Chuck: Season 3 review (DVD) ★★★½

The difficult younger sibling of Season 2, Season 3 eventually pulls a rabbit out of the hat. Season 2 saw Chuck Bartowski (Levi) settle into his life as a CIA/NSA spy, his brain continuing to play host to database full of all of the intelligence the US has, The Intersect. He still works at the Buy More, fixes computers, and keeps his pal Morgan Grimes (Gomez) out of trouble. His on/off CIA "girlfriend" Sarah Walker (Strahovski) and NSA neighbour John Casey (Baldwin) still pull his ass out of the fire. Occasionally, Chuck saves the day, but his motivation throughout the series is to get rid of the Intersect and go back to his old, normal life.

At the end of S2, Chuck finds himself cornered, only able to save his sister Eliie (Lancaster) by downloading the new improved Intersect into his brain. At the beginning of S3 Chuck is faced with another, but much more fundamental, dilemma: Does he really want to be a spy? Saying no to the spy life would mean he'd be able to finally have a proper relationship with Sarah, but can he bring himself to sacrifice his secret career? When General Beckman (Friedericy) offers Chuck proper spy training, he finds he can't turn her down, despite Sarah.

Although the Intersect has a physical factor – Chuck can now do kung fu, for example – it is his emotions he must master. His feelings for Sarah interfere with the functioning of the Intersect, but if he can eradicate his emotions, he will also irrevocably alienate the woman he loves. After all, it was his gentleness and empathy that Sarah fell for in the first place. Can Chuck become a superspy and stay true to himself?

A victim of American late night TV schedule wars, Chuck 2 faced cancellation mid-series but was saved by campaigning fans and Subway. In fear that the end of S2 would be the end of Chuck, the writers tied up almost all the plot threads and character arcs with a neat little bow. Like Matrix 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Chuck 3 suffers from the tidy way that its predecessor was despatched. Neatly closed arcs needed reopening, a new set of plots and subplots had to be found, and the characters needed new – and meaningful – problems to chew on. The first few episodes of Season 3 reflect just how difficult this transition was to achieve: you can't just plop characters down in a new situation with a new dilemma, you have to make them work to get there.

Once the season got to grips with its new identity, though, it thoroughly rewards the faithful. Levi excels as Chuck, the polished action sequences and kung fu fights reflecting Levi's ability to be both the bumbling, clumsy Chuck and the Intersect-enhanced martial arts master Chuck, often in the same scene. Delightfully, Baldwin's Casey, who started in Season 1 as a bit of a hard-nosed, grunting oaf, turns out to more hidden depths than the Mariana Trench. Watching Baldwin reveal Casey's weaknesses, emotions and sense of humour is one of the best parts of the series.

Season 3 also sees the introduction of a new regular character. Daniel Shaw (Routh) takes over the leadership of Team Bartowski, threatening to derail the delicate team dynamic and, worse, steal Sarah from under Chuck's nose. Loyalties are tested, sometimes to breaking point, and questions are asked as to whether all are who they say they are. The development of Chuck's relationship with his father, Steven Bartowski (the suitably bonkers Bakula), and the impact this has on his sister, is one of the stronger subplots. Indeed, as Chuck's spy career develops, it expands to envelop many of the people around him, causing complications and the opportunity for farcical misunderstandings.

But sometimes the pacing feels forced. The father-son relationship, for example, could have been explored in more depth, but we're given few opportunities to enjoy the moment as the action barrels forward. Part of this may be because Season 3 was initially renewed for only 13 episodes, with another six tacked on later. One has to wonder if, threatened by the ever-present possibility of cancellation, the Chuck team felt they had to amp up the action to satisfy impatient studio execs. That's a shame, because Chuck is at its best when the characters have room to breathe.

Despite a shaky start, Chuck 3 does eventually hit its stride, with strong characterisation, good plotting and some fascinating twists. If you're willing to give it a leg up for the first three episodes, the rest of the season will provide a highly enjoyable ride.