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Chuck meets up with his ex-girlfriend, Jill, who's moved on from Bryce and Stanford to working in biochemistry; specifically, she's helping build a bioweapons antivirus. When Chuck flashes on her boss, Agent Redhead insists Chuck take Jill on a date. So he does. And she's sort of smitten, despite him starting off by trying to get closure after the breakup. But then, as they're leaving, Jeff and Lester drive by and rat out Chuck by revealing he's not so much a rich computer business owner but instead more of a Buy More employee. Don't worry, though: He gets to make up with her later, in the form of (sort of) honesty, and a kiss. Then he listens in on a phone call and starts talking; apparently she can hear him, and he's foiled again. But when the bioweapon is released in a room full of people, including Casey, Chuck gets to help save the world -- or at least these 20 people or so. Then Chuck and Jill kiss again, with Sarah watching on (she's sad and lonely; this episode will tell you that loud and clear with Jill and Chuck's dialogue, coupled with Sarah's mopey face). There is also one awesome and horrifying moment, when Chuck's blood is the antidote and the only syringe they have is broken, in which Chuck plants a big wet kiss on Casey in hopes that his saliva might contain the antidote. It doesn't.
Ellie's only role in this episode is to advise Chuck not to go to dinner with Jill, then to change her mind and say it's good because he gets to answer questions he had, then to be glad when she thinks he's realized he wants to be with Sarah because he walks in so happy (he hasn't of course; he's still glowing from his hot, hot kisses with Jill). Ellie's going to be so upset when she finds out Sarah and Chuck are no more and Jill's back.
Meanwhile, Chuck gets Awesome to teach CPR training at the Buy More, after Big Mike almost chokes on a donut. It's a throwaway plot, with a few pretty funny moments (mostly involving choking). While I liked my Chuck with a little more Morgan, this is the exact right amount of episode for character like Jeff and Lester. And new management type/control freak/total weirdo Buster Bluth, who makes me long for Harvey Tang.
I'm loving this new triangle so much. I didn't think I would, because I love Chuck and Sarah so as a couple. But it really works, because I also already adore Jill. But I will warn the show now: If Jill turns out to be bad, I will have to break up with you.
Spend some time investigating if Chuck is really a nerd or an undercover hottie. Then come back on Wednesday for our full weecap.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously on Chuck (new viewers, pay attention; we're going way back tonight): Chuck couldn't get over his long-ago ex-girlfriend at Stanford, Jill, who was stolen by Bryce Larkin. Chuck's sister Ellie wanted him to move on, and he said he'd get over her "tomorrow." Do we think he did?
The episode begins with skyline shots of the Stanford football stadium and other red roofs on campus as title cards tells us this is Stanford University in 2003. People look happy all over campus, and then we see our hero in a green Buy More salesman uniform. See how far he's come since then? He doesn't have to wear the green shirt anymore, at least, right? He walks up to a ping-pong table where a group of people are playing beer pong on a front yard in broad daylight (man, I miss college). He borrows a paddle and some balls, and turns off the ping-pong players' music so that he can yell at Jill. He starts yelling her name and lobbing ping-pong balls at what I'll assume is her window. Jill's friend, Sherry, opens up and tells him to go away, and that if Jill wanted to talk to him she would have returned one of his 28 phone calls. She leaves the window open when she walks away, though, so Chuck proceeds to yell up at Jill. He tells her he was on break at Buy More and that he drove 346 miles straight from Burbank to tell her he still loves her. The partying crowd reaction is equal parts "awwwww" and mocking laughter. And how does he have this job, again, if he left on "break" for a 700-mile round trip? It's either the longest break in the world, or they put up with the same behavior from Chuck pre-CIA that they still put up with from him now. Anyway, Jill's reaction is somewhat more "awwww," because she shows up at the window at last. They did an excellent job of making Jordana Brewster sufficiently geeky that it's easy to believe she'd date Chuck (who, remember, is not all that geeky either). He asks if she'll go to coffee, and she says it's too late because it's over. He acts like an idiot and tries to get her to give him another chance, but Sherry the Bitch comes up and says, "She's dating Bryce Larkin now, Chuck. Deal with it." Chuck's devastated, and Jill says she's sorry.
The song that's been playing, Iggy Pop's "Pumpin' for Jill," takes us back to the present, where we see Chuck's at the Buy More listening to "Jill '03 Mix" on his iPhone. Buster Bluth comes up with a box of donuts and tells Chuck to get to the Sheraton Conference Center for a tech support call. Chuck asks if he has any Boston Cream in his donut box, and Buster says, "Oh yeah, several," and walks off without opening the box. I really hate him. And not even in a good, humorous way. Just in a way that somehow makes the Buy More scenes even more tedious and unimportant. He walks into Mike's office and gives him a donut. Mike starts choking on his first bite and Buster starts giving the Heimlich to Mike while yelling for help. Jeff and Lester come in, and Lester corrects Buster's Heimlich technique. He thinks Buster should be reaching down Mike's throat to pull the donut out (Buster's doing the proper technique, by the way). Eventually, the donut comes flying out and lands at Jeff and Lester's feet, to which Jeff responds, in all seriousness, "Are there any more donuts?" Because, in case you hadn't noticed, he's seriously disgusting.
Chuck's at what is apparently the Sheraton, where a poster tells us the Bio Science Conference is occurring. Chuck, who has so much room to joke about being geeky, teases the guy he's helping that he bets these conferences get really wild. Then he goes directly into his own geek speak: The networks are set up with some sort of Ethernet and firewall. He looks up from the work he's just completed and sees Jill, still in glasses but looking smokin' hot. This is Jordana Brewster, after all. Chuck drops to the ground, and asks the geek he's with if "the attractive, brown-eyed, slightly egg-heady brunette with an extremely cold heart is still here." The guy says she is (he recognized her by the cold heart, most likely), and asks why Chuck's hiding. Chuck confides, geek to geek, that it's his ex-girlfriend, Jill Roberts, who broke his heart. He needs a diversion, and asks if the geek will pull the fire alarm. Just then Jill walks up and asks the geek if there is anyone who can help with the tech requirements for her lecture. Without hesitating, the geek tells her "under the desk." I guess Chuck sort of had that coming, what with making fun of the conference earlier. And I'm glad the guy told, because I wanted these two to reconnect right away to get this all moving. But Chuck is under a folding table, not a desk. So maybe that guy is a bio-scientist, but I have totally mastered Furniture 101: Pieces You Pull A Chair Up To.
Jill looks under the table and smiles, surprised, "Chuck?" He comes up and pretends he was fixing someone's "flange" under there. Then he quickly throws away his Buy More pocket protector before Jill noticed it. He tells her that yes, he's Chuck Bartowski and pretends he doesn't recognize her. She's like, "It's me! Jill!" He's like, oh, of course, and then they hug awkwardly across the desk. She asks how long it's been and he gives up nonchalant by quickly saying, "Five years, four months." He asks what she's been up to, and she says she got her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering. She's giving a presentation on infectious diseases at this conference. He tells her he's still "in the computer game," to which she replies, "World of Warcraft?" Not really, but this is a geeky show, so you know that was tossed around in the writers' room. He lies that he owns his own computer company, a franchise with 16 or 17 locations. He is here working because he still likes to do the installs himself, to get his hands "mussy." She says she's happy for him since, "Last time I saw you, you were working at a Buy More." He tells her that was a learning experience that he wouldn't change for the world. But she'd change some things, particularly about their relationship. No time to elaborate, though, because a French guy, Guy LeFleur, walks up and she introduces him to Chuck as her boss. Chuck flashes on hazardous chemicals and dead bodies, and Guy and Jill leave. On her way, she tells him where she's staying, and that he should call if he wants to grab coffee.
Chuck, Sarah and Casey are in the Orange Orange Super Secret Lair (OOSSL), where Agent Redhead is telling them that Guy is a head research scientist for a European pharmaceutical company, and that he may have developed and be selling a bioweapon. Chuck wants to know if Jill's involved, and Agent Redhead says that's Chuck's job to figure out. Sarah and Casey will do surveillance, while Chuck reconnects with Jill. Chuck hopes that by "reconnect," Agent Redhead means e-mail or Facebook, but no such luck. She wants Chuck to call her at her hotel and make a date to see if he flashes on anything. Chuck thinks a date with his ex is a bad idea, since this is the girl who destroyed him, took all his confidence and his mojo (Casey interjects, with more than a little skepticism, "You had mojo?"). Chuck says he was on his way, and that she slept with Bryce. Casey looks at Sarah and scoffs, "Who hasn't?" Sarah tells Chuck that she knows Jill hurt him but that maybe seeing her will give him closure. She also tells him that the CIA will make him look good. Speaking of looking good, why is Sarah dressed like a 10-year-old girl here, with matching summery tangerine tank top and head band with curled-under hair? I get that she's in her Orange Orange uniform, but the headband is a bit much. The credits for this show, with their fun music and animation, make me wish every show still had regular length credits instead of the new, time-saving Lost-style "Name of Show" only, with actual credits over the start of the episode.
When we return, Buster's standing in the back room at the Buy More, with all of the employees lined up in chairs in front of him. Directly in front of him is a round table with bell on it. He dings it, which is apparently his neurotic indication that he'd like people to pay attention to him (they already were). He tells them that they almost lost their dear leader to a tiny, little donut today. Morgan pipes up, "Please! We lost Big Mike to donuts years ago." Everyone laughs, so Buster dings his bell again. He shudders to know how these people would respond to an actual catastrophe, such as a fire or earthquake, so they have decided to implement an emergency preparedness course, and one of their colleagues knew someone willing to teach it. And in walks Captain Awesome with a CPR mannequin. Did anyone else notice this doll is clearly wearing a wig, in the style of Ellie? Do we even want to know? Chuck gets up and asks Awesome if he's sure he wants to do this. He tells Chuck he loves volunteer work (and, I'm sorry, but I think a company like Buy More should be paying for someone to do this; they're not a charity by any means) and that CPR is such a breeze that a child could learn to do it. Chuck says Awesome might have a shot then. Then Chuck tells everyone that Awesome is really good at this, and he's the one who certified Chuck. Buster pipes up that Chuck might be certified, but he will still have to take the test. Two things: Dude, Chuck got you a volunteer CPR instructor, so back off; and 2. I think it's probably not legal to make someone who's certified take the certification test for a job. But I know nothing of labor laws, particularly in California (or any state that I don't live in), so I'll shut up. Casey comes and tells Chuck it's time to get ready for his date and Chuck ducks out. Doesn't Casey have to take the class?
Chuck's trying to sneak out of the apartment in a fancy suit (which is strange, since the CIA was helping him get ready; you'd think he'd be at Casey's or in the OOSSL), when Ellie walks in and catches him. She notices his suit looks expensive, and he says it wasn't because he had a coupon. She thinks it's so cute he'd get all dressed up for Sarah. Chuck asks if Ellie ever thinks about her ex-boyfriend, Doug Wald, and would she go to dinner with him to catch up on old times if they ran into each other and he asked? She guesses she would, and he's glad she said that because he's going out with Jill, not Sarah. Ellie immediately says, "Jill?! No, no, no, no. No. Absolutely not." She tells him he can't go to dinner in a new suit with the girl who dumped him, slept with his best friend, and otherwise broke his heart. She's trying not to be overprotective (oh dear god, this is Ellie trying not to be overprotective? I don't even want to see her when she's not trying), but she knows how much Jill hurt him and doesn't want to see him go through that again.
Cut immediately to Chuck driving a Ferrari, as Bond-style music plays. Jill's in the passenger seat. Then Chuck kills the car and the music fades. He says he'll have his assistant look at the sticky clutch. Jill points out they're sort of far from the valet, but he decides they'll get out here and walk. And the valet is good, because he's already walking toward them too. Inside the restaurant, Casey greets them. Although in a hilarious disguise. He has a European accent, although I can't make out what it's supposed to be exactly. And he has a feathery-looking bowl cut with bangs. And a tiny strip of a goatee. We greets Chuck as "Mr. Bartowski," and leads him to a table. People along the way talk to Chuck, telling him he's looking good. Chuck asks Casey under his breath if everyone in this place is CIA. Casey says, "Of course." When they get to their table, Chuck thanks Casey, calling him Jonathan and slapping him affectionately on the face. Jill thinks it's like Chuck owns the place, but he assures her he's just an investor. Sarah walks up in a short black bobbed wig with a French accent, and greets "Mr. Bartowski," and asks if she can get them anything to drink. She offers him his usual, a 2000 Le Fiefs de La Grange. Chuck says, "Oui, oui," but coming from Chuck it sounds more like Wee-wee. How appropriate. Jill tells Chuck how happy she is that everything's turned out so well for him after everything that happened. He tells her that he never stole those tests, and she says it doesn't matter now. He tells her he knows it doesn't matter now that he drives a fine Italian car and is "alarmingly well-known at this particular restaurant," but that he needed her to believe him when it did matter. She acknowledges she should have believed him then, but the tests being in his room and Bryce telling her made her think he was lying. Chuck's sure Bryce made a convincing argument, since she hopped right into his bed. Jill looks like she's going to cry. Sarah, listening in at the bar, does too. Chuck's pretty sad himself. Jill says this might not have been a good idea, just as Sarah tells Chuck there's a phone call for him at the bar.
At the bar, Casey growls at Chuck as he hands him a phone. Chuck puts it up to his ear as he explains himself to Sarah and Casey: He's getting closure (and, hey, Sarah did suggest closure as one positive that could come from this). Sarah tells him he has to be a spy first tonight. He tells her he's not like her and can't turn his emotions on and off like some robot. He quickly apologizes, and she asks if he's done feeling sorry for himself. He'd like another 10 minutes of really pathetic self-indulgence, but he won't take it and will go back in instead. Back at the table, Chuck promises no more interruptions. And he promises that the guy who was at the table with her before was a Chuck imposter and he kung-fu'ed him at the bar and he won't bother her again. She's glad, because she likes this Chuck a lot more.
As they're leaving the restaurant, Chuck says Jill hasn't told him what she's working on, and she says she can't talk about it. She knows that sounds mysterious, and she's starting to think there are sketchy people involved, so she doesn't know who to trust. He says she can trust him and gives her his sweetest innocent Chuck face. She falls for it and says (I have to quote here because none of it means anything to me): "Remember biochem? We're working on a strain of influenza, specifically how the hemagglutinin protein infuses the viral envelope with the vacuole's membrane." (Note: If that's wrong, blame my closed-caption writers.) She asks Chuck if that sounded like gibberish, but he understood perfectly up through her asking if he remembers biochem. Ha. Me too, Chuck. She's about to simplify, but Lester and Jeff drive up in the Nerd Herd car and start talking to Chuck, wondering how he got another hottie (or "Chiquita banana") after Sarah. Chuck tries to tell Jill these are old Buy More colleagues who haven't moved on. When the valet brings Chuck's car out, Jeff asks whose Ferrari. Jill asks if it isn't his car, and Lester says that on $12.50 an hour at the Buy More, it's not likely. Jill's angry to find out he still works at the Buy More (hopefully because of the lying and not because she's being judgmental). Lester and Jeff realize what they've done and drive away. Jill takes off, angry that he's been lying. Jeff and Lester back up to apologize for ratting him out.
The Buy More staff is in the back room doing disturbing and stupid things with the CPR mannequins (they all have strange wigs; apparently this line of them comes with fake-looking wigs), when Awesome walks in for their lesson. He reprimands them, asking what's wrong with them. Jeff says he drinks too much, and Lester says his parents had impossible standards. Awesome tells them the written part of the test is tomorrow, but apparently they didn't know about this. Jeff says, "Man, if I wanted to take tests, I would have been a boat captain." I have no idea what that means, and I'm sure it doesn't matter. Buster tells them if they don't pass the test, they can take the 30-hour remedial CPR course, but they won't get paid for that training like they are this time. He laughs an evil laugh, and it sort of reminds me of Pee-Wee Herman. So now I feel like I should like this character, but I still don't.
Chuck's eating cereal in the morning when Ellie comes in and asks if she can ask him personal questions. He doesn't even make her ask, but tells her she was right and he never should have gone out with Jill. She tries to make him feel better, saying maybe she overreacted and maybe there was a reason he went to dinner with Jill. For example, he always had a million questions, and now he got some answers. He doesn't think it did any good to poke around in his past, but she thinks now he can close that chapter of his life. I love how Ellie can finally be okay with something she thought was a bad decision after she's already won. Anyway, Chuck tells her she's right again, so she's still winning.
Sarah and Casey are surveilling outside of Guy and Jill's hotel when Chuck arrives. He says he came to see if Jill's all right. Sarah tells him she hasn't left her room since coming home last night after their date. She's making a phone call, but Casey can't pick any of it up on their bug, so he and Sarah argue over who should go plant another one. Chuck says he can do it. He'll go up there, tell her he's really sorry, she'll tell him he's a giant loser, and he'll leave the bug. Sarah makes sure he knows where to plant it, and he says he does. He says he's going in.
Transition to Morgan saying the same thing to Jeff and Lester in the courtyard of Chuck and Ellie's apartment. He asks if they're ready, and Lester says he was born ready. Jeff says he was born premature. So, not so much ready then, Jeff? Jeff and Lester knock on the front door and Ellie answers. She tries to shut the door quickly, saying Chuck's not there, but they know already; they're here to talk to her about Chuck. Also, Lester calls her Elizabeth. I'm not sure I knew that was her name. Morgan digs around in Awesome's bag for the test while Lester and Jeff tell Ellie their concerns about Chuck: They think he has rabies. She thinks they are crazy and creepy, mainly because they are. She slams the door, and they realize Morgan's about to get caught. Morgan's knocked over a laundry basket trying to get into Awesome's bag and has just picked it all up, with one last pair of panties in his hand, when Awesome comes in and asks if Morgan's looking for something. He tells Morgan he'd never leave the test in his bag. Ellie walks in and asks Morgan if he's holding her underwear. He quickly drops them into the basket and said he wasn't here for those; he came for the test. Ellie's like, "So you deny being a perv, but you admit to being a thief?" But, really, a thief is slightly better, I think, all things considered. He gives himself props for being honest.
Chuck knocks on Jill's hotel door, and when she asks who it is, he says he's the lying, well-meaning fool who rented a Ferrari last night. Watching the hall camera on video, Casey bets Sarah ten bucks that she doesn't let him in. Sarah ups it to 20 and takes that bet, because she knows how charming Chuck is with the ladies. Chuck tells Jill he's there to tell her the truth. He says he works at the Buy More, lives with Ellie, and doesn't know what he's doing with his life. But he wanted her to think he was something special, hence the suit and the car he didn't know how to drive. Sarah and Jill are both melting a little. Chuck tells her that as soon as he saw her again, he knew he hadn't gotten over her yet. She opens the door and asks him to confirm that, and when he says no, he hasn't gotten over her, she lets him in. Casey pays up to Sarah back in the van. Chuck asks Jill again about her lecture as he turns the bug on. He goes to place it, but she stops him by telling him to stop underselling himself, because she had a really nice time with him last night. She wants no more lies and deception. Chuck turns off the bug and tells her there won't be more lies or deception. She kisses him. And he's giddy. It's completely adorable.
He gets back in the van, and when Sarah asks what happened, Chuck says it was great, fine, they really connected. Casey's like, "She's talking about the bug, moron." He says he planted it, but he might have turned it off. Luckily, it's idiot-proof, and Casey taps in to her cell and room phones. Sarah asks Chuck why he's smiling like that and he says Jill kissed him. I know he and Sarah are over, but you'd think he would still feel a little weird just telling her stuff like that knowing her feelings for him. Or maybe he doesn't actually know her feelings for him? Could he be that stupid? Chuck looks at the surveillance footage of a guy getting into an elevator and flashes on someone's tattoo. He tells them that guy is an assassin called "Wolf Den." They see him push the button for Guy's floor and head out, telling Chuck to stay in the van. Casey adds not to touch anything.
The assassin shows up at Guy's room pretending to be room service. He comes in and locks the regular lock and the chain. Don't most hotel rooms have dead bolts or those metal bar contraption things, not chains? Back in the van, Chuck puts on the headset and listens to Jill making a phone call. I was so afraid she would turn out to be evil right here, but she's just calling her old bitch friend Sherry to tell her Chuck came to apologize. Sherry, still a bitch, says she hopes Jill didn't let that loser in. Chuck's sneering in the van. Jill says Chuck's a puppy dog and she couldn't say no, plus she thinks he's cute. Sherry says, "Cute? He's a computer dork who makes ten dollars an hour." Chuck says to himself, "Hello? It's $12.50." Only it's not just to himself, because apparently they can hear him, and Jill's like, "Chuck?" He pretends he tried to call her and must have gotten patched in. She asks if he bugged her phone, and he's like, "What am I? An entomologist?" She says she's calling security, and he realizes he's totally blown it.
In Guy's room, the assassin approaches him from behind and... tries to choke him. Wow, what a good assassin, going for the always messy and difficult choke hold instead of stabbing or shooting while you have a good shot from behind. That's just dumb. They fight around the room, and then the assassin throws Guy out the window. Oh, right, that's another no-fuss, no-muss way: a struggle followed by shattered glass and a broken whatever the body lands on. Which happens to be the van Chuck's sitting in. Sarah and Casey break in right then, and the room's empty (where'd the assassin go?). They tell Chuck Guy's not in his room right as Guy's bloody body slides down the windshield. Chuck says he knows.
Back at the OOSSL, Casey's talking to Jill, who can't stop crying. Chuck and Sarah are on the other side of a one-way mirror watching, and he wants to console her. Sarah tells Chuck that Jill can't know he's a spy. He's much rather her think that than that he's a stalker, but Sarah assures him Jill won't think that. Casey asks Jill why she thinks Guy might have been killed. He tells her he's in a secret CIA compound, and that they've been watching them for days because they thought Guy was involved in something shady. Jill looks through the photos they've taken of her and sees Chuck. She asks Casey if he's involved, and says he's been acting really strange. She says he's almost like a stalker. Casey tells her it's a pattern with losers to get all infatuated, and that no, Chuck's not infatuated. Jill says that Guy wasn't involved either, at least not in the way they think. He has an anti-serum for a strain of influenza used in bioweapons. It's a bioweapon that can kill a person in one hour if exposed (this will be important later). According to Jill, Guy recently learned that their company sells the influenza bioweapon, so he was going to present the research at the convention to keep the company from covering it up. She says she will have to do the presentation instead. Chuck starts banging on the glass, because it's too dangerous to let Jill do this. Jill tells Casey his window's knocking. Casey goes door, and Chuck says Jill isn't going to the conference because it's too dangerous and the assassin will kill her. He says he's putting his foot down... gingerly. Casey says he has to look after everyone, not just whatever girl Chuck likes. Chuck appeals to Sarah and Sarah says fine, she'll give the presentation. Not exactly what he had in mind, but at least he knows Sarah can handle herself.
Back at the Buy More, Morgan, Jeff and Lester are wondering where Chuck is. They need him here for the written part of the CPR test so they can copy off him and pass. Buster wonders who they're talking about not being here, but he guesses it's the "perennial tardy Chuck." Chuck comes in apologizing for being late, but Awesome tells him he's right on time. I heart Awesome, especially because he really does love Chuck like a brother. Now if only he'll kick Buster's ass for us. Chuck sits down, and Morgan, Lester and Jeff fight over sitting to him. Buster finds this "interesting," but apparently doesn't get that they want to cheat. Lester even has a hat and sunglasses to make his cheating easier. They start the test.
At the presentation, Sarah's all professional-looking in a business suit, bun and glasses. The guy Chuck helped with computers earlier introduces Sarah as Dr. LeFleur's associate from Sydney, Australia, Dr. Ava Anderson. And, yay, Yvonne gets to speak in her native accent! And it's really lovely. I want her to be full-time Australian, but I'm guessing that wouldn't make a great cover. Or would it? No one would suspect an Australian of being CIA, would they? Sarah starts talking, but someone runs out of the room. She excuses herself and chases him out of the room. Casey heads to where he'd been sitting and sees the bioweapon. He has the room sealed, and says no one will get in or out. Sarah's running in her sexy business suit through the warehouse-looking halls of the hotel.
Chuck gets a call during his test, and a menacing photo of Casey comes up on his iPhone (again, why doesn't Casey have to take the test?). Chuck says he has to take the call. Buster doesn't want any phone calls during the test, but Chuck ignores and answers it. Casey tells Chuck about the bioweapons mess he's in and tells him to get to Jill and see if she has an antidote. Because there's only about an hour before he and everyone else in that room dies. Chuck doesn't think Jill wants to see him, but Casey points out that the dying that is going to happen is more important. Chuck takes off, and Buster picks up his test and throws it away, saying, "I guess someone doesn't think saving lives is important." Heh. But apparently Buster doesn't think saving paper is important, because that test can be recycled instead of thrown away.
Chuck's trying to tell Jill he's a CIA agent and they need to go to the conference center where the bioweapon has been released. She doesn't believe him and is going to call the police, but he shows her all of the agents with him. She knows he's finally telling the truth and tells him to hold on. When she goes back in, he looks at all of the big, serious agents and says, "She's pretty cute, right? We used to date." It's seriously cute. But I also wonder why they would need this many agents to come to the door with Chuck. In case there's danger? To escort Jill out if necessary? It seems like overkill, and I don't think the CIA would waste these resources just for Chuck to show off. Although maybe to convince her... so I guess I'll allow it. Because, you know, I have a choice in the matter. Jill's ready. Chuck tells her to stay close and not to be scared. I love that he's the big, tough agent here -- and she's totally buying it. I think she must not have known Bryce was an agent, either, or she wouldn't have been so surprised. Which indicates they probably weren't together all that long.
Chuck shows up at the conference center, asks who's in charge, and tells the guy who is that he's not anymore. Chuck gets on the walkie-talkie with Casey, who says they have about 15 minutes. Jill has to get in there. They don't have hazmat suits, but she's going in anyway. Chuck won't hear of it, and he's going instead. He says she can talk him through making the antidote, which is really not a good idea. After all, he's the Intersect. And what if something happens to the walkie-talkie? She says she'll let him go, then pulls out a needle and poisons him with the virus. He can't believe she just poisoned him, and she says that's the only way to make the antidote (with his blood). Sarah's in a big hotel kitchen, tracking our bad guy, the assassin from earlier. She ends up killing him, and he has a CIA badge. Uh-oh.
Casey greets Chuck less than warmly, saying that he thought things couldn't get worse, but knowing that their survival hopes rest with Chuck proves that they could and did. Chuck ignores him, and Jill starts talking him through what to do. He has to draw his own blood, but he wants Casey to do it. Unfortunately, Casey starts to pass out and drops the needle and breaks it. Jill tells Chuck that was the only syringe, but she's looking for another. He asks her to hurry, since they're running out of time.
Buster also says they're running out of time, telling Morgan, Lester and Jeff they have one minute left and haven't attempted the Heimlich section. Morgan and Lester get an idea, and give Jeff a pen cap to choke on. He obliges BECAUSE HE'S INSANE, and starts choking and turning red. It really looks to not be an act. Can you actually make yourself choke on purpose? Awesome comes over to give Jeff the Heimlich and says the steps out loud as he's doing them. Morgan and Lester write furiously. As soon as the pen cap is shot out of Jeff's mouth, Morgan and Lester put their pens down and say, "Done." Buster is not pleased. Poor Jeff. He had to do the choking and didn't get to finish the test? I hope he'll get an extra minute since he choked.
Chuck asks Casey what they're going to do, and Casey tells Chuck to think of something since he's smart and went to Stanford -- sort of. Someone sneezes and Chuck has an epiphany: Since viruses are spread airborne, he thinks maybe the antivirals metabolize in saliva. Casey doesn't get it, and Chuck can't even believe what he's about to do, but he licks his lips and prepares to kiss Casey. Casey resists, saying he's served his country with honor and wants to die with dignity. But Chuck pushes harder and plants a big, wet kiss on Casey. Right then Jill walks in wearing a hazmat suit, and asks Chuck what he's doing. Chuck and Casey both spit, and Chuck tells Jill he thought the antivirals could spread by saliva. She tells him it's no wonder he failed biochem, as that's totally ridiculous. But come on! It was the best TV kiss ever. Totally full of HoYay and also hatred. Chuck's apologizing to Casey, as Jill makes the antiviral using Chuck's blood. Chuck and Jill split up the serum and distribute it to everyone. Sarah's walking up to the front of the building right as Chuck, Jill, Casey and the survivors come out. Casey has to go vomit. Chuck sees Sarah, who gives him a huge, proud smile. He looks like he sort of wants to go talk to her, but doesn't want to leave Jill. He turns back to Jill, who tells him he was amazing. He downplays it but then says, "Well, maybe a little." Our Jill Mix song is playing again as Jill and Chuck kiss. It's cute and sweet, but it doesn't have the chemistry of any of Chuck and Sarah's past kisses. I think partly because we have to wait so long between them, but also because of Yvonne and Zach's unbelievable chemistry. That said, I like Jill and especially love the triangle -- and that the tables are turned on Sarah, and she has to long for Chuck like he's always done with her.
Back in the OOSSL, Casey and Sarah are talking to Agent Redhead. Casey wants to know what they should do about Jill knowing Chuck's an asset. Agent Redhead doesn't want them to do anything. Since the agent Sarah killed was a member of Fulcrum, Agent Redhead wants to keep Jill around to see if Fulcrum will make a play for her. Sarah tells Agent Redhead that Chuck has real feelings for Jill and wouldn't like them using her as bait, and Agent Redhead says that's why none of them will be telling him.
Chuck walks into the apartment grinning and Ellie tells him she hasn't seen his smile in awhile. He tells her he found some of the answers Ellie thought he was looking for. Ellie makes all sort of assumptions about what his answers were and tells him how special Sarah is and that's why he had to go through all that stuff with Jill so that he could figure out that Sarah's the one for him. Well, except for that whole matter of being CIA and you not knowing her real name or anything else about her. Otherwise? Totally the one. Chuck's phone rings, and Ellie assumes again that it's Sarah. Which is sort of dumb, considering that Morgan probably calls Chuck more than anyone else. But it's Jill. Chuck takes it and walks outside. She asks how his favorite secret agent is. He says he's good other than having to study for a CPR test at the Buy More, and he could really use some help with the mouth to mouth. Jill wonders if his cover girlfriend will get jealous; Chuck says no, that's just a cover. Jill thinks having everything be fake sounds really lonely. He tells her it is, but now that she's here, maybe they can have something real. Back at OOSSL, Sarah's listening in (to Jill's phone? Or Chuck's?) and looking sad -- probably just as much at the loneliness they're talking about as at not being the one with Chuck. Jill likes the sound of that, and Chuck asks about the mouth to mouth again. It's really cute, and I think sets something up for the show that could be sort of wonderful. This is make or break time for Sarah and Chuck, I think. She will have to fight for him or lose him forever. Unless the show makes Jill a bad guy, in which case it will be dead to me. It cannot be that simple. I think there has to be an actual choice here, and if she's bad, that's taken away.
week: Chuck will do anything to protect his real relationship, even "treason," according to Casey. And in order to save one girl he'll betray the other. He doesn't show which one he's saving and betraying, but the preview wants us to believe he's saving Jill and betraying Sarah. But it also wants us to believe that Casey's order, "Sarah, shoot him!" followed by her pointing a gun and shooting is at Chuck. The title of the show sort of indicates that's not going to happen. Nice try, preview!
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DeAnn is a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon. You can contact her at twopmodmars@gmail.com.