She Said: Chuck 4.17 – Chuck vs the First Bank of Evil

Hello all!

Wow, there was a lot to like about this week’s episode! While it wasn’t as funny as many episodes, it made up for it with drama and action. I also thought it got better on the second viewing, which is when I usually tend to be more critical.

The highlight of the episode for me was the Chuck-Vivian storyline and the intricate parallels between their lives. Both are extremely intelligent, emotionally vulnerable and grew up essentially as orphans (I’ve very curious who Vivian’s mother might be). Despite their absence from their lives, their fathers have subtly groomed them for greatness in ways they are only now learning. Initially, both were dragged somewhat unwillingly into the spy world but each have special skills that help them succeed. The conversation where Chuck convinces Vivian to help out with the mission at the Bank of Macau is very reminiscent of some early Sarah-Chuck conversations in S1. There’s great chemistry between the two, which really draws the viewer into their scenes.

Volkoff’s lawyer, Riley, has some impressive omniscience – he’s always in the right place at the right time and obviously has a lot of information both about Chuck and the CIA and about Vivian and her motivations. It really makes me wonder where he gets his information (is he somehow in contact with Volkoff?). I was really suspicious when Vivian’s character was first introduced, and during the first few minutes of this episode, that she was going to turn out to be evil, but now I’m leaning towards the idea that she’s good, but could be manipulated into losing track of which side is which and thus taking a turn towards the dark side (or is she just pretending to be manipulated?).

I loved the plot twist at the end of the episode that Riley seems to have convinced Vivian that Chuck is betraying her. I was getting really worried that Chuck was telling her too much, not unlike the mistake he made with Volkoff senior in the sheep truck in 4.07, and that she was going to use that information to betray him. Of course Vivian now thinks that Chuck was doing exactly the same thing to her. The scene where Chuck contemplates how he has unintentionally let her down is very reminiscent of the end of Chuck vs the Nacho Sampler, although the repercussions for Vivian and for Chuck are less immediately obvious (and much more critical to the overall plot) than for Manoosh.

The reveal of the holographic spy closet in Castle was interesting. (Sure beats trying on everything you own in front of your mirror while dumping the rejects on your bed!) Clearly Chuck didn’t use it prior to picking out that ridiculous ‘stache he wore for the first trip to the bank. It was sad and a little strange that the dress Sarah picked out happened to be full of bullet holes. Someone superstitious might consider that a bad omen, then again, maybe that’s what happens when you “shop” in a secret CIA base. While “Bridezilla” Sarah was mildly amusing and we got a few more of the Ellie-Sarah scenes we’ve been asking for, I wasn’t sure that Sarah’s quick turnaround was in character and it felt like a weak link in an otherwise strong episode.

We got a brief glimpse of what’s going on down in the new Castle annex, courtesy of Morgan. Whatever the TR476, it must be important if Casey is willing to live with Morgan to protect the secret. Here’s hoping we get some great Odd Couple-esque scenes next week.

A final comment on the bank robbery scene: I really liked the Matrix meets Tarantino meets Bonnie and Clyde theme, with Chuck for once actually pulling off the dispassionate supervillain routine. I enjoyed the irony of him and Sarah discussing wedding plans while brandishing large guns and threatening bodily harm to everyone around them. (Does that make me a bad person?)

I’m going to go play with my holographic closet while you guys tell me what YOU thought of the episode!

Notables:
Vivian has some mad skillz, not to mention a calm head on her shoulders!
Morgan’s roommate ad: “fabulously bearded man”
“If you’re going to live in the forest, don’t complain about the noise the wildlife makes” – Big Mike to Morgan
Riley doing a very poor job mimicking Volkoff’s voice when he read the letter to Vivian
“I’ll be your Kevin Costner” – Chuck to Vivian (OMG, that was…like…my favorite movie freshman year in high school!)
“I’m growing mentally, emotionally, physically…not so much physically” – Morgan
“Let’s hook up later. We’ll get facials and chat” – Casey to Sarah and Chuck