You see, she broke my heart. She destroyed me. She took all of my confidence, my mojo!
Chuck Versus The Ex is the sixth episode of Chuck's second season.
Chuck encounters his ex-girlfriend, Jill Roberts (Jordana Brewster) whom he had an ugly breakup with. He attempts to avoid her, but flashes on her boss - a research scientist who is involved with bio-weapon. Chuck is forced to reconnect with her in order to investigate their involvement.
At the Buy More Devon is invited to give a CPR certification course to the employers.
- Accidental Pervert: Morgan breaks into Ellie's house to steal Devon's CPR test, but accidentally drops a basket of clothing. Ellie happens to walk in just as he's picking up her underwear.Ellie: Morgan, are you holding my underwear?
Morgan: Wait a second, wait a second. Wait, I-I need to be very clear about this. Okay, the only thing I came in here to steal was a CPR test. So any suggestions to any pervy related to your panties—underpants is, frankly, outrageous.
Ellie: So you deny being a perv, but you admit to being a thief?
Morgan: ...Do I at least get points for honesty? - Artistic License – Biology: The writers are accurate in that injections of a weakened virus triggers the immune system to develop antibodies that can kill the virus; that is how all vaccines work. But it takes several days for the immune system to respond and create a high antibody titer. Not to mention it would take about half the blood in Chuck's body to quickly provide a cure for 20 people.
- The Bait: Sarah takes Jill's place in the biomedical presentation to draw out the assassin. It works and she manages to kill him, but Casey and many other civilians are poisoned by Deadly Gas.
- Brainy Brunette: Jill is a highly intelligent brunette, being a graduate from Stanford and an expert in biomedical engineering. She also almost manages to deduce Chuck is a spy based on his odd behavior.
- CPR: Clean, Pretty, Reliable: Devon is baffled when he sees the Buy More's crew version of practicing CPR includes punching the mannequins.Devon: Come on, guys. What's wrong with you?
Jeff: I drink too much.
Lester: My parents had impossible standards. - Deadly Gas: Wolf Dean tries to assassinate everyone during the conference by unleashing a canister filled with gas in the room, poisoning Casey along with a bunch of innocent civilians. Thankfully Chuck and Jill managed to make an antidote in time.
- Destination Defenestration: Wolf Dean kills Jill's boss by throwing him off a window. He ends up landing right on top of the team's Van in Black.
- Face Death with Dignity: Played for Laughs. Chuck suggests that the antidote to the pathogen may be in his saliva, which he has to share with Casey by kissing him on the mouth. Casey would much rather die.Casey: I served my country with honor, Bartowski. Please. Let me die with my dignity.
- Foe Cooties: Right after Chuck was kicked out of Stanford for "cheating", she dumped Chuck and supposedly slept with his then ex-Best Friend Bryce - the very guy who got him kicked out. Naturally, Chuck still resents her for it.
- Glad-to-Be-Alive Sex: Downplayed. Chuck and Jill have a Big Damn Kiss after the adrenaline rush of having successfully created an antidote together.
- The Grovel: Chuck grovels at the window of Jill's house in the opening flashback, trying to explain he was framed for cheating, to no avail.
- Headturning Beauty: Despite his resentment, Chuck admitting Jill is still gorgeous.
- How's Your British Accent?: Australian-born Yvonne Strahovski pretends to be Australian for a few moments, using her natural Australian accent.
- Impairment Shot: After being infected, Casey's vision gets distorted right before he passes out.
- Incredibly Obvious Bug: The bug Chuck is assigned to plant in Jill's room is about half an inch wide, has a blinking red light on the top and beeps when you turn it on. All the weirder because other bugs in the show are tiny, non-obvious black disks.
- I Take Offense to That Last One: When Ellie catches Morgan with the answer key to the CPR test and her underwear, he admits that he was stealing the answer key, but is offended that she thought he was stealing her underwear.
- Kiss of Life: Played for Laughs. Chuck gives Casey a Forced Kiss, figuring his saliva contains the antidote to save him. A baffled Jill soon arrives to inform him that is not how biology works.Jill: [sees Chuck kissing Casey] What are you doing?
Chuck: Jill! Hey, I thought that maybe the antivirals could be spread by saliva.
Jill: [incredulously] That's ridiculous. No wonder you failed BioChem. - Moment Killer: Jeff and Lester end up ruining Chuck's date with Jill, by revealing he still works at a Buy More.
- New Old Flame: Jill was Chuck's girlfriend back in Stanford and his First Love, but they had an ugly breakup that left Chuck devastated. This episode sees them rekindle their relationship and she becomes his Love Interest.
- Secret-Keeper: Jill becomes the first civilian in Chuck's life to know he's a spy.
- Shout-Out
- In the scene where Morgan tries to steal the CPR test from Devon, he wipes his face and blows on his fingers before opening Awesome's bag, mimicking Indiana Jones in the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- When Jeff, Lester, and Morgan attempt to cheat on the CPR test, Emmett's line "You may begin... now" is a reference to the cheating scene in Spies Like Us.
- Jill's boss is named Guy Lafleur which is also the name of a Hall of Fame hockey player.
- Stalker with a Crush: Jill starts to suspect Chuck is one when she finds out he bugged her room.
- Unseen No More: Chuck's college girlfriend Jill has been a much-discussed character in previous episodes, but has been The Ghost up until now where the audience finally gets to meet her as the eponymous "Ex".
- Villain of the Week: An Professional Killer who is Code Name "Wolf Dean" (Zach Hanks), who is actually a CIA agent named Barry Rommel under FULCRUM's employ. He kills Jill's boss and steals the antiviral agent that could render some of their bio-weapons useless.
- Why Would Anyone Take Her Back?: Invoked. Ellie and Chuck himself see no reason to get involved with Jill after how much she hurt him, but Chuck is forced to date her for the sake of a mission. He does eventually actually reconnect with her and they start dating.
- Wrong Assumption:
- Lester wrongly assumes Ellie is short for Elizabeth when in reality it's short for Eleanor.
- Chuck comes to the assumption that he can transfers the antidote in his blood via saliva. Jill mocks him for having no idea of how biology works.
