Chuck? What's wrong, Chuck?

Last year, Chuck was the best show on TV. With strong comedy, reasonable conflicts, first-rate writing and acting, an actual and intimate understanding of the geek life, and a full cast of characters whom I know or have met, it was unrivalled. Is anyone else feeling like this year isn't quite delivering?

For me, it started going down the moment they introduced Arrested Development's Tony Hale as the Buy-More's new efficiency guy - in other words, a Buy-More nemesis for Chuck. The first season did such a good job of arcing Lester from nemesis to not, and setting up the Buy-More as its own entity, with its own plots and jokes and troubles, because frankly, creating extra drama involving Chuck's constant needs to flee the store got old fast. But they fixed that, and set up Lester, Anna, Jeff, and Morgan as a secondary cast, almost a secondary show, and it gave an added dimension of interest and fun. Lester was a fair nemesis because of his own self-awareness and shortcomings, but his merging into a full member of that little Buy-More family completed, well, the family, and seeing them interact and problem-solve together was enjoyable, and enough. Toby Hale's character, Emmett, feels forced on every level, and just plain unnecessary. If there's one show that didn't need added drama - and there are many! - it's Chuck. Remember the episode a couple of weeks ago where Morgan and co. had to figure out how to get rid of a gang of jocks who were monopolizing (and wrecking) the home theatre room? Or the one where they chose their new assistant manager? The Buy-More worked just great on its own. Making outsider tension for Chuck is starting to bleed into the rest of the show, which can't be good news. Plus, as I've said about four times already, the Buy-More was just great how it was.

Also, Tony Hale doesn't exactly specialize in realistic characters, and Emmett is no exception - thus creating a further sense of disconnectivity and general not workingness, as Chuck has thrived thus far on the stregnth of its believable cast.

Hopefully, Emmett will be soon expunged in one way or another, and Chuck and gang will get back to business, and it'll all happen before we meet the promised Bruce Boxleitner (!!!) as the Captain's dad.