Chuck: "Chuck Versus The Push Mix"

Though last week's episode was a bit of a mess, my faith in the show was shaken, as season finales have always been Chuck's bread and butter (which is what tonight's episode was written as). A review of how this episode held up, after the jump... 

There was a frantic energy in tonight's episode, and that is to be expected from hours that have to do so much – but only up to a certain point. While there were plenty of parts I liked (and we'll get to those in a minute) as whole it didn't really stand up, as each of the moments I liked was surrounded by quickly paced scenes meant to move the story forward. This ultimately robbed the good scenes of their emotional honesty, as I was too busy reeling from the rapid deceleration.

But let's go ahead and talk about what I liked, starting with the Orion bit. Coming as the capper to a cold open overly jam packed with action, my thoughts immediately went from “oh, shit, it is so on!” to “oh, wait a minute.” Clearly, Orion isn't alive, which only left two options a) it was an old program or b) it was Chuck. By the time we got the “Meet me at Twin Pines” memo, I was sure it was all Chuck. But then, whadyaknow, the show turned it around on me. After we were sure the Volkoff had Chuck on the ropes – for the second time in one episode – it turns out he was further ahead of the curve than ever, and he had everybody in on it. But what really sold me – and I think gave the scene the extra bump – was that the show made sure that Steven, a character who we love even though he's dead – got his own redeeming moment, got to help Chuck triumph over Volkoff.

And then we arrived at the hospital scene. While I like this scene in theory – and I think I would like it had I seen it on its own, before all of the other action- there was something about the way it was placed, after all the action had been accomplished, that stole this scene's power. I tend to wax and wan on codas – those that have actual things happening (like a birth) are never as effective for me as those that are merely showing characters reacting to what has happened. So while I like that everybody was in the same place, and all the emotional storylines had their closure, it just rang a little false.

What didn't ring false, however, was Chuck finally getting to propose to Sarah. Yes, this storyline has had its problems over the season, but their was something so beautiful in the simplicity of it, with the way it was filmed in the background to a floor waxer (which also muted their words) and the show justed trusted us to know that the two of them have earned their moment all to themselves.

The return of Jeffster! had a similar sort of feel. When I learned that the duo planned on performing Ellie's “push song” live, I literally groaned; while they have been funny in the past (and part of some of the show's greatest scenes) I had become burned out on them, and the joke just didn't make me laugh. And yet somehow, when they began performing “Push It” over the PA, I laughed, good and long. Something between seeing them perform, and the other characters's reaction to it, had enlivened a dead joke.

Also: “Woodcomb womb.”

What did everybody else think?

Additional Thoughts: 

I have to wonder where the show is going to go from here. No new plotlines were set up, which means the back eleven of season four is going to function something like the back six of season three (I would imagine). My only hope is that the show lets these new stories breathe a bit more, so we don't end up with another repeat of this episode. (It would probably help if NBC would go ahead and renew the show for a fifth season, since we all know they're going to anyway.)

“I'd like to think of her as my floating fortress of fun.”

Morgan hopping around with flippers? Hilarious

“Yoga seal!”

“When we get back we need to have a serious talk about the benefit of tranq guns.”

“It's a quote from my favorite poet and humanitarian – Joseph Stalin.”

One-half of Jeffster! really digs the preggos.

So apparently Sarah's black hair was a wig.