Original air date: March 30, 2009

Season 2  Episode 18

Synopsis

Chuck is ambushed as he tries to enter his apartment. Casey stops the ambush and unmasks Jeff, Lester, and Morgan, they are practicing ambushing Devon for his bachelor party. Chuck has a late-night reading over the Intersect information from Orion. Beckman interrupts him through his computer and questions him about his relationship with Sarah. When he tries to claim they are strictly professional, she shows him surveillance footage of him confessing his true feelings to Sarah. She tells him she is instituting a 49-B.

The next morning, Devon enters the room with a health shake and sees Beckman’s name on Chuck’s computer. Chuck covers with an explanation about a video game and triggers another conference call, which he successfully ends before Devon sees it.

Chuck arrives at Orange Orange to tell Sarah what happened but finds a different woman behind the counter. He flashes on Agent Forrest, and they have a briefing in Castle where Sarah tells Chuck that he has been turned over to Agent Forrest, and Sarah is being evaluated. They are assigned a mission to investigate a terrorist who is receiving heart surgery in the US. He is a link to an Afghani terrorist leader. Chuck tries to talk to Sarah about the 49-B, but she refuses on the basis of protocol. Chuck is to use the Intersect to identify terrorists for the mission.

Casey and Chuck arrive at the Buy More for work, and Casey reminds Chuck that talking about his feelings is what got Sarah into trouble. Morgan, Jeff, and Lester approach Chuck about being invited to Devon’s bachelor party and to hold it at the Buy More, but Chuck refuses.

Chuck goes to the Orange Orange to ask Sarah if Forrest knows he is the Intersect, and he apologizes to Sarah. He then jokes about Sarah using the CIA database to help him find his father. Sarah tells him that it is impossible, and Forrest enters, saying that doing so would be a misuse of government resources and Sarah would be fired.

The mission will be to bug the terrorists’ pacemaker before it is placed, and they can track his whereabouts. He is hospitalized where Devon and Ellie work, but  Chuck is assured he will not see them. Sarah is told to stay in the van when they reach the hospital. Chuck is uncomfortable with Forrest and her aggressiveness and almost runs into Ellie, who changed her schedule. When he ducks into a room to avoid Ellie, he flashes on the patient, Ahmad, the terrorist, and his doctor. Forrest decides they need to steal a hospital badge to get into a secure area, and Devon is kidnapped and taken to the Buy More for his bachelor party, where they will get him drunk and steal his key card.

Forrest tells Beckman that Sarah is compromised by her feelings for Chuck, and she is recalled to Langley for reassignment. Forrest will be his permanent handler. Sarah accepts the decision and is not allowed to say goodbye to Chuck. Sarah uses her access to search for Chuck’s dad before packing up and leaving for Langley.

Casey is attempting to lift Devon’s card but decides it is around his neck. Forrest disguises herself as a stripper for the bachelor party, and a tranq’d Devon is robbed of his key card. This upsets Chuck, but she ignores him.

Beckman congratulates them for a good job, and Chuck tries to question Beckman about Sarah, but she cuts him off. Devon wakes up and notices his card is gone. Ellie is upset by what happened at the party and doesn’t believe him when he says nothing happened.

The bug planted in Ahmad is discovered by his doctor, and men arrive to capture Devon. Chuck takes his place and is stripped of his watch before being taken.

Sarah is driving east when the results of her search are shown, and she immediately returns to Burbank. Chuck is not at home, and she is about to leave a note when she sees his phone and knows he wouldn’t leave without it. She goes to Castle but can’t get in, so she tells Casey that Chuck is missing. Casey sides with Sarah against Forrest and lets her into Castle. They argue about Chuck’s location because his watch says he is at home. When checking surveillance, Sarah spots the watch in the fountain. They realize the bug is not working anymore, but the last location was a bank vault.

 Chuck has been told to remove the bug, but he stalls for time. When Casey, Sarah, and Forrest arrive to rescue him, his real identity is revealed, and the doctor tries to kill Chuck. Casey watches the bank vault door slam shut as they begin to scuffle over the scalpel. A nitrous oxide tank is released by Chuck during the fight. Forrest wants to blow the door, but Casey knows the gas will explode. Sarah works to crack the combination while Casey and Forrest try to get Chuck to open the vault door. The gas has made both Chuck and the doctor high, and Chuck refuses to do anything unless Sarah comes back. Chuck is able to get the terrorist leader’s location from the doctor as Sarah gets the door open. Sarah assures Chuck that she is really there and, yes, he is super stoned. 

During their debriefing, Chuck explains that Sarah and he have feelings for each other that are beneficial for the team. They care about each other, and that helps. Casey sides with them. Beckman finally agrees and recalls Forrest, reinstating Sarah.

Chuck is caught by Ellie when he tries to return Devon’s card. She thinks he is covering for Devon, but he also tells her nothing happened. Chuck is upset about Ellie and Devon and goes to Sarah at her apartment. He tells her his life is screwed up by the lying, and the government has hurt his family. Sarah tells him it is about time the government helps him and gives him the note she tried to leave for him in his room.

The next day, Sarah and Chuck arrive outside a trailer, and Sarah convinces Chuck to knock on the door. When there isn’t an answer, she touches his neck and says she’s sorry. Then the door opens, and Chuck remarks, “Dad.”

Points of Interest

• A continuation of the last episode’s conclusion, a 49-B is an investigation by an unassociated agent into the conduct of an assigned agent. Namely, Sarah is being investigated for having inappropriate feelings for the asset. When Casey handed over all his files, Beckman saw the many times that Chuck expressed his feelings to Sarah. She also saw that Sarah did not squash those conversations. Despite not actually expressing her feelings, Sarah is obviously emotionally involved from Beckman’s viewpoint.
• Chuck asks Casey if it is possible someone kidnapped Sarah and replaced her with ‘some kind of soulless replica.’ Tricia Helfer, the actress portraying Forrest, was best known for her role as Cylon #6 in Battlestar Galactica.
• Chuck and Casey’s apartment, as well as the courtyard, have surveillance, but Sarah’s apartment does not. No explanation is ever given as to why this is so.
• In the previous episode, Chuck is looking for Orion to get answers. He is also looking for his dad for Ellie’s wedding. No one knows yet that they are one and the same. Ellie’s wedding invite to her dad is returned but was addressed to Las Vegas.
• Devon’s comment about Ellie is a direct reference to the quote by Paul Newman in reference to his wife, Joanne Woodward. “Why would I go out for a hamburger when I have steak at home?”

References

• The Third Man- Harry Lime is the antagonist of the book and the film. Used as an alias for Ahmad. Played by Orson Welles in the film.
• Hawaii 5-0- Jeff: “Five-0, gotta flush my stash.” 
• Spies Like Us- Character named Emmit Milbarge, a bug GLG-4000, and the famous Dr- Dr routine.
• Fatal Attraction- Alex Forrest is the name of the ‘other woman’ in the film and the antagonist of this story.

Music

Hearts and Minds- Matt Pond PA: Awesome and Ellie chat with Chuck.

2 Legit 2 Quit- M.C. Hammer: The food arrives.

Love Game- Lady Gaga: Exotic female dancers.

Bottle Pop- Pussycat Dolls: Officer Alex arrives.

Jump Around- House of Pain: The bachelor party begins.

Turnin Me On- Keri Halson: Alex arrests Devon.

Bite Hard- Franz Ferdinand: Sarah driving and receiving data, weapons prep, tracking device found.

Blood Bank- Bon Iver: Chuck goes to Sarah for help, Devon almost discovers Chuck’s secret when he calls out Agent Carmichael in his room, Sarah takes Chuck to see his dad.