First Frost: An Advance Review of the Chuck Season Four Premiere

When we last left Zachary Levi's Chuck Bartowski, he had received a revelation--or two--that shocked his world to its core. Having buried his father, slain in the line of duty, Chuck learned that his father had maintained a secret underground headquarters beneath the family's Encino home and that his mother, Mary Elizabeth Bartowski, had her own secrets as well... and that his father had devoted his life to finding Chuck and Ellie's errant mother.

I can tell you that we see the elusive Mary (played by Terminator's Linda Hamilton) within the very first seconds of Season Four of NBC's Chuck, which begins on Monday with a fantastic and funny installment ("Chuck Versus the Anniversary") that sets up the overarching plotline for the fourth season while creating a new status quo for our favorite spy.

I had the chance last night to watch "Chuck Versus the Anniversary," written by Chris Fedak and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill, and was struck by how much humor and whimsy--and action--they managed to shoehorn into those forty-odd minutes. As I tweeted last night about the episode, "Chuck premiere: sexting, skydiving, Seinfeld references, (Harry Dean) Stanton? Sensational. Very fun opener."

Which it is. Without giving too much away, I can say that Chuck and Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) are still very much a couple, though with some new obstacles to overcome, Chuck's promise to Ellie to leave the spy life behind stands (or, well, sort of, anyway), and divergent plotlines end up beautifully intersecting before the end of the hour, when Chuck is forced to make a choice that could have some consequences for his current covert mission: tracking down his mother.

What else did I think of the season opener? Read on...

[As always: please do not reproduce this review in full on any message boards, websites, or blogs.]

It's the above task that shadows the action unfolding within "Chuck Versus the Anniversary," but the episode is not all doom and gloom. In fact, it's one of the most lighthearted and funny episodes of the series in quite some time, as executive producer Chris Fedak constructs an episode that equal parts Get Smart homage, gadget-influenced romantic comedy, and a high-flying, globe-hopping espionage drama that's set against such diverse cities as Hong Kong, Moscow, and, well, Burbank. (The gang's jet-setting lifestyle is visualized through a hilarious map gag that makes use of the credit sequence's little stick figure man.)

While I don't want to give too much away about this fun and fantastic installment, I will say that several of the series regulars don't make appearances here, so don't hold your breath waiting to find out what Lester, Jeff, Big Mike, or Captain Awesome have been up to since we last saw them. However, what you will find is an episode that puts the spotlight on the core group--that would be Chuck, Sarah, Casey (Adam Baldwin), and Morgan (Josh Gomez), naturally--while reconfiguring them a bit and pushing them into a new and exciting direction within the confines of the series.

As for the Buy More gang, I'll be interested to see just how they fit into this new world order within Chuck and just how they'll interact with the newly promoted Bonita Fredericy's General Beckman, who takes on a most unusual role within the infrastructure of the series. I'll say no more on that front for the time being.

Chuck and Sarah's relationship--a romantic one for those worried--is the bedrock of the season. While the two are challenged by circumstances, there are no ex-lovers, would-be love interests, or other external pressures on their relationship, but rather a realistic situation that tests their bond even as it proves their loyalty and depth of feelings for one another. And, yes, involves the ubiquitous trend of the moment: sexting. But said trend is used for both comedic and dramatic effect and Fedak creatively uses it both as gag and plot point here.

Ultimately,"Chuck Versus the Anniversary" is a hell of a start for what promises another fantastic season of Chuck, one filled with intrigue, excitement, romance, and comedy. Not to mention Mary Elizabeth Bartowski. In the hands of Hamilton, she becomes an impressive and powerful figure in Chuck's life, albeit one who might either be friend or foe. Suffice it to say that a scene in which Mary figures prominently will not soon be forgotten...

Meanwhile, the episode also features Harry Dean Stanton, Dolph Lundgren, and Olivia Munn. I have to say that I'm extremely impressed that Fedak and Josh Schwartz were able to get Stanton, who turns up here in a most unexpected role, one that sets in motion a series of events involving getaways, menus, and public transportation. As for Lundgren, his appearance signals the arrival of a new criminal organization for Chuck and Co. to take down over the course of the season, perhaps taking advantage of the power vacuum created by the destruction of The Ring.

Just who is Lundgren's character working for and what is their ultimate aim? And how does Mary fit into all of this? What's her agenda exactly? Hmmm...

Season Four of Chuck launches Monday at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.