Chuck 5x04: Chuck Vs. the Business Trip

Original Air Date: 18 November 2011

Storyline: Chuck and Sarah attend a Buy More sales convention where they have to uncover an assassin among the employees, whose mission is to take down the new intersect. Meanwhile, Morgan has to deal with the consequences of having the intersect. At the Buy More, Jeff begins to show a different side of himself.Best Quote:

Ellie: So, tell me about your day. Fun parts only, please.
Chuck: Mm. Fun parts only. Well, this week, I had to pose as Morgan Grimes.
Devon: You would need some serious hormone injections to get a beard like that.

Review: Finally a Chuck episode that felt like the good old times! With Morgan back to his old self, Chuck and Sarah discussing how they wish they would be normal sometimes and some hilarious Jeffster scenes, this was the first time I actually liked the show since the beginning of this season.

With the hit on Morgan's life, the team needs to find a way to keep him into hiding, while finding a way to stop an unstoppable assassin with a perfect record. It took four episodes to get the intersect out of Morgan's head, but I'm now confident that the show can go back to what it was before the unfortunate day he put on those glasses and announced that he knows kung-fu.  
The action started slower than we were used to, with the most entertaining stuff starting to happen in the last 15 minutes or so. The whole Buy More retreat went on for too long, in my opinion. I found the finger-pads cool as a lie detection method and having Sarah accidentally testing herself and passing was amusing, but I got bored after a while.  
Watching Sarah reevaluate their life situation and actually be the one wanting things to be more normal was way out of character, but something I've enjoyed. I'm not a Sarah fan and have always hated her cold, distant behavior, so it's always a treat to see her act like a human being from time to time, even if that means having her natural instincts cancelled by the sole desire of having a normal friend, just like everyone else does. Something she discovered not in Jane, but in the people she works with and in Devon and Ellie, in what was an emotional toast that, fortunately, didn't close the episode.
What did was a cliffhanger: Casey getting arrested for murder by Decker, after killing off the Viper and her team in what was a classic John Casey showdown. There's a reason why he's one of the best agents the NSA ever had.
Other highlights: Morgan wanting a final display of his abilities before the intersect was removed from his head; that looked like a lot of fun and prompted Chuck to declare that he misses having the intersect. The baby yoga and the fact that Devon made friends with the other mommies faster than Ellie did. The new Jeff, now cured of the brain damage caused by carbon monoxide inhalation - a person who reads books, is an inspiration for his coworkers and is capable of throwing Lester, his best buddy, in jail for attempted murder. Also, Jeff's intuition, that opened Devon's eyes to Ellie's unhappiness for not being at home with baby Clara.
This was the best Chuck episode of the season and I really hope the show has found its way back to the way it was before the Morgan fiasco. I can't wait to see what happens with Casey now, something we'll have to wait until the useless Thanksgiving break.Chuck 5x03: Chuck vs. the Frosted Tips Back to Season 5