Chuck – Episode 2-7 Review

Chuck – Episode 2-7 Review

By Trevor MacKay November 19, 2008 Post a comment | Email the author

I was watching Chuck on CityTV, and the feed cut out during Morgan’s conversation with Emmett. It came back about a minute later, but they must have had problems with Chuck specifically as they just skipped ahead to their next show, starting it a couple minutes early. I had a feeling something big might happen to end the episode, so I downloaded it from the internets. While it was downloading, I was thinking about how I should be sure to point out the numerous clues to be found in “Chuck versus the Fat Lady” that suggested Jill was a Fulcrum agent. Of course, once the download finished, I realized I wouldn’t have to do anything to convince anyone about Jill’s Fulcrum connection.

Right from the start of the episode, when Jill was trying to find out more information on exactly how/why Chuck became a CIA agent, the signs all pointed to her being involved with Fulcrum. In my mind, the most damning sign was when we saw nothing of her kidnapping save what Chuck saw. We never saw the Fulcrum agent capture Jill. We never saw any scenes of Jill being mistreated by her captor, swearing that Chuck would rescue her, etc. Normally, in a real kidnapping situation, those scenes are a pretty standard way to build up tension. Just about the only time you won’t see such scenes is when the kidnapping is being staged. And there was only one plausible reason why Jill would cooperate with a Fulcrum agent in staging her own kidnapping.

Normally I would complain about Jill’s betrayal being so blatantly obvious, but in this case, I think it made for a stronger episode. When Chuck thought Jill was in danger, he proved willing to go to great lengths (like giving up the drive with the Fulcrum data. Sure, he ended up making a copy, but the idea to make a copy only occurred to Chuck after he decided to go against Sarah and Casey’s wishes and turn over the flash drive). Seeing how far Chuck would go to protect Jill, and how happy he was to be with her, when it seemed clear that she was going to betray him (especially during the end of episode intercuts between the Chuck and Jill make-out and the computer decrypting the flash drive) really made you empathize with Chuck.

Given the relatively anti-climatic way Jill’s Fulcrum status was revealed, I found myself wondering if Jill may actually care about Chuck. Chuck almost certainly told Jill that he had made a copy of the flash drive; she had to know it was only a matter of time until her secret was revealed. At which point she would be arrested and Chuck would probably never want to speak to her again. It’s also only a matter of time until Fulcrum is going to try and capture Chuck. What if Jill and Chuck’s impromptu journey isn’t an attempt to lead Chuck into a trap, but an attempt to flee the reach of both CIA and Fulcrum.

Even if Fulcrum ordered the trip Jill and Chuck are now on, and she assists in Chuck’s capture, I still strongly suspect Jill will ultimately attempt to save Chuck in the end. There is still a question of what Jill’s fate will be though. She could die to save Chuck, she could save Chuck and allow herself to be arrested, or she could save Chuck and Chuck could assist her in escaping. If the show plans to use Jill again, obviously it will be one of the latter two options; if there are no plans for Jill to return, she’ll almost certainly be killed off.

The Buy-More subplot of the week looked like it was going to be leading up to something as Emmett closed in on the mystery of Chuck’s many faked off-site job orders (on a side note, it is good to finally see some sort of explanation as to why Chuck can be constantly away from work and not be fired). Ultimately though, while Morgan was hurt that Chuck kept Jill’s return a secret, there wasn’t much in the way of development. By the end of the episode, Morgan and Chuck’s friendship was renewed and Morgan blackmailed Emmett to keep him from digging any further into Chuck’s work. As a result, the whole thing kind of felt like filler (as the Buy-More stuff often does). Sure, there were a few laughs to be had, but ultimately, very little in the way of new developments.

Fortunately, the main story was chockful of developments though, making for a very enjoyable episode. I can’t wait to see where they go with the Jill situation next week in “Chuck versus the Gravitron.”

Trevor MacKay is the sci-fi/horror/fantasy/cheesy/random geeky stuff guy. If something is geeky and/or unbelievably cheesy, he’s there.