Chuck 4.22 Episode Review

On the eve of Chuck and Sarah’s pre-wedding parties, Satan – I mean Ray Wise – is afoot looking for the Orion computer on behalf of Vivian Volkoff. Evil never sleeps, kids. Remember that.

This episode of Chuck has the obligatory portion which pokes fun at bachelor and bachelorette parties (strippers, a stretch Hummer with what appears to be a stripper pole), but those jokes – not the show’s best if I’m honest – are quickly dispensed with in favor of an actual plot. Seems Ellie and Devon unknowingly switched bags before going their separate ways, and Devon has the computer, which is quickly seized upon by Satan and his predictably vixen-y associate. (Once, just once, I’d love to see the female assassin be average-looking.) Mayhem ensues while everyone looks for Agent X.

This leads Chuck and Company to England. As someone who’s spent a considerable amount of time in England, I have to laugh at how the show portrays it in an incredibly stereotypical way, with them visiting a house that has some obviously CGI sheep in the front yard, where they sip tea, poke at antiques, and talk to a cheerful old lady. (At least until she breaks the shotgun out.) England is so not like that at all, at least not the parts I’ve been to. Having said that, the look on Casey’s face when said elderly woman breaks out a machine gun is priceless. Not to mention that we get the last-minute reveal that Alexei Volkoff is Agent X. (Say what?) There are some important facts dropped in this episode, but there’s not really a lot that’s memorable, which is a bit more of a disappointment since last week’s episode was so good.

The best part of the episode comes at the halfway point, when Chuck confesses to Ellie that he’s not only still a spy, but the Intersect. That’s something that’s been a long time coming. Not only is that worthwhile, but Ellie drops the bomb that the mysterious “Agent X” actually predates Chuck’s becoming the Intersect and must therefore be someone else. It’s important for Ellie to finally be completely “in the know,” but it’s also an interesting question to pose and it’s nice to see Chuck use his own, non-Intersect-given skills to repair the Orion computer and use it to locate Agent X. I’m glad the show remembers that he’s good at a few things other than the ones programmed into his brain.

“Chuck Versus Agent X” was another average episode in my book; worth the watch for a few good moments, but nothing that I couldn’t catch up with in next week’s teaser. It does make me think of how Chuck is starting to remind me of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. On that show, we saw the title characters progress into a relationship and eventually get married, and it worked for the show. I believe that Chuck will be able to do the same. If nothing else, this is an episode where Chuck and Sarah are one step closer to marriage, but the show can still maintain its spy stories and other relationships as well. For that alone I give it a thumbs-up.