Chuck vs the Colonel

Original air date April 20, 2009

Season 2 episode 21

Synopsis

Chuck and Sarah are at an abandoned drive-in theater, the supposed location of the secret Fulcrum base, Black Rock. Stephen is watching them on surveillance when Roark enters and tells him that if he has the Intersect operational by the next day, he won’t hurt Chuck.

Beckman tells Casey to bring Chuck and Sarah back, dead or alive, and he will have his pick of assignments and a promotion. Casey searches through Chuck’s room and is interrupted by Ellie and Awesome. Ellie just heard from Chuck. Casey tracks the call to find Chuck. 

Chuck and Sarah can’t go back, so they check into a motel, and Sarah tells Chuck it’s okay; they only have one bed. She showers and then joins him in bed. Fulcrum has followed them to the hotel, and Vincent checks in with Roark. Chuck asks Sarah why she is doing this for him. She tells him he deserves to have what he wants after everything he has done. He asks her what happens to them when their job is done, and she tells him to focus on one mission at a time. 

Casey locates them and practices shooting using Chuck’s photo. Emmett is celebrating his victory and offers Morgan assistant manager. Chuck and Sarah awake the next morning while spooning and caressing each other. They begin to kiss, and Chuck tells her to wait while he gets a condom. When he checks his wallet, Morgan left a note informing him he borrowed his condom. Chuck goes out to get condoms, and Casey grabs him. Morgan and the sales staff make up with Big Mike. Morgan accepts the assistant manager job.

Casey takes Chuck back to the room, and Sarah jumps him so they can escape. Chuck sees the Fulcrum vehicle and flashes; he won’t leave Casey. Sarah returns to the room for Casey, but he has escaped and gets in the car with Chuck, forcing him to leave. Fulcrum arrives and confronts them, capturing Sarah. Chuck, Sarah, and Casey defeat the Fulcrum agents, but Casey and Sarah hold guns on each other. Sarah has no ammunition, and Casey captures them. Stephen is watching and sends Chuck a message while Casey is driving them back. Casey refuses to help him. 

Devon comes to the Buy More looking for Chuck. They show him Casey’s secret stash in his locker and tell him Casey is obsessed with Chuck. Beckman tells Colonel Casey she is sending agents to pick Chuck and Sarah up. They tell him about the Orion signal, and he promises to follow up. Devon checks out Casey’s apartment and sees the surveillance and triggers the security. Casey gets the alert and rushes home. Chuck tells Sarah he is glad he is arrested with her but are interrupted when they begin to kiss by an explosion that Jeff and Lester caused while seeking revenge on Emmett. Sarah and Chuck escape when Castle loses power, and the doors are now open. They see Devon on Casey’s surveillance monitor. 

Casey arrives at home and stops the alarms. Casey pulls a gun on him, but Devon tries to fight him. Sarah and Chuck come in, and Sarah knocks Casey out with the butt of her gun. Devon asks what is happening, and Chuck has to tell him the truth. He asks Devon to cover for him with Ellie. Sarah and Chuck leave Casey tied up, and Devon goes to Ellie. Morgan tries to save all the Buy More staff from Emmett and tells Anna his real dream is to be a Benihana chef. Casey escapes, and Beckman tells Casey she is sending in bombers to destroy the sight where Orion is being kept. Casey tells her he gave his word to rescue Stephen. She tells him she doesn’t have time for that. 

Devon freaks out when he sees Ellie. Chuck and Sarah take a Nerd Herder to rescue Stephen. Casey has followed them and tells them what Beckman did. He tells them he followed them, they don’t have enough firepower, and they should have asked him to join. Chuck quickly does that. They agree that Chuck stays in the car. Stephen is watching, and Roark comes to get the Intersect. Chuck sees Fulcrum agents arrive by car. Sarah and Casey find access to the underground bunker. Roark addresses the agents from the movie screen stage to share the Intersect announcement. Casey and Sarah arrive to rescue Stephen as the bombers are in route. Chuck isn’t in the car when they get back, and Vincent arrives. Chuck is trying to steal the Intersect and is caught by Roark. The others arrive, and the Intersect computer is run as Chuck tells Casey and Sarah to close their eyes. Stephen tells Chuck to watch the screen. He collapses at the end as Roark tries to make himself flash. Roark threatens to kill them when the Intersect isn’t working. The bombs begin to drop. Casey carries Chuck out as he , Sarah, and Stephen run to the car and drive away. Stephen tells them he removed the Intersect from Chuck. That was how he programmed it. Chuck and Sarah gap at Stephen as the bombs blow up behind them.

Casey is commended by Beckman for saving the team, destroying the base, and capturing the Intersect cube. He tells Beckman it was Sarah who should be commended for pretending to go awol and using herself and Chuck as bait to capture the bad guys. Chuck corroborates how horrible it was as Casey smacks him, and Sarah smiles.

Beckman tells them Operation Bartowski is over. Morgan quits rather than do what Emmett wants him to do. He asks Anna to go to Hawaii with him to learn to be a Benihana chef. He tells Chuck goodbye as he leaves.

Ellie and Devon are ready for their rehearsal dinner but no Chuck. Devon reassures her, tells her he will be back. Chuck arrives with Stephen, and Ellie hugs her dad. Chuck asks Casey to the dinner as his friend. The door closes, and Casey comes back out with a jacket and a cigar. Sarah walks in dressed to kill, and Casey goes to warm up the car. Sarah asks him how he feels, and he says he is great, like everything is finally real.

“It is real.” Sarah takes his hand, and they walk out.

Roark hitchhikes a ride to Burbank, for a wedding.

Points of Interest

• Sarah takes Chuck to the site of Black Rock, the Starbright Theater. This is the name of the project Sam Beckett worked before the Quantum Leap project: the show Scott Bakula starred in (1989).
• Casey appears to be angry at Chuck and Sarah for disobeying orders and going AWOL. We later learn he might have felt betrayed when they didn’t ask him to help them. He gives his word to Chuck to rescue his Dad and then disobeys Beckman to help them rescue Stephen.
• Sarah and Chuck finally give in to their feelings for each other. Away from surveillance they no longer have to hold back.
• Casey shooting Chuck’s picture echos the show premier where he uses the same pic for target practice but misses it.
• “Ass Man” is revived from Chuck vs the Seduction.
• We hear “Aces, Charles” again. From Ellie in the pilot, quoting her Dad,, from Stephen in Chuck vs the Dream Job and again in this episode from Stephen.

References

The Godfather– Big Mike receiving Morgan seated in a dark room.

The Warriors- Roark shouts ‘Can You Dig It?’ From the 1979 film.

Tron- Orion uses a midnight showing of Tron at the Starbright drive-in to alert Chuck that he is there.

An Officer and A Gentleman- Morgan carries Anna out of the Buy More as the employees clap.

Lost- Black Rock– “This place is more of a dump than a wrecked ship.” The name of the wrecked ship found on the island in the show.

Music

Creature Fear- Bon Iver: Chuck and Sarah wake up together in bed, caressing and kissing; Chuck and Stephen arrive at Ellie and Awesome’s apartment; Chuck invites Casey to the rehearsal dinner.

Team- Bon Iver: Chuck looks for a condom.

Answering Machine- Malbec: Morgan quits the Buy More.