“For the first time in my life, I feel as cool as you.” – Morgan
Carmichael Industries gets the dreaded slow clap at a spy conference and it’s pretty much all downhill from there. The spy business isn’t turning a profit. The Buy More isn’t turning a profit. Morgan doesn’t appreciate being sidelined in the van on missions, even though he’s the one with the nifty computer in his brain.
I had my reservations regarding Morgan the Intersect. I wasn’t sure if it would work as a plot device. Morgan was always one of those characters who I could only handle in small doses and the decision to put the Intersect in his head felt a little bit like a last-ditch attempt to take the show back to the days of the bumbling nerd spy without regressing Chuck to his Season One persona.
“Chuck versus the Bearded Bandit” proves that not only does Morgan the Intersect work as a story, but it works because it doesn’t try to emulate Chuck’s own experiences. Where Chuck went through a period of lamenting his status as the Intersect and was more than happy to leave the spy action to Sarah and Casey, Morgan embraces his new abilities. He doesn’t want to be handled, coddled, or hidden away. He sees himself as a sort of superhero, calling himself “The Bearded Bandit” and intervening in a convenience store hold-up.
He even has a mask.
Sarah appoints Chuck to be Morgan’s handler, citing their friendship and Chuck’s experience with the Intersect as qualifications for the role. Chuck is apprehensive, but Morgan is downright insulted. He repeatedly ignores orders from his more experienced partners, endangering their lives and his own throughout much of the episode. When Chuck finally plays the “I’m your handler and you have to listen to me” card, Morgan rejects his attempts to mentor him, as well as his friendship. He leaves Carmichael Industries for a rival company.
Harsh? Totally. But perfectly in character. Morgan has always played second-fiddle in Chuck’s colorful band of almost-superheroes. He has always been the quirky best friend, the sidekick. He sees the Intersect as his chance to glean some of the spotlight for himself and as misguided and badly executed as his attempts are, they are so perfectly in line with who he is and who he wants to be that his story is shaping up to be a very good one.
Some stats and info about Chuck, “Chuck Versus the Bearded Bandit”
TV SHOW – Chuck
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 5, Episode 2
AIRED ON – November 4th, 2011
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – NBC/Peacock
GENRE – Comedy, Spy Shows, Office Culture
CREATED BY – Chris Fedak, Josh Schwartz
CAST – Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Vik Sahay, Scott Krinsky, Sarah Lancaster, Adam Baldwin, Ryan McPartin, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Bonita Friedericy
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.