of this nation, not just the girl who raises your flag."
-- Casey (Adam Baldwin)
I'm still waiting for an all-out stinker this season, but Chuck hasn't put much of a foot wrong so far. I don't think I'll ever embrace the comedy prattle at the Buy More, but "Chuck Versus The Ex" manages to make this week's store-based subplot pass by nicely, as it focused on a story that provides background and insight into Chuck (Zachary Levi)...
This week's situation kicks off when Chuck bumps into his ex-girlfriend Jill (Jordana Brewster), who cruelly dumped him while he was at Stanford University, after she found out he cheated at a test (which he didn't), and went on to date his best-friend/nemesis Bryce Larkin. Five years later, Jill's now a high-flying exec for a cutting-edge bio-science company, while Chuck's still scratching out an existence as a lowly electrical store assistant.Inevitably for the series (seriously, it's becoming a cast-iron cliché), Chuck flashes on someone close to Jill -- her boss Guy Lafleur (William Abadie) -- and realizes Lafleur's involved in dangerous biochemical weapons. Major Beckman (Bonita Friedericy) orders Chuck to rekindle his romance with Jill, so he can get closer to Lafleur, despite the fact Chuck would rather not re-open old wounds. However, the support of the CIA does mean he can finally impress Jill with a flashy sports car and take her to dinner at an expensive restaurant where everyone knows his name.
Meanwhile, at the Buy More, Big Mike (Mark Christopher Lawrence) chokes on a donut given to him by Emmett Milbarge (Tony Hale), which inspires him to get his staff trained in CPR. Captain Awesome (Ryan McPartlin) is recruited to teach the Buy More staff First Aid, but it's not long before the threat of a written test has Morgan (Joshua Gomez), Lester (Vik Sahay) and Jeff (Scott Krinsky) desperate to pass the only way can: by cheating.
The big surprise about "Chuck Versus The Ex" was how well Jordana Brewster slipped into the role of Jill. It's a stretch to accept that a super-geek like Chuck could date someone of Brewster's calibre at uni (those glasses don't hide the fact she's a babe), but I suppose you just have to go with it. Brewster certainly makes an impact, as Jill's history with Chuck and their re-acquaintance stirs up a lot of angst and mixed feelings from our hero geek, always neatly portrayed by Levi.
For the producers, it's another casting coup getting Brewster involved, and I'm glad to see she might become a recurring character -- and one who knows Chuck works for the CIA by the episode's end, which should be interesting. For Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski), Jill is the type of unwanted competition Chuck deals with whenever Bryce reappears, so it was fun to see Sarah handle her jealousy for once. Strahovski is particularly good at showing Sarah's discomfort in tender, subtle moments -- notice her reactions when keeping tabs on Chuck's progress with Jill from inside the surveillance van.
Plus, with Chuck and Jill becoming an item by the end, there's now the juicy prospect of Chuck getting into even knottier problems at home. He now has to pretend Sarah's his girlfriend in front of his friends and family while secretly dating Jill (a woman his sister Ellie despises because she broke her brother's heart.) It's a great way to reinvigorate the show's premise, which sometimes gets stuck in a rut with the Sarah/Chuck relationship. The Chuck/Sarah/Jill triangle (which could be further complicated further if Bryce returns, as he's bedded both women in Chuck's life) is an excellent new development.Overall, the mix of character-building and comedy worked hand-in-hand this week. The CPR goings-on at the Buy More wasn't that great, but everything else ticked my boxes -- including a climax where the release of poisonous gas made a welcome change to chases and leaps from building windows. More importantly, Brewster worked brilliantly, and hopefully she'll stick around for awhile.
14 July 2009
Virgin1, 9pm
written by: Zev Borow directed by: Jay Chandrasekhar starring: Zachary Levi (Chuck), Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah), Joshua Gomez (Morgan), Ryan McPartlin (Captain Awesome), Mark Christopher Lawrence (Big Mike), Scott Krinsky (Jeff), Vik Sahay (Lester), Julia Ling (Anna Wu), Sarah Lancaster (Ellie), Adam Baldwin (Casey), Bonita Friedericy (General Beckman), Tony Hale (Emmett Milbarge), Ammar Ramzi (Lonnie), William Abadie (Guy Lafleur), Jordana Brewster (Jill Roberts), Zokai Holmes (Valet), Zach Hanks (Barry Rommell), Elaine Loh (Shari), Tom Sean Foley (FBI Guy), Jason E Kelley (Piano Player) & Sinqua Walls (Student)
