Initially, NBC ordered 13 episodes for the third season, but increased it to 19 after their disaster in the fall. "Other Guy" was planned to be a season finale, and since it didn't end on a major gamechanger as "Chuck Versus the Ring" did, the episode could easily have served as a series finale. Thankfully it isn't, but Chris Fedak certainly had that in mind when writing the script.
The episode begins quickly, jumping straight into action with Chuck saving Sarah from Shaw's graps, except Shaw only brought Shaw to the Ring HQ to give her a hug. Chuck's clear overreaction in bringing scores of men, a tank, and a stealth bomber earns him more than a slap on the wrist from Beckman. The plans for Rome are off, and Sarah and Shaw will move on to Washington without Chuck.
Then comes the scene everyone has been waiting for from the beginning. All the unfinished Chuck and Sarah moments, all the telling looks, all the dragging on, and all the artificial roadblocks come crashing down. I felt like cheering. Chuck is down in the dumps, drinking his sorrows away, but Sarah arrives, unties Morgan, and they finally have THE talk. Chuck asks her the question to which the answer has been most elusive--"Sarah, do you love me?" She answers--YES!!! (She actually said it nomally, but that was my reaction.) Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief now. She kisses him and few times, solidifying her thoughts. If their relationship regresses again, I may have to bash my head against a wall.
Before they leave, there is a final three person mission to capture the Ring director. (The plot holes were abound, but they were an afterthought compared to all the greatness in the episode.) The mission goes as smoothly as possible with Shaw taking about the Ring agents, killing the director, and retrieving the cypher for the Ring's intersect. The twist is that everyone gets up. Obviously Shaw is still not over his wife's death and is taking another route for revenge.
I'm not sure how no one other than Morgan noticed this, but the security footage clearly indicated Shaw did not in fact touch the Ring agents he was supposed to be hitting (another plot hole). But it's too late. Shaw and Sarah are already in Paris to destroy the manufacturing location of the cypher. Chuck is there to save the day and he saves Sarah, in the process shooting Shaw (Why did he have to use a real gun?). Presumably he is dead, but there have been enough living zombies to be certain of anything.
To coincide with the happy turn of events, Sarah doesn't care that Chuck shot someone, only that he saved her. Casey has the director in his custody which he uses to leverage crazy demands from a very pliant CIA. The darkest arc of Chuck is over and a bright future is ahead. Chuck is still the same nerd we know and love and he's got the girl. Imagine what the real season finale will be like.
Score: 9.8/10
Passing Thoughts:
- No Ellie and Awesome and a minimum of Jeffster. Budget cuts suck.
- Chuck flashed into his awesome kung fu mode, yet Shaw took him out when his emotions got involved. At the very least, Shaw fought Chuck to a standstill which brings into question how effective the Intersect really is with Chuck wielding it.
- Do the writers care about the plot holes? They could try to have the plot make sense once in a while.
