Wow, talk about a doozy of an ending to lead up to what I'm sure will be an epic two-hour season finale next week. But we'll get there. Read on...

Chuck's been keeping the Shaw dream a secret, but thanks to Sarah's intimidation skills, she gets Morgan to crack. But other matters are more pressing as Chuck spots his dad inside the Buy More.

Chuck's right to be worried since his dad thinks he quit the CIA for good. He hugs his old man, and Papa Bartowski says that he's there because Ellie contacted him (thanks to a well-coded classified ad). However, he wanted to check and see if Chuck was okay. Chuck assures him that the Intersect isn't in his head, and that he's no longer a spy. Liar, liar, pants on fire. 

Later, Ellie arrives with Justin at the "CIA offices". He makes a fitting comment about nothing being what it seems and continues to string Ellie along about protecting her father.

At Castle, Casey conceives a plan to revisit the places Sarah went with Shaw. Things we learn: Shaw's into food and wine, couple's massages, and buying (not just browsing) at Tiffany's. More importantly, however, it's revealed (through a Chuck flash) that Shaw's penthouse bachelor pad contains a TR-15 safe. 

That night, Chuck and Sarah break into Shaw's apartment. With special x-ray specs, they discover the safe behind a frame. But before they can try to crack the safe's password, someone's at the door. They duck into a closet and watch the man take a briefcase out of the safe. Chuck's sneaker squeaks, outing their location, and the man shoots at the closet as he runs out.

Chuck and Sarah chase the man to the roof. He jumps to the adjacent building, and Chuck aims to follow him to figure out what Shaw wants. With a flash, he jumps and grabs onto the ledge only to see Justin instead of Shaw. He confirms that Shaw's dead as he tries to step on Chuck's fingers. Sarah shoots at Justin who runs off, and just as Chuck's grip is slipping, his father helps him up.

Rightfully, Mr. Bartowski wants to know the truth, but Chuck sticks to his story: that he works as an analyst and sometimes does field missions. 

As for the briefcase, inside is a lockbox that holds Shaw's last will and testament -- including all the information the CIA has on the Ring. However, this prompts Mr. B to argue that any mission could be a spy's last. It's a bad business, and he doesn't want his family to have any part in it.

At Chuck's pad, his dad questions why the CIA would let Chuck go on missions without the Intersect. To prove his point, he throws a knife at Chuck's face which, after flashing, Chuck catches between his hands. He's shocked that his dad would do that, but Mr. B claims that he's never wrong. 

He then explains that the Intersect can have a negative effect on the brain. (See: last week's episode.) Chuck defends his download of the Intersect 2.0, but Mr. B runs out claiming that he can't stay there and watch his son die.

With Sarah's locating savvy, they arrive at Mr. B's log cabin so Chuck can explain himself. Unfortunately, the Ring is already there thanks to the tracer Ellie attached on Mr. B's jacket earlier.

After Chuck knocks on the door, he's taken inside. The men ask where "the Governor" is (hint: it's the watch!), but Mr. B won't budge. Meanwhile, Chuck tells him that he downloaded the Intersect because he wants to help people. To show him what he means, Chuck flashes, breaks out of the restraints, and fights the Ring cronies (with help from Sarah). 

Eventually, Mr. B makes peace with his son. He tells Chuck "the Governor" governs the Intersect from overheating. Left uncontrolled, the surge of electrical energy released by a flash can lead to dementia, insanity, and even death so he created a watch to control the Intersect's power. Thankfully, it works for Intersect 2.0, and his father promises to create a similar device for him. If Chuck wants to be a spy, he's going to do everything he can to help him become the man he wants to be.

Meanwhile, Ellie catches Casey in her apartment, and after decking him with a frying pan, she's escorted by Justin to the "CIA offices". He locks her inside as he talks to someone on the phone about something needing to happen now.

As Chuck writes his spy will ("it could be the thing I never saw coming, but I know it's coming"), we watch a tall, leather-clad figure that an ID confirms as Shaw. And not only that, but he's downloading the Intersect!

Reasons to wish Devon was your husband: He pops a towel in the dryer so it's warm after your shower, he'll cook you a Belgian waffle or a goat cheese omelet, he gives daily foot rubs, he'll bike to the farmer's market to make you a smoothie with blueberries (or whatever's in season), and after a lavender bath, he'll spend 20 minutes watching you sleep. As Morgan says, "If he'd have me, I'd let him."

Jeffster or Jeff?: Lester's against the man ("Art: good. Commercialism: bad, evil, weird... chubby."), but Jeff thinks having a manager means having respect. So they part ways. Lester takes his -'ster, and Jeff embarks on his solo career with a heavy dose of autotune. Ultimately, Big Mike convinces Lester to go back to Jeff because he's the -'ster that stirs the drink. Also great? BM's revelation that he was part of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Rain! Classic.