Sunday, October 30, 2011

What I’m Watching: Chuck (Season Premiere)


Chuck: Season 5, Episode 1 “Chuck Versus the Zoom” (B+)

There’s something very bittersweet about this show’s return, since it’s the last time we’ll get to start a new round of episodes of this show. Five years isn’t a bad run for a series, and at least this one will be able to go out with dignity. Clyde Decker’s closing speech helps aid the sentiment that this is truly the last hurrah, proclaiming that they are going to bring Chuck’s saga to an end. For now, however, let’s enjoy the final thirteen episodes while we still can. The big test of this premiere was to see how Morgan worked as the Intersect, something that could have translated into a monumental failure. Instead, the results are actually rather productive, with Morgan coming in strong only at the very last minute, and then occasionally faltering after that, even trying to make flashing something individualized, renaming it zooming. Most importantly, his newfound abilities make Chuck feel like the odd man out, prompting a great realization from Chuck that he is the glue that holds the team together. Trying to keep his plan for the perfect house secret from Sarah was sweet, and I like how the episode opened with their observations before panning back to reveal their predicament. I didn’t even recognize Mark Hamill, best known as Luke Skywalker, as Jean Claude. I enjoyed Morgan posing as Michael Carmichael, partially because of the hilarity of that name, and I do think that this privatized spy business could be a blast, though they do have to work on ironing out the kinks, like Casey’s bedside manner.

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