‘You ready to die today?’

Tis the season of change in the Chuckverse. Even for a show where events often occur at a rapid clip, Chuck Vs The Tic Tac places characters on their own personal precipes on a scale never encountered before. To wit, five of the main cast members are left at the end of this episode faced with life altering changes:

1. Chuck
2. Sarah
3. Casey
4. Devon
5. Ellie

The quoted line is the question asked of a young Alex Coburn who must chose to serve his country or return home to his loved ones. Coburn choses to serve his country and in the process gives up who he is ie dies and is reborn as John Casey.
In Tarot, the Death Card is misleading. It signifies death as not an end but an agent of change. Or a new beginning. Redemption stories are about the death of the past. Coming of age stories are about the death of the child. So all stories begin at a point of change for a character. All stories are really about death in terms of change.
‘I know you’ll make the right decision. You always do.’
So Colonel Keller tells John Casey. But did young Alex Coburn really? Its a tough question where there is no clear answer. Casey certainly seems to think so. Was his decision to serve his country altruistic or did he see it as an opportunity to hide from feelings which he and his girlfriend acknowledged he has trouble dealing with. The answer is not clear and maybe this aspect of John Casey’s life can be explored in the future. Maybe Chuck will show a new path to John Casey.
The background reveal of Casey’s backstory explains much of his character. Quite a nifty piece of work as it sheds new light on Casey’s history of intolerance for the relationship tension between Chuck and Sarah since Team Bartowski came into being. Casey was often quick to express his displeasure when the relationship spilt out into missions and he always delighted in making Chuck and Sarah painfully aware when the other’s attention was diverted elsewhere. But he was always there to give both of them a nudge too when he saw things heading in bad directions. His actions in previous episodes take on a different light now because of his back story.
Most significantly for Chuck, making the right decision is at the basic core of his character too. We have seen Chuck do this time and time again even when it comes at his personal happiness. For Chuck, and for Sarah, to see the personal price that Casey has paid is hopefully a revelation that will play some part in the final outcome between them.
‘Don’t give up on the things that make you great.’
What Tic Tac does is crystallize the issues running between Chuck and Sarah. There is an accepted conceit that Sarah, and Casey, believe that in order to be an effective spy one has to make personal sacrifices. For Chuck to be a spy, Sarah believes that he will lose the very qualities that attracted her to Chuck in the first place. This is the challenge Chuck faces. To prove to Sarah, and maybe even to Casey, that the two lives do not have to be mutually exclusive. That being a spy does not mean giving up the essence of who you are. For Chuck has an ace card up his sleeve. The Intersect. With it, if he learns to control it properly, he has the power to prevent that from happening.
The catch to mastering control of the Intersect is he needs to have someone watching his back. Not so much in the physical sense but the emotional one. Someone to share with. To keep it simple. To keep it real. This is what he and Sarah need to discover together.
Episode Flashes:

• Robert Patrick by just being himself, which is all his role asked, was still cool
• Morgan spying on Casey
• Team B working their way through 15 levels of CIA security
• Castle debriefing scene which starts out with Chuck goofiness and quickly escalates into the most intense scene in the series to date – a Showcase sequence that demonstrates Chuck at its cross genre best
• hats off to Fitzroy’s ability to quickly upgrade CIA security
• Chuck’s smash into plexiglass wall and Sarah’s reaction due to said upgrades
• Sarah’s applauding of Fitzroy’s upgrades to defuse the situation and turn it to their advantage
• Fitzroy and Morgan. Is it just me or would these two together not be hilarious?
• Fitzroy revealing he is a big fan of Carmichael’s and his glee at Chuck kissing Casey back in Season 2
• Sarah’s punchout of Fitzroy and her exasperated ‘Yes’ to Chuck for it being necessary
• Devon and Morgan circling one another as they feel each other out as to how much they each know about Chuck
• Morgan agreeing to help Casey if he gets a codename like Condor or LadyFingers
• Chuck promising Sarah he still is that guy that Sarah met three years ago
• Sarah and Chuck helping Casey despite the potential consequences
• three excellent fight scenes:
  • Casey getting to do a Terminator toss of Robert Patrick
  • Sarah getting Casey’s back and taking out 5 baddies on her lonesome
  • Chuck’s slomo/speedup drug enhanced flash fight
• Sarah seeing her nightmare version of Chuck, echoed by what she saw in Casey’s fight, the perfect emotionless spy and confirmation she wants no part of that version of Chuck
• Casey’s discovery that he gave up much more than he realized
• Casey giving Chuck advice about him and Sarah. Can a Casey and Sarah talk be that far away?
• Ellie telling Chuck that her choice in Devon was her best choice regardless of the sacrifices made

This is an entertaining and intense episode which marks the impressive writing debut of Rafe Judkins & Lauren LeFranc. They blend together those cross genre elements of the show with deft ease. The debriefing scene in the Castle after the first mission is genius. To take something that starts out as a piece of Chuck charming goofiness and turn it into the most intense scene in the serie’s history is writing prowness at its best.
Add on to that some true comedic moments for Sarah, long overdue and most welcome, coupled with some kick ass action sequences and great scenes with Morgan, Ellie and Devon and it is all the more impressive. The cast continues to shine this season with Yvonne and Adam getting to extend their acting chops. Zac was stellar as usual.
The only quibble would be around the use of Laudanol by Chuck to suppress his emotions to better use the Intersect. While the intent is clear; to show Sarah the nightmare version of Chuck she dreads; the implementation was weak. Maybe budget restrictions were the true culprit here but for Chuck to be freaking out about having to fight too many guys, when he easily handled a similar number the episode before, undermined the purpose of those scenes.
‘Walker is a good woman.’

If anyone had any doubts about whether the Chuck and Sarah romance storyline is headed for imminent resolution, Casey’s speech to Chuck at the end of 3.10 is a big, flashing neon sign. It is has been a long running hope of mine that Casey would play an important part in resolving the Chuck and Sarah relationship and it looks like that is going to transpire.
Do not be surprised if John Casey has a similar moment with Sarah soon.

‘I’m firing you as my best friend.’
A relationship that has been crippled since the pilot and gone through a lot of ups and downs; mostly downs; has finally been repaired. No not that one. The Chuck and Morgan one. For almost three years now Morgan has been pushed off to the side ever since Bryce sent Chuck the Intersect. From that moment Chuck has been unable to be best buds with Morgan. But now Morgan knows everything that has happened to Chuck and has become paramount in Chuck’s ongoing ability to flash.
‘I’m tired of being a loser.’

It is good for Chuck to hear from someone else that their life is not what they want it to be either. Morgan was badass to the extreme in this episode. The character is severely flawed in several aspects but his fearlessness, or lack of looking before leaping perhaps, and his unfaltering loyalty to Chuck are admirable. While the benefits in the bromance between Morgan and Chuck may seemed heavily skewed to Morgan’s side, Morgan provides Chuck with a constant reality check.
‘Its awful you had to pretend to be in a relationship with someone you clearly loved.’
It has been pointed out that the previous episode had Chuck realize he still had feelings for Sarah. In the confessional scene where Chuck tells Morgan all, Chuck undergoes an emotional release that expunges all the things he kept secret since the Intersect first came into his life. The final beats where Chuck confesses out loud his love for Sarah are needed. It is one thing to realize something internally but to put those thoughts into words; to publicly profess something, takes those thoughts and turns them into something real. Something tangible. This is the power of spoken or written words. They turn thoughts into something with weight and heft. They capture feelings and thoughts. This was a catharsis for Chuck, and Morgan, and was not a repetition of beats from previous episodes.
Episode Flashes:

• Chuck’s shifting looks at Sarah and Shaw when told he can talk to them about his problems
• Morgan calling Chuck to the office for disciplinary action
• Jeff’s snake jaw ability to place a whole apple in his mouth
• Chuck practicing with flash cards to try and get his own flashing back
• Morgan stumbling onto the locker entrance to the Castle
• Morgan sneaking around the Castle and meowing when he bumps into a wall
• Casey’s flashbomb scene
• Morgan’s willingness to do what has to be done to defend the Castle
• Chuck and Morgan bonding when held as prisoners
• Morgan’s joyous reaction to finding out Chuck is a spy
• Morgan allowing to Chuck to voice out loud that he does love Sarah
• Jeffster rocking it to Creedence Clearwater Revival – aww yeah!
• Chuck taking out the bad guys once he flashes
• Morgan taking out the last bad guy with the requisite Hai-Yah!
• Morgan giving the bad guy he knocked out the Star Wars Ewok confirmation poke
• Morgan’s exit from the OOC and calling Sarah – Agent Walker
• Casey’s dismayed reaction to the release of Morgan
• Morgan ribbing Casey, ‘Colonel Casey. Always so angry. I knew you had a secret.’
• Chuck owning the Duck Hunt level – foreshadowing of his reacquired confidence?

A very upbeat episode that harkens back to the lighter tone of the previous seasons that features the entire cast and the directing debut by Zachary Levi. He does some great work here with some nice shot compositions including not just the flash bomb sequence but several scenes of fight choreography too. He proves himself adept at character moments too and his scenes with Morgan are set up to highlight the emotional beats. Josh Gomez and Zac Levi have some great moments too, together and apart.
While the Morgan, Chuck/Morgan and BuyMore storylines ranged from awesome to very good the spy stuff was, at best, trying. If there is one area the show needs to tighten up it is the logic of the spy story. Most of the time I am more than willing to meet the show halfway on these points but increasingly it seems like my need to reach is going beyond the halfway point.
The hotel feint was suspect. In the spy game information is the gold standard so when we are told they received intel it should be explained. Also we are told no known spies are listed at the hotel but did anyone take a moment to look at the names? Devon and Ellie’s should have jumped out. Or did they only look under, Occupation for spy?
Then there is the Ring cell phone. We were told in 3.02 that the Ring phones operates on a closed system and that the system had been tapped for use by Team Bartowski. So it seems in 3.09 that the Ring knows that their cell phone system has been cracked. Rather than utilize that for tactical advantage as a tool for misinformation they use one of their cell phones as a trap and give up that advantage in the process.
The closing scene has the same Ring phone being used to put a call through to Casey. How did they know Casey was there to pick it up? If they really wanted to contact Casey, would they not have sent him a phone directly like they did with Devon in 3.04 or used other means?
As to jumping on a self-destruct plan to solve the Castle takeover, surely there must be other nonlethal contingencies in place? Not to mention the idea of blowing up a facility in an area with civilians present!
Going forward into an anticipated fourth season I petition the showrunners to step up their game when it comes to the future spy story plotting and logic.
‘You are rehired as my best friend!’

Chuck has started his ascent. With Morgan at his side as Alfred to Chuck’s Batman, Chuck now has a sounding board to keep him grounded. Rather than turning inward towards himself, Morgan enables Chuck to focus outward and release his emotional insecurities.
It is fitting that the first relationship crippled by the Intersect has been repaired. Look for big things going forward for Chuck Bartowski. Including the resolution of that other relationship. There is no discussion of the Chuck and Sarah relationship in this review for good reason. This episode is about Chuck re-establishing himself through the life long bond of brotherhood with Morgan.
Chuck has rediscovered his old self. With this healing complete, we can expect to see a confident and more assured Chuck than we ever have to date.
Chuck has his wingman back. Someone who understands him, whose loyalty is unquestionable, and who will always have Chuck’s back. By any definition of the word they are brothers. Fortunate sons indeed.

Identity.
‘Everything you think and feel. Even your innate reflexes have to change.’
So Sarah and Shaw inform Chuck as he is prepped to take the place of hitman – Rafe(as wraith as in ghost) Gruber. Being a spy has a heavy price. Taking on the identity of another person is much more than that of merely playing a part. The immersion into a new persona has to be all encompassing. Your own identity has to be submerged. One slip could cost lives.
Do enough of these covers for long enough and you begin to lose who you really were. Or are. This is the subtext which runs through Chuck Vs The Fake Name. In this episode we are clearly shown the opposite paths that Chuck and Sarah are running on. Chuck is losing himself while Sarah is desperately trying to retain her identity. Something she was able to do when she had Chuck as her anchor.
‘I can pass for an cold blooded killer.’

For Chuck, the game is still so new and his desire to become a spy is so strong that he does not yet see the downside. He does not see that he is losing those intangibles that made him the person to whom Sarah was attracted to in the first place. Chuck is on so much of a tunnel vision express he cannot see how it is affecting his relationships with his family and friends.
All around Chuck are warning signs like the Ellie/Hannah encounter, the dinner he did not prepare, the lies he is telling to Hannah, his total ignorance of the state of his friendship with Morgan, and even the fact that he is dating Hannah, a civilian, in the first place. He is very much a person with blinders on. Unaware of the consequences that inevitably will arise.
‘The way he lies to Hannah. Lives are being affected.’
Sarah sees Chuck doing and saying things in the real and spy world that are stripping away the better parts of him. There is a price to these actions and we see one of the results when Chuck breaks up with Hannah. The hurt and the pain he has unwittingly inflicted on Hannah are the actions of a person that Chuck would have never sanctioned before. Now he has become that person and Hannah rightly calls him on it. He is no longer that nice guy.
‘I barely remember who I am anymore.’
For Sarah being an alias goes even further than that. She has been in the game for so long now that her grasp on who she is, is slipping away. Just the simple act of saying her real name now feels unnatural. When you reach that point the sense of loss must be great indeed. For names have power. Names are the tool by which people are identified.
With Chuck being so focused on becoming a spy, Sarah has lost the anchor she was using to cling onto. In a revelatory moment Chuck overhears Sarah telling Shaw all of this. It is a paralleling of Chuck’s speech to Sarah in the vault back in Chuck Vs The Three Words. If nothing else Shaw has become Sarah’s confidant. A sounding board for her concerns. With Shaw, Sarah has someone who can understand the issues that spies deal with when they are living the lie. They have both been there and back again. Chuck has not.

Episode Flashes:

• Casey sniping the assassin with a tranq dart
• Chuck sliding down the Castle rail bringing donuts
• Chuck’s first crush Mrs. Seaver – the mom from Growing Pains
• Chuck flashing on Alex Coburn in regards to Casey – someone else with an alias?
• Casey’s urging Chuck on to torture him by taking out his tooth
• Chuck’s reaction to the torture tools – ‘Is this stuff sterile?’
• Casey telling Chuck how proud he is at Chuck’s ability to play the part
• Sarah’s cheese knife throw
• Hannah’s toast during dinner coupled with Sarah’s reaction to watching it
• gangsters voicing fan concerns and giving Chuck relationship advice
• Casey sniping the assassin for real; making the shot only 5 other people could do
• Chuck and Ellie talking as brother and sister
• Hannah calling Chuck on being a very good liar and not being a nice guy
• Sarah trying to create something real

This is a strong episode that features great performances by the leads. Zac kicked ass inhabiting the role of a hitman with zeal bringing menace and humor to the role. He was equally adroit at handling character moments most of which involved painful revelations. It was great to see Chuck and Ellie share a brother and sister moment again too.
Yvonne turned in another stand out performance and continues to express Sarah’s struggles not just in dialogue but through her amazing ability to emote through body language and facial cues.
Adam Baldwin was badass as Casey. Again. The revelation that he too has a potential alias will no doubt have payoff further along. The respect that John Casey has for Chuck’s abilities as a spy was most welcome to see.
The BuyMore stuff was a mixed bag. While Jeff and Lester being perplexed by Chuck’s prowness with the fairer sex is in line with their characters their use as a Greek Chorus to point out the magic of Chuck and Sarah’s relationship did not work for me. Those two are the BuyMore equivalent of snipers. Using them for them for meta statements was a choice due to the budget restrictions the show is under but that moment would have worked much better using Morgan and Big Mike instead. Or better yet, dropped altogether. In contrast, the use of the gangsters to discuss, ‘Will they? Won’t they?’ relationships and give Chuck relationship advice was a hoot and a humorous wink to the fans.
‘I thought you were a nice guy!’
Chuck has hit rock bottom. The pain he inflicted on Hannah and the revelations from Sarah have been a hard slap of reality. Chuck is positioned to find his way back. But what a difficult balancing act it will be to keep his identity and yet be able to function successfully in the spy world.
Ali Adler has written another great episode.   Chuck and Sarah are struggling in unfamiliar territory.  They are making mistakes and are searching to find the right answers.  Never have the two of them been more vulnerable; more human; more real.
I love that.

• Casey ragging on Chuck – one solo mish does not an agent make!
• Weap – Con!
• Chuck’s first Johnny Walker Black
• the drooping laser pen and Chuck’s aim
• Sarah Seduction of Manoosh
• great callback to the pilot Vicki Vale scene to bookend the episode
• Sarah’s sadness at watching Chuck become a spy
• Casey’s quiet pride at Chuck becoming a spy
• Hannah telling Morgan, in his broom closet office, about Chuck’s Paris trip to the climatic strain of Swan Lake
• Jeff & Lester – professional stalkers that do solid spy work on Hannah’s background
• Sarah’s Frak Off T-Shirt
• Morgan in a smoking jacket replete with cravat
• Weap-Con floorshow models complete with automatic weapons

In parallel story lines Team Bartowski continues to chafe under Daniel Shaw’s leadership while Morgan has his hands full as the new Assistant Manager trying to quell a Lester lead staff revolt.
‘Sometimes he sounds like Bond. And other times its like a Jerry Lewis movie.’
The Shaw ShakeUp continues for Team Bartowski; his mandate still unclear. It seems Shaw wants to make Chuck a spy even if that training causes Chuck to be killed. A strange combination when dealing with the world’s only walking Intersect. Tough love indeed!
‘Let me out of the car!’
After a review of missions Shaw concludes the team is dysfunctional. Its a nice little beat that everyone on the screen and at home expects Shaw to say that problem is Chuck. Instead Shaw shocks everyone when Shaw’s verdict is that the problem lies not with Chuck but with Casey and Sarah.
They are too close to Chuck. Too protective. They will not let Chuck evolve. To remedy that Shaw announces Chuck is going on his first solo mission. Casey takes this proclamation of continuing proof of Shaw’s incompetence. Sarah is besides herself with worry. Chuck is chomping at the bit for such an opportunity and is, of course, ecstatic. His reaction at the first class tickets and the packing of his nunchunks endear and set the worry meter even higher for Casey and Sarah.

Morgan: ‘You command respect.’ Casey: ‘No. I take it.’
Over at the BuyMore, Morgan is struggling with how to gain control of the BuyMore crew as a battle of wills breaks out between him and Lester. One of the big problems that the show has struggled with, especially in the Second Season; most notably in the second half, is how to keep it relevant or a viable appendage of the show. More so that Chuck has moved on from the BuyMore.
‘Insurgents? I hate insurgents.’
So the show has retooled the BuyMore storyline. Instead of being burdened with finding ways of getting Chuck out of the BuyMore, the focus is now shifted to a vehicle for getting Casey into the BuyMore world. A slick solution, for Casey’s interaction with the BuyMore has always been a source of great comedic material. With this change in focus the BuyMore beats are now moments to look forward to enjoying instead of enduring.
Episode Flashes:

• Shaw calling Sarah and Casey on the reason for Chuck’s slow spy growth
• Protective Sarah – a caged lioness!
• Chuck’s reaction to his first class tickets
• Chuck and his nunchucks
• Russian Tranq Pen – Thank you KGB!
• Hannah and Chuck interaction – Hannah a perfect female mirror image of Chuck – and so sweet
• Shaw making it clear he knows all about Sarah’s past
• Hugo Panzer’s heart rate and pulse monitor with built in shocker
• Casey telling Chuck while he is in the coffin that there is no try, flash or die
• Casey helping Morgan with the BuyMore insurgents
• Sarah’s unknown ability as a pilot – a call back to Chuck Vs The Helicopter perhaps?
• Casey’s BuyMore promotion – Lieutenant Asisstant Manager and Chuck’s bemused reaction
• The wedding rings from Shaw’s dead wife and fellow spy

‘This is crazy.’
Sarah is besides herself this episode. Trapped between obeying orders and wanting to protect Chuck. This is her nightmare scenario. She strides around the Castle like a caged lioness unable to reach and protect her cub. Always a person of action she is angrily frustrated by her inability to come to Chuck’s aid. Her horror at finding out that the mission is on the plane instead of in Paris is palpable.
‘Who are you, Agent Shaw?’
Ah yes. The proverbial $64,000 question. Who is Shaw and what is he all about.? Sarah goes on the offensive and Shaw shows how much he and Sarah are alike when he lets it be known they both like to keep their secrets. Secrets like Sarah’s real background of which Shaw is fully aware. Shared history of having loved a spy and then lost them. Though in Sarah’s case she cleverly manages to deflect Shaw’s initial thoughts about Sarah and Chuck by turning them to Bryce. No doubt Sarah did do what she said in regards to Bryce’s ashes but the real reason of running away with Chuck stays safe.
‘You’re different. You stand out.’
On the plane Chuck is seated by the season’s second dreaded Potential Love Interest(PLI) Hannah played by Kristen Kreuk. Fans should breathe a collective sigh of relief as Hannah’s injection into the storyline is adroitly executed and Kreuk is virtually luminous in the role as a female version of Chuck. Zac and Kristen have real chemistry together and Sarah will have her work cut out for her.
The villian of the week is exWrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin, and through no fault of his own, his Hugo Panzer, while imposing in stature, does not stack up against the guest turns of Angie Harmon and Armand Assante. Basically a prop in the second fight sequence, Panzer’s best moment comes when his heart rate/pulse watch monitor shocks him awake.
The concept of remotely controlling an airplane may have seemed cool in concept but plays rather flat in execution. Though knowing Sarah has a pilot’s license in her spy repertoire was a delightful surprise. Back safely at home, Chuck gratefully acknowledges his team mates keeping him alive.
In the closing moments the mysterious weapon from 3.02 returns and turns out not to be a weapon at all. Instead it contains Ring Intel that cost Shaw his wife. Plus an envelope. An envelope which contains a ring of a different sort. A wedding ring.  Shaw has lost a loved one. Sarah is very much afraid of the same thing happening with her and Chuck. Already it can be seen that the bond between Shaw and Sarah will be based on something more than mutual professional admiration but on shared emotional experiences.
Throw in the unknown about Shaw’s true intents, the appearance of Hannah at the BuyMore, the wedding ring, and they lead to possibilities of Shaw manipulations or true events or a combination of both. A different and more complicated approach to the PLIs than seen to date. Let the 3D chess games begin!
What about that closing shot with Hannah showing up at the BuyMore? What to think? What to think indeed. Sincere or manipulation? Hear that sound? It is the clankety ratchet of the Season 3 rollercoaster being pulled up the first big hill.  Buckle up Chucksters!  The real ride is about to commence.
* – title is a homage to The Horror At 37,000 Feet.