Chuck Versus the Beard

Last updated
"Chuck Versus the Beard"
Chuck episode
ChuckBeard.jpg
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 9
Directed by Zachary Levi
Written by Scott Rosenbaum
Featured music"Bululu" by Jesus Alejandro El Nino
"On Sale Now" by Daniel May
"Dancing with Myself" by Billy Idol and Generation X
"Fortunate Son" by Jeffster!
"Arroz Con Pollo" by Martin Padilla
"Bedside Manner" by Dawes
Production code3X5809
Original air dateMarch 8, 2010 (2010-03-08)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Chuck Versus the Fake Name"		Next →
"Chuck Versus the Tic Tac"
List of episodes

"Chuck Versus the Beard" is the ninth episode in the third season of the television series Chuck . It originally aired March 8, 2010, and was the television directorial debut of series star Zachary Levi. Chuck is benched when he fails to flash, and when the rest of the team is diverted by a decoy, must reveal his secret to Morgan so he can help foil a Ring plot to destroy Castle.

Contents

Plot summary

Chuck is benched by Shaw when he fails to flash for a whole week in the aftermath of the team's previous mission.

Big Mike announces to the Buy More staff that their store is being sold and that representatives from Cost-Less will be interviewing the employees while the building is inspected prior to the sale.

Meanwhile, Sarah, Shaw and Casey head to a hotel where the Ring is attempting to turn a CIA agent. Sarah and Shaw trace a Ring phone call to a room at the hotel. Casey breaks into the room where the call was placed from and finds it deserted except for a Ring phone set up to play back a message. They realize that the Ring set them up to draw Shaw into the open and leave Castle undefended.

Jeff eavesdrops on two Ring agents as they announce their intentions to steal back all the data the team has on the Ring and destroy Castle and the store with it. Morgan tracks down Chuck and reveals everything he has learned. The Buy More revolt ends when Shaw, masquerading as a senior Buy More executive, tells Big Mike that they have decided not to sell the store due to the staff's dedication.

Big Mike, still believing they are to all be fired, has decided not to give up the store without a fight. The employees barricade themselves inside and refuse to leave when Chuck advises them to do so. Chuck and Morgan are interrogated in Castle's sparring room. Under threat of torture to Morgan, Chuck acknowledges that he is Agent Carmichael.

Sarah and Shaw are concerned that Castle is compromised. Shaw wonders why the Ring didn't take the opportunity to assassinate him.

Production

Series star Zachary Levi directed the episode. Zachary Levi.jpg
Series star Zachary Levi directed the episode.

"Chuck Versus the Beard" was the television directorial debut of series star Zachary Levi. This announcement first came in an interview on October 11, 2009. [1]

On March 4, four sneak peeks of the episode were released. [2] After the controversy of the previous two episodes, initial critical response to "Chuck Versus the Beard" was strongly positive. In her review of "Chuck Versus the Fake Name" Maureen Ryan in particular compared that episode negatively to "Chuck Versus the Beard". [3]

Reception

The episode received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune described the episode as "...everything I want in a Chuck episode and then some," particularly citing the depth of the main plot and its integration with the Buy More, and its use of the majority of the main and supporting cast. [4] Alan Sepinwall of the New Jersey Star-Ledger also highly praised the episode, particularly the show finally letting Morgan in on Chuck's secret, and his enthusiastic reaction to his friend's important life as a spy. Sepinwall did note that some of Levi's directing choices were over the top, but otherwise approved of his first stint behind the camera for a television series, and also pointed out that two episodes in a row ended with a "Chuck really loves Sarah" moment. [5] IGN rated the episode a 9.5 out of 10, a series high alongside the Season 2 episodes "Chuck Versus Santa Claus" and "Chuck Versus the Colonel", the Season 4 finale "Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger", and Season 5's "Chuck Versus the Kept Man" and "Chuck Versus the Goodbye". [6]

Viewer response was also overwhelmingly positive, with a 9.9/10 user rating at IMDb. [7]

Daniel Fienberg offered stronger criticism of the episode, finding fault in Levi's direction, with both the main and subplots overly outlandish. Although he did enjoy Morgan's handling of the spy plot and Chuck's secret, and noted it was a revelation that was long overdue, he felt the tone of the episode was off with "wackiness in excess." Like Sepinwall, he criticized the similarity of the endings of both "Chuck Versus the Fake Name" and "Chuck Versus the Beard". [8]

The episode was watched by 6.3 million total viewers, with a 2.3/6 Demo. [9]

Related Research Articles

Chuck is an American action comedy spy drama television series created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck Bartowski, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded email from an old college friend now working for the CIA. The message embeds the only remaining copy of a software program containing the United States' greatest spy secrets into Chuck's brain, leading the CIA and the NSA to assign him handlers and use him on top-secret missions. Produced by Fake Empire, Wonderland Sound and Vision, and Warner Bros. Television, the series premiered on September 24, 2007, on NBC, airing on Monday nights at 8:00 p.m./7:00 p.m. Central. The opening theme song is a wordless edit of "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" by the American rock band Cake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Grimes</span> Character on television series Chuck

Morgan Guillermo Grimes is a major character on the television series Chuck. He is portrayed by actor Joshua Gomez, and is the best friend of Chuck Bartowski.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Bartowski</span> Fictional protagonist of TV show Chuck

Charles Irving Bartowski is the title character of the American spy show Chuck on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi. UGO.com named him one of the best TV nerds.

"Chuck Versus the Intersect" is the pilot episode of the American action-comedy television series Chuck. The episode was directed by McG and written by series co-creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. It originally aired on September 24, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Versus the Colonel</span> 21st episode of the 2nd season of Chuck

"Chuck Versus the Colonel" is the 21st episode of Chuck's second season, and the 34th episode overall. It aired on April 20, 2009. Chuck and Sarah go on the run in an effort to locate Chuck's father. At the Buy More, Morgan becomes a pariah among his coworkers after Big Mike's demotion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Versus Santa Claus</span> 11th episode of the 2nd season of Chuck

"Chuck Versus Santa Claus" is the eleventh episode of the second season of Chuck, and the 24th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Robert Duncan McNeill and written by Scott Rosenbaum. It originally aired December 15, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Versus the Ring</span> 22nd episode of the 2nd season of Chuck

"Chuck Versus the Ring" is the second season finale of Chuck, which aired on April 27, 2009. The day of Ellie and Devon's wedding arrives, but Chuck finds himself forced to protect both his sister and the event from a vengeful Ted Roark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Versus the Pink Slip</span> 1st episode of the 3rd season of Chuck

"Chuck Versus the Pink Slip" is the third-season premiere episode of the television series Chuck. It aired on January 10, 2010 in a special two-episode block. After failing "spy school", Chuck must find his way back onto the team, and in the process repair his shattered relationship with Sarah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Shaw</span> Fictional character

Daniel Shaw is a fictional character in the television series Chuck. Shaw is introduced in the third season episode "Chuck Versus Operation Awesome" as a government agent specializing in the terrorist organization known as the Ring, and who becomes a mentor to Chuck Bartowski and ultimately a tragic villain and host for the Intersect. He is portrayed by actor Brandon Routh.

The Ring is a major spy organization in the television series Chuck. The main antagonist of the second season, Fulcrum, is revealed in the Season Two finale to be part of the Ring, making him the main antagonist of Season Three. The Ring's goals are not known, but they're clearly in conflict with the legitimate American intelligence community due their attempts to manipulate politics in several countries to accomplish its ends.

"Chuck Versus the Mask" is the seventh episode of the third season of Chuck which originally aired February 8, 2010. Chuck is forced to involve Hannah in the team's latest mission. Meanwhile, Morgan and Ellie attempt to investigate Chuck's secret life.

"Chuck Versus the Fake Name" is a third-season episode of the television series Chuck. It was the eighth episode of the season, and the first to air after a two-week hiatus for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Chuck must juggle his new relationship with Hannah while at the same time taking on the role of an assassin hired by the Ring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Versus the Tic Tac</span> 10th episode of the 3rd season of Chuck

"Chuck Versus the Tic Tac" is the tenth episode of the third season of the television series Chuck, airing on March 15, 2010. When Casey's former commanding officer returns, Chuck and Sarah take it upon themselves to clear his name when he is arrested for treason. Meanwhile, Devon and Ellie are at odds over their future when Ellie receives her dream fellowship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Versus the Other Guy</span> 13th episode of the 3rd season of Chuck

"Chuck Versus the Other Guy" is the thirteenth episode of Chuck's third season, and originally aired on April 5, 2010. Sarah and Shaw are ordered to track down the Director by Beckman, but Chuck has misgivings over whether Shaw can be trusted after the revelation that Sarah killed his wife.

"Chuck Versus the Family Volkoff" is the 20th episode of the fourth season of Chuck, and the 74th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Robert Duncan McNeill and written by Nicholas Wootton and Amanda Kate Shuman. It originally aired April 11, 2011.

"Chuck Versus the Wedding Planner" is the 21st episode of the fourth season of the American action-comedy television series Chuck, and the 75th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Rafe Judkins and Lauren LeFranc and directed by Anton Cropper. It originally aired on April 18, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Versus the Last Details</span> 23rd episode of the 4th season of Chuck

"Chuck Versus the Last Details" is the 23rd episode of the fourth season of Chuck, and the 77th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Henry Alonso Myers and Kristin Newman, and directed by Peter Lauer. It originally aired on May 9, 2011.

"Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger" is the fourth season finale of the American NBC action-comedy television series Chuck. Aired on May 16, 2011, it is the season's 24th episode, and the 78th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Robert Duncan McNeill and written by series co-creator Chris Fedak, along with Nicholas Wootton. Despite the episode's eponymous cliffhanger ending, supposedly leading into a fifth season, it was anticipated that Chuck would be cancelled after the fourth season for declining viewership, making "Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger" the de facto series finale. However, a fifth and final season was ordered on May 13, 2011.

<i>Chuck</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth and final season of the American action-comedy television series Chuck was announced on May 13, 2011. It included 13 episodes, which premiered on October 28, 2011, and concluded on January 27, 2012, with a two-hour finale.

References

  1. ↑ "Interview with Zachary Levi about responsibility film". gamingangels.com. October 11, 2009. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ "VIDEOS: Sneak Peeks at Chuck 3.09 (SPOILERS!)". ChuckTV.net. March 4, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Let's gab about 'Chuck vs. the Fake Name'". The Chicago Tribune. March 1, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Let's talk 'Chuck vs. the Beard': Awesome!". The Chicago Tribune. March 8, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Chuck, 'Chuck vs. the Beard': Morgan to the rescue?". New Jersey Star-Ledger. March 8, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Chuck: "Chuck Versus The Beard" Review And the truth will set Chuck free..." New Jersey Star-Ledger. March 8, 2010.
  7. ↑ ""Chuck" Chuck vs. the Beard (2010)". IMDB.com. March 8, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Recap: 'Chuck' - 'Chuck vs. the Beard'". hitfix.com. March 8, 2010.
  9. ↑ Seidman, Robert (January 21, 2010). "Chuck Ratings: NBC's Chuck Nielsen Ratings for Season 3". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 3, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.