re: "Chuck"
SPOILAGE
One of the inherent evils of being involved in top secret espionage is that your family members must NOT be involved. I think that's why many shows feature characters without families or find ways to "kill off" an identity, going through all the motions of faking deaths and funerals. Then the spy gets a new identity and moves on with his life with no attachments. That protects the innocents, too.
In "Chuck", we've seen Awesome and Morgan get on board with Chuck's secret. The enemy still thinks Awesome is a player, and no one will ever believe Morgan is one. And, in a twist, Ellie's being manipulated by a Ring agent -- in essence using her against her brother but, inevitably, looking toward a day when they'll all be involved.
Yes, trouble will ensue. That's part of the game they're playing with the story arc. For me, it's no more tiresome than any of the other cliche-riddled series that trot out the usual plot devices even when delivering some entertaining TV.
Meanwhile, the "romance" between Chuck and Sarah is really the one tiresome thing I wish they would dispense with. Doesn't work for me. And such romances have always killed shows in which the sexual tension between uninvolved characters made the show interesting. Unless they plan on attempting a "Hart to Hart" scenario, with John in the role of Max...and with Morgan as Freeway...I don't see how they can hope to sustain it.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed last night's episode and especially those two wonderful touches: As Chuck channel surfs while sitting in front of the TV with Sarah, he comments, "There's never anything good on Monday nights" ("Chuck" is a Monday night show). And then when Chuck -- in the wee small hours of the morning -- calls the general for a video chat, he Sarah and John (and we) see a strange man padding to the refrigerator in the background. Husband? Boyfriend? Buddy? LOL! It adds more humanity to the general's character.
SPOILAGE Endeth
