Season 3 Episode 5: Chuck Versus First Class

[Kevan]

Best episode they've done so far and probably the most complete spy-related story they've ever done.  Shaw was good too.

But after that speech he gave to Sarah about both of them making the same mistake falling in love with spies, why in the world would he later try to romance her?  Doesn't make much sense unless it's to get a response from Chuck.

[mr_harrison75]

I think it's a half truth. Bryce's ashes gives her the convenient cover to meet Chuck without suspicion.

Yeah, the key to that scene is when Shaw asked her if she went to Lisbon because she was a double agent, a Ring agent, of if it was about Chuck; no reactions to the 2 first affirmations, but she reacted immediately when he said "Chuck".

So maybe she did have Bryce's ashes, but I think the main reason was about Chuck.

But after that speech he gave to Sarah about both of them making the same mistake falling in love with spies, why in the world would he later try to romance her?  Doesn't make much sense unless it's to get a response from Chuck.

I think Shaw sees Sarah's feelings for Chuck as a liability, and perhaps he will try to detach her from him, trying to play on her sense of duty, and the fact that her love for Chuck could have him killed. Will she go for it? Or her love for Chuck will prove too strong?

[Atlee]

I got to go to bed it's 1am and I'm up early so im going to make my question as least spoilery as possible but you'll get it once watched!!

You know the whole lisbon thing, thoughts?? Was Sarah telling the truth or covering up the whole prague fiasco???

Covering up the whole Prague fiasco.  She may have been carrying ashes, and she may have told her bosses she was going to Lisbon with Bryce's ashes, but that was only to cover her run to Prague to get Chuck.

[Scottman]

But after that speech he gave to Sarah about both of them making the same mistake falling in love with spies.

I was confused as to what he actually meant when he said that.

My first thought was that he was refering to himself and his wife, Eve.  They fell in love with each other and thus, they both "fell in love with spies".

If he was refering to himself and Sarah, then who is he implying Sarah was in love with?  If he knows that Sarah is love with Chuck and is openly talking about it, then why did Sarah need to lie about meeting Chuck in Lisbon?  Maybe he is implying that she fell in love with Bryce?  She did admit to going AWOL to spread his ashes and I'm not sure if Bryce and Sarah hid their relationship (meaning it might be in Sarah's file).

I need to see this episode again.

[jherb]

Great episode!  A lot here to digest...you can tell they are setting things up for the next several episodes.  I liked how they played Sarah and Shaw.  Notice Casey was hardly around while the mission was going on.  Shaw is definitely working this and is going to do his best to break Chuck's dependency on Sarah.  Thus throwing him on the plane completely away from her influence.

[Atlee]

I guess I'm a distinct minority of one.  I did not like this episode.  Of course I do not like Shaw.  Maybe that will change in due course.  Going to be a long season, with the Shaw character basically having a staring roll for season 3.

And what's with Chuck already lusting after Hannah, having only met her on the plane ride to Paris?  Thought he was supposed to be in love with Sarah.  At least he said so.  It's going to be a long two more episodes with her, but at least she isn't on the show for the entire season. 

[pendragon7421]

I really enjoyed this episode.  I like the relationship building between Casey and Morgan, should be a hoot to see where it goes!

As for Chuck and Hannah- I have to say that I am little concerned with how quickly Chuck warmed up to her, esp. given all that he has gone through with Sarah, however, I am going to trust the writers and see where it goes.  So far, the writers have been true to the characters and so I suspect there might be more to Hannah than we know about.  She did seem to be testing Chuck a few different times (scoping out the passengers, the interaction around the mysterious drink).

As for Sarah and Shaw, I don't think Shaw knows for sure how deep Sarah's feelings for Chuck are.  I think he has some suspicions and I think that is what he was trying to ascertain in his interactions with her this episode.  As for the Lisbon/Prague question- I actually think that Sarah going to Lisbon is different from going to Prague.  In the pictures that Shaw shows Sarah, she can be seen with a small metal cannister, which I assume are Bryce's ashes.  I actually do believe that she went to Lisbon to scatter his ashes, but maybe used that as a cover to runaway with Chuck.

The one question I have is this- When Shaw says that they both made the mistake of falling in love with spies...Was he talking about him and Sarah falling in love with Eve and Bryce respectively, or was he talking about him and Chuck falling in love with Eve and Sarah respectively.

[dawgfan]

But after that speech he gave to Sarah about both of them making the same mistake falling in love with spies.

I was confused as to what he actually meant when he said that.

My first thought was that he was refering to himself and his wife, Eve.  They fell in love with each other and thus, they both "fell in love with spies".

If he was refering to himself and Sarah, then who is he implying Sarah was in love with?  If he knows that Sarah is love with Chuck and is openly talking about it, then why did Sarah need to lie about meeting Chuck in Lisbon?  Maybe he is implying that she fell in love with Bryce?  She did admit to going AWOL to spread his ashes and I'm not sure if Bryce and Sarah hid their relationship (meaning it might be in Sarah's file).

I need to see this episode again.

I took it to mean Shaw falling in love with his wife and Sarah falling in love with Bryce...not exactly sure though.

[Atlee]

But after that speech he gave to Sarah about both of them making the same mistake falling in love with spies.

I was confused as to what he actually meant when he said that.

My first thought was that he was refering to himself and his wife, Eve.  They fell in love with each other and thus, they both "fell in love with spies".

If he was refering to himself and Sarah, then who is he implying Sarah was in love with?  If he knows that Sarah is love with Chuck and is openly talking about it, then why did Sarah need to lie about meeting Chuck in Lisbon?  Maybe he is implying that she fell in love with Bryce?  She did admit to going AWOL to spread his ashes and I'm not sure if Bryce and Sarah hid their relationship (meaning it might be in Sarah's file).

I need to see this episode again.

He was talking about himself and his dead wife and Sarah and Byce.  He was probably implying Sarah and Chuck also.

[jherb]

But after that speech he gave to Sarah about both of them making the same mistake falling in love with spies.

I was confused as to what he actually meant when he said that.

My first thought was that he was refering to himself and his wife, Eve.  They fell in love with each other and thus, they both "fell in love with spies".

If he was refering to himself and Sarah, then who is he implying Sarah was in love with?  If he knows that Sarah is love with Chuck and is openly talking about it, then why did Sarah need to lie about meeting Chuck in Lisbon?  Maybe he is implying that she fell in love with Bryce?  She did admit to going AWOL to spread his ashes and I'm not sure if Bryce and Sarah hid their relationship (meaning it might be in Sarah's file).

I need to see this episode again.

It's clear that Sarah does not trust Shaw with that information.  Nor will she volunteer her feelings for Chuck, that is a sure way of getting kicked off the team.  She has never volunteered any information to Casey. .and they have been working together for a couple of years now.  I know. ..Casey is know dummy...but she is not going to put anything out there that will incriminate herself. 

This mission was just as much about Sarah as it was Chuck.  Chuck had to prove he could fulfill the mission and Sarah had to prove she can stay objective.  They both succeeded in their missions but it wasn't without hiccups.

[Texski]

I think Shaw sees Sarah's feelings for Chuck as a liability, and perhaps he will try to detach her from him, trying to play on her sense of duty, and the fact that her love for Chuck could have him killed. Will she go for it? Or her love for Chuck will prove too strong?

I think his approach is just what you stated. He's trying to get her away from the emotional connection to Chuck because it's holding him back. That it opens the door for himself is probably something he won't lose sleep over. 

As to will she go for it. My guess is yes given the Hannah situation with Chuck. In fact, if a person had never watched this show before, one would get the impression that Chuck was in love with Hannah, and not Sarah. Sarah will undoubtedly react accordingly.

But be that as it may, there's got to be more going on with Hannah than meets the eye. She asked far too many questions that dealt with potential spy issues. For the show to just throw that out there is too convenient.

[Diruckus]

In a word - wow!

This is the best episode of the season yet. Very good story line, plenty of screen time for the key characters (despite it being a "solo" mission) and even the Buy More portion of the episode was actually quite good for the first time this season (in my opinion).

Some notable things here:

1. Sarah's feelings for Chuck are clearly as strong as ever, despite her trying to conceal it from Shaw (who seems to really know almost everything). With this in mind, I have a hard time believing that any thing of substance will develop between Sarah and Shaw.

2. Shaw is shaping up as a good guy, although his methods do create a certain amount of stress for the team and for us viewers. His confidence in Chuck was quite strong, and I think after the mission his trust was proven to be well founded.

3. Worried about the Lisbon excuse - if it is the truth then there is nothing to worry about. If it is a lie, and Shaw knows, or finds out, it will cause further trouble for Sarah. I do question how/why she got the ashes, unless Bryce had no family to claim the remains. Then again, thinking back, he was already dead in ep 1x01 (the newspaper article) so maybe his family had no way of knowing the truth.

4. Casey's genuine concern for Chuck's well being and safety seems more evident than ever, a good thing for sure.

5. Casey working with Morgan is a nice change, after his general disgust with him the past two seasons. I love the way he handled the pow-wow in the home theater room, and how he brainwashed Lester. I think this interaction with Morgan and Casey's apparent growing respect for him will be parlayed into bigger things yet to come this season. Morgan referring to him as the "Lt. Asst. Manager" was great, as were the fighter jets on the TV wall as the meeting took place.

6. Kristen Kreuk worked well in this ep, was both believable and likable as a character. While I am no Chuck/Sarah fan, I am a bit concerned about what this portends for the next few episodes. Please Chuck, don't screw it up w/Sarah again.

7. Shaw's revelation of his Wife being killed by the Ring, and the fact that he was open about it with Sarah was interesting to me. He seems to be very forthright about some things, yet he kept her in the dark about the various tricks in his hat during the course of the mission.

All in all, an outstanding episode that did what the show does best, balanced comedy, drama and action in a great story in near perfect proportions. MIA was the whiny, confidence lacking Chuck of recent weeks and he actually did quite well on his own, even though he had some guidance from the team by phone.

Man it's gonna be a long 7 days till the next ep.

[--deb]

I'm still wondering at Casey's reaction when Chuck was in the coffin. He gave him excellent advice on the phone about what to do--scream like a girl so he'd be unthreatening, and then flash and fight. So  . the coffin opens, Chuck screams like a girl, and Casey immediately assumes there's something wrong? (Well, you know what I mean.)

"Bored now." Love the Buffy reference!

[jherb]

Sarah has a habit of falling for the guys she works for. ..remember Casey's statement going all the way back to season one?  I think Shaw was pointing to himself. .and Sarah's weakness.

Here is a question that can be asked of Shaw. .Is he better off now after knowing and marrying his wife or would he have chosen to deny himself this relationship? 

In my estimation.  .the risk was worth it.

[Texski]

It's clear that Sarah does not trust Shaw with that information.  Nor will she volunteer her feelings for Chuck, that is a sure way of getting kicked off the team.  She has never volunteered any information to Casey. .and they have been working together for a couple of years now.  I know.. .Casey is know dummy...but she is not going to put anything out there that will incriminate herself. 

This mission was just as much about Sarah as it was Chuck.  Chuck had to prove he could fulfill the mission and Sarah had to prove she can stay objective.  They both succeeded in their missions but it wasn't without hiccups.

Trouble for Sarah is that Shaw knows about her thing with Chuck. He will undoubtedly use that to his advantage.