If you’re here because you missed “Chuck Versus The Curse,” don’t feel bad. You didn’t miss too much. What could’ve been another of Chuck‘s entertaining yarns about spies and family turned out to be mostly filler.
There’s always been a certain charm to Chuck. Not only is it a show about a geek, but if the show itself had a personality, it, too, would be adorably geeky. Underneath all the spy action, there are quips about Star Wars and sappy but memorable stories about identity, friends, and particularly family.
So when Chuck started worrying about whether or not he’d have to abandon his family like his mom and dad before him, and then Awesome and Ellie were abducted, I saw the potential for a great story about the Bartowskis. Would Chuck save his sister and brother-in-law and decide there really was a family curse? Would Awesome and Ellie save themselves and disprove Chuck’s fears?
“Chuck Versus The Curse” turned out to be a fairly average episode. Chuck went off the plan and got himself in trouble, too, only for Sarah and Casey to come to everyone’s rescue. There was an okay but not great villain (Rebecca Romijn). We missed out on any real Chuck and Ellie moments. Then the ‘team on the run’ plot of the last few episodes was essentially handwaved as General Beckman announced that a confession had cleared everyone.
All you really needed to see was the “Omen” supervirus being released to screw up the world’s computers. (Okay, and seeing Beckman in a dive bar drinking straight from the bottle was worth a good laugh.)
What also bothered me was that it felt as if it was reaching to deliver all along, particularly in its treatment of Awesome and Ellie at the beginning. If you’ve just jumped out of a limo believing that you were being kidnapped, shouldn’t you be a little suspicious of the complete stranger who just happens to roll up wanting you to get into her car? Shouldn’t you ask her for proof when she claims that she’s working with your brother? Do you really believe that a CIA safehouse is in an abandoned factory? I know Awesome isn’t always the brightest person in the room, but the episode shafted the other Bartowski couple a few IQ points.
It’s a shame because Awesome and Ellie have been … well, awesome before. They could’ve gotten to do a lot more than they did, even if they’re not real spies. Using them more would’ve also given Chuck something that would’ve tied perfectly into his thoughts on family and safety. It was a truly missed opportunity.
Average Chuck is still better than a lot of things on TV right now, but I found myself wanting more.
I’m not worried, though, because I’m pretty sure we’ll get that next week. Chuck‘s Christmas episodes have always been pretty good, and this season’s has teased the return of a character I loved to hate. Let’s bring on the holiday madness, and forget about the “Bartowski curse.”
Clacked by Brittany Frederick 
on Dec 17, 2011 @ 01:27 EST5EDT
I have to agree. I only caught part of the episode. When Awesome and Ellie found themselves kidnapped I rolled my eyes thinking “not-another-episode-where-Awesome-and-Ellie-are-a-hindrance-to-Chuck-who-has-to-save-them.” When they freed themselves, I thought “awesome!”
But, when RR rolled up and they didn’t question her at all I groaned watching the couple leap out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire and changed the channel.
When I flipped back for the final 1 minute, I couldn’t figure out why everyone left Chuck locked to the door. Could you enlighten me on that score?
*POST AUTHOR*
Sarah was upset with him for not telling her when he bolted off to make the exchange, so she left him there.