Now, I know that Chuck's never been the epitome of a serious spy series, but there are times when it veers so crazily into cartoonish excess that I find it difficult to invest in what's going on. In another direct continuation from the preceding episode (lately, it feels like the show's become a sequence of two-parters), we catch-up with a despondent Chuck (Zachary Levi) who's unconvinced the CIA are that eager to find the Intersect's creator, "Orion", and have him reverse the process that downloaded the government's top secrets into his brain. Incidentally, I wish the show would tackle the idea that Chuck never receives "updates", so surely there are a few years' worth of fresh intel he's unaware of?
As revealed last week, Chuck's taken matters into his own hands and has created a fairly low-tech web-search to find Orion, which is proven to work when he starts receiving mysterious text messages from the secretive genius through his Buy More computer. In order to provide Chuck with a "secure line" so they can talk freely, Orion has a "next generation" super-laptop couriered to his workplace, which accidentally falls into the hands of Lester (Vik Sahay), who mistakes the package for a brand new laptop a rival Beverly Hills branch are jealous their Burbank branch are receiving first.
For the first quarter, "Chuck Versus The Predator" was mixing its espionage and Buy More subplots together quite well -- as Lester, Jeff (Scott Krinsky) and Morgan (Joshua Gomez) unwittingly took control of a sleek aerial drone (the titular "Predator") and had it target their Buy More competitors, believing they're just playing a sophisticated Flight Sim. But these scenes also introduce Jeff's Office, an "out of order" toilet cubicle Jeff uses as a little den, and then the whole episode started to lose me a little bit -- not helped by the fact Orion was a walking cliché who talks using a voice-changer and dresses in a black trenchcoat and hat. I know it's just meant to be silly fun, but it just came across as dumb to me.
A few things piqued my interest: the presence of Fulcrum agent Vincent (Arnold Vosloo, underutilized), who has been chasing after Orion for years; a funny sequence where practically every character descend on the Buy More to steal a laptop, each believing they're mixed up in a slightly different situation; seeing General Beckman (Bonita Friedericy) finally leave her viewscreen and arrive in-person to oversee the operation; and the compelling reveal that the CIA don't want the Intersect extracted from Chuck's mind, as he's proven himself too vital in that he somehow always gets the job done, no matter how unconventionally. Indeed, Beckham even reveals it's about time Chuck was accepted into the fold as a genuine spy and not just a cosseted civilian "asset", which assumedly means he'll be given proper training and treated more like an equal (well, maybe not by Casey (Adam Baldwin)).
Overall, "Chuck Versus The Predator" was a good episode, but it fell short because of some creative decisions and a chaotic feel. That said, it introduced more tweaks to the show's concept (not least the fact Chuck now knows the "good guys" don't want him to get his life back, which now makes them a "lesser evil" to him), and there was always plenty going on to keep you glued to the screen. This has certainly been a period of adjustment for Chuck as it approaches the end of its second season, and I'm pleased with how the writers are finding ways to move the concept forward (maybe one day they'll even ditch the Buy More's diminishing returns.) I just wish they'd do it with a bit more finesse and believability sometimes.
29 September 2009
Virgin1, 9pm
written by: Chris Fedak directed by: Jeremiah Chechik starring: Zachary Levi (Chuck), Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah), Adam Baldwin (Casey), Joshua Gomez (Morgan), Scott Krinsky (Jeff), Vik Sahay (Lester), Bonita Friedericy (General Beckman), Arnold Vosloo (Vincent) & Matt Winston (Buy More Employee)
