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2.22 Chuck versus the Ring Review by Josie Kafka "The BuyMore is no more." It's pretty much impossible -- even if you live spoiler-clean -- to avoid going into a season finale with certain expectations. All of us here on billiedoux.com seemed more apprehensive than anything else: how, with the sense of loose ends tied and threads snipped, could we get anything other than the series finale we're all fearing? The promos for the season finale made me expect an entirely wedding-centric episode, with a largish gun battle at the end, the victory of good over evil, and Sarah and Chuck walking happily into the sunset. Maybe Casey could even meet a special honey at the reception. Given Chuck's ambiguous fate, I assumed the Powers that Be would wrap things up and, if necessary, reboot next fall. I was dead wrong. (And please, don't read the rest of this review until you've watched the episode.) The wedding battle came way, way earlier than I'd expected, which gave Chuck a great excuse to blow his massive tax refund/spy bailout/hush money on Wedding 2.0 with some hilarious help from the Special Forces. Ellie and Awesome are now married. So that's all good. And by the way, did you notice that Sarah's bridesmaid dress had a detachable skirt? Most dresses don't have that kind of promise built right into the design. Or maybe I've just been in the wrong weddings. What isn't good (or maybe it is?) is Chuck's decision to download Intersect 3.0. Sarah had been willing to give it all up for him, and he'd already nixed the analyst job (I guess the general and I think alike), so he had the chance to finally make his dream come true. Instead, he chose to reload his mental firepower. The kung-fu skills were an unknown extra -- and hey! Chuck finally got those superpowers he's always wanted. Earlier in the episode, Morgan and Chuck had a heart-to-heart about the difficulty of following one's dream: it's risky and hard, and the bigger the dream, the riskier and harder it will be to achieve. Chuck's dream has always been to be with Sarah, right? So was he so scared to risk his heart that he uploaded the Intersect again? Or did he realize that the "greater good" was more important this his own happiness? Or did he finally decide that he likes being a spy? That last one seems like the easiest answer, but I'm not sure. Chuck has always been a bit gun-shy. He's worked at a BuyMore for a billion years, for goodness sake. Is being a spy his excuse for not getting serious with Sarah? Bryce Larson said Fulcrum is just one part of "The Ring," and the baddies in the Castle weren't affiliated with Fulcrum but were still up to no good. Sounds a bit like Tolkien-level evil to me, which is something to look forward to. Speaking of which, if next season happens... well, what would be different? Chuck kickin' ass instead of just flashing names, for one. The possible removal of the BuyMore from the story (it has been an odd fit, especially lately). Awesome knows Chuck is a spy, which means Ellie has got to know at some point. Chuck and Sarah are back to work versus love. And they didn't even get to have sex. The past few episodes have been so darn good. I really hope that they renew for next year, even just 13 episodes. I'll let you all know when I know, which I think is sometime in May. In the meantime, please enjoy these Refreshing Quotes: Casey: "If you were a true patriot, you wouldn't cash it." Chuck: "See, guys can hug." Casey: "Not if they don't have their man parts." Chevy Chase: "If you don't deliver that cube within a half hour, forty minutes, top, with traffic, I'm going to kill the bride." Papa Awesome: "Why are you letting Sam Kinnison and an Indian lesbian wreck your wedding?" Chevy Chase: "A real shotgun wedding. Just think: that terrible pun will be the last thing you'll ever hear." Casey: "No, no, no. That clashes with the bunting." Casey: "Oh, chuck me." Chuck: "Guys, I know kung-fu." Four out of four sexy, possibly evil and certainly overly pragmatic, guest-starring, surprising, former college roommates who sacrifice everything and leave Sarah's heart free. In other words, four out of four Bryce Larkins. May he rest in peace. View all comments or post a comment. |
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