Chuck Versus the Ex
Encyclopedia
"Chuck Versus the Ex" is the sixth episode of the second season
of Chuck
. It originally aired on November 10, 2008. Chuck Bartowski
runs into his ex-girlfriend Jill Roberts
(Jordana Brewster
) while on a Nerd Herd call. In an attempt to save face, he lies to the girl who broke his heart and tells her that he is more successful than he really is. When Chuck flashes on Jill's boss, a research scientist who may have developed a deadly bio-weapon, he, Sarah Walker
, and John Casey
must find out if Jill is involved. Meanwhile at the Buy More
, Big Mike nearly chokes to death, which leads company efficiency expert Emmett Milbarge (Tony Hale
) to implement a mandatory CPR
course taught by Devon Woodcomb.
from Stanford University
and hired at the Buy More
, Chuck Bartowski
walks along a row of sorority
houses wearing a green shirt. He stops at the house where his girlfriend Jill Roberts
(Jordana Brewster
) lives to explain that he was expelled under false accusation of stealing tests. Jill refuses to talk about their relationship, before her roommate callously tells Chuck that Jill is dating Bryce Larkin
.
At the present-day Buy More, Chuck listens to a playlist
before being sent by Emmett Milbarge (Tony Hale
) to respond to a technical support
call for a biotechnology
conference at a nearby hotel. As Chuck sets up the conference network at the hotel, Jill arrives, in need of technical support for her lecture. They briefly catch up about the past five years, with Jill explaining that she got a doctorate
after graduating from Stanford. In an effort to save face, Chuck says that he runs a large computer repair business. As Jill reminisces about how she would change things about their past, her boss Guy Lafleur (William Abadie) arrives, and Chuck flashes on him.
At Castle, Chuck reports his flash to the other members of Team Bartowski, who believe that Lafleur may have created a bio-weapon. General Beckman (Bonita Friedericy
) orders Chuck to reconnect with Jill and determine if she is involved. Chuck protests, as Jill was the one who broke his heart and destroyed his confidence, but Sarah Walker
convinces him to take on the assignment to gain closure, and John Casey
remarks that he can get his "mojo" back.
Chuck is assigned to go on a date with Jill at a five-star restaurant
, entirely operated by the CIA
. Going in under the guise of his billionaire alter ego
, Chuck attempts to learn more about Jill's boss. However, the date is botched when she realizes that Chuck is lying about his job when Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel interrupt and reveal that Chuck still works at the Buy More. Chuck attempts to call Jill on her phone countless of times, where Casey mocks him for it.
Later, the team decides to send Chuck to Jill's apartment, where they are to bug her phone. When Chuck apologizes to her for lying, Jill later opens the door for him and allows him in, where he successfully plants the bug. During a conversation about their past, however, Chuck turns off the bug, but Casey accesses it through an override from the team's van and switches it back online. Sarah is conflicted by Chuck's reestablished relationship with Jill.
Later, Casey and Sarah visit Lafleur's apartment, where they find him attacked and thrown off a balcony to his death by an assassin who escapes them. The team brings Jill to Castle to question her on everything she knows about her boss, and she confirms that he is working on a deadly bio-weapon. Jill is curious of Chuck's involvement with the CIA at first, but Casey denies it. They decide to have her deliver the speech on the influenza
at the conference, but Chuck heavily refuses to have the love of his life put at risk for an assassin. Sarah, under frustration and jealousy of Chuck's feelings towards Jill, agrees to take the role of delivering the speech for her instead.
Chuck receives an urgent message from Casey, who is in the conference room as Sarah prepares to give her speech. Casey and Sarah two wait to find the assassin who killed Lafleur. The assassin then releases the bio-weapon in the conference, weakening everyone except for Sarah, who is already in pursuit of the assassin. Chuck rescues Jill, being forced to reveal his involvement with the CIA and NSA
, and surprises her by bringing an entire squad with him.
The two arrive at the conference, where Chuck volunteers to be given the antigen
to the virus, so he can cure the civilians and an angry Casey. Chuck fumbles and fails to inject the antigen into Casey, and Casey is too weak to hold the syringe himself, thus breaking the only antigen left. While waiting for Jill to arrive in the conference room, Chuck conjures up a possible cure to the virus with saliva. He then defies Casey's wishes to "die with dignity" and kisses him on the lips. Nothing happens, and Chuck realizes he was wrong as Casey grunts angrier than usual. Jill retrieves bits of the antigen from Chuck's body and injects them into the exposed people.
Meanwhile, Sarah pursues the assassin, and, after a long chase and gunfight, manages to kill him. She checks the corpse for his identification and learns that he was a rogue CIA agent. After all the people are cured with the antigen, they are allowed to exit the building, and Chuck and Jill share a long kiss, as Sarah watches in frustration. Chuck and Jill rekindle their relationship and being dating again.
At Castle, Beckman informs the team that the assassin Sarah killed was a Fulcrum
agent, as the organization mainly consists of rogue CIA elements.
, and Devon Woodcomb agrees to be their instructor, preparing them for a test. Emmett warns Chuck that he too has to take the test and will not be dodging it, but Chuck leaves anyway at Casey's signal.
As Devon teaches the staff how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver, Jeff and Lester mock Chuck by staging a catfight
with a brunette mannequin as Jill and a blonde mannequin as Sarah. Lester then proposes that Morgan should help stealing the answers to the CPR test, as Morgan is Chuck's best friend, and Devon is engaged to marry Chuck's sister Ellie.
Morgan arrives at Chuck's home and attempts to steal the answers to Devon's CPR test. When Ellie walks in on him when he holds her panties, Morgan claims that his intention was to steal the answers for Devon's tests, but not to raid through her things. Suddenly, Devon walks in on the two and brags that he is always carrying the answers to the test with him.
When they are forced to take the test, Morgan, Jeff, Lester and the rest of the Buy More staff attempts to copy off of Chuck's test, but Chuck leaves when he receives an urgent message from Casey. Emmett throws Chuck's test in a trash can, and the staff panics. Lester conjures a brilliant plan to quickly get the answers: Jeff is to choke on a pen as Devon performs the Heimlich Maneuver. Emmett realizes their plan as they immediately answer their tests while watching Devon perform the maneuver, but Emmett cannot stop them as it was technically not cheating.
used her native Australian accent as Sarah.
gave this episode a score of 8.5 out of 10, writing, "A much-discussed but never seen bit of Chuck history was attractively fleshed out this week, as we finally met Jill, Chuck's college girlfriend", calling Chuck's attempts to get close to Jill a "well done arc for the episode". Of the episode's conclusion, Goldman wrote, "Chuck's attempts to save the way led to some very funny situations, culminating when he had a would-be ingenious plan to use saliva to process the cure Jill had put within him, and kissed Casey. The fact that Chuck was totally wrong about his plan was great and a nice twist on 'the crazy plan that just might work!' idea."
Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club
gave the episode a B+, writing "This was a pretty terrific episode even by the high standards of this second season. The spy plot worked. The Buy More stuff worked. The Chuck-and-Sarah (or, more accurately, Chuck-without-Sarah) thread led to some interesting places. And we got hot Chuck-on-John action. That's a full hour of Chuck, all right. But there was one central element that didn't work for me at all. This is a story about Chuck's romantic life, past, present, and possible future." Unlike Goldman, Phipps found the character of Jill flatly-written and awkwardly-conceived.
Viewer response was also positive, with an 9/10 user rating at TV.com
. The episode drew 6.338 million viewers.
Chuck (season 2)
The second season of Chuck contains 22 episodes and was originally aired from September 29, 2008 to April 27, 2009. The season continues to focus on Chuck's constant struggle to keep his spy life and real life apart as he becomes more accustomed to being a spy. More background on the Intersect...
of Chuck
Chuck (TV series)
Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...
. It originally aired on November 10, 2008. Chuck Bartowski
Chuck Bartowski
Charles Irving "Chuck" Bartowski is the main and titular character of the American fiction television show Chuck on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi.-Character profile:...
runs into his ex-girlfriend Jill Roberts
Jill Roberts
Dr. Jill Roberts is a recurring character on the action/comedy series Chuck on NBC. She is a prominent figure in the series mythology, though did not appear until the middle of the second season. Jill is Chuck's ex-girlfriend from Stanford, and is portrayed by Jordana Brewster...
(Jordana Brewster
Jordana Brewster
Jordana Brewster is an American actress. She began her acting career in her late teens, with a 1995 one-episode role in the soap opera All My Children. She followed that appearance with the recurring role as Nikki Munson in As the World Turns, for which Brewster was nominated for Outstanding Teen...
) while on a Nerd Herd call. In an attempt to save face, he lies to the girl who broke his heart and tells her that he is more successful than he really is. When Chuck flashes on Jill's boss, a research scientist who may have developed a deadly bio-weapon, he, Sarah Walker
Sarah Walker (Chuck)
Sarah Lisa Bartowski is the alias of one of the main characters of the fictional television show Chuck on NBC. She is portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski and is one of two agents assigned by the NSA and CIA to protect Chuck Bartowski after he unwittingly downloads the secret government computer known...
, and John Casey
John Casey (Chuck)
Colonel John Casey is portrayed by actor Adam Baldwin on the television show Chuck on NBC. Prior to the episode "Chuck Versus the Tic Tac," he was partnered with CIA agent Sarah Walker to protect Chuck Bartowski....
must find out if Jill is involved. Meanwhile at the Buy More
Buy More
Buy More is a fictional big box electronics retail chain in NBC's action-comedy series Chuck. The Buy More is a parody of similar chains, particularly Best Buy....
, Big Mike nearly chokes to death, which leads company efficiency expert Emmett Milbarge (Tony Hale
Tony Hale
Tony Hale is an American actor, best known for his role in the Fox comedy series Arrested Development as the neurotic Byron "Buster" Bluth.-Early life:...
) to implement a mandatory CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure which is performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest. It is indicated in those who are unresponsive...
course taught by Devon Woodcomb.
Plot
In 2003, having been expelledExpulsion (academia)
Expulsion or exclusion refers to the permanent removal of a student from a school system or university for violating that institution's rules. Laws and procedures regarding expulsion vary between countries and states.-State sector:...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and hired at the Buy More
Buy More
Buy More is a fictional big box electronics retail chain in NBC's action-comedy series Chuck. The Buy More is a parody of similar chains, particularly Best Buy....
, Chuck Bartowski
Chuck Bartowski
Charles Irving "Chuck" Bartowski is the main and titular character of the American fiction television show Chuck on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi.-Character profile:...
walks along a row of sorority
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
houses wearing a green shirt. He stops at the house where his girlfriend Jill Roberts
Jill Roberts
Dr. Jill Roberts is a recurring character on the action/comedy series Chuck on NBC. She is a prominent figure in the series mythology, though did not appear until the middle of the second season. Jill is Chuck's ex-girlfriend from Stanford, and is portrayed by Jordana Brewster...
(Jordana Brewster
Jordana Brewster
Jordana Brewster is an American actress. She began her acting career in her late teens, with a 1995 one-episode role in the soap opera All My Children. She followed that appearance with the recurring role as Nikki Munson in As the World Turns, for which Brewster was nominated for Outstanding Teen...
) lives to explain that he was expelled under false accusation of stealing tests. Jill refuses to talk about their relationship, before her roommate callously tells Chuck that Jill is dating Bryce Larkin
Bryce Larkin
Bryce Larkin is a recurring character on the spy comedy series Chuck on NBC. Bryce is the ex-college roommate and fraternity brother of the series' main character, Chuck Bartowski and was formerly partnered and once romantically involved with Chuck's CIA handler Sarah Walker. Bryce was responsible...
.
At the present-day Buy More, Chuck listens to a playlist
Playlist
In its most general form, a playlist is simply a list of songs. They can be played in sequential or shuffled order. The term has several specialized meanings in the realms of radio broadcasting and personal computers.-In radio:...
before being sent by Emmett Milbarge (Tony Hale
Tony Hale
Tony Hale is an American actor, best known for his role in the Fox comedy series Arrested Development as the neurotic Byron "Buster" Bluth.-Early life:...
) to respond to a technical support
Technical support
Technical support or tech support refers to a range of services by which enterprises provide assistance to users of technology products such as mobile phones, televisions, computers, software products or other electronic or mechanical goods...
call for a biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
conference at a nearby hotel. As Chuck sets up the conference network at the hotel, Jill arrives, in need of technical support for her lecture. They briefly catch up about the past five years, with Jill explaining that she got a doctorate
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
after graduating from Stanford. In an effort to save face, Chuck says that he runs a large computer repair business. As Jill reminisces about how she would change things about their past, her boss Guy Lafleur (William Abadie) arrives, and Chuck flashes on him.
At Castle, Chuck reports his flash to the other members of Team Bartowski, who believe that Lafleur may have created a bio-weapon. General Beckman (Bonita Friedericy
Bonita Friedericy
Bonita Friedericy is an American actress. She currently can be seen in the television series Chuck as NSA Director Diane Beckman. She has also appeared on Malcolm in the Middle, Veronica Mars, Star Trek: Enterprise, Bones, The Nine, The West Wing, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and in the film...
) orders Chuck to reconnect with Jill and determine if she is involved. Chuck protests, as Jill was the one who broke his heart and destroyed his confidence, but Sarah Walker
Sarah Walker (Chuck)
Sarah Lisa Bartowski is the alias of one of the main characters of the fictional television show Chuck on NBC. She is portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski and is one of two agents assigned by the NSA and CIA to protect Chuck Bartowski after he unwittingly downloads the secret government computer known...
convinces him to take on the assignment to gain closure, and John Casey
John Casey (Chuck)
Colonel John Casey is portrayed by actor Adam Baldwin on the television show Chuck on NBC. Prior to the episode "Chuck Versus the Tic Tac," he was partnered with CIA agent Sarah Walker to protect Chuck Bartowski....
remarks that he can get his "mojo" back.
Chuck is assigned to go on a date with Jill at a five-star restaurant
Restaurant rating
Restaurant ratings identify restaurants according to their quality, using various notations such as stars or other symbols, or numbers. Stars are a familiar and popular symbol, with ratings of one to four or five stars commonly used. Ratings appear in guidebooks as well as in the media, typically...
, entirely operated by the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. Going in under the guise of his billionaire alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
, Chuck attempts to learn more about Jill's boss. However, the date is botched when she realizes that Chuck is lying about his job when Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel interrupt and reveal that Chuck still works at the Buy More. Chuck attempts to call Jill on her phone countless of times, where Casey mocks him for it.
Later, the team decides to send Chuck to Jill's apartment, where they are to bug her phone. When Chuck apologizes to her for lying, Jill later opens the door for him and allows him in, where he successfully plants the bug. During a conversation about their past, however, Chuck turns off the bug, but Casey accesses it through an override from the team's van and switches it back online. Sarah is conflicted by Chuck's reestablished relationship with Jill.
Later, Casey and Sarah visit Lafleur's apartment, where they find him attacked and thrown off a balcony to his death by an assassin who escapes them. The team brings Jill to Castle to question her on everything she knows about her boss, and she confirms that he is working on a deadly bio-weapon. Jill is curious of Chuck's involvement with the CIA at first, but Casey denies it. They decide to have her deliver the speech on the influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
at the conference, but Chuck heavily refuses to have the love of his life put at risk for an assassin. Sarah, under frustration and jealousy of Chuck's feelings towards Jill, agrees to take the role of delivering the speech for her instead.
Chuck receives an urgent message from Casey, who is in the conference room as Sarah prepares to give her speech. Casey and Sarah two wait to find the assassin who killed Lafleur. The assassin then releases the bio-weapon in the conference, weakening everyone except for Sarah, who is already in pursuit of the assassin. Chuck rescues Jill, being forced to reveal his involvement with the CIA and NSA
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
, and surprises her by bringing an entire squad with him.
The two arrive at the conference, where Chuck volunteers to be given the antigen
Antigen
An antigen is a foreign molecule that, when introduced into the body, triggers the production of an antibody by the immune system. The immune system will then kill or neutralize the antigen that is recognized as a foreign and potentially harmful invader. These invaders can be molecules such as...
to the virus, so he can cure the civilians and an angry Casey. Chuck fumbles and fails to inject the antigen into Casey, and Casey is too weak to hold the syringe himself, thus breaking the only antigen left. While waiting for Jill to arrive in the conference room, Chuck conjures up a possible cure to the virus with saliva. He then defies Casey's wishes to "die with dignity" and kisses him on the lips. Nothing happens, and Chuck realizes he was wrong as Casey grunts angrier than usual. Jill retrieves bits of the antigen from Chuck's body and injects them into the exposed people.
Meanwhile, Sarah pursues the assassin, and, after a long chase and gunfight, manages to kill him. She checks the corpse for his identification and learns that he was a rogue CIA agent. After all the people are cured with the antigen, they are allowed to exit the building, and Chuck and Jill share a long kiss, as Sarah watches in frustration. Chuck and Jill rekindle their relationship and being dating again.
At Castle, Beckman informs the team that the assassin Sarah killed was a Fulcrum
Fulcrum (Chuck)
Fulcrum is the codename of a fictional hostile espionage organization on the television series Chuck. Fulcrum serves as the series' main antagonists up until the end of season two, though their specific goals beyond acquiring the Intersect have not yet been fully revealed.-History:Very little...
agent, as the organization mainly consists of rogue CIA elements.
Buy More
Emmett delivers a box of donuts to Big Mike, causing Big Mike to start. Emmett quickly uses the Heimlich Maneuver to dislodge the donut, which is caught by Lester. Big Mike assigns Emmett to teach the entire Buy More staff CPRCardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure which is performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest. It is indicated in those who are unresponsive...
, and Devon Woodcomb agrees to be their instructor, preparing them for a test. Emmett warns Chuck that he too has to take the test and will not be dodging it, but Chuck leaves anyway at Casey's signal.
As Devon teaches the staff how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver, Jeff and Lester mock Chuck by staging a catfight
Catfight
Catfight is a term for an altercation between two women, typically involving scratching, slapping, hair-pulling, and shirt-shredding as opposed to punching or wrestling . However, the term is not exclusively used to indicate a fight between women, and many formal definitions do not invoke gender...
with a brunette mannequin as Jill and a blonde mannequin as Sarah. Lester then proposes that Morgan should help stealing the answers to the CPR test, as Morgan is Chuck's best friend, and Devon is engaged to marry Chuck's sister Ellie.
Morgan arrives at Chuck's home and attempts to steal the answers to Devon's CPR test. When Ellie walks in on him when he holds her panties, Morgan claims that his intention was to steal the answers for Devon's tests, but not to raid through her things. Suddenly, Devon walks in on the two and brags that he is always carrying the answers to the test with him.
When they are forced to take the test, Morgan, Jeff, Lester and the rest of the Buy More staff attempts to copy off of Chuck's test, but Chuck leaves when he receives an urgent message from Casey. Emmett throws Chuck's test in a trash can, and the staff panics. Lester conjures a brilliant plan to quickly get the answers: Jeff is to choke on a pen as Devon performs the Heimlich Maneuver. Emmett realizes their plan as they immediately answer their tests while watching Devon perform the maneuver, but Emmett cannot stop them as it was technically not cheating.
Production
This episode marked the first appearance of Jordana Brewster in her recurring role of Jill Roberts. It was also the first time Yvonne StrahovskiYvonne Strahovski
Yvonne Strahovski is an Australian actress. Born in Australia to Polish immigrant parents, Strahovski speaks Polish and English...
used her native Australian accent as Sarah.
Cultural references
- Guy Lafleur's nameGuy LafleurGuy Damien "The Flower" / "Le Démon Blond" Lafleur, OC, CQ is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted and popular players ever to play professional ice hockey...
is an homage to the Hall of FamerHockey Hall of FameThe Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
who played seventeen seasons in the National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
with the Montreal CanadiensMontreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, New York RangersNew York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
and Quebec NordiquesColorado AvalancheThe Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
. - In the scene where Jeff, Lester, and Morgan attempt to cheat on the CPR test, Emmett's line "You may begin... now" is an homage to the cheating scene in Spies Like UsSpies Like UsSpies Like Us is a 1985 American comedy film directed by John Landis and starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Forrest, and Donna Dixon...
, the cold-war comedy from which Emmett's name is derived.
Music
- "Pumpin' For Jill" by Iggy PopIggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
- "Papa Loves MamboPapa Loves Mambo"Papa Loves Mambo" is a popular song written by Al Hoffman, Dick Manning, and Bix Reichner and published in 1954.The best-known version was recorded by Perry Como with Hugo Winterhalter's orchestra in New York City on August 31, 1954. The song was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number...
" by Perry ComoPerry ComoPierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr... - "It Makes My Heart Break" by Your VegasYour VegasYour Vegas are a British rock band from Leeds, England.-Background:The band started playing music together while attending Prince Henry's Grammar School in Otley, West Yorkshire. Their first band was called Orka but they later changed their name to Salvadore...
- "Time And Space" by The AccidentalThe AccidentalThe Accidental is a 2005 novel by Scottish author Ali Smith. It follows a middle-class English family who are visited by an uninvited guest, Amber, while they are on holiday in a small village in Norfolk. Amber's arrival has a profound impact on all the family members. Eventually she is cast out...
Critical response
"Chuck Versus the Ex" received positive reviews from critics. Eric Goldman of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave this episode a score of 8.5 out of 10, writing, "A much-discussed but never seen bit of Chuck history was attractively fleshed out this week, as we finally met Jill, Chuck's college girlfriend", calling Chuck's attempts to get close to Jill a "well done arc for the episode". Of the episode's conclusion, Goldman wrote, "Chuck's attempts to save the way led to some very funny situations, culminating when he had a would-be ingenious plan to use saliva to process the cure Jill had put within him, and kissed Casey. The fact that Chuck was totally wrong about his plan was great and a nice twist on 'the crazy plan that just might work!' idea."
Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode a B+, writing "This was a pretty terrific episode even by the high standards of this second season. The spy plot worked. The Buy More stuff worked. The Chuck-and-Sarah (or, more accurately, Chuck-without-Sarah) thread led to some interesting places. And we got hot Chuck-on-John action. That's a full hour of Chuck, all right. But there was one central element that didn't work for me at all. This is a story about Chuck's romantic life, past, present, and possible future." Unlike Goldman, Phipps found the character of Jill flatly-written and awkwardly-conceived.
Viewer response was also positive, with an 9/10 user rating at TV.com
TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
. The episode drew 6.338 million viewers.