I Know Kung-Fu: The Season Two Finale of Chuck Goes Out with a Bang

If that is the last we see of Chuck, well then I'm pretty happy. The season (and possibly series) finale was a fitting cap to what had become the mythical "perfect season." Chuck's second season can now safely join Lost (S1), The O.C. (S1), Mad Men (S1) and Ricky Gervais' Office (the whole thing) on that great DVD shelf in the sky--these are the seasons of love; the seasons that accomplish exactly what they set out to do, without straying from their established goal.

Nothing in the season finale of Chuck was especially surprising: of course, Chuck (Zachary Levi, blissfully disarming) would have to return to the life of spy; of course, his perfect union with Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski, crazyhot and perfectly unattainably attainable) would get momentarily derailed; of course, guest-star Chevy Chase would have to be disposed of (getting shot in the heart seemed very anticlimactic, since Mr. Chase's Ted Roark was the kind of colossal dick that one-time funnyman should be playing more often as he gets older); and, of course, Chuck would save the world and his sister's wedding (if one thing is clear, it's that Chuck's charms can solve issues both large and small). But despite the met expectations of each plot machination, the impact of Chuck's finale wasn't diminished one iota.

To wit: the entire arc of Chuck was about growing up. As a character, Chuck was a stunted man-child, so comfortable in his job at BuyMore that he could have been an extra in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. And while the humor has come from the fact that each mission is an extended "fish-out-of-water" opportunity for Chuck to hem and haw and save the day amid all the cloak and dagger spies by doing something accidental or unorthodox, the core of the series is about Charles Bartowski becoming a man.

And in the finale, that's exactly what happened. Chuck finally manned up. He embraced his heroism, embraced his feelings for Sarah and took responsibility for his life by quitting his dead end crapola job. That the season ended with Chuck going all Neo-in-The Matrix was both cutesy and perfect. (If you didn't laugh-out-loud when Chuck said "I know kung fu", I don't know what to tell you; that's the best season ending line of dialogue since Bearded Jack bellowed "we have to go back!!!!" at the end of season three of L O S T.) The Matrix, before the sequels got all bogged down with their various Christ allegories, was about a man waking up to the realities of his world and doing something about his situation. At the end of this season, Chuck has finally done that.

Sure Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz cheekily ended the episode with a Back to the Future-esque "To Be Continued...", but that seems irrelevant. I can imagine Chuck's adventures as a spy--his budding relationship with Sarah and his perfectly timed wisecracks--without having to see them. In the end, we all know where this series is going: Chuck and Sarah will ride off into the sunset as lovers and spies--a nerd version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Granted, more than likely, that will end up being a fun ride. But if we don't get to see further seasons, then so be it. Chuck has left behind a perfect season, and that's enough for me.