Chuck’s (Zachary Levi) world starts to fall apart in this very emotional episode that serves as the penultimate story of the third season. Written by Ali Adler and Phil Klemmer from a story by Matthew Miller, Chuck Versus the Subway debuted on 24 May, 2010.

Shaw (Brandon Routh) is back, and he has an intersect in his brain. But has he been working as a double agent for the CIA all this time? That’s his story when Chuck, Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski), Casey (Adam Baldwin) and General Beckman (Bonita Friedericy) are pulled into a committee oversight meeting.

The team is separated but Chuck’s dad, Steve (Scott Bakula) breaks Chuck out and gives him a governor (a device that will control the neural impulses in his brain from the intersect and will also stop the inherent mental deterioration the device causes).

Casey reveals to Alex (Mekenna Melvin) that he’s her father, and should something happen to him to use a key he gives her at the BuyMore – she does with Morgan’s (Joshua Gomez) assistance.

Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) finally learns the truth about Chuck, and her father, but it all comes for nought, as Shaw executes Steve in front of Chuck while Ellie watches from the shadows.

It’s obvious that Shaw is up to no good, alongside Justin (Scott Holroyd) who was lying to Ellie, but it’s all blowing up in our heroes faces, and the spies are captured.

Despondent, and defeated, Chuck, Sarah and Casey are all thrown into a truck together, and under Shaw’s guidance, are driven away. But they’re being followed… Awesome (Ryan McPartlin), Morgan and Ellie are on their tale, and may be the spies’ only hope.

Chuck Versus the Ring: Part II was written by series creators Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz and had an original airdate of 24 May, 2010 airing back to back with the previous episode. Picking up where it left off, a rousing escape is performed, and everyone is reunited.

Chuck promises Ellie that as soon as he brings Shaw and the Ring down and put a stop to their plan to infiltrate American intelligence agencies, he’s out, and will no longer be a spy, and so begins a raucous episode that changes everything.

The intersect in Chuck’s head is slowly braking him down, but through a flashback, we learn something about his youth that provides an interesting reveal. But will it be enough for Chuck and the team to take down Shaw once and for all?

Everybody gets a moment to shine in this episode, and it looks like they are trying to wrap up a lot of story threads before going in a new direction. The BuyMore explodes, Chuck leaves the service, there’s the introduction of Casey’s daughter Alex, and the potential for a romantic spark between her and Morgan.

The thing I’m most happy about as the season ends… Ellie finally knows. That’s got to be a huge weight off of Chuck’s shoulders. But even as he intends to keep the promise he made to her, and be a normal guy, he receives a posthumous message from his father, a reveal of a new homebase (after all the one in the BuyMore just blew up) and the shocking discovery that his mother is still out there somewhere.

It’s a fantastic episode, a great way to end the season, if not the series (!) and sets up some cool arcs to play out in the stories ahead as I continue to explore Chuck!