Last season in Chuck Vs The Role Models we were led to believe that Sarah had overcome her commitment issues when she agreed to move in with Chuck. In Suitcase we learn that was a baby step. While Sarah has apparently been able to set up a few pictures on the living room mantelpiece that appears to be the extent of her initial move in. In the following eight months she has been unable to take the next step and unpack the rest of her personal belongings. This is dramatized by the starkly naked image of her half of the bedroom closet.

It would seem that an unwillingness to unpack translates into an Achilles Heel for missions, though what exactly that weakness is, is never made clear. In an episode that postulates a ‘Smart Bullet’ such answers are left to the viewer to decide. Or accept on faith.

Suitcase is an episode where the B Storyline outmatches the A Storyline in every department. Isiah Mustafah as this week’s Greta outmatches the combined talents of Karolina Kurchova, Lou Ferrigno, and a barely present Bronson Pinchot. The BuyMore storyline has Morgan pointing out to Beckman that the government run BuyMore is too efficient. Such a well run retail outlet can only lead to having its cover blown. Morgan’s solution? Bring back the original BuyMore crew. The B storyline was tighter, more believable and arguably a more entertaining one than the ‘Smart Bullet,’ one for the ‘A’ storyline.

Throw in a Chuck that all but wolf whistled at an Intel photo of an enemy agent in a bikini, an overzealous Daddy Devon that marred a long awaited family scene, a Casey reset that has him reluctant to contact Alex, and the character manipulations to service the ‘A’ storyline show up in stark relief. The saving grace between the two storylines was, again, Morgan. A Morgan who notes Sarah’s reluctance to use the closet and at the same time susses out the weakness at the too efficient BuyMore all the while doling out sound relationship advice to Casey. Keep this up and the show should be renamed, ‘Morgan.’

The return of the original BuyMore gang is living proof for two conflicting adages; absence makes the heart grow fonder and some things work better in small doses.

Episode Flashes:
* bullet shot around corner. Cool. Impossible but cool
* Morgan noting Sarah still has not unpacked
* Isiah Mustafah as the next Greta. Funny and cool at the same time
* Milan scenes use same stairway from Chuck Vs The Tango
* ‘Have you been watching Project Runway?’
* Chuck and Sarah nod to upside down SpiderMan kissing scene
* Morgan aping Casey at the BuyMore
* Morgan telling Beckman about the BuyMore flaw – ‘Two minutes. Walk with me.’
* Greta demonstrating his shooting skills with a price gun
* Jeff & Lester living on the lam aka out in the wild a full seven minutes, in traffic, from Burbank; hiding from the, ‘Popo.’
* ‘These are not the boys you are looking for.’
* Jeff’s, ‘I think my water just broke,’ when hit with the first tranq dart.
* Casey emptying the tranq gun clip in disgust into Jeff
* Tranq Gloves!
* Chuck closing door on Sarah with an ILY before taking on the bad guys
* Sarah’s fight through dressing room and out into catwalk
* ‘You’re my home Chuck. You always have been.’
* Ellie looking through photo album.
* Closing shot of Sarah’s reaction look to thoughts of marriage and family Sometimes a closet is just a closet.

Like Chuck Vs The Anniversary the episode wobbles until the second half. When Chuck and Sarah are separated and Chuck tells Sarah he loves her before closing the door to face the bad guys it finally felt like the characters I knew and love had emerged. The scenes following that were all strong from Chuck’s fight against the baddies to Sarah’s catwalk fight to Sarah’s finally, truly moving in to Ellie taking out an old family album to Sarah’s panicked look at Chuck’s statement about possible marriage and family down the road for them.

Much like Role Models, Sarah’s forward progress is all internal. There is no moment in this episode where one can see any growth on Sarah’s part that led to her character evolution. All it seemed to take was Sarah seeing a well stocked closet of another spy. If it were that simple Chuck should have arranged for Sarah to visit such a closet before Sarah moved in.

Stand alone episodes work well if the mission involves or affects the characters in a personal way. Beyond a little closet window shopping there was no such personal involvement. Neither was there any progress made in the search for MamaB. In many ways this episode is the antithesis of the best episodes of Season 3.

In Season 3 a good episode would often end on a dark note. In Suitcase a dubious spy mission storyline is protected by having a strong, upbeat ending. Take your pick. My preference is the former.

If you are looking for an episode that has lots of Chuck and Sarah interplay then Chuck Vs The Suitcase will definitely fill the bill. It is great to see the return of the kick ass Sarah Walker. Too bad the storyline and the opponent do not allow for that return to feel more triumphant and noteworthy.

One final thing to ponder, if Morgan’s statements are so stupid, why is everyone always so shook up by them?

With a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach I watched the fourth season of Chuck start out with a lie by omission aka a secret. Coupled with an inexplicable rationalization by Chuck – as proved wrong by Casey and Sarah’s willingness to not only help Chuck at the end of the episode but also to keep it a secret from General Beckman – that Sarah and Casey would block his mission to search for MamaB.
A wobbly start.
From that tenuous opening it took about half the episode for solid footing to return and allow the story momentum to hit its stride. By the time Sarah tried ‘sexting’ while enroute to Russia the show finally gained full traction and finished in rousing style. Given how loose the episode played with time, Chuck and Morgan could have just as easily gone off on the Indiana Jones style montage searching for MamaB without the need to have kept it a secret.
With the benefit of the additional six episodes last season all the threads from the original thirteen episode arc had been closed off. That allowed this episode to fully establish and position the rest of Season Four to commence starting with the very next episode. Something that did not happen until the fourth episode of Season Three.
The new BuyMore is indeed shiny and having General Beckman on site is a definite bonus. I am still of the mind that with the Gretas and with the impending return of the Big Mike, Jeff and Lester that a time crunch is unavoidable. Add in Alex to the mix and the pressure for precious screen time becomes greater in a show with an already large cast. The reluctance to lose the BuyMore is understandable since it is such a signature part of the show but Chuck the character and the series have moved past it. It is akin to having Captain Kirk warp back to StarFleet Academy after every mission. That being said the show gets full marks for bring the BuyMore back in a streamlined and as relevant manner as possible. Anyone want to take bets that the DefCon 1 Button is part of the next Pineapple scenario?
In a show that aims so broadly there are bits that will appeal to different sections of the audience. I enjoyed the Stanton RepoMan scenes but found the interview segments being sabotaged by Beckman a clunky way of bringing Chuck back to the BuyMore. A more focused aim with the humor culled from a tighter storyline would be my preference. The standout sequence from the first half was the HongKong roof jump by Casey and Sarah. Markus setting off the EMP and blacking out the surrounding city scape was very cool.
Episode Flashes:

• Linda Hamilton is MamaB!
• Chuck and Sarah spy version of spouse leaving for business trip
• Morgan/Chuck Rogue Team
• Morgan flexing
• Nerd Herd icon Lost Arking their progress on world map – little miffed about Canada being excluded – overlayed with Morgan and Chuck silhouettes I Spying and Avengering across the screen
• Repo – ‘Harry Dean Stanton’ – showing up to reposses a $900 AMC Pacer and yellow at that
• Markus using the portable EMP and blacking out surrounding Hong Kong skyline
• Sarah openly and Casey grudgingly missing Chuck on the mission
• Casey/Sarah roofjump from HongKong skyscraper – ode to The Dark Knight
• Casey getting a Season 3 Callback to Sarah’s, ‘Thank You.’
• Morgan sexting Chuck to Sarah
• Sade, ‘Smooth Operator,’ reference by Chuck during the interview sequence
• New and improved CIA/NSA owned and operated BuyMore/Castle – shiny! And it has slides!!!!
• Beckman is in da house! Great idea to have Bonita Friedericy onsite and from behind the desk.
• Olivia Munn as Greta – very pretty but not very relevant to story
• Sarah finds ‘sexting’ cute
• We’ll always have Tangiers. Ie RUN!!!!!!!!
• Weapon Orders via a Chinese Dumpling Take-Out Menu – brilliant!
• Morgan covers the trip to Volkoff Industries by selling his prized Millenium Falcon replica
• Sarah posing awkwardly for ‘sexting’
• Nerd icon and Casey/Sarah LearJet icons intersecting in Russia
• Lundgren says it! ‘I must break you.’ And does kickass job as a guest star.
• The new spy nom de plume, ‘The name is Carmichael. Michael Carmichael.’ Move over Bond!
• MORGAN! – ‘Respect the beard.’
• Sarah toe sexting!
• Morgan learns from Season 3 bomb detonator finale and stays away from handling portable EMP.
• Chuck and Morgan developing world class rep because they use public transportation
  off stage Chuck Intersect fight with 10 baddies and fire fight in dark cool ways around budget limitations
• Casey and Sarah’s reactions when they believe Chuck has been killed
• Chuck and Morgan hiding under table in the dark
• Casey and Sarah agreeing to help Chuck find MamaB and keep it from Beckman
• Did I mention Linda Hamilton is MamaB and a kickass one at that!! Woah! Great closing scene and her character and codename – Frost – leaves us with mixed signals.

Team B – Ready To Take On The World

The episode really hits its stride in the second half of the episode when Team Barktowski all converge in Russia. From Morgan’s, ‘Respect the beard,’ and ‘Michael CarMichael,’ to Markus’s belief that Chuck and Morgan are master spies – hilarious and delivered with perfection by Dolph Lundgren – to Casey and Sarah’s reactions of grief and relief over Chuck to the off screen ChuckFu and fire fight to using a bus as a getaway vehicle; it is Chuck at its best.
To cap it off Chuck and Sarah reach a new agreement. No lies. No secrets. Chuck honors the agreement and brings Casey and Sarah fully in the fold. The show ends with Team Bartowski in synch, working as an unit, covering each other’s back, and ready to take on the man – er General Beckman in this case – and the world. Made even more so joyous because the team members are all in a good place.
To end on such a high is most welcome. Too bad it is marred slightly by the Chuck and Ellie scene where Chuck feels compelled to keep the secret from Ellie. The delay is somewhat bearable because of Ellie’s announcement of impending motherhood. This episode made vast gains in having the pretenses within the Bartowski clan dropped. Let us hope for some form of swift resolution between Chuck and Ellie too.
Linda Hamilton’s appearance as MamaB in the closing scene really left the episode on a high. Linda still cuts a very menacing Sarah Connor type persona and her ruthless take down not only impressed but added a layer of mixed comprehension for the audience. Who exactly is this Frost person? Cannot wait to find out and cannot wait to see MamaB’s return and eventual meeting with Sarah.
No doubt about it. Linda Hamilton IS MamaB! And she’ll be back.
Season 4 is off to a very solid start.

”Two Bartowski’s. Double the fun.’
Wow! Whew! Catch your breath yet? It has taken me awhile. Already intellectually and emotionally fatigued by the Lost series finale the night before – fantastic BTW – approaching the Chuck Season 3 Finale included some trepidation. Heading into the Chuck double header in a fatigued state is not the best situation. My fears prove unfounded as Chuck delivered its best season finale of the series. Chuck Versus The Subway is the perfect episode. The events contained within it were truly series’s defining and character changing ones for all the Bartowski clan.

So, with apologies to the theme song of the Rocky Horror picture and its fans plus my occasional lapse into bad puns ie Shaw instead of Show, let us dive into the goodness that episodes 3.18 and 3.19 gave Chuck fans. The title of this review is most fitting because these two episodes had a real SF vibe to them as the tech of the Intersect and PapaB was mixed with the tension of Chuck unravelling mentally all while the menancing spectre of Daniel Shaw lurked as a dangerous presence to the members of Team Bartowski and their loved ones. Cap off all of that with the expansion of the Bartowski family backstory and the genesis – or the continuation of the Orion legacy – of Chuck’s next step in his heroic journey. What more can a fan ask for?
At the end of Chuck Vs The Tooth Chuck was experiencing Intersect fueled dreams about Daniel Shaw being alive. We knew those dreams were true. We also knew that Shaw had downloaded a Ring version of Intersect; Ringtersect anyone? Chuck Versus The Subway is the swansong for writers Ali Addler, Matt Miller, and Phil Klemmer. And what a swansong it is. Subway is brimming with emotion, action, drama, and revelations. It is also the swansong episode for PapaB. We may get to see him in future episodes in Jor-El type videos but it is doubtful that Orion will be brought back from the dead. Even more so than Shaw and Bryce it would not feel right to do so. The finale is about the passing of the torch from a father to his children. Mainly Chuck and, I hope the showrunners see it that way, Ellie as well.

This episode did so many things right with the pinnacle being the strengthening of the bonds between the main players of the cast. What precipitated that was the truth of the spy world revealed to Ellie. With everyone in the know the barriers between characters have been finally lowered. Instead of deflection the characters can share mutual reflection. Instead of being kept at arm’s length to hide the truth, characters can now reaffirm bonds that existed before Bryce sent Chuck the email in the pilot. The benefits of finally allowing Chuck and Ellie to have open conversations again is immediately apparent. Sarah Lancaster was finally given some new material to work with and it is a development the show would be well advised to continue.
Mercifully the resurrection of Shaw as the villain worked for the most part. There were even flashes of above adequate enjoyable bits from Shaw from the knocking on the subway car door to his evil guy laugh. The disdain that the fandom had for the character and his history with Chuck and Sarah added that extra level of tension needed for a nemesis. The weak part of his return is the undercooked aspect of Shaw’s motivation of going totally Ring and becoming fixated on killing Chuck. This does not jibe with his arc of revenge for his wife’s death and wanting to punish the person responsible; Sarah.

What more can be said about Scott Bakula as Stephen J. Bartowski? Scott brought so many things to the character and he will be sorely missed. PapaB’s actions during the Subway episode illustrated the bluerprint for how Chuck, and Team Bartowski, should handle things. His smarts are dramatized over and over again in identifying Shaw at the Subway station, using Ellie to find the Ring Base, breaking Chuck out of the CIA holding cell, and the building of the Governor.
Above all that was his heart and the premium he placed on family and keeping them safe. We knew what he had done for Ellie and Chuck. It was not until the final scenes that the true scope of what PapaB had done, and sacrificed, became known. PapaB’s approach to how to protect his family may not have been the best one but it worked for him.   What worked for him does not mean it would work for Chuck and Ellie. Plus they have an advantage. They have each other and the rest of Team Barktowski to watch their backs.
Episode Flashes: (Lots of them. Proof these episodes were packed with goodies):
For 3.18:

• Chuck hovering over his father’s shoulder as PapaB works on Chuck’s Governor
• PapaB ‘talking’ Chuck down
• Sarah’s touching extending to PapaB
• Awesome not looking as Awesome as usual
• Morgan breaking the news to Devon about Ellie – ‘How could she do this to us?’
• Casey surreptiously checking up on his daughter
• Chuck and Sarah sharing a blueberry in the Farmer’s Market – so…… normal
• Knock, knock, knock – Shaw reveal in the subway car
• PapaB working the Castle computers to track Shaw
• Jeff and Lester ‘consoling’ Devon
• ‘Its my dream come true. Ellie is exactly like Chuck but with lady parts.’ Jeff – creepy funny
• Sarah discovers TeamB is in a CIA not Ring building
• Chuck and Ellie come face to face – ‘Chuck, I thought you quit KungFu in the third grade.’
• Chuck barging into Beckman’s hearing on the value of the Intersect project
• Shaw walking into the hearing – he gets a slomo entrance – still waiting for Chuck’s BTW!
• Shaw playing the Hearing and Sarah’s reaction to learning Chuck’s mental condition
• Casey and Sarah go to the aid of their loved ones
• Devon accidentally spills the beans about Chuck to Ellie – Ellie takes charge!
• Casey protects Alex who seems pretty capable herself
• PapaB works his tech magic and frees Chuck from CIA lockdown
• Casey growling at Justin over apple pie
• Casey revealing to Alex that he is her father and protecting her escape
• ‘Oh and you can blame the CIA for my bachelor party. Stripper?. She was an agent. Told you I didn’t cheat. Faithful!’ Devon vindicated!
• ‘Morgan Grimes, the boy that took my pillow as his date to junior prom, knows more about my family being spies than I do.’
• Sarah clocking Shaw. Nice callback to Shaw clocking Rafe. New scumbag in town.
• Beckman’s desperate Princess Leia plea, ‘You are our only hope.’ Morgan and Devon not sure to whom she was pleading with. LOL!!
• The Bartowski’s playing it smart
• Shaw’s evil – ‘Moowahaha’
• McTiernan Industries – shoutout to action director John McTiernan(Die Hard, Predator)?
• Sarah and Casey’s pride at Chuck’s spy skills – ‘Picked a good one Walker. Finally’
• Ringtersect sure is slick looking
• Shaw puts down PapaB! ‘Always remember son. You’re special.’
• Is anyone more expressive than Ellie?
• ‘Check out the fresh fish’ – another Shawshank reference
• ‘You might want to stand back. This could explode. Ummm yeah…OK’ Morgan is priceless!
• ‘There is no one left to save us.’ Ellie, Devon, and Morgan jump to the rescue.

Episode Flashes for 3.19

• Ellie showing spy skills tailing the armored car
• little Chuck and Ellie and the seeds of why Ellie looks after Chuck so fiercely
• ‘No plan? That never stopped me before.’ LOL Morgan is so priceless!
• Glovebox!
• Casey’s Crown Vic could give the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty a run for its money – missile launcher!
• Ellie puts her foot down and keeping her promise to protect Chuck.
• Big Mike’s ‘Moses’ phone – shades of the Batphone.
• Chuck getting to tell Ellie that their dad was a great man.
• Chuck using PapaB-like skills to communicate with Beckman.
• ‘Who are the Elders? They sound scary. World of WarCraft scary.’ – Guess who!
• TeamB unites to take on Shaw and the Ring Elders.
• Chuck and Sarah in disguise sharing winks before putting the plan into action
• Morgan and Casey cracking the Conference database
• Morgan waking up Casey’s paternal instincts
• Chuck conning Shaw into a confession and capturing the Ring Elders – shades of Quantum of Solace anyone? Though Bond never used the Mexican Hat Dance ring tone!
• Muzzle down Morgan!
• Morgan breaking his thumbs for naught
• Morgan has mad nose touch iPhone skills!
• Pineapples! The Sequel.
• Chuck GETS his slomo entrance. Yay!
• Ewww! Shaw’s flash look is even creepy.
• Jeffster- Blaze of Glory!
• Shaw and Chuck square off.
• Wow – Chuck intersected as a young boy. Very intriguing.
• Sarah delivering the final blow to Shaw and racing to get the Governor back to Chuck and her look of relief at doing so.
• Morgan is all er no thumbs with the detonator.
• Lester- ‘Did we do that?’ Bye-bye Buy More.
• Jeffster! Fugitives! Band on the Run!
• TeamB family gathers to remember PapaB and welcomes Alex into the fold.
• The, ‘Oh boy,’ that Chuck mutters as the Orion signature screen comes up on his computer monitor?  A subtle ‘passing of the torch’ moment.  Love it.
• Chuck’s promise to Ellie about leaving the spy world will be short lived as he discovers the Bartowski legacy and the hope of finding MamaB.
• ChuckCave! Shades of the warehouse from the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark too.
• Orion and Hydra!

Stephen J. Bartowski to Chuck and Ellie – ‘There is nothing in this whole world you two can’t fix if you work together.’
Could that line be the Mission Statement for the series going forward? Three seasons in and the entertainment value in trying to perserve the barrier between the spy world and the real world have been played out. As each character found out about Chuck’s dual life more dramatic doors opened than the ones that were closed. With Ellie in the loop and the setup in the closing moments the more entertaining avenue now would be to bring everyone into the fold and pick up the mantle of Orion’s legacy rather than try to perpetuate a new series of lies.
With the Chuck and Sarah relationship resolved and all the characters free to talk openly to one another, there is much more story telling manuveuring room. With these obstacles removed and the attendant effort to maintain no longer necessary, those energies can now be turned towards creating a more fleshed out show mythology. Instead of maintaining divisive constructs the show can now focus on unifying ones.

Chuck works best when it balances all the elements equally.   Chuck Vs The Subway is the showcase episode for doing that.  With the exception of Chuck Vs Santa Claus has there been a better episode where all the main cast members are used so equally and effectively?  This is my all time favorite episode of the series.  Thanks to Ali Adler, Matt Miller & Phil Klemmer for gifting us with this episode before departing.  Best of luck to each of you on your new endeavors!

So endeth the Third Season of Chuck. What a journey it has been. It is amazing to take the characters of this season and compare them against previous seasons. The growth and evolution has been fantastic. The execution of those changes faltered from time to time which is too bad. Fortunately the show righted itself and these final two episodes have the show pointed in a most promising direction.
As to what that direction might be, look for an upcoming article that explores the possibilities of Season 4.

I had a lot of fun writing these reviews and hope you enjoyed reading them.  Thanks to Mel for giving me a place to put down my thoughts.  Hope to do it again for Season 4.
Have a great summer everyone!  See you in September.