Day Three Hundred and Thirty-eight - Chuck: Season 2, Episode 4, "High School... Sucks for Everyone."

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I didn't have the greatest of times in High School. That said, seeing Yyvonne Strahovski all dweebed up and not enjoying her time as a teenager, playing the role that I did (just gender swapped) back then, is a bit of a stretch.

Still, in spite of this episode's shortcomings, it's still a fun time.

The whole plot revolves around a chance encounter that Sarah and Chuck have at the Buy More with a ghost from Sarah's path... a former tormentor who remembers her from days gone by, a cheerleader who married another dweeb. It seems this cheerleader (who looks suspiciously like that gal Paris Hilton pal'd around with back in the day) has both the skinny on Sarah's past and a darker angle with the Russian mob.

Meanwhile, Chuck has the dubious pleasure of wowing Nicole Richie's dork of a husband (whom she's betraying) with the mystique of Agent Carmichael's reputation as a "mad dog" courtesy of John Casey's awesome CQC skills and some convenient timing/misrepresentations. That's not all on Chuck's mind, though, as this brush with Sarah's past has him pressing her for more info... facts that she is less than willing to divulge.

Then there's the silly Buy More B-plot where Morgan, Lester, et al. almost ruin the store by bartering away all of their profits by all but giving away big-ticket items for pennies on the dollar. Really, there's no reason to have this bit other than to justify paying Gomez, Sahay, and the rest.

While not the strongest of episodes, it doesn't manage to sneak in some good moments of emotional intimacy for Chuck and Sarah, as he flails about trying to break down her defenses concerning her past and the secret of her criminal father that she tries to keep wrapped up tight with hostility and mental barriers. Most of the tension comes to a head during a cathartic fight between Sarah and Nicole Richie which seems more than just a little justified. At the end of the day, though, the best moment for me was that little bit of denouement that we get at the end where Chuck just accepts Sarah for who she is now, that being all he needs to know. If only Sarah could do the same (don't worry, she will... spoiler alert).

Silly, schlocky, b-movie spy action and drama... but Chuck is still darned fun. Plus there's plenty of wish fulfillment as the nerd getting the girl (without the help of copious amounts of Silicon Valley cash) is delicious.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~