...Set: Chuck 3x19 "Chuck versus the Ring: Part II"

Up until the last couple minutes of this episode, it really felt like this one could've been a series ender, had that been the case/need. As we all know by now, though, Chuck is coming back for another season! I wonder if they had it planned so that it could've ended with just them being happy and not that last scene if they hadn't been picked up?

Anyway, this episode wasn't quite as action packed as its predecessor, but it packed a big emotional punch and brought up what will be happening next season, as well as revealed something kind of cool about Chuck's past. It all started with a flashback to when Chuck and Ellie were young, just before their mother left, wherein Papa B tells Ellie she's got to promise to take care of Chuck. And in the present day, she's doing just that, following after him after Shaw has taken him, Casey and Sarah hostage. She loses them, but luckily Morgan and Devon are on the other side of the trail and have them in their sights.

Shaw is preparing to kill the trio, but Morgan presses a button in Casey's Crown Vic, which sends a missile at the truck, knocking Shaw out and freeing the trio. Chuck tries to flash to take out Shaw, but his flashes are getting really bad and Sarah has to help him into the car so they can get away. The whole group discusses what their next move should be. There is some talk of going on the run, but Ellie won't have it. She and Chuck have a conversation where they decide they're going to take down the Ring and Shaw, but Ellie makes Chuck promise that he'll quit the spy life for good once that's done with. We all know how well these sorts of promises go, don't we? Yeah.

Back in Castle, Chuck is able to get in contact with General Beckman, who has been put in lockdown since last episode's events. She tells them that Shaw is planning to take her place at some kind of big government agencies meet up where the Five Elders will be in attendance. The Five Elders being the leaders of the Ring. The team has one final mission to go on. Sarah and Chuck pretend to be Russians of some sort or another and Chuck places a phone in Shaw's pocket, while Casey and Morgan get information on where Shaw's office is, I guess. I kind of missed what they were looking for, but that seemed to be what room 752 was.

Shaw goes to give a presentation to the biggety bigs, but gets a phone call in the middle of his chat from Chuck. Shaw sends a text to the Elders to leave and goes to talk to Chuck. They get to talking and Chuck reveals that Casey, Sarah and Morgan are capturing the Elders at that moment thanks to Shaw tipping them off! Way to go, team. Shaw posits that their capture means nothing since they are working off the grid, and proceeds to out himself as a Ring operative, doing the stupid villain speech and getting caught on camera. Sucks to be you! He and Chuck face off, but Chuck's flash just sends him into another headache-flashy thingy, only a lot worse this time. Sarah comes shows up before Shaw can kill Chuck, but Shaw manages to get away out the window.

Meanwhile, Big Mike has had a call from his secret phone (Moses) that informs him that the store isn't doing well enough and will be shut down. He confides in Jeff and Lester and Lester comes up with a plan to have a going out of business sale, which will increase their sales enough to not have to close their location. That sale is just starting...

When Sarah takes Chuck back to Castle, where it looks like he's not recovering from this latest flash. While they are down in Castle, Morgan spots Shaw entering the Buy More and setting up bombs. He tries to warn Sarah, but Shaw captures him and tells Sarah to bring Chuck up and face him. Shaw locks Morgan up in the cage and Sarah goes to face Shaw, leaving Chuck downstairs. They are facing off when Jeff, Lester and Big Mike see that a Buy More bigwig has arrived to shut down the location, which was apparently already supposed to be closed. They decide to create a diversion so they aren't caught, and pull a pineapple - that is, the fire alarm (right after Morgan had broken his own thumbs to get out of his restraints to do so himself! Poor Morgan broke his thumbs for nothing!).

Everyone exits the Buy More, except for Shaw and Sarah. Shaw handcuffs Sarah to the Nerd Herd desk, and that's when Chuck makes his big entrance. He and Shaw will have their final showdown, sans guns, just Intersects. Chuck's flash is still hurting him, but he fights through the pain. He and Shaw get into a very cool fight (with an insane Jeffster video playing in the background, no less), but eventually Chuck starts to wear because of his Intersect-brain issues. And as he's lying there, mostly unconscious, we see another flashback to that same time period as before. Papa B leaves his office for a moment, so little Chuck goes to see what dad's been working on. We can tell it's an early version of the Intersect. Little Chuck presses the button and he's downloaded with that very first Intersect!! Dude's had an Intersect in his brain for most of his life! Papa B comes back and tells him he's very special to have survived that.

Chuck wakes back up and it looks like he's got things under control. As he said, he just needed to reboot. He defeats Shaw, and has him in a chokehold. Shaw tells him he'll have to kill him, but Chuck doesn't. Instead, Sarah hits him over the head, having escaped the handcuffs. I guess he'll be arrested and put in lockdown? That means he'll probably be back. Anyway, Sarah gives the Governor that Shaw stole back to Chuck, to ease his Intersect-y brain, though I sort of thought his flashback did that? I guess he apparently still needs the watch? That kind of didn't make sense.

While the CIA has come in to clean up the Buy More, Morgan finds the detonator to the bombs. And what does he do? He drops it! A countdown begins and, before you think someone is going to stop it, the Buy More BLOWS UP!! And according to the local news, Jeff and Lester are being blamed for it. Oh Jeffster, you are in big shiz now!

Back at home, Chuck and crew are having a celebration for defeating the Ring. And guess who joins the party? Casey's daughter Alex. They share an awkward little hug, but it was very cute. Ellie makes sure that Chuck has actually quit the spy life like he said he would, and he tells her he informed Beckman of his resignation. And things could've stopped here...

But then, he gets a message. He goes back to his room and finds his computer sitting there full of snow until an ominous "Press Enter" pops up on the screen. It's a message from Papa B, telling Chuck that he's been doing what the government couldn't for years. He has a whole big secret underground lair that Chuck goes into, and in the message Papa B says that he's done it all for "her." The her in question being, please tell me you guessed this at the beginning of the episode - Chuck's mom! Mary Elizabeth Bartowski. As Chuck figures out that his mom's involved in all of this, we see the back of a woman's head. She answers the phone and a man tells her that she has to move. DUN DUN DUN!

Well guys, that's it for season three of Chuck. Next season looks to be all about finding Mama B and figuring out just what in the world Papa B was doing down in that lair. Will Ellie and Devon be drawn back into the spy game, or will Chuck start lying again? What will Chuck be like without the Buy More? And will Casey let Morgan take Alex on a date, or will he re-break his thumbs? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Quotes:

"Gee, Morgan, I think that when one is facing a group of murderers, one should have a plan." - Devon
"Okay, I agree with you, in principle. But we're here now, what would you like me to do, open up the glove box, pull out a spy manual?" - Morgan

"Two Bartowskis. Double the fun." - Casey

"What we lack, profoundly and proudly, in on the job competence, we more than make up for in listening skills." - Lester
"Actually, I'm deaf in my left ear. Except for a faint ringing." - Jeff

"Hello?" - Jeff, into phone
"The phone did not ring, Jeffrey." - Lester
"Stupid left ear." - Jeff

"Are you ready?" - Sarah
"I was born re-- well actually, no I wasn't born ready, but I am ready. Now." - Chuck

"Your heart's racing. Pupils dilated. Skin's flushed. You like her." - Casey
"Or you're choking me." - Morgan

"I'm sorry, are you asking me to make the classic villain mistake of explaining my dastardly plot to you? You know what, I'd love to." - Chuck

"Smile, Daniel, you're on TV. What do I say to that? Muahaha!" - Chuck

"Did we do that?" - Lester
"I don't know." - Jeff
"Start the van." - Lester

Previous Episode -- Next Episode