Oh damn.. that's all i can say now.
I've just finished the show finale and i never expected that. Chuck was always a light show (with few exceptions) and always managed to find a way (usually with a big disregard for logic and/or realism) to reset such situations and go on and i can't applaud the producers enough for having the balls to completely change their style and actually have this finale.. to have these balls to write and stick to the ending as they did.
I love this show to death.. wasn't always easy, especially with their will they/won't they during seasons 2+3 and i absolutely despised the Shaw character but the show had so much heart that few other show can come close or be on the same level.
Everything i saw around the show, the Comic Con panels, interviews, the gag reels etc painted a picture of a big family that likes each other very much and likes to work together and to see them goofing off between takes was just delightful and i believe this translated to the show very well.
I loved the nerd and pop culture references throughout the show, done the same things with buddies of mine that Chuck and Morgan did (minus the spy stuff off course
) and that alone would have made me fall in love with the show but then they had those goofy plots, grunting Casey, the absolutely gorgeous Yvonne Strahovski (who i so wish to expand her career and get her big breakout) and all the other secondary or tertiary characters.
I have got to say that this finale probably ranks amongst the best i've ever seen because of the risk they took.. on par with the bittersweetness of the DS9 finale, the heartbreaking end to MASH and the hope inspiring Buffy finale. It had all that.. i know that it's "only" a TV show but nevertheless my heart broke and my chest tightened a bit at the end of the first part when Chuck breaks down, gets beaten around by Sarah and essentially loses the love of his life. Coming to terms with the loss of "his" Sarah was hard to watch and for a fleeting moment i believed they'd hit the reset button but this is where the aforementioned producer balls come into play.. they don't! They motherfuckin' don't hit the reset button!!
This is Adama getting shot in the season 1 finale and actually dieing! The heroes of whatever show actually failing in their mission to save the world and having to live with the consequences when the show continues. This is a level of Game of Thrones where even beloved and cool characters get killed off and i would have never expected that from Chuck.
Instead they invent a whole new kind of reset button and rewind the show back to the beginning.. Chuck has the Intersect again ("Boy.. i haven't done that in a while!" - yes Chuck, you didn't and i missed it so much), Sarah isn't in love with him but there is so much hope instilled in the last scene that the outcome is inevitable.. the loveable King of Nerds will do the unthinkable and conquer the heart of his love for a second time and they will rebuild their life together. That is a hopeful message to take with in the years to come when we pop in a Chuck episode from time to time to rewatch the gang save the world and catch the bad guys.
Parts in the finale that stood out even amidst the awesome:
- Jeffster.. holy friggin' Jesus! Jeffster saves the day and boy do they do it in style. Jeffster was one of the most genius things to come out of the show.. during the height of their antics it was always awesome and to give them a farewell in this way was just brilliant.
- John Casey.. that big hunk of a soulless assassin from season 1 has found a heart and i daresay better life in Burbank on a routine mission (or so he thought) when he met a nerd who'd change his life. It took Chuck 5 years to warm up an entire iceblock but he did i and i can't imagine a better thank you than him doing his part in reconnecting Chuck and Sarah and that big hug he gave Chuck.. i was smiling from ear to ear.
- nice for everyone else to end on a high note.. Morgan and Alex moving in together, the Awesomes starting a new life and Big Mike is happy as ever (and having his very own Subway now
, god i love how totally unsubtle and in your face they do their product placement)
I will miss you all and you did a brilliant job all these years! *raises glass and bids farewell*
P.S.
Yes i know.. some of what i wrote is sappy and maybe overly sentimental but it is what it is and if you don't like it.. your problem!
That's the big secret, right?
