Chuck, for a least the past few months, if not longer, has had problems in balancing the show's emotional and spy elements, usually at the loss of the latter. So it was a welcome surprise that tonight's episode was able to strike that balance. More thoughts on tonight's episode after the jump....
The return to form started with the scene of Chuck and Sarah at the restaurant. The show usually veers off when it lets Chuck go on to long about his feelings, and it seemed headed in that direction tonight, until it quickly righted itself and began to pay the scenes for laugh. Normally botched proposals aren't the best source of humor, but this instance was grounded in Chuck's worrisome nature, and watching him quickly try to cancel his plans in order to save Sarah the embarrassment was ultimately sweet, so this scene worked.
From here the show continued in this vein, as it combined mission with sub-mission in a believable way. Chuck had to go to France, so of course this would be the place to try the proposal. But what was key here, I think, is that for once Chuck's emotional plans never seemed to get in the way of the mission; he was focused, and only after he was done did he try to propose.
But it was the last turn of events that really made this in a great episode. Though Sarah being accused of being a traitor was a bit out of the blue, I like how the show turned this is into a set-up, one which will have real emotional pay-off. It was both heartbreaking and sweet to have Sarah put herself at risk and get Chuck's mom back in order to ensure his happiness. And by having this plot point follow that of her being in out Chuck and Morgan's secret proposal plans made all of these emotions feel real. Sarah sacrifice isn't just out of a crazy sense of love; she is trying to repay Chuck for the happiness she know he means to bring to her.
I would also like to congratulate the show on the return of “capable Chuck”; it's always such a grind to have any given episode tell us that Chuck is nothing without the intersect, when we know that that's not true. It is far more believable at this point that Chuck has picked up enough skills from enough missions that he can function as some sort of spy, even if he still does it a bit awkwardly. Though he only used the intersect twice tonight, none of the other action around these two moments made it feel as if Chuck it completely helpless without it.
The only real misstep here was the Lester storyline, though even that had it's moments. Though I knew as soon as Lester mentioned an arranged marriage that a) his wife-to-be would be hot and b) Lester would screw it up, it took a less than conventional way to get there. First off, the story line was worth it just to see the home theater room dressed up to reflect Lester's Canadian tribal roots. And the moment that followed that, where Lester asks his potential bride to wait and see the real him was very sweet, and here the show had me convinced that the two might actually have a shot. So it was a bit of a let down to watch Lester screw it all up, both because it was predictable and because I feel that this man does deserve some true happiness.
Additional Thoughts:
“Casey is your manservant. Let him man-serve you.”
Who licks an injector that appears to have blood on it, even if it just turns out to be wine? That's just so not safe.
I LOVE drunk Sarah
Crappy green screen is just something you have to get used to on a show with a slashed budget
“a stable on the label, and a stork on the cork”
“You are dangerously close to becoming a walking cliché, sir.”
“I've got three fat girls to break up with.”
“I can hear you futzing with the ring box”
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