Chuck - TV Fanatic

Chuck Round Table: "Chuck Versus the Goodbye"

d4cella@gmail.com (Dan Forcella) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:16:10 EST

We have all had some time to digest what happend in the Chuck series finale last Friday, and we have also had the time to cry about the fact that Chuck will never air another new episode.

Now our super-sized panel is here to discuss the callbacks, the emotions, and that ambiguous ending in the final installment of TV Fanatic's Chuck Round Table.

Join Eric Hochberger, Kris Hekmi, Nick McHatton, Carla Day, Dan Forcella and special guest Jill Mader - whose Couchtime With Jill recently placed first in the Pop Culture and Entertainment category of the Best Canadian Weblog Awards - in the discussion and leave your own answers in the comments!

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What was the funniest moment from the two hours?

Jill: General Beckman’s face during the entire Jeffster performance and bomb diffusing. Morgan and the Invisibility Cloak is a close second.

Eric: In an episode with so many serious moments, how could the funniest part not belong to Morgan and the Buy Morons? Since I'm sure everyone else will pick Jeffster's riveting performance, I'll have to give it to Morgan and his fun with the Harry Potter invisibility cloak. Fugitive jokes in 2012? Still not old.

Kris: I too would mention the invisibility cloak. I cracked up so much. Also Jeff's line of "we can find women off the remnants of a blooming onion" was the best.

Nick: I absolutely loved when Chuck took down Casey's helicopter with the desert eagle. It was nice to see Chuck do one last silly mistake before the series took its final bow.

Carla: You have all mentioned some of the funniest moments. Another I loved was seeing Casey in the "World's Greatest Dad" apron and then scrubbing the floor. Who would ever have imagined that as a possible and plausible scene after the pilot?!?

Dan: Morgan with the cloak was great, but I have to give some love to Captain Awesome. When he claimed that he and Ellie were "being wooed...by Midwesterners" I lost it. There's something about Ryan McPartlin's delivery that always cracks me up.

What was your favorite callback?

Jill: There were so many great ones, but my favorite for many reasons was when Sarah suggested Chuck stop the bomb with the Irene Demova virus. It was a fun callback to their first ever mission, and it showed that Sarah’s memory wasn’t entirely gone.

Eric: I know Subway only goes back a few seasons now, but having the franchise that saved the show buying the Buy More was amazing to me. I love how they shamelessly plugged their sponsor to the point of making it hilarious and a part of the finale. Way to go Chuck, and way to go Subway. You've secured your place in television history with forever changing product placement.

Kris: Please don't make me choose. It's like Sophie's Choice (except not as serious). I loved them all. They reminded me of seasons past when I didn't critique the episodes as much, so they're extra awesome.

Nick: The montage at the end. It reminded me of why I fell in love with this show in the first place. I may have shed some tears during it too.

Carla: I loved the way that they replicated shot-by-shot Bryce Larkin's action scene from the pilot when Sarah was escaping from the white room at D.A.R.P.A. In particular, I enjoyed watching her crash through the glass window to escape, well, and the wall bouncing action!

Dan: My favorite had to be Sarah in the Weinerlicious uniform. It doesn't get much better than that.

Which character was given the best ending? The worst?

Jill: I don’t know that any of the characters got a bad ending. Maybe Big Mike, but he’s never wanted anything more than working at the Buy More, and having a Subway move in is like winning the lottery to him. Even though Sarah didn’t easily get her memory back, everyone got some kind of happy ending. I think the best was our boy Chuck’s, because he managed to save the world and get the girl. He and Sarah are out of the spy business and together, just like they wanted.

Eric: So much of the ending was to your imagination, but I was quite happy to see Jeffster, Morgan and Casey get their dream job and women respectively. Very sweet. So I have to say worst goes to Chuck and Sarah. Sure it's left to our imagination, and I'm positive he'll land Sarah, but I hate the two steps backwards the two had to do. I wanted to see them with baby Charah in hand, not starting their whole relationship over and flipping the reset switch on the five years we all put in.

Kris: Best was probably Jeffster, unless it ends with Lester found in a German motel room having asphyxiated himself. Oooh! Look at me making my callbacks! Worst is Chuck and Sarah, and Sarah even worse than Chuck. They'll eventually be fine but not at this ending.

Nick: Ellie and Awesome were given the best ending. They finally were offered jobs (and pay) that suited their skill sets, and they get to continue their family in Chicago away from the potential danger the Bartowski name brings. Sarah wasn't given the best ending out of any of them (I have no doubts in my mind that she will regain her memories), but for me all of the characters were given decent sendoffs.

Carla: They were all given pretty good endings. In a way the best and the worst ending are the same for me. Chuck and Sarah. It sucks that Sarah lost her memory and the love that she had for Chuck. But, it was the best ending too because she picked him. They can now fall in love all over again.

Dan: I think the best goes to Jeffster. They had a fantastic final season arc, and by saving the day with their final performance before heading to Germany, they were certainly sent off in style. The worst for me was probably the Awesomes. It's great for the characters - like Nick said, it's wonderful to see them safe and getting what they deserve - but as an ending it was way too abrupt. Why are they moving now? It was kind of out of left field.

More touching, Chuck's first speech to Sarah about their story? The final one on the beach? Or Casey's Russian hug of Chuck?

Jill: The speech on the beach, but that hug was really damn close.

Eric: I don't think there was a scene that Zach Levi didn't manage to tug on every heart string of mine. I'm not sure who had more tears in their eyes, me or Chuck.

Kris: That beach scene gutted me. Someone sew me back up because I've come undone. :(

Nick: The beach scene, definitely. That was the one spot that I've wanted the show to go back to before it closed out. I was very happy to see it one last time.

Carla: The beach. I watched the finale twice and cried more than I'd like to admit both times I watched this scene. My eyes might just be getting misty just thinking about it...maybe...

Dan: As great as it was to see those two laughing it up on the beach, it was Chuck's first speech to Sarah, when Zach Levi absolutely murdered the emotions that my allergies started acting up.

What did you think of the series finale overall?

Jill: I loved it. I felt like all the characters were given their moments to shine, and they gave us enough closure without wrapping everything up with a pretty little bow. It was bittersweet, just like much of the series has been.

Eric: Again, I hate the fact this show loves doing the two steps backwards, one step forward for Charah. Bur since everyone got their happy ending and enough was left to my imagination, I'd declare it successful. It was just tough to say goodbye no matter how things ended. But I think the show did a great job of making so much left ambiguous, forcing you to use your imagination and think about the show even more. Great impact.

Kris: The series finale was wonderful, and I loved it. I'm one of those who just lapped up all the call-backs. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a shipper and so those moments between Chuck and Sarah were great! I also liked everyone's endings and the direction their lives were heading towards. In my head, Chuck and Sarah will be just fine. Just a few more kissing sessions and a Nina Simone "Feeling Good" marathon and they'll be having a second honeymoon in Paris in no time.

Nick: It wasn't what I was expecting at all, but I have to say I really liked it. I don't need to know all the details of how everyone lives the rest of their lives. Fedak has said in many interviews he likes open ended series finales, and that's what I was expecting (just not in this way). This ending gives the fans a lot of room to imagine their own ending. Chuck has the intersect back in his head, he has to win over Sarah again, and they have the chance to go back to being spies - which is my favorite part of the show. Also, I have to admit, watching Chuck and Sarah in a will they/won't they situation again was really fun to watch.

Carla: It is one of my favorite series finales ever. I'm not sure that Sarah losing her memory would have been the direction I would have taken for the finale, but it worked. It was set-up and was Chuck-like. The callbacks were fun and the ending was precious.

Dan: Like I said in my review, through flashbacks Chuck's speeches, the finale hit every emotional trigger for me. If I had any issue with it, it was how slowly some things went, and how quickly others did. Between the second part of "Sarah" and the first part of "The Goodbye" it felt very repetitive. Then by the end it felt like everybody moved a million miles a second and was leaving town. Structurally it did mark a perfect score, but emotionally it sure did.

Give the final season a grade. Give the series a grade.

Jill: A for both. I was nervous about the first couple episodes of the season, but once I realized how Morgan with the Intersect had been setting up this final Sarah plotline, I thought it was really good storytelling.

Eric: Thanks to a great final two episodes, I'm giving the final season an A. There were definitely some weird moments this season like the passing around of the Intersect, but it at least gave Jeffster, Morgan and Casey some final directions. I just wasn't a huge fan of where it sent my leads. Overall, my favorite spy comedy will end with a B+. I am glad I watched all five seasons and would never regret recommending the series to a friend. Sure, there were some tweak seasons after the first two, but it all came back together in the end. Thank you cast and crew for a great five years of entertainment!

Kris: Final Season B. Series A. It defies logic...I haven't enjoyed seasons four and five in general relative to one and two. Three was okay. But I love the characters so much I can't give this show in general anything less than an A. Viva la Chuck!

Nick: Final Season: B. Series: A. Although I didn't feel the show was as strong in seasons four and five, compared to one, two, and 3.5 (who needs the Shaw Arc?). Chuck has had such a positive impact on my life it will always get an A from me. Without Chuck I wouldn't have met Kris or many other amazing people nor would I have this awesome job reviewing television. Five seasons and a movie?

Carla: The final season wasn't at all what I expected, but that was a good thing. It was action from beginning to end. Unlike some shows, it kept its integrity in style and storytelling until the end. It never slowed down to close out. Final Season: A. Series: A-.

Dan: I'm right with Carla on this. The final season, whether because they knew it was the last one, or because it was only 13 episodes, had a lot of purpose. The directive it took with all of its characters was a pleasant improvement from season four, so I give the final season an A. The series overall did have times when it slacked a bit, so overall Chuck gets an A- from me.

The Chuck Series Finale: Grade It!

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:22:06 EST

Morgan moved in with Alex. Casey left to save Gertrude. Ellie and Awesome took off for Chicago, Jeffster! for Germany and, of course, Chuck planted a memorable kiss on Sarah.

While we're still wiping our eyes from a moving Chuck finale, one that took us back to the pilot and gave us an idea of what's ahead for these characters, we have one simple question for our TV Fanatics:

What did you think? Grade the concluding episode now:

Chuck Review: With All Of My Heart

d4cella@gmail.com (Dan Forcella) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:17:21 EST

I have praised Chuck over the past five seasons for its ability to fuse comedy, action and heart into what I have dubbed here at TV Fanatic the Chuck Triple Threat.

This two-part series finale succeeded in making us laugh, and keeping us on the edge of our seat, but it was the overwhelming number of emotional triggers both "Chuck Versus Sarah" and "Chuck Versus the Goodbye" set off that made it an extremely satisfying ending.

At the outset. it seemed as if the whole "Sarah lost her memory and was going to be a problem" issue was resolved before it even started, but they flipped that scenario right on its head. Sarah, in fact, never got all of her memory back from what the intersect and Quinn did to her, which just gave us more time to watch Chuck attempt to jog it.

Right down to the final minutes of the series, Chuck was reminding Sarah - and the audience - of what great times these two have had together over the past five years. That final scene, which our Round Table panel predicted horribly wrong, was so darn fantastic.

It's going to take a lot of work to get Sarah back to the place she was before losing the last five years of her life, but if Chuck continues to tell her their story while smiling and laughing it up, these two will make it back to where they were.

And while the end result for our favorite spy couple was beautiful, it wasn't even the most emotional moment from the two hours. Thanks to the flashbacks, and the wonderful acting by Zach Levi, the first time Chuck told the story of how these two fell in love was by far the most touching moment of the finale. Needless to say, my non-existent allergies started to act up at that point.

Unfortunately for Chuck, that game didn't bring Sarah out of it. It worked out well for us, though, because we got to relive it all again as Sarah watched her video diaries of her years with Chuck. Of course, it still didn't cause her to regain her feelings for Chuckles, but it sure was enjoyable to watch Sarah falling for him in a matter of minutes.

It wasn't just Charah's relationship that drove this series. The friendships that were created and groomed over these five years were some of the best on television. Many of those friends' stories were paid off in the end.

Casey, and his new found soft spot, attempted to help Sarah remember by giving her the video diary disc, continued the strong relationship with his daughter and sailed off to win over his own love... Verbanski.

Morgan was back to doing all of the little things needed to get the job done. He helped out Chuck on his missions, he helped out Casey, he even helped out Jeffster with the orchestra and he ended up moving in with the badass girl but sadly... no badass tips.

Awesome and Ellie decided to take off to Northwestern to take new jobs after getting wooed by Midwesterners. While I loved Ellie helping to save the day by crashing her car, and it's nice to see her having enough confidence in Chuck now to leave him be in sunny California, the move seems a bit out of place. Why would they leave now? Because it's the series finale? I don't think the extra money would be enough to displace them that easily.

Jeffster had one final killer performance, and it stopped a bomb from killing hundreds of people! Who had "Take On Me" in the final Jeffster performance pool? Not me, but I was glad to see those two goons rip it up one last time before getting their German record contract.

It might not have been the ending that many pictured - what with Sarah hardly remember who Chuck is, Casey darting off to find Verbanski and the Awesomes moving to Chicago - but in the end all of our favorite characters got enjoyable conclusions. Even Big Mike finally found out about all of the spy business going on around him. Whether he ends up believing it or not is another story.

What do you say? How about you put on that Weinerlicious outfit and take a stroll down the Chuck Triple Threat avenue one more time? Let's do this...

Heart
We shall start with heart since it's all already been mentioned. When it comes to plot, storytelling, and spy related material, Chuck doesn't usually take itself too seriously. With heartfelt, emotional moments, the show doesn't mess around, and that was obvious in the finale.

Comedy
A lot of the flashbacks and callbacks were funny simply for nostalgic reasons. Seeing Sarah in the overseas Weinerlicious, or Chuck and Sarah ballroom dancing on a mission, had to just make you giggle nervously.

Then there were more overtly funny moments, like Morgan cramming in a Harry Potter, The Fugitive, and a headless horseman joke within minutes of finding the invisibility cloak.

Finally there were a couple of final John Casey gems, including "You shot down my helicopter with my own damn gun!" and "General, with all due respect, shut up. We're saving you."

Action
There were a ton of great action sequences from the two hours, but my favorite might have been the fight from Weinerlicious. Was it mainly because Morgan used a bottle of ketchup to take out his enemy? Maybe.

I also really enjoyed the old Sarah taking on missions all by herself. My jaw dropped when I saw her kick through the window, slide under the desk and swing around the railing in a matter of seconds.

Moving Forward
So the final intersect upload was put into the shades, and Chuck decided to use them to stop the bomb instead of helping Sarah get all of her memories back. It's definitely fitting, if completely obvious, that Chuck finishes the series just like he started it...by downloading a super computer worth of information into his brain. That still sounds weird when you say it out loud.

So that's a wrap, folks. The pacing of the finale wasn't really the best - it seemed to drag plot-wise in the middle there, but emotionally both hours really connected. It was a great ending to a series that I have loved since day one.

What did you all think of the Chuck series finale? Are you happy with where all the characters ended up? Sound off in the comments and come back for the final Chuck Round Table next week.

Chuck Round Table: "Chuck Versus the Bullet Train"

d4cella@gmail.com (Dan Forcella) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:34:21 EST

Jeff and Lester saved the day, while Sarah Walker lost the last five years of her memory on this past Friday's Chuck.

Now our panel of Nick McHatton, Kris Hekmi, Eric Hochberger and Dan Forcella are here to discuss these topics and more in the last Chuck Round Table before this Friday's two-part finale.

Check out Kris's preview of the series finale, then sound off in the comments with your own answers to the Round Table questions...

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What was the funniest moment from the episode?
Nick: The ass kicking lap dance Sarah gave Chuck. Luckiest guy in the world, I'm telling ya.

Kris: I think the funniest moment was the second time Casey said "Go to my Crown Vic" but this time to Jeffster!

Eric: Pretty much everything out of Lester's mouth as he talked to the little earling known as Casey. Do it for your country. For Canada?

Dan: With all the hilarity that came out of Jeffster's rescue mission, I find it strange that I thought the funniest thing of the episode was Morgan responded "I started wearing tight slacks" when Ellie asked if anything different happen on his missions. It was that good, though. Fantastic deadpan from Josh Gomez.

More badass, Sarah with the intersect? Or Jeff and Lester saving the day?
Nick: Like Kris, I'm a Sarah Walker Fangirl. Jeff and Lester will never be badass when compared to Sarah. Yeah, putting sug' in the gas tank is kind of genius, as is saving Casey's daughter. But, giving an intersect to the already badass Sarah Walker? There is only one winner, and Jeff and Lester aren't it.

Kris: Sarah is badass with or without intersect. To pit her against Jeff and Lester in any capacity is just a blight on humanity.

Eric: Relatively speaking, Jeffster! There's nothing more impressive than mere mortals donning the heavy stuff to save the day. Sarah, meanwhile, I just don't think needed the Intersect to be as silly awesome as she was, let alone 40 times just to do a little parkouring.

Dan: I'm with Eric in that it is all relative. Jeffster is never badass, so donning the mega gun and the flamethrower was way out of their league. Badass.

How do you feel about a blank slate Sarah taking on Chuck?
Nick: Personally, I think it's the most contrived set up the show has done yet. Sarah might be brainwashed, but she's not an idiot. Sarah is a well trained spy, brainwashed or not, and for her to accept such cheap and easy excuses from Quinn is absolutely stupid. But my hands are up to signal surrender, nothing I can do about it - I'll just enjoy it for what it is.

Kris: Taking my feelings out of it completely, and attempting to be completely objective, the stakes in a blank Sarah taking on Chuck are very high. If what Fedak wanted was for people to gnash their teeth, tear out their hair, and shave their heads from going crazy, then he certainly did the right thing. It's going to be, at the very least, interesting.

Eric: I'll give this the same reaction I gave The Vow trailer and anything else that ever relied on the memory loss gimmick. Ugh.

Dan: I would agree with all you haters if memory loss wasn't so built into the fabric of the series. The Intersect, which is really the essence of Chuck, is a computer in someone's brain. They have planted the idea of this device screwing with people's minds, and even ruining Morgan's memory within this season. Sarah taking on the intersect, using it over and over again, and then losing her memory after more brain flashing torture, seemed completely organic. It sets up for a fantastic different type of conflict to the end the series. I can't wait.

Since this is the last chance before next week's two-part finale, what's the finale scene of Chuck going to be?
Nick: Chuck and Sarah getting their house and discovering/announcing they're pregnant to this collective family we've grown to love over the past five seasons.

Kris: Hopefully what all the people going insane from the last episode want: Sarah and Chuck riding off into the sunset together, maybe multiple fetuses growing in Sarah's belly...oh yea, and everyone else happy and alive too. All I personally want is for everyone to get to say good-bye to each other. Maybe Sarah will look into the screen and mouth "good-bye to YOU, Kris." I would die. But then I would die happy.

Eric: Yeah, Nick pretty much called it. I want to see them live out Chuck's drawing in front of the home with the white picket fence and little Charah in hand.

Dan: Is there any other possibility? We will probably all be wrong, and it's going to end with Chuck murdering Sarah, Morgan and Casey, getting Shaw out of prison, and taking over the world!

TV Fanatic on Set: Chuck Cast Dishes on Finale

kristene@gmail.com (Kris Hekmi) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:24:17 EST

Call it Chuck Versus The Final Press Day.

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours with fellow reporters and members of the Chuck cast for the show's second-to-last day of filming. Ever.

With the two-hour series finale airing this Friday, Yvonne Strahovski admitted everyone was "a bit worn out" by the long hours, but the affection on set between cast and crew members was palpable. Emotion was running high.

"It's really our biggest struggle trying to keep each other together," said producer Chris Fedak. "Yvonne has been the weak link this time. We're on set, shooting what is the final scene of the series and she was crying and she turns to me and she says, 'say something funny.' I had to tell her, 'Josh handles the funny, I handle the action.'"

Chuck Series Finale Promo

Adam Baldwin was equally unsympathetic toward his long-time co-star: “Oh, she's going on to bigger and better things, she's got nothing to cry about. She's got all our phone numbers and emails, she'll see us around. Once in a while.”

Following Chuck Versus The Bullet Train, there is a sense of impending doom for hardcore fans. And Strahovski didn't exactly assuage our fears with her finale preview, teasing:

“I think [this storyline] is going to weigh heavy on people's hearts... There's a definite element of sadness and stuff that we have to go through to get to the final moment.”

But Zachary Levi takes a broader few of the show's final two hours, saying the episodes "reset the clock in a lot of ways" and adding: "You find our heroes almost like you found them in the beginning of the show."

Fedak echoes this view.

“It's very callback-y," said the co-creator. "It's very much an episode haunted by previous seasons. You're going to find a lot of echoes. The first half of the night, episode 12, is very much a contained thriller. Then episode 13, every act will have echoes of past seasons and it will make... you'll see how we'll fold into the story and the narrative will make a lot of sense. But there is something about it... as we were working on the episode, breaking it in the writers' room, we wanted something that was a play through the entire show, not just this season.”

For those of us who have stuck around for five seasons, dieting strictly on Subway sandwiches to keep our favorite group of Buy Morons around, Fedak promises a "love letter" of a finale, while Levi says we shouldn't require TOO many years of therapy after it's over:

“[The finale is] good, it's cathartic, it's therapeutic. It's not necessarily tears of joy but it's tears of love. And I hope that the fans all feel that.”

Look for one specific reference/call back to the pilot (hint: it involves Mark Pellegrino), as well as a final performance from Jeffster on Friday. If you like the the Norwegian pop band A-ha, you will not be disappointed by it.

And if you love Chuck as I do, be grateful the series made it this far. Then, prepare to cry. A lot.

Chuck Review: For Canada!

d4cella@gmail.com (Dan Forcella) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:06:09 EST

Whether it be Chuck, Morgan, Sarah, or any number of others who have had the intersect inside their brain over the course of these past five years, the individual with it has always shown flashes of brilliance in the field.

Chuck could be described similarly; a series that has shown flashes of brilliance if not an all and all ingenious show.

This fifth and final season, however, has been nothing of the like, as "Chuck Versus the Bullet Train" was another fantastic hour in a long line of purposeful, poignant, funny, action packed, and heartwarming episodes.

Over the years, Chuck has been sort of hit or miss in writing for Jeff and Lester. In giving these two characters not only a specific plan of action in the final season, but an important one, they solidified a historically inconsistent pair as an interesting and fun aspect of the final run.

Ever since Awesome convinced Jeff to stop sleeping in his car - way back in "Chuck vs. the Frosted Tips" - these two have been on a journey that for all intents and purposes culminated this week by having them save the day, and finally told the truth about all of the spy stuff going on around them.

Thanks to Jeff's new state of normalcy, he and Lester had been on Chuck and company's tail for a while, but tonight that came to afoot in the most perfect of fashions. Jeff using the flamethrower to help save the day was only topped by Lester walking around the corner with all of the heavy artillery, biting off more than he can chew of a cigar, and "Oh Canada" playing in the background.

Jeffrey Barnes said it best himself: "In my previous state of impairment, I wouldn't have cared or noticed that Grimes's woman...was just taken at gun point." Well said Jeff, and well done Jeffster!

Meanwhile, anyone who thought that the main plots would cease to be filled with twists, turns, scares and excitement as Chuck finished up its final season was not only a little silly for thinking so, but also probably extremely shocked at all that went on in "Chuck Versus the Bullet Train."

After using Sarah's new intersect to their benefit in saving Chuck and kicking Quinn out of the speeding train, it then began being the main obstacle as it started to destroy Sarah's brain after 40 flashes in two days. Combine that with Quinn miraculously hanging on to the outside of the train, climbing his way back in, tranq-ing Sarah, and taking her away with him by detaching the last car of the train, and you have yourself an entertaining hour of television.

We will get back to what the near future holds for Chuck and Sarah and company now that Quinn has transformed her into his own little killing machine when we Move Forward. For now, maybe we should all behold the flames of destiny and take a look at the Chuck Triple Threat...

Comedy

Well of course there was everything to do with Jeff and Lester saving the day, which I highlighted earlier, but just before that we got to see Morgan with a giant sniper rifle saying that he's never sniped in his life.

Also, funny Sarah Walker made yet another appearance this week. First in telling Chuck that she had the intersect..."Surprise," and then when the two of them went nuts over how cool the intersect is. I loved watching them bond like middle school-ers in that moment.

Finally, Lester hadn't sug-ed (read: put sugar in a gas tank) in...days.

Action

Well the whole episode felt like a giant action movie, thanks to the fact that they were on the bullet train for almost all of it. For that reason, it made sense that they had different opening credits to fit the theme of the hour, but it still felt like a strange time in the series to make that move.

There were also a bunch of good fight sequences, which you would expect with an intersected Sarah Walker. First she used her new talents - one of which seemed to be Tekken's Marshall Law Flip Kick - to take out the henchmen on the train. Then, she flashed on her chopsticks to take out Quinn's gun. Finally, she flashed again in order to kick Quinn out the window. Apparently that's her signature move now.

Heart

There wasn't much room for heartwarming moments, but Casey managed to fit in some as he did whatever it took to save his daughter. Also, Chuck and Sarah talked once again about retiring and starting a family. This time, Chuck even drew a picture with a house, a white picket fence, and a baby. How cute.

Moving Forward

Unfortunately for Chuck and Sarah, it seems like these two love birds are going to be enemies in the penultimate hour of the series. If Quinn giving the memory-wiped Sarah an order to kill Chuck Bartowski wasn't enough for you, the title of the next episode is "Chuck Versus Sarah."

Will Team Bartowski be able to get to Sarah in time to help her recover her memories? Even if they do, will they be able to defeat a Sarah that doesn't remember them?

With only two hours remaining in the entire series, the stakes are as high as ever. Yvonne Strahovski teased a couple weeks ago to fans that they would be on the edge of their seats until "the very last minute of the series finale." So buckle up Chuck fans, we are still in for a wild ride.

What did you all think of "Chuck Versus the Bullet Train?" What was the funniest moment from the hour? How are they going to get Sarah out of this trouble? And how on earth is this all going to end?

Chuck Round Table: "Chuck Versus Bo"

d4cella@gmail.com (Dan Forcella) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:15:57 EST

Last Friday’s Chuck was full of flashbacks, shootouts, and a surprising decision by Sarah Walker.

Now Dan Forcella Eric Hochberger, and Kris Hekmi are back to talk about what happened to Sarah, whether Jeffster will ever perform again, and more in the latest installment of the Chuck Round Table.

Weigh in with you own answers below!

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What was the funniest moment in "Chuck vs. Bo?"
Kris: I totally lost it when Jeff and Lester woke up in the desert for the second time and repeated the same lines, especially the gefilte curry.

Eric: Casey hating Twitter. 'Cause man, check out Adam Baldwin's Twitter some time. But yes, Jeffster's Memento moments was a close second.

Dan: I have to go with the flashback to Morgan's time in Vail, and him immediately screaming "Who wants to party with the freakin' intersect?!?!"

How did Bo Derek perform as a spy?
Kris: She is one smoking hot older actress. For a wild moment I had this alternate Sarah and Mom vision, with Bo Derek as the cold seductress who Sarah never wanted to be like. Let's face it, if Alias hadn't already done it, and Chuck's mom hadn't already done it, a mom like Bo Derek for Sarah would have been cool am I right?

Eric: Bo Derek was great! And great call, Kris. If they did go the route of Sarah's mom as a spy, she would have been a perfect 10 casting. 50's or not, she's still got it!

Dan: The real Bo Derek was great in this role, and yes I had to check her age to make sure she wasn't still in her 30s, but Bo Derek the character could use some extra work at being a spy. She didn't really get the job done.

If Jeffster makes it back from Vegas before the finale, what song - if any - should they perform?
Kris: Is it ok to drop a spoiler here? ‘Cause I know exactly what...never mind. I'll save it for another article (to show up on TV Fanatic on the 23rd!). I always wanted them to sing "Pour Some Sugar On Me" anyway.

Eric: While Jeffster! clearly has a great range of cover songs, I think their strength will always remain with 80s rock. Now explain to me how they've done that with never touching Journey? Don't Stop Believing? A little overdone for finales. Give me some Separate Ways for some sweet parting music.

Dan: Sorry Kris, I stopped listening once I heard spoiler. How about Jeff gets a little patriotic while Lester betrays his motherland with a little "Born In the USA?"

Sarah now has the intersect...your thoughts?
Kris: Remember Papa B? "does she have an intersect too?". This is rather redundant. It's like adding Velcro to your laces to hold your Chucks closed. Like, dude the design was flawless to begin with! Also, cue jokes about who should get the intersect next. That said, I'm pretty interested with how the rest of the season will go down.

Eric: Booo! My issue with giving a Sarah (or a Casey) the Intersect is exactly the same issue Kris seems to have. It's redundant. Sure, Intersect 1.0 knowledge and flashing on spies is great, but girl already knows some pretty impressive Kung Fu.

Dan: I'm on the other side of this issue I guess. I love super powered Sarah. Adding the intersect to Sarah's skill set gives her the ability to take on a half dozen bad guys with guns that have her cornered. Without those abilities, she's dead, Casey's dead, and Chuck's dead. Whether or not it helps going forward, I'm not sure.

Chuck Review: Bo Knows Espionage

d4cella@gmail.com (Dan Forcella) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:15:33 EST

There was nothing spooky about this Friday the 13th episode of Chuck. There was, however, a lot to enjoy in "Chuck Versus Bo," including my favorite song of all time, the return of the frosted tips and the appearance of apparent actress turned super spy Bo Derek.

Most importantly, though, it ended with yet another character inheriting the intersect. In my interview with her on Tuesday, Yvonne Strahovski teased that there would be conflict between Sarah and Chuck before the end. I guess this event is what will lead to said conflict.

Could anyone in their right mind blame Sarah for the decision she made? It was either download the intersect, or allow herself and Casey to die by the guns of yet another uber-villain out to get the intersect himself. She had to do it. Her already super spy skills combined with the intersect kung fu made it a breeze to get away from the dozen henchmen with guns pointing straight at her.

The question remains, how will THIS intersect affect Sarah. They all work in different ways, so this one might not necessarily do to Sarah what the last one did to Morgan. With only three episodes remaining in the series, I don't think it's going to take her as long as it did Morgan to make a decision about it.

Before Sarah and Casey got themselves into such a precarious situation, Jeff and Lester did their best to figure out what the heck their friends have been up to all these years. And every time Casey knocked them out and erased their memories, The Band's "The Weight" came through the speakers and it was bliss.

There are very few songs that you can play four times in a single episode of television, and it not be annoying. Tonight proved that "The Weight" is one of them.

I have to give props to Jeff and Lester for continuing to get smarter as this final season comes to a close, and it sure was fun watching them put the pieces together time and time again. It's a shame that Casey and company finally outsmarted them by writing "They are 'not' spies" on Jeff's arm. One question: When they awoke for the final time, and were greeted by Big Mike's Fresh Fit meal from Subway, where were they heading? Vegas? Or Vecas?

The main mission in "Chuck vs. Bo" was a complete success, mostly due to the fact that it brought back the hilarious frosted tips. Let's talk about hairstyle as we see how the Chuck Triple Threat worked out this week...

Comedy

Sarah saying "bad guyery.
How quickly Morgan got hypnotized.
Casey getting excited when hearing Reagan used Carmichael Industries' potential office space, and calling him the gipper.
Everything related to Sarah, Chuck, and his boyhood crush on Bo Derek.
Casey hates Twitter.
Intersect Jerk Morgan screaming out at the top of his lungs "Who wants to party with the freaking intersect?!?!"

Action
There were a few great action scenes. Frosted tips Morgan fighting off Bo Derek and other bad guys in his underpants was nice. The standoff and ensuing firefight in the Buy More was better. The shootout at the docks was awesome. And Sarah putting on the shades and becoming the best fighter in the world was absolutely fantastic.

In regards to the shootout, though, wasn't that a bit too risky of a move to start shooting there? Sarah was surrounded by about a dozen dudes with machine guns and Casey opens up fire? That's crazy AND stupid. It worked for them, though, and bought enough time for Sarah to put on the shades and save the day.

Heart
There wasn't all that much time for heartfelt moments this week, but Casey screaming at Sarah to not put the shades on was enough for me. How much this guy has grown to care for Sarah, Chuck, Morgan and company is so enjoyable to see at this point in the series.

Moving Forward
I guess the nerds were right. You never want to say "one last mission." It was that, and letting the bad guy get away, that jinxed this group. Now Quinn is still on the loose, Chuck is captured, and Sarah has the intersect. Can she just get rid of it easily? I can't remember how Morgan got rid of his. Will intersect Sarah even want to get Chuck back?

Before giving it up to you all for comments, take a look at an excerpt from the Vail paper about Morgan's break-in.

"Frosted Tip-Toer" Breaks Into Buy More, Steals Nothing
- Footage shows at 12:47 am, a man wearing a well-fitting woman's ski coat and a pair of boxer shorts entered and exited the front doors of the Vail Buy More. The man's most distinctive feature, though, was the bleached -- or "frosted" -- tips of his hair.

That is good stuff. So what did you all think? How would you rate Bo Derek as a spy? Maybe a 10? What do you think Sarah will be like with the intersect? And are these guys ever going to be able to get out of the spy world? Sound off in the comments!

Chuck Exclusive: Yvonne Strahovski Teases "Edge of Your Seat" Finale

d4cella@gmail.com (Dan Forcella) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:43:19 EST

"On the edge of your seat 'til the very last minute of the series finale" is how Yvonne Strahovski described the end of Chuck to me over the phone early Tuesday afternoon.

I've been sitting that way through the entirety of this final season, of course, which is why I was extremely pleased to talk to the star that portrays Sarah Walker on our favorite NBC spy comedy, as she spent the day in New York promoting Chuck and her new ad campaign for SoBe.

Yvonne Strahovski Speaks to TV Fanatic

"There are definitely going to be some surprises," Strahovski said of the two-part finale. "There definitely was for me when I read them. It's a little bit shocking. The storyline sort of takes a turn that is unexpected."

I was pleasantly surprised to hear of some sort of a shift in the story as we head down the final stretch of the series. With some of the emotional payoffs the writers gave the audience recently - notably in "Chuck vs. the Baby" - I was a bit worried we might be in for a slow and uneventful finish.

That clearly is not the case, according to Strahovski, who also insured me that "there's definitely going to be some conflict there," in reference to the penultimate episode title of "Chuck vs. Sarah."

Before moving forward, though, sometimes you have to take a look back.

"I'm so grateful to have been able to play Sarah Walker," Strahovski said when I asked her about the great work she put into the aforementioned episode, divulging that some of her favorite moments are "getting to do all the emotional stuff."

"I really feel like there has been a great character journey from the pilot to now," she continued. "Sarah was very much just the spy, and couldn't really communicate emotionally. In meeting Chuck she sort of became more comfortable in expressing herself. For me, it was very much the last piece of the puzzle to have met Sarah's mother."

And what a meeting that was. From the moment Cheryl Ladd showed up on camera, it just felt like she was meant to play Sarah's mom. Unsurprisingly, some of that feeling can be credited to a wonderful chemistry between Ladd and Strahovski. The latter told me the former star of Charlie's Angel "was so sweet and loving. It almost felt like she was my real mother."

Finally, in addition to teasing information about the Chuck finale, and analyzing some of the more recent episodes, Strahovski took some time to answer a fan question via Twitter. @sr_barker wanted to know if Yvonne was able to take anything from the Chuck set as a memento after wrapping up a month or so ago.

"I took my spy watch, and my other watch... my Sarah Walker watches," Strahovski told me. "I gave one to my dad and one to my mom as little souvenirs from the show."

Be sure to watch NBC at 8 p.m. EST the next three Fridays to see the conclusion of Chuck's final season. And come back to TV Fanatic to chat about the episodes.

Chuck Review: The Secret Ingredient of Caring

d4cella@gmail.com (Dan Forcella) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:41:07 EST

In a final season that has been "chuck" full of monumental episodes, "Chuck Versus the Kept Man" didn't stray far from that pattern. Between Sarah's possible pregnancy, Jeffster stumbling upon Castle and Casey thinking about settling down with a woman, it certainly felt like there were only four hours left in the series after "The Kept Man" was finished.

Unlike a number of other episodes from this fifth season of Chuck - notably the previous two - the epic events from "The Kept Man" didn't quite equal an epic episode.

I love John Casey as much as the next guy or gal, but the main issue of the episode was his main story with Verbanski. Their little game of cat and mouse was cute, but certainly not cute enough to keep my attention buzzing for 40 minutes.

As great as those two seem like they should be together, it has all seemed a bit forced during this last stretch run. Do we need to see Casey settle down with a woman? Or can't it be enough that he is building such a great relationship with his daughter?

That brings us to the first part of this week's Chuck Triple Threat. So order your bone-in rib eye as blue as they can find, and join us...

Heart
For me, Casey's arc would have been perfectly complete if they just focused on his relationship with Alex. It is yet to be a great father-daughter bond, so making sure they get something strong going before the season ends would have been my first goal for John. Try to tell me you didn't smile when Casey admitted there was another girl behind the scenes and the camera cut to him and Alex sharing a brewski. You can't. I didn't think so.

The other part of "The Kept Man" that got my little heart pumping quickly was thinking about little Chuckie Bartowskis running around everywhere. It was nice to see that first Chuck was spiraling out of control thinking about how to be spies and parents, and then Sarah was.

She has to be preggers... right? She was lying to Chuck, or she misread the test, or it was a false negative, because, come on, does this show end without little blonde baby bombshells? I doubt it.

Action
There were a couple of nice action sequences - Sarah barging in with the Hummer was a nice touch - but nothing to shake a stick at. Again, all of the stuff related to the Verbanski missions kind of missed the mark.

Comedy
Let's start with Yvonne Strahovski. A week ago, she displayed one of her more emotional performances in "Chuck vs. the Baby." Here, she put forth one of her funnier outings. I'm not sure which was more hilarious, when Sarah thought that what set Carmichael Industries apart from other companies was that they sold discount electronics, or with her burn on Chuck when she told him that she never thought she would be talking about having a family with "such a huge nerd."

Everything related to Casey's deep v-neck sweater was fantastic, and Chuck attempting to order for his wife was nothing short of brilliant, but the other main chunk of comedy came from another stellar Buy More subplot.

I knew intelligent Jeff was going to make waves, but not like this. I did not imagine he would be able to figure out everything about our favorite spies in less than a few hours. But it's absolutely hilarious that he did. I loved Morgan using Awesome as a fake spy to attempt to throw Jeffster off the scent, and especially the Captain's white Bond jacket, but I'm glad it didn't stop the two buffoons from finding Castle.

With only four hours remaining in the entire series, it was about time our favorite musical duo found out what was going on right under their noses. The big question now becomes, though, what do they do about it? Do they try to get in on it? I could see Lester wanting to tell some authorities, or try to get a reward out of it in some way.

Moving Forward
What does more people finding out about the spy team do to their end game? The more people that know, the less safe everyone is. But where can they go? Can they all stay together in the end? If they stop being spies, will they be safe? Can Sarah and Casey even stop being spies? Isn't it in their blood?

There are only two episodes remaining before the two-part finale on January 27. I will be talking to Yvonne Strahovski on Tuesday, so hit me up on Twitter with any questions you would like to get answered as we come down the final stretch of Chuck.

Finally, what did you all think of "Chuck vs. the Kept Man?" And what are your predictions for the finale? Weigh in below.