Chuck Versus An Early Season Finale (?)

Chuck Versus the Undercover Lover - Ep. 112
Chuck Versus the Marlin - Ep. 113

For the Americans, you'll get to watch Chuck Versus Ugly Betty tonight, but make sure you do (and yes, I wrote that sentence that way on purpose, Betty and Chuck both deserve our love).

Meanwhile, Chuck's last two pre-WGA strike episodes (being burned off by NBC tonight before and after an Apprentice episode that is so inane you wonder if the network even deserves to have such creatively rich shows on its air) ends its shortened first season with a nice bang which will make me miss the lovable geek even more.

In Chuck Versus the Undercover Lover, a flashback to 2004 actually shows Casey in love with Ivana Milicevic (Love Monkey, Casino Royale), a photojournalist who dies in a bombing that Casey escapes from. Except, the actress playing Ilsa is Ivana Milicevic. Which means there's going to be more to it than just that. Those eyes SCREAM "I'm a spy". Or something mysterious at least.

Meanwhile, we flash back to the present with the ever-hardass Casey at the Buy More, Ilsa resurfaces on the arms of a some old Russian baddie and Casey becomes jealous/heartbroken showing Chuck that "he's ALIVE!".

Ilsa claims she's working for the French, and had been working to infiltrate this Russian spy circle by marrying into it, and thus the dance of relationship woes begins and the sparks between a lovelorned Casey and questionably trustworthy Ilsa begins. It's like a Noel Coward play directed by one of the Scott Brothers (Ridley or Tony? Let's hope it's Ridley).

Somehow Chuck and Casey get tied up together back to back in a chair while trying to save Ilsa from marrying the old Russian baddie, and must fight off the Russian baddies henchmen in a hilarious fight sequence worthy of Jackie Chan (in his good pre-Chris Tucker days) in a hotel room on a really high floor. A really high floor with a balcony that Casey and Chuck get cornered onto, before they get pushed over falling many storeys into the pool below. Where the wedding happens to be taking place.

Sarah tries to come to save the day, but with one woman against a wedding full of gun totting guests/henchmen, she's a little trapped, until some more female ass kicking (worthy of the best Michelle Yeoh days!) and Ilsa and Sarah manage to work together to get themselves (including the very wet Casey and Chuck) out of their bind.

However, in the end, Ilsa, free of her undercover obligation to marry the mobster, decides to continue on with her undercover job, leaving Casey alone with Chuck. Best buds. Forever. At least until Chuck gets pushed by Casey into the bushes.

Then Chuck finds a bug in the Buy More leading Sarah and Casey to believe that someone has been infiltrating the store and may have leads on who the Intersect is already in Chuck Versus the Marlin. They have 48 hours to solve it before Chuck would have to be carted into protection so in walks Big Mike into an emptied Buy More after Casey and Sarah cart off the entire store to locate the bug transmitter.

Meanwhile, Captain Awesome (whose picture on Chuck's iPhone is the BEST EVER!) is ready to propose to Ellie and asks Chuck to protect his grandmothers mega wattage diamond ring for him while he thinks of an AWESOME way to propose. Unfortunately, Chuck had placed it in his locker at the Buy More just before it was emptied out.

As the staff gets excited by the arrival of lunch from the Pita Palace delivery girl (and in Lester and Jeff's case, the bonus cleavage shot that they zero in on with their camcorder), Big Mike is going crazy, interrogating the entire staff after thinking his store was robbed, playing bad cop to the real cop on hand to investigate (Mike Derwin of Life with Bonnie). Yes, his store was robbed but that was insured. It's his big Marlin hanging on the side of his wall that he bought from ebay that he's more concerned about. A Marlin that was actually stolen by drunks Lester and Jeff in an afterhours prank. A prank that leads to Chuck's apartment where Morgan (still being annoying in an annoying way and not a funny annoying way), who found Captain Awesome's ring, thinking Chuck was about to propose to Sarah, steals and hides within the Marlin, and somehow in the end, the Marlin is hidden in the freezer at Wienerlicious Oh, and did I mention the transmitter Sarah and Casey were looking for was placed in the Marlin? That's sure an important fish to cash.

Meanwhile, Chuck figures out that the Pita Palace delivery girl was really the spy, everyone is now after the Marlin, and there's another kick ass scene between Pita Palace girl versus our favorite Wienerlicious girl Sarah, but the Marlin gets stolen, Sarah gets locked in the freezer, and Chuck fails to shoot open the lock before getting carted off by the cops. A cop who of course is not just a cop, and is taking Chuck to be hidden away forever.

All this while Captain Awesome is ready to propose to Ellie and waiting for Chuck to bring the ring. The ring that disappeared with the Marlin.

And you thought you had problems? I mean, Morgan is Chuck's best friend. That alone deserves a humanitarian award or something.

Sarah and Casey fight for Chuck, the Pita girl is finally defeated, the ring is found, and Chuck gets to return back to his family... for now. And all is well as we go into the strike and at least we aren't hanging onto major cliffhanger. The strike is stressful enough already, I don't need more. Not if I had to worry about Chuck's safety and well being.

So all is well, Captain Awesome proposed to Ellie except she's fallen asleep, Not awesome.

Chuck as a series? After it's first season (albeit sadly shortened)? Totally Awesome!