I assume from this episode that Vivian's going to become the big bad for the remaining of season, by deciding to follow in her estranged father's footsteps. The "Key" (her V-shaped locket) not only unlocked a secret doorway in her father's office, but likely unlocked a villainous streak in her. I also enjoyed the parallel of Vivian being shown a literal doorway to a new life, at the same time Casey was shown the entrance to "Zone 6" beneath Castle. This episode was all about new beginnings, really. I also enjoyed the storyline with Morgan realizing he should move out of Chuck's apartment before his best-friend marries, and that his prized Star Wars collectibles have become childish anchors in his life. The moment when Morgan convinced Chuck it's time he moved out (with the Han Solo/Chewbacca figures used to represent their domestic separation) was also nicely done, although quite why Morgan believes moving back in with his mother is a step forward is anyone's guess! Can't he move in with girlfriend Alex (Melvin Mekenna) or get his own place? He's on a store manager's salary at the Buy More, after all.
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| Second of Strahotness: love angel |
It was also a joy to see more Morgan/Sarah interaction in this episode, which is just an intrinsically funny pairing. In many ways their interaction reminds me of season 1, when Chuck was more noticeably "a geek" and self-conscious around sizzling Sarah. Morgan and Sarah have nothing in common beyond Chuck, and it was a delight to see Sarah try and make a connection with Morgan through his Star Wars toys, which slipped into babying him. They should get more scenes together, because the awkwardness between them is priceless, and Strahovski is particularly funny in this context.
The teaser set at Valentine's Day was also great fun, with lovebirds Chuck and Sarah accidentally discovering Morgan and Alex blindfolded, cross-legged, and engaged in tantric sex on the floor, moments before Casey burst in to catch his daughter and her boyfriend with chocolate smeared over their faces. It was unconnected to anything else happening in the episode, marking it out as filler, but it was still a great moment that focused on those five characters and their everyday lives together. In fact, it would be interesting to see Chuck do a whole episode without any spy-jinks, with everyone just kicking around at home over a lazy weekend.
Asides
- Boris assassinating someone in a car (a splat of blood hitting the windscreen), Vivian pumping Boris full of lead with a shotgun. Does anyone else think Chuck was uncharacteristically graphic with the violence this week? Sure, it's no Rambo, but it was noticeably tougher this week.
- How many times has Casey been undercover as a bartender now? If the spy game ever comes to an end, at least he has a fallback skill serving drinks. Likewise, we got more of Chuck and Sarah undercover at a swanky party -- the show's default situation for every mission.
- Will we ever see Morgan's mother again, if he's moving in with her? I'd love to see the interaction between Morgan, his mother, and Big Mike at the Grimes residence.
- Could Vivian actually be Chuck's half-sister? If her father's Volkoff, is her mother Mary?
- What could Casey's new mission be, working for the NCS in what's essentially the next-door office at Castle? It may be a little weird if Casey's still employed at the Buy More/Castle, but doing his own thing every week. I'm interested to see how the writers handle this, but glad it means Baldwin's finally going to get something to do this season.
- There was an enjoyable Human Target-esque finale, with Vivian and Chuck fleeing bad guys on a horse. Nice to see the show being a little more imaginative with its action sequences, as I don't remember there ever being a horse chase before
