Chuck - Chuck vs the Anniversary, S04E01

I am SO glad that Chuck was not only renewed for a 4th season, but that that season started now and not in January. This show is definitely the funniest show on television. I laughed loudly and clapped in delight many times, but that is always the case. And I know that the rest of you must have been equally pleased not only with the simple joy of having it back, but the set up for the entire season.

Naturally, by the end of the episode, the status quo had to be restored. Chuck (Zachary Levi) could not remain out of the spy game or let his intersect powers go to waste. But the journey to get there and his reasons for taking the mantle up again and lying to Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) about it made far more sense than last season's premiere. Gotta love that she is pregnant and that he needs to protect her all the more now! EEEE! Plus, the secrecy of his job is back, although Morgan (Joshua Gomez) remains his sidekick both in spy-life and real life.

Watching Chuck and Morgan travel all over the world on the search for Chuck's mom (and I really loved watching the graphic of the little Buy More dude running all over the world) was hilarious. The later assertion by the Russian baddies that these two spies were experts as they were ghosts and could easily use the public transportation system to disappear (while Morgan and Chuck were, of course, only using it because they were broke) was classic. And Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) and Casey (Adam Baldwin)'s simultaneous denial of knowing either of them was also perfectly in tune with the brilliance that is this show.

My favourite scenes were

1. When Morgan was sexting with Sarah in Chuck's name while she was trying to indicate to him that she was in danger. It was so beautifully set up with the pics Morgan had already sent her of Chuck and the clear difficulty both were having with long distance.

2. When Casey grabbed Chuck and unceremoniously dragged him to look at the EMP, demanding that he flash.

3. When Chuck's voice came through the walkie-talkie moments after everyone assumed he was dead and he sounded so badass he might have been Casey. Plus, just before that Casey was ready to destroy everyone in the room in vengeance.

4. When General Beckman (Bonita Friedericy) was revealed as the new manager of the Buy More, now a CIA base of operation.

So Chuck is a spy, his sister no longer knows this (and neither does his brother in law), his mother is even more badass than you can imagine, Chuck and Sarah's relationship is no longer in the irritating will they/won't they stage, and Chuck and Morgan are back at the Buy More. All we need is to see Lester and Jeff get rehired and everything will fall back into place. Man I love this show.