By Buzz Byrne
This week everyone seems to be asking Chuck where he sees himself in five years…ten years, etc. You get the idea. Big Mike, his go-no-where boss at his go-no-where job asks him. His sister asks him while reminding him of his Stanford background. And as much as Chuck is charming as the aimless, cheery slacker, he does have dreams. And of course we know he is going to turn out to be a better spy than it appears, but we’ll let that develop as it should.
The caper this week is chasing down an ugly painting that men are killing each other for from Tehran to Madrid to Los Angeles. The painting is the only link to an international arms dealer known only as “La Ciudad.” Now, in the class “Generic Plot Twists 101” you learn that when a character has never been identified and no pictures of them exist, they will not be the first one you think they are. And to make it even simpler there will be a racial, gender or age reversal to make it truly a “twist”.
In order to catch “La Ciudad,” Chuck needs to put his pursuit of the Assistant Manager position at Buy More on hold (will he lose the prime promotion to his co-worker/nemesis Harry Tang?). Agent Sarah Walker has to turn in her Wienerlicious lederhosen for an evening gown and bring Chuck, aka Charles Carmichael- his spy name, to the art auction where the awful painting is to be sold. Agent John Casey tells Chuck to learn the tango for his first field assignment. And the man who can do no wrong, Captain Awesome, can teach Chuck the dance. Captain Awesome teaches Chuck to be the woman however. Awesome! Captain Awesome is my current favorite fictional character, beating out long time leader Jeff Probst.
While Chuck and the agents are capturing and then being captured by and then losing “La Ciudad” at the auction, best friend Morgan gets locked in the storage room at Buy More. The room is filled with computers and Morgan has a phobia of…computers. This sequence ended with a nod to, of all things, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. It was silly, pointless and yet funny- not unlike the whole show itself.
Of course “La Ciudad” is captured. Of course Chuck has deeper feelings for Agent Walker than he cares to admit even though he does so to his sister. Of course the show is predictable while it establishes itself. Fairly soon they will need to find a true nemesis for Chuck beyond, ahem, Harry Tang.
The show still works despite rumors of a sharp downturn after the first two episodes. However, Chuck himself wonders at the end of this one, “What’s the good of being a hero if no one knows?” Sarah replies, “You know…and I know.” Seems to be enough for Chuck. It would have been enough for me if the lederhosen were involved. I’m happy enough with this ride but pretty soon it better get a little more dangerous or else more people than Chuck will be wondering what the point is.