Chuck and Grimm - The Morning After

I know Friday night is a death night for shows. But for people like me who end up crashing on Friday nights, I'm excited about the line-up.  We've got Chuck at 8pm, Grimm at 9pm (both on NBC) and then I'll get to see Fringe, on Fox, at 10pm (having recorded it on my trusty sidekick, my DVR).  That's if I can stay awake long enough.  It sucks being old.  Anywhoodle, as some of you may know, Fringe got bumped for game 7 of the World Series. Go Cards! (That's for all my peeps in Missouri.  Yes, I actually know people who live there. Ok, two people but still)  The rest of you were probably out at Halloween parties, having fun, cutting loose, etc. But next week Fringe will be back and all will be well with my geeky little world.  For now, here's a look at what happened on Chuck and my thoughts on Grimm.

"Chuck vs. the Zoom"

I am a little emotional that this is the first episode of the final season of Chuck. I've already mourned it publicly so I'll dispatch with the lamenting. Instead I'll revel in what's sure to be a fun season.  They are rolling out the guest stars and start with, wait, no. Can't be! Luke Skywalker? Is that really...you?

Yep, that's Mark Hamil about to be punched by our hero, Chuck. I could make some snide comment about life as a Jedi master being rough but I won't.  Nope, instead I'll say that it was a fun cameo and move on.

So Chuck is no longer the Intersect (the brain program that gave him super powers) and instead heads his group of "formers" (former CIA, former NSA, formerly *just* a nerdy Buy More worker) in spy-work-for-hire gigs.  At the end of last season, Morgan, Chuck's BFF and co-nerd /co-Buy More worker, got the Intersect uploaded into his brain.  We get to see Morgan use his new found skills on Old Skywalker up there and he did a fine job indeed.  While Chuck used to "flash," thanks to the Intersect, Morgan informs us that he "zooms" instead.  I like it.  Chuck does not.

They get a new gig and poor Chuck gets relegated to the van.  He's missing all the action and is very mopey about it.  Oh, the new target is the one and only, Craig Kilborn.  It's funny, I know that both Zachary Levi ("Chuck") and Adam Baldwin ("Casey") are tall (both 6'4") but I forget how tall until they're standing next to the 6'5" Kilby.  Back to the show, they have some plan of distracting Craiggers with a dance from Morgan and Sarah while Casey does something to get info from Kilby's evil computers, blah, blah, blah.  More importantly, how cute was Sarah's little black party dress?  And the shoes!?! Can we talk about the shoes?  I NEED those shoes.  Morgan shows his newbie status and freaks when Kilby gives Sarah's toosh a little squeeze.  He's afraid he'll 'prematurely zoom' so Chuck's suggestion of thoughts about baseball is hilarious on so many levels. 'Cause you know, the game is on the other channel, threatening already weak Chuck ratings...get it?  So things go awry and Chuck has to get back in the game to save the day and his beloved "formers."  Valiantly he surrenders himself so that they can all escape.  BTW, this is where I finally get some good Morgan/Casey interaction. Casey slaps awake an unconscious Morgan who says, "Did I do great?" Casey replies, "Shut up, moron." Gosh I love those kids.  Chuck, ever the leader, hasn't really given himself to the bad guys!  No, he's left them exact instructions on how to save him after he escapes the bad guys and jumps out a window.
Sadly, even after getting the evil Craiggers, the gang gets their money stolen from the evil CIA dude that's after Chuck.  I'd tell you why but I can't remember.

Oh and while the whole "Get Kilby" plan is in action, Chuck and Morgan are planning a surprise for Sarah.  Chuck wants to buy her a house on the beach and this is when I realize that somewhere inside of me is an 8-y.o. boy. I giggle every time they refer to their plan, Operation Toes In The Sand,  Morgan even has a binder with T.I.T.S. in giant letters on the front.  Heh.  But that evil CIA dude stole the money Chuck was going to use to buy the house Sarah actually preferred, a very normal house that you'd see a normal TV family living in. Awwww.

So by the end of the episode Chuck has realized, with help from Sarah, that he doesn't need the Intersect to be great.  He's their leader and he's darn good at it.  Plus Chuck's got an idea, based on the Buy More that they own, to make some money.  That'll go well and I'm sure won't fail miserably at the hands of Buy More employees/ne'er-do-wells, Jeff and Lester.

Now onto the pilot episode of Grimm and this will be brief.  I liked it more than I thought I would.  The cast is decent and I thought the directing and editing was fun and edgy.  There's potential for this show so I hope it lasts a bit longer.  The title, Grimm, refers to a guy who sees the supernatural aspect of people that the rest of us can't see.  Grimms are hunters and werewolves, etc. were taught to fear them.  The shows revolves around cop Nick Burkhardt, a Grimm who is recently seeing some creepy stuff on people's faces.  He has no idea what's going on until his Aunt Marie, a feared Grimm, shows up to fill him in on his legacy.

In the pilot, a werewolf, or blutbad (think German - 'bloot-bahd'; which I think translates to blood bath), is nabbing girls in red jackets.  Heh.  We see a college girl out for a run in her red tracksuit.  She's distracted by a figurine placed on a log in the woods and stops to inspect it.  WHAM! She's taken down by something or someone super fast and apparently tearing her to pieces by the sound of all her screaming. In her defense, if I were out jogging and saw a Hummel, I'd stop too.  My grandmother collected those and they're not only adorable but valuable too.  Then later a little girl, also in a red sweatshirt, gets nabbed and Nick and his partner spend the rest of the episode tracking her down.  Nick mistakenly thinks its this one blutbad , Eddie, but he's not bad, he's our comic relief! They find the girl hidden in a creepy postal worker's basement and all is well.  Or is it?  Oooooo....

I think the show has potential but it also had some issues (acting being a big one).  I will be tuning in and not just because I have faith in Buffy and Angel producer, David Greenwalt, who is this show's creator/executive producer.  There could be some fun storylines and I'm willing to give it a chance.