Written by Chris Fedak/Matt Miller Directed by Robert Duncan McNeill It has been a long time coming! Eight long nerdless months but Chuck is back! New Season. New Intersect. Does this mean a new Chuck? What does the first episode of Season 3 show us? Chuck: ‘Bueno, bueno, bueno.’ Old Chuck for sure. Sarah: ‘Chuck, we should talk.’ Definitely new Chuck. Old Chuck meet the new Chuck. The Lemon Comes To Sarahs Aid The Lemon Comes To Sarah’s Aid Season 3 picks up replaying the last few moments in the White Room from the Second Season. From there the show jumps 6 months to a spy training facility in Prague where we are treated to a great ‘show not tell’ sequence as to where things stand in the spy world for Chuck and Intersect 2.0. Things go relatively well until Chuck is given a kill order. An order which he cannot carry out. Things go downhill rapidly from that moment. Chuck literally gets caught with his pants down and Beckman sends him back home until they decide what to do with him. Chuck mopes around back at home and enters into a, ‘Vagrant Serpico,’ mode as aptly put by Emmett MillBarge. It is the discovery that Sarah is still at the Orange Orange, not even attempts by an Ellie recalled Morgan can snap Chuck out of his funk, which sparks Chuck’s decision to return to the real world. Rebuffed by Sarah and seemingly by Casey as well – though we see the old softie has been keeping tabs on Chuck – Chuck insinuates himself back into the spy game and by the end of the episode General Beckman grudgingly reactivates Team Bartowski. Throughout the episode call backs to the previous seasons abound with a tinge of new. A well groomed Jeff is off setting but the uncontrollable eye tics are still there. Devon & Ellie are still concerned about Chuck but move out to an adjacent unit. Morgan provides Chuck needed support but quickly owns up to flunking out of cooking school. Casey still tells Chuck to man up but berates Sarah for not giving Chuck closure. These are new times indeed in the ChuckVerse. Characters are being allowed to stop and ask questions or say things that occur in real life to a much greater degree. It is still the old Chuck with all the fun nerd references but there is more weight to the events because of the character beats. Nowhere is this more evident in how Chuck and Sarah interact with one another. Shown in flashbacks any doubts about Sarah’s feelings are quickly put to rest. In the first flashback, right after the events in the White Room, Sarah implores Chuck to run away with her to avoid becoming trapped forever in the spy world. Chuck agrees and the next flashback shows them meeting at a train station. A real romantic throw back. What happens at the station is heart breaking and a showcase scene for Yvonne Strahovski as she implores Chuck to come with her. A call Chuck regretfully declines. ‘This is simple. This is real,’ Sarah pleads with Chuck as she clasps Chuck’s hand. A big admission for Sarah. A very important reason must lie behind Chuck’s sorrowful refusal. Episode Flashes: – Tim Jones provides a rousing upgrade to the Chuck heroic theme during Chuck’s re-emergence sequence starting with his beard shaving onto Chuck donning the Nerd Herd uniform – Casey gleefully discharging his mini-gun aboard a helicopter as he rescues Chuck and Sarah – Morgan’s Benihana Chef utility belt – The Chuck and Sarah kiss and slap which puts the Nerd Herder down for the count. A perfect visual encapsulation of their relationship – Morgan’s ‘couldn’t flip the shrimp.’ line. – Emmett Millbarge’s mortally ill advised epithet leading to his shocking death and the haunting image of his blood covered and shattered eyeglasses. The stakes are higher this season indeed. – Chuck and Sarah talking about what happened between them. We may not like what we heard but finally the two of them are engaging in two way communications. A big step. Season premiere episodes have a lot of expositional setup ground to cover and often can be clunky. It is a credit to the writers so much background is covered and they still managed to incorporate several action sequences. The only thing missing was a clear explanation by Chuck was as to his decision not to run with Sarah. At the same time, threads have been planted for the Chuck and Sarah relationship, Chuck’s control issues with the Intersect, his aversion to guns and killing, Ellie and Devon moving out and Morgan moving in, and reassembling the team while also re-establishing Chuck’s cover at the BuyMore; all in a seamless manner. Of special note is Casey’s actions in covering up the Millbarge murder. Chuck’s entry into the spy world has come at a cost not only to him and his personal life. He inadvertently caused the Emmett’s demise when he lost his BuyMore Employee ID. This may have been nothing more than the show’s way of getting everyone back to the BuyMore. But it could also be a setup for a painful lesson for Chuck further into the season and a major confrontation between Chuck and Casey. As Casey says in the closing Eye of the Tiger/Rocky/Karate Kid/Kung Fu scene, ‘You have much to learn, grasshopper.’

‘Yes I realize honesty is important in a relationship. Who do you think I am?’
Morgan is not the only one questioning you Chuck. Who are you indeed?
Liars never prosper. And in the ChuckVerse lies can lead to consequences that crash and burn with terminal results.
It is a strange dynamic that an excellent episode derives its thrust by using the over used cliche of characters lying. Lying to a point where it moves far beyond any ability for the viewer, or for me at least, to feel much empathy for the character and the reasons they feel justifies their lies. Chuck’s lie to Sarah about his issues with the Intersect in the Tooth was understandable. His decision to continue that lie in The Living Dead plus the compounding fabrications he tells his father really became a major irritating sore point the longer it went on.
So with that major caveat pointed out this was still an awesome episode. No pretenses on my part. Scott Bakula rules. No doubt I am too enamored with him ever since those Quantum Leap days but he owns the PapaB role. Scott walks back into the show, not having been seen since the Season Two finale, without missing a beat. If there was any guest star that I would love to see elevated to regular cast it is this man. (Making Carina a regular would be pretty sweet too.)

Scott takes a potentially stereotypical role of an absent minded professor and father figure and lends dramatic weight and layers of depth to the PapaB character. He often rises above the material and adds gravitas to situations that could end up being cheesy in lesser hands. I marvel at his ability to switch from being bumbling to brilliant to concerned to guilt ridden to caring – and often combinations of them – with ease. His scenes with Ellie and Chuck sharing a meal are so believable and natural. There is a real sense of family here.
The episode made excellent use of the entire cast with Morgan getting great material in every scene he was in. From a long, long overdue scene with just him and Sarah – just wish it could have been longer, to his scenes with Chuck, Casey, and Devon; Morgan has turned into the new Chuck. To the point where if Chuck does not correct soon with his lying I would be totally cool with the show being renamed Morgan. Right now he is the character I want to spend my time with. Morgan gets to play the voice of the audience questioning the other characters as to why they are doing what they are doing. Plus he is the only honest character in the show at the moment.
Ellie’s storyline continues to capitivate. Forced into a situation because the truth has been kept from her by everyone close to her, Ellie falls into the same trap of keeping the truth to herself as she does what she thinks is best. Unlike her parallel storyline with Chuck about lying, empathy exists for her. Being kept in the dark for three seasons for good reasons have put Ellie in harm’s way. As often happens with lies the end result is usually the very thing that the liar was trying to protect the person from. No good can come from Ellie’s storyline and the denouement is going to be a painful one.
Episode Flashes:

• The clutter of PapaB’s cabin – absent minded professor
• PapaB translating Ellie’s message without needing to decode it
• Ellie having to use rough notes to decode and translate PapaB’s response
• Morgan questioning Chuck on not being honest with Sarah
• Pop tarts!
• ‘Of course Shaw’s alive! Haven’t you ever seen a John Carpenter movie?’
• Morgan prepping for Shaw in the Castle
• Sarah and Morgan finally having a talk
• Morgan hiding behind the riot shield from Sarah
• ‘Reviewing pictures of people you killed? I do that myself from time to time.’
• Morgan in a ski jacket to hide his bullet proof vest
• PapaB quickly discerning Chuck is still a spy
• Casey gets a 2 for 1 needling Chuck and Sarah about Shaw – hilarious!
• Restaurant receipt musical chair
• Earrings! – the whole Shaw/Sarah interrogation scene was for one thing only – laughs.Please do not try to divine character motivations and backstory from it. The entire scene was a lark. Nothing more.
• customer paying Jeffster to NOT play
• PapaB/Chuck/Ellie dinner scene – HawkMan!
• Chuck and Sarah suction cupping up to Shaw’s penthouse
• Shaw’s book collection – Kama Sutra amongst others
• Sarah seen Predator style with the X-Ray/InfraRed glasses
• Shaw fake out – ‘Shaw is dead.’
• Veiled callback to Sarah’s real name at the safe
• PapaB to the rescue – ‘Just an analyst huh.’
• Wills – refuse to use the term spy will – and those left behind
• Morgan barricading himself in his ‘office’ hiding from Shaw
• ‘Shaw is alive and he is bringing the Reckoning with him!’ Foreshadowing Morgan style.
• Morgan standing up to Casey defending Ellie
• Morgan falling for Devon while checking up on Ellie – warm, fluffy towels – sigh
• Sarah with the hatchet throw saving Chuck’s life. ‘Does she have the Intersect too?’
• The Governor – this is a cool extension of the Intersect technology
• PapaB helping his son because Chuck is using the Intersect for the reasons that PapaB created it in the first place – ‘You’re my son.’
• Ellie clocking Casey with the frying pan
• Sarah entrusting Chuck with her will
• foreshadowing closing scenes of Chuck writing his will and the accompanying montage of scenes
• Ellie an unwitting captive of the Ring
• Shaw reveal and his Intersecting Ring style – is a portable version far behind?

‘Like I said. Nothing is what it seems.’
Rafe Judkins and Lauren Lefranc go three for three with their scripts this season. I dearly wish that they could have used another means beyond basing the storyline on the proliferation of lies. That knock aside, this was a crackling script. Take that out, and it would have been great to take some of the Jeffster screen time to explore more time with Morgan and Sarah or even an equally long overdue Sarah and Ellie scene, and this would have been perfection.

The show really needs to lock down the subterfuge that is being perpetrated between the lead characters. Especially since Chuck went through the whole lying scenario back in the Hannah arc.  The whole reason about putting Chuck and Sarah together was because they trust each other and can be honest with each other, was it not?
The motives behind what the show is doing are quite clear. As Morgan said there is a reckoning coming. It is coming because of all these lies. I am in mortal dread for the little bearded one. He has undergone such a great character journey this season, one that has been a constant joy all season, that I fear him paying the price for Chuck’s indiscretions in the upcoming finale.
It could be a double whammy if PapaB also becomes a casualty. There is so much foreshadowing going on here I fear the worst. It is often the innocents that end up paying the price. I hope, I hope, I hope, I am wrong.
A season concluding double header next week. I am on the edge of my seat. How about you?

Out of the dark and into the light. Hey, hey. My, my!
Fun.
An episode of total joy that defies any sort of detailed analysis. To do anything more than sit back and enjoy the treats this episode offers would be like trying to dissect a gigantic skyward soaring soap bubble. Some things should just be experienced for the joy they bring. HoneyMooners is one of those things.  It is an episode which holds no surprises as to how it is going to play out.  Just like the soap bubble that will eventually burst; such knowledge in no way detracts from the enjoyment of watching it.
Built on the overused device of misunderstanding between Chuck and Sarah as to what each thinks the other wants, fans get to sit back and drink in all the chemistry between those two characters. There were fears that the Chuck and Sarah magic was lost. This episode put those fears to bed, pun intended, for good.
Beyond that there is little more to say. Chuck and Sarah finally come to realize that the two of them being spies and being together are not mutually exclusive goals. As the defecting Basque terrorist wearily tells them – doing some audience channeling in the process – after being on the run for two years, one cannot escape who they are. We also get to see the other pairing of Team Bartowski, Casey and Morgan in action, and the anticipated hilarity is met and exceeded.
This is a landmark moment in Chuck Fandom. After this episode aired it is a certainty that this is a time when all the various groups of the Chuck fandom have never been so unified. For those to whom the relationship reigns supreme to those that were weary of the WTWT dynamic to those whom wanted the show to return to happier times; this episode has brought them all together. Everyone of them have had their hopes for the show answered. For those who appreciated the Mordor like journey of the first thirteen episodes before the show returned to the Shire, stumbles and all during the execution of that storyline, with our band of heroes coming home older and wiser; this episode is what makes such dark journeys compelling. This is the payoff for what the characters had to go through to get there.
Episode Flashes:

• Another great opening sequence – misdirect with the conductor sharpening his blade when bringing the first of many meals to Chuck and Sarah’s room
• Chuck and Sarah’s ‘honeymoon’ measured by the number of meals brought to their room
• Chuck with a Clark Kent curl in the first train bedroom scenes with Sarah
• smiling Sarah – and she smiles a lot! Perhaps 3 seasons worth?
• MORGAN! Like every scene he was in! – hmm I posted the same last episode. A trend?
• Morgan manipulating Casey into allowing him to search for Chuck
• Morgan knowing about Oracle databases – he gets such great throw away lines
• Morgan’s ‘Intersect’ knowledge of Chuck is eerie and a little disturbing but very useful
• Chuck and Sarah unable to turn off their spy skills
• Chuck and Sarah getting turned on by comparing spy notes
• Canada! (sorry I am a Canuck.)
• Morgan’s need to root for the plane to stay in the air
• Chuck and Sarah improvising a mission with no spy gear – they do make a great spy team indeed
• Morgan seeking safety abroad behind the Canadian flag – O Canada!
• Charles and Nora Charles – Thin Man!
• The Charles and their southern accent – I made an oopsie!
• handcuffed Chuck and Sarah punching Casey in unison
• handcuffed Sarah fighting on her own with Chuck on the other side of the door
• Jeffster UnPlugged! ‘Leaving On a JetPlane.’
• Chuck and Sarah on a scooter
• Chuck and Sarah swing dancing their way through a fight – in handcuffs again of course
• Casey and Morgan re-enacting the tied together fight scene from UnderCover Lover
• Beckman’s – ‘an unlikely pairing often produces successful results.’ Times two for Team B.
• Morgan peeking over Casey’s shoulder at Beckman during the debriefing and jumping in with his two cents worth
• ‘Release Agent Walker!’ LOL
• Beckman going Meta and voicing fandom’s, ‘Its about damn time,’ sentiment in regards to Chuck and Sarah being together
• Chuck getting to say good bye to Ellie and letting her know he has grown up and is not alone, ‘We’re together.’
• A turntable! Vinyl! Chuck really is an audiophile nerd!
• Chuck picking out Sarah’s favorite song – “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone – and the two of sharing the moment together – ’nuff said

‘Chuck Versus The HoneyMooners’ is so much fun. The writing tandem of Lauren LeFranc & Rafe Judkins, in conjunction with Ali Addler, experience no sophomore slump after writing episode 3.10 – Chuck Versus The Tic Tac. They prove that outing was no fluke with this second effort. What a find these two have been. We need to see more from them and soon! Robert Duncan McNeil continues to show his skill and experience with directing the cast as well.
It is a credit to the creative team that puts out an episode like this that deftly sweeps season long arcs, such as Sarah’s desire to leave the spy world, under the rug and it is not an issue. This episode also proves that the showrunners do listen to the fans.
Returning to some points made in previous reviews, I hope everyone can join me in thanking and applauding the Chuck team for taking the risks they have this season. How many shows let their characters grow? How many shows put their two leads together? And do it before the final episode? How many shows keep on changing the dynamics of the show and push the characters into new areas?
Have there been stumbles? Sure. But that goes with risk taking. The rewards have been great and plentiful. Cannot wait to see what else the show has put out there for us to experience in the next five episodes left for this season.
This season has showcased the wonderfully broad range this show can operate within. From the dramatic to the comedic.  From the dark to the light. Each of us has preferences as to which end of the spectrum the show should reside but statements that the show needs to stick to one setting sadden. Variety is the spice of life and I like my Chuck as spicy as possible. Mix it up as much as possible. The perfect blend would take the best elements of all the previous episodes. We have seen the cast is more than up for it. A better balance is the goal the show should strive for. Walk both sides of the fence in equal amounts.
The show has come full circle. As Captain Kirk proclaimed at the end of Star Trek IV – The Voyage Home, ‘My friends we’ve come home.’
Time to start off on the next volume of adventures!