Strahovski and Agents X
I really hate it when we have to take a Chuck-break. It’s lonely on those Mondays when we can’t get a guaranteed dose of Yvonne or a shot of Awesome.
Last time we had some time off from the main story line for some fun with Sarah’s past. I love that stuff, but we shan’t forget that we’ve got an arc going on here!
Let’s get to the review of Episode 4.22 – Chuck Versus Agent X.
More than anything about this episode, I liked the premise. It’s classic Chuck to take completely predictable plots (like the old suitcase switcheroo) and make them fun anyway. It’s plots like this that make way for the entire cast to get involved in their usual ways.
Other than the premise, the episode was a little disjoint for me. The first half was sort of typical Chuck, but the last half was both atypical and unexpected. When I looked at my clock and realized that Chuck was telling Ellie about his secret halfway through the episode, I knew something strange was afoot.
Given the strange episode, we’ll start with the first half. It was a rip-roaring good time with switched luggage, plays on words, and Sarah having to deal with a typical bachelorette party. It was genuinely funny stuff that didn’t break any new ground, but played well with our favorite characters.
Jeff, Lester, and Big Mike felt a little forced into the plot but I suppose Chuck really doesn’t have any other friends to accompany him to Las Vecas. My favorite part of the first half was definitely Casey spreading mud on his face and then taking out all of the mercenaries. And what did he do with Awesome and Morgan? Gave them busy work making spears. Hilarious.
Then we got a bit of a lull while everyone sorted out their feelings and the writers backed themselves out of having Chuck’s bachelor party crashed by Vivian’s goons. I gotta give props to the writers for throwing it all out there. There’s no one left in the dark about the spy life. Well none that matter anyway.
Then a montage of the nerd herd at its best as Orion’s computer got all fixed up and then boom — almost like another mini episode for us to contend with. Unorthodox for the typical Chuck plot. I can’t decide if I like it or not. It certainly advanced the plot faster and further than usual but it also prevented us from getting to savor the humor.
I enjoyed the scenes out in England. The old lady was a hoot, and I especially loved the relationship that quickly formed between her and Casey. In fact, this was one of Casey’s stronger episodes in a while in terms of comedy. Seeing him protect his team in the way that he did was a far cry from the Casey we met four seasons ago.
I’m a fan of the Intersect lore, and I’m always happy to see that furthered. I was surprised to find out that there was an original Intersect out there that had gone haywire, but I wasn’t so surprised to find out who it was.
Here be spoilers – I find it extremely hilarious that they explained away Volkoff this way. It totally explains why he never managed a convincing Russian accent. I wonder if this was the plan all along or if they decided on it later as a bit of a wink and a nudge to Dalton’s inability to carry the accent through. End spoilers.
Yvonne Strahovski didn’t get a lot of air time this go around since all the action happened out at the bachelor party, but I did quite enjoy her British accent. I assume that’s easier to do than an American accent when you’re Australian, so I found it especially impressive that it was distinctive when she did it.
I don’t talk about the music much, but K$sha caught my ear this week. I liked how they used the song in both halves of the episode in an effort to tie it all together. Not quite enough to save it from feeling cobbled together, but a noticeable and valiant effort all the same.
In the end, I really liked the premise of the episode and I especially liked the plot and lore reveals. I wasn’t a fan of the disjointed presentation of the plot, however. It made it feel like they were trying to stuff two episodes worth of material into one episode (which they may well have been trying to do). It leaves us with way too much to wrap up in two episodes which makes me worry that we may have seen the last of “fun” in last week’s Wedding Planner.
So I’m on the fence with this episode. Great story, plot, and lore but mediocre execution. What say you?
