What I’m Watching: Chuck

Chuck: Season 4, Episode 18 “Chuck Versus the A-Team” (B+)

I remember that there was an “Alias” episode back in 2006 with a brilliant title: “There’s Only One Sydney Bristow.” The reason I think of that is because this episode demonstrates that, above all else, there’s only one Chuck Bartowski. He definitely earns points for the most creative and life-saving use of a juice box since the pilot of “Jericho,” but it’s more than that. Seeing the two Gretas flash was a far less satisfying experience than seeing Chuck flash, and that’s not just because the bursts may have been more exaggerated and made to feel sharper than those Chuck has. Chuck calculates and digests information in a different way, one that prompts him to think about using salt water – via sodium in apple juice – to diffuse a bomb and not simply shoot someone because you have a clear shot. It’s no surprise that General Beckman and Casey came to the realization that Chuck is not replaceable, and it’s a good thing it didn’t take long. I would have loved to see Summer Glau return as one of the Gretas in this episode, and maybe she can join up full-time now that NBC sister series “The Cape” is pretty much dead. It’s interesting to see the Ellie computer plotline brought back somewhat out of the blue, especially as Director Bentley is the one who gave her back the computer. I think this is a fantastic way to get an underused character involved in more of the plot and, hopefully, the action, and a good direction for the show to go as it approaches its final episodes of the season.