Episode Report Card DeAnn Welker: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Quick, Everybody Kiss Chuck!
By DeAnn Welker | Season 2 | Episode 6 | Aired on 11.10.2008
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.Chuck meets up with his ex-girlfriend, Jill, who's moved on from Bryce and Stanford to working in biochemistry; specifically, she's helping build a bioweapons antivirus. When Chuck flashes on her boss, Agent Redhead insists Chuck take Jill on a date. So he does. And she's sort of smitten, despite him starting off by trying to get closure after the breakup. But then, as they're leaving, Jeff and Lester drive by and rat out Chuck by revealing he's not so much a rich computer business owner but instead more of a Buy More employee. Don't worry, though: He gets to make up with her later, in the form of (sort of) honesty, and a kiss. Then he listens in on a phone call and starts talking; apparently she can hear him, and he's foiled again. But when the bioweapon is released in a room full of people, including Casey, Chuck gets to help save the world -- or at least these 20 people or so. Then Chuck and Jill kiss again, with Sarah watching on (she's sad and lonely; this episode will tell you that loud and clear with Jill and Chuck's dialogue, coupled with Sarah's mopey face). There is also one awesome and horrifying moment, when Chuck's blood is the antidote and the only syringe they have is broken, in which Chuck plants a big wet kiss on Casey in hopes that his saliva might contain the antidote. It doesn't.
Ellie's only role in this episode is to advise Chuck not to go to dinner with Jill, then to change her mind and say it's good because he gets to answer questions he had, then to be glad when she thinks he's realized he wants to be with Sarah because he walks in so happy (he hasn't of course; he's still glowing from his hot, hot kisses with Jill). Ellie's going to be so upset when she finds out Sarah and Chuck are no more and Jill's back.
Meanwhile, Chuck gets Awesome to teach CPR training at the Buy More, after Big Mike almost chokes on a donut. It's a throwaway plot, with a few pretty funny moments (mostly involving choking). While I liked my Chuck with a little more Morgan, this is the exact right amount of episode for character like Jeff and Lester. And new management type/control freak/total weirdo Buster Bluth, who makes me long for Harvey Tang.
I'm loving this new triangle so much. I didn't think I would, because I love Chuck and Sarah so as a couple. But it really works, because I also already adore Jill. But I will warn the show now: If Jill turns out to be bad, I will have to break up with you.
Spend some time investigating if Chuck is really a nerd or an undercover hottie. Then come back on Wednesday for our full weecap.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously on Chuck (new viewers, pay attention; we're going way back tonight): Chuck couldn't get over his long-ago ex-girlfriend at Stanford, Jill, who was stolen by Bryce Larkin. Chuck's sister Ellie wanted him to move on, and he said he'd get over her "tomorrow." Do we think he did?
The episode begins with skyline shots of the Stanford football stadium and other red roofs on campus as title cards tells us this is Stanford University in 2003. People look happy all over campus, and then we see our hero in a green Buy More salesman uniform. See how far he's come since then? He doesn't have to wear the green shirt anymore, at least, right? He walks up to a ping-pong table where a group of people are playing beer pong on a front yard in broad daylight (man, I miss college). He borrows a paddle and some balls, and turns off the ping-pong players' music so that he can yell at Jill. He starts yelling her name and lobbing ping-pong balls at what I'll assume is her window. Jill's friend, Sherry, opens up and tells him to go away, and that if Jill wanted to talk to him she would have returned one of his 28 phone calls. She leaves the window open when she walks away, though, so Chuck proceeds to yell up at Jill. He tells her he was on break at Buy More and that he drove 346 miles straight from Burbank to tell her he still loves her. The partying crowd reaction is equal parts "awwwww" and mocking laughter. And how does he have this job, again, if he left on "break" for a 700-mile round trip? It's either the longest break in the world, or they put up with the same behavior from Chuck pre-CIA that they still put up with from him now. Anyway, Jill's reaction is somewhat more "awwww," because she shows up at the window at last. They did an excellent job of making Jordana Brewster sufficiently geeky that it's easy to believe she'd date Chuck (who, remember, is not all that geeky either). He asks if she'll go to coffee, and she says it's too late because it's over. He acts like an idiot and tries to get her to give him another chance, but Sherry the Bitch comes up and says, "She's dating Bryce Larkin now, Chuck. Deal with it." Chuck's devastated, and Jill says she's sorry.
The song that's been playing, Iggy Pop's "Pumpin' for Jill," takes us back to the present, where we see Chuck's at the Buy More listening to "Jill '03 Mix" on his iPhone. Buster Bluth comes up with a box of donuts and tells Chuck to get to the Sheraton Conference Center for a tech support call. Chuck asks if he has any Boston Cream in his donut box, and Buster says, "Oh yeah, several," and walks off without opening the box. I really hate him. And not even in a good, humorous way. Just in a way that somehow makes the Buy More scenes even more tedious and unimportant. He walks into Mike's office and gives him a donut. Mike starts choking on his first bite and Buster starts giving the Heimlich to Mike while yelling for help. Jeff and Lester come in, and Lester corrects Buster's Heimlich technique. He thinks Buster should be reaching down Mike's throat to pull the donut out (Buster's doing the proper technique, by the way). Eventually, the donut comes flying out and lands at Jeff and Lester's feet, to which Jeff responds, in all seriousness, "Are there any more donuts?" Because, in case you hadn't noticed, he's seriously disgusting.
