Chuck, 2x10, “Chuck vs. the DeLorean”

Episode Title: Chuck vs. the DeLorean
Writer: Matt Miller
Director: Ken Whittingham
Originally Aired: 12/08/2008
Grade: A

I was feeling a bit disenchanted after the Jill arc and last week's meh episode, but this one was very engaging and dealt with all of the character relationships in a satisfying way. Loved just about every second of it. I was a bit irritated at the stalking segment, but there was at least some suggestion that Chuck thought he was being left out of a mission, and even if not, it's not like it's out of character for Chuck. Plus he redeemed himself a hundred times over later.

I think one of my favorite scenes was the one where Chuck brought Sarah the chocolate croissants for breakfast. They had such a genuine "friend chemistry" there, and it was nice to see Sarah so relaxed and acting more like a normal mid-20s young woman, hopping onto the bed and sitting cross-legged. Very cute.

Chuck's comment in the same scene about getting years of therapy also jumped out to me. I really liked ZL's line delivery there, because he went for a more serious tone instead of the usual, "I know, I know, it's a little embarrassing..." tone that people often get when discussing that topic. Playing it serious and unashamed felt like a very subtle way to avoid self-consciousness and self-absorption in a scene that was supposed to be all about Chuck trying to help Sarah. Also, my mind made an automatic assumption that the therapy happened near the end of high school, that it was Ellie's idea, and that she paid for it. It's so easy for me to imagine her seeing Chuck struggling with his daddy/abandonment issues and taking the steps to make it better in the best way she knew how. I'm not even sure I can imagine the possibility of therapy occurring to Chuck in the first place, but I can definitely see Ellie coming up with it.

I did find myself doing some eye-rolling at the tired "outside character tells Chuck and Sarah that they love each other" device, though. Some of it was okay, but I think the writers went a little overboard, especially since Chuck and Sarah's interactions with one another in this episode were already so strong. I love the two of them together and am quite enthusiastic about their relationship, but I think it's laid out pretty clearly already without the writers dropping anvils on our heads, especially anvils we've already seen.

However, they did do something really wonderful by underplaying the fact that Chuck was basically going to hand over the entire contents of his bank account to Morgan. We already get enough "Chuck is an awesome and selfless guy" anvils, so it was nice to notice that on my own without a big red flashing neon sign pointing to it.