It took "Chuck" a couple of episodes to really get going, but Monday night's new installment ("Chuck vs. Operation Awesome") proved that season three has the potential to be just as good (if not better) than season two. Unlike the first three episodes of the season, there weren't really any glaring problems. Sure, there were a few elements that we'd seen before on the show (such as Morgan being promoted to assistant manager), but they were executed differently enough that it still seemed new.
The main storyline this week was a continuation from last episode, when Captain Awesome was kidnapped by The Ring after being suspected as a spy. They actually released him back into the real world as a recruit, which was a little surprising until we learned exactly what it was they wanted him to do: kill an agent inside the Crystal Towers. This scene was executed brilliantly, since it gave both Chuck and Awesome a chance to interact in a new environment. Plus, it worked well to show Shuck's evolution as a character into someone that could actually be a hero.
The only thing more surprising than the mission itself was seeing Brandon Routh (a.k.a. Superman) show up as Agent Shaw, an elite CIA operative with an amazing amount of knowledge about The Ring. Awesome was eventually freed of his responsibilities following the mission at the Towers, which gave us the opportunity to see him try and make up an excuse to Ellie for being out all night. I don't know which story was funnier: Awesome decapitating a bear or Casey getting arrested.
The rest of the episode unveiled a power struggle between Chuck and Shaw, as each one of them had their own way of handling The Ring situation. Chuck decided to set up a trap in the Buy More, which worked to weave in another storyline about Morgan's struggles to develop authority at work. Both characters were forced to take command in this episode, but in very different ways.
Suffice it to say, with a little help from his friends (plus Shaw at the end) Chuck was able to take down the operative who went after Awesome in the first place. What happened to the guy at the hospital, though? That's just one of the questions we have remaining. We also have the cliffhanger that showed Shaw (gasp!) putting a ring on his finger. We still don't know much about this organization, but we can look to find out more over the coming weeks.
All in all, "Chuck vs. Operation Awesome" was the most satisfying episode of the season thus far. It contained plenty of Buy More humor (like the Fight Club scenes), good character work with Captain Awesome, and some action scenes that worked pretty well even though they were small-scale. How the Burbank Buy More is still standing after all this violence, though, is an entirely different story.
What did you think of the episode? Let me know your thoughts with a comment below.
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