Paris, Je T'Aime: Happy Endings on Chuck

On a series that's as fraught with peril as Chuck is each week, the possibility of happiness seems particularly short-lived, if it's ever in fact within any of the characters' grasp to begin with.

Yet, on this week's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Other Guy"), written by Chris Fedak and directed by Peter Lauer, our main characters all seemed to get exactly what they wanted most, a nice change of pace for a season that's been shrouded in a fair amount of darkness and emotional injury.

It's worth noting that last night's episode was intended to be the season finale for Season Three of Chuck, rather than just a plot-intensive installment. The fact that the writers sought to give several of our spies the thing they've been striving for most was a nice touch that would have ended the season on a hell of a high, while setting up some new dynamics should the series have been renewed.

But instead, we have six more episodes of Chuck to look forward to this season and I'm extremely curious to see just how Fedak and Co. use their momentum going into this next pod to deliver an arc that's either tangentially related to what we've seen so far this season or completely separate... and whether they can recreate the magic of "Chuck Versus the Other Guy" for the actual season finale.

So what did I think of this week's non-season finale? Let's discuss.

Short answer: I loved it for a number of reasons.

This week's installment sought to clear the decks a bit and offer some resolutions to a few storylines, most notably the star-crossed romance between Chuck and Sarah, Casey's suspension from the NSA, the murder of Shaw's wife and his need for revenge, and The Ring itself, seemingly.

Given that the writers believed that they only had thirteen episodes to work with, some things were a little rushed this season with Shaw and Sarah's oddly chemistry-free relationship being one of them, as well as the true nature of The Ring. While we met The Director (Mark Sheppard) last week and got to see him here again, I don't really feel like we have a sense of what The Ring was really after or why they were such a horrific threat, really. They never really quite gelled in the way that Fulcrum did in Season Two, though they followed a similar modus operandi and were another evil splinter group who had co-opted the intelligence agencies and were looking to construct their own Intersect. But other than that, I never really found them to be all that interesting, especially in recent weeks, when they seemed to be pulling Shaw's strings and using the murder of his wife to get him to their side.

But that's a minor quibble in an episode and a season that finally has given fans what they've been waiting for: Chuck and Sarah finally telling each other that they not only love one another but, now on equal footing, actually entering into a full-blown relationship. Sarah's concern this season has been that Chuck has inherently changed from the guy that she first fell in love with, that his murder of Perry during his red test has inexorably changed him and not for the better, but Chuck had an opportunity to prove this week that, while he may have gained some skills, he's still the same old Chuck.

There was a nice juxtaposition in the episode between Chuck's first attempt to save Sarah--aided by Colonel Sanders (heh) and an entire squadron of armed men, tanks, and stealth bombers--and his actual, single-handed efforts to rescue Sarah in Paris, where she had been drugged by Shaw and was about to be thrown into the Seine as payback for murdering Eve. Sarah had been concerned that a Chuck who could kill wasn't really Chuck at all but he disproved that once and for all this week, proving that he could kill if it was necessary to save someone's life and he makes the decision to kill Shaw, not out of cold-blood, but out of the need to save Sarah's life. (It does, after all, balance the scales, somewhat.)

While I initially liked Brandon Routh's Daniel Shaw (especially after we learned of its tragic past), he's definitely irked in recent weeks and I can't say that I am sad to see him go, particularly in such a (potentially) final and irreversible way. His need for vengeance, to exact a form of Biblical justice to pay back whoever was responsible for Eve's death, eventually consumed him from within. His seeming lack of emotion was, according to Beckman, what made him the consummate spy, so it was only fitting that he would be a victim of his own deep-seated anger. Hell, even in death, he seeks to destroy Sarah.

Showing the lengths he was willing to go to for revenge, Shaw didn't even try to kill Sarah when he first learned that it was she who killed Eve but instead set up an entire false break-in at The Ring HQ (severely under-guarded, suspiciously) and then lured her to Paris to reenact Eve's death with her as the victim this time. Shaw, in other words, has been so corrupted by his grief and his rage that he's willing to sell out everything in the name of revenge: his country, his girlfriend, and his own moral compass. (Though, I will give Shaw some credit in that he didn't sell out Chuck or tell The Ring that he was the Intersect.)

I loved that Shaw's subterfuge was discovered not by Chuck or Sarah (though Sarah realizes something's up when she experiences an eerie sense of deja vu when she arrives at the site of her red test) but by Morgan, finally proving his sense of worth to Operation Bartowski, thanks to his knowledge of kung fu movies and bad fight choreography. (I knew Morgan's esoteric knowledge would come in handy one day.) While Morgan's attempt to quit the Buy More were extremely premature, I was glad to see that he was taking his role as Chuck's assistant seriously (perhaps a but too seriously) and was making a huge life-change in order to fulfill his own dreams. Loved that Beckman called Morgan up personally at the end to offer him the job, with the understanding that he'd stay on at the Buy More as a cover. (Huzzah!)

Casey, meanwhile, ably assisted Chuck in Paris and successfully bartered The Director for his old job and rank back (as well as Morgan's job), managing to apply some pressure on Beckman. Casey's toothlessness the last few weeks, in the wake of his status as a civilian, is finally reverse. Whereas earlier he gave Chuck the means of "rescuing" Sarah from the warehouse with a phone number, he later breaks protocol to fly--coach, no less--with Chuck to Paris to help him save the life of the woman he loves. (Could it be that Casey's secretly a romantic at heart? Hells yes.)

We all knew that it was only a matter of time before our spy trio was reunited in the field but it still made for great drama to see Casey attempt to adjust to life as a civilian (he hits rock bottom once Jeff and Lester offer to make him a member of their crew) and then manage to regain what he loves best: his duty to his country. I can't wait to see Chuck, Sarah, and Casey back together again, this time with the addition of Morgan as the clueless newbie, taking over Chuck's role from Season One.

Then there was Chuck and Sarah themselves, who were finally able to tell one another how they felt. I loved the scene on the floor of Chuck's apartment--with Chuck in boxers and holding a Guitar Hero plastic guitar--as Sarah admitted that she's always been in love with him and was afraid of him losing the essential qualities that make him who he is. Hell, I would have been happy with the kiss they shared then but the final scene between the two in Paris, as Sarah regains consciousness and realizes that Chuck killed Shaw to save her life, was the icing on the cake. I loved the passion and honesty of their kiss, that lone Converse peeking out of the duvet, and the shot through the window of their hotel room.

Looks like Chuck Bartowski not only finally got to see the Eiffel Tower but he finally got everything he always wanted as well: the girl of his dreams and the gig to match. He's now a full-fledged spy and on an equal plane as Sarah Walker herself. Only fitting that they would break the connection with General Beckman and finally focus on each other. Aw, young love.

What else did I love about this episode? Chuck tying up Morgan; the knife fight between Chuck and Shaw at the French cafe; the Pretty in Pink reference; Colonel Sanders; Beckman's reluctant call to Morgan and his confusion with sir/ma'am; Casey stuck between Chuck and a stranger on the flight to Paris; Chuck turning up at precisely the right time in Paris and having to use--not his Intersect-derived abilities--but his own smarts (and shooting skills); a request for a new Crown Vic; and, of course, that final scene of Chuck and Sarah in bed together, along with Sarah's "shut up and kiss me" line.

In other words: a happy ending, not just for Chuck and Sarah, but for all of us watching at home. And the best bit is that it's not an "ending" at all: with another six episodes to go this season, we'll be able to see just how these latest plot twists play out on screen before Chuck wraps up its third season... and very hopefully returns for a fourth next season.

What did you think of this week's non-season finale? Was it everything you hoped for? Happy to see the back of Shaw? Thrilled that Chuck and Sarah finally got it together? What do you think will happen in the next six episodes? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Chuck returns in three weeks with "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners," in which Chuck and Sarah discover they are aboard the same train as notorious Basque terrorist Juan Diaz Arnaldo.