Season 5 Episodes 12 & 13: Chuck Vs Sarah and Chuck Vs The Goodbye

[mr2boynz]

It is disappointing that a lot of you, feel let down by the finale. For me personally, I loved the ending.

I guess it all depends on whether you look at a glass half full or a glass half empty.

I love a lot of the 80s and 90s TV shows and in particular Quantum Leap and for those that knows the ending of Quantum Leap, this was a similar, the ending wasn't wrapped up nicely in a bow but it fit the show. The ending fits to the show that is Chuck.

Whether you liked it or not, I would like to say, it has been a pleasure over the last few years to have gone thru this journey of Chuck with you all, thru the good times and bad. No doubt there will be some of you that will not come back to this forum (because of your comments), but it has been an honor. For those that will be back, I can't wait to see what the future holds for the cast and writers!   

[jmc]

It's pretty ironic that many of the could-be-finales (Ring 2, Push mix, Cliffhanger) would have been far better and satisfying than what we got in the end.

[stephleo]

I agree, we spent five years building Sarah into a caring, warm person but it looks like that character died in bullet train.

The above quote is exactly what I was thinking. I feel heartbroken that we lost Sarah. And that we didn't get two more hours to be with the couple that we love so much and fought so hard for. Yvonne's acting was stunning - from her body language to her speech - she was Sarah but wasn't. I actually disliked her and I assume that was the point. Stepping outside the story, I wonder how it felt for Yvonne to not be able to play the Sarah character she had developed and grown with. Is it out there somewhere in interview land? What Yvonne thought/felt?

I loved the flashbacks and the throwbacks. Above all I loved the "Project Bartowski" log Sarah kept where we got to see her emotions and find out that she knew she loved Chuck a long before she told him - when we all knew that she did.

I'm just wondering how I'm going to go back and watch all the episodes knowing this is how it ends. I'm hoping to feel better in the morning. Whenever I've gotten upset with the show in the past, Mel/Liz/Grey and Chucksters have changed my mind. I'm optimistic they'll do it again.

My alternate ending: Chuck defuses the bomb without the intersect - cause why after all this time does he need it? - and they save the glasses for Sarah.

[Goji]

I loved it. It wasn't perfect, but I felt it was very true to the show.

That's all I really need to say. I do have a couple complaints, though "thoughts" might be more appropriate since they aren't all negative. I'm left feeling sort of sad for Big Mike, a character I have always enjoyed and who has been getting less and less to do since season 3. Except for promoting Subway sandwiches (admittedly a noble contribution, and tonight's was particularly amusing) he hasn't had anything much to do since he started dating Morgan's mother way back in season 2. Even the normally silent Buy-Morons played more of a role in the finale than he did. And I'm probably the only one in the world who was secretly hoping Anna might pop up somewhere, but there you go.

I also thought that once Chuck re-intersected himself, he really didn't do that much with it. He flashed on the locking mechanism, I guess. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated that the ultimate solution to the bomb was a callback to episode 1 as much as anyone, but as far as "Chuck obtains the Intersect" moments.  it ranks far below the original "I know kung-fu" and the all-night upload from the pilot. It does definitely beat the particularly lame upload from the tail end of "Chuck vs. the Leftovers" though, so there's that.

I'm also going to go on record and say that I loved the ambiguity of the ending. I did, and I know that a lot of people are going to hate it. I'm a sucker for bittersweet endings. My favorite series finale of all time is Star Trek Deep Space Nine's, which also featured the main crew going separate ways, and one in particular facing an (even more tragic) ambiguous fate. I don't doubt for one minute that Chuck and Sarah stayed together (and kudos to the writers especially for making me *care* about that, for the first time since late season 3, back before the syrupy overdoses of season 4 nearly gave me diabetes), but I enjoyed the note that they chose to end it on. Leave a bit to the imagination.

My final comment, for now.  Best Jeffster performance ever? It just might be. I'll have to think about it, and watch "Chuck vs. the Ring" again to be sure, but it's a contender. Rock on.

[kd8698]

5.12 had me bawling, as did most of 5.13. You can't say enough about the acting performances turned in by the cast..again. And you couldn't ask for more great callbacks.

I've loved this show for so long, but the ending...I know there's so much to be said about the hope and optimism of the final scene, but it really did feel like 5.13 took on a different personality. So many of the great episodes over the years ended with all of the friends and family in one room, laughing, sharing a meal. I really thought it was going to end that way this time. Instead, the goodbyes felt rushed. Casey seemingly regressed on his character growth over the seasons and left in a gruffy rush. For a show that had been focused on family so much--they split everyone up in a matter of minutes.

I went back and watched 5.9 and 5.10 to remind myself of how Chuck and Sarah were before she lost her memories. She wanted to quit spying. Have kids. Pop champagne and destroy the Intersect with her FRIENDS Casey and Morgan.

So I don't have a choice but to be hopeful and say they fell in love all over again. Obviously they belong with each other--I don't think you can seriously believe they'd NOT end up together again. But to wipe out 5 seasons of character growth, belly dancing, Chinese food dinners, stakeouts, belly dancing, talks by the fountain, and most importantly--belly dancing absolutely breaks my heart. I can appreciate an ending that makes you think, that makes you wonder, imagine, and interpret. It just didn't feel like this was the show for it--to me, this show was about family, friendship, love, and GROWTH--and they often beat us over the head with those themes, in a wonderful way. Maybe one day I'll learn to appreciate the curveball. Maybe when I wake up tomorrow. But I wish I was beaten over the head one last time.

[Orphan_Boy]

Wow.  Ok, so this is not only my first post, but my first time visiting this site in I don't know HOW long.  I became understandably less invested in the show after Chuck and Sarah got together in season 3 and have been of the opinion that it's pretty much been all down hill from there.  Which is why I stopped visiting the forum.  I felt obligated, however, to return to express my reaction to the the finale, as I have been watching the show from day 1 and was--at least, at one time--an ENORMOUS fan. 

I HATED the finale.  I felt gutted, physically empty, upon its conclusion.  Everything good about my memories of the show, namely the terrific Chuck and Sarah romance, they took away.  They just took it away.  And if the whole "decide how it ends for yourself" thing works for you, then God bless.  But for me???  Nope.  Nuh-uh.  That just doesn't cut it. 

I read a few people here hinting at their initial disappointment, but not delving into it, saying that they wanted to "sleep on it."  They WANTED to like it.  They wanted to give them the BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT.  Funny, I remember feeling that way about the beginning of season three.  But you know what?  They don't DESERVE the benefit of the doubt.  Not anymore.  How many times have the writers proven that they have what it takes to deliver a great set-up, but ZERO follow-through?  It doesn't take a genius to see that they just don't got it 'em.  The definition of a GOOD story? Something with an interesting premise that builds logically to a surprising and satisfying conclusion.   They got the "interesting premise" part down.  The "satisfying conclusion" part?  Not so much. 

So don't give them the benefit of the doubt.  Rail against 'em.  Give 'em what they deserve.  Because if you're like me and you, at one time, loved and even FOUGHT for this show, you should realize that you gave them five years of loyalty and in return what did you get?  A factory new Sarah walker and sniveling, season one, "please love me" Chuck.  And that ain't right. 

[Aces]

I'm with happydayz on this. Exactly how I feel. They said the finale was supposed to be a love letter to the fans. Well, I expect to feel happy after reading a love letter and I don't after watching the finale.

I'm not going to comment further until I have a chance to sleep on it. Assuming I have time.

In the meantime, you folks know me as an engineer, so I got solve a problem. According to a flash on himself in "Chuck Versus the Alma Mater" Chuck was born on Septebmer 18, 1981. Therefore Chuck received the Intersect from Bryce on September 18, 2007. In the pilot, Sarah shows up at the Buy More the very next day. Assuming day 1 of her vidoe log was September 19, 2007, that would make day 564, April 5, 2009. That's the day before "Chuck vs. the Dream Job" aired.

After rewatching, I realized I missed Sarah giving the day 1 date as September 24, 2007. That would make day 564, Friday, April 10, 2009, falling between Dream Job and First Kill. September 24, 2007 is the day the pilot aired but it is not Chuck's birthday per the flash from Alma Mater.

[Brian]

I thought the finale was okay.

Two things I would have done differently is I wouldn't have went there with Sarah not having her memories at the end.

I would have had her regain her memories before the very end scene and give more time for longer goodbye's for the characters.

I did like Jeff and Lester in the finale and the ending that they got.

I liked Casey's goodbye to Chuck.

I wished they would have gave Adam Baldwin and Josh Gomez more to do in the final two episodes.

The finale did do a good job of leaving me wanting more from the show.

[garyb]

I normally don't post my opinions of episodes but I feel that I have to get this off my chest.

The acting, especially Zac and Yvonne, was outstanding and probably their best work for the entire series.

In general the writing was great with the numerous call backs to previous episodes working well and a great homage to the fans.

Unfortunately the ending left me cold. The writers should know that for many fans  the most significant part of the show is the Chuck Sarah relationship and whilst screwing with it is OK there could have been a much more fulfilling resolution which to my mind there wasn't.

[enlightenedbum]

I haven't posted in forever here, but I think if you choose to believe in Morgan's insane theory against all common sense, the finale is great.  If you DON'T (I do, but I'm a sap, particularly for Chuck and Sarah), then it's clear she's regaining her memory in bits and pieces.  But more to the point, pilot Sarah isn't as emotionally open as this Sarah was on the beach.  It's clear that the Sarah on the beach is for lack of a better term, "our Sarah."  She's still our Sarah, just like Chuck was still her Chuck two years ago.  Character isn't in your memories, it's in how your life experiences make you act in the present (or future).  And that, to me, is clear.

Ignoring that bit of controversy, there were two missteps in the finale, I thought.  The first is I think making Casey sort of parallel Sarah's regression was a bad idea, though in the end he proves to be the romantic as well, so if you want to read that as a sign of the obvious, you can do so.  The other is that other than Ellie, I thought the show did a bad job of showing how the non-Chuck characters were affected by Sarah and how she was affected by them.  It was overly focused on Chuck and Sarah as a couple.  But Sarah and Morgan interacted a fair amount and Casey and Sarah were true partners and we didn't get a lot of Casey being concerned for Sarah as Sarah and not as Chuck's wife.  That was a bit disappointed.

As for praise: the rest of it.  Beautifully performed, especially by Yvonne.  Seemed like some of the budget they saved last week came into play on these.  Nice of them to give some of the extras and other people associated with the show but who didn't get to appear on camera some lines/time.  Fernando/Skip aren't mute!  An excellent choice for Jeffster.  Loved Morgan yelling at Casey.  Ellie got to be a badass and a mentor and smart.  I just thought that besides the obvious controversy (which I choose to be an optimist about, even though it was a HUGE concern of mine), this was fantastic.

[134sc]

Let me preface this by saying that I liked the episode. But…

Why is it so freaking difficult for show runners to make a nice, easy, clean ending for a show? Honestly, how freaking hard would it have been to have Sarah acknowledge that her memories returned? With that one small gesture, I would not even be writing this post.

Look, I know that throughout the episode Sarah was remembering small things, and she would do something instinctively or go somewhere important without really knowing why.

And I know that Morgan kept telling Chuck to kiss Sarah in the hope that it would unlock her memories.

So at the end, at the beach, when Chuck finally does kiss her, I believe (and correct me if I misinterpreted this) it is implied that Sarah gets her memories back and that they will presumably go on to live the life they always wanted with each other. But why oh why couldn't they have acknowledged that?

I know what they were trying to do. They were giving us enough breadcrumbs to come to our own conclusion. But in this particular instance, with all that Sarah Walker has gone through and how much she has grown as a person, I feel that something of this importance should have been directly acknowledged on screen; not left to our imagination.

And you know what? It is really unfortunate that I am feeling this way because like I said at the top, I did like the episode. It was fun to go back to early Chuck days. I liked the plot. The acting was superb, the call-backs and self-references were great, it was all very well done. Unfortunately however, that one lack of acknowledgement is really having a negative effect on me. And that is a shame because it is tainting what was otherwise a very good send off for Chuck.

I think I need some encouraging words...anybody care to comment?

[polansky]

The sole reason I was watching this show was Sarah and all her memories have gone.What kind of finale is this? Even season 1 finale is better.Imagine that you are preparing a series finale that ruins everything you build so far.GAMECHANGER (Fedak loves this word).

Sorry for this post.Farewell

[mr2boynz]

Let me preface this by saying that I liked the episode. But…

Why is it so freaking difficult for show runners to make a nice, easy, clean ending for a show? Honestly, how freaking hard would it have been to have Sarah acknowledge that her memories returned? With that one small gesture, I would not even be writing this post.

Look, I know that throughout the episode Sarah was remembering small things, and she would do something instinctively or go somewhere important without really knowing why.

And I know that Morgan kept telling Chuck to kiss Sarah in the hope that it would unlock her memories.

So at the end, at the beach, when Chuck finally does kiss her, I believe (and correct me if I misinterpreted this) it is implied that Sarah gets her memories back and that they will presumably go on to live the life they always wanted with each other. But why oh why couldn't they have acknowledged that?

I know what they were trying to do. They were giving us enough breadcrumbs to come to our own conclusion. But in this particular instance, with all that Sarah Walker has gone through and how much she has grown as a person, I feel that something of this importance should have been directly acknowledged on screen; not left to our imagination.

And you know what? It is really unfortunate that I am feeling this way because like I said at the top, I did like the episode. It was fun to go back to early Chuck days. I liked the plot. The acting was superb, the call-backs and self-references were great, it was all very well done. Unfortunately however, that one lack of acknowledgement is really having a negative effect on me. And that is a shame because it is tainting what was otherwise a very good send off for Chuck.

I think I need some encouraging words...anybody care to comment?

Okay 134sc, I think you and I in the past have had similar specs etc. So hopefully I can help you and others 'feel better' about the ending.
Firstly I have done my rewatch and I enjoyed it even more and it certainly helps affirm the fact that I loved the ending even more. The bit I think people should concentrate on is that Sarah somehow remembered, the porn virus which confirmed that some minute memory/flash back was coming back. So her memory is like a Swiss Cheese - like Quantum Leap. Sure it started from the Wienerlicious but I think there was too many scenes between that and the final scene from the concert.
By the end when Beckman was giving the debrief, I think Sarah was in a confuse state but yet her feelings for Chuck was strong so she needed time to think.
What we don't know is how long it has passed between her leaving the Castle and the scene on the beach - for me I took it as a few days. So after a few days, Sarah didn't disappear but went to the beach where it all began (again some memory is coming back). As we get the flash back from the Season past, you can see that Sarah is laughing and crying like she remembers some of those memories. If she is that cold or doesn't remember, I believe she would not react that way. Sure it wasn't spelt out to us but I certainly get that on the second rewatch even more. 
Then when Chuck mentions about Morgans theory of the magic kiss, I think at that point Sarah realises her feeling for Chuck is strong and though she does not remember every single moment some of it is coming back and she feels comfortable. After the first kiss, they kiss again sort of a second time.    well I believe in magic so I think it all came back. .

Hope that helps but for those who still can't come to terms with how it ended then I am sad that you don't believe in magic or miricles because that is what television is all about! 

[GHMike]

I'm going to try and temper my response to be sensitive to those who didn't like the finale. I however loved it!!! No story ends at happily ever after, there is always a tomorrow and many days after that. I don't need a boldly written scene that lays everything out so bluntly and obviously, I know from the ending Chuck and Sarah live happily ever after and She gets her memories back. The brillance of the ending allows all of us fans  agency to imagine Chuck and Sarah's tomorrows.  instead of cementing their fate in words. Emotionally It left me happy, upbeat and satisfied, in a way only this story arc could deliver, for many of the characters.

I remember posting that I wanted a Chuck dinner table scene in the finale, because that to me was the heart of the show, and we got one, sorta. There at the almost end was the table scene ( Albiet in Castle)  with Chuck, Sarah, Casey, Mary, Morgan, Ellie and Awesome.  the whole family.   in the spy world.  In a way it was an acknowledgement to what the family is.

Ironically I almost called the ending of the series without any inside scoop. I said in the speculation thread that Chuck would use the one last flash on Sarah to flash about her and Chuck.  I thought then, that would be a good ending, I was wrong. I liked this way better.  I have no doubt that Sarah regains her memories.  You might say how do I know?  I know because the ending allows me to know.  
In the end I'm happy John is softer and knows it. I'm pleased that Ellie is no longer burdened with watching over Chuck, and Awesome and her are moving on. I'm giddy that Morgan and Alex are committing to each other. I'm excited that Jeff and Lester have spread their wings and left the Buy More. And finally I'm passionate that Chuck and Sarah will live and love each other     
I am however surprised he has a pristine intersect.   hmmm  Warner Bros. are you shopping the show?   ( a boy can dream!)

[LBEY]

I have a question for those who found the ending satisfying. If it had been Chuck who lost his memories (not just of Sarah but of everyone he loves and who loves him) and they ended it the same way, would you still feel satified?

My feeling is that the dividing line between those who liked and disliked the ending is based on which character you saw the show through. If you saw the show through Chuck's eyes then I can see how this ending would be okay. Chuck got to say goodbye to his family and friends that were moving on with their lives and in the end he has the very real hope that he can rebuild his relationship with Sarah.

If you saw the show through Sarah's eyes, then even if she "falls in love with Chuck all over again" she has lost her connection to the other people in her life that had become her family. Casey, Ellie and Awesome have all moved away and the opportunity to rebuild those relationships is mostly gone.

That is why, for me anyway, it's not enough to say that Sarah falls in love with Chuck all over again. I need her to regain those lost memories in order to know that she will have those other relationships back in her life.

Like many of you I'm hoping I can come to terms with how this ending made me feel, because right now I can't bring myself to rewatch tonight's episodes or any other for that matter. I hope that feeling changes because this show has brought me a lot of joy and I want that back.