References To Popular Culture
- Scott Bakula says "Oh boy!" when confronted by Ellie about how he abandoned them after promising her pancakes for dinner. This is in reference to Bakula's character Dr. Samuel Beckett on the series Quantum Leap.
- Quantum Leap was also referenced in the opening promotion before airing, when Bakula announced the start of Chuck by mentioning he'd "been here before, but that's quite a leap." Quantum Leap also aired on NBC.
- Bakula joins the list of actors, including Tony Todd, Robert Picardo and Robert Duncan McNeill who have been connected to the Star Trek franchise. Bakula played Captain Jonathan Archer in the series Star Trek: Enterprise.
- Ted Roark is a caricature of various business and corporate technology leaders including Apple Inc. founder and CEO Steve Jobs, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and industrialist Richard Branson. Roark's mention of "ballooning across the world" is similar to the adventures of Branson while the theatrics of the "launch party" for Roark's RIOS operating system is similar to events given by Jobs, known as Stevenotes. In particular, the style of headset, the dramatic countdown, and the informal attire worn by Roark are similar to Jobs, along with the awe and deference shown towards Roark by his fans. The accusations of theft made against Roark by Steven Bartowski are similar to those made by Steve Jobs against Bill Gates.
- While welcoming two Japanese attendeers at the RIOS launch conference, Ted Roark greets one of them saying "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", a reference to the popular song. It also references Chase's own movie, Fletch, where he threw out nonsensical foreign phrases throughout the film.
- When Stephen tells Chuck that he can control his flashes and intentionally access the Intersect database, rather than relying on random triggers, is a reference to the series finale of Quantum Leap, where Sam learns that he can subconsciously control his leaps.
- The episode ends with the track "Daddy's Gone" by Glasvegas
Read more about this topic: Chuck Versus The Dream Job
Famous quotes containing the words popular and/or culture:
“The popular colleges of the United States are turning out more educated people with less originality and fewer geniuses than any other country.”
—Caroline Nichols Churchill (1833–?)
“He was one whose glory was an inner glory, one who placed culture above prosperity, fairness above profit, generosity above possessions, hospitality above comfort, courtesy above triumph, courage above safety, kindness above personal welfare, honor above success.”
—Sarah Patton Boyle, U.S. civil rights activist and author. The Desegregated Heart, part 1, ch. 1 (1962)