“Chuck Versus The Zoom” opens right back up in the middle of the action as Chuck and the gang (now working as the Spy-For-Hire team called Carmichael Industries using the newly acquired Volkoff fortune as backing) face off against Luke Skywalker (guest star Mark Hamill), struggling to complete a mission. As the threats become real, the Intersect comes to the rescue…but is this the Intersect that we are used to seeing? Most certainly not. 

 

Morgan Grimes is the new Intersect, and actor Josh Gomez gets some time in the spotlight as well, while he handles some fantastic action sequences. Morgan is still getting used to his new Intersect abilities as they aren’t fully under his control. Chuck (Zac Levi) also has a lot on his plate in the premiere: Finding a way to fit into the spy world (without the use of the Intersect), finding the perfect home for his gorgeous wife, oh, not to mention, helping his friend master new Intersect abilities. 

 

“Chuck Versus The Zoom” best compares to the beginning of Chuck: Season Three, which had the largest reset button as far as the series goes. This episode is mainly used to re-establish the characters and their roles in the spy world, but also gives viewers a few teases of what remains in store for our heroes. The episode had it’s fair share of ups and downs, but that was to be expected. 

 

I was disappointed about the minimal involvement of Mark Hamill in the episode, as his appearance was such a highly promoted aspect of the premiere (he only is in the opening sequence). I am sure that it was great for the cast and crew to have him around, and his appearance will surely help with additional viewers, but it really was just a minimal part (although he did sound a little like the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series). We were treated to a few other Special Guest Stars which included actor Ethan Phillips (Neelix from Star Trek Voyager) as Mr. Woodly, who hires Carmichael Industries to take down Roger Bail (talk show host Craig Kilborn). Kilborn does a fantastic job as the antagonist of the episode, and is a welcome addition to Chuck’s Rogues Gallery.

 

Best moment of the episode, by far: Yvonne Strahovski’s Sarah trying to get answers from Chuck at their apartment. Want more details? WATCH THE EPISODE. Yvonne looks simply stunning… Words cannot do justice to this moment. 

 

Now you might be wondering about Casey (Adam Baldwin). While he is actively involved in the premiere, his main story arc for the season starts up next episode with the introduction of a new love interest. 

 

A surprising development of “Versus the Zoom” was the seeming regression of Jeff and Lester (JEFFSTER to their fans), who are working on a scheme of their own at the Buy More. While I don’t want to give exact details away, this felt more like a Season One plot, as opposed to Season Five…These are characters that have progressed quite a bit in development and I was hoping for something more substantial from this dynamic duo.

 

Captain Awesome (Ryan McPartlin) and Big Mike (Mark Christopher Lawrence) aren’t around for the premiere, but rest assured that they will return with some great stories of their own in the coming weeks.

 

Chuck is back and you can really tell that the creative team is setting the fans up for an all out, action packed, character driven, final set of episodes. “Chuck Versus The Zoom” was a perfect way to get back in the game, and it will be great to see what will happen next for our favorite spies. 

 

ComicsOnline gives Chuck – Season 5 Premiere “Chuck Versus The Zoom” 4 out of 5 series that we don’t want to end!

 

If you want to know more about what is coming up in the Final Season of Chuck, check out our interviews with the cast and crew from Comic-Con 2011!

• SDCC 2011 Chuck – Mark Christopher Lawrence Interview

• SDCC 2011: Chuck – Zachary Levi and Josh Gomez Interview

• SDCC 2011: Chuck – Adam Baldwin Interview

• SDCC 2011: Chuck – Chris Fedak Interview

• SDCC 2011: Chuck- Scott Krinsky Interview

• SDCC 2011: Chuck – Yvonne Strahovski Interview

 

Check back to ComicsOnline.com for more reviews of the coming episodes of Chuck: The Final Season, and everything geek pop culture!