There will be some SPOILERish things ahead regarding episode 11 ("Chuck Versus the Final Exam") of season three of Chuck, so if you're not caught up on the show, and think you'll want to watch it later, you might want to skip this entry. This also applies if you've never watched the show and don't know or care who the characters even are. (g) (However, if you enjoy spies / light action / comedy / romance / drama-- above all, a show with a sense of humor-- you might want to try an episode or two.)
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We're gradually catching up on the third season of Chuck. I think I like this season less than the previous two, so far. This is partly because Chuck turning into a "Real Spy" just feels weird. I think I liked him better-- found the show funnier-- when he was just a regular guy thrust into the (TV version of the) world of spies. The other main detriments are the introduction of Shaw (whom I don't particularly like) and Sarah/Sam's character development.
The last episode we watched was the one where Chuck takes his "Red Test", in which he is supposed to prove that he has what it takes to kill someone in the line of duty. How do you prove something like that? Well... by killing someone-- not just a random someone, obviously, but a specific target-- a mole who is endangering the lives of others.
In the end, he can't bring himself to do it. (Even though the other dude is about to kill him? Come on, Chuck. Or really, come on, writers. I mean, are we really supposed to believe that he'd rather die himself than shoot the guy who's about to kill him? I guess we could explain it by saying that he hesitated-- which is understandable-- but would have pulled the trigger if he'd seen the other guy's gun in time... Maybe? Otherwise, I'm not buying it.) Of course Casey pops in out of nowhere to do the dirty work-- but the final result is that Sarah (temporarily, I'm sure) thinks Chuck did pull the trigger. And then, at the end of the episode, there's this implication--well, ok, she just comes right out and says that she no longer loves him, because he was capable of killing. Even though she herself has killed multiple times as part of her job as Spy Chick.
...Huh? Maybe there's more to it than meets the eye. Maybe she's just feeling guilty because she thinks he killed for her (because the only way they can be together --???-- is if he's a spy, and he can only be a spy if he successfully completes his Red Test). Possibly this is meant to make the character "deeper"-- more "layered". "See how real she is? Different aspects of her character are contradictory-- illogical-- just like in a real person!" To which I reply, "Meh." Realism is overrated (as this show seems to understand so well, in most cases (g))! It just feels extremely hypocritical. She's allowed to kill people if the job requires it, but Chuck is supposed to stay soft and harmless, even if his own survival is at stake?
(ETA: In her defense... I guess she doesn't know yet that the other guy was posing a threat to Chuck's survival, since she wasn't there... Unless I'm remembering incorrectly. That makes a little more sense... But it's still irritating. She can have relationships with other spies who presumably have passed their tests. Why is it so unforgivable in Chuck?)
Anyway, gripes aside, there are still plenty of things to enjoy about the show. I do wonder where they're headed for the rest of this season-- and the next. They obviously know that the program probably won't survive a Chuck/Sarah happily-ever-after (not until the end of the show, at least), but it doesn't take long for the things keeping them apart to feel painfully contrived. Ah, the eternal dilemma of the TV writer! ;o)
