Writer: Chris Fedak
Grade: A-
I’ll admit I actually fell for some of the back-and-forth on whether or not Shaw was really a bad guy, but I eventually realized that nothing really exciting could happen if he wasn’t a bad guy. I never quite understood his reasoning for turning rogue and hurting Sarah, though. I understand that Sarah’s the one who pulled the trigger on his wife, but a) Sarah was just a pawn in someone else’s spy game, and b) she was genuinely horrified by the act, calling it “the worst day of my life” before she even knew the whole story. Of course, I already hated the guy, so it’s not like giving me yet another reason to hate him was a deal breaker or something.
I wish I'd been able to stay invested in Chuck and Sarah, but when the moment finally rolled around, I was just... bored. I did love Sarah thanking Chuck for the tank, and I was mildly invested when drunken Chuck asked Sarah if she loved him—that was a sweet scene. But by the end of the episode, when they were alone in the hotel room together, my enthusiasm had waned again and I really didn't care. And despite how looooong it took Chuck and Sarah to finally seal the deal, the scene itself actually felt rushed, especially compared to the lovely hotel room scene near the end of season 2—that scene was hot, and it had a nice slow build to it.
The writers waited so long to get them together that I just didn't care when it finally happened, and thus I'm not particularly invested in their relationship going forward, either. They dropped the ball by not getting them together at the end of last season, when more people were still invested.
There’s also the fact that Sarah ended up looking like some sort of delusional hypocrite this season, refusing to be with Chuck because he’d “changed” into someone who was capable of killing, all while hooking up with someone else who was… capable of killing. It’s okay for Shaw, but not for Chuck, because Chuck can never change. Although conversely, it’s totally okay for Chuck to kill Shaw as long as it’s in service of saving Sarah’s life. Got it.
Casey reminding Chuck that he’s smart was my favorite moment in the episode, hands down. Might even be one of my favorites for the whole season, right after Morgan finding out Chuck's a spy. I've seen a few fan complaints about how the writers seem to have forgotten that Chuck was independently intelligent because throughout this season, most of his flashing has been about physical skills, and he hasn't faced much that required his reasoning skills. Casey’s words put my mind at ease, because timeline-wise, it seems likely that the writers came up with that scene before fans started complaining, i.e. it wasn't fan service.
Other Stuff
-Chuck is a moron for not spotting that Shaw’s kick didn’t actually connect—I only saw it for a split-second, and even I noticed. I just thought it was shitty stunt work rather than a plot point.
-The idea that Morgan and Awesome can become members of Chuck’s spy team just because Chuck wants them to be is completely ridiculous. Of course, the entire show is a geeky male fantasy, so I guess I should just roll with it.
-I really never understood what actually happened with Shaw’s wife. Apparently the CIA believed that she’d been turned by the Ring, but why would they think that? Were they just overly suspicious, or did the Ring frame her? If they framed her, why? To unsettle Shaw and make him vulnerable to their wooing tactics? If that’s why, they waited a damn long time to actually recruit him. Either there’s more to the story that might come out in the future, or the writers suck. Given their track record this season, I’ll go with the writers sucking, although they’ll suck even more if the bring back Shaw in order to answer those questions. It’s not like we saw his undeniably dead body, but seriously, let him stay dead if you know what’s good for you.
Quotes
Sarah: “Thank you for saving me. I appreciated the tank.”
Casey: “What is it? You just flashed.”
Chuck: “It’s a mission from ten years ago—it has nothing to do with Sarah. I could flash on everything in here and we’d still be at square one and have nothing. I’m stuck in the air right now and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
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