The Fake Name in this episode is Rafe Gruber, the assassin that Chuck takes the persona of as he goes undercover to accept an assassination contract.  To complicate matters, he needs to finish the job before 5pm so he can cook dinner for Hannah, Ellie, and Awesome to properly introduce his new girlfriend to his family.  **Spoiler Warning**

Great to see Pauly Walnuts and Skip Lipari (the FBI handler) from the Sopranos as the wiseguys set to hire the assassin.  But I was waiting for Chuck to ask Casey “Is it safe?” before  pulling out Casey’s tooth to cover their charade, and disappointed that he didn’t.

I love how Casey is starting to show respect for Chuck and his successes.  Also loved that Casey proved he was just as good as the assassin who was one of five in the world that could make a half-mile kill shot.  I liked how Sarah is continuing to be conflicted about how Chuck is being used, because the fact that he is becoming a better spy means he is becoming less the Chuck that she can’t admit to herself that she loves.

I both hated and loved the ending.  ”I hope that your lies keep you warm at night.”  Ouch.  I rather liked the Chuck-Hannah pairing (despite the non chuck-Sarah pairing) and while I’m disappointed that storyline seems to be over, it showed a maturity on Chuck’s part to both end the relationship before it got too serious, and to realize that he wasn’t going to be able to give Hannah what he thought she deserved.

Two interesting things to ponder going forward:  what is Sarah’s angle with Shaw?  She doesn’t seem to *really* be falling for him, and the revelation about her “real” name being Sam seemed forced and insincere.  Does she suspect that he’s a mole of some sort, or is something else going on?  Second, Casey seemed insistent not to reveal anything to Chuck about Alex Coburn, an apparent alias of his from the past that Chuck flashed on, a “hot shot sniper” that one of the mobsters served with.  What’s that about, and why is he so secretive about it with Chuck?

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1. Chuck Episode Recap – Chuck vs. the Final Exam
2. Better Off Ted Likely Cancelled, Community and Chuck Likely to Return
3. What’s on TV Tonight 3-22-2010