Holiday CHUCK: Chuck Versus the Santa Suit

Before I get into this week’s Chuck, I just want to apologize for not reviewing last week’s episode. I wasn’t able to catch it right away and by the time I did see it there was little point in writing about it. I can say right now I didn’t enjoy it very much. The episode suffered from lack of character continuity, but there were still some fun moments, even if everything was littered with plot holes. Thankfully, “Chuck Versus the Santa Suit” was without a doubt a great episode of Chuck. The characters behaved exactly the way I would expect them to, and we got a return of one of my favorite villains (although, I may be alone in that regard).

What makes Chuck so likable, despite its many flaws (bad special effects, poorly structured plots) is it’s fully formed characters. They have this irresistible charm about them you just can’t say no to. Even Casey, the ultimate gruff soldier, has wormed his way into the hearts of viewers. So when we have all of these wonderful people working together in an episode (let alone a Christmas themed episode) the magic flies off the screen. With its budget as small as it has become, it’s very rare all the main characters appear in an episode so, to have Big Mike, Jeff and Lester all playing a part is a gift. When they get the chance to play off each other the way you expect them to and contribute to the plot, even in the smallest of ways, it enhances the experience exponentially.

The big event that draws everyone in is the return of Chuck’s nemesis, Daniel Shaw (Brandon Routh). When he originally appeared in Season 3, fans cried out against him. The complaints were never ones I understood. I liked Shaw and what he brought to the show. He was a very good obstacle between Chuck and Sarah and while he was originally a smooth member of Team Bartowski, he eventually mutated into one hell of a bad guy. Now he’s back and it turns out he’s been pulling the strings from his little CIA jail cell, having used his Intersect to learn Decker’s secrets and blackmail him into helping him ruin Chuck/Sarah’s life. As far as plot twists go, I’m sure this would have been a great one if NBC hadn’t advertised Shaw’s return two week’s ago. If I have any real complaints about this episode it’s that, and I was disappointed Chuck and Shaw once again fought in the Buy More. A change of scenery would have been nice.

In many ways, Shaw’s return was the final test to see if Chuck is capable of being a spy. Shaw is the only person with an Intersect now and he’s looking to upgrade it. Chuck has been Intersect-less for some time now. In that time, Chuck has had to prove he has what it takes to be a spy without a super computer in his head and he’s done that by outsmarting and then beating Shaw in hand-to-hand combat. And I’m sure some people will question whether Chuck has had the time to become as skilled as he is at fighting, but I am more than willing to accept Chuck has learned some moves and in the heat of the moment, with the adrenaline coursing through him, his determination helped him win. Too bad Shaw grabbed that gun. What a cheat. That’s why Ellie turned up to knock him out!

What took the episode above and beyond my expectations were the little moments: Casey recording his message to Alex, Chuck getting back Mary’s bracelet for Sarah, Ellie coming out of nowhere to help Chuck take down Shaw, Casey telling Alex to give Morgan another chance, Jeff and Lester unknowingly helping out on a spy mission, and pretty much every scene Beckman was in. I’m still sad she’s not a regular this season. That kiss between her and Chuck was the funniest moment of the season, hands down.

Now that Shaw has been put away again, it seems like he’s not done causing trouble for Chuck and Sarah. Apparently he’s set in motion another plan or sorts and it’s too late for anyone to stop it. He then mentions Hungary and asks Sarah if she told Chuck about “the baby.” That could mean so many things. I think it would be a colossal mistake to try and figure out what Shaw is talking about. The safest course of action is to wait until next week. Until then, happy holidays everyone!