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‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through LA, many people were stirring – it was near melee. They lined up at Buy More, computers in hand, with hopes that the Omen virus wouldn’t soon destroy the land…
Meanwhile, Ellie is freaking out at home because they are hosting a Christmas party in 6 hours and they don’t have the house decorated, a Christmas tree, or Clara’s picture with Santa yet. She wants this Christmas to be perfect in case it is Clara’s first memory. She has recruited Sarah to be her elf for “Project Santa” and Sarah is diligently working from Castle to help get everything together when an unexpected, very unwelcome visitor shows up – Daniel Shaw, in the flesh.
Shaw and Sarah have a knockdown-drag-out fight (her in some of the highest heels I’ve ever seen!) and he manages to subdue her with help from the Intersect. He ties her by her arms from the rafters while he checks out the virus, which is nearly done uploading. He tells her that he plans to use the virus to take over the CIA. Chuck calls and he tells him that he must go to Decker’s office, retrieve an electronic compression device and bring it to him if he wants Sarah to live.
Shaw had apparently been blackmailing Decker from prison to carry out his endgame. Chuck and Beckman team up to retrieve the compression device from the CIA station – turns out that it’s the annual CIA Christmas party (on Christmas Eve?), allowing them perfect cover to sneak in. Chuck steals Big Mike’s Santa suit from the Buy More and Beckman escorts him into the building.
“Santa” seduces a drunk partygoer and grabs her ID tag, which they use to break into Decker’s office. They find the device but before they can leave, they are discovered by security. Beckman, thinking quickly, throws herself into Chuck’s arms and starts kissing him. When the guards show up, it gets really awkward and Chuck and Beckman are able to leave the facility unharmed albeit with their dignity less than intact.
Back at the Buy More, Morgan has tasked Jeff and Lester with trying to learn more about the virus. They aren’t feeling properly “incentivized”, however, so he has to bring out the big guns – Subway footlongs – to encourage them to help. After a half dozen Subway sodas later, they’ve figured something out – the virus isn’t out to destroy computers, it is collecting information from all the government’s computers.
Down in Castle, Shaw turns down the temperature to prevent frying the computer system when all the data comes in. An added bonus that the low temperatures will slowly kill Sarah via hypothermia. Sarah has other ideas, however, and uses a stiletto hidden in her stilettos to free herself when Shaw leaves the room. They play a twisted game of hide and seek until Casey, who tries to sneak into Castle through the ducts (the ducts are getting a lot of use lately!) is caught by Shaw.
Shaw shoots him through the duct and when Sarah comes to his rescue, Shaw manages to capture her as well. Shaw ties her to a chair and locks Casey in a cell in Castle where he lays there bleeding from an abdominal wound. Thinking that he may be dying, he records a message for Alex, telling her how much he loves her, on the stuffed bear that he bought her for Christmas.
Turns out that Shaw is using the virus to collect information to make Intersect 3.0. With unknowing help from Jeffster, Chuck figures it out in time and he hacks the compression device so that when Shaw uploads what he thinks is the new Intersect, it actually removes it and replaces it with Christmas movies. Chuck and Shaw then have another epic fight in the Buy More while Silent Night plays in the background.
Morgan sneaks into Castle (which looks like it’s received a visit from Mr. Freeze) while Shaw is occupied with Chuck. Casey frees himself using the electronics from Alex’s stuffed bear and the two of them free an unconscious Sarah. Chuck demonstrates to Shaw that he’s been working on his fight skills and insists that he doesn’t need the Intersect to beat him. Turns out, though, that once again, Chuck needs help to finish him off. Instead of Sarah, this time it is Ellie that comes to the rescue. She has been hiding in the Buy More since finding out that Sarah was captured by Shaw and she hits Shaw over the head with a frying pan (a la [easyazon-link asin=”B004G600A4″]Tangled[/easyazon-link]) and knocks him out.
The whole cast (even the Buy Morons) goes back to Echo Park to enjoy an elaborate, impromptu, tax payer-funded Christmas party in the courtyard. Everyone expresses their love for each other and it appears that all is now right in their world. They are even all welcome back at the CIA!
However, Shaw’s not done with them yet, it seems. From prison, he requests a meet with Sarah that night (and for inexplicable reasons she actually goes, against Beckman’s advice). He lets her know that he’s put something else in motion that she can’t stop. He reminds her of Hungary and asks her if Chuck knows about THE BABY….and… merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
My thoughts: This episode brought up as many questions as it answered and I am probably in the minority, but I found it somewhat underwhelming, especially in light of the hype and early reviews. There were some fun moments, such as Beckman kissing Chuck, and some heartwarming scenes with Alex and Casey, but overall I felt that the whole episode required a much stronger suspension of disbelief than usual. That said, the issues bothered me less on a second viewing.
Burning questions/things that bothered me: Although Decker told the team that the conspiracy went back to the beginning, it appears that it only went back two years to when Shaw was caught and imprisoned – why did Decker lie? Why would the CIA have locked up Shaw with the Intersect still functioning when they had the technology to remove or suppress it in Chuck, Morgan and Volkoff? How was it that Casey was shot at close range with an automatic weapon, thought he was dying, but still didn’t require any more than basic first aid from Ellie later on? Ditto on Sarah.
Memorable Thoughts and Quotes:
I want people to remember the true meaning of Christmas and get back to what you should be doing – buying stuff! – Big Mike
Every prison cell in here is connected to the mainframe. What if the omen virus hits us? – a guard at Clarksville Penitentiary
You worry too much! – another guard, as the cells all open and a certain prisoner escapes and then kills them
I promise that no one is going to ruin our Christmas! – Sarah
Mr. Pippers the Preppy Polar Bear!
It’s like you are showing real human emotion! – Morgan to Casey,
Don’t you ever say that again! – Casey
I was going to say a trip to the Bahamas! – Jeff, after Lester sells them out to work on the Omen virus for Subway sandwiches (6 inch, no less!)
What if it’s up to us, two Buy More employees, left to stop the Omen virus and save the world? – Lester
C’mon, the government has their best people working on this – Jeff, as the scene cuts to the CIA Christmas party where plenty of people are misbehaving
Los Angeles spies… – Beckman, commenting on Stan Lee as a spy
Grow up Bartowski, you’re about to become a man! – Beckman
Water will only dilute this feeling. – Jeff
Plus, fish have sex in it – Lester
Well, you’ve heard my thoughts, now it’s time to share yours. I wish everyone and their families a safe, warm and happy holiday! Don’t forget to tune in to NBC next Friday at 8/7c to see Chuck vs the Baby!
Yes. Exactly.
I liked the episode. I liked parts of it a lot. But I expected to love it. And it fell quite a bit short of that for me.
Okay, so Decker was blackmailed. Weak, but okay. But what about Robin Cummings? Decker is dead. Who gave her orders? Would she take orders from Shaw? Why?
And why on earth would Sarah agree to talk to Shaw again? And without Chuck? Mind numbing.
I expected more closure. But Shaw is still there, plotting his next move.
If Shaw is supposed to be the ultimate bad guy, I will be very disappointed. The conspiracy was supposed to be on from the moment Chuck was sent the Intersect – Shaw didn’t even know Chuck existed then. There must be more to this! If not and if the baby next week proves to be Sarah’s, I’m done with the show – are they underestimating our intelligence?
the episode was good, not great, still enough for me. Shaw coming back well i thought it could be interesting but they again wrote him a bit plain, at least from the plot scenario. So at the end this is was all for revenge? Weak. I plotted all this for 2 years and all for taking ultimate revenge on Sarah? I dunno i expected better from the writers, but hey, we are the end, i guess they run out of juice lol.
Loved how Jeff and Lester pretty much uncover the truth without realizing the gravity of it, of course just for a pair of 12 inch subway sandwiches!
Now the last minute of the episode caught me to surprise , like many of you might have, why Sarah goes to see Shaw, and more importantly without telling or going with her husband.? and the promo….She said she cannot tell Chuck about her secret….but apparently she gets pissed if Chuck leaves her out of something . My impression from what i got watching the promo is that Sarah was doing some sort of cleaning up job in Hungary, but she sees the like baby and she cannot kill her or whatever she is supposed to do with her/him (it’s a boy or a girl? i couldn’t tell) So i don’t think it’s her baby, so i don’t think it’s the result of an affair with her handler, this looks like more her protecting the child , unfortunately she has to disappear from her mom’s life if the child is to be safe from his handler? I dunno maybe i’m totally wrong here. And yes i really hope the baby is not hers, it will destroy her image for good.
I can’t believe all season has been built on this weak story!!! decker said: you
think all are coincidence: shaw , ring, ajan X …in 4.24
Until then shaw is behind all the story!!!
I’m very dissapointed I was expecting more creative storyline for final season!!!!
The holiday doesn’t mean people stop watching Chuck, up 11% vs last week!
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/12/24/tv-ratings-friday-chuck-rises-as-univision-tops-the-english-nets-among-adults-18-49/114637/
Why did Sarah go to see Shaw? In Castle Shaw teased sarah about knowing her secrets and Sarah knows she has secrets that can put people in danger (her mother and the baby,,). So she had to go to see Shaw in prison to find out what he actually knows.
But Sarah is married. There should be no secret that Shaw could tell him that Chuck doesn’t already know. The fact that there is points to Sarah’s messed up priorities.
Given their history, she shouldn’t have gone there without him.
There is no reason for Sarah to give Chuck a full report on every single mission she has ever done. And some secrets are so dangerous that just knowing one puts your life in danger. So the less you know about those nasty evil things CIA has done the safer you are.
I agree Cay letting Roth keep the intersect is something you think CIA would not let him keep. But since he was blackmailing Decker it might been part of his demands to maintain.
I’m concerned that Shaw is all the conspiracy is about but there are a few things that have come to light that still give me hope there more. Robin mentioned that virus was only piece of the plan and she also told Chuck that he has pissed off a lot of important people. Brandon was out to destroy Chuck and finish his vengeance upon Sarah. I agree Robin was caring out orders that couldn’t come from Decker he was already dead. Shaw going to be in solitary confinement from now on he isn’t going to be able to talk to anyone again Casey been shot before and always seems to require minimum attention. S2 he lost a toe and Ellie was there to provide on spot medical help only.
Sarah was told Shaw request in private by Beckman probably only way he would talk to her if she only came alone.
But with that it was a great episode I thought Ellie and Chuck defeated Shaw this time and gave Bartowski’s some closure on defeating the man murdered their father Thanks for sharing this with us Cay
Cay points out in her review that Ellie hit Shaw with the frying pan ala the movie Tangled. But more than that it was a throwback to when she knocked out Casey in her apartment with a frying pan in S3 when Jason of the Ring told her casey was a bad guy. Ellie is good with frying pans.
Yep, definitely a callback to that season 3 scene. Loved it!
And that (and the Tangled bit) were probably callbacks to Indiana Jones.
I agree with all you’ve said! My expectation wasn’t high only because Shaw was in it, and after reading certain tweets and finding out Shaw wouldn’t die, I knew I’d be disappointed. Saying that, I did enjoy it. Chuck doesn’t execute its plots well, so it doesn’t surprise me that there were holes in this episode. But the fight scenes were good, and it was nice to see Chuck be a badass and not need to have the
intersect. I REALLY HOPE that next week’s episode is not about Sarah having had a secret kid and having her mom watch it, take care of it, etc., because that would be sooooooooo Days of our Lives. But I kinda sense it’s a red herring. Not going to trust Fedak’s ‘epic Sarah episode for Sarah fans,’ because his definition of epic can sometimes be different than mine.
Happy and blessed Christmas, friends!
I still wonder why the lock in Castle showed a CIA logo when Casey was locked up, makes me think that someone else in the CIA is behind al this…
I don’t think Shaw was behind a huge conspiracy (if there even is one). I think Decker lied about that, and Shaw was able to use the whole Agent X thing to his advantage. After that plan was thwarted Shaw decided to do things himself, leading to this episode. Now when they wrote 4.24, was this there plan? Probably not, but if I think about it, it makes enough sense that I can buy it.
And who knows maybe there actually is a conspiracy (outside of Shaw)…we will find out soon enough.
As for the episode, I really liked it, and I haven’t even done my rewatch yet.
Hi All:
Cay, good review. It was very informative and concise. I thought you captured the essence of this episode. I definitely enjoyed it.
In terms of the inquiry about why the CIA did not remove the Intersect from Shaw, I can only speculate that Decker protected Shaw while he was being blackmailed. He probably came up with an excuse to the CIA not to remove the Intersect.
Since Decker appeared to be a high ranking official, the CIA might have taken Decker’s word and not pursued it further. Since Shaw appeared not to be an immenient threat, they likely trusted Decker.
Does that sound reasonable to everyone?
Pat, you’re right, there is no reason to cia be suspicious of decker.
Good episode, glad to seet chuck beat shaw without intersec, we note that he worked hard.
happens to the money decker freeze, should not return it?
I feel that being so short season, will see many holes in the plot.
I was a bit dissapointed with tonights episode, cos I think that the presence of Shaw just can’t fit into a one episode, I wonder how shaw a well trained CIA agent in every martial arts was so bad at fighting Chuck. Eventhough he had the intersect for a long while, he still was trained before as an agent so i was wondering how chuck could defend himself against Shaw, ofc he has been practising fighting but nevertheless the fight scenes are not so objective, as i always kept thinkin a professional ex-cia agent so bad at fighting -.-
I of course think that shaws the ultimate bad guy and they just had to make him reappear, I didn’t quite get it why would he talk to sarah about the baby, what’s in it for him? he was just curious so he wanted to know ? makes me wonder too.
I hope he’ll return because he was defeated a little bit too easy, not dramatic at all. I hope he’ll make an reappearance and make an great showdown with chuck using both intersects ! that would make an amazing ending battle 😀 (yes I know that Shaw’s not the main villian)
that’s all from me merry Xmas
Hi Cari:
Actually, I wondered the same thing about Shaw. However, it seemed that the virus beside getting rid of the Intersect had Shaw a little disoriented.
Shaw seemed sluggish and having trouble focus. I think the Christmas images were occassionally, appearing his mind keeping him confused. It was a virus and who knows exactly what effect it would have on a human mind.
Also, while Chuck not being an expert in combat, seemed to have gotten reasonable training likely from Sarah and Casey. Also, I think Chuck took advantage immediately when Shaw seem disoriented. He started pounding on Shaw which might have kept Shaw from really focusing on the attack.
Hi Carl:
I would agree with you that Chuck normally would not be able to overpower Shaw under normal circumstances. Howver, Shaw did seem disoriented when the virus uploaded into his brain.
At least for the first few minutes it seemed Shaw was having trouble adjusting to the virus in his brain. Also, the sudden removal of the Intersect from his brain might have caused temporary confusion. Also since Chuck got in a few sucker punches early also probably weakened Shaw a bit.
It appeared Shaw was constantly adjusting in the battle and never seem to completely focus. That is why I believed he went for the gun sensing he was going to lose.
hey Pat
I must say i didn’t think about that, but now that you said I must agree with it, he seemed a bit suprised by losing the intersect, so Chuck use that very well in his advantage.
I’m however dissapointed with the shaw episode, as I thought that they could do a better job and a better storyline with it!
Chuck told Shaw (and us) that he’s been training to compensate for no longer having the Intersect. Add in the element of surprise when Shaw realized he’d been de-Intersected, and it’s a fair fight. But remember, it was Ellie who ultimately took down Shaw.
Cay I was surprised you were down on the episode. Then I read the rest of the viewer’s comments and compared to most of theirs you loved the episode. Pretty rough critiques, but it seems like most everyone is focused on the spy plot stuff, and when I watch Chuck I tend to look for the one thing that I believe kept viewers watching the show from the beginning. The one major force in Chuck’s life is Sarah, and the development of their relationship from year one is what (in my opinion) separates Chuck from being just another spy, cop, action type show.
I see the main story line of Chuck as, sorry, a “love story”. And, I think that Zackary and Yvonne have done a magnificent job in conveying the development of their relationship better than any show I have ever watched on TV (50+yrs.). They should be commended for it. Back to this current episode review. I really liked the show. I love Shaw. However, the Chuck Sarah relationship thing has disappeared. It has been doing so in each year 5 episode. Ellie saves Chuck over Shaw and Chuck and her talk, but never once does Chuck wonder “I hope Sarah is OK”, or rush to her. Cut to Xmas scene. As Cay said “heartwarming scenes” like Casey and his daughter. For Chuck and Sarah it is an underwhelming small kiss. No hugs. Looking in each others eyes, I love you’s, etc. All the chemistry that got them this far is gone. Cuz they are married now? I don’t know, but that is what I am disappointed with. The disappearence of the show’s distinctive story line, and the source of it’s best acting by two great actors.
I’m completely agree with you!!
Why the writers don’t consider that???
I’m so tired of hearing that Chuck & Sarah aren’t as lovey-dovey as people want them to be. Especially in an episode like this one that was not about romance. It’s been the same complaint since season 1 – not enough “longing looks” or “meaningful moments”. If you’re still expecting high romance a la The Notebook after this long, then that’s on you, not the show.
Even so, there were some very sweet moments between them, especially when he gave her the bracelet back.
Thanks for saying what needed to be said regarding the romance issues. Like you stated, this ep. was not about romance.
Mel, sorry to disagree with the bracelet. unless i miss heard he gave it back to her and said i didn’t have time to buy you a present yet. huh, first Christmas together and you can’t find time to shop for the wife?
add to that after he/ellie defeat shaw, instead of running down to castle to check on his wife, he has a love fest with his sister. hows that showing love or concern for your wife?
At what point during the episode did Chuck have time to buy Sarah a Christmas present? For that matter, when did Sarah? She didn’t give Chuck a gift, but she doesn’t seem to be getting flak for that.
Ellie just helped him defeat the man who killed their father. I think that deserves a conversation and a hug.
I have to disagree with you, Mel. The show took us on a journey with Chuck and SArah bringing them together with those longing looks and love in their eyes. Just because they get married, they don’t have to stop those kind of scenes. They don’t have to be as long or as sicky sweet,but please give us a caring question “Where is she, is she okay?” Married people still have those kind of looks and love!! I’ve gotten used to it, but it has taken away from the show because they wrote that in there the first couple of seasons. They show alot and i mean alot more with Elliie and Awesome!! YOu have to admit that!!! That’s what we want to see with Chuck and Sarah. They don’t overdo it with them!! But I’ve just resigned myself to that’s the way it’s going to be. So I agree with Paul and SAm.
I’ve seen “those kinds of looks and love” for the last 2 seasons, but others are still complaining that they aren’t more romantic. Even when they ARE romantic, if it’s not exactly the way those viewers want it, then it’s not good enough. Ellie & Awesome are different; they’ve always been more tactile and openly affectionate than most couples on TV. Heck, more than most couples I know in real life! Every couple is different, so let’s accept that Chuck & Sarah express their love the way we’ve been shown and quit expecting something different. That’s the definition of insanity: doing the same thing (or in our case, watching the same thing) over and over again and expecting different results.
Mel i don’t mean to sound snarky but did did Christmas just suddenly appear out of nowhere? many shows don’t show the characters buying gifts but they still give them. he had months to get her something and so did she. as people like to say shop off screen.
i understand your point but if saw my wife like he saw his, and i didn’t know if my friend had gotten to her, i would want to get there as soon as possible and catch up with my sister later. but that’s just me.
TW, I’d be more inclined to agree with your point if both of my brothers, my stepdad, and at least one sister-in-law hadn’t been out doing their shopping on Christmas Eve this year. And last year. And pretty much every year. 😉
Mel again point taken but this is chuck we are talking about. he plans everything. look at the engagement plans from phase 3, looking for a house early this season. he doesn’t strike me as the fly by the seat of your pants type. that’s the main reason i object to it, plus it’s their first one together. but i do see your point.
Maybe Chuck did have a plan, but thanks to Shaw, he didn’t have time to execute it. He did say that he didn’t have time to get her gift, not that he didn’t know what he wanted to get her. *shrug* Doesn’t seem like a big deal to me, especially since it provided an opportunity to have Chuck give Sarah her bracelet again, this time as a full-fledged couple. Since I’ve been hearing about the lack of that bracelet’s presence for years from certain male fans, I figured the show was giving them what they wanted by featuring it so prominently in this episode.
MEL- I think your reply about my posting above missed what I was trying to get across. I’m not looking for “lovey-dovey”, I am looking for chemistry that is not present in season 5. You say people have been complaining since season 1. I think their chemistry, and “longing looks” was just fine in seasons 1-4. Below you say “youv’e seen those kinds of looks and love” for the past two seasons. So have I. But, I think it is fair to complain about season 5 because their relationship has to be there for the last season and it has been a feeble start so far. Lastly, if, as you say, people have been complaining so much about the romance part then there must be something to it and I do not think you should iust dismiss it as you seem to be doing. Thank you for all your hard work that enables us to have this experience.
Paul, my point is that people have been complaining about the level of romance between Chuck & Sarah since season 1, which to me says they have unrealistic expectations for this show. What we’ve been shown on screen is how their relationship IS. Period. The end. If it’s not enough romance for you, then you’re watching the wrong show. The show’s balance of romance, action, humor, and drama – which varies depending on the purpose of the episode – was established a long time ago. If I seem dismissive about complaints about the lack of romance, it’s because after nearly 5 years, if someone is still watching primarily for the romance, then that’s their mistake. Either embrace that this show is a little bit of everything and enjoy the specialness of that mixture, or realize that you’ll always be disappointed because it will rarely fully serve the romance and decide whether it’s worth your time to watch.
At the time Shaw is defeated, Chuck and Ellie have no way of knowing how Sarah is doing, or Casey and Morgan for that matter. It seems to me that they both should have been concerned about the well being of their love ones, and not so concerned about sharing a hug (especially Chuck whose first priority should be his wife).
Chuck knew that Morgan was in Castle to aid Sarah and Casey; that was part of their plan. Shaw was no longer a threat. So why couldn’t Chuck and Ellie take 2 minutes to try to digest what just happened, to be relieved that the threat was over and that they’d avenged their father’s death, before going down to Castle?
Maybe it’s just me. I’d be happy that I had sent a friend to help, but I would not wait even 2 minutes to find out if my wife was okay. Even though Shaw was defeated Chuck did not know whether Sarah was wounded or not…
Sorry I’ve been MIA. I’m with Mel on this one. I think the most believable aspecfs of Chuck are the relationships. We all know that the last few months have been rough for the Bartowskis . Why is it such a surprise that Chuck didn’t have time to get a gift for Sarah? Love and gifts are not the same thing,despite all the commercials that would try to convince you otherwise.The scene was an excuse to show the bracelet again, that’s all.
Also, why does it matter anyway? If your issue is plot holes this one was dime sized and there were a few truck sized ones in my opinion as I wrote above.
same with the ‘what?’ question when casey was dying, so was sarah and next thing, first aid? i was like huh? almost like it was nothing at all, when clearly it wasn’t…. but bloody amazing episode on the whole. cudos to all!!
I totally agree with you Cay! It was good but did not live up to the hype and expectation that I expected which, as much as I love this show has happened through the years. I still think there may be more to the conspiracy. That is a huge letdown if that was all to the conspiracy. And forgive me, but I’m a romantic at heart, and although this has been the third time Chuck has had to save Sarah from Shaw, it’s like he was more concerned about his sister than his wife. They so downplay their loving each other. I would be so scared if Shaw had a loved one, and yet when he sees her at the end one little kiss!! I mark it down to the fact that it’s guys writing these episodes. And again, it looks like the show is focusing more on Sarah here at the end than Chuck and Sarah. I just hope it picks up here at the end. I like Sarah, but I like Chuck more with Sarah.
I think Casey had good cause to think he might be dying. First, he’s been shot in the abdomen [which I understand is very painful], he’s bleeding, locked in and away from any medical help, plus Shaw’s on the other side of the door somewhere. Given enough time without medical assistance, a person can bleed to death in such circumstances.
At the end, we saw Casey with a substantial bandage around his middle. I’m guessing Ellie or Devon patched him up before the bandage was applied.
Don’t trust Shaw to tell the truth, there is definately another “BIG BAD BOSS” on the horizone for the last six episodes.
Hi All,
Did anyone see the name of the prision at the start of the episode – it was called “Clarksville” – that was funny!!
Loved Chuck vs the Santa Suit, even if it didn’t make since for Shaw to have the intersect still. It was a great fun episode. I must admit I thought Chuck would get the intersect back in this episode. Ellie talking about the “star” her dad gave her. I figured Chuck would get a look at the nice shiney star and it would upload a new version of the intersect into him. But didn’t happen, still hope he gets the intersect back before the end. Also loved Sarah’s confidence in Chuck.
That should have been, “didn’t make sense”…
Also agree with the writer on suspension of disbelief involving Casey and Sarah and lack of medical attention and partying it up, a short time later.
Still this episode was a whole lot of fun. and Casey even got to crawl in the ducts ala Die Hard (again)
One last thing, Team Chuck was asked to rejoin the CIA, whether they do or not. Will they get their Funds unfrozen and have access to Vokhoff’s money again. And if so will Chuck buy Sarah her dream house?
Mel- Please let me take one last shot at this. It’s not that viewers want a romance show, and do not pay attention to all of the great action qualities of Chuck. I think that viewers have become so wrapped up in the development of Chuck and Sarah’s relationship because Yvonne and Zack have overwhelmed us with their ability to portray Chuck and Sarah falling in love, and developing a lasting relationship. Their acting has been superb, and emotionally convincing. The creators and writers have also done a marvelous job in deciding how to develop the relationship. In looking at past interviews and comments with Yvonne in particular the main subject that is brought up and talked about the most is Chuck and Sarah’s relationship. So I do not think I am off base in my assessment. I complained about their lack of chemistry this season because it has been there convincingly in the first four years, and the viewers, and I, do not want that to change. You told me to “embrace the show as it is” or, more or less, don’t watch it. I do embrace it, and will allways watch it. Thanks.
I hear what you’re saying Paul, because you’ve said it several times. So let me say my piece again: I agree that Zac and Yvonne have outstanding chemistry and have helped us become more invested in Chuck & Sarah both as individuals and as a couple. I don’t need constant reassurance that they’re hot for each other or in love because 1) romance is only one piece of this show and 2) it’s not always appropriate to the episode’s tone or purpose. Even so, they always find a way to drop moments of intimacy and sweetness into the mix, even when an episode is primarily action oriented. And yes, I still see plenty of chemistry between them.
Regarding the fans who have complained, it’s a small (but vocal!) minority who are complaining. Most fans are happy that Chuck and Sarah are together at last and tend to focus on other elements with a comment here and there about something sweet that happened between them, like Chuck returning the bracelet. It’s always been the men who have been the most vocal about the Chuck/Sarah relationship, which is an interesting phenomenon in and of itself, but this season I’ve noticed that almost the only ones complaining are male, which leads me to wonder if the chemistry is just more subtle this season and maybe not as easy for the guys to pick up on as it has been in the past. Ladies, feel free to chime in here if I’m reading that wrong.
I have to agree with Paul on this one, the romance and chemistry between Chuck and Sarah has always (for me certainly) been the bedrock of this show and that has been largely missing this season. The show has many qualities and many reasons to love it as you point out Mel but without this chemistry it does at times run the risk of becoming a bog standard albeit funny spy show. I understand that you can’t have a constant sickly lovey dovey story line but I think maybe a blanket and a request for a party shows far too little love from a man who’s wife has just had the snot beaten out of her and has been half frozen to death.
Aside from this, I thought this was a good episode even though I’d built myself up for something far better this week. On second viewing this episode stands up well and has some great line and all whinging aside, this is still my favourite show by a mile.
Mel,
I agree with a lot of what you have been saying about Chuck and Sarah and how their relationship is being portrayed. I love the subtleties between them…..Chuck calling Sarah “Hun” or Honey….the looks they give each other and knowing what the other one means without saying a word, comes in handy for the spy business. There are many scenes where they are holding hands and other people just roll their eyes at that, which gives the impression that they do that A LOT. =0)
Even when they have a problem between them, they seem to recognize it and talk it out, some are kind of silly but I think that is just them being sensitive to each other and getting used to being a couple.
Sure it would be great to have more scenes between them without all the spy stuff, but it is only an hour (40 minutes minus commercials) show and there are other people involved in the episodes and part of Chuck and Sarah’s lives. So I think it makes it even more special when they are together on screen since there is always so much going on.
Some cases, I think the episodes can seem a bit dis-jointed and don’t seem to flow, but I think that is more of an editing issue. Just looking at some of the deleted scenes on the DVDs, some of them really add to the episode.
I love how the relationships between all the characters has developed over the years. I think all the actors have developed a closeness over the seasons and that does come through on the show. It just makes it that much more enjoyable to watch and it will be awfully hard to let this show go.
Again, thanks Mel, for this website and to all the people who take the time to write their thoughts about this show and how much it means to them. This is been a fun ride.
As a C/S shipper, I love where the relationship has gone with the 2 of them! I love the subtle, quiet intimacy between the 2. Would I like more C/S time? Yes. Do I need it? Nope. You just have to look at the 2 of them to see their feelings for each other. Sarah loves being married! Who would’ve thought that? And Chuck isn’t the emotionally immature kid he used to be. It’s a different kind of squee for me, but a good one nonetheless!
Honestly, this episode was probably the worst in over a year, for 2 reasons:
1. That baby issue. That’s just plain wrong, it’s not the story device to use here and it is another case of writers unable to stop themselves from trashing up the plot. With only few episodes remaining it’s not the right time to introduce an entirely new bit of storyline and I detest the (now common) practice of introducing bits just to have some rushed momentum for two or even just one episode.
Which bringes me to:
2. There’s no way the writers would really just cut off the whole conspiracy theory, after doing so much right in hyping it up, which is why I do not understand the return of Shaw at all. Not only did they already abuse him for a return-of-the-villain scenario before, they also have him meddle with the currently most interesting storyline. I believe that Shaw will turn out to be just another part of the conspiracy surrounding Chuck, because quite honestly anything else would be utterly dissatisfying.
This was probably the weakest episode of this season, and it has nothing to do with the last scene and the “baby” foolishness.
Random thoughts:
– Shaw was a lame “good guy” but a pretty good villain during season 3.. that being said bringing him back felt completely unnecessary.
– Intersect or no, I was disappointed to see both Sarah and Casey so easily defeated.
– Chuck coming up with a plan when Morgan and Casey believe he’s “shutting down” was one of the few scenes that I liked.
– When Ellie learns the truth about what’s happening and Chuck convinces her to go home…. you just *knew* that she’d come back and kick Shaw’s ass. Way too predictable. (And disappointing, since I hoped Chuck or Sarah would do it)
– Yes, Ellie saved Chuck but after that he should have just rushed to see how things were in the Castle and thank her later. The scene just felt very wrong and out-of-character to me.
– As for the last scene, it was undoubtedly just meant to shock people with ‘baby’ and all. While it’s sad the writers feel the need to use such tactics, “the baby” promos look promising. I like Sarah-centric episodes.