Chuck Versus the Best Friend
Encyclopedia
"Chuck Versus the Best Friend" is the fourteenth episode of the second season
of Chuck
. It originally aired on February 23, 2009. When Chuck Bartowski
flashes on Anna Wu's new boyfriend, Chuck is ordered to befriend Jason Wang (Jack Yang
) to determine the extent of his connections with the Triad. After Morgan Grimes
is caught snooping around, Chuck must convince the Triad that Morgan is not a threat, just a loser stalking Anna. Morgan, not knowing how close to death he just came, is hurt by Chuck's actions.
(Andy Pessoa
) is found and punched by a girl named Suzie for spying on her while in the gymnasium. Just when Suzie is going to beat Morgan, a young Chuck Bartowski
saves him. He advises Morgan to stay away from girls for at least fifteen years.
In present day, approximately fifteen years later, Morgan shows his friends at the Buy More
a picture of his ex-girlfriend Anna Wu. Morgan suspects that Anna is seeing another man, and he wants his friends, including Chuck, to spy on her to learn more about her new boyfriend. Chuck refuses to stalk Anna, but Morgan insists that he still cares about her. Chuck and the "spy crew" follow Anna to a restaurant where she is waiting for her new boyfriend. Meanwhile, John Casey
and Sarah Walker
follow Chuck to learn what is he doing. A man (Jack Yang
) arrives and greets Anna with a long kiss that Chuck and his friends can see perfectly from the van. Chuck flashes on the man's car and learns that his name is Jason Wang.
Chuck and the rest of his team arrive at Castle. As they wait for General Beckman (Bonita Friedericy
) to contact them about the Jason Wang situation, Chuck asks about the canisters that are lying around. His handlers explain that one could release a substance that can melt iron, while the other releases a peppermint knockout spray. Chuck requests the latter, as he is always vulnerable in the field. Beckman appears and reveals that, though Wang has no criminal record, he is associating with a group of Triads who have been smuggling guns and drugs in and out of Los Angeles
. To learn what Wang is doing, Chuck will have use his social connection with Anna to get close. However, Chuck dislikes the idea of betraying Morgan.
Chuck discusses the plan with Sarah and Casey, but he is not totally convinced to betray his best friend. Casey backs him up with the Marine
motto
"Semper fidelis
" (Always Faithful); However, he points out that orders come before loyalty. Meanwhile, Morgan asks Anna about the last night, but she avoids him, before finally telling him about her new boyfriend. Just when Morgan starts asking too many questions, Chuck enters and saves Morgan from embarrassment. Morgan leaves his friend with Anna and Chuck takes the opportunity to ask her for a double date with Sarah and her new boyfriend, due to Casey's prodding. She happily invites them to a party Jason is throwing that very evening.
Chuck discusses the plan with Sarah and Casey, and they decide that Sarah and Chuck will infiltrate the party as a couple. While Chuck tries to flash on anything useful, Sarah will plant a bug
to monitor their movements. Chuck creates a sub-mission to convince Anna of what she is missing without Morgan. Chuck and Sarah enter the party, which is reveals to be an auto auction. They meet Anna right away and while Sarah continues the mission, Chuck starts trying to convince Anna to rekindle her relationship with Morgan. Jason then arrives and Anna introduces him to Sarah and Chuck. Meanwhile, Morgan spies on Anna from outside the building and discovers his best friend shaking hands with his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend.
Chuck flashes on the many Triad members at the auction, but Sarah gets involved with Anna in a conversation, so Chuck has to continue the mission on his own. He follows the Triad members to a garage nearby and hears them talking about a shipment. Sarah talks with Anna about Morgan, and Anna is not sure about Jason, so Sarah takes advantage of it and talks her into returning to Morgan. Security guards receive an intruder code, leading Sarah and Casey to believe that Chuck was caught. However, the Triads bring in Morgan. Chuck runs to save his best friend's life, but doing so, he humiliates him in front of Anna and Jason, convincing everyone that he is just a stalker. Morgan is spared, but the Triad discovers the bug Chuck planted at the garage and they believe that Morgan really is a spy.
At the Buy More
, Chuck tries to convince Morgan that he saved his life, but he cannot explain without compromising his cover. Chuck explains to Sarah that Morgan is more than a friend; he is part of the family. Sarah tells him that if they do not know the contents of the Triad shipment, everyone's best friend will be hurt.
Meanwhile, Triad enters the Buy More looking for Morgan, so Chuck incapacitates Morgan with the knockout spray puts him in a large home theater box to sneak him out of the store. Anna stops Chuck to point out an interview with Jason on TV. Chuck flashes on a Rolls-Royce
purchased by Mei Sheng (James Kiriyama-Lem), the ambassador to China. Chuck alerts Casey and Sarah that the ambassador is going to be killed. Chuck returns to Morgan, only to find that the Triad has taken the box and put it in a van.
Sarah, Casey, and Chuck drive the embassy to alert the ambassador of the plot to kill him. Chuck does not trust them to save Morgan, so he the Triad members that kidnapped Morgan and watches them put him in the trunk of the ambassador's car. After he alerts Casey and Sarah to get to the car, Chuck flashes on the car horn and realizes that the Triads are planning on blowing up the car. Chuck drives up in the Herder to warn the ambassador, who presumes that Chuck is a Triad member and drives away. As Chuck chases the ambassador's car, Casey arrives and clings onto the Herder's roof. Chuck refuses to let Casey inside the Herder, knowing that he would focus on the ambassador instead of Morgan. Casey agrees to help save Morgan. As soon as Casey rappels inside, he removes a remote control from the glove box to catch up with the ambassador. When the ambassador's car stops, Casey exits, but the guards do not believe that he is in the NSA
and push him to the ground.
Chuck removes the bomb from the ambassador's car and drives away with it in the Herder. After incapacitating the Triad leader "Smooth" Lau (Jennifer Jalene) by slamming her head against the car's steering wheel until the airbag
is triggered, Sarah uses her CIA
credentials to release Casey. She sees the Herder driving a short distance away before exploding. Sarah and Casey stare in disbelief at the though that Chuck just sacrificed himself, but Chuck reveals that he just used the remote to drive it away.
Chuck opens the trunk of the Rolls-Royce and takes Morgan's snoring body back to the Buy More and explains that he fainted. Morgan apologize to Chuck for his attitude and they make peace. Sarah, Casey and Chuck learn from Beckman that the whole Triad group was taken into custody, included Jason. The ambassador is left with a renewed vigor to crack down on Triad activities in the United States
and overseas. Beckman excuses herself to attend to other plans, drinking with Dr. Condoleezza Rice
, revealing that even she has friends.
Sarah apologizes to Chuck saying she for being insensitive about his bond with Morgan, admitting the difficulty for her to see that knowing she has no one in her life to care for her. Chuck insists that she does and holds her hand. As Toto
's song "Africa
" plays throughout the whole store (see Ellie, Devon, and Jeffster!), Morgan talks to Anna about his feelings, and she takes him back with a kiss.
. Devon asks Chuck to help him find the band. Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel, the titular members of the band Jeffster!
, learn that Chuck is looking for a band to hire for his sister's wedding. They tell Chuck that they would love to play at the wedding, but Chuck declines without hesitation.
Later, the Nerd Herd receives an urgent call from Ellie. She has a computer emergency and wants Chuck to fix it, but he is unavailable. Luckily for her, Jeff and Lester want an opportunity to audition to play at Ellie's wedding, so they take the call and go to fix the computer. After they finish working, they move things around to set up their audition, but Lester nervously leaves at the last minute.
Jeff later asks Chuck about the impression they made at Ellie's house, but Chuck is ignorant. Jeff goes to Ellie's apartment for another audition, and Devon agrees. Ellie and Devon politely arrive at the Buy More to watch Jeffster!, though they deny any possibility of actually hiring the band. The band starts play the song "Africa" and the music invades the whole store.
", but the airing order was swapped in the United States
due to the former being preempted for a presidential speech. As "Chuck Versus the Suburbs" has a Valentine's Day
theme, it was aired on its intended date in the week of Valentine's Day. "Chuck Versus the Best Friend", however, continues plot points introduced in "Chuck Versus Santa Claus
", with Morgan believing that Anna is unfaithful to him. This resulted in a continuity error, as Morgan remarks in "Chuck Versus the Suburbs" that he and Chuck have girlfriends for the holiday, yet he and Anna have broken up by the next episode.
The episode revealed that Jeff and Lester had a band, Jeffster!, a recurring plot point throughout the rest of the series.
's song "Lose Yourself
".
gave the episode an A-, calling it "incredibly enjoyable" and enjoying Anna's return from a two-episode absence. Heisler concluded, "My only major complaint: Will they ever end an episode without Sarah and Chuck longingly glancing at each other, silently wishing for the quiet, datey life they can never achieve?"
Eric Goldman of IGN
gave the episode a 9.4 out of 10, writing, "This was a highly entertaining episode of Chuck, which did a great job of making use of almost the entire cast in fun and inventive ways... Even though Chuck maintains a primarily humorous tone, the show continues to do an excellent job at keeping the relationships feeling genuine, even in the midst of some very heightened situations." Goldman called Sarah's fight scene "simultaneously the most violent and sexiest one yet on this series."
The episode drew 6.592 million viewers, the lowest number up to that point.
Chuck (season 2)
The second season of Chuck contains 22 episodes and was originally aired from September 29, 2008 to April 27, 2009. The season continues to focus on Chuck's constant struggle to keep his spy life and real life apart as he becomes more accustomed to being a spy. More background on the Intersect...
of Chuck
Chuck (TV series)
Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...
. It originally aired on February 23, 2009. When Chuck Bartowski
Chuck Bartowski
Charles Irving "Chuck" Bartowski is the main and titular character of the American fiction television show Chuck on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi.-Character profile:...
flashes on Anna Wu's new boyfriend, Chuck is ordered to befriend Jason Wang (Jack Yang
Jack Yang
Jack Y. Yang was a Harvard scientist and chair of board of directors of International Society of Intelligent Biological Medicine . As of 2011, he is the Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design ....
) to determine the extent of his connections with the Triad. After Morgan Grimes
Morgan Grimes
Morgan Guillermo Grimes is a major character on the television series Chuck. He is portrayed by actor Joshua Gomez, and is the best friend of Chuck Bartowski....
is caught snooping around, Chuck must convince the Triad that Morgan is not a threat, just a loser stalking Anna. Morgan, not knowing how close to death he just came, is hurt by Chuck's actions.
Main plot
A young Morgan GrimesMorgan Grimes
Morgan Guillermo Grimes is a major character on the television series Chuck. He is portrayed by actor Joshua Gomez, and is the best friend of Chuck Bartowski....
(Andy Pessoa
Andy Pessoa
Andrew Stephan Pessoa is an American teen actor. His first leading role was in the 2006 independent short film Fishy, which was directed by Laurie Epstein...
) is found and punched by a girl named Suzie for spying on her while in the gymnasium. Just when Suzie is going to beat Morgan, a young Chuck Bartowski
Chuck Bartowski
Charles Irving "Chuck" Bartowski is the main and titular character of the American fiction television show Chuck on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi.-Character profile:...
saves him. He advises Morgan to stay away from girls for at least fifteen years.
In present day, approximately fifteen years later, Morgan shows his friends at the Buy More
Buy More
Buy More is a fictional big box electronics retail chain in NBC's action-comedy series Chuck. The Buy More is a parody of similar chains, particularly Best Buy....
a picture of his ex-girlfriend Anna Wu. Morgan suspects that Anna is seeing another man, and he wants his friends, including Chuck, to spy on her to learn more about her new boyfriend. Chuck refuses to stalk Anna, but Morgan insists that he still cares about her. Chuck and the "spy crew" follow Anna to a restaurant where she is waiting for her new boyfriend. Meanwhile, John Casey
John Casey (Chuck)
Colonel John Casey is portrayed by actor Adam Baldwin on the television show Chuck on NBC. Prior to the episode "Chuck Versus the Tic Tac," he was partnered with CIA agent Sarah Walker to protect Chuck Bartowski....
and Sarah Walker
Sarah Walker (Chuck)
Sarah Lisa Bartowski is the alias of one of the main characters of the fictional television show Chuck on NBC. She is portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski and is one of two agents assigned by the NSA and CIA to protect Chuck Bartowski after he unwittingly downloads the secret government computer known...
follow Chuck to learn what is he doing. A man (Jack Yang
Jack Yang
Jack Y. Yang was a Harvard scientist and chair of board of directors of International Society of Intelligent Biological Medicine . As of 2011, he is the Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design ....
) arrives and greets Anna with a long kiss that Chuck and his friends can see perfectly from the van. Chuck flashes on the man's car and learns that his name is Jason Wang.
Chuck and the rest of his team arrive at Castle. As they wait for General Beckman (Bonita Friedericy
Bonita Friedericy
Bonita Friedericy is an American actress. She currently can be seen in the television series Chuck as NSA Director Diane Beckman. She has also appeared on Malcolm in the Middle, Veronica Mars, Star Trek: Enterprise, Bones, The Nine, The West Wing, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and in the film...
) to contact them about the Jason Wang situation, Chuck asks about the canisters that are lying around. His handlers explain that one could release a substance that can melt iron, while the other releases a peppermint knockout spray. Chuck requests the latter, as he is always vulnerable in the field. Beckman appears and reveals that, though Wang has no criminal record, he is associating with a group of Triads who have been smuggling guns and drugs in and out of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. To learn what Wang is doing, Chuck will have use his social connection with Anna to get close. However, Chuck dislikes the idea of betraying Morgan.
Chuck discusses the plan with Sarah and Casey, but he is not totally convinced to betray his best friend. Casey backs him up with the Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
"Semper fidelis
Semper fidelis
Semper Fidelis is Latin for "Always Faithful" or "Always Loyal". Well known in the United States as the motto of the United States Marine Corps , Semper Fidelis has served as a slogan for many families and entities, in many countries, dated to have been started no later than the 16th century...
" (Always Faithful); However, he points out that orders come before loyalty. Meanwhile, Morgan asks Anna about the last night, but she avoids him, before finally telling him about her new boyfriend. Just when Morgan starts asking too many questions, Chuck enters and saves Morgan from embarrassment. Morgan leaves his friend with Anna and Chuck takes the opportunity to ask her for a double date with Sarah and her new boyfriend, due to Casey's prodding. She happily invites them to a party Jason is throwing that very evening.
Chuck discusses the plan with Sarah and Casey, and they decide that Sarah and Chuck will infiltrate the party as a couple. While Chuck tries to flash on anything useful, Sarah will plant a bug
Covert listening device
A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and in police investigations.A bug does not have to be a device...
to monitor their movements. Chuck creates a sub-mission to convince Anna of what she is missing without Morgan. Chuck and Sarah enter the party, which is reveals to be an auto auction. They meet Anna right away and while Sarah continues the mission, Chuck starts trying to convince Anna to rekindle her relationship with Morgan. Jason then arrives and Anna introduces him to Sarah and Chuck. Meanwhile, Morgan spies on Anna from outside the building and discovers his best friend shaking hands with his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend.
Chuck flashes on the many Triad members at the auction, but Sarah gets involved with Anna in a conversation, so Chuck has to continue the mission on his own. He follows the Triad members to a garage nearby and hears them talking about a shipment. Sarah talks with Anna about Morgan, and Anna is not sure about Jason, so Sarah takes advantage of it and talks her into returning to Morgan. Security guards receive an intruder code, leading Sarah and Casey to believe that Chuck was caught. However, the Triads bring in Morgan. Chuck runs to save his best friend's life, but doing so, he humiliates him in front of Anna and Jason, convincing everyone that he is just a stalker. Morgan is spared, but the Triad discovers the bug Chuck planted at the garage and they believe that Morgan really is a spy.
At the Buy More
Buy More
Buy More is a fictional big box electronics retail chain in NBC's action-comedy series Chuck. The Buy More is a parody of similar chains, particularly Best Buy....
, Chuck tries to convince Morgan that he saved his life, but he cannot explain without compromising his cover. Chuck explains to Sarah that Morgan is more than a friend; he is part of the family. Sarah tells him that if they do not know the contents of the Triad shipment, everyone's best friend will be hurt.
Meanwhile, Triad enters the Buy More looking for Morgan, so Chuck incapacitates Morgan with the knockout spray puts him in a large home theater box to sneak him out of the store. Anna stops Chuck to point out an interview with Jason on TV. Chuck flashes on a Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Motors
Rolls-Royce Motors was created from the de-merger of the Rolls-Royce car business from Rolls-Royce Limited in 1973. The original Rolls-Royce Limited had been nationalised in 1971 due to the financial collapse of the company, caused in part by the development of the RB211 jet engine...
purchased by Mei Sheng (James Kiriyama-Lem), the ambassador to China. Chuck alerts Casey and Sarah that the ambassador is going to be killed. Chuck returns to Morgan, only to find that the Triad has taken the box and put it in a van.
Sarah, Casey, and Chuck drive the embassy to alert the ambassador of the plot to kill him. Chuck does not trust them to save Morgan, so he the Triad members that kidnapped Morgan and watches them put him in the trunk of the ambassador's car. After he alerts Casey and Sarah to get to the car, Chuck flashes on the car horn and realizes that the Triads are planning on blowing up the car. Chuck drives up in the Herder to warn the ambassador, who presumes that Chuck is a Triad member and drives away. As Chuck chases the ambassador's car, Casey arrives and clings onto the Herder's roof. Chuck refuses to let Casey inside the Herder, knowing that he would focus on the ambassador instead of Morgan. Casey agrees to help save Morgan. As soon as Casey rappels inside, he removes a remote control from the glove box to catch up with the ambassador. When the ambassador's car stops, Casey exits, but the guards do not believe that he is in the NSA
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
and push him to the ground.
Chuck removes the bomb from the ambassador's car and drives away with it in the Herder. After incapacitating the Triad leader "Smooth" Lau (Jennifer Jalene) by slamming her head against the car's steering wheel until the airbag
Airbag
An Airbag is a vehicle safety device. It is an occupant restraint consisting of a flexible envelope designed to inflate rapidly during an automobile collision, to prevent occupants from striking interior objects such as the steering wheel or a window...
is triggered, Sarah uses her CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
credentials to release Casey. She sees the Herder driving a short distance away before exploding. Sarah and Casey stare in disbelief at the though that Chuck just sacrificed himself, but Chuck reveals that he just used the remote to drive it away.
Chuck opens the trunk of the Rolls-Royce and takes Morgan's snoring body back to the Buy More and explains that he fainted. Morgan apologize to Chuck for his attitude and they make peace. Sarah, Casey and Chuck learn from Beckman that the whole Triad group was taken into custody, included Jason. The ambassador is left with a renewed vigor to crack down on Triad activities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and overseas. Beckman excuses herself to attend to other plans, drinking with Dr. Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
, revealing that even she has friends.
Sarah apologizes to Chuck saying she for being insensitive about his bond with Morgan, admitting the difficulty for her to see that knowing she has no one in her life to care for her. Chuck insists that she does and holds her hand. As Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
's song "Africa
Africa (Toto song)
"Africa" is a song by rock band Toto, and one of the band's most recognizable songs. It was included on their 1982 album Toto IV, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1983 and number three on the UK Singles Chart the same month...
" plays throughout the whole store (see Ellie, Devon, and Jeffster!), Morgan talks to Anna about his feelings, and she takes him back with a kiss.
Ellie, Devon, and Jeffster!
Ellie Bartowski and her boyfriend Devon Woodcomb discuss their wedding plans. She asks him to help her with the items on her "To-Do" list, and he agrees to help her with the flowers, the music, and the wedding cakeWedding cake
A wedding cake is the traditional cake served to the guests at a wedding reception after a wedding. In modern Western culture, it is usually a large cake, multi-layered or tiered, and heavily decorated with icing, usually over a layer of marzipan or fondant...
. Devon asks Chuck to help him find the band. Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel, the titular members of the band Jeffster!
Jeffster!
Jeffster! is a fictional cover band on the television series Chuck. Its principal members are Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel , both of whom work in the Nerd Herd division of the Buy More...
, learn that Chuck is looking for a band to hire for his sister's wedding. They tell Chuck that they would love to play at the wedding, but Chuck declines without hesitation.
Later, the Nerd Herd receives an urgent call from Ellie. She has a computer emergency and wants Chuck to fix it, but he is unavailable. Luckily for her, Jeff and Lester want an opportunity to audition to play at Ellie's wedding, so they take the call and go to fix the computer. After they finish working, they move things around to set up their audition, but Lester nervously leaves at the last minute.
Jeff later asks Chuck about the impression they made at Ellie's house, but Chuck is ignorant. Jeff goes to Ellie's apartment for another audition, and Devon agrees. Ellie and Devon politely arrive at the Buy More to watch Jeffster!, though they deny any possibility of actually hiring the band. The band starts play the song "Africa" and the music invades the whole store.
Production
"Chuck Versus the Best Friend" was produced before "Chuck Versus the SuburbsChuck Versus the Suburbs
"Chuck Versus the Suburbs" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of Chuck. It originally aired on February 16, 2009. General Beckman sends Chuck Bartowski, Sarah Walker, and John Casey to an Los Angeles suburb on an undercover mission, with Chuck and Sarah posing as a married couple...
", but the airing order was swapped in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
due to the former being preempted for a presidential speech. As "Chuck Versus the Suburbs" has a Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
theme, it was aired on its intended date in the week of Valentine's Day. "Chuck Versus the Best Friend", however, continues plot points introduced in "Chuck Versus Santa Claus
Chuck Versus Santa Claus
"Chuck Versus Santa Claus" is the eleventh episode of the second season of Chuck, and the 24th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Robert Duncan McNeill and written by Scott Rosenbaum. It originally aired December 15, 2008....
", with Morgan believing that Anna is unfaithful to him. This resulted in a continuity error, as Morgan remarks in "Chuck Versus the Suburbs" that he and Chuck have girlfriends for the holiday, yet he and Anna have broken up by the next episode.
The episode revealed that Jeff and Lester had a band, Jeffster!, a recurring plot point throughout the rest of the series.
Music
- "Been Caught StealingBeen Caught Stealing"Been Caught Stealing" is a song by Jane's Addiction. The song was released on their 1990 album, Ritual de lo Habitual, and was re-released on their 2006 compilation Up From The Catacombs. The song was Jane's Addiction's biggest hit, spending 4 weeks at #1 on the U.S. modern rock chart.-In popular...
" by Jane's AddictionJane's AddictionJane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times... - "Momma's Boy" by ChromeoChromeoChromeo is an electrofunk duo formed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 2004.-History:Chromeo is composed of P-Thugg on keyboards, synthesizers, and talk box, and Dave 1 on guitar and lead vocals...
- "Why Do These Parties Always End the Same Way?" by Benji HughesBenji HughesBenji Hughes is an American artist from Charlotte, North Carolina. On July 22, 2008, Benji Hughes released his debut album, entitled A Love Extreme on New West Records. A Love Extreme is a double-disc album containing 25 songs...
- "Wannamama" by Pop LeviPop LeviPop Levi is an English singer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and filmmaker. Pop Levi's career started in Liverpool. He was the founding member, along with Snap Ant and Loka, of Super Numeri, and has played bass for Ladytron both on record and on tour...
- "AfricaAfrica (Toto song)"Africa" is a song by rock band Toto, and one of the band's most recognizable songs. It was included on their 1982 album Toto IV, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1983 and number three on the UK Singles Chart the same month...
" by TotoToto (band)Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
Cultural references
Jeff convinces Lester to participate in the audition by reciting the opening lines of EminemEminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
's song "Lose Yourself
Lose Yourself
"Lose Yourself" is an Academy Award winning song by American hip-hop artist Eminem, released as the first single from the original soundtrack to the movie 8 Mile on October 22, 2002. It was written and produced by Eminem himself, along with longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the...
".
Reception
"Chuck Versus the Best Friend" received positive reviews from critics. Steve Heisler of The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode an A-, calling it "incredibly enjoyable" and enjoying Anna's return from a two-episode absence. Heisler concluded, "My only major complaint: Will they ever end an episode without Sarah and Chuck longingly glancing at each other, silently wishing for the quiet, datey life they can never achieve?"
Eric Goldman of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode a 9.4 out of 10, writing, "This was a highly entertaining episode of Chuck, which did a great job of making use of almost the entire cast in fun and inventive ways... Even though Chuck maintains a primarily humorous tone, the show continues to do an excellent job at keeping the relationships feeling genuine, even in the midst of some very heightened situations." Goldman called Sarah's fight scene "simultaneously the most violent and sexiest one yet on this series."
The episode drew 6.592 million viewers, the lowest number up to that point.