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A few weeks back, upon Chuck's return to the small screen for its third season, I expressed a great deal of disappointment in the direction the show had taken. At the end of the second season, the writers had stirred up the pot, downloaded Chuck with an Intersect upgrade, and I thought all bets would be off for season three. I really didn't care for the third season premiere, which seemed to return all of the pieces back to their familiar roles, the details being slightly different, but the overall structure remaining as formulaic as ever. I'm back, happy to report that maybe I was being a bit quick to judge.

Perhaps I was not being fair. Chuck is a pretty lighthearted show. Yet here I was, looking for Galactica-like gravitas from it. That's not to say that Chuck shouldn't have high stakes; of course it should in order for it to work. But Chuck is comedy, or at least semi-comedic. There's an episode in the third season that ends with the cliffhanger of The Ring kidnapping Awesome. For a second, I thought they were implying that they had killed him. I was at once impressed and put off, impressed that such a safe show had taken such a bold step, and put off because the death of a regular didn't seem to have a place in a show of this ilk.

Of course I realized right away that Awesome would live to fight another day. I also realized that I had been spoiled by the likes of Buffy, Galactica and Lost. These shows do play for keeps and it's a part of what I love about them. It's an unfair standard to hold all shows to, however. Chuck can't be as aggressive with its storytelling because, at heart, it's a parody. An affectionate parody, in fact, and too much sturm und drang would betray that spirit.

At the same time, this doesn't eliminate the fact that, if played too safe, there would be no stakes. Chuck may be a parody, but it's a parody of the spy genre and, if the formula remains too stagnant, too repetitive, the show will lose its edge, its bite. Again, I was quick to judge. Chuck remains true to the show it has always been, but the writers seem eager to play within the formula, making each episode seem somewhat unique unto itself. They're avoiding the redundancy of such shows as House or Law and Order, which rarely stray from their prescribed storylines.

In addition, there is some actual character development going on. We're not talking the major changes a Whedon character might experience; no, that's too much for a show like Chuck. These changes are far subtler. Awesome, for example, is looking less and less awesome under the pressure of sharing Chuck's secret. Casey is developing a grudging respect for Chuck's growing spy skills as we learn more about his past. Chuck himself is finding that his warm heart is cooling rapidly as he becomes more and more the efficient spy he never thought he'd be. Even Morgan, my least favorite character, is finding the leadership abilities within his slackerness.

I'm certain at this point, that Chuck will never be the challenging, risky narrative that other mythology shows are, but I've come to terms with that. Chuck has a different sensibility than that. As long as the writers keep showing the wit that they have been, continue to tweak the formula and let the characters evolve as they do, I think I'm on board. As the show looks good for another season renewal or two, I'm good with that.