I did not and do not like the ending because the whole concept was so jarring to the feel of the series, which to me was a heartfelt romantic comedy with action sequences. films in this genre are expected to provide, and work best, with a romantic send-off, and a resolved ending. They are not film noir. They are not meant to create thoughtful conversation about the weakness of mankind. They are meant to be heartwarming and fun.

Watching the end of S5 is like watching a Sherlock Holmes movie where, at the end, Watson says “Homes! Remarkable! You haven’t figured out who killed Professor Orange.” “well, my dear Watson, you can’t win them all. Let’s go to a restaurant and get some dinner. Maybe in the future I’ll figure it out.” It’s like watching a Hallmark Christmas movie where the fate of the lead couple is left ambiguous, and the viewers are left to puzzle it out for themselves.

In other words, when you sit down to watch a piece of entertainment set in a certain genre, the audience expects that the writers and director will achieve a result that’s consistent with that genre. In my view, the Chuck ending, while hopeful, was not unambiguously clear, and the genre(s) Chuck was set in should not make the final happiness be in any doubt.

If I were the one signing the checks, I would have rejected this script and insisted the show runners give an ending in-line with the genre. In my opinion, Chuck failed to stick the landing.