Exploration time on Chuck: it's the authority figures' time to shine.  It's a little weird thinking of it at first, but judging from last week's episode, it could go that way.

It wasn't exactly a giveaway at the end—Chuck (Zachary Levi) springing Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) a vow about tracking down their father so she can be happier during her impending wedding—but it was a well-sprung surprise.  We did see Casey (Adam Baldwin) deal with all those feelings of betrayal upon discovering that his old mentor (guest star Carl Lumbly) has turned rogue and is basically out to get him, and that served as a pretty good parallel.

Maybe it will end up saying a lot about Chuck's pending journey.  We've barely reached the middle of the season, and surely that search will take a considerable chunk of time.  I somehow think, with my mind that thinks too much, that he'll be in for a disappointment—a feeling of betrayal that outweighs the earlier one, when the dad left Ellie and Chuck to fend for themselves.  Then again, that prediction is based on two points: one, it's going to be a stretched version of the Casey-Casey's sensei issue last week; and two, we don't really know much about Chuck and Ellie's past. It's just been the two of them right now.

Or, maybe, it could be as quirky (in a dark manner, of course) as the other pair of parents that appeared last week: Captain Awesome's (Ryan McPartlin) parents (guest stars Morgan Fairchild and Bruce Boxleitner).  They were all over the wedding planning, perhaps a little bit too much—I can imagine, “it can't be more awesome than that!”—and someone's definitely bound to feel the squeeze.  Maybe the search won't be too long, but when the dad is finally around, things are going to get a little iffy.

But that's just me predicting.  As proven last week, Chuck's becoming perfectly capable of springing good surprises when we least expect it, and nobody could possibly know what comes next.

Tonight's episode sees Chuck fighting the Delorean.  Well, actually, that's what the episode is called—“Chuck vs. The Delorean”—and basing from the advanced publicity photos, it seems there will be some time-traveling cars involved.  Or something that looks like it.  (After all, the Delorean is a real car, only outfitted for Back to the Future.)  Anyway, Chuck flashes on Sarah's (Yvonne Strahovski) companion, only to realize that it's her… father?  Gary Cole guest stars from 10pm tonight on NBC.

And, just as an aside, maybe the extended break is because they're still looking to cast Chuck's dad, if there will be such a story.  But who am I to know?


-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: NBC
(Image courtesy of NBC)