Contributor: Henry T.
Written by Rafe Judkins and Lauren LeFranc
Directed by Matt Barber
When the plot of a show involves a baby these days, I usually cringe. This baby involves only Sarah and not Chuck so there’s even less to be invested in with regard to emotional stakes. I expected more development in the story department there. The one thing that was deepened was Sarah’s past with Ryker, her old handler, and demonstrated some things about Sarah’s personality before she took on her last big mission as a spy. The other subplot in the episode involved Morgan and his awkward attempt to win back Alex. The sweet ending was expected, yet worked well to cap off the episode so the show can move on to other things.
Sarah and Chuck have been a team for a long time. So they should know each other’s rhythms and patterns of behavior by now. Sarah should know that keeping secrets from Chuck is a bad idea since it will feed into his various neuroses. This also marks the second consecutive episode where Sarah is kidnapped, tied up, and beaten, which does make it seem repetitive and lazy. The revelations of Sarah’s past need to be sewn up before she can move on with her future. That is discussed at length with Chuck, mostly at the end of the episode.
The secret didn’t even feel that big to me. It’s a baby Sarah finds in the aftermath of a killing rampage mission. It’s not even connected to Sarah, except that she wants to keep her away from her evil handler. That would seem to be the reason as to why the Sarah-centric plot felt so lightweight. We’ve never met Ryker nor heard any mention of him before so it’s hard to get attached to what happens within the episode. By and large, Sarah’s mother also seems normal compared to what we know about Sarah’s grifter of a father. Since Sarah was with her father for much of her life, it would make sense that the little baby end up with a normal life raised by her mother. She’s still so used to being alone, even as she got married to someone who loves her wholeheartedly, that it’s a surprise to her that Chuck and Casey help with the kicking butt.
The end, with her mother and “sister” safe from any danger, means that she can move on with her life being married to Chuck and perhaps leaving the CIA. Chuck’s obsession about what her secret might be played like something we’ve seen throughout the series so there’s nothing new there. He does move past it by the end and all signs indicate that they will get their “happily-ever-after” ending by the time the series finale comes around.
While Sarah and Chuck (and Casey) worked out their issues on the spy front, Ellie and Captain Awesome were stuck in Castle with Morgan and Alex. It all, unfortunately, felt awkward. Maybe that was the purpose from the writers and director. Chuck makes a big deal out of Ellie and Awesome seeing more of Castle than they have before, yet it was all treated very casually.
Castle has never been the most secure CIA base ever depicted, but I found it odd that they would let civilians handle any weaponry just to act out their spy fantasies. Luckily, that gave way to the larger purpose of getting Alex to forgive Morgan and get back together with him. It was very sweet to have Ellie and Awesome explain how they got together after breaking up for a little while, foreshadowing Alex and Morgan’s eventual reunion at the end. That was the show with its good heart firmly on its sleeve.
The Christmas episode before this one felt like the conclusion of this big arc that played throughout this final season so far. It’s unfair to have this episode follow that one. It didn’t help that the previous episode needed to tease out the story for this episode, furthering the letdown expectation I had for it. It was a one-off storyline that was centered on Sarah’s past, something that I feel has been adequately explored throughout the series, so it can be argued this episode was unnecessary. Very little was developed on the character front here. All of them are now set in their ways and the show can move on to other things in preparation for the series finale that is quickly coming. I can only hope everyone delivers on whatever they promise in the episodes that are left.
Grade: 6/10