The Truth is in the Tooth: Spies Like Me on Chuck

It's entirely possible to love Chuck but not love a particular episode, even as that episode is a cog in the larger construction of the season... and is clearly building towards something momentous and game-changing.

This week's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Tooth"), written by Zev Borow and Max Denby and directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer (yes, the writer/director of Party Girl!) found Chuck's mental health impacted by the Intersect as he began to suffer vivid dreams filled with symbols and intelligence database markers and found himself in the land of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest when he created an international incident because of his dream-related hunch.

That Chuck's own worst enemy could be himself was a nice twist that will have lasting repercussions on the series as we ramp up to the season finale in a few weeks' time. We've seen the benefits of having a super-computer downloaded into your head--both in terms of intelligence-gathering as well as physical skills--so I'm glad to see that the writers are recognizing that there has to be a physical or psychological cost to being the Intersect.

With great power comes great responsibility, but great power should also bring great headaches. And now that Chuck has gotten everything he's always wanted--the spy life, the beautiful girl of his dreams--the other shoe has got to drop.

So what did I think of "Chuck Versus the Tooth"? Let's discuss.

I felt that this episode was at times the sort of fun and frothy installment that has marked the majority of Chuck Season 3.5, building on the sort of loopy antics employed by both "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners" and "Chuck Versus the Role Models," particularly in the scenes where Chuck teamed up with Morgan to go to the symphony or when Morgan faced off with former girlfriend Anna, returned from Hawaii to drop off some stuff he left behind, or Chuck's therapy sessions with Doc (Christopher Lloyd).

I though that the opening sequence where Chuck and Sarah settle into domestic bliss was nicely played but the moment where Chuck tells Sarah that he loves her and she doesn't reciprocate was oddly glossed over. Given that the two are now living together, I thought it was a given that these two loved each other. Why would Sarah move in with Chuck if she didn't love him? If it was more a case of her having problems actually saying the words aloud, then I wish that that would have been more clearly dealt with within the narrative confines of the episode. Sarah hasn't had a "normal" life and she claims that this is the first time she's felt that way, but I've always felt that she's loved Chuck, in a different way than she loved Bryce Larkin. (While she may be a kick-ass super-spy, I've always felt that, more than Casey, Sarah has been attuned to her own emotions and capable of processing them in a healthy way.)

Saying those three words is a big step in any relationship and Chuck had previously put himself on the line by telling Sarah he loved her earlier this season. But the disconnect there between them feels more than a little forced here, when the two are already living together and cuddling on the sofa, a portrait of comfortable domesticity. Likewise, those three words aren't the source of tension between the two throughout the episode; that role goes to whether Sarah can believe Chuck's claims about the Zambibian president's imminent assassination or whether Chuck is losing his grip on reality.

As I said earlier, I'm glad to see that we're dealing head-on with the dark side to Chuck's abilities, with the Intersect slowly eating away at his mind and invading his subconscious while he sleeps. It's an important part of the hero's journey to see the results of his action and his Intersect-derived abilities are really a Faustian bargain that now threaten his long-term health and sanity, even if he's in denial about telling Sarah (or anyone else) the truth.

Chuck's therapist (the always fantastic Christopher Lloyd) warns him about his condition and he sees first-hand just what the spy business can do to an agent's sanity after being placed in a CIA facility after he assaults a member of the Zambibian president's entourage at the symphony, knocking out his tooth in the process. I loved the notion of Chuck going to get therapy and being able to unload his often complicated thoughts and emotions on someone who was fully aware of his identity and yet not directly involved with him in a personal context. (His decision to keep the therapist's prognosis from Sarah speaks volumes about this.)

Likewise, it was great to see Anna again, returning to the Buy More with a fantastic wind machine-assisted entrance that was later inverted with Morgan's own tuxedo-walk through the aisles of the Buy More. (Nicely played.) I've missed Anna this season; she gave the Buy More a much-needed injection of estrogen and her tart attitude balanced some of the off-kilter madness of Jeff and Lester. Here, she returns to find a very different Morgan than she last saw and decides that she wants him back... giving Morgan the opportunity to turn her down. It's been encouraging to see Morgan himself getting some much needed maturity in the last few weeks, really since he discovered the truth about Chuck. I don't think we would have ever seen Morgan Grimes turn down the advances of any woman--even one who had broken his heart--at the start of the season.

But there was also some oddly disjointed darkness lurking within the episode as well as some major narrative leaps as well. After arriving in Africa just last week, Ellie and Awesome had already returned home at the start of this week's episode as Devon recovers from his bout of "malaria" and convalesces at their apartment (already beautifully fixed up after it got trashed last week by a Bengal tiger). It felt odd to see them back already and to have their African excursion curtailed so sharply. Given The Ring involvement, I can see why Justin wanted them back in Los Angeles after he had gained Ellie's trust so that he could move her into position and reveal his true mission: tracking down Stephen Bartowski.

While that makes sense if it had all played out over the course of, say, three episodes, it felt really rushed here with Ellie deciding that she couldn't confide in Devon, couldn't trust Casey, and would assist a guy claiming to be a CIA agent help to find their father--who specifically does not want to be found--before even attempting to discuss it with her brother. Yes, Devon acted like Ellie was crazy but her behavior is erratic. She doesn't know Justin AT ALL and isn't suspicious about the fact that he claims that they didn't meet by chance in Africa and are now meeting again in LA.

(Personally, I also felt like Chuck's foray into the mental institution was cut short and wasn't used to drive the narrative stakes as it should have been. I would have actually had the episode end with him stuck in the CIA facility and then introduced Merlin and the rest in the following week's episode. But that's just me.)

Likewise, I was finally hoping that we'd put the Daniel Shaw storyline to rest but Chuck's sudden realization--spurred by a series of dreams--that Shaw is alive sort of rubbed me the wrong way. I was really hoping that Shaw was dead, that Chuck had in fact saved the day by killing Shaw in order to save Sarah's life. But the prophetic dream he has at the very end of the episode, following the ones where he seems to be processing his own guilt over Shaw's demise, points towards a reversal of this. So is Shaw alive? Is he still working for The Ring? Is he still out for revenge against Chuck and Sarah?

All in all, I liked "Chuck Versus the Tooth" but I didn't love it. Chuck was right in the end about the Zambibian scientist, about his dreams, and likely about Daniel Shaw being alive. Which took some of the tension out of the episode as everyone came around to his way of thinking pretty quickly, even after the tooth he knocked out at the symphony turned out to be nothing more than an ordinary human tooth.

Instead, the episode seemed constructed from two very different elements: one that was light and frothy with a Spies Like Us-vibe to it and the other that was really dark and surreal. Chuck has been able to balance out these tones quite effectively in the past, but I felt like they missed the mark here, resulting in an episode that was at times fun but somewhat toothless.

What did you think of this week's episode? Agree or disagree with the above assessment? Glad to see Anna return? Did you believe that the Daniel Shaw storyline was over for good? Or did you always know Shaw would be back to cause trouble for Chuck and Sarah? And is it a given that Ellie will discover the truth about Chuck before the season is out? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Living Dead"), Chuck asks Morgan to help him on a side mission after his latest dream but their investigation becomes complicated when Stephen Bartowski (Scott Bakula) returns and learns that Chuck downloaded the Intersect 2.0... but Chuck's father may be able to help him.

Channel Surfing: Chuck Renewal Still Up in the Air, MTV Orders US Skins Series, Lost, True Blood, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that multiple sources have confirmed to him that NBC will be renewing action-comedy Chuck for a fourth season and that "the show has thus far figured into all of the network’s preliminary plans for its May 17 upfront presentation," with Chuck likely to get a thirteen-episode initial order with the possibility of a full season order still in the cards as well. However, co-creator Josh Schwartz hadn't heard anything regarding a renewal as of yet. "That’s news to me," said Schwartz. "I would urge fans to take nothing for granted..." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

NBC's Angela Bromstad also cautioned fans about reading too much into rumors about Chuck's future and wouldn't confirm that it had been picked up when speaking with The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd. "It's our highest performing Monday night show," said Bromstad about Chuck. "We look at it as a very strong player and it's a show that matches up with our new shows. It's too early for me to say for certain as it's a conversation we're going to have next week." (Hollywood Reporter)

MTV has ordered ten episodes of a US version of British teen drama Skins, which is being considered for a January launch at the cabler. Co-creator Bryan Elsley is writing the pilot script and will executive produce with Charlie Pattinson and George Faber. Like its predecessor, this version will feature a cast of mostly unknowns but will be set in Baltimore (rather than the original's Bristol). (Deadline.com, Variety)

New York Magazine's Vulture has an interview with Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse about the end of Lost, now less than two weeks away. "I think we've been prepared for a long time for the ending of the show," said Cuse. "I think that we feel certain that it was the right decision. We're prepared for it. I think that there will certainly be a mourning period when it's all said and done. It's funny: There's this special feature for the DVDs in which some other show-runners discuss what it's like ending a show. There's an interview with Stephen Cannell [The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, Wiseguy] who said that he's produced something like 42 television series, for network television, and he never ended any of them on his own terms. We're far more grateful for the fact we're able to do this on our own terms. I think that's the emotion, at least at this moment, that outweighs the other ones." (New York Magazine's Vulture)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that British actress Lara Pulver (Robin Hood) has been cast in HBO's True Blood, where she will play Claudine, a pivotal character that has been likened to Sookie's "guardian angel" or "fairy godmother." She'll recur throughout the third season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Ausiello also reports that Michael Steger (90210) is headed to HBO's True Blood, where he will guest star as Tony, described as "a gay prostitute who gets picked up by King of Mississippi Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare) because of his resemblance to his current steady, Talbot (Theo Alexander)." He's expected to appear in one episode of True Blood's third season, which launches next month, and may recur in Season Four. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck talks to True Blood's Theo Alexander, who plays gay Greek vampire Talbot, the boyfriend of the 3000-year-old King of Mississippi Russell Endgington (Denis O'Hare), who happens to cheat on his BF with a certain straight male character we've seen so far on the series. "Talbot loves Russell immensely because he’s [his] maker, but like any marriage, it has its ups and downs," said Alexander. "One thing we have a huge fight over is that I always have to stay home. Sometimes I have to straighten him out and take drastic measures to save the marriage." (TV Guide Magazine)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva has her latest roundup of pilot-related buzz. FOX seems high on Terra Nova and Midland, with either Breakout Kings or Ridealong getting the second drama slot; on the comedy front, they're keen on Keep Hope Alive and Wilde Kingdom, with Traffic Light, Breaking In, and Most Likely to Succeed still in the running. Over at NBC, the Peacock is still considering The Cape, Rockford Files, and Kindreds (also possibly Garza), while they're said to be circling comedies Perfect Couples, Friends with Benefits, Next, Beach Lane, and maybe This Little Piggy, which has cooled off recently. At CBS, Hawaii Five-O, Defenders, Chaos and possibly the untitled John Wells/Hannah Shakespeare medical drama are frontrunners. (Criminal Minds spinoff seems mixed, with a possible midseason launch being bandied about.) On the comedy side, the network is high on Mike & Molly, Team Spitz, Bleep My Dad Said, Mad Love and Livin' on a Prayer. Over at ABC, dramas No Ordinary Family, Detroit 187, The Whole Truth, Body of Proof, Off The Map, and Generation Y are all said to be in the running, along with comedies Mr. Sunshine, Happy Endings, Wright Vs. Wrong, Awkward Situations For Men, Who Gets the Parents, It Takes a Village, and the untitled couples comedy. CW is high on Nikita as well as Hellcats, while HMS and Betwixt remain possibilities. (Deadline.com)

Fancast's Matt Webb Mitovich has an interview with Elizabeth Mitchell about the final two episodes of ABC's V. "It could be icy as hell," said Mitchell about the season finale's family dinner between the Evans and the Visitors' Anna and Lisa. "You’ve got Anna, who is this fantastic politician/religious leader, and then you have Erica, who’s in the process of becoming exactly that. So you have two people who are pretty good at the games they’re playing coming face to face. They’re looking for any little chink in the armor, any sign of vulnerability on the other’s part. I thought it was fun to play. I enjoyed working with Morena [Baccarin] tremendously." She also teases two major jaw-droppers in the episode, which is scheduled to air next week on ABC. (Fancast)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck speaks to Daniel Dae Kim about this three favorite Sun-and-Jin moments from Lost. (TV Guide Magazine)

Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that CBS may order Chuck Lorre's comedy Mike & Molly to series as early as this week, rather than wait until announcing at their upfront presentation, scheduled for next week. "CBS is said to have a very short window to pick up the comedy or release it so producer Warner Bros. can shop it elsewhere," writes Andreeva. "It’s safe to say the latter won’t happen." (Deadline.com)

E! Online's Drusilla Moorhouse takes a look at whether the winners of this season of CBS' The Amazing Race cheated by taking a look at the official rule book for the reality adventure series... and determined that brothers Dan and Jordan won fair and square. "As long as Amazing Race teams purchase a coach ticket, a network representative confirmed to us today, they are absolutely allowed to upgrade to first or business class," writes Moorhouse. "The Pious brothers' pretty persuasion is not unprecedented, either: Plenty of other teams in previous seasons have talked their way into fancier seats at the front of the plane—something Race superfan Jordan probably knew." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

TBS' hour-long comedy pilot Franklin & Bash now appears poised to move to sister network TNT, according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva, while Glory Daze is expected to get a series order at TBS. (Deadline.com)

Stay tuned.

Diamonds in the Rough: Heart to Heart on Chuck

"The CIA has a way of breaking young idealists. Especially if they're in love." - Craig Turner

The Hart to Hart-style opening credits of this week's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Role Models"), written by Phil Klemmer and directed by Fred Toye, really did set up the overall feel of the episode, one that was in keeping with the relatively lightness of the previous episode and was miles away from the darkness that enveloped most of Season Three.

Here, the tone was positioned sharply on the comedic as Chuck and Sarah were tasked with teaming up with legendary super-spy couple Craig and Laura Turner (Fred Willard and Swoosie Kurtz), themselves stylized versions of the characters played by Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers in Hart to Hart, who might just be what the future holds in store for Chuck and Sarah... are are instead a cautionary tale of how not to let your marriage go off the rails.

Elsewhere, Colonel Casey was given the dubious honor of making Morgan field-ready, an extremely difficult task given Morgan's, uh, less than ideal skill set. With the couples coupling, these two have been pushed together once again as an unlikely partnership, one that recalls the early days of the series with Morgan stepping into Chuck's role as the fish out of water amid the high-stakes espionage world.

So what did I think of "Chuck Versus the Role Models"? Let's discuss.

There were a number of clever juxtapositions here, most notably Morgan's dream sequence (heavily influenced as it was by the aforementioned Hart to Hart) and the complexities of Chuck and Sarah's own relationship as seen through the prism of the Turners.

It's clear from the opening sequence (the one post-dream) that Sarah has gotten extremely comfortable in Chuck's apartment and has been, uh, spending a lot of time there at night, leading to some uncomfortableness on the part of Morgan, who has been forced to wear pajamas to bed and attempt to avert his eyes from the scantily clad form of Sarah Walker at the refrigerator. But despite the fact that Sarah might feel at home enough to walk around in next to nothing, she doesn't see quite why Chuck would want to make this arrangement permanent.

Chuck, on the other hand, wants to give Sarah her own key and have her move in to Casa Bartowski, an evolution in their relationship that Sarah just doesn't see the point of. While at first it seems that her hesitance is just Sarah being the proto-typical spy, there's more at work here. She's been a spy her entire adult life, used to jetting off to anywhere and everywhere at the drop of a hat; as a child, she lived out of hotel rooms under assumed names. Sarah hasn't exactly grown up with any sense of stability or an approximation of "home" in the truest sense of the world.

For Sarah, home may be wear you hang your hat (or your holster) but it means something very different to Chuck. Yet throughout the episode, there are glimmers of hope: Sarah's cache of firearms concealed in the couch point to more than just the thirty foot rule... and her decision to leave her gun in the car points to her seeing Casa Bartowski as a bit of a sanctuary, after Chuck forbid her to keep her guns around.

But, by the end of the episode, the two had reached a rapprochement on the subject: Sarah would move in, after all. We see her making little changes to Casa Bartowski, adding a framed photo of her and Chuck on the mantle, and we get the sense that their relationship is evolving rapidly. Moving in together is a big step (especially when there's another roommate to consider) but these two are clearly meant for each other, right?

They should of course consider the case of the Turners, the super-spies that they're meant to be working with on their latest mission but who turn out to be a pair of bickering and selfish individuals who betray them several times. Craig is a lecherous lothario prone to extra-marital encounters, while Laura is a scheming alcoholic. One can see how, thirty years earlier, they might have made the best of pairs... but their marriage--or marriages--has since hit the rocks in more ways than one.

While Chuck and Sarah are meant to be watching and learning from the Turners, they end up having to complete their joint mission on their own, at which point they're betrayed by the Turners, who force them to give up their quarry--the software concealed in Otto Von Vogel's tiger collar--at gunpoint. Fortunately, Craig's slip about the Ambassador Hotel being Los Angeles' only place to get a rare cherry perfect for a Manhattan leads them to turn the tables on the traitorous couple.

The tiger sequence--in which Chuck had to get the collar off of the dozing beast--was nicely paralleled with Morgan's own mission, in which he had to remove Big Mike's keycard from around his neck while he napped in his office. (Meanwhile, I roared with laughter when Morgan attempted to fire the gun and threw it up in the air after it "exploded" in his hand.) But rather than let the parallels lie there, the writers further shook things up by crossing the two distinct storylines, when Morgan had to face off against the Bengal tiger--unarmed, of course--and came out victorious, though destroyed Ellie and Awesome's apartment in the process.)

But the Turners also proved that they weren't totally morally bankrupt. After escaping Casa Bartowski, the Turners came back to save Chuck and Sarah and offer themselves up to Otto and Sarah returns the favor later by lying to General Beckman about their intentions, saying that they had orchestrated a triple-cross. And Sarah, naturally, moves in with Chuck, saying that she doesn't know how to live a normal life... to which he answers that they'll never have a normal life. (Aw.)

And then there was the Ellie-Awesome storyline set in the Congo as the two doctors attempted to settle into their new lifestyle with Doctors Without Borders, which was proving more difficult than self-described "city girl" Ellie had envisioned. Add to that killer mosquitoes, slithering snakes, and a villainous Ring operative named Justin. While it initially seems as though Justin is one of the good guys, he quickly launches a plan to incapacitate Devon--injecting him with a virus that Ellie believes is malaria--but which will likely prove to be more deadly.

I'm intrigued that The Ring storyline--despite its seeming resolution a few weeks back--isn't actually over and that Devon is still on their radar. Just what does this Ring cell want? Why have they infected Devon? And how does this fit into their larger plans? Are they aware of Chuck Bartowski's secret identity as the Intersect? Hmmm...

What else did I love about this week's episode? Devon's nickname of "Dr. Super Fantastic White Person" among the locals, Casey telling Morgan that he has balls, the Buy More hottie writing "you disgust me" on Morgan's business card, the Hart to Hart-style opening, Morgan describing Sarah as "the leggy Valkyrie with an aversion to clothing," Morgan running from the tiger, Sarah and Chuck in the closet, Chuck's aw-shucks grin in the morning, the fact that Big Mike has jelly on his key card, Beckman's description of Morgan as being a diamond in the rough ("very, very rough").

What did you think of this week's episode? Happy with how quickly Chuck and Sarah's relationship is advancing? What's up with Awesome and Ellie? Discuss.

On next week's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Tooth"), Chuck struggles with disturbing dreams and now he believes his most recent dream predicts danger for a visiting head of state, leading General Beckman to assign Chuck to CIA psychiatrist Dr. Leo Dreyfus (guest star Christopher Lloyd); Ellie gets surprising news; Anna returns to the Buy More to talk to Morgan.

Channel Surfing: Chuck Renewal Prognosis Improved, Sarah Wayne Callies Hunts The Walking Dead, Conan, Castle, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Could it be that things are looking up for Chuck? Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva breaks down the current on the bubble series at the broadcast networks, including NBC's Chuck. "Last year, NBC’s Chuck got an 11th hour reprieve, clinching a partial 3rd-season order on Sunday afternoon before upfront week," writes Andreeva. "This time around, its fate will be decided earlier if the show’s producers get their way. Several days ago, creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak pitched NBC their vision for Season 4 and producing studio Warner Bros asked the network for a quick resolution so the series could keep its writing staff. Even with NBC brass happy with their drama development, the spy dramedy’s chances of renewal are considered very good -- and certainly a lot better than last year when a sponsorship deal with Subway sealed the renewal. With the show rising in the ratings this week and fans staging rallies tomorrow, Chuck may be one solid ratings performance... away from an early renewal." [Editor: in other words, tune in tonight in huge numbers and LIVE.] (Deadline.com)

Meanwhile, today marks the day for the multi-city Chuck flash mobs, but if you're not in one of the cities participating, don't fret: you can still show your support for a fourth season of Chuck by participating in the Twitter mob scheduled for today between noon and 1 pm Pacific Time. Sample tweets include: "@NBC – We want more #CHUCK! Give us another season of flashes and fun. The world’s safety depends on it! #FlashChuck" or "#CHUCK rules! @NBC show your love for CHUCK and the fans will show their love back. We want a 4th season! #FlashChuck" (ChuckTV.net)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that former Prison Break star Sarah Wayne Callies has been cast as the female lead in AMC's upcoming drama series The Walking Dead, based on Robert Kirkman's comicbook series. Callies has been cast as Lori Grimes, described as "the slowly-unraveling wife of the show’s hero, Rick (Andrew Lincoln)." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The New York Times's Bill Carter talks to Jeff Gaspin's efforts to pull NBC's schedule "out of a long, precipitous slide," the network's development slate, and the C-word: Conan. "Late night’s not my problem anymore," said Gaspin, referring to Conan O'Brien's move to TBS. "I don’t have to worry about Conan anymore. Whereas if he was on Fox we’d all be, you know, what’s it going to do? That’s all over. The Conan story is gone for me." (New York Times)

Meanwhie, did you miss last night's Conan O'Brien interview on CBS' 60 Minutes? You can watch the full video of O'Brien's chat below.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos talks to Nathan Fillion about the upcoming season finale of his ABC procedural drama Castle. "Beckett has set her eyes on another man, and it's really getting to Castle," Fillion told her. "He's really not having an easy time with it, so we're getting to a point in time where she's gotta make a choice. And he's gotta make a choice! There's gonna be a choice made. An emotional choice. It's an emotional cliffhanger." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

In other Castle-related news, co-showrunner/executive producer Rene Echevarria has left the series after he was unable to reach a new deal with studio ABC Studios. Creator Andrew Marlowe, who shared showrunning responsibilities with Echevarria, will now serve as the series' sole showrunner when it returns for a third season this fall. (Deadline.com)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a brand new interview with "A Song of Fire and Ice" novelist George R.R. Martin, whose fantasy novel series is the basis for HBO's upcoming series Game of Thrones. (The series itself is undergoing some cast changes at the moment: Jennifer Ehle was replaced by Michelle Fairley and Tamzin Merchant--who played Daenerys Targaryen--will be replaced as well.) "I knew that the limitations of budgets and the censorship limitations," said Martin about possible television homes for "A Song of Fire and Ice," ruling out the broadcast networks. "I know it’s loosened up some since I was active in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, but I can still remember the fights with Standards and Practices and censors about the sex and violence. And the books are full of sex and violence. I didn’t want some watered-down, bowdlerized version of this... [HBO] had done shows like Deadwood and Rome and The Sopranos and that was the kind of thing I saw this as." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Showtime has announced its summer launch dates, which includes Season Eight of Penn & Teller: Bullshit and new series The Green Room with Paul Provenza on Thursday, June 10th from 10-11 pm ET/PT, The Real L Word on Sunday, June 20th at 10 pm ET/PT, and Season Six of Weeds and the launch of The Big C on Monday, August 16th at 10:30 pm ET/PT. (via press release)

Zoe Kravitz--the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet--has been cast in a six-episode story arc on the upcoming season of Showtime's Californication, where she will play Zoe, a "wild child" musician who looks to recruit Becca (Madeleine Martin) for her all-girl band. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

E! Online's Megan Masters has an interview with Vampire Diaries star Matt Davis, in which the former Damages co-star talks about why his Alaric is in need of some steamy sex scenes on the CW supernatural drama series. "We decided that the best way to reconcile them is a ménage à trois," Davis said, joking, about the return of Alaric's wife Isobel. "No, it's shocking. To see this missing wife of his after so long. Not only is it shocking, but those moments never go the way you expect them to. His whole life changed when she vanished, and he's been searching for her ever since. [To] finally confront the thing he's been looking for? That would turn your life upside down, and it will definitely be a big moment for Alaric." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Barry Sonnenfeld is heading overseas. The Pushing Daisies director/executive producer has teamed up with Fluent Media Group and Resonant TV to develop a supernatural drama series Beat the Devil that will be pitched to foreign networks ahead of the US. "Five years ago, it was unthinkable of a U.S. studio acquiring a scripted format from another country," Gonzalo Cilley, head of Resonant TV, told Hollywood Reporter. "We want to have Barry involved from Day 1 so he can use all of that experience and information when he pitches the American version." (Hollywood Reporter)

Nascent pay cabler Epix is said to have signed a deal with Oliver Stone and author Bruce Wagner to develop Los Angeles-based drama series Still Holding, based on Wagner's novel, which revolves around three people living in the City of Angels. (Variety)

20th Century Fox Television has signed an two-year overall deal with Bones writer Karyn Usher, under which she will develop new projects for the studio and remain aboard Bones as a co-executive producer. (Variety)

Sony Pictures Television has signed a new two-year deal with producer Jamie Tarses. (Deadline.com)

Britt Robertson (Life Unexpected) has been cast in Disney Channel original telepic Avalon High, where she will play a high school transfer student who discovers that her fellow classmates are actually the reincarnations of King Arthur and his round table. Project is based on a Meg Cabot novel. (Variety)

Megan Park (Secret Life of the American Teenager), David Charvet (Melrose Place), and Boti Bliss (CSI: Miami) will star in Lifetime original telepic The Perfect Teacher. Elsewhere, Michael Badalucco (The Practice) will be recurring on HBO's upcoming period drama series Boardwalk Empire. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Allison Janney Heads to Lost, Damon Lindelof Speaks, Chuck Fans Plan Flash Mob, Veronica Mars Update, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

SPOILER! "Presence," huh? TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck attempts to get to the bottom of just who Allison Janney (The West Wing) will be playing on the May 11th episode of Lost by going right to the source: Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, who are being rather cagey about Janney's mystery role. "We were so happy that she was able to do this," said Cuse. "It was really hard for her because she was getting ready to shoot a pilot, but she squeezed us in. Then once we saw her in this part we were like, 'How could anyone else have done this but Allison Janney?'" Lindelof wasn't giving Keck anything either: "We’ve been talking about this character for awhile and how nervous we were that we wouldn’t find the right actress," he said. "When we first started talking about this character in the writers room we called her 'Allison Janney' under the assumption that we wouldn’t be able to get her." [Editor: so who is Janney playing? My first instinct said that she'd be playing the mother of the Man in Black (or Penny's never-before-seen mother), though whether that will turn out to be true remains to be seen. Regardless, the role calls for someone with "incredible presence" and Janney has that in spades.] (TV Guide Magazine)

Elsewhere, The Hollywood Reporter's Matt Belloni has a video interview with Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof in which the two discuss the series finale, the flash-sideways, and the fact that Desmond wasn't in the series' final cast photo ("A cast photo that includes some characters but not others is beyond our area of involvement," he said). Most intriguing is the fact that producers had brand new sets built for the final moments of Lost's series ender. "We did not shoot the final scene of the series on the final day ... for reasons of maintaining the secrecy of the show, and we had to build some sets for the finale -- the construction of the new sets took awhile so that's the work that we did last," Lindelof said, who went on to say that there will be a definitive ending to the series, even if some questions are left for the viewers to answer on their own. "The Sopranos ending only worked on The Sopranos," said Lindelof. "The series finale has to fit the show. We're trying to end lost in a way that feels Lost-ian and fair and will generate a tremendous amount of theorizing. We're going to be as definitive as we can be and say this is our ending, but there's no way to end the show where the fans aren't going to say, 'What did they mean by this?' Which is why we're not going to explain it."(Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Chuck fans are headed to Chicago, Seattle, San Diego, and Philadelphia (and possibly other cities as well) to initiate flash mob publicity stunts in support of a Chuck renewal. The idea, the brainchild of chucktv.net, will have fans congregate wearing the series' trademark Buy More uniforms. "Chuck fans are the most loyal, dedicated, imaginative and passionate fans any show could ever hope for," Chuck co-creator Josh Schwartz told The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd. "Every season they offer more proof they should be licensed and professional fans teaching other fans how it's done. This is yet another example of their awesomeness. We are, as always, grateful and inspired to deliver a show as good to them as they are to us." (Hollywood Reporter)

E! Online's Breanne L. Heldman caught up with Kristen Bell to ask her about the status of the potential Veronica Mars feature film that's been rumored for quite some time (and which someone asked creator Rob Thomas about at last week's Party Down panel at the Paley Center). "I wish I had news," said Bell. "Still in the process of campaigning to tell Warner Bros. that people would actually see it. I think that as long as you guys keep asking those questions and I keep answering them, Warner Bros. will one day get the picture that everybody does want it and that it will make its money back. I think, truthfully, they're a company and they want to know that they'll make their return back. We just have to convince them that they will." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

ABC Family has decided not to move forward with its comedy series 10 Things I Hate About You, which will wrap its second season in a few week. News of the cancellation was made originally by executive producer Carter Covington via Twitter."Sad news... ABC Family canceled the show," wrote Covington. "Thanks to our amazing fans. You are the reason I do this." (Variety)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has a first look at Rob Lowe on NBC's Parks and Recreation, where he is set to join the comedy series next month along with Party Down's Adam Scott. According to co-creator/executive producer Mike Schur, Lowe's character, state auditor Chris Traeger, "very quickly falls into a romantic entanglement" with a resident of Pawnee. "I don’t want to spoil who it is because it’s kind of a surprise," said Schur. [Editor: having already seen a sizable chunk of Lowe and Scott's first Parks and Rec episode a few weeks back, I can honestly say that fans are in for a treat with these new characters.] (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Well, that makes one NCIS cast member who definitely will be returning next season: Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that David McCallum yesterday closed a deal to return to the CBS procedural drama next season. Negotiations continue for the three other actors--Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette, and Sean Murray--whose deals have expired. (Deadline.com)

USA Today's Gary Strauss has a profile of Breaking Bad's Dean Norris, who plays DEA Agent Hank Schrader on the AMC drama series. In its third season, Norris' Hank has quickly psychologically unraveled. "For an actor, playing one character and transitioning to a completely different one is a dream come true," Norris told Strauss. "Part of me misses the old Hank. But nothing could be better than to set up a character, dismiss him and then bring a whole different side to him." (USA Today)

Warner Bros. Television is said to be about to close a multi-year overall deal with Sex and the City multi-hypenate Michael Patrick King that will have him launch his own shingle at the studio, according to Deadline.com's Nellie Andreeva. (Deadline.com)

Futon Critic is reporting that NBC will keep struggling freshman medical drama Mercy in the 9 pm timeslot on Wednesdays for the remainder of its season. (Futon Critic)

VH1 has ordered eight episodes of The OCD Project, in which an anxiety expert will attempt to rehabilitate six individuals with several obsessive-compulsive issues who will live together in a house and participate in "exposure and response prevention" therapy. Project, launching May 27th at 10 pm ET/PT, is executive produced by JD Roth, Todd A. Nelson, Adam Greener, Matt Assmus, Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, and Noah Pollack. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

UK satellite network Sky1 has commissioned a musical competition series, Must Be the Music, in an effort to compete with ITV's X Factor and Britain's Got Talent. Rather than dangle a recording contract, the series will award the winner a cash prize and the opportunity to perform live in a music arena. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere in UK television news, Kevin Lygo will quit Channel 4, where he served as director of television and content, in order to head up ITV Studios as managing director. (Broadcast)

Disney Channel has ordered a telepic based on Mark Peter Hughes' novel "Lemonade Mouth," about five high school freshmen who meet in detention and launch a band centered around unusual musical instruments. Project will be written by April Blair and executive produced by Debra Martin Chase. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Stay tuned.

It's a New Life: The Honeymoon is Far From Over on Chuck

"It's a new dawn/It's a new day/It's a new life/For me/And I'm feeling good..."

Chuck returned last night with the first of six all new episodes ("Chuck Versus the Honeymoon"), written by Lauren LeFranc and Rafe Judkins (with a story by Ali Adler) and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill, that altered the landscape of Chuck's world, thanks to the start of a full-blown relationship between Chuck and Sarah.

With the haunting refrain of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good" (which astute readers will note I hinted about several times in my advance review of this episode) threaded throughout Chuck and Sarah's dilemma throughout the episode (and not just in the final, climactic, and utterly romantic scene between the two), the newly formed and "exclusive" couple had to decide whether to run away from the spy life, return to Burbank and split up, or choose neither option.

Yes, the either/or conflict between Sarah and Chuck--one that has colored much of the interaction between the two spies--finally came to a head this week, with both parties realizing that they didn't have to choose between professional and personal lives. They could have it both ways: they could be spies and lovers. They could, in essence, eat their cake and have it too. Or at least order some more from room service.

So what did I think of "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners"? Let's discuss.

Reversing the period of darkness that marked several of the more recent episodes of Chuck this season, "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners" offered a fun and light-hearted installment that found Chuck and Sarah attempting to live a romanticized notion of "real life," one that is populated by lush staterooms, frequent, uh, couplings, and the adventure and excitement of a European vacation.

After the events of the last few episodes--the entire Shaw arc, the botched red test, the reveal that Sarah had murdered Evelyn Shaw--it was nice to see these two cut loose and lose themselves in each other for a change. Their happiness has always been just out of reach, so it was wonderfully rewarding to see them not only achieve that but attempt to hold onto it with a vise-like grip. Offering a nice callback to the Season Three premiere in which Chuck and Sarah found themselves at a train station in Prague, possibly about to run away, this week's episode offered an alternative to their decision, an opportunity to reverse their previous mistake and investigate the possibility of being together.

But it would be a coupledom that's as much about unity as it as about isolation, about a life on the run from their responsibilities and their identities. This week's episode found both of them unable to do just that: no sooner do Chuck and Sarah believe that they've left the spy life behind them than the espionage world finds them once more in the form of a Basque terrorist aboard their train. With the either/or supposition still firmly in place, both Chuck and Sarah have to decide: selfish desires or selfless duty? That both of them both choose the same option while keeping the other in the dark is just one of the delicious quirks this episode offers.

But rather than have Chuck and Sarah have to take down the bad guys--not Juan Diego Arnaldo (Carlos Lacamara), as it would turn out--on their own, the writers wisely thought to throw them together with another unlikely partnership, that between Colonel Casey and Morgan Grimes, the most absurdly mismatched partnership in espionage history. But while Morgan might be all but useless in the field, I was glad to see that he proved his value in other ways: an encyclopedic knowledge of Chuck Bartowski and his behavior patterns (including his need for the latest issue of "Justice League") and his eczema medication needs. (He also pretty deftly handled the Oracle system down in Castle, a nice surprise.)

Pushing the two parternships together resulted in one of my favorite episodes of Chuck to date as the quartet of spies had to work together ultimately to protect Arnaldo from assassination, resulting in one of the very best action sequences to date on the series, one that involved an airborne moped, handcuffs, and swing dancing. (And one which should, really, earn the fight choreographers a much deserved Emmy nomination.) Each of the members of Team Bartowski earned their keep here and it was an absolute joy to see Chuck and Sarah working so closely together, timing their attacks with the precision and grace of dancers. (Even Morgan took out the shadowy female operative.)

But it was that final scene, set to Nina Simone's "Feeling Good," that offered the most romantic and passionate moments of Chuck's run as Chuck sought to awaken Sarah's musical desire as they climbed onto the bed and became entangled in one another's bodies. It was beautifully filmed and perfectly captured that early period in a relationship, when each partner is discovering new things about the other and there's a true magical quality to every interaction.

What else did I love about this week's episode? Morgan's "Oh Canada" line; the bait-and-switch of the opening with the porter sharpening his knife; the double use of a proposal for Sarah and Chuck's relationship; the Charleses; the way both spies managed to steal equipment aboard the train; Morgan's belief that he has to "root" for the plane to stay aloft; Sarah's battle with Juan Diego while Chuck was trapped on the other side of the stateroom door; "My God, you even make terrorist groups sound sexy"; Sarah as a boozy Texan newlywed; the double-punch to Casey's face; Morgan figuring out that the alleged Interpol agents were fakes based on his knowledge of Lake Como; Arnaldo's advice to the couple not to run ("No matter how far you run, you cannot run from yourself"); and Jeffster's amazing acoustic (and turtleneck-clad) rendition of John Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" at Ellie and Awesome's going-away party.

Speaking of which, I'm not sure what to make of the fact that Ellie and Awesome actually did depart Burbank for Africa and Medicine Sans Frontieres, after all. I thought that they would inevitably decide not to go in the end but the fact that they really did leave--after Ellie got to say goodbye to Chuck--makes me wonder if they're sticking around for the next five episodes... or if Team Bartowski will have to save them when they find themselves in danger. Hmmm...

All I know is that, if "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners" is any indication, the back part of Season Three is going to be quite thrilling, quite exciting, and quite romantic indeed. Monday can't come quickly enough.

What did you think of this week's episode? Thrilled to see Chuck and Sarah as a full-blown couple? Sad to see Ellie and Devon go? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Role Models"), Chuck and Sarah are assigned to train under Craig and Laura Turner (guest stars Fred Willard and Swoosie Kurtz), a married CIA team who, despite their impeccable record, hate one another. The Turners' stormy relationship forces Chuck and Sarah to wonder if they are doomed with the same fate. Meanwhile, Casey must train the newest member of the team: Morgan.

Tune-In Reminder: Chuck Returns Tonight!

Just a friendly--and impassioned--reminder that NBC's Chuck returns tonight with the first of six brand-new episodes.

You can read my extremely glowing advance review of tonight's absolutely fantastic installment, "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners," here and offer your thoughts regarding my hints about what's to come for Chuck and Sarah after the events of the season-finale-that-wasn't.

But really, this is an attempt to remind you to get everyone you know--your significant other, your parents, your friends, your co-workers, that frozen yogurt server at Pinkberry--to tune into Chuck in order to not only keep the numbers up but potentially to increase them and show NBC in no certain terms that there's an insatiable appetite for all things Chuck.

Or, to put it differently, prove to them just why they should renew Chuck for a fourth season.

On tonight's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Honeymooners"), Sarah and Chuck realize they are traveling on a train with Spanish spies and decide to take on these rogue agents; Beckman orders her newest "unlikely" spy team--John Casey and Morgan Grimes--to track down the missing couple.

Channel Surfing: Chuck's Renewal Chances Looking Up, Glee Circles Britney Spears Episode, Parks and Recreation, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that a potential fourth season of NBC's Chuck is looking more and more likely. While we shouldn't breath a collective sigh of relief just yet, Ausiello speaks to an unnamed source close to the production who tells him that it's "looking good" that NBC will renew the Warner Bros. Television-produced action-comedy for another season, bumping the series' position on the Bubble Show Scorecard from "could go either way" to "safe bet." Still, it's important to note that a final decision about Chuck's ultimate fate at the network won't be made for several more weeks... (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Additionally, Ausiello also has a first-look video at the May 3rd episode of Chuck (entitled "Chuck Versus the Role Models"), which features an homage to Hart to Hart and features guest stars Fred Willard and Swoosie Kurtz as a spy couple who are tasked with training Chuck and Sarah. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy has told Entertainment Weekly that he is considering creating an episode around the music of Britney Spears, following an idea floated by Spears' manager on Twitter. "I’m interested in the Britney Spears idea," said Murphy, who is also considering episodes based around Billy Joel, Led Zepplin, and Courtney Love. "I’ve always loved her. I’m entertaining it. I think young kids would like that." (Entertainment Weekly's Music Mix)

Universal Media Studios and NBC have signed Parks and Recreation co-creator Mike Schur to an overall deal that will keep him at the helm of NBC's Parks for several years to come and also develop new material down the line. "I'm an NBC nerd," Schur told Variety. "Every time NBC takes a hit in the press I get angry. They've been nothing but good to me. Their notes on scripts are good. This deal is about solidifying this show and me at NBC." (Variety)

Meanwhile, The Wrap's Josef Adalian reports on the real reason Rob Lowe is being added to the cast of Parks and Recreation: NBC Entertainment chief Angela Bromstad, who felt the series "could benefit from some added star wattage," according to Adalian, and that Lowe could provide the sort of element that Alec Baldwin provides to fellow Thursday night comedy 30 Rock. Still, producers weren't upset by the, er, request to add Lowe to the ensemble, though it did take some pitching from Jeff Gaspin in order for Mike Schur and Greg Daniels to envision how Lowe would fit into the world of Pawnee. "Some of the fans have expressed fears that he won't fit into the world (of Pawnee), but I think those fears will be allayed when they see him," said Schur. He's handsomer than everyone else, but he's also happy to be part of a large ensemble. He fits in because he's being really funny." While Adam Scott's contract locks him in for the long-term, Lowe's deal will be revisited down the line when the network and producers have a chance to see how he meshes with the comedy series. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Meanwhile, you can catch a glimpse of Rob Lowe and Adam Scott on the set of NBC's Parks and Recreation below, courtesy of a new video released by the Peacock:



HBO has announced return dates for comedies Entourage and Hung, which will return with new seasons on June 27th. (Variety)

The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd has a breakdown of which pilots are currently looking like front-runners for series orders at the broadcast network, including CBS' Hawaii Five-O, NBC's Rockford Files and Undercovers, as well as David E. Kelley's Kindreds, Love Bites, Chase, This Little Piggy, Friends with Benefits, Next, Perfect Couples, and Outsources all looking good at the Peacock. CBS is said to be circling Chaos, Defenders, Bleep My Dad Says, Mike & Molly, True Love, and Hawaii Five-O. FOX is said to be high on Breakout Kings, Midland, Ride Along, Terra Nova, Security, Keep Hope Alive, and Most Likely to Succeed. ABC is keen for 187, Off the Map, Body of Evidence, No Ordinary Family, Wright Vs. Wrong, and Mr. Sunshine. At the CW, the network is particularly high on Nikita and Betwixt. (Hollywood Reporter)

Sorry Gina Torres fans, looks like the former Firefly star won't be popping up on Season Two of Syfy's Warehouse 13 after all. Torres has been replaced by Tia Carerre (Relic Hunter) on the sci-fi series, which returns on July 6th for its second season. Lindsay Wagner (Bionic Woman), meanwhile, will guest star as an "in-house doctor for Warehouse 13, home base for the secret storage facility that houses all sorts of strange phenomena being tracked down by agents (Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly)." (Hollywood Reporter)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian is reporting that Warner Bros. TV is still in "deep talks" to move Conan O'Brien's production company Conaco from NBC Universal to TBS, the cable network now home to O'Brien's upcoming latenight revival. Sources indicated that such a deal could be made by the end of the month. "The deal has been a no-brainer since the April 12 announcement that O'Brien was head to Turner's TBS, which, like WBTV, is part of the Time Warner family," wrote Adalian. "Turner chief Steve Koonin told TheWrap then that he wanted to do 'multiple projects together,' making it inevitable that there'd be a production deal with WBTV." (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

The New York Times's Joe Rhodes has a feature about FOX's upcoming action-comedy series The Good Guys, starring Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks and created by Matt Nix (Burn Notice). Series, produced by FTVS, was ordered to series without a pilot. "Matt walks in the door with not only a finished script and a pitch for what the whole season was going to be," Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly told Rhodes, "but with a willingness to deliver a network-quality show on a cable budget. We are getting a lot of bang for our buck, literally." (The New York Times)

Over at Los Angeles Times's Show Tracker site, Claire Zulkey talks to the latest winner of Project Runway. (Los Angeles Times's Show Tracker)

The cast of ABC's reality competition series Dancing with the Stars seems to be enjoying themselves more now that Kate Gosselin has been booted from the series. "It’s a whole new place around the set of DWTS this week!" an unnamed insider told Fancast's Kelly Will. "The cast and crew are working in an entirely new environment. Kate wasn’t the problem, it was the drama that followed her. It was like a cloud of energy everyday that changed the dynamics of the cast when they were filming segments. Now that Kate is out, it’s a quieter place to be. It was a media storm when Kate was around, not by her choice, but it was... Jon may not have been a cast member of the show, but every time he did something in public it quickly trickled down onto the set. If Kate was dealing with something difficult, people noticed, heard about it and had an opinion. The moms were supportive and the guys pretty much tried to avoid it. Bachelor Jake was always very nice to Kate – people liked her but she had so much to deal with besides the show. It was hard to really befriend her because of the media circus." (Fancast)

E! Online's Megan Masters talks with Gossip Girl's Billy Baldwin about his upcoming arc as Serena's father. "This is a good guy who has made some bad choices in his life," said Baldwin about Van der Woodsen, who he said "poses some interesting conflicts and problems for everybody." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

NBC is bumping this week's episode of Mercy to 9 pm (and filling the 8 pm timeslot with a repeat of Minute to Win It) in an effort to give the struggling freshman drama series a shot in the arm, hoping that it will have a better chance at luring viewers when it's not leading off the night. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

TV Squad's Chris Harnick has an interview with Nigella Lawson about her upcoming new series, Jamie Oliver, and KFC's Double Down. "I don't want to feel guilty every time I eat some potato chips," said Lawson, laughing. "But I do admire him for the work he's done. I have to say, he's a great boy." (TV Squad)

Showtime will offer a sneak-peek at the upcoming reality series The Real L Word tonight at 11 pm ET/PT, following new episodes of Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara. The series itself will launch on Sunday, June 20th at 10 pm ET/PT. (via press release)

The Hollywood Reporter has a recap of Friday night's Psych panel at the Paley Center. "Discovering, inventing or stealing a pill that reverses the aging process, kidnapping Barbara Hershey and watching Boxcar Bertha with her, convincing Gus to purchase one of those Japanese video games where you dance ... and possibly kissing Detective Juliet O'Hara on the mouth," said James Roday when asked about his character's five-year plan. (Hollywood Reporter)

CBS Television Studios has signed a two-year overall deal with former NUMB3RS executive producer Don McGill, under which he will come aboard CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as an executive producer next season and develop new projects for the studio. (Variety)

The Daytime Emmy Awards telecast is returning to CBS and will air during primetime on Sunday, June 27th. (Hollywood Reporter)

Pennsylvania labor officials has approved TLC's request to film Jon and Kate Gosselin's eight children for a series of Kate Plus 8 specials to air on the network, according to Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice, who reports that the kids will not be appearing in TLC's spin-off series Twist of Kate, which launches this summer. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Disney Channel has ordered a second season of I'm in the Band. (via press release)

Stay tuned.

It's a New Dawn, A New Day: An Advance Review of Next Week's Chuck

Time to crank up the Nina Simone: Chuck returns on Monday and it's all about feeling good.

When we last saw Chuck Bartowski and Sarah Walker, they had finally gotten the chance to achieve the happiness they've been denied for so long, winding up in bed together and focusing on themselves and their burgeoning relationship rather than getting sucked back into the spy life by another mission from General Beckman.

That ending was meant to serve originally as the finale for Chuck's third season but, fortunately for us, that's not quite how things turned out as Chuck got another six episodes and we got six more weeks to spend with our favorite spies.

Monday night brings a brand-new Chuck episode ("Chuck Versus the Honeymooners"), written by Lauren LeFranc and Rafe Judkins (with a story by Ali Adler) and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill, which I had the chance to watch ahead of time and which I'll say is a thing of beauty.

So, what did I think of Monday's episode of Chuck? Let's discuss. (Though beware there are minor spoilers ahead. And, as always, please do not reproduce this post in full on message boards, forums, or other web sites.)

I don't want to give too much away about this utterly fun and magical episode. There's a winning sense of joy and lightness to this episode that has been missing from the series for a bit, given some of the darkness that crept in during the last few installments. "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners" provides just the right mix of comedy, romance, action, and intrigue as well as several new character dynamics to explore.

Given that the previous episode had finally brought together Chuck and Sarah in a real and meaningful way, I was curious to see just how their relationship would be handled here, whether they would be taking tentative first steps into the dating world or whether we'd find them as a full-blown couple.

Let's just say: the honeymoon isn't over. Not by a long shot.

Monday's installment finds Chuck and Sarah attempting to hold onto what they've fought to have for three seasons: an actual relationship that's uncomplicated by professional responsibilities, flashes, or espionage, to focus on each other in the most, uh, intimate way possible. (Or as Casey memorably puts it in this episode, Chuck "is going to need a walker when Walker is finished with him.")

But fate has a way of throwing a spanner into the most careful of plans and Chuck and Sarah find their romantic European interlude intruded into by some serious complications in the form of a Basque terrorist on their train. Just when you think you're out...

But, let's be honest, there never was any real possibility that Chuck and Sarah could be out of the spy game, at least not permanently. Despite their desire to start over with a normal life somewhere, regular jobs and housework, espionage is in their blood. They can't turn off those instincts or their abilities, no matter how much they might want to. Which forces Chuck and Sarah to make a monumental decision about their future together--and the either/or dynamic that has colored their romance--before the episode ends...

I don't want to spoil too much because this is one episode that will make Chuck fans very, very happy. There are hair-raising stunts, one of the very best fight sequences on the series to date (hint: it involves handcuffs and swing dancing), familiar faces, bittersweet departures, unlikely partnerships, Morgan doing what Morgan does best (which might just surprise you), and a shout-out to our neighbors to the North.

(Plus, did I mention a deliciously absurd performance by Jeffster?)

Ultimately, I have to say that I enjoyed this fantastic episode even more than "Chuck Versus the Other Guy", as it offered the perfect balance of tone, genre-busting action, and an emphasis on the core relationships, highlighting just what makes this series so unique and unforgettable. If Monday's blissful installment represents the quality of the next six episodes, I'd have to say that Chuck fans are in for quite a ride.

So buckle your seatbelt, order some room service, lock and load, and pucker up.



Chuck returns Monday evening at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

Channel Surfing: AMC's Walking Dead Grabs Andrew Lincoln, Yvonne Strahovski Talks Chuck, True Blood, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Looks like The Walking Dead has grabbed its lead (and fortunately not feasted on his brain): British actor Andrew Lincoln (Teachers, This Life, Love Actually) has been cast as Rick Grimes in AMC and Frank Darabont's adaptation of Robert Kirkman zombie comic series, which has been ordered for six episode. Series, which is set to launch in October, will revolve around a group of human survivors who attempt to find a place to live after a global apocalypse renders the majority of the planet's population into zombies. Lincoln will star opposite Jon Bernthal, who plays his police partner, Shane. Meanwhile, Sons of Anarchy's Jack LoGiudice has come aboard the series as a co-executive producer. (Variety)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a brand-new interview with Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski, in which they discuss the major plot twist that occurred in this week's episode and what's coming up on the next six episodes. "It's a different feel," said Strahovski about the next pod of episodes. "I think for my character, she's always sort of been abnormal -- she's always been a spy and she doesn't really know how to live a non-spy life. I think Chuck has taught her over the seasons how to sort of be more normal. I think she relaxes somewhat and she doesn't hold her feelings in so much. It's definitely an interesting journey for my character and it's definitely a lot of fun to play that, when they're together. It's kind of a release." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Lauren Bowles (Old Christine) has been cast in a recurring role on HBO's True Blood, which returns this summer for its third season. Bowles will play Holly, described as "an oddly prescient single mom who gets hired as a waitress at Sam’s watering hole." While Bowles will recur in the third season, she could return as a series regular for Season Four of True Blood. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian is reporting that Jack Black's Electric Dynamite shingle has signed an exclusive production deal with Reveille as it expands into the arena of television and that Priyanka Mattoo will over the shingle's television business, which will be based at Reveille's offices. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

FOX is getting into the music game as it prepares to launch a week of music-themed programming that it has dubbed Fox Rocks during the beginning of May sweeps. Among the offerings: a duet between Booth and Brennan on Bones, a fairy tale episode of Fringe featuring songs performed by Anna Torv and Lance Reddick, an appearance from Olivia Newton-John on the May 4th episode of Glee, a musical couch gag on The Simpsons featuring Ke$ha’s "TiK ToK," and more. (via press release)

American Chopper is heading back to TLC. The cabler has made a deal with the series' Teutul family--all of them, in fact--to appear in a resurrected version of American Chopper that will be announced later this week at TLC's upfront presentation (Hollywood Reporter)

House's Nurse Jeffrey (Patrick Price) will get his own spinoff of sorts in the form of a iPhone application called inHOUSE, which will feature Jeffrey in a series of "appisodes" beginning May 24th, which according to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, "will feature an Upstairs, Downstairs style of storytelling and explore the world of Princeton Plainsboro that exists beyond Dr. Crankypants and Co." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Hollywood Reporter has a recap of last night's White Collar panel at the Paley Center, where creator Jeff Eastin and cast members Matthew Bomer, Tim DeKay, Willie Garson, and Tiffani Thiessen. (Hollywood Reporter)

TV Guide Channel has found its celebrities for its upcoming Curb: The Discussion series, which will follow each episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm when it launches in June. Among the actors who will watch each episode and then discuss the ethical issues that it brings up: Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Hamm, Seth Green, Dave Navarro, Dr. Drew Pinsky, and Hill Harper. Susie Essman will serve as a moderator. (via press release)

BET has given a pilot order to comedy Let's Stay Together, from writer Jacque Edmonds Cofer and director Henry Chan. Project, which stars Malinda Williams, Bert Belasco, Joyful Drake, RonReaco Lee, and Erica Hubberd, revolves around an engaged couple--pediatrician Stacy (Williams) and contractor Charles (Belasco)--who try to "blend their successful, independent 21st century lives into a traditional 20th century marriage." (Hollywood Reporter)

Warner Bros. Television has promoted Melinda Hage to EVP of current programming. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Stay tuned.

Paris, Je T'Aime: Happy Endings on Chuck

On a series that's as fraught with peril as Chuck is each week, the possibility of happiness seems particularly short-lived, if it's ever in fact within any of the characters' grasp to begin with.

Yet, on this week's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Other Guy"), written by Chris Fedak and directed by Peter Lauer, our main characters all seemed to get exactly what they wanted most, a nice change of pace for a season that's been shrouded in a fair amount of darkness and emotional injury.

It's worth noting that last night's episode was intended to be the season finale for Season Three of Chuck, rather than just a plot-intensive installment. The fact that the writers sought to give several of our spies the thing they've been striving for most was a nice touch that would have ended the season on a hell of a high, while setting up some new dynamics should the series have been renewed.

But instead, we have six more episodes of Chuck to look forward to this season and I'm extremely curious to see just how Fedak and Co. use their momentum going into this next pod to deliver an arc that's either tangentially related to what we've seen so far this season or completely separate... and whether they can recreate the magic of "Chuck Versus the Other Guy" for the actual season finale.

So what did I think of this week's non-season finale? Let's discuss.

Short answer: I loved it for a number of reasons.

This week's installment sought to clear the decks a bit and offer some resolutions to a few storylines, most notably the star-crossed romance between Chuck and Sarah, Casey's suspension from the NSA, the murder of Shaw's wife and his need for revenge, and The Ring itself, seemingly.

Given that the writers believed that they only had thirteen episodes to work with, some things were a little rushed this season with Shaw and Sarah's oddly chemistry-free relationship being one of them, as well as the true nature of The Ring. While we met The Director (Mark Sheppard) last week and got to see him here again, I don't really feel like we have a sense of what The Ring was really after or why they were such a horrific threat, really. They never really quite gelled in the way that Fulcrum did in Season Two, though they followed a similar modus operandi and were another evil splinter group who had co-opted the intelligence agencies and were looking to construct their own Intersect. But other than that, I never really found them to be all that interesting, especially in recent weeks, when they seemed to be pulling Shaw's strings and using the murder of his wife to get him to their side.

But that's a minor quibble in an episode and a season that finally has given fans what they've been waiting for: Chuck and Sarah finally telling each other that they not only love one another but, now on equal footing, actually entering into a full-blown relationship. Sarah's concern this season has been that Chuck has inherently changed from the guy that she first fell in love with, that his murder of Perry during his red test has inexorably changed him and not for the better, but Chuck had an opportunity to prove this week that, while he may have gained some skills, he's still the same old Chuck.

There was a nice juxtaposition in the episode between Chuck's first attempt to save Sarah--aided by Colonel Sanders (heh) and an entire squadron of armed men, tanks, and stealth bombers--and his actual, single-handed efforts to rescue Sarah in Paris, where she had been drugged by Shaw and was about to be thrown into the Seine as payback for murdering Eve. Sarah had been concerned that a Chuck who could kill wasn't really Chuck at all but he disproved that once and for all this week, proving that he could kill if it was necessary to save someone's life and he makes the decision to kill Shaw, not out of cold-blood, but out of the need to save Sarah's life. (It does, after all, balance the scales, somewhat.)

While I initially liked Brandon Routh's Daniel Shaw (especially after we learned of its tragic past), he's definitely irked in recent weeks and I can't say that I am sad to see him go, particularly in such a (potentially) final and irreversible way. His need for vengeance, to exact a form of Biblical justice to pay back whoever was responsible for Eve's death, eventually consumed him from within. His seeming lack of emotion was, according to Beckman, what made him the consummate spy, so it was only fitting that he would be a victim of his own deep-seated anger. Hell, even in death, he seeks to destroy Sarah.

Showing the lengths he was willing to go to for revenge, Shaw didn't even try to kill Sarah when he first learned that it was she who killed Eve but instead set up an entire false break-in at The Ring HQ (severely under-guarded, suspiciously) and then lured her to Paris to reenact Eve's death with her as the victim this time. Shaw, in other words, has been so corrupted by his grief and his rage that he's willing to sell out everything in the name of revenge: his country, his girlfriend, and his own moral compass. (Though, I will give Shaw some credit in that he didn't sell out Chuck or tell The Ring that he was the Intersect.)

I loved that Shaw's subterfuge was discovered not by Chuck or Sarah (though Sarah realizes something's up when she experiences an eerie sense of deja vu when she arrives at the site of her red test) but by Morgan, finally proving his sense of worth to Operation Bartowski, thanks to his knowledge of kung fu movies and bad fight choreography. (I knew Morgan's esoteric knowledge would come in handy one day.) While Morgan's attempt to quit the Buy More were extremely premature, I was glad to see that he was taking his role as Chuck's assistant seriously (perhaps a but too seriously) and was making a huge life-change in order to fulfill his own dreams. Loved that Beckman called Morgan up personally at the end to offer him the job, with the understanding that he'd stay on at the Buy More as a cover. (Huzzah!)

Casey, meanwhile, ably assisted Chuck in Paris and successfully bartered The Director for his old job and rank back (as well as Morgan's job), managing to apply some pressure on Beckman. Casey's toothlessness the last few weeks, in the wake of his status as a civilian, is finally reverse. Whereas earlier he gave Chuck the means of "rescuing" Sarah from the warehouse with a phone number, he later breaks protocol to fly--coach, no less--with Chuck to Paris to help him save the life of the woman he loves. (Could it be that Casey's secretly a romantic at heart? Hells yes.)

We all knew that it was only a matter of time before our spy trio was reunited in the field but it still made for great drama to see Casey attempt to adjust to life as a civilian (he hits rock bottom once Jeff and Lester offer to make him a member of their crew) and then manage to regain what he loves best: his duty to his country. I can't wait to see Chuck, Sarah, and Casey back together again, this time with the addition of Morgan as the clueless newbie, taking over Chuck's role from Season One.

Then there was Chuck and Sarah themselves, who were finally able to tell one another how they felt. I loved the scene on the floor of Chuck's apartment--with Chuck in boxers and holding a Guitar Hero plastic guitar--as Sarah admitted that she's always been in love with him and was afraid of him losing the essential qualities that make him who he is. Hell, I would have been happy with the kiss they shared then but the final scene between the two in Paris, as Sarah regains consciousness and realizes that Chuck killed Shaw to save her life, was the icing on the cake. I loved the passion and honesty of their kiss, that lone Converse peeking out of the duvet, and the shot through the window of their hotel room.

Looks like Chuck Bartowski not only finally got to see the Eiffel Tower but he finally got everything he always wanted as well: the girl of his dreams and the gig to match. He's now a full-fledged spy and on an equal plane as Sarah Walker herself. Only fitting that they would break the connection with General Beckman and finally focus on each other. Aw, young love.

What else did I love about this episode? Chuck tying up Morgan; the knife fight between Chuck and Shaw at the French cafe; the Pretty in Pink reference; Colonel Sanders; Beckman's reluctant call to Morgan and his confusion with sir/ma'am; Casey stuck between Chuck and a stranger on the flight to Paris; Chuck turning up at precisely the right time in Paris and having to use--not his Intersect-derived abilities--but his own smarts (and shooting skills); a request for a new Crown Vic; and, of course, that final scene of Chuck and Sarah in bed together, along with Sarah's "shut up and kiss me" line.

In other words: a happy ending, not just for Chuck and Sarah, but for all of us watching at home. And the best bit is that it's not an "ending" at all: with another six episodes to go this season, we'll be able to see just how these latest plot twists play out on screen before Chuck wraps up its third season... and very hopefully returns for a fourth next season.

What did you think of this week's non-season finale? Was it everything you hoped for? Happy to see the back of Shaw? Thrilled that Chuck and Sarah finally got it together? What do you think will happen in the next six episodes? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Chuck returns in three weeks with "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners," in which Chuck and Sarah discover they are aboard the same train as notorious Basque terrorist Juan Diaz Arnaldo.

Channel Surfing: Paula Malcomson to Sons of Anarchy, Seth Gabel Lands Fringe, Chris Fedak Talks Chuck, Star Wars, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan is reporting that Paula Malcomson (Caprica) has been cast in an eight-episode story arc on Season Three of FX's Sons of Anarchy, where she will play a character named Maureen. Sons of Anarchy is expected to return to FX's lineup in September, with production slated to begin in roughly three weeks' time. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

SPOILER! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Seth Gabel (Dirty Sexy Money) has joined the cast of FOX's Fringe. Gabel will play the lead Fringe Division investigator in the alternate universe and is slated to make his first appearance during the season's two-part finale, airing May 13th and 20th, and could, according to Ausiello, also recur next season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The second half of Maureen Ryan's mammoth interview with Chuck co-creator Chris Fedak is now live at The Chicago Tribune. In this section, they talk about the plot twists from last night's episode--originally planned as the season finale--and what else is coming up on the next six episodes. "We looked at the 13 episodes as going from the low point of Chuck and Sarah’s relationship – that his decision to be a spy [potentially would] fundamentally change who she thinks he is, [going] to the point in Episode 13 that Chuck, even though now he is a spy and now a hero and can do amazing things, he’s still the same guy," Fedak told Ryan. "At the core of Chuck, he is still the guy that she originally fell in love with." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Lucasfilm is developing another Star Wars series but--shocker!--this time it's as an animated comedy. No network is currently attached to the project, nor is there an episodic count yet. Project will be written by Brendan Hay, with Seth Green and Matthew Senriech--of Robot Chicken fame--serving as consultants on the project, which will be directed by Todd Grimes and produced by Jennifer Hill and which will "look at the saga's characters with a playful and irreverent tone." (Variety)

Sharon Lawrence (Curb Your Enthusiasm) has been cast in Josh Schwartz and Matt Miller's CBS comedy pilot Hitched, where she will play the prim and nosy mother of Kristin Kreuk's Rachel, who has recently gotten married. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX has pulled comedy Sons of Tucson from its schedule, effective immediately, and will burn off remaining episodes of the low-rated series this summer beginning June 6th. Network will fill the Sundays at 9:30 pm ET/PT slot with American Dad. Additionally, FOX confirmed that the series finale of 'Til Death will air on Sunday, June 20th. (Variety)

ABC has given a series order to game show Downfall, from FremantleMedia North America, in which contestants must answer trivia questions while perched on the top of a skyscraper, from which their winnings could be thrown off of if they lose. Project, which has been received an unknown episode commitment, will be executive produced by Scott St. John. (Hollywood Reporter)

Southland producers are still in the dark about the fate of the TNT cop drama series. "The actors are on hold and there's a cutoff date in June by which they have to be notified," producer Christopher Chulack told Variety. "We're hoping for a decision in mid-to-late April." [Editor: fingers crossed.] (Variety)

NBC has ordered second seasons of its three newest reality series offerings, The Marriage Ref, Minute to Win It, and Who Do You Think You Are, all of which will return at some point during the 2010-11 season with Ref getting a 13-episode pickup while the latter two have been renewed for ten episodes apiece. (Variety)

Elsewhere, the Peacock has cut back on its commitment to freshman medical drama Trauma, which will now only produce 18 installments this season rather than the previously announced 20 episodes. Trauma will wrap its season on Monday, April 16th as a result. (Futon Critic)

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams talks to V stars Scott Wolf and Laura Vandervoort about what's coming up on the ABC sci-fi series, which returned last week with the first of eight episodes. "We start to see a Chad Dekker who has his better senses telling him that it's time to start paying attention to what might really be going on," Wolf said about his character, Chad Decker. "Once his skepticism and fear take hold, he has to figure out where to go because he can't just run away from the Visitors, but he also can't keep running in the dark. He is really playing both sides, waiting to see who's going to win." (TVGuide.com)

USA has announced their development slate, which includes projects from Steve Carell, Thom Hinkle and John Michael Higgins, Aaron Jorsh, Becky Hartman Edwards, Gay Walch, Mark and Robb Cullen, Gail Gilchriest and Kevin Murphy, Steve Stark, and others. (Variety)

ABC is looking to lend a hand to its Friday night reality series Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution by pulling this week's planned episode of Wife Swap and instead airing a repeat of last week's Revolution in the 8 pm hour, according to The Wrap's Josef Adalian. (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck talks to Desperate Housewives creator/executive producer Marc Cherry about the identity of the Fairview Strangler, offering up six possible suspects in the ongoing murder plot, which will be resolved on April 18th. (TV Guide Magazine)

More drama on Wisteria Lane. Former Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan has sued executive producer Marc Cherry, ABC, ABC Studios, and Touchstone Television for $20 million, claiming that she had been physically assaulted by Cherry on the set of Housewives and, when she complained, was fired. "While we have yet to see the actual complaint," said ABC Studios in a statement, "we investigated similar claims made by Ms. Sheridan last year and found them to be without merit." (Hollywood Reporter's THR, Esq.)

ABC has pushed back the launch of its romantic comedy Romantically Challenged--starring Alyssa Milano--by a week, to Monday, April 19th. (Futon Critic)

Gillian Zinser (90210) will star in MTV original telepic The Truth Below, which recounts "teen angst and betrayal on a disastrous ski vacation" that leaves four friends trapped under an avalanche. Project, shooting this week in Calgary, is written by Wendy Diane Miller and directed by Scott Glosserman. (Variety)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Hugh Laurie's Gregory House and Olivia Wilde's Thirteen will find themselves at a Renaissance Fair on the April 19th episode of House. "[Thirteen] is always tough and not particularly girly, but in this episode she shows she likes to have fun and play dress-up," Wilde told Keck. "The Renaissance had their hierarchy, and I’m not very high up. I think I’m a wench!" (TV Guide Magazine)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: DirecTV Could Save Damages, Chris Fedak Talks Chuck, Lost Post-Finale Plans, True Blood, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that the fate of FX's serpentine legal thriller Damages, set to wrap its third season in two weeks' time, is in the hands of DirecTV. "Multiple sources confirm to me exclusively that Sony is talking to DirecTV’s 101 Network about partnering on a possible fourth season of Damages," writes Ausiello. "The cost-sharing arrangement would be similar to the one DirecTV and NBC forged with Friday Night Lights, which means future seasons of Damages would air first on DirecTV with a second window on FX." An unnamed source further tells Ausiello that Sony Pictures Television began talks with DirecTV after it became untenable to maintain financing Damages on its own and the studio has engaged in talks with other outlets as well. Both FX and Sony refused to comment for the story. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a fantastic interview with Chuck co-creator/executive producer Chris Fedak about the remainder of the third season, the series' chances at a fourth go-around, and Brandon Routh's Daniel Shaw. "I’m very happy with [it]," said Fedak about Chuck's third season. "We’re very excited by the way we’ve structured this season. It starts out with some darks spots in the season, we have gone dark, we’ve tested the premise of the show, especially with "Chuck Versus the Final Exam," which aired last Monday. And [Monday's] episode, "Chuck Versus the Other Guy" -- all these episodes are really kind of testing the premise of the show, testing the idea of what we can do on the show. But from the perspective of the overall season, I think that we’re going to a really neat place and we’re having a lot of fun with it. We’re very excited that we’re able to tell such a dynamic story this season. But in truth, [it is] dynamic and also challenging." [Editor: It's a great and lengthy interview, so be sure to read through to the end. Lots of great moments.] (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

In other Chuck-related news, I was so sad to miss this weekend's Chuck panel at WonderCon in San Francisco. But if you--like me--missed out on the festivities, you can ready ChuckTV's in-depth panel report. You'll feel just like you were there, I promise. "Because they already had one season finale (3.13) written before learning that they had another six episodes, they essentially got to have two season finales in one season," writes ChuckTV's Mel. "Chris [Fedak] reiterated that no one is safe." (ChuckTV.net)

Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse will be sitting down with ABC's Jimmy Kimmel for an exclusive hour-long postshow special, entitled Jimmy Kimmel Live: Aloha to Lost, where they will be joined by many cast members from the ABC Studios-produced drama series, which is set to end its run on May 23rd. Plus, ABC has promised that they will be airing alternate endings to Lost on the special as well. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin, The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has an exclusive first-look at True Blood's werewolf Alcide, played by One Tree Hill's Joe Manganiello, shown in a shot from Season Three alongside Anna Paquin's Sookie Stackhouse. "There is definitely some [sexual] energy between the two of them," True Blood's executive producer Alan Ball told Ausiello. "It’s not like either one of them is looking for romance, but they’re thrown into several intense situations [and] it’s hard not to bond on a deeper level." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Los Angeles Times' Irene Lacher has an interview with Damages' Lily Tomlin, the latest in the paper's Sunday Conversations series. "I don't see any difference, really," said Tomlin about shuttling back and forth between comedy and drama. "It's just a matter of style or degree. And I've listened to Marty [Short, who plays the Tobins' devious lawyer], and he has the same point of view. You're just going to try to represent the human who's written on the page." (Los Angeles Times)

The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd takes a look at several "on the bubble" series at the broadcast networks, including ABC's FlashForward and V, NBC's Chuck, Heroes, Parenthood, The Marriage Ref, and Law & Order (Hibberd says that Mercy and Trauma are basically DOA), FOX's Human Target and Sons of Tucson, CW's One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected, and CBS' Cold Case, Numbers, Ghost Whisperer, Medium, Accidentally on Purpose, Gary Unmarried, and Old Christine. (Hollywood Reporter)

Pilot casting update: Tisha Campbell-Martin (Rita Rocks has been cast as a regular on ABC comedy pilot Wright vs. Wrong, where she will star opposite Debra Messing and will play the stylist to Messing's political pundit Evelyn Wright; Duane Martin (All of Us) has come aboard Paul Reiser's NBC comedy pilot Next, where he will play Reiser's best friend, a restaurateur; Jonathan Slavin (Better Off Ted) has been cast in CBS comedy pilot Team Spitz; Tyler James Williams (Everybody Hates Chris) has been cast in NBC comedy pilot Our Show; and Dejan Loyola (The Troop) has landed a role in the CW drama pilot HMS. (Hollywood Reporter)

For Slavin, the casting is formally in second position to "Ted."

The Futon Critic is reporting that TNT will launch Jason Lee-led drama series Memphis Beat (formerly known as Delta Blues) on Tuesday, June 22nd at 10 pm ET/PT, behind the second season premiere of HawthoRNe. Later during the summer, the cabler will launch Season Two of Dark Blue (in August, specifically) and Rizzoli & Isles. (Futon Critic)

BET is said to be close to a deal to resurrect canceled CW comedy series The Game and is expected to announce the pickup at its upfront later this month, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva, who writes that the majority of the comedy series' cast will be returning for this new iteration and that Salim Akil will take over showrunner duties from his wife, Brock Akil, now a consulting producer on ABC's Cougar Town. (Hollywood Reporter)

Universal Media Studios has signed a two-year overall deal with former My Name is Earl writer/producer Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, under which she develop new series projects for the studio while joining an existing NBC series. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Old Scores: Love is a Battlefield on "Chuck"

"You are a Bartowski, Chuck. Start acting like one." - Ellie

After the darkness of last week's episode of Chuck, last night's installment ("Chuck Versus The American Hero"), written by Matt Miller and Phil Klemmer and directed by Jeremiah Chechik, brought back a lot of the humor and lightness that had been missing, with the action spinning out to include Casey, Morgan, and Devon's task force, the Picasso-like stalking skills of Jeff and Lester, and a nice callback to Ellie's belief that Casey is a degenerate lowlife.

But it also offered a major revelation in the second half of the episode, one that will likely shape next week's installment, originally designed to be the season finale. Yes, NBC has initially ordered thirteen episodes for Chuck's third season and "Chuck Versus The American Hero" was designed to be the penultimate episode of the season. That's abundantly clear from the aura of change drifting over the characters, with several about to depart for different climes and major shake-up in the dynamics between Casey, Chuck, and Sarah.

So it will be very interesting to see just how Josh Schwartz, Chris Fedak, and the writing team manage to connect the six episodes that follow... and whether Monday's episode will contain the same level of game-changing dynamics that marked last season's finale. As it stands now, we might just get a conclusion to the Daniel Shaw arc that has threaded its way through the season, given what we learned last night, and might see a new twist in Chuck and Sarah's very complicated relationship.

So what did I think of this week's episode of Chuck? Let's discuss.

I loved the beginning with Chuck arriving in Washington D.C. to meet with General Beckman and receive his assignment, all of which seemed to show us the same-old Chuck in some very new surroundings. His handling of the gun, confusion about which floor he was meant to be on, and his general nervousness haven't pointed to the fact that three years of spy training have dramatically altered his sense of self. Yes, he can handle himself with a tranquilizer gun (interesting, that) but he hasn't lost that inherent Chuck-ness that makes him who he is.

I'm glad too that Chuck isn't immediately thrilled about his new assignment, despite the fact that it comes up with a deluxe Italian villa, perks beyond description, and the ability to select his own team. The truth is that there's only one spy on his mind and it's Sarah. Sarah is hung up on the fact that Chuck has changed--believing that he was the one who killed Perry during his "red test"--though it's clear to everyone else that Chuck hasn't really changed all that much. He's still the same fish out of water that he has been since the beginning, albeit with a better wardrobe at times and Intersect-derived fighting skills.

But it's that act of murder that Sarah can't shake from her head, just as she can't escape her own "red test," an act of violence that not only shaped Sarah as a spy but also has major consequences here vis-a-vis her relationship with Daniel Shaw. (It's a reveal that I was skeptical of when a friend mentioned the possibility to me but I shrugged it off. I wholly apologize now for not listening to her.)

Shaw's entire motivation has been to dismantle The Ring and pay them back for the murder of his wife, Agent Evelyn Shaw. Everything he's done has been in pursuit of that goal, from faking his own death to hiding out in Castle to sacrificing everything to retrieve intelligence about the Ring or create a scenario in which the government has the possibility of wiping out the higher echelons of The Ring's power structure.

But in coming face to face with The Ring's Director (Mark Sheppard, always in fine form)--or at least, a hologram of him--Shaw learns something so awful, so destructive, and painful that he can't help but feel as though everything has been a lie from the start. Shaw's quest for vengeance for his wife's murder places Sarah right in the crosshairs.

It would appear now that The Ring didn't kill Eve, at least, not directly. No, his wife's murderer has been far closer than he realized: Sarah Walker herself. It's a very interesting twist that these two lovers would now be on opposite sides. Sarah described her "red test" as "the worst day of her life" last week and she certainly isn't aware of the identity of her victim. So why was Sarah given the order to kill Eve? Was she a mole for The Ring? Has Daniel Shaw been fighting the wrong people all along?

Two possibilities exist. One, that Sarah's handlers were themselves Ring operatives secreted within the CIA and they ordered her to kill Eve in order to get at Daniel Shaw. Or two, that Eve was herself a Ring operative and Sarah's red test was designed to eliminate the leak. Which would mean that Eve was lying to Daniel all along. I'm leaning more towards the latter as I'd hate to see Sarah misled and fooled by her employers.

And then there's the matter of what The Ring wants with Daniel Shaw himself. This week, he seemed to be summoned to a tete-a-tete with The Ring's Director himself, who clearly wanted Shaw kept alive. But then why was Sydney tasked with murdering him a few weeks back? Why bring Captain Awesome in to kill Shaw if they wanted him alive? Color me seriously confused. I've been a little uncertain about what The Ring has wanted since most of it seems to circle back around to Shaw himself time and time again. What are they after? Why is Shaw so important?

As an aside, I was also really confused this week by Ellie's decision to take a sabbatical and head to Africa with Devon, after they had agreed to stay in Los Angeles so Ellie could do her neurology fellowship at USC. Just where did the fellowship evaporate to? And if she did take the fellowship, how is she taking a year-long sabbatical? If she didn't take it, why didn't we see that? I'm still scratching my head over this one.

I did, however, appreciate that Chuck squared off against Shaw in his own way. Not in a battle of fists or high-flying action, but that he fought for Sarah in the only way he knew how: with words. He kept his word to Casey not to tell anyone about what actually happened in the railway station (though if anyone would keep mum about it, it would be Sarah) and offered her an ultimatum, one that recalled their scene in the season premiere where Sarah offered Chuck the very same offer.

I'm of the mind that Sarah was going to go with Chuck even before she learned the truth about Perry's death but that Casey's confession sealed the deal. Sarah is finally standing on the brink of having a happy, normal life. One that doesn't involve cons, guns, or aliases but a true and honest love. Her decision to toss her gun on the bed underscored that, even as it left her alone with Shaw and unarmed...

But it's the first time in the history of the series that both Chuck and Sarah are willing to be swept up in each other's journey, with each of them choosing the path of love rather than the professional obligation. (I'm sure quite a few fans cheered aloud when Chuck and Sarah finally kissed last night.) Both these characters know that they are meant to be together and there are no more obstacles standing in their way, except maybe Shaw himself.

It was nice to see Chuck save the day for a change, risking his life to save Shaw's and bringing him back to Sarah because he knows how much she cares for him. If that isn't the definition of altruism, I don't know what is because Chuck could have rather selfishly stood by and let Shaw die when Beckman sent in the bomber. But that's not Chuck, after all.

Of course, he would have maybe been doing Sarah a favor now that Shaw seems to want to punish Sarah for Eve's death, but Chuck didn't exactly know that at the time. He's just as taken aback that it was Sarah who slew Shaw's wife and he knows just what Shaw will want to do to Sarah in return. But I can't shake the feeling that there's still more going on here than meets the eye.

What else did I love about this week's episode? Chuck's super-improved gun-skills and his lack of flashing (could it be that the Intersect is being absorbed into his general consciousness?); the troika of Casey, Morgan, and Devon as Chuck's new spy team whose mission was to win back Sarah; Jeff's "blue period" of stalking; Ellie's disgust at bailing the guys out of prison; Devon tackling Shaw through a glass window; the Dr. Jibb soda machine concealing access to the Ring base; Fro Yo Ho; Chuck's inability to carry his gun around properly (get the man a holster!); Ellie's speech to Chuck; Casey rescuing Sarah in Castle; and much more.

Best line of the evening: "We are perfect for each other and I want to spend the rest of my life with you away from everyone else and away from this spy life." - Chuck

What did you think of this week's episode? Glad that Chuck finally made his play for Sarah and she accepted? Worried just what Shaw will do to her now that he knows she killed his wife? Wondering how this will all wrap up next week? (Or will it?) Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on Chuck ("Chuck Versus The Other Guy"), Chuck, Sarah and Shaw reunite to find the Ring operative behind the death of Shaw's wife; Sarah has faith that Shaw is ready for the mission but Chuck is worried about his emotional stability; Morgan considers leaving the Buy More.

Red Test: Chuck, Sarah, and Casey Find Themselves at a Crossroads on "Chuck"

"It's America, Chuck. Everyone has a choice." - John Casey

If there's one single theme for this season of NBC's Chuck it would be appear to be identity. How do we define ourselves? How do we let others define us? Does it matter whether Chuck is a spy, an asset, or a civilian? If you take John Casey out of the espionage world, is he still Casey? And are we more defined by the actions we take or those that we don't?

This week's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Final Exam"), written by Zev Borow and directed by Robert Duncan McNeil, brought these issues to the forefront of the series, posing several questions about the way in which our three central spies see themselves in reference to the rest of the world and the way in which they view each other.

As Chuck prepares to take his final mission, the one thing that stands in his way is a final test, the last hurdle in his path to becoming a full-blown spy. But if he's willing and able to take that leap, it might very well destroy any chance he has with Sarah and forever remove any last vestige of his innocence. What happens when your heart's desires are at cross-purposes? Is there any way to win? Or are you doomed to fail no matter what you do?

So what did I think of this week's episode? Let's dive in.

I thought Zev Borow did a fantastic job with this week's episode, though I will say that the Subway product placement was extremely heavy-handed this week, bordering on the almost obscene as Big Mike not only chomped down on a Subway sandwich while his tailor measured him for a new suit but an entire scene was shot inside an actual Subway and Casey had to literally "break freshly baked bread" with Jeff and Lester (and take a bite of Jeff's "tuna-roni" concoction). Granted, Chuck couldn't have come back without the support of sponsor Subway and I appreciate everything that Subway has done in keeping this series on the air, but I wish that there was a way to tone down these moments without making them quite so blatant.

It took me out of what was otherwise a solid episode that featured some real shifts in the dynamics between the characters, but that's a minor quibble in an otherwise stellar installment. Several of the characters were forced to make decisions that would have long-standing implications within the confines of the narrative. Would Chuck follow orders and kill CIA mole Hunter Perry (guest star Kyle Bornheimer)? Could Sarah ever look at him the same way again if he passed his red test? Could Casey put aside his "John Crazy" persona and adjust to being an everyday civilian?

It's Chuck's decision which dovetails nicely with those made by both Sarah and Casey. Following the near-dismantling of the team last week (after Casey's treasonous actions), Chuck receives word that, if he passes his final exam, the team will in fact be finished. He will be stationed in Rome and given a cover as a billionaire industrialist (though how Chuck could quite pull off such an elaborate cover would remain to be seen), while Sarah and Shaw will be based in Washington D.C., where they will focus on counter-Ring operations.

While Sarah says that it looks like Chuck got everything he's always wanted, that's far from the truth. Yes, he stands on the precipice of becoming a "real" spy, one with a badge and a gun, it's not all that he's wanted. While he's become something bigger than his job at the Buy More, he wants it all: the spy job, the glamorous/dangerous thrill, and the girl. It's the latter that's presenting a problem.

I loved how Chuck brought along a stakeout kit, complete with Hall & Oates' "Private Eyes" on the iPod and the famous sizzling shrimp, both of which played prominently in Chuck and Sarah's very first stakeout. There's a nice sense of finality here, as though this could easily be their final mission together and both Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski play it brilliantly, evoking a solemn nostalgia and a sweet camaraderie that nearly culminates in a kiss between the two. (Until Shaw chimes in, that is.)

Would they be different people if Chuck had made a different decision in Prague and chosen Sarah over the job? Possibly but it's also in Chuck's nature to choose professional duty and selflessness over personal desire and selfishness. He also wrongfully believes that he's not worthy of Sarah's love because he's ordinary rather than extraordinary, which coldn't be further from the truth.

What has attracted Sarah to Chuck has been his innate innocence: the fact that he abhors violence, doesn't want to carry a gun, and prefers to solve his problems by thinking rather shooting his way out of them. Chuck believes that if he passes his test, they can be together because they'll both be equals. But that's a problem for Sarah, given that she's fallen for Chuck's sweet naivete and his inability to kill someone in cold blood.

If he goes complete his final exam--his "red test"--then Sarah believes he won't be the same person that he once was. She doesn't want him to be able to kill, especially because she has carried around the guilt of her own red test all of these years, a formative experience that shaped Sarah immensely and likely caused her to conceal a lot of her own emotion and bury it deep inside. Even as she shot her target, she wanted to be sure that the woman was reaching for a weapon and that she hadn't murdered her without justifiable cause. But it's a mystery that will forever plague her.

I had a feeling when Chuck gave Casey a gun from Castle as a thank-you present that this gift would have to come back into it somehow... and, sure enough, it did. I wondered if Chuck would be able to kill Perry if it came down to it, whether he would be able to pull the trigger if his or Sarah's lives were in jeopardy and whether Chuck would be pushed to action. (I also wondered for a split-second whether the entire mission--from Ivan Drago (ha!) to Perry murdering Anatoli to the train station fight--was all a set-up designed to see if Chuck would be willing to kill.)

Casey has seemingly always wanted Chuck to man up, to step into the role of spy and accept the full responsibilities of that job. Yet when it came to Chuck making the final step into that arena--into killing for his job and country--Casey fulfilled that part of the mission for Chuck, felling Perry with a bullet just as he reached for the gun on his ankle and preserving Chuck's innocence.

As Casey says later, given that he's a civilian, no one can know what he did for Chuck as it was murder, not a government-sanctioned assassination. But that presents complications for Chuck and Sarah's relationship. She can't be with him if she believes he pulled that trigger and he can't tell her that he didn't. While Casey meant to help both of them, he may have just created an even bigger obstacle to their reconciliation.

Special praise has to go to Strahovski, who once again managed to convey a real depth of emotion with little more than a look, a tilt of her head, or a teary eye. She's proven to be quite adept at choreographing a great deal of nuance with the smallest of movements and this episode was no exemption. The sadness as she looks back at Chuck at Union Station spoke volumes as did the painful recollection of her red test as she tells Shaw that it was the worst day of her life.

What else did I love about this week's episode? The use of Ivan Drago (a shout-out to Dolph Lundgren's character in Rocky IV); Chuck's stakeout kit (complete with bottle of champagne, glasses, and Chinese food); the callbacks to the gang's first joint stakeout; the knife fight in the Union Station restroom; Chuck's horror when he believes he killed Perry; Casey smashing Jeff and Lester's heads together; and the best line of the evening: "I am a naked spy!"

All in all, I'm extremely intrigued to see just where the writers take this storyline. This was the last episode I had seen in advance so I'm just as much in the dark as everyone else is right now. It definitely seems as though the team is splintering in more ways than one and their entire close-knit unit has been fractured, possibly beyond repair.

But I am curious to know: what did you think of this week's episode? What do you think will happen to Chuck, Sarah, and Casey? Is Chuck and Sarah's relationship beyond damaged at this point? Will Chuck come clean about what Casey did for him? Can he get on that plane for Rome? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on Chuck ("Chuck Versus the American Hero"), Chuck has his pick of the best CIA agents for an undercover operation, but he has only one girl in mind for the job: Sarah. Meanwhile, Casey, Morgan, and Awesome join forced to help Chuck win Sarah back.

Channel Surfing: Knepper to "SGU," Schwartz and Savage Set up Shop, "Chuck," Knighton FlashForwards to "Happy Endings," Spacek to CBS, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Robert Knepper (Heroes, Prison Break) has reportedly been cast in a villainous recurring role on Season Two of Syfy's Stargate Universe. Citing internet reports, several sites are reporting that Knepper will play Simeon, a mysterious member of the Lucian Alliance, and will appear in a multiple-episode story arc to last between six to seven episodes. (via TV Squad)

Producing partners Josh Schwartz (Chuck) and Stephanie Savage (Gossip Girl) have signed a multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Television and have set up their own shingle, Fake Empire, which will be based at the studio. Pod will develop projects for television, film, digital, videogames, music, and publishing. (Variety)

The Wrap's Josef Adalian, meanwhile, has an interview with Schwartz and Savage, who jointly answered Adalian's questions via email. [Editor: The duo answered the question I had, which was whether Chuck would fall under the Fake Empire umbrella. Answer: it won't.] (The Wrap's TVMoJoe)

SPOILER! Speaking of Chuck, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has some major spoilers for the third season finale of NBC's Chuck. You can read them but I am keeping my eyes and ears pure as I don't want to be spoiled about any of the plot twists ahead. Don't say I didn't warn you! (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

FlashForward's Zachary Knighton has been cast opposite Elisha Cuthbert in ABC comedy pilot Happy Endings, where he will play Dave, half of a couple that split up at the altar and must decide how to maintain their friendships afterwards. Project, from ABC Studios and Sony Pictures Television, is written by David Caspe and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Knighton's participation is said to be in second position to FlashForward, but Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva states that the latter's "chances for renewal are slim." (Hollywood Reporter)

Academy Award winner Sissy Spacek--who just completed a story arc on HBO's Big Love--has been cast in CBS' untitled Hannah Shakespeare medical drama from executive producer John Wells. Spacek will play Adrianne, a driven visionary who heads up a mobile medical team that travels the country providing care for the less fortunate and who grapples with her own cancer diagnosis and regular chemotherapy. (She's also the mother to Rachelle Lefevre's character, also a doctor.) Spacek's role was, like several others this season, originally written as a man. (Hollywood Reporter)

Jaime Pressly (My Name is Earl) has been cast as one of the leads in CBS' untitled Carter Bays/Craig Thomas multi-camera comedy pilot (also known as Livin' on a Prayer) from writers Kourtney Kang and Joe Kelly. Pressly will play a veterinarian who works with her best friend Tommy (Kyle Bornheimer) at the local zoo. (Hollywood Reporter)

Pilot casting update: Michael Rapaport (The War at Home) will star opposite Dylan Walsh in ABC cop drama pilot The Line (also known as ATF); Will Estes (Reunion) and Bridget Moynahan (Six Degrees) have been cast opposite Tom Selleck, Donny Wahlberg, and Len Cariou in CBS' untitled Burgess/Green drama pilot (a.k.a. Reagan's Law); Amy Landecker (A Serious Man) has landed the female lead opposite Paul Reiser in NBC comedy pilot Next; Kurt Fuller (Supernatural) has been cast in ABC's untitled Shana Goldberg-Meehan comedy pilot; and Kevin Rahm (Desperate Housewives) has come aboard CBS comedy pilot Open Books. (Hollywood Reporter)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Scott Porter will likely be heading back to Friday Night Lights for the series' fifth and final season, following a conversation Porter had with the series' producers, in which they indicated that they would like him to reprise his role as paraplegic Jason Street. "I’m hoping it turns into a definite because I’d love to go back," Porter told Keck. "I’m hoping he could repay his debts – particularly to Riggins for everything he did for Street." (TV Guide Magazine)

The Los Angeles Times' Maria Elena Fernandez has an profile of Justified co-star Walton Goggins (The Shield), who plays the sadistic white supremacist Boyd Crowder on the FX drama series... and whose character was meant to be killed off at the end of the pilot episode. "The greatest part about it," Goggins told Fernandez about Boyd's alleged religious epiphany in tonight's episode, "is that you will think you know by the end of the first season if the change is real, but no one knows. This is Boyd seeing God for the first time. What's so interesting about it is that while his actions may not be different, his motivations are different. And that's really important at the conclusion of the first season. What happens to this guy and this friendship when many things are called into question?"(Los Angeles Times)

Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray), Hayley Hasselhoff, Andrew Caldwell, and Zander Eckhouse have been cast in ABC Family's upcoming ten-episode drama series Huge, which revolves around the teenagers and staffers of Wellness Canyon, a weight-loss camp. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has named January 16th as the date for the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards, which will once again air live coast to coast on NBC. (Variety)

Those tears that Peter Facinelli's Dr. Fitch Cooper let flow in last night's season premiere of Showtime's Nurse Jackie? Absolutely real and completely not pre-meditated, according to Facinelli. "I started venting, and all of a sudden, tears sprung from my eyes and I couldn't stop crying. Basically, I had a physical meltdown," Facinelli told E! Online. "I was traveling back and forth from Vancouver to New York, and I was shooting Nurse Jackie and Eclipse at the same time. I think I was emotionally exhausted. The writers loved it! They thought I planned it, and I really didn't. Just know that those are real tears." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

HBO has given a greenlight to telepic Cinema Verite, a dramatization of the behind-the-scenes events during the making of the landmark reality television series An American Family, which premiered in 1973 and focused on the Loud family. Telepic, executive produced by Gavin Polone, will be written by David Seltzer and directed by Shari Springer Berman and Bob Pulcini. (Hollywood Reporter)

TLC has ordered twelve episodes of spinoff reality series Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, which will launch in July. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Dreams Change: Fear and Consequences on "Chuck"

"What's dead is dead. It's too late now." - John Casey

The push and pull between personal desire and professional responsibility have been at the beating heart of Chuck since the very beginning of the series but never moreso than in this, its third season, which has seen its troika of spies have to make some rather tough choices in pursuit of maintaining a balance between the two.

In this week's episode ("Chuck Versus the Tic Tac"), written by Rafe Judkins and Lauren LeFranc and directed by Patrick Norris, several characters had to come to terms with fully realizing and accepting the consequences of their decisions, past and present. Are our dreams constant? Can they change? What happens when we get what we think we've always wanted?

For Chuck, Casey, Sarah, Devon, and Ellie, each of them had to cross a personal Rubicon this week as they examined their own lives, their dreams, and their current realities. Ghosts have a nasty way at turning up at unexpected times, as do certain opportunities. But it's what we choose to do in those moments--the actions we take, the roads we choose not to go down--that will forever shape what happens next.

(If you need a reminder of what I originally thought of the episode, here's my advance review of the most recent batch of episodes of Chuck, which includes this week's episode.)

I'm glad to see that the writers are delving deeper into John Casey's backstory and giving the gruff Colonel an episode that revolves, really, around him most of all. Casey's been a complex and enigmatic character whose duty to his country has shaped most of his decisions; he's proven that he follows the chain of command to the letter, whether that means saving lives or killing Chuck Bartowski. He's a man who upholds his responsibilities to the letter of the law.

This week, however, we learned that John Casey wasn't always a tough-as-nails super-spy. Paying off a dangling plot thread from "Chuck Versus the Fake Name," the writers deepen the background of Colonel Casey, revealing in a few deft strokes that Casey was once a young soldier named Alex Coburn who was recruited by the mysterious Keller (guest star Robert Patrick) to a black-ops division of snipers and spies. (Casey, after all, is a first-rate sniper, as proven by his assassination of Rafe from half a mile away in "Fake Name.")

And he certainly wasn't a loner, either. Casey had a fiancee and, unknown to him, a daughter on the way when he opted to choose duty to his country over love. Faking his death, Casey buried Alex Coburn and his former life, remaking himself into Keller's ideal of a solider: tough, emotionless, and without any ties. A lone gunman, a nomad, a killer capable of picking up at a moment's notice without any personal responsibilities getting in the way.

But life has a funny way of dredging up the past. Not only does Keller come swooping into Casey's life again but he has a mission for him: steal a prototype drug (whose purpose is to remove fear from an operative's mind) from a CIA substation and turn it over to him. Which is where things could have gone very wrong. Yes, Casey may have had a misguided loyalty to Keller but he would never cross king and country (or, well, president and country) and betray his team. So I knew that there had to be something more to this scenario than just Casey going to the dark side and assisting The Ring.

Which is where that old fiancee Kathleen came in. Keller and The Ring threatened to kill Kathleen if Casey didn't comply with their instructions and, despite his line about what's dead staying dead, that's not true at all. You can't bury anything--least of all feelings--forever. Alex Coburn may have gone to an early grave but that doesn't mean that Casey stopped caring about Kathleen.

In fact, it's clear that Casey made the wrong decision. He chose his country over his love, putting his own personal feelings aside. Seeing Casey at the very end of the episode, unable to return to Kathleen or to get to know his daughter, Casey is alone. It's a fate that he doesn't want for Chuck. "Walker's a good woman," he tells him. It's time for Chuck to make a choice of his own, isn't it?

Earlier this season, Chuck got what he always wanted: to be special, to be more than a minimum wage slave jockey at Buy More, to make a difference. He also had the choice between choosing love (Sarah) and choosing what he thought was his dream (becoming spy) and he too made the wrong choice, sending Sarah out of his life and ending what chance he had of happiness with her. He never stopped loving Sarah--he's recently come to realize that himself--but he's let professional duty cloud his judgment and his emotions.

Those emotions have gotten Chuck into trouble in the past but they also define just who he is. He's never been an emotionless superspy, a killer, or the type of guy who carries a gun into a mission. That's at the heart of Chuck's core identity and it's Chuck who realizes that when Sarah offers him a gun. He is attempting to remain true to himself and not compromise his integrity, himself, or the very man that Sarah fell in love with in the first place.

His decision to take the Laudanol was motivated by saving both himself and Kathleen from The Ring and it made Chuck into someone else, removing his fear and his emotions, rendering him into something more like Casey: a stone-cold killer. Did the Laudanol wear off just in time for Sarah to stop him from killing that Ring operative? Or was Chuck responsible for coming down off the drug through sheer force of will, triggered by the sight of Sarah? More likely the latter, proving that Chuck might just be the strongest one of all, the most able to hold onto his true self, even in the face of chemical persuasion.

Chuck might be changing and growing into his new spy role but it's those emotions, that naivete and innocence, that make him so attractive to Sarah. Which is why she can't shake Chuck, even as she prepares to start a new life and a new assignment with Shaw in Washington. Will she be able to break away from her former asset and start over somewhere else? Does she want to? We'll have to wait to find out.

Meanwhile, Devon and Ellie have struggles of their own. Devon has engineered a plot to get Ellie out of the country--and therefore out of danger--by enrolling them in Doctors Without Borders, thus taking her away from Chuck and removing the bullseye from her back, now that The Ring is aware of Devon's identity. Devon is attempting to keep his wife safe and uphold his promise to Chuck but it's complicated when Ellie gets what she always wants: a neurology fellowship at USC, her dream job that she's wanted since she was a child. But Ellie is willing to put that aside to help Devon follow what she believes is his dream.

In a nice moment, Devon puts aside Doctors Without Borders to enable Ellie to pursue her dream; the two are so caring and supportive that they're each willing to sacrifice something for the other. It's a lesson that our trio of spies could take to heart, really. (And I'm glad that our two doctors will be sticking around and not jetting off to Africa any time soon.)

But the real kicker was that final scene between Chuck and Casey in Casey's now empty apartment. Casey has lost everything: both his career and his true love and he's left with nothing more than a sad bonsai tree and his thoughts. In a rare streak of solidarity, Casey tells Chuck that he must make the right decision when it comes to Sarah, that it's not too late for them to be together. (Sniffle.)

What else did I love about this week's episode? Morgan spying on Casey and his carrot-eating ways; Sarah secreting herself underneath the car and then taking out five Ring operatives single-handedly; Casey's fight with Keller (and Casey killing Keller with his bare hands); the CIA trace-cell mission (and Chuck and Sarah's later return to the substation); Chuck ratting Casey out because he thought he was being tested once more; the scene where Devon and Morgan realize that the other knows about Chuck's secret identity; Chuck's Laudanol-influenced battle at Kathleen's house.

All in all, another fantastic episode that paid off some of the plot threads established over the last few weeks and again shifted the dynamic of the series, rendering Casey as a civilian and removing him from the spy world just as Morgan entered it. Given Casey's past and his personality, it's safe to say that this is not going to be an easy adjustment and it comes at perhaps the worst possible time for the team.

What did you think of this week's episode? Surprised by the reveals about Casey's past? Feeling better about Chuck and Sarah's chances as a couple? Wondering if Sarah will take the job in Washington D.C.? Discuss.

Next week on Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Final Exam"), Chuck learns that his latest solo mission will be a final test to see if he is ready to be a spy and he must put everything he has learned into action to avoid going back to his old life while Sarah and Shaw observe his every move.

The Truth Will Out: Revolutions and Revelations on "Chuck"

Every good hero needs a sidekick.

Someone who has your back, can offer well-timed quips, and who innately understands the complexity of your mission.

Chuck has been stymied of late from a lack of emotional release. Unable to talk to Awesome (because he can't lie to Ellie), reluctant to talk to Sarah (because their relationship has been fractured due to her involvement with Shaw), and unwilling to risk a limb by opening up to Casey, Chuck has found himself bottled up, which has produced a bit of a complication with his new Intersect-derived abilities: he can't flash.

This week's game-changing episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Beard"), written by Scott Rosenbaum and directed by Zachary Levi, found Chuck the weak link on the team for the first time this season. Not flashing means not being able to provide intelligence to the team as well as not being able to handle himself in the field... all of which makes Chuck one big liability. No surprise then that the team would leave him behind at Castle to go off on a real mission.

While this could have developed into an episode about Chuck being forced to rely on his own ingenuity, the writers wisely took this week's installment into unexplored country, shaking up the foundations of the series and giving Chuck the one thing he's been missing: a Duck Hunt-playing, truth-espousing sidekick with whom he can share this part of his life.

Risky? You bet. But I applaud the writers for having the courage to take the series where it needed to go and I thought that Rosenbaum and Co. delivered what might have been my very favorite episode of the series to date, one that was jam-packed with humor and heart... and Jeffster.

(If you need a reminder of what I originally thought of the episode, here's my advance review of the most recent batch of episodes of Chuck, which includes this week's episode.)

Chuck and Morgan's relationship has been at the heart of the series since the beginning but the writers have downplayed Chuck's friendship with the Bearded One of late, emphasizing the widening chasm between them. The more Chuck became entrenched in the spy world, the more he pulled away from his best friend. Recent episodes have played up their fracturing: Morgan's sense of betrayal when he sees Chuck making out with Hannah, his tete-a-tete with Ellie that he believes Chuck is going over to the dark side, and--in this week's episode--his firing of Chuck from the position of best friend.

You can't blame Morgan for being prickly around Chuck. He's known that something has been up for a while and, despite the fact that they moved in together at the start of the season, the formerly inseparable duo have more or less gone their separate ways as the onus of keeping his secret identity, well, secret has driven a wedge between them.

It's clear that Chuck needs a confidante. Captain Awesome was rather unwittingly cast in this role in Season Two but the pressure of maintaining both Chuck's secret and his and Ellie's safety has proven too much for Devon to bear. Awesome knew about Chuck's life and grounded him in a way due to his relationship to Ellie and his place in the "real world." But Awesome, for all his innate awesomeness, is not a natural liar... and I can't blame him for not wanting to be placed in a dangerous and awkward situation with both The Ring and his wife.

It's also clear that things have hit a low point between Chuck and Sarah. Chuck knows that he loves Sarah (a fact he was once more reminded of at the end of last week's episode) but he also doesn't feel he can open up to her anymore. Certainly, not since she's gotten involved with Daniel Shaw... and told him her real name, a boon that she hasn't bestowed on Chuck.

(Chuck tried to tell Ellie his secret last week but her "half a spy" nature prevented him from doing that as she forced him to come to terms with his feelings for Sarah. Besides, I don't know that Ellie would handle the truth about Chuck's job very well.)

Lack of emotional outlet means lack of flashing. It's a nice little psychological dilemma for Chuck and one that pays off the constant use of Chuck's emotions either holding him back or making him a better spy. Here, it's not that the emotions are bad, per se, but the fact that he can't express them, can't achieve catharsis in any meaningful way, means that he can't use his abilities.

Which brings us to Buy More assistant manager Morgan Grimes. Morgan's been suspicious about Chuck for some time, feels betrayed by his best friend, and is so hurt that he takes disciplinary action against Chuck. A series of coincidences--driven by The Ring's efforts to seize information from Castle in the guise of Buy More execs looking to sell the store--leads to Morgan uncovering the truth about Castle.

And then, faced with death and/or torture, Chuck is forced to come clean and unburden himself. I'm glad that it's Morgan who is the recipient of this information and that the writers didn't stray into camp territory by having Morgan's memory erased at the end of the episode or him somehow forgetting Chuck's secret. It's a far more tantalizing story thread to have Morgan aware of Chuck's spy status as it gives Chuck someone to talk to and an ally at the Buy More who is aware of what's really going on.

It also brings Morgan into the circle of trust, again altering the dynamic of the team. Whether or not Morgan goes on missions is irrelevant (and I'd be surprised if he did); what's important is that his knowing changes the relationships within the series. Morgan is now aware that Chuck is in love with Sarah but that their relationship was fake ("Does that make her your beard?") and that Chuck's feelings for Sarah have never been consummated. If anything, it strengthens the positions of the non-spies within the series, providing another anchor between it and Chuck's spy world.

And it might be arriving at just the right time, given Awesome's sudden interest to travel with Ellie to Africa as part of Doctors Without Borders. A worthy cause? Certainly, but that's not why Awesome is looking to put some distance between them and Los Angeles. It's good to see the married couple getting a storyline of their own as Awesome proves that he's willing to do whatever it takes to keep his wife safe from harm, even if it means taking her far away from her brother and the life they've build in LA. If someone is going to crack, it's more likely to be Awesome than Morgan, the holder of Chuck's secrets.

My sole complaint about the episode was the cover story concocted by The Ring. Surely someone from Buy More Corporate would have given them advance warning if they were going to be stopping by with inspectors to look at inventory and interview the staff with an aim to selling the store. Additionally, would a national chain like the Buy More really be selling off a single store? Wouldn't it have been more plausible if The Ring had engineered a scenario in which the Burbank Buy More was going to be closed? And that the inspectors were there, yes, to look at inventory with a view of liquidizing or shifting it, and determining if any of the staff would be transferred to other locations. A simple fix and one that only struck me on a second viewing of the episode.

But it's a minor quibble in an otherwise absolutely stellar episode that ranks up there with the very best of Chuck. What else did I love about the episode? The impromptu Jeffster reunion, culminating in Lester atop the Nerd Herd station singing Credence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son." Morgan's meow as he attempted to furtively make his way down Castle's numerous corridors. Jeff's stash of ether in his Buy More locker... and the fact that he took out a Ring operative without realizing it. Morgan's dual electric carving knives. The fight scene between Chuck and the Ring team, with Morgan lending a hand at the end to take out the leader (guest star Diedrich Bader, currently voicing Batman in Batman: The Brave and the Bold). The Buy More revolution, with its use of the Buy Moria flag and its hilarious recreations of both the flag-raising at Iwo Jima and the iconic victory kiss in Times Square at the end of World War II. Chuck telling Morgan the whole story about how he became a spy ("It all started with an email from Bryce Larkin") and Morgan's reaction minutes earlier that Chuck was a spy. Not to mention the Subway-branded Duck Hunt battle between Chuck and Morgan, a call-back to a simpler, happier time and the promise of future happiness between the two best friends.

However, it looks like some dark times lie ahead for one member of Team Bartowski, as Casey very reluctantly answers the Ring communication device and appears to recognize the voice on the other end. Hmmm... Did we just see one of our spies actually cross over to the dark side before our eyes? And just what does The Ring want with Colonel Casey?

Ultimately, I thought that "Chuck Versus the Beard" was one of the very best episodes of Chuck and definitely ranks up there with some of my favorites of all time. (Hell, it might just have sailed into first place.) And I thought that Zachary Levi did a fantastic job as a first-time director, nailing the humor and action with a deft hand.

But I want to hear from you: what did you think of this week's installment? Have the writers opened up new story possibilities... or a can of worms? And what will Morgan knowing Chuck's secret mean for his relationship with Chuck? What's up with Casey and The Ring? Will Awesome and Ellie really leave Chuck behind? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Tic Tac"), Casey carries out a side mission for his old commanding officer James Keller that leads to him committing treason. When Chuck learns the dark truth about Col. Keller, he and Sarah set out to break Casey out of jail and clear his name. Meanwhile, Awesome's plan to keep Ellie out of danger gets more difficult when she gets her dream fellowship.

Losing a Sense of Self: Fake Names and Identity Games on "Chuck"

"I hope your lies keep you warm at night."

What is in a name? At its core, it's our truest sense of self, a reflection of our identity, a label that we apply to ourselves to sum us up at our most basic and individual level.

But for spies like Sarah Walker, a name is just a cover story, a new identity in a series of never-ending lies that she puts on as easily as most of us do our clothes in the morning. Spies are in the business of lying and Sarah's done a bang-up job at lying to herself for most of her adult life, allowing her true self to slip away amid a cascade of lies both small and large.

She's kept her true name to herself for the last three years, not even trusting Chuck with her true identity, her true sense of self, the name that conjures up both the kick-ass superspy she is today but also the tomboy teenager and the child whose innocence was so brutally ripped from her.

This week's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Fake Name"), written by Ali Adler and directed by Jeremiah Chechik, dealt head on with the notion of identity in a world where the concept is fluid at best. While Sarah and Chuck continued their dance with other partners this week, Sarah noticed that Chuck's own identity was slipping away from him too as he became further and further entrenched within the espionage world.

So what did I think of this week's episode? Let's discuss. (And, if you need a reminder, here's my advance review of the next four episodes of Chuck, including this week's episode, but I'm keeping my comments restricted just to "Chuck Versus the Fake Name.")

I thought that Ali Adler did a fantastic job at dealing with the latest complications in the ongoing romance between Chuck and Sarah, allowing Sarah to express her own concern about getting involved with yet another partner and falling into the same traps and patterns in which she keeps ending up. By allowing Sarah and goodfellas Matty and Scotty--via a hilarious exchange about will-they-or-won't-they couples--and the Buy More staffers to outwardly explore the thoughts, fears, and concerns of many viewers, Adler subverts our own expectations about television couplehood.

Yes, it is "complicated" and it's only going to get further complicated as the series goes on. It's clear that Chuck and Sarah have deep feelings about each other, emotions that are becoming further conflicted by recent developments. As Sarah attempts to hold onto her sense of self, Chuck is becoming less and less like the man she fell in love with: an ordinary Everyman who was more prone to bumbling through missions than forcibly extracting teeth during a mission.

As Shaw put it so eloquently, Chuck is living the lie and that scares the hell out of Sarah, who has made a profession out of doing just that. The ease with which Chuck now lies to Hannah, to his sister Ellie, to his best friend Morgan is shocking when you look at how our hero could barely keep it together in the first season. He's changing before our eyes and Sarah isn't sure that she wants to be with someone who can lie so callously. (On the opposite end, Devon seems to be coming apart at the seams from lying to Ellie about what's really going on with Chuck... and even Ellie has had a hard time lying to Chuck about how awful his chicken pepperoni dish really is.)

Chuck's transformation into an adept liar is especially felt during his dinner with Ellie, Awesome, and Hannah, a dinner that he didn't prepare at all. There's a sense that the entire scenario is manufactured, a tableau set up to woo Hannah and conceal what he was really doing all day, which was pretending to be a dangerous assassin in order to discover The Ring's next target.

That Target happens to be Daniel Shaw himself. But that's not the shocking turn of events that leave Chuck reeling. It's the fact that he overhears Sarah tell Shaw her real name--Sam (a perfect name for the real Sarah if there ever was one)--and it's a sense of deep betrayal that he can't shake. Why would Sarah tell Shaw and not Chuck? Why would she trust the enigmatic Shaw with this information and not him, after all they've been through?

Answer: Sarah wants a real moment, an honest experience with someone who is willing to be honest with her and Chuck is changing in ways that even he hasn't realized yet. Names have power and Sarah's withholding of her true identity to Chuck is a means of keeping her true self from him for now, to hold on to something secret in the face of someone slipping into a series of lies. Kudos to Yvonne Strahovski for portraying a real sense of anguish and hurt when Chuck throws her true name back at her; you could see that she knew how much she had injured him with this knowledge.

The most honest thing that Chuck does this episode is to tell Hannah the truth about his feelings regarding Sarah and that there are things in his life that are keeping them apart. Hannah says that Chuck is the best liar she's met and Chuck realizes just how good he's become at spinning lies, a tragic epiphany that really seems to strike a chord with him. Despite Chuck's honesty here, I do wish that he had chosen a more opportune time to share his feelings with Hannah, one that wasn't (A) the day after they had slept together and (B) minutes before he was supposed to meet her parents. Yes, Chuck knows that he loves Sarah and that he can't continue to lie to himself about his feelings and lie to Hannah about himself, but badly played, Chuck.

I will say that I thought that Zachary Levi did a fantastic job in the guise of international assassin Rafe Gruber. It was nice to see Chuck rely on skills that had nothing to do with computers or Intersect-derived abilities and instead had to come from deep inside himself. (He did claim, after all, that his acting background extended to playing Perchik in a high school production of "Fiddler on the Roof.") And, given the uniqueness of Rafe's name, I can't help but wonder if it isn't a shout-out to Chuck writer (and former Survivor contestant) Rafe Judkins. My favorite line from Chuck-as-Rafe: "I want to kill him, not some secondary infection." Right before he yanked out Casey's tooth. Ouch.

As for Casey, he proved that he's one hell of a badass, one of five people in the world capable of hitting a target more than a half-mile away, just like Rafe Gruber. Which makes me wonder if we didn't learn Casey's true identity in this episode as well? After all, Matty (Tony Sirico, here reunited with former Sopranos co-star Louis Lombardi) thought he recognized Casey and believed that he was a military sniper named Alex Coburn whom he had served with. Given that Chuck flashed on the name but was unable to see anything in the file should be making people curious whether Casey's true identity is that of Alex Coburn... and just why his files would be redacted in that way. Hmmm...

As for Sarah and Shaw, it does seem like they are now romantically involved, despite Sarah's reservations at the beginning of the episode. Bringing Shaw a crockpot from the Buy More and some Chinese takeaway, Sarah allows herself to be vulnerable with Shaw, in a way that she hasn't been with Chuck in some time. Residual feelings of betrayal from what happened in Prague? Or something far less tangible, like a sense that Chuck is losing the very innocence that made him attractive to her in the first place? Only time will tell.

All in all, I thought that this week's episode offered a fantastic return to the world of Chuck, ended the Chuck and Hannah relationship in a realistic and painful way, and further set up the playing field for future developments, offering one final chance to catch our collective breaths before next week's dramatic and status quo-altering installment.

What did you think of this week's episode? Is Sam a perfect name for Sarah? Think Casey could be Alex Coburn? Was Chuck right or wrong to break up with Hannah? And just what do you predict will happen in the next few weeks? Discuss.

In the meantime, here's a link to the most recent Chuck Vs. the Podcast, where I talk to host Gray Jones about "Chuck Versus the Mask," this season, and upcoming episodes.

Next week on Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Beard"), Chuck discovers that he cannot flash and is left behind when Shaw, Casey, and Sarah go on a mission, but Chuck gets into a sticky situation back at Castle.

Televisionary Versus the "Chuck" Podcast

Last week, I had the pleasure of dropping by to lend my voice and thoughts about the current season of Chuck (and the next four upcoming episodes) to Chuck Vs. the Podcast.

As part of the ongoing podcast's 42nd episode, I chatted with host Gray Jones about my thoughts on "Chuck Versus the Mask," the love quadrangle, what's coming up for our intrepid spies, and much, much more. (The episode itself was the second half of a great installment that also featured The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan.)

You can watch/listen to the podcast below or over at Blip.tv. Or you can download the podcast from iTunes as well. Depending on what your bag is, I suppose.



Chuck returns tonight with a brand-new episode, the series' first in three weeks, at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC. You can read my advance review of the next four episodes here.