costs.

Enjoy!

It’s hard to pull myself away, but the show must go on and it’s time to review Episode 3.06 – Chuck Versus the Nacho Sampler.

“Yogurt Time!”

Today I’m gonna start off talking about Adam Baldwin.  I just renewed my HeroOfCanton.com domain name and this episode reminded me why.  This episode was filled with Casey cracks.

I loved the ‘yogurt time’ moments when Chuck kept getting pulled away from Hannah.  It’s interesting that they’re using Kristin Kreuk in such small doses, but I like that she feels like a real new cast member of the Buy More.

By the way, does anyone else find it funny that Anna left the Nerd Herd and she’s been replaced by Hannah?  It is now my challenge to the writers to have a revolving crew of Nerd Herd females that all rhyme with Anna.

“It’s like I’m married to Morgan!”

I have a weak spot for Ellie and Awesome.  I don’t know what it is about them, but if they’re in the episode I’m automatically going to like it that much more.

It’s interesting to see Chuck’s trip to Paris make such an impact.  I like it much better when little things like that make waves than when they set up huge arcs that you can see coming from a mile away.

It’s funny that Awesome is such a bad liar.  It’s the one thing he’s not good at, and I like that Ellie can see right through him.  I also like that Chuck can so easily lie to Ellie at this point.  Having Awesome in constant awe of Chuck is a very satisfying plot device.

“Take it easy, Tranqenstein.”

I led with Adam Baldwin, but let’s talk about Weap-Con!  That’s some hilarious stuff.  It’s like CES for gun nuts.  I like it a lot when they hint at character idiosyncrasies like the fact that Casey attends every year.

Casey had more worthy quotes in this episode than I can possibly fit into a review.  The eunuch quote comes to mind.

I also like the awkward humor that naturally comes from Chuck having to get close to Casey in any situation.  The retrieval of the laser pen hearkened back to the ill-fated kiss between the two last season.

“Ladies, gentlemen, warlords, sheiks, and huns…”

When I saw the previews for Nacho Sampler, I wasn’t sure I was going to like the nerd-clone geek, but the guy delivered.  He was appropriately funny and was a neat mirror.

Seeing someone who’s basically what Chuck was 3 years ago helps to bring into focus just how much Chuck has actually changed.  Even as fans, I think we forget just how hopeless Chuck was at the beginning.

I was really cursing Chuck when he let Manoosh walk away, but he finally came through and owned his duties as a spy.  I’m not quite sure how he had such impressive aim without flashing, but I’ll let it slide.

Though Levi is no Yvonne Strahovski, he emoted quite well when having to send Manoosh away.  Of every action has taken this season, that was perhaps his single biggest moment.

“One mish does not an agent make.”

I’m super excited about Morgan and Ellie teaming up to investigate what’s going on with Chuck.  I don’t know how that’s going to end, but hilarity will surely ensue.  I hope they can capitalize on it without Shaw bringing it back to serious-land.

Ellie has really grown on me over the years and it’s been a while since we’ve seen her with Morgan.  It should be good times.

“Sarah?  That wasn’t real either?”

This episode really had it all.  It furthered existing arcs, set up new ones, and had some hints to the heart of the show.  It was really some of the most superb writing we’ve seen in Season 3.

Though the Charah relationship is never far from the plot, this episode was subtle enough in its implementation that it didn’t bring anything down.

Chuck is becoming a spy slowly but surely, and perhaps Sarah Walker wasn’t prepared to feel apprehensive about that.  He was Manoosh when she met him and now he’s turning into Bryce (or worse, Casey).  Will everything she loves about Chuck melt away?

It’s amazing that Yvonne Strahovski is able to get that much emotion through a few glances and a couple of not-so-subtle hints.  But I suppose we’re used to thinking she’s amazing, being her biggest fans and all.

I really enjoyed the flashbacks, especially the end where we got to see what happened right before her introduction in episode 1.  She’ll always be Chuck’s Vicki Vale…

So did you love this one as much as I did?  Screen caps should be up tomorrow, but let’s talk it out until then.

No clear picture of when the movie will hit state-side, but a new trailer has been released!

Check it out at Herald Sun: Trailer for I Love You Too.

My apologies for not embedding the video.  For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how to embed their player.

EDIT: YouTube video embedded. It blows out the column a little bit, but oh well.

As the number of comments have attested, I was a little harsh on this episode.  Playing it back, perhaps I failed to point out some of the really nice parts of the episode.  One of these was Mama-Bear Sarah whose concern for Chuck’s safety was very endearing.

If you love screens that capture the many beautiful facial expressions of Yvonne Strahovski, then this episode is what you’ve been looking for.  She shows all sorts of emotions across the set, and I absolutely love it!

Also, though is not screen capture related, I was called out for failing to mention Hannah in my review.

For the record, I did like Kristin Kreuk and I look forward to her being on the show more.  She may suffer from UNeTYS (Ugly Next to Yvonne Syndrome), but she’s perhaps cute enough to get only a mild case.

Edit by Rob: I’ve added the music from the episode as well. Last two songs are my faves.

Enjoy!

Unfortunately, neither me nor my wife were able to come up with the plural of first class (first classes didn’t quite sound right), so we’ll just leave it singular this time.

But let it be known that I’m on to the Chuck writers! Last week it was “Operations Awesome” and before that I had to pluralize in Spanish. I think they’re trying to make it hard on me!

Oh, that’s not why you’re here? That’s right. We should get to the review of Episode 3.05 – Chuck Versus First Class.

“Is Chuck Bartowski a real spy?”

I think the answer to that question is an unequivocal no.  But that’s why we love Chuck, right?  Since he’s been tagging along with Casey and Sarah for two years, I guess everyone expects that he’s going to become more like a spy over time.

But at the same time, if he doesn’t need Casey and Sarah then the show won’t need them either.  And as we clearly learned tonight, Chuck without Casey and Sarah is not all that interesting to watch.

I try to keep it light here, but I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that this is by far the most awkward and unfunny episodes of Chuck to ever grace our televisions.  That’s not to say we should cancel our season passes or anything, but we’ve come to expect more.

“I hate insurgents.”

Our B plot was really the strong plot of the week, but not particularly important to the overall story.  I’m not quite sure why Casey would assist Morgan in asserting his dominance over Buy More, but it was certainly a union for the ages.

Although the obvious struggle between Morgan and the employees is a nice subplot for the show, I wonder how long they’re going to milk this.  The assistant manager position has always been someone for the audience to revile.

Joshua Gomez is a pretty funny dude, but he does his best when he’s playing off of Chuck.  At this point, they have him carrying the entire Buy More plotlines, and I’m not sure it’s a change that I’m a fan of.  I miss Chuck being a part of the Buy More crew.

Adam Baldwin was as awesome as always, but brainwashing Lester seemed a bit over the top.  I wonder how long Lester will stay subservient.

“Inducing negative g’s.”

So one awesome fact we learn about Sarah Walker in this episode is that she’s a pilot, though it was mentioned as if we should already know that.  Perhaps I’m forgetting an episode in there somewhere.  I guess she did talk Chuck down with a helicopter early in the first season.

We also learn an interesting backstory about Sarah burying Bryce.  I question the validity of her story, though, since we also know she went off the grid to meet Chuck.  Perhaps she was doing both.

“They won’t let you evolve.”

I don’t know how you guys feel about Shaw, but I think his character isn’t bad.  He serves a purpose of separating Chuck from his handlers to give him some experience.

On the other hand, Brandon Routh has the charisma of a toothbrush.  I genuinely feel sorry for Yvonne Strahovski because he has to be really difficult to play off of.  He delivers all of his lines with the same emotion and you don’t even like him while he’s doing it.

It is possible to be an antagonist while also remaining charismatic — Cole did it last season — but I’m just not feeling Routh, and I think Shaw could be a much more compelling character in someone else’s hands.

“Unfortunately I did not get to use my nunchuks.”

I like this line because it sums up the whole episode.  It never really got it’s claws out.  It traded in some of the usual smarter humor for nothing but sight gags and physical comedy.

Both are welcome additions to the show, but being balanced against truly awesome saves by Sarah and the dry wit of Casey is what makes it a package deal.

I’m not sure whether it was that the solo mission for Chuck didn’t work or if it’s Shaw putting ice on the whole cast, but something just wasn’t right.  Hopefully it was just a necessary evil to set-up some future plotlines with both Shaw and Hannah.

“Chuck isn’t home free yet.”

As disappointing as this episode was, it was still better than most shows on television and I’m certain there are better episodes in our future.  Next week looks to feature some more traditional stuff, while also injecting some new blood into the Buy More staff.

Our lady Yvonne Strahovski did as fine a job as she could given the circumstances and perhaps only Yvonne could pull out such strong emotions against the stone wall that is Brandon Routh.  I can’t possibly imagine a scenario where believable chemistry could be manifested between these two.

Screen captures should be up tomorrow afternoon (hastily done so I can get to Mass Effect 2!).  Until then, let’s talk it out!  Did you love this episode?  If not, what didn’t work for you?

Coin-Op TV managed to pin her down to talk about her character and the game as a whole.

There’s probably going to be a lot of Mass Effect 2 news and media rolling in over the next couple of weeks.  Hope you guys don’t mind.

Granted, for now there is one lone set of pictures inside but we’re hoping for the best.  Surely Yvonne’s voice talents will be lent to future video games, right?  At the very least, perhaps Mass Effect 3?

Although predominantly comprised of Yvonne’s ME2 character, Miranda, there are also some pics of real-life Yvonne Strahovski sprinkled throughout the set.

I’ll let you explore the gallery yourself, but let’s just say that there is a saucy picture to be had of Miranda.  I almost didn’t include that picture in the gallery, but I figured it’s no worse than a typical episode of Chuck.

These all came from Syfy’s Sci vs. Fi: Mass Effect 2 special.  If you missed it the first time, Syfy will be airing it multiple times over the next week leading up to ME2’s launch (search the schedule for ‘Mass Effect 2′).

If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy yet, then get to it by heading over to Amazon and reserving your copy!

Since she didn’t get a lot of action (or costumes), this is primarily a set of what Yvonne Strahovski does best — facial expressions.  There’s pensive Sarah, happy Sarah, secretly-in-love Sarah.  You name it, she emotes it.

It’s a testament to her fine acting that Yvonne Strahovski can be such a presence even when the story does not directly revolve around her character.

Her subtle encouragement to Chuck was actually quite endearing the second time I watched the episode.

Also be sure to check out the Episode 4 Music.  If you like a song, buy it! Any proceeds from buying through those links go directly towards paying for Strahotski.com hosting costs.

Enjoy!