Chuck Returns to Face My Take

Chuck is BACK! After three weeks worth of suffering through an absence of Chuck due to the even more insufferable Olympics being on NBC Chuck returns in the form of episode 3.08 "Chuck vs. the Fake Name."  Staff and cast of the show asked fans after last week to reserve judgement until the next few episodes had aired.  

Frankly I didn't mind last week's episode to much and I think this episode was potentially game changing but perhaps not in the sense we've seen previously. Let's get into it and I'll explain…

Spy World

Over the course of season three I've probably been the most vocal about being less than impressed by the Spy World plot. As we left off in the last episode we were treated to a shadowy scene where we learned that The Ring had officially put a hit out on Shaw.

This week we open with the capture of YARB (YARA? Yet Another Ring Assassin) by Sarah, Shaw and Casey. I'm starting to wonder if The Ring has some cloning facilities they seem to have an endless supply of baddie henchmen.  The mission this week is to figure out who the newly captured Ring assassin is in town to eliminate.

Casey with Chuck's help interrogates the Ring assassin Rafe and during the interrogation Chuck flashes and then does a pretty decent impression of Rafe. My theory is that this is the FOTW (Flash of the Week) and the the Intersect kicks in to allow Chuck to truly assume Rafe's identity.

Chuck and Casey go undercover to see some more Ring agents who for some reason (mostly comedic value it seems) are all channeling their inner Tony Sorprano. However during the meeting they're able to make Casey as not who he's claiming to be. Chuck really channels his dark side and rips a tooth out of Casey's mouth and then takes down the entire SWAT team just for kicks and escapes keeping his cover. It's obvious that Chuck is becoming more and more the darker real-spy version of himself.

Eventually we arrive at the final climax of the show.  Chuck shows up with the MobRingers at the place where he (as Rafe) is supposed to do the hit. As he steps up to the sniper riffle he learns that the target of the hit is Shaw and stumbles upon an interesting conversation between Shaw and Sarah where Sarah is talking about how she can't even remember the real her anymore and admits to Shaw that her real name is Sam.  Chuck dispenses with his cover after hearing this shocking conversation and rushes over to Shaw's apartment busting in on Shaw and Sarah. Chuck slugs Shaw clearly out of raw emotion and then covers as he convinces Shaw and Sarah that he's there to warn Shaw that he's the target. The real Rafe (who has shockingly escaped) busts in around this time and lays the beat down on all three members of Team Bartowski.  Thankfully the one member of Team Bartowski not consumed by the love triangle manages to find the original location Rafe was going the and makes the impressive sniper shot scoring himself a kill (of Rafe). Which is frankly a great moment where Casey gets to prove that he doesn't need an intersect to still be one of the best spies around.

Overall I don't think this episode was really about advancing the spy-plot to much although we do see a few themes developing.  First off Shaw's reliance on the Intersect relegating Sarah and particularly Casey to sub-par status.  Although we also see Casey developing a new found respect for the much darker spy side of Chuck, even going so far as to tell Chuck that he's proud of him. Will be interesting to see if we see Casey & Chuck grow much closer and distant to Sarah and Shaw.  Chuck and Casey sharing a beer or some whiskey seems like it could be a fun moment. Apparently Shaw is now sequestered in Castle now that Team B knows he's got a hit out on him.

I will say this, I congratulate the writers on the creation of the new dark Chuck. I totally bought it in this episode which was really about advancing the idea that Chuck is more and more all-in on the spy persona with each mission.  I actually wondered for a moment if Chuck wasn't going to takedown Shaw just to get him out of the picture. Would that have been stone-cold? Absolutely but it is a testament to the character and story development that I was even able to ponder a scenario where Chuck would do such a thing.

I think some of what we're going to deal with in the remaining parts of Season 3 will be the fallout of Chuck's continued progression towards real-spy, is there a point of no return? How far out on the limb will we go before it breaks and there is no coming back? Chuck is blind to this progression, he either doesn't see what he's becoming or he just wants it badly enough that he doesn't care.

Charah

So we start the episode with Sarah struggling with the possibility of getting into another relationship with a partner in Shaw, one would imagine that has multiple layers for her given what happened with Bryce.  Meanwhile everything seems to be going great for Chanah. Especially if the rampant PDA and Hannah in a towel are any indication.

So let's  jump ahead to the heart of the matter in where we end up.  When all is said and done Sarah seems at least intrigued by Shaw and has shared something about her real self with him, something that shouldn't be understated, an indulgence she never extended to Chuck.  Meanwhile Chuck dumps Hannah in front of her parents and then plants C4 on that bridge and blows it up. A moment which seems to echo the breakup with Lou, at least in the rationale, if not the coldness.

Even without having much invested in Hannah it is hard not to feel bad for her. What of Chuk's motives though? He wants Sarah back now that he sees her and Shaw together (well that's convenient), is probably reeling from the Sam revelation, and once again realizes that his spy status means that he can only ever have a relationship built on lies with anyone non-spy.

Suddenly as dark Chuck emerges we are left wondering what should even become of Charah when last week we were so outraged with even the suggestion that it might not be Charah forever. Now there's questions like should Chuck and Sarah even be together? But here's the problem in that, we've given Sarah a real name…Sam. We're reminded that Sarah Walker is not Sarah Walker but a creation, a lie really. In effect there is no Sarah so how can there be a Chuck and Sarah? Given this revelation what could actually ever bring them back together? Clearly they are going light speed in opposite directions. With Sarah wanting more and more to be Sam and Chuck wanting more and and more to be Charles.

I think the only way back from the brink is for Chuck to realize what he's becoming. That seems unlikely in the foreseeable future. He's just gained real spyness I can't imagine he'll be quick to give that up, it hasn't even seemed a possibility to him in Season 3. Also a whole Intersect worth of brain and he still can't realize that Sarah liked him as Chuck and never wanted or needed him to be some super spy in order to really love him. The problem of course with this is that Chuck can't have it both ways can he? That's the point after all isn't it? Chuck's made some choices and now he has to live with them. He shouldn't expect to be able to just go running back to Sarah who at least as Chuck's known her (i.e. Season 2) no longer exists, something else he is also going to have to come to terms with.

We heard several times in the episode that Chuck must have made a deal with the devil in order to be so popular with the ladies.  I doubt it was a coincidence that we heard this phrase multiple times. Has Chuck made a deal with the devil (the Intersect) will he have to sell his soul and by then will it be to late?

So the answer, Can Chuck and Sarah ever be together again? No. Chuck and Sam? I think it's fair to say that Chuck and Sarah circa end of Season 2 exhibited real emotions for and towards each other but the foundation for those emotions were still rooted in the inherent lie of a cover.  

If I ever doubted the show or writers or storytelling process, and I don't think I ever truly did I can't imagine why after this episode.  It's just fun to watch how it all unfolds and progresses now that we've been freed of Charah, and there-in lies the game changing nature of this week's episode.  Can't wait to watch next week and see how everything is all upended once again! Stay tuned!

Things that are AWESOME

- "Casey you look like a guy who's pealed a few spuds in his time."
- Chuck: "I'm gonna need a hard out at five." Casey: "You can have a hard out with these give." (holds up fist)
- Casey making the Rafe shot "(grunt) Only five guys in the world who can make this shot hu? Guess I'm one of them."
- MobRingers armchair quarterbacking Chuck & Sarah "I hate those on again off again things."
- Kristin Kreuk - she's no Yvonne but still.
- Jeff & the Buymorians with their summary of Chuck's relationships. Jeff "Chucks light shines brightest when he's with Sarah." - I'm certainly amused by the choice of characters used to comment on the Charah situation even if it was written months ago particularly funny in light of last week's freakout!