Five Delightful Things about Monday's Awesome 'Chuck' Episode (VIDEO)

Ryan McGee capably reviewed 'Chuck' here, but I had to share a few thoughts about Monday's 'Chuck versus the Push Mix,' a delightful and epic episode of the show. It played like a season finale -- and in fact, it could have been one had NBC not ordered additional season 4 episodes of 'Chuck.'

So never fear, we'll get 11 more 'Chuck' episodes over the next few months, but will any of them be as wall-to-wall enjoyable as 'Push Mix'? Will any of them contain performances that top Jeffster's hilarious rendition of 'Push It'? I doubt it.

Without further ado, here are my Five Favorite Things about 'Chuck versus the Push Mix':

1. Jeffster! The duo's rendition of 'Push It' is now my favorite Jeffster! performance of all time. I had an unhealthy love for that song well before the Buy More's finest musicians took it on, but seeing them bust that out in the maternity waiting room, while wearing very Salt-N-Pepa leather jackets ... I don't have words. When Jeffster! rocked the mothers-to-be, truly epic hilarity ensued.


2. Morgan in his flippers. Morgan's wide-eyed delight and his nerdy terror as he moves into the world of espionage has been one of the best things about season 4 of 'Chuck.' He's now one of my favorite parts of the show, and he's more necessary than ever, now that Chuck is more sure of himself (and often less of a comedic character). In any event, when Chuck and Morgan arrived at the Contessa, Morgan's attempt to infiltrate the ship with his swim flippers still on was a thing of comic genius. If there's an 'Aquaman' movie or a 'Man from Atlantis' remake in the works, I think they've just found their leading man. Actually, why revisit an old franchise? I see 'Yoga Seal' as a multiplex blockbuster.

3. Chuck's clever plan to take down Volkoff. I like that Chuck took the fight to the bad guy, who wasn't just some shadowy cabal a la The Ring. Chuck got revenge for his father, punished Volkoff for keeping his mom in his clutches and helped Sarah finish off her dangerous (and let's face it, somewhat rushed) undercover mission. I don't want to get into too much detail about season 4 as a whole, because I think it's been a fairly typical season of the show -- some episodes are weak and messy, some are solid, some are very, very good (i.e., 'Chuck versus Phase Three') and some are just middling but have enough funny or enough heart to make up for whatever flaws there are. But as Ryan pointed out, 'Push Mix' shows what 'Chuck' is capable of when it's firing on all cylinders -- when it has a compelling villain, a lot of inspired humor and a series of tightly linked stories that progress logically and have satisfying conclusions. The Volkoff wrap-up was especially satisfying, given that it showed Chuck at his most proactive, it invoked the memory of the legendary Orion and it brought Mom home. Well played all around.

4. The proposal. Sometimes the moment is just right. I love that it was silent. Given all we've been through with these crazy kids, did we really need to hear what they said? Sometimes epic romance happens in hospital hallways.

5. The badass women of 'Chuck.' Seeing Mary Elizabeth Bartowski and Sarah bring down Volkoff's bad guys together was a nice reminder that Chuck is one lucky dude to have such women in his life. Also, I would just like it known that if 'Chuck' gets a fifth season, I want it to focus almost entirely on the doings of the Giant Blonde She-Male of Thailand.

A few other fun things: John Casey, of course (even from a hospital bed or a wheelchair, his grunting and good-hearted crankiness are delightful. And of course he could take out a bad guy even in his unarmed, injured state); Sarah's spider device; Volkoff's comical villainy, which managed to be both menacing and delightfully unhinged (well done, Timothy Dalton); "I have to unhear that! How do I unhear that?"; "He has no respect for the unborn"; "Is this a bathroom?" "No, this is hell!"; the fact that the Contessa had an old-fashioned ice cream parlor (which Volkoff took time to enjoy); "When we get back, we have to have a serious discussion on the benefits of trank guns"; Morgan's laser yoga; Morgan in the trench coat; Awesome's panic at the impending arrival of baby Clara ("Perfect plan not perfect!!"); Ellie's "Oh God!" when she first heard Jeffster's music; the nice family moments among the Awesomes, the Bartowskis and the Caseys.

My guess is, if and when the series ends, it'll end with a double wedding for Chuck and Morgan...

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