Chuck Vs. The Suitcase: Catfight On The Catwalk

I never expected to like "Chuck Vs. The Suitcase" as much as I did.  I've spent so much time thinking about Chuck's flaws and the aspects that need work for Chuck To Avoid Cancellation that the idea of an episode set during fashion week (with no less than four major guest stars and supermodels as arms dealers) held little hope for a worthwhile hour.

It didn't hurt that right off the bat "Suitcase" addressed certain concerns, namely the continued use of more expanded settings and leaning on science fiction with the effortlessly cool tracer bullets.  But what really put the episode through its mark was its willingness to let smart characters be smart.  Both Chuck and Sarah knew that their first priority was to the mission instead of a domestic squabble, Morgan wasted no time in pointing out the flaws in a CIA Buymore and neither Awesome nor Ellie were fooled by a green polo shirt on a secret agent.  It's the kind of self-awareness that almost excuses an operative backflipping to catch a fallen store display.

Even the schmaltz works.  I groaned at the thought of more Chuck and Sarah drama over an issue as benign as an unpacked suitcase, but the chemistry between Strahovski and Levi completely won me over.  Similarly, Awesome and Ellie actually felt like a team for a change, as opposed to perfectionists blissfully ignorant of the world around them.  Perhaps it was tempered by John Casey's noticably increased stoneface or the usual brilliance of Jeffster, but for once the relationship sap didnt' detract from the overall tone.

Structurally "Suitcase" still could have used a bit of work.  Maintaining a more international flair by travelling to and from Milan on the turn of a dime increases the show's scale in exactly the way Chuck needs, but one can't help but sense certain narrative redundancy if the writers can't tell an A-story with one trip.  The same problem in execution plagues the over-abundant use of guest stars. 

Karolina Kurkova fills her role well and even Lou Ferrigno gets a few laughs, but once again the role of "Greta" (this week played by Old Spice spokesman Isaiah Mustafa) adds little.  The Nerd Herders of Chuck fandom will undeniably scream bloody murder if Summer Glau recieves the same short-changing.  And what does it say about the writer's ability to utilize peripheral characters when Bronson Pinchot's role was so criminally brief that I literally looked away for a moment and missed it?

A surprisingly warmer, more exciting and layered improvement over last week's "Chuck Vs. The Anniversary;" dare we hope for the trend to continue?

And Another Thing...

• Underutilzed as he may have been, Isaiah Mustafa delivers nothing but pure gold in his every waking word.
• So nice to have Jeffster and the old Nerd Herd crew back, even The Frizzy Rooster, Frumpy Girl and Fat Frizzy.  Yes, I came up with these myself.
• No Big Mike?  Now that Morgan's the manager, what will be come of our favorite marlin enthusiast, or even Beckman?
• Yvonne Strahovski wearing all manner of nothing.  I'll never get tired of it.  I'll bet it took some creative editing to get rid of all those crotch shots in the runway throwdown.
• Speaking of which, that was SUCH an intrinsically Chuck catfight.  The music, creativity and brutality lands right up there with the Nicole Richie fight.
  
• A little disappointed we didnt get a real Lou Ferrigno fight scene, but it doesn't make Chuck's zen-like flash on the pole fight any less awesome.
• "Rumor has it you're pregnant.  Is there room in that womb for two?"
• Very impressive and welcome, the old photos of Scott Bakula and Linda Hamilton with kids.
  

What did you think?

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