I said I think way too much. Dear lord.

Yay snickrz! Glad to hear you joined in with the other swfg. As for the episode, I liked it. It was way over-hyped leading up to it and I agree I wouldn't rank it as one of the best of the series. Just a good, solid episode.

Personally I always wanted Ellie to be the one to find out Chuck's secret. But the way they handled it and had Morgan find out, I thought was great. Now I'm glad he's the one to know. It brings him back into the fold and reconnects his friendship with Chuck. It also ties the Buy More (love it or hate it) back into the show a bit more. I can see Morgan being like Chuck's "Alfred." I also think they're setting up Ellie for a different kind of reveal. I keep thinking about how many times Ellie has lied to Chuck over the years and his comment that she's "half a spy." Hmm...

Yes, I would have liked more Sarah in the episode but since she's currently tied to Shaw I'm glad "they" were on the back-burner. Could they look more uncomfortable standing together in that hotel room? Shaw/Routh doesn't bother me. I think I would be more bothered if they had actual chemistry. I found it harder to watch Chuck and Hannah since they were cute together.

Shaw/Routh is eye candy and I like to think that Sarah's lonely, heart broken and hitting that because she doesn't have to emotionally connect to him. Plus it's someone who can relate to what she's been through as a spy and she doesn't have to reveal much personal info about herself since he's read it all in her file. That is, except for her real name. To which, wouldn't that have been in the file anyway? Writer's slip up or Shaw manipulating her emotionally when he saw a chance? Douche. See? It's fun hating on Shaw lol

I think the way she pleaded for Shaw not to blow up Castle with Chuck still down there, and her saying "Do it for me" was an understanding between them about where her heart truly lies. I also think back to Shaw asking her how she was dealing with the Chuck/Hannah pairing in "Fake Name" was an indicator of this.

I loved that Sarah backed Chuck up about Morgan being loyal and that she was smiling at them as they left Castle. I don't know if she would have done that in previous seasons. Anyway, anyone who gets involved with Chuck should know Morgan comes as part of the deal. She knows it and not only accepts it but likes their friendship. That's cool.

At least it looks like ass-kicking Sarah is back next week. I still say Shaw is her kryptonite. I hope that this is an intentional underlying theme for her character this season and being teamed up with Chuck again is what she needs.

Finally I agree with ya girls that anticipation, expectation and over-hype by people who've seen episodes in advance are hurting my enjoyment this season. The advantage of being sick this weekend I watched 5 thru 9 back to back . The eps seem to flow together better that way. Nacho Sampler and Mask being the weakest for me, but on par with the average to sub-average Chuck episode. However, Mask may bug me the most out of any episode in the series.

PS I liked Jeffster performing "Fortunate Son." Yes it wasn't an 80s song but was a perfect fit for the revolution theme.

it was a great episode And yea it didn't have Sarah enough and I agree it didn't explain were Sarah mind is as relates to Shaw but the main focus was to be on Chuck and Morgan. I think it is a non-emotional relationship Sarah choosing to go back to her spy relationship because she is emotionally drained, her fear of losing Chuck to spy world is at a head and fact she convinced Hannah replaced her in his family was probably made her give up. Shaw played into her weakness. Interested see what the in common thing Sarah/Shaw have in common. Well enough on that

Chuck has an emotional outlet now that he believes she falling for Shaw and he can't really talk to them because his biggest beef...is them

The show has Sarah/Shaw so much together. provide more tension for Chuck period.

I think Chuck once again announced his love for Sarah that he was trying to move on from trying to convince himself he didn't love her anymore he didn't have the right he wasn't the hero she deserves. Once he was able to tell Morgan everything was a weight off his chest saying he loved her was like proclaiming to the world. Until now the only person who knew Chuck loved Sarah (besides Sarah) was his dad. Chuck hasn't omitted to Ellie, Devon but now Morgan knowing has been a big outlet.

I think the Ring saying uploaded disk information to headquarters was not what Shaw was referring to I think Shaw saying Ring had shut down communication prevented Ring from disclosing Castle location, which was what Sarah was asking about. I don't think Shaw aware Ring uploaded information and could be into a big surprise when he goes after them.

I think Shaw was suppose to be 6 episodes. When they extended season extra 6 I think they then chose to extend some things out which included Shaw staying till 3.13 (3.11 was suppose to be his last) Therefore haven't seen this "in common" between Sarah and Shaw. The reduced budget and need to film each episode in 7 days vrs 9 and 8 days for the 1st and 2nd seasons will probably have more choppy and plot whole feeling. I try to use this knowledge in my evaluations

Good comments from all of you. Thank you Nick for putting up with these crazy SW chicks. You deserve a cookie

"I like to think that Sarah's lonely, heart broken and hitting that because she doesn't have to emotionally connect to him"

I really like this perspective Laurie. And she couldn't have picked a better guy to be emotionless with. LOL Thanks for the comments and for listening!

Sorry Nick, I forgot to tell you, if you want your I think's, ums or uhs edited out it'll cost you. Cash only!

chuckster I am still confused about that whole uploading thing. The info on the discs was what Eve had gathered about the Ring, so why would the Ring need to upload it? Just to see what the CIA had found out about them? Why not just destroy them? And are we to believe that the CIA didn't already upload the info to their own headquarters? The spy stuff always makes my head hurt. Maybe a cookie will help.

Ok#1 how can an episode be epic with TREE stump in it aka a black hole of suckyness (i was laughing so hard when you said that Q i had to pause it cuz i couldnt here you guys )!! !! again great opinions and objections !! my opinion on 3x09 i was disappointed the whole this is an epic episode blah blah blah was really really intimidating i was all worked up ready for some good old action!! like you galls and guy said to be an epic episode it has to have all dynamics in it and it just didnt do it for me! there was maybe in total 5 min of SW and may i say why did sarah and tree have to be married on that mission ... i don't think that was needed at all .. like you can't check in to a hotel room if your not married /??/? anyway great podcast !! can't wait to hear speculations .>!

I’m going to ignore the Sarah stuff, since I think you guys covered that really well. Onward to my other problems. In S1&S2 one of the things I loved most about the show was that it didn't take itself too seriously. Sure, it definitely had drama and action, but even when it wasn't being comedic there was just a warm, tingling feeling of "fun" in most of the episodes. And because of that I could easily go along with the crazy missions and not ask very many questions about plot holes or anything else. Now in S3, especially the last batch of episodes, the show has taken on a different tone; it is much more of a dish of serious with a side of comedy. Like the showrunners said: it's like the growing part of a superhero story- which means emotions and issues are going to rear up that are not all sunshine and rainbows. But I have a problem that when a show starts to take itself seriously, I analyze it a lot more and expect different things out of it, even when I don't realize I'm doing it. And that's why I have a bit of an issue with Morgan finding out everything. In a serious spy show, the hero would realize just how much danger having others know "their secret" puts everyone in. Yet, no matter how many times things collide between his spy life and his real life that leave his friends and family in danger Chuck doesn't seem to understand. I was okay with that in S1&2 because Chuck was just a really adorable nerd who was naive about a lot of things, but with the stories and consequences they've been telling in S3 it bugs me more than I like that he still doesn't get it. Especially after the whole Hannah/museum thing.
The show has become a lot less fun for me. Maybe that was the purpose of TPTB and the tone's they've set. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy and love it and will still stay up ridiculously late every Monday to watch it and go to class on Tues with 2hrs of sleep, but I don't find myself on Tuesdays chomping at my nails anxiously awaiting next week’s episode anymore. [Not that I literally chomped all my fingernails off before :) ] Hopefully, after the whole season has aired I can go back and watch them all back-to-back and find that "fun" feeling again – though with BR there it may be tough.
Anyways, that was my biggest problem with the episode, though I did have some major issues with the inconsistencies you discussed – the Shaw/Sarah thing and the “I love her” bit, but I’ll save those for another day ;D Excellent as always, ladies!

Now you tell me Shari. What am I going to do with these seedy Girl Scout cookies now?

Well we might be able to work out a trade Nick. I'll probably be able to buy a new car with all the money I get from Kieu anyways.

Chuckbbsesd I totally agree. Sarah and Casey could have done that mission without Shaw. It was a pretty standard mission to risk being out in the open with the Ring trying to kill him.

Awesome DOES have Shaw's number. Loved the podcast ladies and gent. Very astute comments. And we better see Sarah Walker's mojo back next week or else!

Creature Fear I do have to agree with you. It's taken me longer to process what I think about episodes this season. S3 isn't as pure instant fun as s1 or 2. I still love it, but this show was like crack those seasons. Now I feel like an addict who can't reach that same high anymore.

Schwedak seems to be into viewing "Chuck" as a superhero saga, which, eh, not a fan of that concept. But it's their show. Chuck had to go through some dark stuff to become part of the spy world but I hope this season lightens up once his transition is complete. Looks like we're reaching that point now.

This show tends to repeat certain things over and over. How many times did someone have to tell Chuck that Sarah was into him and he still didn't believe it? How many times do we have to hear Ellie say "When did we start keeping secrets from each other?" Chuck's has never hidden his feelings for Sarah, so him admitting he loves her openly seems repetitive.

I tend to be far more forgiving of plot holes and discrepancies than most so when I notice them on a show they have to be gaping. Massively gaping. This season they are. Thought they did a better job of covering their bases before. Doesn't help that I can't figure out what the hell The Ring wants and why they should be feared.

I think way too much about this show...

Shari I think at this point in time The Ring is composed of independent cells each with a piece of the puzzle but not one cell knows enough of the whole picture to cause major damage if destroyed. There is probably some board of director kind of people who know the whole story but I think these guys job was to find out what information Shaw has gathered over the last 5 years and find out just how much of the picture Shaw /CIA knows. They seem to use independent contractors, Mob connections and agent black mail to force actions from people. Therefore the stay mysterious because they don't have a Langley type headquarters. They will no doubt have International ties and like Fulcrum have people in all areas of life working for them. What I find interesting they have similar gadgets as NSA/CIA but unlike them TB has a hard time cracking their defenses after they have cracked theirs. Intersect 2.0 step up and make a difference.