Computer geek by day. Government operative by night.

Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
Episode(s): 2.18 “Chuck Versus the Broken Heart”
Role: Special Agent Alexandra “Alex” Forrest (guest appearance)
Status: Original airdate March 30 2009 (U.S.)
Series Creator(s): Chris Fedak, Josh Schwartz
Other Cast: Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Ryan McPartlin, Sarah Lancaster, Adam Baldwin, Bonita Friedericy
Network: NBC

• Overview
• Memorable Alex Quotations
• Said of Chuck
• Chuck Episode Trivia
• Reception: Awards & Personal Thoughts
• Chuck Online

More Chuck images of Tricia in our Chuck Photo Gallery!

Series and episode overview by Tricia Helfer Fan:

Chuck is NBC’s hit one-hour spy comedy about Chuck Bartowski (Levi), a computer geek who is recruited as a secret agent of the CIA when he inadvertently downloads critical government secrets into his brain.

In episode “Chuck Versus the Broken Heart”, agent Sarah Walker’s (Strahovski) conduct as Chuck’s handler comes unexpectedly under scrutiny when General Beckman (Friedericy) learns of Chuck’s feelings for Sarah and orders an agency assessment of her. To conduct Sarah’s “49-B” arrives Special Agent Alex Forrest, who quickly proves herself both dedicated and effective, including on this week’s case in which Chuck has to confirm the identity of the terrorist known as “Ahmad”, recently hospitalized for a surgical procedure. Meanwhile, Morgan, Lester and Jeff are doing everything they can to get invited to Captain Awesome’s (McPartlin) bachelor party, but the party gets out of hand when it is crashed by Agent Forrest. Posing as a stripper, Alex knocks out Awesome with a tranquilizer to get his hospital keycard despite Chuck’s protests, and the situation doesn’t improve when Awesome’s fiancée Ellie (Lancaster) later inadvertently sees the boys’ risqué pictures of Awesome (however unconscious) and the “stripper”.

Following a seemingly successful mission at Ahmad’s hospital, Agent Forrest gives a scathing assessment of Sarah to General Beckman, who wastes no time in dismissing Sarah as Chuck’s handler and replacing her with Alex. But when Chuck is unexpectedly kidnapped by Ahmad’s men, Sarah proves an irreplaceable part of Chuck’s protection.

* * * *

Tricia Helfer portrays Agent Alex Forrest, a top gun special agent for the CIA whose only professional and personal mission is to get the job done. Spotting Sarah and Chuck’s emotional connection, Agent Forrest quickly estimates their relationship, and therein Sarah’s seeming lack of professionalism, as highly objectionable and harmful to “the asset”, and soon replaces Sarah in action. But what Alex lacks in partiality towards Chuck soon proves more a vice than virtue, when Chuck is kidnapped by Ahmad’s personal physician.

“I’m Agent Alex Forrest. General Beckman sent me, I’m your 49-B.”

[all agents in unison] “I dream of finding him.”

“Damn right. If Agent Walker did that, not only would she be fired but potentially face charges of misappropriation of government intelligence.”

“The asset and I will enter the facility, obtain uniforms to assimilate and attempt to confirm Ahmad’s identity.”

[Alex and Casey in unison] “Checkmate!”

“Relax, I only tranq’ed her. She’ll be awake in six to eight hours. Now grab a leg.”

“I don’t decide. Protocol dictates my actions.”

“Fortunately, you, like felons and children, don’t get a vote.”

“Based on my observations, Agent Walker is far too emotionally entwined with the asset. Her decisions weren’t made with respect to established protocol. She always places the subject’s feelings above orders.”

“I don’t think so. You’ve already done enough damage here. Chuck’s my mission now. No further contact, that’s an order.”

[posing as a stripper] “I understand one of you’ve been a naughty, naughty boy. I’m gonna have to strip search you.”

“I guess romance is alive and well and living in Burbank.”

“This isn’t working. I can’t risk this going any further. I’m getting the nitro.”

Select quotations regarding the show from Tricia Helfer and her co-workers: Coming soon/not available.

• Chuck marks Tricia Helfer’s second onscreen appearance with Zachary Levi. They previously appeared together in Tricia’s only scene in the 2007 low-budget thriller Spiral.

Chuck episode 2.18 “Chuck Versus the Broken Heart” has not received any awards or nominations.

Personal Thoughts

Sandra: Chuck, I’m sorry to say, just doesn’t hit home with me as a show. Although I’m generally a big fan of comedy, and understand that Chuck has a big and loyal fanbase, to me the show is just too childish to be genuinely amusing (despite its many likable characters and overall good casting), and too long for a comedy show; they just never seem to be able to hold the momentum for a full hour, and after the first 30 minutes it tends to just get old. I can understand how the series has garnered its many fans, but to me it holds no appeal, and Tricia’s episode is both the first and the last full episode of the show I’ve ever watched.

As one might expect, Tricia Helfer’s is solid as Special Agent Alex Forrest in her episode, but unfortunately Alex’s paper-thin role gives Tricia little room to do anything remarkable with her. Not that this should’ve been much of a surprise, considering e.g. how prominently Tricia’s sexy stripper scene was advertised in the episode promo material, as opposed to her other scenes, but despite Tricia’s best efforts, her episode and character were so predictably written that I found neither particularly enjoyable. Judging from this episode, I doubt we’ll ever see Agent Forrest again, but if this is the standard quality of writing on the show, I’m not sure I’m really that disappointed.

Below are some Chuck related links that may be of interest to you.

• Chuck official site
• Chuck TFL-approved fanlisting
• Chuck TFL-approved Alex character fanlisting
• Chuck on IMDb.com
• Chuck on MetaCritic.com
• Chuck on Wikipedia.org

• Yvonne Strahovski on YvonneStrahovski.net
• Zachary Levi on Zachary-Levi.com