(S03E16) This was an episode that was chock full of material and a lot of guest stars. We had Shaw, played by Brandon Routh (proving that death doesn't necessarily stop a returning guest star, kind of like with 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'). We also had Julia Ling return as Anna Wu (read her TV Squad interview here) as well as former time-traveling scientist and cab driver Christopher Lloyd as a C.I.A. psychiatrist.

The episode's problem was that it was a bit of a mish-mosh with the guest stars not getting any appreciable amount of screen time (well, maybe Christopher Lloyd, but certainly not the other two).

I was kind of bummed on behalf of Ling. After being a recurring character, then a cast member on the show, she deserved more screen time for a send off. The return of Shaw was obviously a set-up for another appearance in the future. At first, it seemed like a guilt-trip on the part of our hero for shooting him dead in Paris. However, we never did see the body after he fell. In television, there has to be a body otherwise the character returns later (except for the aforementioned 'Buffy,' where dead people returned all the time).

Jeffster! got barely any screen time as well, except as the butt of a few jokes. I'm beginning to think that for this series to evolve, the Buy More subplot has to be either radically changed or eliminated. Most likely, that will mean blowing the place up.

The entire subplot with Ellie was likely an attempt by the Ring to get Stephen Bartowski and the Intersect technology (which was pretty much revealed in the coming attractions for next week. Gotta love Scott Bakula). They must be aware of Chuck possessing the Intersect because they turned Ellie against Casey. Chuck himself must be too well protected for a direct attack.

If Sarah loves Chuck, but Casey beats Sarah to the psychiatrist in order to visit him in the hospital, does that mean Casey loves him more? Hell, even the General admitted that she cared tonight. 'Chuck' is getting a little touchy-feely for a spy show.

Apparently a dose of strong narcotics doesn't affect the Intersect. It does, however, affect the Intersect host making it somewhat useless since one can't act on it. The idea of the long-term effect of the Intersect is an interesting avenue to explore. What if one of the long-term effects of having such code in one's brain is to drive a person insane?

It was cool that Morgan's new job gave him such confidence to stand up for himself to Anna. When he chose "Cobra" as his handle, was he referring to the villains in 'G.I. Joe' or the '80s movie with Sylvester Stallone? Probably both.

Tonight's episode had too much going on. It was okay but not great. It seemed rushed and there was a lot to take in. Hopefully, the creators aren't running out of ideas since there's a chance the show will get a fourth season. What should happen to Chuck next season? What did you think of tonight?

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