Chuck vs. the Goodbye

In the end, all Charles Bartowski had to do to save the day, to save his friends, and to win back the girl he loves, was to be who he struggled to be all along... to be himself... to be Chuck.

In the two episodes, the two hours that served as the series finale last night, the audience relived the full gambit of emotions that Chuck took us through over five seasons. And while everything Casey, Morgan, Big Mike, Jeff and Lester, Alex, General Beckman, Mary Bartowski, Ellie, Captain Awesome and even baby Clara brought to the table satisfied our fondest memories of these characters, these two hours were about what Chuck was about all along... about a guy who fell in love with a girl the moment his eyes met her... and a girl who came to love a guy she never expected to fall for.

It was gut-wrenching watching Sarah be torn away from Chuck, stripped of her memory and consequently her love of him. It was agonizing as the climatic moments unfolded, and just like he did at the beginning of season 3, Chuck had to choose between being with Sarah and using his abilities, whether intersect-related or not, for a higher purpose. In both instances Chuck made the noble choice, and in both instances Sarah Walker fell harder for him as a result.

Through two hours of television we relived many of the adventures these characters have had over the course of five years in an artful and impactful way that shed new light to Chuck and Sarah's journey, especially their early years as his handler and her asset. Watching Sarah view her mission log and stepping inside her head as she fell in love with the Nerdherder who fell in love with her added a new dimension to their relationship, which hung in the balance.

I believe Morgan was right - that one magical kiss was all it would take to bring Sarah back to Chuck. Maybe that kiss didn't bring back all of Sarah's memories - maybe not instantaneously - but I believe it, along with the epic story of their love, brought Sarah back to Chuck and began the next chapter in their lives together. And with this chapter and all chapters after it, Josh Swartz, Chris Fedak and company have given control to us, Chuck's fans, to write the rest of the story for ourselves. It was a satisfying conclusion to what I have found to be the most satisfying show on television for five years.

In the end, I sat, I watched, and I was happy... just like Chuck.