'Chuck' - 'Chuck Versus the American Hero' Recap

(S03E12) Tonight we got to see the progression of Chuck's character. Would first-season Chuck have tried to take down an enemy stronghold (armed, no less) while rescuing the man who was the romantic interest of the woman he loved? Well, probably, but not with such confidence.

Since he got the Intersect 2.0, it seems like every other time Chuck has flashed has been to learn a form of self-defense. He better pray that the Intersect doesn't become corrupted and he loses that piece of the program (although that would make future seasons more interesting as he couldn't fight anyone without it).

While Chuck is as brave as they come, it's still tough to believe he wants to be a spy. He simply wants Sarah, and if he has to become a spy to be with her, then that's what he'll do.
It was nice that continuity is being kept and the mole that Chuck (or rather Casey) shot last week still plays a role in this week's episode.

General Beckman acted more human this week than ever before when she allowed Chuck a week's leave before he began his spy career. Have we seen General Bauer before? He was pretty visible this episode and it seems like he was either used before or will be used more heavily in the near future.

Tonight Chuck was assisted by the most unqualified set of matchmakers ever. Poor Casey has been relegated to the role of stalker in this episode given the number of times he either showed up unannounced or was on a stakeout. Stalking continued to be a theme in tonight's episode with Jeff and Lester. As a result, Jeff has become even more creepy than before if that was possible.

Despite seeing the concept before on '30 Rock', Morgan's speech about Devon living in a bubble was still pretty funny. Morgan had another funny bit where he pretended to be a Ring agent while the real deal was listening in. He is very much becoming the comedic sidekick while Chuck becomes more the straight spy.

Did anybody else recognize Mark Sheppard as the Ring director? He's been in a number of science fiction shows including 'Firefly,' 'Battlestar Galactica,' 'Dollhouse' and many others. When his name came up in the credits, I figured he'd have a significant role.

Who called that Sarah's "red test" was Shaw's wife? Someone did in the comments last week. This means that either the government had wrong information (not likely in the 'Chuck' universe although very likely in the real one) or she was a Ring operative. When Shaw learned of Sarah's murder of his wife, he put on his wedding ring, symbolic of his own switching sides. Has he truly changed character or is it an attempt to double cross the Ring? And what about the relationship between Sarah and Chuck now that she knows Chuck is not a killer? Tune in next week to find out.

Overall, this was an enjoyable episode, but it seems that the writers are revealing every secret and squeezing every last bit from the series in an effort to make it last this long. How can the writers make the concept last another one or two more seasons?

[Watch 'Chuck' at SlashControl.]