Morgan Grimes
From Chuck Wiki
Morgan 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.
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[edit] Biography
Morgan Grimes and Chuck Bartowski have been best friends for most of their lives, dating back at least as early as the 5th grade. Much of the time has been spent being looked out for and protected by Chuck, including from bullies, but Morgan has also been there for him through many of the most difficult moments of Chuck's life. When Chuck and Ellie's mother left, Morgan was there even though they were both too young to understand what it meant.[1] He also was there to provide support when Chuck was expelled from Stanford and Jill dumped him for Bryce Larkin.
As close as he is to Chuck, Morgan's relationship with Chuck's sister Ellie has been more complex. His long-time crush on Ellie is widely-known,[2][3] and in the mid-90s she established a "No Touch" policy.[4] He's known to have hidden under Ellie's bed when younger to watch her undress.[5]
His mother's name is Bolonia (Patricia Rae), but little is known about his father other than he and Bolonia are no longer together.[6] Morgan has implied in at least one episode even his own mother doesn't think much of him.[7] Morgan is also the only Hispanic employed at the Burbank Buy More.[5] As a child he was teased with the nickname "Organ."[8]
[edit] Series
Morgan is unaware of Chuck's secret life. For much of the first season, Morgan was primarily used for comic relief in Chuck's personal life, although as the series progressed he began to develop and gained more independence from his use as Chuck's foil. However like Ellie and Devon Woodcomb Morgan has rarely been directly involved with the main plot of the episode. Much of Morgan's development as a character has continued to center around his friendship with Chuck and events at the Buy More.
On occasion, Morgan has been drawn into the main story. In "Chuck Versus the Wookie," Sarah agreed to get him a date with her DEA friend Carina, in part to distract her from getting too curious about Chuck, and Carina later hid the diamond she stole in Morgan's bag. He was inadvertently involved in the events of "Chuck Versus the Crown Vic" and "Chuck Versus the Marlin." Morgan's biggest role in the main plots were in "Chuck Versus Santa Claus," where he played a key role in helping Awesome and "Big Mike" subdue Ned, and in "Chuck Versus the Best Friend," when he is misidentified by Smooth Lau as a spy. Morgan has also at times unwittingly given Chuck ideas that allow him to complete a mission.[9][7][10]
Morgan is typically the main focus of the Buy More subplots, and as the series progressed he has begun to see more responsibility in the store. He was asked by "Big Mike" to help Poppy Tang pick out a gift for Harry,[11] and was twice placed in charge of preparing the store for Black Friday.[2][12] Morgan was also involved with helping Chuck interview candidates for the assistant manager's position in the first part of season two, before deciding the position by pitting Jeff and Lester against themselves in a Thunderdome fight in the storage cage.[13] Morgan also led revolts against Harry Tang[14] and Lester[15] when they each exceeded their authority as assistant manager. Ironically, he became assistant manager himself under Emmett, until he quit the Buy More to pursue his dream as a Benihana chef in Hawaii.[16]
[edit] Development
In March, 2007, Joshua Gomez was cast in what was then the role of "Morgan Pace," Joining Zachary Levi, (Chuck) Yvonne Strahovski, (Sarah) and Adam Baldwin (John Casey).[17] Prior to the beginning of filming his last name was changed to Grimes. Much like the character he portrays, Gomez is an avid gamer. Additionally, Levi and Gomez quickly established a close friendship when production began and Levi describes themselves as "Two little peas in a pod."[18]
As the series has progressed, the show involved less of the relationship between Chuck and Morgan. Morgan began to feature more into the Buy More sub-plots, and although Gomez enjoys them, misses the interaction between Chuck and Morgan from earlier in the series.[19] Gomez has also expressed an interest in being involved in more of the show's action.[20]
At WonderCon 2009, it was indicated Big Mike will be upgrading Morgan's position at the Buy More.[21]
[edit] Personality
Morgan begins the series as very immature and spends most of his time working, hanging out with Chuck and playing video games. He is involved with numerous antics in the store, including "Mystery Crisper," where Anna Wu remarks he can eat anything. He has also nearly gotten in trouble for sexual harassment and skipped work to visit an arcade.[22] He's destroyed a store display computer by picking up a virus when surfing for porn,[9] is frequently involved with misuse of store equipment, such as running a TV show guessing competition on the video wall[14] and using the storage cage for a Thunderdome match to determine the new assistant store manager.[15] Chuck has also told Morgan he's not allowed access to Chuck's advanced demos of new games without "adult supervision."[23] Morgan has also been known to "borrow" Buy More's DVDs off the shelf, copying them, and then re-shrinkwrapping them before returning them.[15] Morgan is frequently shown to be carrying around a bag with Tyrell Corporation printed on it, an obvious homage to the corporation of the same name in the 1980s movie Blade Runner. When Morgan and Anna first explored moving in together, he borrowed $2500 from Captain Awesome for a deposit on an apartment, which he then impulsively spent on a used, broken-down Delorean.[24] He later tried to repel Anna when she found an apartment lease intended for Chuck and himself, mistakenly believing it was for them.[25] Morgan is the best Call of Duty 4 player in the store.[26]
He has, however, shown signs of growing responsibility. Big Mike placed him in charge of the store for Black Friday in both seasons.[12][2] However, Morgan himself is not a very good salesman.[5] After initially trying to dissuade Anna from moving in with him, he realized he truly did want to be with her and accepted.[25] However, Morgan has evidently never finalized living arrangements with Anna and still lives with his mother.[27] Morgan has also supported Ellie when she went through a rough spot with Devon[4] and worked with Lester, Jeff, and Emmett to try to find Big Mike a date after his divorce.[6]
Morgan's most important relationship is his friendship with Chuck, and he has shown himself willing to go to extreme lengths for his friend. Like Ellie, Morgan can be highly protective, and when she tried to push Chuck into moving forward with his life, Morgan got into an argument with her on what sort of five-year plan he needed.[28] He was there when Chuck's mother left them, and also helped support him when he was expelled from Stanford. Morgan was distressed to learn that Ellie supported Chuck's intent to break up with Sarah late in the second season, and quickly reminded her that Sarah was the best thing to have happened to Chuck since Jill cheated on him.[29] He was also upset when he thought Chuck was cheating on Sarah with Jill.[12] Morgan stood up to Milbarge to protect Chuck,[10] and when Chuck skipped his interview to stop a rogue government asset from setting off a bomb, Morgan tried unsuccessfully to interview on his behalf.[22] He is also very nosy about Chuck's personal life and believes his approval of Chuck's girlfriends is important.[26]
Morgan's other major relationship is with his on again/off again girlfriend Anna Wu, who also works at the Buy More as a member of the Nerd Herd. Although Morgan's behavior at times borders on stalkerish,[7][1] he cares about her a great deal. In "Chuck Versus the Colonel," he asks Anna to accompany him to Hawaii while he trains to be a Benihana chef.
A recurring thread throughout much of the first season is Morgan's obsessive love for Ellie Bartowski, which is not reciprocated. However as the series progressed, the two came to an understanding and developed something of a friendship after bonding over an "I miss Chuck" moment.[5] Morgan has admitted that he sees Ellie as a sister, albeit one with whom he wants to have sex.[4] Morgan's crush on Ellie generated some problems in "Chuck Versus the Nemesis" when he brought Anna Wu to Thanksgiving dinner.
[edit] The Morgan
In "Chuck Versus the First Kill" Chuck introduces a move he calls "The Morgan." It is performed by twisting the body to the side and raising one knee to cover the groin, while covering both face and groin with his hands. According to Chuck, Morgan used this stance to protect himself from being hit in school, often by girls.
[edit] References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Chuck Versus the Best Friend"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Chuck Versus the Nemesis"
- ↑ Captain Awesome's Blog: Captain Awesome's Tips for Being Awesome
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Chuck Versus the Undercover Lover"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Chuck Versus the Sizzling Shrimp"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Chuck Versus the Suburbs"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Chuck Versus the Crown Vic"
- ↑ "Chuck Versus the Wookie"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Chuck Versus the Intersect"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Chuck Versus the Fat Lady"
- ↑ "Chuck Versus the Truth"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Chuck Versus the Gravitron"
- ↑ "Chuck Versus the First Date"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Chuck Versus the Alma Mater"
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "Chuck Versus the Seduction"
- ↑ "Chuck vs. the Colonel"
- ↑ Development Update: Friday, March 16, The Futon Critic
- ↑ IGN.com: Chuck Versus the Lost Producter
- ↑ Interview, November 17, 2008: BuddyTV.com interview with Joshua Gomez
- ↑ Attack of the Show: Attack of the Show Video Preview
- ↑ WonderCon, March 2, 2009: WonderCon Spoilers
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Chuck Versus the Sandworm"
- ↑ "Chuck Versus the Marlin"
- ↑ "Chuck Versus the Delorean"
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Chuck Versus the Lethal Weapon"
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Chuck Versus the Imported Hard Salami"
- ↑ "Chuck vs. the Predator"
- ↑ "Chuck Versus the Helicopter"
- ↑ "Chuck vs. the Beefcake"
