‘Chuck’ throws down like an '80s action movie

I went to watch last night’s “Chuck” and ended up in the middle of an ‘80s action movie… and it was AWESOME! (Note to aspiring super-villains: Don’t kidnap a spy whose girlfriend can wreak havoc across an entire country on her way to finding him. Just a little tip from me to you.)

Chuck needs to flash. I mean, he REALLY needs to flash… like now… before he has his entire brain wiped clean. But no matter how many dream sequences he walks through, he just can’t do it.

Give Chuck some credit though; he recognizes that he’s in a dream each and every time. The original premise of this whole show was that Chuck is a bumbling goofball, but he’s also incredibly brilliant, and I thought the dream recognition was a nice way of reminding us just how well and quickly his brain works. Plus, it gave me some hope that he can continue his spy career even if he never flashes again.

The dream sequences played out exactly like you would expect, but each one upped the ante in terms of how manic it became (Lester’s laugh may haunt MY dreams). The Belgian (guest star Richard Chamberlain, who really didn’t have a whole lot to do) asks what it might be like to watch your life disappear. Based on what we get to see, it’s visually impressive but more than a little bit scary.

While Chuck’s fighting through his subconscious, Sarah’s kicking butt out in the real world. Speaking of the original premise, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen the take-no-prisoners spy that Sarah started off as, because her relationship with Chuck has brought out her emotions. But kidnap her boyfriend, and she is ready to throw down! Probably didn’t help matters that she found out Chuck’s planning to propose.

That brings me back to that ‘80s action movie comment. “Chuck” does a great job with pop culture references, and you can’t tell me the show wasn’t working in a few here. That rising-out-of-the-water shot was straight out of “Apocalypse Now.” Walking into the bar of bad guys was a cross between “The Three Amigos” and “Crouching Tiger.” And that bare-knuckle fight was like three Jean-Claude Van Damme movies rolled together. (Oh poor, forgotten “Bloodsport.”)

Sarah’s scorched earth campaign was amazing, and it offered an added bonus by showcasing Casey’s loyalty. Given his original by-the-books personality (I’m all about the origins this week), the dedication that he shows to Sarah and Chuck is some serious character development.

Of course, Sarah does rescue Chuck. (Although, another friendly tip: If you’re saving someone who’s hooked up to a machine that may or may not be dastardly, don’t just rip the electrodes off his head. A little common sense is all I’m asking for, people.)

Turns out, Chuck is fine, despite the fact that he was seconds away from being completely lobotomized. Best not to think too much about that one. The only question now is what exactly did Ellie and Awesome discover on her dad’s secret computer? I guess we’ll have to tune in next week to find out. Well played, show. Well played.