Corpvandolay here with this week's recap of Chuck.  As we approach the end of the second season, these stories are increasingly "mythology-based", building upon the storylines from previous episodes.  If you've missed any of the last few episodes, I recommend catching up before you proceed. You can find those recaps here. Now, on with the show...

Who Guest Stars?
Well, this week we see the return of Chuck’s now-evil former girlfriend, played by Jordana Brewster. Now, is it any coincidence that the new Fast and Furious movie just opened in theatres? No? Didn’t this so. Anyhow, she is back, showcasing her nerdy hotness. To help balance the beauty out, we have Ken Davitian stopping by as Jill’s Uncle Bernie – a FULCRUM assassin.




Who Stars This Week?









What does DirecTV Say?
After Chuck’s father is kidnapped, Chuck is forced to turn to his ex-girlfriend Jill Roberts for help; Buy More employees try to sabotage Emmett’s evaluation.

What Is It Really About?
Buy More. Sarah comes in, delivering Chuck the latest flavor from the Orange Orange: Obama Guava. He is a bit pre-occupied though. He is worried about finding his dad, but doesn’t trust that the CIA is truly doing all they can to find him. He is the only one who can get the Intersect out.

Cut to Emmett talking to the assembled staff of the Buy More. It seems that he is going to be getting reviewed by the big boys at Buy More HQ.  Everyone must be on their best behavior while the reviewer is in the store.  As he continues, Casey comes up to Chuck – there’s an update on Orion and they need to go to HQ.

In the media room, Morgan rallies the employees to help and sabotage Emmett’s review. They will reign chaos on the store, ensuring that Emmett’s review is a disaster. However, unbeknownst to them, Emmett is watching the meeting via a webcam.  He smiles as he hears their plan. The game is afoot!

HQ. The General’s update is that they have no news on Chuck’s father’s whereabouts.  What?! This is unacceptable to Chuck. Given what he has had to endure over the past year, he cannot believe that this is the best the CIA can muster.  So, he decides to take matters into his own hands and get a FULCRUM agent to talk.  He turns to Jill, his ex-girlfriend who is locked up in a CIA prison.

The CIA prison, Chuck is talking to Jill. He fills Jill in on the details – FULCRUM is holding Chuck’s dad, forcing him to build the new Intersect.  Casey and Sarah observe this discussion over the monitors.  In order to secure her cooperation, Chuck makes a deal with her. She can go free if they find his dad. Unfortunately, this is all a lie just to get her to help.

Buy More. The place is chaos. Anna gives Morgan a note from Emmett, calling him to the stockroom. Morgan goes to meet him. It seems Emmett is there to make a deal with Morgan – if he gets the employees to behave, corporate will promote Emmett out of the store. This way, everyone will get what they want – Emmett a promotion and the Buy More employees will be rid of Emmett.

HQ. Jill tells Chuck that there is someone who might know where his dad is being held – Uncle Bernie.  He might know where Chuck’s dad is being held.  Uncle Bernie? We don’t recal ever hearing of an Uncle Bernie before.  Well, because his isn’t a real uncle.  He is her dad’s best friend; the man who recruited Jill into FULCRUM.  Unfortunately, he is guarded almost 24-hours a day.  The only time he gets away from his bodyguards is at family functions, but there are none of those coming up soon.  I guess, a family function will just have to be made…

At Jill’s parent’s house, Chuck and Jill are engaged! They are at her parent’s house making the announcement to everyone. Sarah and Casey are outside in the van, listening to all the well-wishes and congratulations.  Jill and Chuck were always such a great match! Sure enough, Uncle Bernie, codename: The Carnivore, stops by for the announcement. He congratulation the couple, as Jill’s dad imparts the sage advice that the key to a good marriage is trust.  Your spouse must be the only person you rely upon; the one who will never betray you. Bernie asks to speak to the couple in private.  As he takes them to another room, Jill’s dad ruminates about the fact that Uncle Bernie didn’t like Jill’s last boyfriend and, funny, that’s the last they ever saw of him.

Uncle Bernie, Jill and Chuck are alone and confide with Uncle Bernie about the need to find Orion. Uncle Bernie isn’t going to be very helpful and decides to pull a gun. Unfortunately for him, Jill’s mom interrupts, telling them dinner is ready. Chuck and Jill take advantage of the opportune distraction and run. They flee, eventually going upstairs. Casey and Sarah know he is in trouble, and go into the gathering as Chuck’s cousin and her boyfriend.  Quite the beauty and the beast; Casey must be loaded! LOL. In the attic, Uncle Bernie corners the couple.  Time to die.  Chuck cowers into “the Morgan”, which is a position whereby you cover your head and genitals – the important areas. Just as he is going to kill them, Bernie dies of a heart attack. Chuck’s first confirmed kill!

Chuck, Jill and the others get the body out of the house, passing him off as being passed out. Jill takes a moment to say goodbye as they head off.

Buy More.  Jeff and Lester are dressed in suits, behind the Nerd Herd desk. They are trying to impress the corporate evaluator.  Emmitt comes by with the evaluator; Jeff, Lester and Morgan all heap praise upon Emmett. My gosh, I think all of this false praise made me puke a little in my mouth.

HQ. Sarah tells Chuck that they are taking Jill back to prison.  The mission was a bust and all she did was put people into more danger.  Chuck asks Sarah to trust him – he needs Jill to help him get his father. She says no and leaves.  Morgan calls ands asks Chuck’s advice on something – what do you do if the person you trust the least is the one who can help you the most? (Coincidence here, huh?!) Chuck says that you have to just go for it.  He then goes to Jill in the holding cell and they share a few words.  Jill then aks Chuck, rhetorically, that they were never going to let her go, where they? Ever if they found his dad. (You are rioght on there, sister!)  The CIA, FULCRUM – they are all the same; they all lie.  They’ll lie to Chuck too, she says. She then warns him to watch his back.

Buy More. Now that the evaluator is gone, Morgan asks Emmett when he is going to go.  Not so fast – Big Mike must say nice things about him. He gives Morgan a small recorder to get Mike to say nice things about Emmett. To get Mike to talk to morgan, just grease his wheels a bit.  What is his weakness? Morgan then shows up with a Subway footland to try and get Mike to talk.  Think of him as family.

HQ. Casey and Sarah have Jill in chains and are going to move her.  Suddenly, a cell phone is going off.  It’s Bernie’s.  FULCRUM is moving Chuck’s dad. They are moving Chuck’s dad. They trace the call to an office building run by FULCRUM. Jill knows the building and it’s layout – take her and she can help get them inside.

The office building. It is crawling with FULCRUM agents. They sign in – they tell the desk that they are here for auditing.  They get into the building and proceed upstairs. Chuck’s dad is on the 8th floor. Before they can go into the lab, a FULCRUM guy comes along and asks what they are doing here.  The audit.  Well, they are on the wrong floor.  He then leads them down to the testing room.

Testing. Chuck and Casey are there – they are going to have to take the test. It opens with a FULCRUM propaganda video, extolling how great FULCRUM is at protecting America.  They then take the test, using interactive computer screens embedded in the desks. As they test on the screens, FULCRUM agents are viewing them – the screens have cameras in them. They run their identities: they know Casey is NSA and that Chuck is Orion’s son.  Their cover is blown!

Buy More. The evaluator is impressed – everyone seems to like Emmett. However, he needs to interview Big Mike. Emmett produces a recording, with Big Mike saying kind things about Emmett.  Things run so smooth with him that he’s going to take off and go fishing. The evaluator is stunned: Big Mike is off fishing?!  The evaluator is really there to evaluate Big Mike’s performance and he is off fishing? Well, it seems that Emmett does a masterful job, so the evaluator gives Emmett Mike’s job as Store Manager.

Testing.  The teacher comes and gets Chuck – he did so well that the head of recruiting wants to see him.  However, Casey scored too low – he didn’t make the cut. They take Casey off. However, before they can dispose of Casey, he subdues the guards and escapes.

Sarah and Jill go into the facility through the back door. Unfortunately, the alarm goes off. Security breach! All of the employees are packing.  This isn’t good. Gun fight ensues

Chuck is in the Director’s office. They know he is Orion’s son. The alarm – security breach.  The Director leaves, but tells the guards that if Chuck tries to escape, kill him. He won’t try and escape – Scout’s honor.  Outside the window, a window washer’s platform descends into view. The window washer is Casey – with his shotgun. He blasts the two guards through the window – you go Casey! Casey then goes to get Sarah and provide back-up – Chuck needs to stay in the office and use the computer to find his dad.

In the gun battle melee Jill and Sarah are separated. She hears that Orion is being moved to Black Rock.

The director comes back and finds Chuck. While Chuck’s dad is too valuable to kill, Chuck is not. He pulls the gun and approaches. Chuck deploys the Morgan move, the director slips and he goes out the window. What is it with that move? Jill finds Chuck and tghey go to find Chuck’s dad. Casey gets to Sarah, killing the teacher who flunked him along the way.

Jill and Chuck get to the lab, but his dad is gone. Jill tells him of Black Rock – Chuck flashes and knows exactly what Black Rock is and where. He then frees her of the tracking device. There was no deal, but he is upholding his end because he doesn’t want this whole Intersect thing to change him.  He gives her the ring to help with expenses since she’ll be all alone – it’s worth a lot.  She asks if he is sure Chuck can trust the CIA and NSA.  He tells her to go.

Buy More. Emmett gives Big Mike a regular store employee shirt. The Godfather music plays.  Big Mike grabs Morgan and kisses him, Freido style.  Yes, it is the Godfather, Part II. He knows it was him. He broke his heart. As Morgan leaves, Big Mike tells everyone that nothing happens to him as long as he and Morgan’s mom are dating.

The General is shutting down the program. They are taking Chuck to a secure location and shutting down the program.  Sarah is ordered to take the trust Chuck has in her and lure him to the HQ by lying to him.  She is reluctant, but goes a head and does it.  After telling Chuck the lie, Chuck then apologizes to Sarah – he was doubting that he could trust her.  She always has his best interests at heart. Sarah hears this and leans in – telling Chuck the truth.  It’s all a lie.  Take off the watch – they need to run.

Sarah and Chuck are in her car, on the run

What are Casey and Sarah’s Covers?
Sarah is back to being the yogurt girl.  Casey is a FULCRUM recruit, and apparently a bad one at that. They also pass themselves off as a couple when they go to Jill’s house. And finally, Casey does a brief bit as a window washer – one that packs some serious heat!

Is Awesome in This Episode?
Nope, not a peep.  But, don’t fear. As the wedding will be in the season capper, I am sure we’ll get more of him soon.




And How Does Sarah Dress? Lingerie?
Nope. She is straight up covered in this episode. Why, I ask you?! WHY?!?!

Does Casey get Shot, Poisoned, or Otherwise Injured?
He gets into a scuffle and gunplay.  However, he is dishing out the hurt as opposed to receiving it in this episode.  It’s quite a refreshing change of pace.

What’s the State of the Chuck / Sarah Romance?
Hopeful. For most of the episode, they are still cool, not entirely trusting each other or being true to themselves.  However, by the end, they are together, on the run.  I mean, now all they have is each other.  All of the time together bodes very well for some movement in their romance! ;-)



Where is FULCRUM?
All over the place. I mean, most of the episode is spent with a FULCRUM agent of one kind or another.  Plus, we do go to a FULCRUM training and recruitment facility, causing all sorts of havoc.

And the status of a new Intersect?
Orion is working on it, albeit offscreen.

Quote of the Week
"Congratulations, Bartowski, you’ve now qualified for conjugal visits." Casey to Chuck, as Sarah listens.

Chuck 2.20 "Chuck versus the First Kill" Recap

Corpvandolay here and we are back with a new recap of the latest episode of Chuck.  Things in the Chuck-verse are a little uneasy, as we do not know if there is a third season yet.  Regardless, the writers and producers (as in everyone who has a hand in making the show, not just those holding said title) are giving us some top-notch shows to help round out the season.  The mythology of the show is ramping up, giving the last episodes a good engine to propel the story.  But, enough oabout that, on with the show...

Who Guest Stars?
Well, Chuck is getting some good guest stars this season.  And this week sees two biggies.  First up is SNL alum Chevy Chase.  Chevy is playing the Steve Jobs-ish head of a computer technology company.  Second is Quantum Leap star, Scott Bakula. Scott returns to his old NBC stomping grounds as Chuck’s deadbeat dad.  And finally, in the third act, look for a mystery guest star (who just won’t stay dead!) to pop up.

Who Stars This Week?









What does DirecTV Say?
Chuck is thrilled when he lands his dream job and finds his long-absent father, but things don’t turn out to be what he expected

What Is It Really About?
Chuck and Sarah in his dad’s Airstream trailer. Chuck is very nervous as his dad makes them coffee. Last time he saw his dad, he was a bit crazy.  His dad hands them coffee and smiles -- it’s good to see Chuck again.  He asks about what has been going on with Chuck.  He is very proud of him -- he was always very smart. And Ellie? She’s getting married in a few weeks to an awesome guy. Married, huh?

Yep. In fact, Ellie was hoping that he’d be there to walk her down the aisle.  However, Chuck’s dad says that he can’t be there.  Chuck blows up -- no, he can do it. Chuck has seen what he can’t do!  Chuck apologizes, but his dad understands -- he left them. But he’s happy that Chuck would be up here fighting for Ellie. He agrees and goes to get his stuff.  Chuck is relived. Things are good. Maybe his dad isn’t as crazy as he remembers.  No so fast!  His dad comes back with his stuff, ready to go.  He then pauses and looks out the window.  Maybe they should wait until dark.  People are tracking is every move.  Hmm...maybe he is still crazy!

Credits roll.

Chuck’s house. Ellie and Captain Awesome are looking at wedding colors, when Chuck comes in with his dad.  Ellie is in shock.  “Pancakes” is all she can say.  He dad says he was going to make pancakes.  She then goes to her room.  In her room, Chuck and Ellie talk about dad. They are mad at there dad, but this could be their last chance at being a family again.  Ellie smiles -- let’s go.

In the living room, Awesome, Chuck, Dad and Ellie are sitting around in uncomfortable science. It’s broken His dad went to school with Ted Roark or Roark technologies

Chuck flashes on Roark Instruments.  Ted Roark’s latest software, Rios, may contain a virus that will wreak havok on machines throughout the world.  Chuck is being sent in to Roark as an undercover operative to get a job with Roark.  What’s his cover? Himself! He is perfectly qualified to get a job on his own.

At Roark, Chuck is blown away by being there. It is truly his dream job. He walks into the interview room -- there is a young guy there (class of 2007) who is interviewing him.  2007? Man! So, where has Chuck been since he graduated?  Chuck hems and haws, but admits -- he’s been working at Buy More.

The Buy More. Jeff and Lester go up to Big Mike to pitch going to the NextExpo (the Roark Instruments unveiling of their new operating system -- Rios) so that they can be better employees. Big Mike sees there point -- send Chuck.  Uh, Chuck isn’t around.  Okay, they can go. Yes!

Chuck has been trapped in a job, in a life, that he doesn’t really like.  The interviewer likes Chuck -- he’s hired.  Chuck goes on the tour. He is in awe of everything.  This is all so cool! He turns the corner and runs into…Ted Roark (Chevy Chase). Looking a little more portly than his SNL days, Chevy is a Hawaiian shirt-wearing head of the company -- no Sirs around here!  He is a bit cocky and easy-going, but something isn’t right about him.

Outside, Jeff and Lester are waiting in line for tomorrow’s NextExpo.  Yes, they are true nerds! As they mill about, they see Chuck walking out of Roark.  He’s gotten another job!  In shock, they phone Morgan with the news, but Morgan feigns that he already knew. Uh oh. There will be a showdown to come…

At his house, Chuck comes home to dinner -- everyone is there, including Morgan and Sarah.  Dad asks about the bachelor party, to which Awesome nervously says it happened and he doesn’t really want to talk about it.  Morgan then takes the opportunity to toast Chuck’s new job at Roark Instruments.  Ellie is happy for him, but dad is clearly concerned.  Chuck is going to work for Roark -- the man who stole everything from him?

The next day, it is the NextExpo at Roark Instruments.  Chuck enters the building for his first day on the job.  Walking past the people lined up for the Expo, Chuck spots…Casey and Sarah!  Yes, Casey and Chuck are disguised as nerds for the NextExpo! Love the glasses!  What are they doing there? They are there to go in to retrieve the source code from the operating system.  If they do that, they can prevent the virus from being released.  Chuck is supposed to keep and eye on Roark in case anything goes wrong. Chuck goes into the main hall, which is like a Apple unveiling on steroids. . Jeff and Lester wave to Chuck, but he flashes on a man that Roark is shaking hands with -- it’s a FULCRUM agent. They think he’s already moved on from them and forgotten all about his old friends. Oblivious to them, Chuck let’s Casey and Sarah know that FULCRUM is here, so it’s time to hurry up.

Chuck’s dad watches online via the web stream. He may hate Roark, but he has to watch Chuck’s first day on the job

Casey and Sarah sneak off to get access to the labs and reach the software. However, they cannot get access to the system. Chuck has to stall to prevent the release of the software.  But what about his job?  It’s not his real job, as Casey points out.  Chuck panics, but has only one option -- he goes on stage and stops the countdown to release. Chuck tells Roark that his software is infected with a virus that when released will cause world-wide computer damage.  Roark doesn’t believe him and calls for security.  Just before they grab Chuck, he grabs the remote that activates the software launch and runs for the door.  Melee ensues as he races around the auditorium, avoiding people and getting help from Jeff and Lester.  He’s going for the door when -- Bam!  The interviewer tackles him.  They get the remote back and it gets to

Chuck’s house. Ellie is freaking out when Awesome gets home -- where is Chuck? Is he in jail? Awesome is clueless -- he’s been working an 18-hour shift. Ellie then turns on her dad -- obviously Chuck’s dad put Chuck up to this.  He threw away the job of a lifetime to avenge some decades old vendetta.  This is all their dad’s fault!  Add to that, she is still upset with Awesome over the bachelor party. She leaves them to go for a walk to clear her head. Chuck’s dad and Awesome spend a little time together.  Chuck’s dad tells Awesome that Ellie isn’t really mad about the bachelor party. She just doesn’t want Awesome to turn into her dad, which, Chuck’s dad indicates, isn’t very likely at all.

Later, Chuck is in his room.  He is looking at Orion’s cards. Why did he give them those cards? Does he want him to build an Intersect? Does he want him to find an Intersect? How can he find it from these cards? Knock, knock.  It’s Chuck’s dad. He comes in and wants to talk with Chuck about the job.  If Chuck wants it that bad, he should fight for it. He leaves and Chuck looks down at the Roark Instruments binder he got when he was hired.  Wait a sec.  That map of Roark Instruments looks strangely familiar.  He pulls out the master map the Orion gave him of the new Intersect and overlays it on the campus map. It’s an exact match!  Roark has an Intersect!

Casey’s house.  Chuck tells them that he thinks Roark has an Intersect. Rios, the new operating system, is a Trojan horse.  It is designed to gather and crunch data, making all these computers a giant supercomputer.  What proof does Chuck have? Did he flash on something? No.  He just thinks it makes sense. Casey laughs at this -- Chuck is crazy, just like his dad. Casey leaves and Chuck stops Sarah. Chuck asks Sarah to help him break into Roark so he can get the Intersect out of his head.  She can’t.  She has orders, and the General made it clear as to what happens when they don’t follow orders.

HQ. Chuck gets suited up in Casey’s gear. He is going to break in himself.  He is strutting his stuff as the prime secret agent when Casey interrupts.  Casey grabs Chucks papers -- what is this? Chuck breaks: Orion contacted him before he died and gave him the schematics of an intersect.  They match the layout of Roark Instruments.  Casey is upset -- Orion contacted Chuck and he didn’t tell them? Chuck pulls a tranquilizer gun on Casey -- he has to go. Not a smart move to threaten him… However, it’s no threat. One dart hits Casey. Then two. Casey comes up and grabs Chuck by the neck.  Chuck grabs a dart from his vest and sticks it in Casey’s neck.  He starts to get drowsy and slumps to the floor. Yes! Chuck escapes!

Chuck sneaks into Roark Instruments. He makes his way through the corridors. People are coming and he ducks into a side room.  The voices are from Chuck’s dad arguing with the security guards. He is there to talk with Roark to get Chuck’s job back!  The FULCRUM agent is there, too -- on a walkie talkie, asking Roark what he should do with this guy. Take care of him.  The FULCRUM agent comes up and punches Chuck’s dad in the stomach. Oh no! Chuck sees him -- he knows that the security guy is FULCRUM . His dad is in danger!  Chuck bursts out into the hall, two guns blazing.  We see the FULCRUM agent and all the guards standing in the hall around Chuck’s dad. They drop, unconscious.  Score one (or five) for the tranquilizer gun! Chuck is there and he isn’t who his dad thinks he is.  Just then, the hall door opens and who should step through?  The Mummy! You cannot kill this guy!  And more than that, Chuck’s dad isn’t who Chuck thinks he is -- he’s…Orion!!

HW. Sarah finds Casey passed out.  Where is Chuck? In a world of pain.

Roark Industries. Chuck’s dad is talking to Chuck as they move through the complex. Chuck’s dad ran away because he knew what the government wanted to do with the Intersect.  He hid to try and protect Chuck and Ellie from danger.  Chuck wants to know why didn’t he just say the truth? Why did he give him things to flash on instead? What would Chuck have thought if he showed up, after ten years away, and told him the truth? Okay -- he would have thought he was crazy. Exactly.

They get to the main lab and Orion turns to Chuck -- enter the code for the door.  Chuck’s brain doesn’t work that way -- if it’s not in there already, he can’t find it. Orion smiles -- he designed the Intersect; he knows what it can do.  Just give it a try. Chuck steps up and flashes on the keypad, seeing the correct code for the door.  He’s learning the things he can do with the Intersect!

Inside the room is a floating cube in an oversized glass vial. It is the Intersect 2.0!  Orion is going to use the new Intersect to encode images that will cancel out the ones that he absorbed earlier.  So, he’s going to overwrite Chuck’s brain? Yep.  He hit’s the button and…nothing. It doesn’t work.  The door opens and Roark and FULCRUM enter. No, it doesn’t work, but they are sure thet Orion can get it up and running in no time.  Yes, it was all a plot to try and get Orion so he can finish their Intersect.  Roark tells they to grab Orion and kill Chuck, the CIA agent.  But Orion speaks up -- he’ll build anything they want if they let his son go free.  Roark is feeling generous.  Okay.  Orion backs Chuck up to the door, it opens and Casey and Sarah are they.  He tells Chuck, he tells Chuck it’s okay to trust your handlers. Casey and Sarah show up and pull Chuck away as the door shuts. No! FULCRUM has Orion!

HQ. The General is debriefing Casey, Sarah and Chuck.  The situation is dire as FULCRUM has Orion.  The General informs them that they are putting their best teams on this assignment.  Chuck speaks up -- the three of them are their best team!  Casey agrees, but Sarah protests -- Chuck is too personally involved.  FULCRUM knows that Orion is Chuck’s father.  However, the General agrees with Casey and Chuck.  They can lead the mission to recover Orion, so long as his personal feelings don’t interfere.

Ellie comes home from work and sees pancakes on the table for dinner.  She is excited -- dad? Nope. Awesome is there -- he make dinner for them.  Awesome informs her that he thinks her dad is gone. But, Awesome tells her that, no matter how hard things get, he isn’t going anywhere.  That’s what married people do. Chuck comes home and Ellie apologizes to him -- it seems that dad has left.  However, she realized that she doesn’t need him at her wedding to make her life a happy one. He Hasn’t changed -- he is the same man as before.  Chuck understands, but tells her not to sell him short.

We then cut to seeing Chuck’s dad working alone in a lab on the Intersect 2.0.

What are Casey and Sarah’s Covers?
Casey and Sarah pose as computer geeks to sneak into Roark Instruments. They look so cute in their Lisa Loeb glasses and nerdy clothing.  Awww... :-)

Is Awesome in This Episode?
Awesome is front and center in this episode.  Okay, maybe not front and center, but he is in this episode quite a bit -- for Awesome anyhow. We get to see him throughout, reinforcing the great guy that he is. We have bonding with his step-dad to be, dinner conversation, and assorted other scenes.  Unfortunately, ladies, he is fully clothed through the entire episode.


And How Does Sarah Dress? Lingerie?
Sarah is strictly business this week.  No lingerie shots. Drat! Although, she does rock the Lisa Loeb glasses as a sexy nerd.  However, a sexy nerd that shows no skin.

Does Casey Get Shot, Poisoned, or Otherwise Injured?
We are back to normal this week, as Casey does, in fact, get the short end of the stick in this episode.  This time it is courtesy of Chuck.  Yes, Casey gets tranquilized and put to sleep by Chuck.  Two tranq darts fired into him and one more stabbed in his neck. Ouch!.

What’s the State of the Chuck / Sarah Romance?
Warm, but not moving anywhere fast.  Hey, your long-lost dad showing up can do that to the whole dating scene.  We open up with Sarah and Chuck playing their dating covers for Dad and all.  However, when Chuck appeals to Sarah to step up and help him break into Roark Instruments, she plays the orders card and refuses.




Where is FULCRUM?
FULCRUM is all over this episode.  As I said, FULCRUM is becoming more and more dominate as the adversary in every episode towards the end of the season. This time out, we get to see three lead FULCRUM agents (not counting the requisite GI-Joe-green-shirts), and they are learning, as none of them die in the episode. I guess they finally finished the Cobra training DVD on how to narrowly escape certain death.

And the Status of a New Intersect?
Things are building on the interesting development from last week.  It seems that there is a new Intersect, version 2.0, that is faster and better, being built. And, worse than that, FULCRUM is in possession of it along with Orion. Doh!

Quote of the Week
“I’m gonna kill you when I wake up.”

Chuck 2.19 "Chuck versus the Dream Job" Recap

Corpvandolay here with a recap of this week’s episode of Chuck. First off, I apologize for the delay in getting this recap up. It’s funny how life has a habit of getting in the way. And, I’m not talking about the television show there (though it is a very good show – watch it). But, I am back on track and should be getting these updates done in a nice, timely manner. In fact, I just purchased a new laptop that should help with that. But enough of that, on with the show…

What Does TV Guide , er...DirecTV Say?
Chuck finds the creator of the Intersect; a conflict breaks out between the Burbank Buy More and the Beverly Hills branch.





Who Stars This Week?









Who Guest Stars?
Oh, yes. He is back. He is here. He is…The Mummy! Yes, this week’s marquee guest star is Arnold Vosloo. Personally, I like him. He’s a cool, cocky villain. And, while he will forever be The Mummy to me, in this episode, he is very much in Agent Cody Banks mode. Plus, just like Michael Rosenbaum, someone needs to tell him that he looks best bald.

What’s The Episode Really About?
It is evening as Chuck, Casey and Sarah are trudging back from a mission. They are disguised as plumbers and covered in funk.  But, good news – they were able to retrieve the intel they were after. Casey goes off to shower up, leaving Sarah and Chuck in the courtyard. Sarah asks Chuck if he needs to clean up at Casey’s before going home to Ellie and Awesome.  Nope – it seems that they are away right now on wedding business (Nooooo! No Awesome in this episode?! Ugh!) Chuck asks Sarah if there is any news on the search for Orion, the creator of the Intersect. It is very important to him to get this stuff out of his head. Sarah reassures him that the General knows how he feels and is working to find Orion. They part ways and Chuck goes inside.

It’s now 4:13 in the morning and Chuck is working on his Life (check it out, Wednesdays at 9, 8 central) chart. Chuck notices his web cam clicking on. He gets up and goes over to it, trying to figure out why.  Cut to a room in Hong Kong where a shadowy fella is sitting at a computer, typing away, Chuck’s webcam image on his screen. We hear a commotion out in the hall of the apartment. The showman shuts off his laptop, stands up and begins to type into his space-age wrist gauntlet. The door busts open and a swat team rushes in, but the room is empty! The team moves around the room, and there leader comes into the room. It is….The Mummy! Yes, Arnold Vosloo is back and as a FULCRUM agent. It seems that they just missed Orion. The pc screen comes to life, displaying a warning message (hey, just like Wargames!) and…BOOM!

Cut to being inside of the Buy More, where it looks like a bomb went off. A toilet paper bomb.  Yes, the entire store is covered in TP. Jeff, Lester,

Chuck – the whole gang is here, surveying the damage.  It seems that the Beverly Hills Buy More store is responsible.  They come by the store to gloat, like any good rivalry (anyone remember Cheers?). It seems that they are upset that the Burbank Buy More (our guys) are getting the new Work Instruments computer first. Yes, they are getting the next-gen gaming machine in the store soon. Nirvana! Big Mike lets everyone at the store know that there will be no rivalry.  They are above such tactics.  Chuck goes to the Nerd Herd desk to clean up and do some work.  As he sits down, we get more “Wargames” messages, as his machine there is taken over.  It is Orion trying to communicate with Chuck! Orion is going to send Chuck a secure pc so that they can safely communicate.  The screen goes back to normal just as Sarah walks up.

HQ. Chuck tells Sarah, Casey and the General that Orion contacted him. What? Why? They have been looking for Orion for years.  Well, as Chuck says, it is probably due to his private search for him. Orion knows that Chuck is the Intersect and he is sending a secure pc to Chuck so that they can communicate. The General orders them to get that pc before anyone else.  Orion’s laptops are next-gen, capable of overriding military security. It cannot fall into the wrong hands.

At the Buy More a delivery guy walks up to the Nerd Herd desk.  He has a delivery, some kind of electronics, for Chuck.  Lester thinks it is the next-gen gaming console and signs for it, saying he is Chuck. A short time later, Chuck and Sarah rush up to the now empty Nerd Herd desk. They check the log – no deliveries yet. Sarah then asks Chuck why he didn’t tell her about his covert search for Orion. Chuck responds that he doesn’t think that the CIA or NSA want the Intersect out of his head (good thinking there!)

The Buy More bathroom.  Lester is taking Morgan into “Jeff’s Office.”  Yes, the last stall is Jeff’s office, and my is it ever tricked out!  This thing is nicer than many apartments.  Yes, small cramped apartments, but still. They have the new laptop in there, looking to test it out. They turn it on, and it asks them to identify themselves.  They say they can’t, which Orion takes to mean that Chuck is in trouble.  Orion displays that he is sending air support. Hey, it’s a simulator game! Orion asks for the address, and they enter the Buy More.  The screen shows the camera view from a predator drone as it races towards Buy More.

Down at HQ, Chuck, Sarah and Casey see that a predator drone has been hijacked and is headed for the Buy More. Who would want to blow up the Buy More? Chuck knows – Morgan and the guys found the laptop! There is a mad dash to find Morgan and the pc, so that everyone doesn’t die in a fiery explosion. Chuck finally gets a hold of Morgan on his phone, and screams at him to turn the machine off. Morgan acquiesces, just in the nick of time. Disaster averted. Chuck and Casey get the machine and walk out into the Buy More with the, only to run into Big Mike. What are they doing with the new Work Instruments machine? To safeguard it, he locks the machine in his office safe, and tells Emmett to guard the machine all night. Jeff and Lester see this through one of Mike’s windows, and plot breaking in to steal the machine. On the other side, Chuck, Casey & Sarah also see this and know what their mission is: break into the Buy More tonight. I sense a problem here…

Cut to a dark room, straight out of the Twilight Zone. What is going on? Where are we? Oh, there is The Mummy, so we must be in FULCRUM’s brain trust center. Man, they must be hurting for cash, as they have not paid that electric bill in a while. The Mummy picked up a signal matching Orion’s coming from a Buy More in Burbank. The Mummy is going to go there tonight to find Orion.

That night, Emmett is stalking the Buy More, flashlight in hand, mind stuck in an old spaghetti western. Chuck, Sarah and Casey sneak in via their dedicated HQ tunnel. Since Chuck lost the machine, it’s his mission to get it back. Being in charge, Chuck tells Casey and Sarah there will be no guns, no tranqing or chopping of Emmett. Now that we are on the same page, Chuck will sneak into Mike’s office and get the combination to the safe out of Mike’s desk – Casey and Sarah just provide look-out. On the other side of the store, Jeff and Lester have snuck in. Oddly enough, they are dressed in black and look an awfully lot like Casey and Sarah. Hmm…They split up and move around the store. Eventually, Jeff finds Sarah, but mistakes her for Lester, and Lester finds Casey, thinking it is Jeff. The ski masks make this confusion possible. Meanwhile, in the office, Chuck gets the pc out of the safe, just as The Mummy drops in from the ceiling. The problem here – the Mummy brought his gun. Chuck flashes on him and knows he is FULCRUM. He laughs and plays it off – what are the chances of two burglars robbing the same store at the same time? In the store, Jeff sees Sarah’s blonde hair peeking out of her ski-mask and knows it isn’t Lester – he goes off and finds Lester. When Lester sees there are three of them, he and Jeff panic and run. Emmett sees them and douses them with pepper spray as they flee. He is proud of his bravery, turns around and is cold cocked by Casey. The Mummy comes out into the store with Chuck as a hostage. He orders Casey and Sarah to get rid of their weapons, but Chuck informs him how they have no guns. This is odd, but he still has to shoot them. Before he can pull the trigger, Casey pulls a gun and fires, hitting him in the shoulder. Casey, it seems, is ALWAYS packing. They rush to The Mummy, but he has taken some poison and his mouth foams up as he dies.

Over at Morgan’s house, a traumatized Morgan is in bed, listening to Big Mike and his mom making out through the very thin walls. Big Mike’s phone rings – there is trouble at the Buy More. He knocks on the wall and tells Morgan there is trouble and they need to go to the store.

HQ. How was FULCRUM involved? How did they know the pc was there? This was supposed to be an easy mission. Chuck is about to open the laptop to get some answers when the General comes on screen and orders him not to touch the machine. This whole thing was a FULCRUM trap. The general is coming personally to take over the operation (“and she is not as forgiving as I.” Anyone? Anyone?) If they discover that Chuck’s identity is compromised, then he is leaving with her. What?!

Chuck is outside in the courtyard, rehearsing his speech to the General. Casey and Sarah come out – the General isn’t here to talk to Chuck. She is coming to get the machine. They tell Chuck to go and wait in his room for her to arrive. He leaves and soon after, the General shows up with her bodyguard team.

Inside the Buy More, Emmett has an ice pack and is describing how a team of 40 men broke in and took the laptop from him. Big Mike thinks that it is the Beverly Hills store that is responsible. A teary-eyed Jeff and Lester show up – they heard and came to help. Big Mike declares that it is time for payback! The gang get suited up and head off to the Beverly Hills store.

Chuck is laying on his bed, when his pc comes alive. Another Wargames message appears on the screen – it is Orion! Orion tells Chuck that he needs to get that computer back. Cut to Casey’s house, where the General, Casey and Sarah are all talking. The General knows that the laptop is Orion’s and that it isn’t a trap. She is amazed that Chuck found Orion when nobody else had, and she wants to get Orion back. Back in Chuck’s room, Orion is telling him how Chuck cannot trust his handlers. He activates the webcam in casey’s house, and Chuck hears the conversation between all of them. The General then drops the big bomb – Chuck is too important to National security; he cannot get rid of the Intersect. No! Orion then tells Chuck he has a 45 second window to escape, and shows him the path.

At HQ, Chuck sneaks in and finds Orion’s laptop. He turns it on and Orion comes onto the screen (nice old-school look!) As they talk, we see The Mummy’s bodybag begin to slowly unzip. Orion gives Chuck an address and instructions to meet him tonight. The address displays on screen and he logs off. Chuck then turns to see The Mummy with a gun on him! I mean, it’s The Mummy – didn’t you know he can’t stay dead?!

FULCRUM trains it’s agents to be resistant to certain poisons, such as the one he took. It simply put him into a near-death state, but he’s better now. Time to go meet Orion. As he gets up, Chuck pushes the computer screen so that the address displayed can be read by the security camera.

Over at Casey’s house, Sarah speaks up for Chuck to the General. Chuck has risked his life many times for this Nation. He won’t just sit in is room while Orion is out there. Wait a sec – where is Chuck? They pull up the computer screens and locate him – leaving HQ and with The Mummy! They rewind the tape to look for any clues and see the shot with the computer screen and address. That’s where they need to go!

Meanwhile, at the Beverly Hills Buy More, our gang breaks in using Big Mike’s code. Emmett marvels at how beautiful and clean the store is. Jeff, of course, thinks less of it all. Big Mike pulls out an aluminum bat, ready to wreck some payback! Morgan jumps up and cautions Mike against doing it. Maybe he should have someone else do the actual damage – how about Emmett? Emmett takes it with relish and settles on destroying a cardboard cut-out of out main rival. Whack! The cutout it hit, but sets off a chain reaction, destroying most all of the shelves and computers on the first floor. Ooops! It’s time to run!

Over at the hotel where Chuck is to meet Orion, Chuck and The Mummy are in one of the rooms. The Mummy asks who Chuck is, and he shares that he is Agent Carmichael. Ah, yes, The Mummy has heard of him. Orion then contacts Chuck, and The Mummy tells him to let Orion know it is safe. Chuck does this, and we watch out the window. On the street corner is Orion. He approaches the building when a number of FULCRUM agents surround him. There is a brief scuffle before they subdue Orion and carry him off. The Mummy tells his agents to take Orion to the roof where they’ll transport him away.

Moments later, Casey and Sarah pull up in the SUV. They get out and head to the Hotel. Casey sees Chuck in the window a few floors up. Chuck backs up, and The Mummy comes into view, holding a gun on Chuck. Inside, The Mummy is about to shoot Chuck when the window shatters – Casey shot it with his shotgun. The Mummy is injured, but alive. Chuck grabs Orion’s computer. He, Casey and Sarah all head to the roof to get Orion. When they get to the roof, there is a helicopter taking off. Chuck sets the pc down and opens it up – it shows that the predator is operational and en route to their location. Orion is trying to take himself out! Chuck tried to hack in and override the predator’s controls, but it is too late. The predator launches a missile and the helicopter is vaporized is a big ball of flame.

Back at HQ we are being debriefed. The General says that it is better Orion died than fall into FULCRUM hands. She also confesses to Chuck that she doesn’t want the Intersect out of his head. It is too valuable to the war that is happening. IN fact, what she needs is for Chuck to become a real spy.

Over at the Buy More, our group is celebrating there victory in the cross-town rivalry. In the middle, the Beverly Hills gang comes in, saying how the Burbank branch went too far this time. They disapprove of the methods Big Mike and the gang use, threatening to go to the cops. Big Mike says they won’t go to the cops, since it is the Buy More way to settle things in-house. The Beverly Hills gang leaves and our group is triumphant.

Chuck at home, lays down on his bed. He puts his head on the pillow and we hear a crunch, much like pastic underneath. Chuck lifts his pillow and finds a package from Orion. Chuck pops the cd into his machine and Orion shows up on the screen (his ASCII self anyhow). Orion lets Chuck know that it is possible to get the Intersect out of his head. However, he is going to have to study the enclosed charts & note cards that show the schematics of FULCRUM’s Intersect. He needs to keep these plans secret from everyone else. Study them and know these well, if he wants the Intersect out of his head. The message ends just as Sarah climbs in through the window. She is checking on Chuck, making sure he is okay and that he knows they make a good team. He trusts her, right? Chuck agrees as he hides the cards/schematics from her sight.

Over at Casey’s house, the General is leaving. However, she wants all the information Casey has on Chuck and Sarah, even his unedited reports. Casey asks the General “don’t you trust me?” to which she replies that she trusts nobody.

Chuck is now alone in his room, laying on his bed, reading a comic book (Ex Machina). His webcam is on showing this (as he is always being watched). However, as we switch to Chuck’s point of view, we see that he has taped all of the note cards to the inside of his comic book. Sneaky! I bet he’s going to be reading that book a whole lot!

What are Casey and Sarah’s Covers?
The episode opens with them coming back from a mission, where all three were disguised as plumbers. Judging by the funk that covered them, I think we should count ourselves lucky for not having seen this mission.

Is Awesome in This Episode?
There is a photo of him and Ellie. Does that count? Unfortunately, no, he is nowhere to be found.





Is Sarah Undressed?
We see her in a wife-beater, plumber's outfit in the beginning. Otherwise, she is in normal, everyday clothing.





Does Casey get shot, poisoned, or otherwise injured?
The effects of Agent Barker must still be lingering, because Casey comes through this episode unscathed (besides his ego, perhaps).

What’s the state of the Chuck / Sarah romance?
Heart-breaking. Sarah is continuing in her colder mode right now, concentrating on following orders and being a good soldier. While it is obvious to us that she likes Chuck, he finds this behavior very annoying and hurtful.





Where is FULCRUM?
As we move to the end of the season, I believe FULCRUM is going to be more prominent. Just like the last few episodes, they are front and center as the main villains. And, as an added bonus, we have not glimpsed there Master Control room. Obviously, they haven’t paid the electric bill, or we just caught them during a rolling blackout.

And the status of a new Intersect?
The CIA’s is not mentioned. However, The General indicated that she wants to keep Chuck around for a while (good, right?) The more interesting news: FULCRUM has there own Intersect room.

Quote of the Week
“Wake up, Casey. The 80’s are over.” - General Beckman

Chuck 2.17 "Chuck versus the Predator" Recap

Corpvandolay here with a recap of this week’s episode of Chuck. This week’s episode is a direct sequel to last week’s episode, "Chuck vs. the Beefcake." When that episode ended, British MI-6 agent Cole Barker (who knew Chuck’s identity as the Intersect) was kidnapped by FULCRUM. As a precautionary measure, Sarah and Chuck have to move in together to provide 24-protection should FULCRUM break Agent Barker and find out the identity of the Intersect…

Who Guest Stars?
Jonathan Cake is back as the “Beefcake,” Agent Cole Barker. However, this week he isn’t alone and is joined by the one, the only…yes, The Doctor (or The Cowboy if you prefer your 80’s movie references)! Robert Picardo guest stars as a scientist this week.


And Which Stars Are Here This Week?






 


What Does TV Guide Say?
When Cole Barker escapes Fulcrum with new information, Sarah and Casey go looking for a man that seems to be behind Fulcrum's plans to build its own Intersect, forcedly leaving Chuck and Barker in a safety bunker, as Fulcrum is still actively searching for them. Meanwhile, Morgan can not find a way of telling Anna that he wants to move in with Chuck instead of her, so Lester and Jeff are encouraging him to find a way of repulsing her.

What’s The Episode Really About?
We open with Agent Cole Barker being interrogated.  He is beaten up and in a pretty bad off spot.  However, he still has his British wit about him. His FULCRUM torturers ask him who the Intersect is and what the CIA knows about Perseus. Perseus?! This is a new thing that FULCRUM is after. Hmm…

Cut to Sarah and Chuck in Chuck’s old bed.  Chuck is wide awake, having not slept much at all from last night.  The alarm goes off and Sarah gets up and proceeds to go about her morning as usual.  She goes off to take a shower. We then catch up with our heroes as they brush their teeth in the bathroom. Chuck asks Sarah if she is worried about Cole. Sarah says yes, but only in a professional way. They then arrive in the dining room for breakfast, where Ellie is so happy for their move. She hugs them both and then proceeds to give Sarah some tips on helping Chuck clean out some of the old junk he has accumulated from his childhood, like the ‘Tron’ poster.  Chuck retorts that the ‘Tron’ poster was a gift from dad.  They both loved that movie.

At the Buy More, Jeff and Lester are having an insult-battle (ala our old-school ‘8 Mile’ variety), razzing Morgan about all of the sex that Big Mike is having with his mom. However, Morgan has the upper hand – he won’t have to deal with it much longer since he and Chuck are moving in together. Chuck needs to tell Morgan that they can’t move in together, but before he has the chance Casey grabs him and tells him Chuck needs to go to the office.  “When did John get an office?” wonders Morgan.

In HQ, the condition is red. They having found Agent Barker yet, so they are having to evacuate to a secure bunker. Then, the alarm goes off – it’s a security breach! Casey and Sarah grab some gun and head down the corridor towards the breach location. They are at the ready as the door open to reveal…Agent Cole! He is all bloody and Sarah rushes to help him as he collapses. Casey, snarky as ever tells Chuck he’s luck – he may not be going away after all. “Yeah,” Chuck says, “Lucky me…”

Opening credits.

 At HQ, Cole is recounting his interrogation time at the hands of FULCRUM. He had to take on nine guys to escape. Nine guys!  Chuck is a little dubious about this, and thinks he is bragging.  He also found out that they are working with someone named Perseus. But, the bottom line is that he didn’t break and didn’t tell them anything about the Intersect. Why did he come back to this location?  To make sure Sarah was safe. Aww…

At the Buy More, Anna comes up to Morgan with a 16-month anniversary gift.  It seems, she thinks she found Morgan’s gift for her – the lease contract on the apartment.  She thinks they are moving in together! Oops!  Jeff and Lester see the problem develop and give their usual sage advice: instead of telling her he is moving in with Chuck and risking bodily harm, he simply has to make himself too repulsive to her to move in with.

HQ. The general informs our heroes that Perseus is a leading scientist, working with FULCRUM to build their own Intersect. Apparently there is a consulate party this evening where he will be.  Sarah and Casey are going to go undercover to locate and identify Perseus.  Chuck and Cole both volunteer to go as well, but the General says no.  They will instead provide electronic support.

Meanwhile, back at the Buy More, phase 1 of Operation: Repulse is underway: the obscure and repulsive hobby. Morgan, Jeff and Lester have decided to take up re-creating historic tennis matches using the Wii Tennis.  Anna is befuddled by this hobby, but Morgan assures her: she can join in when they move together.  If this didn’t repulse her before, the shirtless Jeff next to her would do the trip. Ew!

We move over to the consulate party (which has The Puppini Sisters music playing – yes!). Sarah and Casey are dressed and inside, while Chuck and Cole at the computer banks, each having access to their earpieces.  To avoid confusion, Cole takes Sarah and Chuck talks with Casey. Cole is an expert at this, givng Sarah spot-on intel about the various party guests and possible agents (hey, he’s Tom Arnold from ‘True Lies’!). Chuck on the other hand, doesn’t know much, but helps Casey find some good hors dourves to eat. That’s when Chuck flashes on the one, the only…The Doctor. Yes, it looks like he’s Perseus.  While Casey and Sarah approach him, Chuck asks Cole if he really did escape from nine guys.  Yep. It’s simple really – go for the knee.  Chuck sees this logic, as he has heard it before: “You mean, sweep the leg?”  In the party, Cole’s FULCRUM interrogator steps in front of Sarah and Casey. Cole reciognizes him as the torturer, but the guy activates a device under his coat jamming all their communication.

Cole immediately jumps into action.  No time for anyone else; they have to go and be heroes.  Cole grabs two guns and checks them. A cool agent with two guns, right? Nope! One gun is for Chuck!

Outside of the consulate party, Chuck and Cole are approaching the gate.  Chuck wonders what their cover should be: dentists? Cole says they should just go as spies and knocks out the guard in stride. Inside the party, Sarah starts to chat with The Doctor. Just then, our FULCRUM agent pulls a gun on her and Casey.  It seems they’ve been caught.  Outside the house, Chuck and Cole see them being led upstairs through a window.  Cole immediately goes to the fire escape and tries pulling it down.  However, he’s hurt – bleeding from the side.  Chuck steps in and goes up to the roof instead.

Inside the house as they are led upstairs, The Doctor tells Sarah and Casey that he and the FULCRUM agents are CIA.  They are working to help the country.  Casey snorts and tell him that FULCRUM are actually terrorists.  The Doctor says he didn’t know anything of working for terrorists.  The FULCRUM agent says it’s a shame The Doctor had to hear, as now he has to die.  Casey then sees Chuck as the upstairs window, broad smile and a gun in hand.  Summing it up, Casey imparts: “We’re dead. Bartowski has a gun.”  Chuck enters the rom, but trips on the window sill and drops the gun.  It fires when it hits the floor, shooting The Doctor in the calf. This distraction provides enough for Casey and Sarah, as they move to subdue the guards.  The Doctor runs off, followed by the FULCRUM agent.  Casey goes to take care of Chuck while Sarah goes after The Doctor. As Sarah looks for them, FULCRUM has the angle and is about to shoot her when Cole dives in, knocking Sarah down and taking a bullet in the arm.

Outside, The Doctor drives off, escaping from both our heroes and FULCRUM.

Back inside, Chuck is complaining of his ankle as he walks over to realize that Cole took a bullet for Sarah. Never mind.

At HQ, Sarah is taking the bullet out of Cole’s arm. They banter a little bit and it seems like they might kiss when Chuck arrives to check on Cole. Does he need anything? A nice bisque? An issue of Us Weekly?  Nope, okay…

In the Buy More breakroom, Anna is looking at Ikea furniture for their new apartment.  Morgan comes in and apologizes for the Wii Tennis.  Anna doesn’t mind.  But, now we are into phase 2: Morganuptual.  Yes, Morgan has a ridiculous, long book of rules that Anna will have to sign and agree to if they are to move in together.  She thinks that it is nuts, but she loves him, so she’ll sign anything. Doh!

At HQ, the General informs our heroes that The Doctor is Perseus. It seems that he helped to create the original Intersect – the one that is inside of Chuck’s brain. This dawns on Chuck, as he asks if Perseus can help to remove the Intersect.  Maybe is the General’s response.

Later, Chuck is looking at surveillance footage from the party. Cole comes in and asks what he’s up to.  They banter a bit back and forth – Cole truly is the perfect, great agent.  He congratulates Chuck on all he did at the mission. Chuck demurs and tells Cole that he sees what Sarah sees in him – he is great.

Over at Buy More, the gang of Jeff, Lester and Morgan wonder if Anna could be “unrepulsive.”  Jeff vows that she is not and that they’ll find a way to get to her.  Chuck comes up and pulls Morgan aside to give him some needed advice. Why is Morgan trying to test Anna? She loves Morgan for who he is, which is great. She is truly the catch of a lifetime. He needs to tell her before it’s too late or he’ll realize he lost the catch of a lifetime.

At home, Chuck hobbles in and sits on the couch.  Ellie sees he’s hurt and calls Awesome into the room.  Chuck warns them not to go all doctor-crazy on him.  However, they tell him that he needs to get his foot x-rayed. At HQ, Sarah and Cole are together, talking. Cole asks Sarah if they are supposed to just walk away, even if they find someone who they acre deeply for?  Is it fair? No, she replies, but it is what it is.

Chuck is at the hospital, laid up in a wheelchair, with a cast on his leg/foot. Through the curtain, he hears Perseus.  Yes, The Doctor who was shot was also at the hospital, getting tended to.  Chuck calls Casey to tell him, and Casey orders Chuck to stay put – backup will be there soon.  Too late, as the Doctor won’t stay at the hospital and is leaving.  Chuck gets up and hobble after him.  They both pass in front of a man in the waiting room who speaks into his wrist: “I got both of them.”

After the commercial, a car rolls up.  It is The Doctor, getting out and going into a laboratory building.  He senses someone behind him and turns to see Chuck (having taken a cab), bending down to tie his cast – oops, uh, shoe. He turns back and goes inside, Chuck following.  In the lobby, the guard stops him.  Chuck uses his Nerd Herd outfit to BS his way past, being told that the computer lab is on the second floor.  Chuck hobbles up the stairs and just makes it to the lab door before it closes shut.  He sneaks in and sees Perseus packing up various papers and stuff.  It seems like he’s going on a trip. Perseus looks around and Chuck ducks as to not be seen.  He looks again and Perseus is gone, but not for long.  He is behind Chuck, with a gun!

In the lobby, FULCRUM shows up and shoots the security guard. They go upstairs to the lab.  Casey, Sarah and Cole show up soon after, and seeing the guard dead, pull their guns.  Casey sees the security screen, showing FULCRUM going up the stairs.  They follow.

Perseus is quizzing Chuck as to why he is following him.  It seems that Chuck wants to know about the Intersect .  Perseus is puzzled: how does Chuck know about the Intersect? Chuck looks over at some papers and flashes on the name Orion.  As Chuck does this, FULCRUM enters the lab. Perseus sees this and realizes: you’re the Intersect?  Amazing!  Chuck asks if it can be removed.  “Maybe.  Orion would know,” Perseus responds.  Who is Orion? Well, he’s the one who developed the whole idea of an Intersect. He – FULCRUM interrupts.  No!  Chuck wants to know who is Orion! Perseus tells them he said nothing, but FULCRUM shoots him.  Chuck goes to the downed Perseus.  FULCRUM then turn to Chuck just as Cole arrive and tussle with the bad guy.  Cole loses the battle and is down, shot in the arm (again!). As FULCRUM prepares to finish the job, Cole has one command: “sweep the leg.” Chuck is behind him and takes down the FULCRUM agent.  He is ecstatic and goes to Cole to celebrate his success. But the FULCRUM guy gets back up and now has them both in his sights.  And…BAM. The FULCRUM agent falls over dead, revealing Sarah behind him with her gun.

At HQ, the General informs us that Perseus is dead.  However, they captured all of his work, setting back FULCRUM’s plans to develop an Intersect. They thank Cole and will be sending him home to the United Kingdom. Casey asks him if he reall did defeat nine guys. Nope.  It was twelve, he just doesn’t like to brag. Cole then turns to Chuck and tells him what a “special, special agent” he is.  He then gives him this advice: if you want something bad enough, don’t take no.  Chuck then departs, leaving Sarah and Cole to chat.

In the Buy More break room, Morgan and Chuck need to talk.  Morgan decides to go first: he can’t move in with Chuck.  He is moving in with Anna instead.  Chuck is relieved and congratulates them.  This is great news!

Meanwhile, at the HQ, Cole offers Sarah to just drop everything and go away with him.  She refuses.  She’s just not the kind of girl to cheat on her cover-boyfriend.  Cole wonders if it is just a cover, because he saw more than that when she looked after Chuck.  She tells him “when you meet somebody you care about, it’s hard to just walk away.”

Back in the break room, Anna and Morgan are kissing. Chuck sees this and smiles.  He then heads home and meets Sarah outside of his house.  They sit and he breaks the news to her that he cannot move in with her.  It seems that he is crazy about her, and while being a fake-boyfriend is one thing, but living together is just too hard for him.  But, one day, he’ll get the Intersect out of his head and he’ll be with the girl he loves.  He won’t let it rob him of that.  Sarah hears this, and smiles to herself.

Inside of the house, Ellie is working on boxes and preparing for the big move.  Chuck moves through the living room telling her they’ll talk more later, but that he is not moving out.  Inside of his room, he closes the door and turns to the ‘Tron’ poster and removes it from the wall.  It’s mounted on foam-core board, making it easy to do this.  He lays it face down on his bed, revealing a matrix, showing the connections between all of the players in the Intersect saga.  Wait, did I just stumble into an episode of Life? He’s charting his own conspiracy wall!  He takes out a sharpie and writes “Orion” in big letters above the center Intersect room, that connects everything.
 
What are Casey and Sarah’s Covers?
Casey and Sarah are guests at a consulate party.  What does that mean? Well, really they just get to dress very nice and mingle in the crowd.  Sarah also has the cover of being Chuck’s now-live-in -girlfriend.

Is Awesome in This Episode?
Yes, but not very much. Awesome is here at the kitchen table, but not much else.  And sorry ladies, he is fully clothed.


And how does Sarah dress? Lingerie?
Yes and no.  We do open with her in some cute pink boy-short panties and stretch t-shirt.  Not as provocative as other episodes, but still, a nice way to open this week’s show. :-)

Does Casey get shot, poisoned, or otherwise injured?
Nope. Having Agent Barker around sure does improve Casey’s health.  This week and last he escapes unharmed while Agent Barker is shot (twice!) and tortured. Casey really should see about getting him a full-time position.

What’s the state of the Chuck / Sarah romance?
As the episode opens, Chuck and Sarah are rooming together at his old house (the one shared with Ellie and Awesome).  They discuss that the CIA will be getting them a new apartment soon.  Throughout the episode there is the love-triangle from last episode between Sarah-Chuck-Barker.  However, we clearly learn that Sarah has feelings for Chuck, and the triangle is caput by episode’s end.  At the end, Chuck confesses he has feelings for Sarah and that’s why he can’t move in together – it is too hard. A girlfriend is one thing; living together is completely different.  How will Sarah act on this info in future episodes?

Where is FULCRUM?
They are still front and center, trying to find out the identity of the Intersect.  This week they are led by a very diminutive, nebbish fellow.  Not as menacing as they have been in the past.

And the status of a new Intersect?
The CIA’s Intersect is not mentioned in this outing.  However, we do learn more about FULCRUM and their plans to create there own Intersect. We also get some clues about who actually created the original Intersect, which is tantalizing new plot thread…

Chuck 2.16 "Chuck versus the Lethal Weapon" Recap

Corpvandolay here with a recap of this week’s episode of Chuck. Now, there are a few new changes this week, as I have begun to add some icons. These should give you the opportunity to quick-glance and see who is in the episode and what happens. I hope you all enjoyed them. Now, this week’s episode should have followed episode 2.13, which you can read about here. With that said, on with the show...

What Does TV Guide Say?
Chuck gets jealous when Sarah has to seduce Fulcrum agent Cole Barker, codename "Beefcake". In the meantime, while Big Mike continues dating Morgan's mother and Morgan takes refuge at Chuck's place, Jeff and Lester start looking for the "Buy More Babe" as a way of finding a new employee.



Who Stars This Week?









Who Guest Stars?
Jonathan Cake is the “Beefcake” in question: a sophisticated MI-6 agent who vies for Sarah’s attention. He has bounced around television over the years, but you can review that for yourself here.

What’s The Episode Really About?
We open in the middle of a forest late at night. There is a man, digging in the ground. Hey, it’s our guest-star, Jonathan Cake! What’s he doing? Well, it seems he is digging up good ol’ Andy Ricther’s body from episode 2.13 (though you never see Andy’s face – an obvious body double!). He looks over the body and removes his pants belt. Is this getting kinky now? Nope, not yet, as we cut to our Hero Headquarters.

The General is on screen informing Sarah and Casey that the man in question was digging up a CIA dump-site and that he took some information that is a potential “game changer.” As such, Sarah and Casey are not to let Chuck out of their sight.

Chuck is having breakfast with Captain Awesome and Ellie. His phone rings and we see it is Sarah. He decides not to answer it. Awesome compliments Chuck on playing hard to get, while Ellie recalls the conversation she had with him two episodes back. If he doesn’t think they will be together, he should break up with Sarah. Chuck agrees and tells them he’s going to break up with her.

At the Buy More, Morgan is lamenting to Chuck about Big Mike dating his mom. It seems that they are getting along quite well, and practicing a lot of the horizontal mambo. As Morgan puts it, Big Mike sounds like a wounded sea lion. Chuck’s phone rings – Sarah again. He loks at it, thinking not to answer, when we see Sarah over his shoulder. Caught! Sarah then invites Chuck to get a frozen yogurt so they can talk.

Over at the frozen yogurt shop, Sarah is cutting up some bananas with a very sharp knife. This does nothing to help Chuck’s nerves. But, he stumbles around, until she asks him if he wants to break up. It seems that she overheard him at breakfast; eavesdropping is an occupational hazard. Chcuk starts in with the “it’s not you, it’s me” line, when Casey pops up at the door and reprimands Chuck for using that track with a trained assassin wielding a knife. Casey then steps back out, and Sarah suggests they tell everyone they are taking it slow and who knows what the future holds. But, to Chuck, this isn’t good enough, as it is still a lie. So, she asks if breaking up is what Chuck truly wants (obviously querying about their future together outside of a cover). Chuck replies that yes, he does. Casey pops back up and exclaims “great!”

HQ. The general is briefing our heroes on the mission. It seems they have identified the digger and he is quite a bad agent. We are to imagine a rogue or evil James Bond as images of him with ladies all over the world are show. Chuck flashes on the belt the agent is wearing – it seems that the belt is what he took from the dead body. It is a data device, and has information on it. The mission is to intercept him before he can meet his FULCRUM contacts and deliver the belt. Casey smiles at Sarah: “You’re gonna have to get his pants off. Good thing Bartowski dumped you.”

Opening credits.

Buy More. Big Mike, Morgan , Jeff and Lester are hanging out at the Nerd Herd desk. Big Mike asks Morgan to do some interviews for him, as he needs to go over to Morgan’s house and help his mom “lay some pipe.” Morgan, and the others, and mortified by the double-entendres that Mike spews forth. Once Mike leaves, Jeff and Lester offer to help Morgan out by doing the interviews themselves. Of course, we find out that their reasons are not altruistic: they are looking to enjoy the time-honored “casting couch” as they interview models for the job of “Buy More Babe.”

At the hotel bar, Chuck and Sarah are at the bar (not together), while Casey is the bartender. Our mark walks in and sits down in one of the chairs off to the side. Meanwhile, at Chuck’s house, Morgan is in the kitchen when Ellie and Awesome get home. They are surprised to see him as it seems that Chuck failed to inform them that Morgan would be staying over for a few days. As they seem disappointed, Morgan comes through as the perfect house-guest. He has fresh Martinis for them, has drawn a hot bubble bath they can go soak in, and has dinner in the oven. Perfect!

Meanwhile, at the bar, Sarah tells Chuck as Casey that she’ll call for some Cristal champagne if she’s in trouble. She leaves the bar and sits down with the mark. After some brief chatting, she successfully picks up the rogue agent and they leave to go to his room.

Back at casa del Chuck, Morgan is serving Ellie and Awesome dinner. During their conversation, Awesome lets slip that Ellie told Chuck to break up with Sarah. Why?! Morgan says that is a bad idea. Morgan thinks that Sarah is the one for Chuck because whenever Chuck is with Sarah, he is the Chuck we all know and love. Ellie starts to see Morgan’s view and fears that she has told Chuck bad advice. What if he’s already broken up with her? Awesome replies, telling her to look at the bright side – Chuck said he’d move out years ago, so it’ll be a while until he breaks up with Sarah.

At the hotel, Sarah is in the mark’s room, getting all hot and heavy. In the bar, Chuck flashes on some men getting in the elevator. Casey tells Chuck to stay put as he races to catch the elevator with the guys. Casey makes it, getting in, along with a woman and he baby. Meanwhile, in the room, Sarah gets the belt off of our rogue agent, but he uses it to bind her wrists. It seems that things are getting a bit kinky! She tells him she’s not too comfy with being tied up. The elevator stops, and the doors open. Before the men get out, Casey puts a gun in the back of one of them and tells the woman to slowly get out and away, as to stay out of danger. As she starts to, she grabs her baby and hits Casey with it. She’s FULCRUM! A shoot-out ensues. All the while, Chuck is at the bar, having removed his earpiece as he didn’t want to hear Sarah and the Beefcake making out. As a result, when she asks for Cristal, he don’t hear.

After the commercial, a waiter comes up to the new bartender and asks for a bottle of Cristal champagne to be delivered to Beefcake’s room. Chuck makes the connection and knows Sarah is in trouble! Chucks radios Casey, who tells chuck that he is a little busy right now, as he’s in a shoot out. Chuck races up stairs, hoping to save Sarah himself. In the room, Beefcake pulls Sarah’s gun from her purse. She is standing in her lingerie (yes!), helpless to what he may do. Just in time, Chuck knocks on the door – room service! Distracted, Sarah kicks the gun out of Beefcake’s hand and a fight ensues. Chuck tries to bust down the door, finally succeeding, only to find Sarah, still in lingerie, having subdued the Beefcake. She has her gun draw as he is on the ground, her knee in his back.

Up to the roof we go.Sarah and Chuck are escorting Beefcake way, as he tells them they are making a serious mistake. Just then, a military helicopter rises about the rooftop and begins to fire on the trio. Sarah ducks behind one car while Chuck and Beefcake duck behind another. Sarah is pinned down. Beefcake turns to Chuck and tells him that he is MI-6, undercover. Chuck has to trust him so that they can get out of this alive. Chuck does, giving Beefcake a gun. Beefcake gets up and runs over to Sarah, firing at the helicopter, and then, more importantly at the gas tanks on the roof. They rupture and BOOM – no more helicopter. Beefcake stands over Sarah and say, “come with me if you want to live.” (Love the Terminator reference!). Just then, WHACK! Casey decks him and knocks him out cold.

Back at HQ, the General apologizes to Agent Cole. They didn't know he was MI-6. Agent Cole is understandably upset, as they interfered in a long-running undercover assignment. What's worse, the chip in the belt is useless without the playback device, which he was going to get that night at the hotel. The General orders him to stay locked down at HQ until they can talk to his superiors and determine their next move.

Meanwhile, back at Chuck's house, Morgan awakens. It seems that it is time for a midnight snack. He throws back the blanket and arises...in the nude. Yes, Morgan sleeps au natural. He gets up and goes to the kitchen. Back in the bedroom hall, Ellie is up, worried and looking into Chuck's room. Captain Awesome comes up and she tells him that she is worried that she was wrong in telling Chuck to break up with Sarah. As Captain Awesome points out, he's not home and that is a good sign. He offers to make her some tea. And as they stroll into the kitchen, they come face-to-face with a naked Morgan (who is not shy about his nudity). As Captain Awesome puts it: "talk about your low-hanging fruit."

Over at the HQ, Chuck offers to Sarah to stay and help her watch Agent Cole. Seems he is a bit nervous to leave them alone for a whole night. Could he be...jealous?! Sarah defers and tells Chuck to go home. As she walks away, Agent Cole comes up to Chuck and asks if anything is going on between he and Sarah. Chuck says there is nothing going on, much to Agent Cole's delight. As he so eloquently puts it, he's going to try and "butter that muffin."

Chuck arrives home that morning. Hey, where is Morgan? Well, as Captain Awesome tells him, Morgan sleeps in the buff. Now, that is a fine thing, just not on their couch. Ellie and Awesome ask Chuck if he did break up with Sarah. Chuck says yes, to an audible "oh" from Ellie. Oh? Oh, what? Well, they fear that he was premature in breaking up with her. She is a great girl and won't stay single for long. Chuck may have missed his best shot with her.

Over at HQ, Sarah is looking at Cole's file. It seems that he is a real hero, having done many brave and daring things, saving many lives. Just as Cole comes up, Sarah hides that she was viewing his file. He is curious as to why she didn't come to bed last night. She wasn't tired. He smiles and says that they wouldn't have gotten any sleep. Meanwhile, upstairs Chuck is hanging out in the Orange Orange yogurt shop, and takes the opportunity to view the security cameras through the secret console in the check out screen. He sees Sarah and Cole chatting in the HQ below.

Over at the Buy More, Jeff is decked out in a bath robe, as he and Lester interview girls for the open position. Jeff is blatant and repulsive in his come-ons to the women, much to Lester's chagrin. Lester thinks he is more suave, however they are both utter failures. Each and every woman in the montage resists the casting couch, threatening to call the cops and/or their boyfriend to get back at them.

At HQ, Cole has the idea to set up a new meet to get the playback device. This mission is very dangerous, as his cover might be blown. Chuck offers to hack the chip, but everyone blows off that idea. Sarah says that taking the chip to a new meet is too dangerous, to which Cole says that he'll do it without the chip. This mission just keeps getting more and more dangerous!

At the new rendezvous point, Agent Cole is in a casual suit with Casey (with a smoothie!)  and Sarah dressed as business people. It seems they are at a busy hang out for professionals on their lunch break. Agent Cole sees his contacts and approaches them. He says he has the chip and asks for the playback device. From a nearby car, additional FULCRUM agents, led by a smoking hot woman, watch the deal. Suddenly, their computer screen lights up -- it seems that someone has activated the homing device on the computer chip. Chuck! They know Cole doesn't have the chip, so they grab him. Sarah tries to intervene, but is nabbed before she can make a move. Casey hangs back, being sure not to have his cover blown.

At the Buy More, Chuck is in the chip. See, he can hack it! Mad skills! He opens the files and sees that the chip has a movie files of his FULCRUM experiment from episode 2.13. As he is watching this, the FULCRUM agents from the car come into Buy More. Jeff and Lester se that one of them ha a gun, and think he is an undercover cop called by one of the models. They duck down and scoot off. Chuck also sees them coming, and smashes the chip before they arrive. The female lead FULCRUM agent comes up to Chuck and immediately sees the smashed chip on the counter. Why do we have to do it the hard way?

Cut to Chuck, Sarah and Agent Cole are in a warehouse, hanging from the ceiling. Sarah and Agent Cole chat, assessing the situation and that Chuck is a 1 on the 1-10 torture scale. Chuck disagrees until he realizes that they are just in the pre-torture stage. He then agrees: he's a one. Chuck tells Agent Cole and Sarah that he cracked the chip and knows what is on it: it’s him. The chip contains the identity of the intersect. They can’t let FULCRUM know. Just then, the female FULCRUM arrives, and asks, machete in hand, who is going to talk first.

Casey rushes into the Buy More, decked out in his suit. He finds Jeff and Lester and wants to know where Chuck went. They don’t respond until he applies some physical persuasion. They sing like canaries, telling him how a hot female cop came by and arrested Chuck. Casey bolts out.

Back in the warehouse, the female agent is torturing Agent Cole. Chuck is begging her not to hurt him, but she refuses. Chuck breaks and tells her that he is the intersect. She pauses, considering this. Cole then pipes up and say that he is lying, that Cole himself is the intersect. He reasons that Chuck is too weak – the CIA would never make him the intersect. Sarah agrees. Chuck disagrees, saying he is tougher than he seems. In fact, he spies a giant needle on the instrument table and tells her he could withstand her putting that in his eye. She smiles and picks it up. This needle? She moves towards him and brings it to his eyeball. Chuck passes out.

Casey rushes into HQ and informs the General that Chuck has been taken, along with Cole and Sarah, by FULCRUM. They need back up now, as Chuck would never stand up to torture.

Cut to water splashing on Chuck, waking him up. The female FULCRUM agent tells Chuck to talk or Sarah is going to die from a needle full of poison on the count of three. 1. 2… In the nick of time Casey and the back-up arrive. The female FULCRUM agent runs, as Casey and the men secure Chuck, Sara and Cole. Casey runs after her, cornering her in another part of the warehouse. Nowhere to run. She smiles and jambs the needle of poison into her own neck, killing herself.

Decompressing, Casey tends to Chuck. Chuck says that his fainting was all part of his plan; it’s his move. Casey smiles. So, Chuck’s move was to faint, while Agent Cole’s was to endure torture? It looks like Cole’s method is working, as they turn as see Sarah tending to him, helping him with his wounds.

Back at HQ, Chuck and Sarah talk. Chuck makes light of the torture and the situation. I mean, growing up, he endured his sister tickling his toes – that got him to talk every time. Sarah smiles. She is going to miss the relationship. Chuck starts to say that maybe he made a rash decision when Agent Cole interrupts. Chuck excuses himself to let them talk. Agent Cole then invites Sarah on a vacation with him – they both could use one. She defers.

Upstairs at the frozen yogurt store, Chuck decides he cannot resist and pulls up the security camera on the monitor screen. The image comes up and he sees Cole and Sarah kissing passionately. He leaves and goes over to Buy More. Inside he is met by Morgan, who is saying how Ellie seeing him naked was a blessing. “Not for Ellie,” Chuck replies. Seriously, it made Morgan realize he needs to move on and quit living at home. Chuck sees the serendipity of the situation: he asks Morgan to get a place with him. Morgan is ecstatic! Then Big Mike comes up and wants to talk to Chuck about all the complaints they are getting about the interviews.

Agent Cole is being chauffeured away to the airport. As he rides in the car, we see a black-clad motorcyclist pull up beside the car and shoot the driver. The care swerves off the road and into a tree.

At Chuck's house, Morgan and Chuck are there to tell Captain Awesome and Ellie the big news: they are moving in together. “No!” Ellie says. She is mortified. She wants Chuck moving forward, but not moving in with Morgan. Just then, Sarah knocks on the door and comes in. She asks to speak to Chuck outside. They go into the courtyard, while the others crowd the window to see what is going on. Sarah tells him that Agent Cole was captured. Unfortunately, what this means is that they have to go into 24-hour protection; Sarah and Chuck have to move in together. (OMG!)

What are Casey and Sarah’s Covers?
First, Sarah is a girl looking for a fling at a hotel bar, while Casey is a bartender. Then, later, Casey and Sarah are business people, hanging out on break in a non-descript business quad.

Is Awesome in This Episode?
Yes. Awesome is front and center with Ellie as they do a little meddling in Chuck’s personal life. Unfortunately for our female fans, Awesome does not sleep in the buff, unlike Morgan. ;-)

Does Casey get shot, poisoned, or otherwise injured?
Casey gets it from a most unusual place this week: a baby. More specifically, he is hit in the head with a fake baby. He survives, unscratched.

What’s the state of the Chuck / Sarah romance?
Well, this episode is a bit wacky. Looking at it, this should have followed directly from episode 2.13. So, with that said, the relationship between Sarah and Chuck has cooled, though not in a bad way. In fact, it opens with Chuck decided to break-up with Sarah (his pretend girlfriend). Of course, a new love interest comes into play for Sarah, thus creating a nice love-triangle for Chuck. But, the episode ends with the two having to up their cover, and move in together (for Chuck’s safety, of course).

Where is FULCRUM?
They are front and center in this episode.  They are continuing the nefarious plans hatched in episode 2.13:  they want Chuck!

And the status of a new Intersect?
Not mentioned in this outing.  Good news for Chuck.

Chuck 2.15 "Chuck versus the Beefcake" Recap

Greetings everyone.  Corporal Vandolay here. I am honored that I will be providing recaps for Chuck, one of the best shows on television. This is my first, so please excuse any kinks.  Rest assured, the kinks will still be there for every recap, but I won't have an excuse on those.  With that, let's get down to business...

Who Guest Stars?
Andy Richter (not saving the universe), Jenny McCarthy (with clothes, without Jim Carrey), Brian Thompson (That creepy Alien Bounty Hunter guy from the X-Files)

What Does TV Guide Say?
Chuck and Sarah go undercover as a happily married couple in suburbia. There, they meet colorful community denizens, including a merry neighbor (Andy Richter) and a seductive siren (Jenny McCarthy), who sets out to win Chuck's affections. Meanwhile, Big Mike's wife files for divorce, spiraling the Buy More leader in an overly foul funk. As such, the store staffers set him up on a dating Web site.

What’s The Episode Really About?
Well, they are pretty good at giving you the nuts and bolts.  But, here’s what really happens…

We open with an A Clockwork Orange eyeball as a guy is strapped in (voluntarily, apparently), preparing to be “tested.” Red “intersect-type images begin to flash over his face and he screams.

Cut to the interior of Buy More.  It is Valentine’s Day, and while people are not screaming like the guy we just saw, they are having just as bad a day inside of the store. It seems that Big Mike is in a very bad mood and is coming down hard on everyone to work, work, work! Chuck and Sarah don’t want to be forced into doing something this evening, but Morgan presses them and they make plans. The staff are speculating on what is wrong with Big Mike, when Chuck just offers to go and ask. Inside of Mike’s office, we find out the answer – Big Mike’s wife served him with divorce papers today. Ugh!

That night, we are at Chuck’s house.  There are plenty of open Chinese food containers and Sara is watching a movie while Chuck plays a hand-held game.  Sarah asks if they are having the worst Valentine’s Day, to which Chuck replies that there must be someone, somewhere having a worse one.  Cut to Casey at home, drinking alone while watching an old war documentary.  General Beckman cuts in to his program and informs Casey that one of there lost agents turned up in the valley (the same A Clockwork Orange guy from the opening).  Unfortunately, they don’t know what he was doing or why, and his mind is a bit on the scrambled side, so they can’t ask him.  He is strapped to a bed, simply saying the word “salamander” over and over.  All the agency knows is where he was living: a cul de sac division called Meadow Brook. So, our heroes must go undercover to find out on what our crazy agent was working. Casey delivers the good news to non-love-birds Chuck and Sarah: they’re playing a married couple!

After the commercial, Chuck is packing for the mission – choosing more mature, “dad” clothes. He tells his sister that Sarah and he are house-sitting for a week, and we are off! “Once in a Lifetime” by the Talking Heads sets the perfect stage as Chuck drives in to the new neighborhood and sees all of his new neighbors.  Literally. They are all outside of their respective houses.  How Stepford of them. It continues as he walks into his perfect house and see photos of his perfect life with Sarah, including a family dog! Sarah then steps in, holding the world’s biggest bowl of potato salad.  It seems that Chuck is just in time to go cook for the house-warming party they are throwing. Here, Chuck meets all of his neighbors by name, though the ringleader of the block seems to be Andy Richter.  He plays the over-bearing-neighbor-you-hope-you-never-have to perfection.

Meanwhile, back at the Buy More, the staff decides to hatch a plan to get Big Mike laid using the internet.  So, they create a profile on a dating website, lying about everything possible – from his height and weight to his job (A shipping magnate!).  Mike is reluctant to partake until he sees the hotties that come up as potential matches for his profile.  Let the dating begin…

Back at the party, Chuck is milling about off to the side, looking quite bored.  That’s when Jenny McCarthy finds him, and shares that she doesn’t like parties either.  Then, some unabashed prowling ensues as she propositions Chuck to come to her house anytime for a little fun on the side.  She is married to the Alien Bounty Hunter, but he travels a lot, so she is free.  Being Chuck, this unnerves and scares him, and he flees to take a sidebar with Casey and Sarah.  It seems that he didn’t flash on any of the neighbors.  Maybe they are all clean.  Nope. Not so fast. It seems that Casey has found a bug in one of the entrees that the neighbors brought over.  And not just any bug, one that was stolen from the CIA in 2006 by FULCRUM.

The next morning Chuck comes downstairs to find Sarah playing domestic diva and cooking him breakfast.  She is quite at ease in this “normal” setting and Chuck wistfully admires her and thinks of all the future possibilities.  The perfect couple continues as Chuck goes off to work, Sarah giving her “sweetie” a grocery list and a peck in the driveway.  All is great with “I Can See Clearly Now” playing as Chuck drives off and arrives at Buy More.  And abruptly, it ends, as Casey takes the note to reveal invisible ink on it – a covert note from Sarah to Casey. It seems the Alien Bounty Hunter is an ex-CIA psi-ops officer who has also be purchasing some high-grade technical equipment.  They need Chuck to get into his house and see what’s on his computer. How?  Why, use the open invite for sex that his wife gave Chuck of course!

Chuck goes to the house and our cougar is pleasantly surprised to see him.  She takes him upstairs and proceeds to take off his clothes (down to a t-shirt and boxers – no skin ladies. sorry!) and handcuff him to the bed (with fuzzy red ones!). Only Chuck’s incessant chatter stops them from jumping into it right away as he asks for a drink.  Jenny leaves and Chuck asks for help (via his ear piece device – all good spies have them) getting out of the handcuffs.  Casey says it’s easy, just break a small bone in your hand and slip out.  Uh, no!  Chuck isn’t into that.  Instead, he spots the keys on the nightstand and grabs them with his feet and escapes.  He finds the computer in question, but it is password protected.  Looking around he sees some salamanders – the same word out crazy agent was saying.  He types it in and access is granted.  The pc says it is running a test sequence and bam – the same red-tinted images flash over Chuck as we saw in the opening.  Looks an awful lot like an intersect to me.  The stop and Chuck drops.

Alien Bounty Hunter arrives home and Casey moves towards the house to rescue Chuck.  Inside ABH asks his wife is she’d tested Chuck yet. He knew! She says no, but he is handcuffed upstairs.  They get upstairs, but no Chuck! They go the computer room and – no Chuck! But, they do see he ran the test and survived.  He IS their man. Outside, Casey approaches the house to see Chuck, in his underwear, on the roof, climbing down and away.  He then walks around the cul de sac, in full view of ALL the neighbors (don’t these people work?!) until he gets home.  Sarah is waiting for him and gives him a slap before turning around and going inside of the house.

Debriefing at the sub-basement HQ, the General pulls Chuck off the mission, but sends Casey and Sarah to lock down the neighborhood.  Chuck protests, but to no avail.  Cut to the Buy More, where Big Mike is readying to go out on his date.  The staff guys are all encouraging him to lie to close the deal.  He is hesitant and asks Chuck, who just strolled in from the HQ, dejected from being off the mission, if he should lie to this woman. Chuck asks if he wants a relationship founded on lies.  The staff answer a resounding yes.

Chuck is now at his locker and a paper falls out with the name of the suburban development on it.  He flashes. It seems that the whole neighborhood is a FULCRUM front.  The test download he received from the ABH computer gave him this new info, allowing him to flash. He immediately calls Sarah to warn her, but she is busy talking with Casey, so he must leave a message.  Outside, Casey is in the cable truck when Andy Richter comes up to him to express worry over some interference he is getting with his cable.  Distracted, Andy tazers Casey.  At the house, Andy’s wife brings Sarah brownies…and a gun. It seems Chuck’s warnings are just a tad too late.  Chuck then arrives at their house and Andy is waiting for him.  Chuck flashes on him, then turns and sees all of his neighbors (no, I don’t think they do work jobs after all), flashing on each one as a FULCRUM agent. Andy tazers a distracted Chuck, and down he goes.

Chuck awakens in the opening scene lab, strapped in like another A Clockwork Orange subject.  It seems that FULCRUM is completing an abandoned CIA project that allows encoded data to be streamed into an agent’s brain via digital images.  Hey, they’re building an intersect!  Sarah is handcuffed off to the side, helplessly watching Chuck. Chuck says he’ll do whatever they want, but just let Sarah go.  To this, our FULCRUM agents laugh and tell Chuck that Sarah’s feelings for him aren’t real – it’s all part of her job.  They the leave Chuck and go to the control room, preparing to give him the full blast of their program.

In another holding room, Casey is handcuffed and alone.  He presses on his hand and breaks the small bone he told Chuck about earlier.  What do you know – it does work!  He gets the cuffs off and is out the door, looking for the control room.  But, while he is looking for it, FULCRUM blasts Chuck with their program, seemingly overloading his brain. Once the program is over, they come is and Chuck looks like “toast.” FULCRUM is preparing to dump him, when he suddenly wakes up! It seems that it worked! Chuck is now FULCRUM-infused. As they talk with him to determine how he is, Chuck sees Casey sneak into the control room. He plays up that he is with FULCRUM and assents to them testing the device on Sarah next.  However, before they do, he wants to tell "Agent Walker" one thing. He leans in and says “close your eyes.”  He covers her ears and Casey runs the program, frying the brains of all the FULCRUM agents in the room. After the program is done, Casey comes in and asks: “somebody call the cable guy?”

The epilogue shows the CIA cleaning up the lab, taking agent bodes and other red shirts away. At HQ, Sarah is being debriefed by the General, who tells her that FULCRUM is dangerously close to creating their own intersect.  This means Chuck’s life is in even more danger now than before.  She understands this and leaves to find Chuck upstairs in the yogurt store waiting for her.  He asks her if she’d like to go back to the house, since they should still be house-sitting, and enjoy a nice, quiet night hanging out together.  Sarah shuts him down, telling him the mission is over and she and Casey need to clean everything there up.  To add insult to injury, as he is about to leave, she asks for his fake wedding ring back. Ouch!

Having a better time in the Buy More, Big Mike is flying high from his date.  It seems that everything went extremely well and they did things “that are probably illegal.” So well, in fact, he invited his date to the Buy More to come clean so that they can have an honest relationship.  She arrives, a bit nervous as to why.  Big Mike confesses that he works here and asks for her forgiveness.  She grants it and says she lied a bit too: she has a 26 year old son.  In fact, she thought he asked her there because he knew her son worked at the store.  Big Mike looks nervously about, hoping that her son in Chuck. Close, but no cigar.  Her son is…Morgan! Morgan looks shocked, seeing Big Mike and his mom kissing.

Chuck arrives home and talks with his sister, Ellie.  She is eager to hear how the house sitting went.  However, Chuck tells her that it was a disaster.  He and Sarah are good, but they are not going anywhere.  She looks sad, but he tells her: “Sarah and I will never be anything more than we are right now. And I am good with that.”

What are Casey and Sarah’s Covers?
With a mission that takes them into the suburbs, our resident spies have appropriate covers: Sarah is Chuck’s wife. Casey is the Cable Guy.

Is Captain Awesome in This Episode?
Sadly, this episode is Awesome-less.  He doesn’t appear and is not referenced.

Does Casey get shot, poisoned, or otherwise injured?
Casey gets tazered unconscious.  After that, he has to break a bone in his own hand to escape some handcuffs.

The Good?

• This episode is directed by Broken Lizard mastermind, Jay Chandrasekhar
• Milbarge wearing a toupee.
• “To suck his…will to work out of him.”
• The Stepford aspect of suburbia is skewered quite nicely.
• Sarah reveling in the domestic side of life.  It suits her!
• Casey as a cable installation tech.
• The internet hotness conversion factor
• “Dirty, nasty, filthy love.”
• “I’ve got a chain, too.”
• “If the cougar gets a little hairy, you can always tap out.”
• “I don’t even know what your affiliation is, Elvis” “What does he mean, affiliation?”

The Bad?

• I just don’t get the suburban development set-up.  So, FULCRUM has created this suburb as a cover to develop technology that implants information directly into a person’s mind.  And, what, they always leave one house vacant for the CIA to post agents so they can test them?  It just didn’t make logical sense to me.
• The neighbors were all, always outside.  Anytime anything happened outside, not just one or two neighbors saw it – they all did.
• Can’t Sarah and Chuck talk?! All of their missed romance/feelings is from the fact that they just don’t say what they are thinking.  Of course, it wouldn’t be as good if they did…

Chuck 2.13 "Chuck Versus the Suburbs" Recap