Top 10 20: CHARAH

And here it is, our final Top Ten post. That's right. We've wrapped up an entire week of happy, positive lists...and boy did that take a lot out of us. Thanks to everybody that tagged along for the ride and shared their thoughts. Today's list is special...but only because we couldn't keep it down to 10. Without further ado, we present, in descending order, our top twenty Charah moments!  See you on the other side, homies.

Top 10: Favorite Guest Characters

So Frea and I decided to list our favorite guest characters during the show's run. There will be no pictures accompaning this post. I'm doing this on my own, without the invaluable assitance of the MBO, and she told me I didn't have to tussle with Blogger's photo embedding software. So I will not. Still, I hope you guys enjoy our list and feel free to comment on what you think we got right, what we got wrong, and what we missed.

See the list after the jump!

Top 10: SWP

Frea here. When I gave him this assignment, I do believe mxpw fell to his knees and thanked first the heavens above and then me in that order. Once he was whipped for not fetching me a Dr Pepper before doing so, he immediately set off in a quest to bring you only the purest, best SWP on the planet.

Little did he know that he was about to embark on his own version of Sophie's Choice. But three days later, I went over to his house and found him in the corner, bemoaning the various SWPs he had to leave off of the list. I managed to wrest the list from his hand and have transcribed it thusly. It was a little hard to read with all of the tear stains, but I think this is what Max has reported to be the BEST SWP* of the show.

Enjoy!

*Any SWP is technically the best SWP

Top 10: HELL YEAH moments

So this week Max and I have decided to celebrate the show not in the cynical fashion most would expect, but by revisiting some of the things that made us fall in love with Chuck in the first place. Sure, those things may not be present today, but it’s fun to walk down memory lane and look at the good times (and some of the bad times). I’m kicking off the week with my best 10 "HELL YEAH" moments. What does that mean? These were just my top times on the show where I sat up and went, "HELL YEAH!" And yes, there’s even a moment in here from Season Three for all of you people who think I (rightfully) like Season One and Two more.

So click the link to read more. And remember, these are my opinions and mine alone.  Well, okay, mxpw submitted a few of them.

Brain Lint The First

Hey, all! Frea here, coming to you TWICE in two days. Before you fall over from shock however, or reach for that paper bag to breathe into, I'm just here doing some introductions. Firstly, we've got some new faces filling the blog out while I get ready for Nanowrimo this year, awesome people like the wonderful BDaddyDL and Shoe. (it's really hard not to go a step farther and just call her Chuck)

Today's special guest columnist is one of my favorite people in the fandom. It's her fault Top Gear now plays for at least two hours a day in chez Scan, and that I now regard librarians suspiciously and await the throwing stars at any moment. Seriously, if you haven't gone over to ff.net and followed her wonderful works-in-progress, Ninja Librarian 2 and Chuck vs. the Sound of Music, your days are 113% less awesome.

And today, we've got a real treat, as quistie64 has put her thoughts to paper and handed that paper over to Castle Inanity. Muhahahahahahahah—I mean, please read after the break. :)

mxpw vs. Frea - Chuck vs. the Last Details

Chuck vs. the Last Details

Season 4, Episode 23, original air-date May 9, 2011

Chuck and Sarah's wedding planning includes one final detail: ensuring that the mother-of-the-groom makes it to the ceremony on time and alive. Meanwhile, Morgan's responsibilities as Best Man include his most dangerous mission yet, as he faces Vivian Volkoff. Elsewhere, Ellie tends to the last details of the rehearsal dinner and seeks help from an unlikely source.

Nearly a month late, here's what mxpw and Frea thought of Last Details. And yes, this episode was half-written by Frea's favorite Chuck writer. Did that save it? Click the link to find out.

A Retro-Diary of Chuck vs. the Cliffhanger

So I've been teasing a retro-diary of one of the Chuck episodes on Twitter for the past few weeks. I like the idea of a retro-diary, because it's kind of a cheat. It's a way to talk about the episode as if you're viewing it for the first time, with the added benefit of knowing how it ends and having had the opportunity to collate your thoughts about it. You get the best of both worlds! Bill Simmons, one of my favorite sports writers, does this often for basketball games of personal importance, describing the vicious ups and downs that are associated with fandom. It translates nicely over to TV.

If you're not sure what a retro-diary is (Hi, Frea!) it'll be pretty easy to catch on once I start, but for clarification's sake, I'll explain. I watch the episode, and I write about it. I mark the time stamp (in this case, all timestamps will come from Hulu's stream of the show) to give you an idea of where I was in the episode at the time. It's very similar to my live tweeting, but I'm not restricted by 140 characters at a time, and-- as previously mentioned-- I have the added benefity of knowing what happens the whole time.

So, without further adieu, hit the break to join the fun!

mxpw vs. Frea - Chuck vs. Agent X

Chuck vs. Agent X
Season 4, Episode 22, original air-date May 2, 2011

Chuck and Sarah put aside spy work to have a weekend of debauchery, but Devon's plans for Chuck's big night don't go quite as expected. Meanwhile, Ellie's investigation into her father's computer leads to a life-changing discovery.

So...this is not the week of Agent X. In fact, it was over two weeks ago, and this review is over two weeks late. Wait a second! What the frak is up with that?

Only one thing we can say: badgers.

Take that however you will, and enjoy our review!  We even managed to talk about the episode...some.

Frea's schedule has been hellish lately; we appreciate your patience!

mxpw vs. Frea - Chuck vs the Wedding Planner

Chuck vs. the Wedding Planner

Season 4, Episode 21, Air-Date April 11, 2011

Chuck and Sarah call in her con-artist father, Jack Burton, to help recover the wedding funds they lost. Morgan talks Casey into meeting with Alex's mother.


The initial plan for this episode review was for me to pretend to be Frea and for her to pretend to be me. Seemed appropriate, you know? Us pulling a con in honor of an episode about cons. Unfortunately, after thinking about it for a few seconds and trying to figure out if she could be analytical and stay on topic and if I could be randomly crazy, we both realized that conning is a lot of hard work and we're too lazy for that. So instead we decided to just be us. Fun, right?

Fortunately, we got a hell of an episode to make up for our laziness. Wedding Planner marked the return of a much beloved character: Jack Burton. But was his return to the Chuckverse as awesome as his first visit?

The short answer: Yes.

Want to see the long answer? Then you'll have to read to find out.

mxpw vs. Frea - Chuck vs. the Family Volkoff

Chuck vs. the Family Volkoff

Season 4, Episode 20, Air-Date April 11, 2011

When the CIA targets Vivian Volkoff for assassination, Chuck turns to an unusual ally to protect her: Vivian's father, Alexei. Ellie suspects her mother doesn't want her to find out about her father's past.

Oh, Vivian Volkoff. Such a cool name and a hilarious father. That means you've gotta be awesome. Right? Right???

Okay, maybe not. Be warned: this is another mxpw vs. Frea where Frea sees lots of shiny things and mxpw tries to keep order. How successful was he? You'll have to read to find out.

mxpw vs. Frea - Chuck vs. the Muuurder

Chuck vs. the Muuuurder

Season 4, Episode 19, air-date March 21, 2011

Chuck's leadership skills are tested when someone is found murdered in Castle. Ellie picks up a hobby that worries Awesome, and Morgan is stuck in the middle when the Buy Morons take on the neighboring Large Mart.

In this episode review, Frea discusses her girlcrush on Kristin Newman, she accuses Wepdiggy of murder, and I just try to keep up with her. Good news, everyone! This was an episode both Frea and I largely enjoyed. Want to see why?

Click the link and you'll find out.

Instant Reaction: Chuck vs. the Muuurder

Tweet: The return of the Greatest Chuck Live-Tweeter of all time. T-minus five minutes. #Chuck419

Addendum: I felt like it was necessary to announce my return. It felt a bit like the moment when Jordan announced he was coming back to basketball, wearing the four-five. Or, if you don't like me, when Tiki Barber recently made a passing comment that he'd like to return to football.

As a a side note: I have eliminated a lot of my reply tweets because I felt like they didn't add anything to the discussion. That being said...


Reply Tweet, from mxpw99: I don't remember going anywhere...

Addendum: AH HAH. AH HAH HAH HAH. Very funnie, Maximus. This guy, I tell yah.


Tweet: Ellie is turning into her father. Holy crap. #Chuck419

Addendum: She's going to build a room dedicated simply to that computer, and there are going to be a bunch of backup serves and GODDAMNIT CLARA CLOSE THE DOOR and then Clara is going to go in anyway and get zapped with by a computer program that OH MY GOD IT PUTS INFORMATION IN YOUR HEAD and... wait I've heard this story before.


More after the jump, folks.

mxpw vs. Frea - Chuck vs. the A-Team

Chuck vs. the A-Team

Season 4, Episode 18, air-date March 14, 2011

Chuck worries about his job as new agents are brought in. Chuck and Sarah suspect Casey is going on rogue missions. Morgan tries to make the best of things with his new roommate.

It's the return of Klemmer! One of us (Frea) has made her opinions of the work of Klemmer well-known on this blog, up to and including the DO NOT WANT meme dog when his return was announced. So with that in mind, how did this episode fare?  Did Klemmer rightfully earn his place at the same table as LeJudkins and Newman?

You'll have to click the link to find out.

3 Reasons I Love Chuck Again (and some tips on how you can, too!)

Those of you who know me, and honestly anyone would listen is probably aware of how down I was on our little show once upon a time, back in Season 3. It got so bad that my once favorite show was suddenly causing me more grief than it was joy. That's not a good place to be. Wow, and I just read Justin's article, and I realize I'm starting to sound like that. But no worries, this is positive.

Promises.

See after the cut, if you don't believe me.

mxpw vs. Frea - Chuck vs the First Bank of Evil

Chuck vs. the First Bank of Evil
Season 4, Episode 17, original air-date February 28, 2011

So some stuff happened in the episode. I think Chuck had a mustache, Sarah was a Princess Bride, Morgan embraced the Force, Casey did...stuff, Vivian became confused, Ellie played Dr. Frankenstein, and Jeffster swore fealty to a king. And that is your episode summary, courtesy of mxpw.

Frea is fully embracing her odd circadian rhythm and is currently sleeping. And, well, when the MBO is away, the minions will play. Here's this week's review, up before Friday, though technically it wouldn't matter if it was posted on Friday. If you don't know already, no new Chuck next week. Not cool, NBC, not cool.

The Event, nobody likes you. Please go away.

Sincerely,

Angry and deprived Yvonne Strahovski fans.


***

4x17 Icons!

Had way too much energy this morning. Made icons. See, even Chuck there is happy for me. You know the drill, if you want an icon feel free to take it, but let me know in the comments that you did as a courtesy.

:)

Frea

mxpw vs. Frea - Chuck vs. the Masquerade

Chuck vs. the Masquerade

Season 4, Episode 16, original air-date February 21, 2011

Chuck and Sarah's Valentine's Day is put on hold when they must travel to England to protect an oil baron's daughter. A mysterious woman makes Casey a compelling offer. Ellie and Devon receive parenting help from an unusual source.


So it's Friday.

And the episode aired on Monday.

And here's our review. On a Friday.

You know, this is one of those times I could blame a minion.  Isn't that what I have minions for?  To blame?  You're right, even though this may have been my fault (it's been a crazy week), I'll pin this on a minion.  Ready?

The reason this review is late is Crystal's fault.  Enjoy!  Remember: I'm the shark!

- Frea

mxpw vs. Frea - Chuck vs. the Cat Squad

Chuck vs. the C.A.T. Squad

Season 4, Episode 15, original air-date February 14, 2011

Chuck gets more than he bargained for when he reunites Sarah with her former team. Morgan's ex-girlfriend is back in town.


Hey, look, it's Mini Anden, the awesome guest star of Chuck Vs. the Wookie!  Surely that means this episode has to rock, right?  

Why is everybody laughing? Guys?

To see what mxpw and I thought, hit the break.  You should be proud -- not a single one of us used the word "pussy"--oh, crap, broke that record.  Either way, you should still click the link.  We promise only about 60% of it is mxpw drooling over Mini Anden.

mxpw vs. Frea - Chuck vs. the Seduction Impossible

Chuck vs. the Seduction Impossible

Season 4, Episode 14, original air-date: February 7, 2011

Chuck, Sarah, and Casey must travel to Morocco to rescue suave former agent Roan Montgomery. Morgan meet's Alex's mother, and Mary Bartowski acclimates herself to civilian life and spends time with her new granddaughter.

Just a warning: one of us loved the episode and the other one of us is biased. How could he not be? There was belly-dancing. No, let me reiterate: there was SARAH WALKER belly-dancing. It could have been 42 minutes of nothing but Chuck reading the phone book, but as long as Sarah was belly-dancing by in that outfit at any point in the proceedings, it would be the best episode EVAR.

The cherry on top of this all? Hit the link for more.

mxpw vs. Frea - Season 4

Season Four

Chuck vs. the Anniversary - Chuck vs. the Pushmix

More than a few people have wondered what mxpw and Frea have thought of the first thirteen episodes in total.  And we hate to disappoint (well, mxpw does.  Frea gets a huge kick out of it), so we sat down to do a special edition mxpw vs. Frea.

Read our thoughts, after the break.