Episode: “Chuck Versus the Angel De La Muerte” (Season 3)
Premiere Date: Monday, January 11th, 2010
Rating: 3.5 out of 4 Stars
Quick Synopsis: Chuck the dancing doctor.
Review: Chuck is back with its third episode in two nights with an excellent episode that incorporates Capt. Awesome into the spy storyline.
You knew when Devon found out about Chuck last season that if the series continued, he would eventually end up in the middle of one of Chuck’s missions. Well, that’s exactly what happens when he saves the life of the Costa Gravan Premier, played by guest star Armand Assante, that Chuck, Sarah and Casey have been tasked with protecting. Devon ends up as his preferred physician, which comes in handy later on in the episode.
This episode also showed exactly how much Devon knows about Chuck and his secret life. He knows he is agent, but doesn’t know that he is a walking computer with super special skills. This puts both new and returning viewers on the same page. If you were a new viewer and have watched through tonight’s episode, I believe you know everything you need to know to completely enjoy the show going forward. And, in my opinion, it only gets better in the next couple episodes.
Having the team need to protect the premier in secret made for an extra bit of fun. He had been a marked man for the last three decades, which included many attempts by Casey to have taken him out. Now, he is about to move Costa Gravas towards democratic elections and nothing can happen to him until he makes the announcement. Casey is none to happy with this, but does as ordered. Yet, he has to steer clear, since he is know as “Angel De La Muerte” for his time spent there during the revolution.
The spy storyline and the family storyline meshed together really well. Everybody is keeping secrets from everybody. The team can’t let the Costa Gravans know what they are doing. Devon can’t tell Ellie what is really happening. Chuck can’t give Devon all the details about what is going on, which leads to Devon accidentally messing things up and getting Casey captured.
Before that happens though, we get to see Chuck’s dance skills, courtesy of the Intersect 2.0. Also, later we get to see Chuck has mad doctoring skills, when he removes a bullet from Casey’s leg. I love this new aspect of the show, not just the will he ever learn to control the computer in his head, but how many things can be in there. The writers can really let their imaginations run wild with this.
When the premier falls ill again after another attack on his life, Devon is called to return to the consulate and see what he can do medically. This gives Chuck an idea of how they can get in and rescue Casey. It also gives Sarah a chance to dress up in an old school nurses outfit.
Something that didn’t really work was the opening flashback to med school sequence. While it worked on a comedy level, nice setup by the instructor and visual punch line of Devon and Ellie in the closet, it kind of messed with the back-story that I guess was already in my head.
The end of the sequence with Ellie being jabbed by a broom in the closet moving to her looking for a broom in the present at their new apartment is an example of how well this show does transitions between scenes. The writers really do a great job of connecting unrelated scenes, which makes an episode flow just that much better.
The end of the episode leaves us wondering what happened to Devon, which we find out in the next episode, as well as learn what will be the overall story arc of the season. Well, that kind of takes place over the next two episodes, but starts next week.
Well, those are some thoughts on the episode. What did you think of the third episode of Chuck season three? What did you think of Chuck’s new skills? How about the way the episode ends? Let me know in the comments.
