CHUCK VERSUS THE NEMESIS is the latest in a string of very nice episodes. I’ve not been charmed by everything in this series. There are fans of the show who love Morgan and those who utterly detest him. I’m of the latter camp. And early in the season I almost gave up on the show due to the series initial emphasis on standalone episodes couples with more Morgan than I could tolerate. But there has been slightly less Morgan (a little of him goes a very, very, very long way) and far more in the way of a serial structure to the show. As a result, my interest has gone up sharply.

This episode picks up from the previous one, in which Sarah kissed Chuck, only to discover that her former lover/CIA partner Bryce was still alive. Obviously, this complicates everything. I’ll keep the spoilers light except to add that the episode ends with Sarah being forced to choose between staying on her assignment with Chuck or going off with Bryce. Given that she has a longterm contract on the show, there isn’t a great deal of tension. The question obviously isn’t whether Sarah will end up staying, but under what conditions.

I’m coming to like this show more and more as the ongoing story continues. I’m really delighted that it has not persisted in offering nothing but standalone episodes. I’ve mentioned in many reviews that the one massive advantage TV has over the movies is the serial format. A TV series can develop a narrative and provide character development that no movie ever made can even remotely hope to match. Shows that turn their backs on that natural superiority of TV to movies do not receive my respect.