Chuck (Season 3)

As I hinted at in the first two reviews, Chuck had a pretty troubled production. The first season aired on the year of the Writer's Strike and got cut short, and the show was so niche that every subsequent season was in danger of being cancelled. And in Season 3, the crew initially only got 13 episodes only to get another six tacked on, making for a season of two halves. Thankfully, this was actually a good thing for the series, as Season 3 ended up being the best, most well-paced season in the whole show.

Season 2 ended with the introduction of a new villain called The Ring along with a new intersect that gave Chuck the ability to fight, which as a whole gives this season a slightly more serious tone. Chuck starts having to take his job more seriously and reckon with the fact that he may have to shoot or kill someone, the Ring is a far more oppressive villain than Fulcrum ever was, Elliot gets killed off in the premiere, and we even end up learning that the Intersect may be killing Chuck. Thankfully, the dark tone doesn't detract from Chuck's dorky charm, and since this storyline was initially intended to only be thirteen episodes long, it moves at a very brisk pace. But what really solidifes Season 3 as my favorite is its antagonist, Shaw. Shaw starts the season off as a rival/fellow spy for Chuck, who ends up changing to the side of The Ring in that originally intended finale. In the six episodes that were added on after the fact, Shaw becomes the main villain, and a great one at that. All that time he spend pretending to be a good guy means he knows Chuck like no other villain did, making for a very personal conflict between the two.

In addition, I think this season does the best job with giving everyone else memorable subplots. Morgan and Ellie learn that Chuck is a spy at different points in the season, Sarah starts to actually develop feelings for Chuck and the will-they-won't-they between the two really comes to a head, and, probably best of all, Casey gets his best material in the whole show when he learns he has a daughter. I always felt like Casey was kinda just there in the first two seasons, the third wheel to Chuck and Sarah, so the addition of his daughter Alex gives him more to do. It helps that some of the season's more episodic fare focus almost exclusively on the side characters, with the highlight being a Morgan-focused episode and a Casey-focused episode airing pretty much back to back. There are also still plenty of fun standalone stories to help lighten up the tone, with hardly any of them coming across as weaker like in Season 2.

Highlights:

Chuck Vs First Class: This is easily one of my favorite one-offs in the show. Chuck goes on his first solo mission, which basically turns into a high concept Die Hard-like where he has to stop a bunch of criminals on a plan. It's a ton of fun and the action is great, especially his fight with Stone Cold Steve Austin (yes, that Stone Cold Steve Austin).

Chuck Vs The Beard: It's about time, but Morgan finally learns that Chuck is a spy. I love that Sarah and Casey aren't there for much of the episode, it's almost entirely Morgan and Casey dealing with that reveal and how it affects their friendship, making for a really personal (though still fun) entry in the series.

Chuck Vs The Tic Tac: And then right after "The Beard", we get an episode entirely about Casey. As mentioned above, this is the one where he learns he has a daughter, and all that added focus goes a long way into fleshing him out more.

Chuck Vs The Other Guy: Chuck has had many "almost series finales" but Chuck Vs The Other Guy is my favorite of the bunch, if not my favorite episode of the show in general. Shaw turning sides and becoming a villain is a fantastic twist, and that final confrontation on the bridge where Shaw tries to provoke Chuck to kill him, while Chuck and Sarah's feelings for each other are fully out in the open, really feels like the culmination of the whole show. This could have been an amazing final episode, though I'm glad it wasn't.

Chuck Vs The Subway/Ring II: Not to be topped, the writers of Chuck ended Season 3 with a massive two-part finale that blows last season's out of the water and then some. There's Shaw coming back into the scene and ruining everything, the heartwrenching death of Chuck's father, Ellie learning Chuck is a spy, the Buy More getting blown up, the crazy Intersect duel between Chuck and Shaw, and the reveal that Chuck's mom is alive. The sheer ambition at play in Season 3's finale would never be topped for the rest of the series.

Overall, Season 3 is easily Chuck's highest point. It's higher stakes than Season 2, with brisker pacing, stronger character arcs and subplots, more consistently strong one-offs, and a fantastic main storyline and villain. 

5/5 Stars