Chuck – “Chuck Versus The Wedding Planner” – review

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During the second half of this season of Chuck, there’s been a lot of talk about Sarah’s past and her family. Naturally this got me expecting we’d see Gary Cole back as Sarah’s dad before the season was over. In “Chuck Versus The Wedding Planner” conman Jack Burton makes a triumphant return, making this episode feel a lot like season 2, when Chuck was at its best.

The first half of the episode centered on Chuck and Sarah being conned out of their wedding money by Daphne and trying to get it back. Sarah goes to her dad for advice, and he suggests using all the CIA resources she has. So Sarah and Chuck lie to Beckman, convincing her to hunt down the conwoman. All this is pretty straight forward, providing some fun gags here and there, ultimately leading in the discovery that they were in fact simply hunting a conman, not a deadly criminal.

The second half is where things really kick off. Chuck and Sarah are now suspended, but they actually have a real mission now, but Beckman doesn’t believe them. So they round up Jack, Morgan, and eventually Casey to get the job done without help from the CIA. I love missions that include as many of the cast as possible. Gary Cole plays a great conman, and it would be super if he could be a part of more missions. The way he talked down that guy from shooting Morgan was pretty smooth on his part.

The subplot of the episode involving Casey and Alex’s mother Kathleen was rewarding. Finally Kathleen finds out Casey has been alive all these years. The way she finds out he’s an NSA agent was well done, and made me proud of who Casey is.

I really enjoyed the flashbacks to Sarah’s childhood, being taught how to con people by Jack. I was pleased to see those scenes actually having an effect on the present day storyline.

Funny moments: Sarah’s impression of Chuck’s “flashing face” was spot on. That must be a pretty good joke on set.

I liked that Morgan’s reaction to having a gun pointed at him was to shield his face with a tray, as if that would save his life.

Sarah’s accent when she impersonated Daphne was superb. I’m always impressed by Yvonne Strahovski’s acting abilities. Nothing against Zachary Levi, but Yvonne is just a much better actor than he is.