What I’m Watching: Chuck

Chuck: Season 4, Episode 3 “Chuck Versus the Cubic Z” (B+)

I’d like to commend this episode on doing a few things right that it easily could have screwed up. The first is the incorporation of the Buy More. At the start of the show, it wasn’t entirely clear that it had much purpose other than to serve as Chuck’s cover job, and some characters that developed into series regulars as a result – Jeff and Lester – are of questionable value to the show. And the decision to rebuild and reopen the Buy More after the fire caused by those two idiots at the end of last season was an interesting one, because the show could have rebooted itself in a way similar to (though not quite as significantly as) the end of season two where Chuck as a character was transformed in a major way. Yet it’s clear that the Buy More is necessary as a way to help Morgan grow, bring Big Mike, one of the show’s most entertaining and endearing characters, back, and to demonstrate repeatedly that Chuck’s personal and professional lives are inextricably linked. The fact that Big Mike was the one to take down this week’s big baddie is extraordinarily impressive, since I really didn’t see that coming and quite enjoyed the way it connected the show’s threads. The other impressive feature of this episode is that it brought back two not-quite-actors and used them both extremely well, making this one time that Nicole Richie’s presence wasn’t abhorrent and distracting. Steve Austin was fun as well, especially when he came face to face with Casey, one person who’s least likely out of anyone to be scared of him. Also, there's little else I love more than the scoring on this show. The final scene was somewhat cleverly structured, and should turn out to be quite interesting because both parties will likely contemplate if this unanticipated event is something they actually want.