Chuck versus The End? Season finale or series finale, one of the best hours of television puts NBC on the spot
-
- April
- 27
I braced myself for an anticlimactic episode, one that not only couldn’t measure up to Chuck Versus the Colonel but one that was designed to lack resolution. In other words, I expected a less than stellar cliffhanger from the Chuck finale, and I was OK with that.
Instead, the creators of Chuck perpetrated a far more sinister plot against both viewers and network programmers alike.
They gave us an episode in Chuck Versus the Ring that was so much better, so much more action-packed, so much more emotionally magnificent, so 
much more Awesome than just about all the previous episodes combined. And the cliffhanger at the end had nothing to do with the plot of the episode and everything to do with a complete and utter reinvention of the show in a way I guarantee you no one saw coming.
In doing so, creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak threw down the gauntlet to NBC and absolutely dared the Peacock to anger a huge swath of viewers — many in the 18-34 and 18-49 demographics — by not immediately picking up Chuck for a third season.
In other words, they used us. They knew we’d be gunning for bear after this episode wrapped and the realization dawned that it could all be over just so Jay Leno could waste the 10 o’clock hour.
This season finale (and that’s all I’ll call it) had it all, from a deliciously rocking soundtrack to an unbelievable mix of spy action and Buy More silliness. It had a villain worse than Fulcrum, and it had Jeffster crashing a wedding with Mr. Roboto. It had at least three Chuck-Sarah moments that could melt a cynic’s heart.
And it had the best line ever uttered on network television: Why are you letting Sam Kinison and an Indian lesbian ruin this wedding?
So where are things at now? Where are we as we head into this summer of our discontent?
The Intersect is back, but it’s like nothing we’ve seen. In the span of a few minutes we got a glimpse of Intersect 1.0 when Orion flashed on the CIA agent who showed up to escort Bryce. And by the end we saw that Kung Fu crazed Intersect Chuck unwittingly uploaded. Seeing Sarah in mortal danger prompted an involuntary flash followed by a nicely choreographed ass-kicking display that surprised everyone in the room.
The looks on Sarah’s and Casey’s faces said it all: Chuck me. It was just such a brilliant turn. You knew the Intersect would probably be back, yet they managed to make the how, the why and the consequences utterly unpredictable and more intriguing than any plot development to date, short of Chuck’s and Sarah’s mutual affection. Chuck’s got the chops to be a real spy now. He lived up to his potential in the watershed moment of his life. He fulfilled everyone’s expectation and proved his own mettle to himself.
And yet, he’s still Chuck. “I know kung fu.” No kidding. He’s still the guy who’s best friend is an aspiring Benihana chef and whose sister and brother-in-law are the perfect couple to put all other couples to shame. He’s the guy whose life’s previous highlight was quitting the electronics store where he never had any business wasting his time. And he could barely do that without it coming off like he was hitting on Emmett Milbarge.
Now a word about the bad guys. Who the hell were those guys? Fulcrum is just part of the ring? What’s the ring? Casey knew and was like a brother to every member of his unit. How could one have been planted there by a nefarious organization the scope and scale of which we can barely grasp at this point? Where’d they come from, and what are their aims? Fulcrum always struck me as a MacGuffin. These guys are scary.
There was some serious killing tonight. I mean, an out-and-out automatic weapon gunfight in the ballroom while the band played on next door, the congregation none the wiser. Of course Chuck’s biggest worry was for the place settings. But how great that Casey’s secret number — a touching gesture on his part — paid off so soon. When those paratroopers came through the roof, it was pretty sweet, but the slow-mo shootout that followed was even better. In a half-hour they’d effectively wrapped up all of the plot that we’d known was coming. And that’s when things got good.
Wait, what am I saying? It had already been so good by the 28-minute mark that I paused my DVR and went online to rave about the episode at a fan forum. Yeah, I’m that hardcore.
They pretty well telegraphed that something was up with that guard — played by the same guy who played Jim Halpert’s brother on The Office earlier this season, oddly — as Roark was locked in the castle. And it was excellent directing to have that action build even as things wound down with at the Bartowski-Awesome affair. Love that Chuck saved the wedding day with his fat government check and a little brotherly passion.
Bryce never got over Sarah, did he? For all he did for Chuck, it turns out Chuck stole his girl, and that’s a pretty cool twist because to his dying moments he remained loyal. He was a better friend than Chuck ever knew. Sorry Bryce, but I love that Sarah chose Chuck over her duty and I love even more that Chuck knows it. I was annoyed at the start when Sarah told him she was leaving because I was all but yelling at my TV for Chuck to man up and either go after his girl or deal with it. I don’t think I can ever stomach Chuck as the helpless victim again. He’s way past that.
But he’s not past being the brother and friend he has to be in order to remain grounded in who he is. How much did he appreciate Morgan’s efforts to stall the wedding? And how much did he want to make things right with Ellie? He saved her life, but felt bad about ruining her big day. I was almost sure he was going to clue her in on his secret life, especially since Awesome is already in the know.
Meanwhile, Yvonne Strahovski’s manager should be prepared to field some phone calls. If NBC is inept enough to let her leave its airwaves, she will be in strong demand for her superb dramatic talent that even outshines her beauty. As Sarah Walker, she has anchored a farce of a sci-fi/romantic dramedy, getting few punchlines but some excellent hem lines, and managing to be far more interesting than I ever would have expected. She portrays an inner conflict fueled by a troubled past she is driven to rise above. And as with every other aspect of this show, she manages never to take her part so seriously that she is above the joke or the gratuitious suggestive pose. I can’t promise I’ll be watching NBC Mondays this fall, but I’ll be watching Strahovski wherever she turns up.
For that matter, Adam Baldwin is just a great reason to own a TV. Wherever he turns up, we should all be watching because he makes everything he’s in better. Talk about bankable. He should be getting a shot at the big screen or at the least his own network show, preferably after Season 9 of Chuck.
I could go on all night, and I’d still feel like I was leaving out some great stuff. I’m going to keep weighing in on this episode and the fate of the show in general over the next few days, but I’ll wrap up this recap with a plea.
NBC, you gave us The Office and 30 Rock in recent years. Once upon a time you gave us Seinfeld. All three required your patience to survive. Combined with other great shows throughout the years, I’ve come to expect your network to be the place to turn for good TV.
Now you’re faced with a choice. Chuck struggled against dominant competition in one of toughest timeslots on the schedule. But it is a great, great show, right down to the writing, the acting and the very mix of escapist action and comedy with a heart greater than half the shows on TV. It can work. It can thrive. It can bring you viewers in droves. But it needs some more patience. It’s currently set up to be reinvented as something even better than what it’s been.
I can’t promise top 10 ratings or even eternal gratitude from the show’s faithful. But I can say the fate of Chuck is directly related to the strongly held sentiments of a significant portion of your viewership toward your network.
Bring back Chuck.
This entry was posted
on Monday, April 27th, 2009 at 11:01 pm by Brian Howard.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Category: Uncategorized
Tags: Chuck, Chuck Versus the Ring, finale
Print
| 
Email
Loved the line you mentioned: “Why are you letting Sam Kinison and an Indian lesbian wreck your wedding?” but also loved Morgan saying “Listen to me: if you hit me, know that it only teaches me to hit.”
Great recap!
>It had already been so good by the 28-minute mark that I paused my DVR and went online to rave about the episode at a fan forum.
Haha. Nerd.
this is my favorite show. it is the cleverest show that combines everything anybody could ever want in it. It is in one of the toughest time slots on television and would field far better ratings on a thursday or after american idol. great show great SEASON finale. hope it comes back for many more seasons.
AWESOME recap, sir, and I say that with all that implies — and THANK YOU for hitting on the very very best line of the night, nay, the millennium so far, “Why are you letting Sam Kinison…” — I found you after googling “sam kinison indian lesbian wedding” because I need to spread that quote wide, but until iTunes makes this download available, I can’t re-watch. Thank you for posting the whole thing! I’ve found a new bookmark.
This was the most emotionally magnificent ep of series tv (network OR cable, I think we could agree) I’ve seen in a long time, and your note to NBC, about their history of being the home for truly quality programming, is dead-on. As much as they fill the airwaves with styrofoam peanuts of “Celebrity Apprentice” and “America’s Next Big Joke Teller” or whatever, their flip-side is a collection of true gems.
I hope they realize what a treasure they’re sitting on with Chuck.
Great recap, again!
That’s mighty kind of you to say, Emma. I hoped I hadn’t gotten carried away in the afterglow of that amazing episode. But in the light of a new day, I stand by every word, except I would have mentioned Sarah/Yvonne Strahovski much higher up.
Your second to last sentence says it all, by the way…though I like the last one too
One of the best lines of that episode was actually a non-line. After Neo Chuck (you did get “The Matrix” reference, right?) was beating down the bad guys at the end, Casey’s line might’ve been better than “Chuck me.” All he could say was, “Uh.”
In actuality, I saw the kung fu fightin’ Chuck scene coming after the bad guys swarmed into the intersect room and Chuck flashed again. But it was still fun to watch.
Although I loved this episode, I actually think last week’s episode was a better one to end on if the show is not renewed, because it really did wrap things up. The only thing that really was left hanging was Roark getting a ride.
But I understand what they were trying to do.
A lot of people liked Chuck vs. the Colonel better. I loved it, and thought it was a perfect finale up until those last few seconds. Hopefully, NBC will renew the show, and it’ll be a moot point which would have made for a better ending.
The Matrix parallel is something I’m going to have to meditate on. It is pretty much the same concept, except for the giant cable in the back of the head. And the aliens.
I’m torn. Part of me thinks “Chuck” has a better shot of returning the longer NBC waits to announce a decision because of the pre-decision groundswell and proactive campaigns (i.e. the sandwich chain dealie in which even cynical me participated). But part of me thinks that if NBC announces the decision JUST before the upfronts, the uproar will be drowned out by NBC’s “CHECK OUT OUR SHINY NEW SHOWS!” montage.
All I know is that “Chuck” became my favorite network TV show this year. And if NBC has to nuke a non-reality, hourlong TV show, may I ask who really watches or cares so passionately about “Medium”? I’m not even asking rhetorically.
Dear Mr.Howard,I share your enthusiasm!!!Chuck is one of my favorite shows ever!Loved the pilot and everything since.I’ve saved season 2 on my DVR till the DVD comes out.I’m constantly trying to recruit new people to watch the show.If NBC won’t save the show how about Showtime or HBO?? I don’t pay for those now but I definitely would in order for Chuck to continue.That’s putting my money where my mouth is.Is there any way you could check with Chris Fedak or Josh Schwartz to see if that’s a possibility??If that works for them financially then why not?? Please e-mail me if you find out! Thanks Andrew Smith
I’d just like to add my views of Chuck – The Series:
I started watching Chuck at the beginning and got bored after about 2-3 episodes (yes, it pains me to admit it): I felt it was a throwback to the 80’s on the surface.
Now, a good friend was totally hooked after episode one and when Season 1 finished, promptly ordered the DVD boxset.
He raved and raved and raved about it until I said I’d try again. So, picking up where I left off..I watched the boxset of it.
I got hooked much quicker than expected…and noticed that scratching under the surface of the old-school feel was a superb feel-good series given the chance.
I do have to admit I was getting frustrated by the ‘Chuck wants to be just friends with Sarah/Sarah wants to be just friends with Chuck’ plotlines that kept re-surfacing at the end of some of the mid-season episodes. However, just as I was thinking that…things get better with Awesome being in on the secret, Chuck ‘n’ Sarah soooo close to getting it on and Morgan finally showing he had man parts!
Then came the last 2 episodes: I don’t remember ANY series similar to Chuck ever breaking the rules as much as these 2 did. The word ‘re-invet’ has already been used in this discussion…but it’s the perfect word.
I’d better stop rambling on now…
No reason to stop. I haven’t disagreed with a word you said yet (well except for getting bored early on). Honestly, even though I never missed an episode when it first aired, I didn’t truly get hooked until well into the second season. It was always just a fun show I watched and didn’t have to think too much about to enjoy. A fellow blogger here wrote about it, so I didn’t even sweat the recaps. Now I get a funny twitch if I go a few hours without writing about it here or on some forum or just read about it somewhere online. And yes, the last two episodes escalated any passion I had for the show to a new level. If you told me a year ago I’d be obsessing like I am now over its renewal, I’d have been pretty surprised.
Chuck was and hopefully still is one of the fastest/funniest hours on network tv. It’s a favorite of my 25 year old son and his 50-something dad…go figure. At least my son is a member of the demographic group favored by sponsors. This great cast deserves a broader audience.
Chuck was the what I looked forward to on Mondays/ Chuck is by far one of the best TV shows I have seen. Ever. Period.
This ONE episode left us with not only THE best quote of Television History but THREE of the best.
1. Why are you letting Sam Kinison and an Indian Lesbian ruin your wedding.
2. CHUCK ME
3. Guys. I know kung-fu.
Domo Arigato Mr Roboto Indeed!!!
Wow. the season finale was amazing. Obviously it begs for a season 3, but the real reason the producers should keep the show is because it has everything: comedy, drama, romance, and action. And it’s fast paced. I cant think of any other show like it. Who’s with me for a season 3?!
Excellent. Chuck & 24 are my 2 favorite shows. And I am 66 years old. My #2 son and his wife – perfect demos – love the show as well. Bring it back.
Mr. Howard, just wanted to say that this was an outstanding recap. I’m currently deployed to Afghanistan and just barely had the chance to download the last 4 episodes in the past couple of days. It was amazing timing on my part as the last 4 episodes pretty much had the same connecting arc plot. I think the line that is getting looked over most here is towards the end when Sarah says “Chuck!?” The way she says it, it is the perfect of combination of being worried and immensely impressed. I agree wholeheartedly on your assessment of Yvonne Strahovski. I will watch anything she’s in. She has me hooked.
I appreciate that, Donald, and I’m glad you were able to get a chance to enjoy those episodes. Shows like Chuck are a nice break from the workday, so I’m sure that’s true for you times about a million.
And now you’ve made sure I’m going to have to go back and play that reaction line from Sarah over a few times. If you can, check out Chuck Versus the Podcast. It’s available at itunes for free and at http://www.chuckpodcast.com. There’s an interview with Ms. Strahovski recorded last week as well as their first podcast ever, which featured an interview with her. I think you’ll find it a great way to pass the time.
I have been watching Chuck since the pilot episode and have been HOOKED ever since. I hope NBC will come to their senses and realize what a gem they have. In the SEASON (NOT SERIES)finale, watching Casey’s expressions when Chuck tried out his new kung fu capabilities was PRICELESS. Do the SMART thing this time around NBC…....keep this show ON!!
I can not believe that Chuck was almost canx because of NBC going with Jay Leno taking up five hours of NBC’s weekly prime times schedule I wonder if NBC is working on trying to drop out of the top 10 (not just the top 4). With this kind of stupid programing how do they expect to even stay in the ratings. Well I am sure that the programing exe. of many of the other channels (Sci Fi, F/X, A&E, the list is just to large to go on) are really happy about this decision. Maybe they are thinking that they can compete with talk radio. Lets recap the NBC schedule. Talk TV, reality shows and of the couple of entertainment TV they will put out we will get encore showings of those. Wow I can’t wait. I really wanted them to bring back Chuck. Then I find out they are only bring back 1/2 a season, we have to wait till next year. I think it would have been better for them to get rid of Chuck and have had it picked up by one of the top 3 networks instead of staying on a sinking channel.