Chuck- Spy Testing

Chuck Bartowski- "Wow, that just really self-destructed. Did it not? That's like in the movies. That's incredible."

Chuck vs. the Final Exam was one of my least favorite episodes of this season of Chuck for a couple of reasons. One was that the side plot was less than awesome and the other was that I'm not enjoying the speed at which Chuck's evolution to becoming a real spy has moved.

The side plot this week was absent of Captain Awesome, Ellie and Morgan so we weren't off to a good start. John Casey, Lester and Jeff have been great for a while now, but they weren't able to put everything together tonight during this side story with Big Mike. It's probably because I don't really like Big Mike that I wasn't enjoying myself. That's not to say that I didn't crack up when Casey confidently chomped into Jeff's half eaten Subway Tunaroni on wheat.

As the quote at the tops shows, Chuck was thrown a whirlwind of new gadgets, environments and required duties this week, as he prepared for his final spy test. Throughout the test he went back and forth between awkward uncomfortableness (not knowing what to do with the self-destructing dvd player, fumbling through his words with Agent Perry) and complete preparedness (setting up the stake out room, tracking down and capturing Agent Perry).

Of course I was much happier when he failed to live up to snuff, because I do not want to see the day when Chuck is actually a real spy and no longer needs his handlers. Why? Well because whether we lose Sarah and Casey for a while, or they have to work in different capacities, I don't want to lose the greatness that this team brings. Yeah I know that two weeks ago I said that change is necessary, but not this fast.

When Chuck became Intersect 2.0 and learned Kung Fu, we were supposed to get similar dynamics, only with Chuck having some new skills to help his pals with. If Chuck is going on solo missions and Sarah is off living the life in D.C. with Shawsy and who knows who else, I'm gonna be an unhappy camper.

When Chuck needed to pass his Red Test (kill some dude) to become a real spy, I got pumped because I knew my man Chuckles can't shoot a guy. But then civilian John Casey had to come in and save the day once again. He's not even a government agent anymore and he's still saving Chucky. This time he shot Chuck's target just as Chuck was supposed to, making it look like it was the Nerdherder who did it.

On one hand, I'm relieved that Chuck couldn't actually do it. On the other, I'm mad and/or scared that Chuck is now a real spy. The unknown frightens me. What will happen between him and Sarah now that she thinks he's a cold hearted killer? After all when she killed her first person, it was the worst day of her life. If this causes Sarah and Shawsy's relationship to grow, I'm gonna have to have a chat with John Casey.

Other Points

- Loved that the Russian dude in the steam room used Ivan Drago as his alias.

- Another great Chuck quote as he hung from the side of the hotel in a towel, "This woulda been easier in underpants."

- How 'bout earlier in the episode when Chuck spills his heart to Sarah on the stake out, she eats it all up, they lean in for the kiss and Shawsy comes in on the earpiece and ruins the whole thing? What a jerk.

- I also didn't really like the fight scene between Chuck and the guy from Worst Week. The camera movement was weird and they've done a lot better.