Well, fellow Chuck fans, we made it! Give yourselves a big Buy More pat on the back. To everybody who's stuck with this show: I'm proud of you guys. If there's one thing you can say about Chuck fans, it's that we're dedicated. The story of an electronics-store-employee-turned-secret-agent has consistently inspired a passionate following with influence beyond its modest size, though we've had to endure some trying times. Every season it seemed the threat of cancellation was constantly looming over the show's proverbial head. And at one point, NBC actually did say it was officially cancelled. But we Nerd Herd-ians wouldn't accept that, couldn't accept that. So what did we do? We launched the craziest, most amazing internet campaign EVER! Did you know that in protest of the cancellation news, fans sent then-NBC chief Ben Silverman more Nerds candy than anybody could consume in a lifetime? That's not only hilarious, but very creative as well.
Yes, it's been a perpetual battle to keep Chuck on the air, but thanks to all the loveable diehards, we got a fifth and final season to give this show some proper closure. Has the show's fifth season been its best? I don't think even the most dedicated among us could claim that. There have undeniably been a few glitches along the way. How many of you stopped watching, or almost stopped watching, after Morgan was Intersecterized (that's probably not the right way to say it)? *raises hand* I'll admit the thought intersected (har) my mind, but it was fleeting. Chuck has never been a show that takes itself too seriously, and that's what I've always loved about it. Essentially, it's a fun, fluffy spy show for people wanting a break from heavy, serialized dramas. And thankfully, the writers did away with Morgan being the Intersect rather quickly (I attribute it to Nerd pressure).
This Friday marks the two-hour series finale, and I can't help but speculate on what's going to happen. So here are the five things I'd like to see:
1. Chuck and Sarah end up TOGETHER!
Yvonne Strahovski discussing the finale: "It's definitely going to keep people sort of sitting on the edge of their seats, wondering how this is going to finish up, or is it going to finish up in a good or a bad way. It's quite heartfelt and there is sort of an element of tragedy leading up to the finale. It will all make sense when you watch it."
I have heard the rumblings of rumors of a chance that there won't be a happily ever after, but I don't for a second believe it. Chuck and Sarah not ending up together would be like killing off Harry Potter in the last book/movie. It's just not going to happen.
2. Jeff and Lester become spies
Whoa! I can hear you angrily typing already. Just hear me out. It's definitely a long shot, but I think it would be hilarious if Jeff and Lester tried to enter the spy game. I know there is a large contingent of you who've never quite cared for Jeff and Lester's unsavory antics, but they usually mange to elicit a chuckle or two out of me. Plus, Vik Sahay (Lester) has been a Canadian hero of mine ever since his Radioactive days (even Canadians have probably never heard of that show, but it was funny, trust me). I thought it was quite comical seeing Lester decked out in spy gear chomping on a cigar, and Jeff having a little too much fun with a flamethrower. And really, if Morgan can be a spy, anybody can.
3. A grandiose Subway plug
You may have noticed—okay, you've almost certainly noticed—that Subway has been prominently featured many times in the past few seasons. As many of you know by now, Chuck has had a sponsorship deal with Subway to help with the show's expenses. Last week, Seth posted an article about product placement on television, and mentioned the ridiculous fifty-second commercial for Subway that appeared in a recent episode of Hawaii Five-0. I want Chuck to go even more over-the-top. I'm hoping the writers throw subtlety out the drive-thru window and make the team actually have to infiltrate a Subway. Can you imagine Chuck and Sarah in Subway uniforms? Sexy, right?
4. Morgan proposes to Alex
I can remember liking Morgan before Chuck's writers unwisely saddled him with the Intersect, and now that's he's back to being his normal, sidekick self, I want the best for him again. So I'd like to see Morgan get down on one knee and butcher his proposal by quoting Star Wars or some other geeky movie (and also for Alex to say yes, of course).
5. The Buy More gets destroyed (again)
I realize this has already been done, but damn it, I want it to happen again, only BIGGER! I want shoot-outs in the appliances section, RPG wars in electronics, flame-thrower fights in the locker rooms, and a giant explosion to cap it all off. Oh, and for Jeff and Lester play a key part in its destruction.
What's on your wish list? Any unforgivable things you feel I failed to mention? Let me have it in the comments.
Comments (77)
Loved Chuck... Fantastic finish for a show that almost 'jumped the shark' but got through for a rewarding & unforgettable end! Very nicely done :)
Chuck series is very interesting and it's one of my favorite show. I really gonna miss the flashing style. I hope there another season or another series contains the same story + its style.
I stopped watching Chuck a while ago, but this article is making me nostalgic. I might have to find the time to watch all of what I missed.
I never got to congratulate you Arch on your writing gig! I haven't been to the site as much as I'd like recently. Your articles are very well written. Keep up the good work!
P.s Although I'll never admit to my friends that I read the articles of a Leafs fan....
I lovelovelove Chuck! I've never bailed on it, never even wanted to. As a fan I'm as devoted as they come. Don't know how I'm suppose to live without it :( Zachary Levi better star in something new soon because my tv would be far too empty without him <3
My list is.
1. Morgan proposes to Alex (This has to happen I want Morgan to be happy).
2. Don't kill off anybody. This isn't one of those shows where somebody big in the show needs to die. Just leave them alone and let them lives their lives in happiness.
3. Chuck and Sarah end up together and have a kid. And at the end you see the kid flash and becomes the new intersect. The reason I say this is, the show was always about Chuck and the Intersect. If it just got deleted would be just lame. And Chuck had the intersect for along time it would be cool if it somehow transferred genetically to his child.
Oh and blow up Casey's Crown Vic and have Morgan do it during his wedding or when he proposes to Alex.moreless
I was just wondering did we ever see any of Morgan's mother and father I don't seem to remember them ever being shown. That would also be funny at least show his mother.
We did see part of Morgan's family once ... when the Nerd Herd got Big Mike on the dating website and the match that met him in store after the first date was Morgan's mum. She's now married to Big Mike.
Bring up the Sarah's name issue. And don't have it be "Sam". They screwed that up so badly that ever since, they've actually ignored it entirely and acted like her name was Sarah. Even revealing that her name actually is "Sarah" would be great, as long as that tidbit doesn't go into the books as having been given to Shaw.
Also, don't kill off anyone.
Ditto if they kill any of the good guys I will never forgive them!
Oh one thing I forgot to mention. I sort of got the idea that the Crown Vic might get blown up/crashed again... We hadn't really seen it (/her?) in a while, and then last week it was very obviously featured (to remind us of its very important existence?), even though it wasn't all that neccessary (what with the complete arsenal down in castle).
Or maybe I am reading too much into it and it was just used a more conveniently located plot device...
I don't know what I want from the Finale. I dont want certain storylines...I just want legitimate danger, action, laughs, cries, shocks & twists. The normal Chuck episode on Steroids is what I'm expecting.
The one thing I for sure need? (Besides Chuck and Sarah ending up together...which is a no brainer)
A final Jeffster performance, preferably over an action scene or pivotal moment.
Well you had it, and not just any performance, loved it =P
My brain is melting of anticipation for the finale!
I think a lot of very fun ideas have been raised on everyone's wishlists, and some of them I think are bound happen; chuck&sarah together (!), a proposal by morgan, some over-the-top subway product placement, one last Jeffster performance, the Buy More destroyed (ok maybe not gonna happen but I have a strong feeling it will), and ofcourse some 'surprise' returns of old familiar faces. (honestly I have no idea what guest stars have been confirmed, I am trying to stay spoiler free. But this is Chuck, and after all the stunt casting we really should get a parade of guest stars for the finale right? In the very least we have to see mama Bartowski again...)
As for my own wishes; I really could write a million things I would like to see happen, but in the end, there are really only a few things I really want from the finale:
1) Chuck&Sarah happily ever after (they really can't afford to NOT do this, right?)
2) Happily ever after for our other couples too (I can't help myself, I'm just a sucker for romance!).
and 3) no one dying! (except for the bad guys obviously). There are characters I could live without, or wouldn't have minded if they died in the past, but i just feel like they cannot kill off anyone in the finale, not on this show. An actual death would just be too depressing and just not fitting for a show like Chuck, imho. However I have a feeling someone actually might die, since it is practically a requirement for any series finale to have at least one major character bite the dust... (still hope it won't happen on though)moreless
dont worry michael, i remember radio active:) but then they ruined it by writing him out
Jeff and Lester becoming spies would be a great spin off! I would def watch :)
I really want a happy ending for the show, perhaps even a glimse into the future. For the rest I want to be surprised :)
Yes, the Morgan intersect thing was groan-inducing. I hated it. But I didn't feel the same way about Sarah, mainly because I love watching her kick ass like she's never kicked before and it didn't last very long before she had a major brain meltdown. I was also relieved to finally not have to see Chuck's whiny fretting about his will they/won't they love for Sarah every episode. The writing might not have been as good this season overall, but the action sequences seemed to be more exciting.
So, I think Sarah will believe she's killed Chuck somehow and when she regains her memories and realizes what she's done she'll run away. Meanwhile, Ellie and Awesome save Chuck's life, Alex turns the tables and proposes to Morgan, Jeffster tries to help as pseudo-spies, but end up getting in the way, and Casey and Verbanski track down Sarah and convince her to come back in an unusually touching and heartwarming speech from Casey, letting her know that Chuck's still alive and couldn't live without her. Casey/Verbanski and Alex/Morgan get married in a double wedding ceremony, catered by Subway (**eat fresh**), Sarah tells Chuck and everyone else she's pregnant, they all continue to be spies (for the upcoming movie) and live happily ever after. THE END.moreless
Casey fakes his death and retires to the bahamas with that Carrie Anne Moss character
think NBC is being moronic? try watching shows on MTV and FOX and let's see how much your IQ drops
with Fringe being the exception, of course
The exception yes but remember "Fox" loves to kill shows that take actual brain power and good taste to watch. But of course that leads to them being canceled....
RIP Firefly and TSCC.
BTW I could continue with that list. But I have to agree with andyphantom9. Most of their shows are crap.
I am so going to miss this show! I'm a happily ever after kinda gal, so I'd like to see an intersect baby for Chuck and Sarah; Morgan & Alex walk down the aisle as John & Gertrude trail behind fighting off bad guys with semiautomatic weapons; Ellie, Awesome & Clara go back to being doctors in Africa with the CIA shadowing their every move; Jeff & Lester open up a detective agency and uncover a British Secret Service agent living in the basement next door. Carmichael Industries buys the Buy More and keeps business as usual so they can continue with their home base. I'd also like to see 4-2hr. movies periodically to keep the intrigue fresh! Thanks to all for their hard work, great talent, and love of their craft!moreless
YES! FiveSeasonsAndAMovie!
Chuck having to make Sarah remember their time together and realizing that she is pregnant and one their last mission to kill the former CIA Agent (Angus McFaden) she miscarries. John joins Gertrude and runs Verbanski Enterprises as a couple. Morgan proposes to Alex after asking Casey's permission for his daughters hand in marriage. Ellie, Awesome & Clara get an opportunity they can't pass up and ponders whether or not to go and do it. Jeff & Lester win the lottery and buy their own Buy More. The Burbank Buy More is sold and Carmichael Industries gets turned into a computer hacking company instead of guns for hire.
I'm soooo gonna miss this show. But THANKS TO THE CAST, CREW & WRITERS for making me laugh and helping me to getaway for an hour each week. :Dmoreless
"Chuck" was an excellent show until this season. Still, it is far better than most other broadcast TV series, even now. NBC killed "Chuck" by moving it away from Monday nights. NBC is my least favorite network right now. NBC wouldn't know a good show not associated with Lorne Michaels if it bit them in the behind. They cancel "Southland", "Chuck", "The Playboy Club" and put "Community" and "Prime Suspect" on hiatus. Why would anyone start watching any NBC show not produced by Lorne Michaels? His shows are the only ones ever given a fair chance. Oh, excuse me, except for that train wreck called "Whitney". That is a bad show. I have sampled some episodes from the Pilot to Episode 12, and it just gets worse. How is that show on the air but not "Community"?moreless
Dude, I'm not a fan of NBC by any means (I only watch Chuck) but Chuck was not canceled. When season 5 was announced, it was stated as The Final Season. When the trailers before 'Chuck Versus The Zoom' aired, they said "The Final Season of Chuck". We weren't canceled..we're going out...it's been a great run...I wish it could go on more..but NBC did the show justice by renewing it.
Heroes was CANCELED at the end of it's 4th season cliffhanger by NBC. I've hated NBC ever since. Especially because The Event and The Cape both bombed horribly (Heroes' replacements)
I don't know! But it should be criminally punishable!
As a Canadian I remember Radioactive, that is such a blast from the past, thanks for reminding me! That was such a great show.
Oh and Morgan/Alex forever <3 That totally better happen...
No problem! It was a great show. *nostalgic sigh*
Chuck is too light-hearted to have even a remotely sad ending. All the good guys will win, and Sarah will retrieve her memory right before she and Chuck move into a beautiful house with a white picket-fence.
Despite part of me hoping they'd go a really dark route, I also don't want that because it just wouldn't fit the show at all.
Chuck and Sarah are already married, so I don't think there's a problem of them not getting together. But from the way it looks, Sarah could find out she's pregnant after having the Intersect in her, which could lead to a situation of a baby born that knows Kung Fu.
Glad to know somebody else was thinking this as well. Id love to see the intersect flash on Chuck and Sarah's child at the end of the show.
It's not about getting together. I want them to end up (or stay) together.
I think you're the first one to predict a possible intersect baby. If you're right, I'll definitely give you a shout out on my finale review.
3 1/2 votes for Jeffster getting brutally murdered. Let's keep 'em coming people!
Morgan's proposal:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=359381210758005&set=a.223098324386295.105971.205344452828349&type=1***nf
1). I want a Jeffster comeback. It can happen whilst they are assisting Chuck, or Chuck and Sarah, or Chuck and Sarah and Casey, or Chuck and Sarah and Casey and Morgan, or those four avec General Beckman*, and they have to distract people by Jeffster-ing the place up. Pretty please, showrunners. It doesn't even have to be like that, it can be the end credits, it can be spontaneous and random, it can be a surprise musical episode and they get their Jeffster on, but PLEASE.
2). I hope there's at least one death. At this point, i'm thinking either Mama Bartowski or General Beckman could possibly die. I do believe I've heard there'll be a death, and now that the majority of the characters are coupled off (Chuck/Sarah, Morgan/Alex, Awesome/Ellie, Casey/Verbanski, Big Mike/Morgans mom, Jeff/Lester), I find it would be less of a blow to kill the General or Mary. It would still be a tough blow, and I don't want to lose either, but I'd hate for there to be a couple broken up in this show, they;re all pretty unique and loveable.
3). Chuck with the Intersect, ONE last time. Even if it's brief, and it's removed within minutes of him flashing on something, ANYthing. I want him to have it again. I don't for a second want the show to end while it's in his head, as it will seem as though the message is that he can't be a hero without a computer in his brain, and that's just unfair to the character we've all come to know and love. But, like I said, one last time, if only for a minute (or less! I'm easy!)
4). I had the idea of the memory-loss in my head for a while. However, I thought it would be Chuck who forgot everything. However, it's probably easier for the show to go with Sarah forgetting everything, now that they can base her in an aprtment away from everything that came AFTER she met Chuck. If Chuck had forgotten, he's still have had to realize that he;s suddenly not living with his sister and her Awesome boyfriend anymore...anyway, my point is, I hope they do the memory loss storyline well, as I've been pushing for it for months. I hope that it doesn't end sadly, but realistically, there'll be some heartache, so my main hope is that Sarah DOES remember (I'm half sure she will, but the writers have been scaring me as of late.)
5). A big Sarah/Chuck moment. Be it him saving her, her saving him, them having a showdown...I'm not someone who considers herself a 'shipper', and I'm not a big romantic, but something about Sarah and Chuck, who have always seemed so unlikely to end up together, even if it was obvious from the pilot that that's where the show was headed, makes my heart float, and I want a BIG moment between them. I reallly really do.
There's a few other things, like classic Chuck humor, Subway as you mentioned, baby Clara featuring in somehow, a surprise flashback involving Scott Bakula, because hey, these guys could have pulledi t off I'm SURE, and I love me some Scott Bakula, and maybe - just maybe - a high speed chase involving a Buy More car. Pretty pwese.
*I also hope she returns.moreless
So many interesting points! But I would mostly like to reply to your point 4), as I myself am very anxious to see how the memory loss problem is going to be 'solved'.
I am convinced Sarah is going to get her memory back, and am very curious to see how. I have a feeling that the picture/drawing Chuck made will somehow play into it, because of all the emphasis that was put on it last week, and later on Sarah's response "I wouldn't forget that". Or I could be way off and it might involve some brain-computer-programming or maybe... need I go on? So many possibilities!!!
I just hope it won't be antclimactic, that's my biggest fear...
I love your thoughts. Maybe you should have written this article.
RE: [1] - Trust me... you'll get your wish in the last hour...Be Seeing You!
You haven't really given this any thought at all, have you?!!!
None at all. Clearly the show means nothing to me.
Mostly I just want Chuck and Sarah to end up together. And for Casey to get some awesome job working for the NRA or Gander Mountain or something involving guns and shooting. Morgan and Alex getting married isn't a deal breaker for me, but it would be nice. And it would be interesting to see Casey at Morgan and Alex's wedding. The facial expressions he would make would surely be priceless.
They certainly would be.
I believe after the final battle after the Buy More gets destroyed and we see Chuck, Sarah, Casey, and Morgan all standing side by side (Jeff and Lester unfortunately were killed) and Chuck snaps the very last of the Intersect glasses the screen goes black. Then..."19 Years Later" shows on the screen and they show Chuck and Sarah, and Casey and Alex helping their grown children onto a train to Hogwarts...um, I mean Stanford.
HAHA! That ending would be awesome! I've always wondered why J.K chose to make it "19 Years Later." Why not just round up to 20? Maybe she wanted to be intentionally obscure.
I can appreciate that this season has not been the strongest, but i love this show and have watched from episode one right through to the end. As a UK resident who rarely went online, I only discovered tv.com (and subsequently Community, Fringe, Suits et al) whilst trying to find out if Chuck was cancelled a few seasons back. As much as i like a good drama, i also want some silly on my telly. Chuck always had this and I want the finale to continue in this vein. I want Lester to make the ultimate sacrifice whilst saving the day, making him Canada's greatest war hero! Jeff could be his own personal Greyfriars Bobby sat at his grave. You don't get a two-hour finale without some dark times too. I do expect Casey to die. I think it's what he'd want. It also seems to be gearing up to Mike being handed back the Buy More, so that Morgan and Alex can waltz off into the sunset. Just a coule of hunches i have, but to be honest, as long as Chuck keeps the girl, i'll be happy.moreless
You have some good hunches. If anybody is going to die, I think it will be Casey.
Haha thats awesome I love Community and Suits, plus tv.com is the best enabler! I am moving to the UK in the fall too do American shows play on tv there?