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Once again, we have a terrific episode of Chuck thanks to the merging of the Buy More and spy plotlines. This time, they go all out, in that they turn Morgan into a spy. Actually a stalker, but it's a fine line. He recruits Jeff (who it turns out is already a very good stalker in his own right), Lester, and Chuck to spy on Anna with him. She's his ex now, apparently, and she's already moved on. The bad news is that Chuck flashes on the license plate of her new beau. He sells super fancy cars and is part of a terrorist organization known as Triad.
Chuck thinks Sarah, Agent Redhead, and Casey can't understand what it means to have a best friend like Morgan -- because they can't. So they make Chuck befriend his best friend's ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend. Morgan's spying on the car auction at which Chuck is befriending said ex, when Triad catches Morgan. They think he's a spy rather than a run-of-the-mill stalker, and he becomes their target. Chuck saves his life, but takes his dignity by telling everyone he's just a stalker, but they think he's a spy anyway. They come after him at the Buy More, but Chuck knocks him out and saves his life in a big way. It involves car chases, explosions, a bad-ass girlfight between Sarah and the Triad leader, Smooth Lau (who is either a lesbian or at least bisexual judging by how hot she is for Sarah).
The best part of the episode, though, has to be Jeffster. That's right: Jeffster. It's Jeff and Lester's band (who knew?). They really want to perform at Ellie and Awesome's wedding. And because Awesome is ... well, awesome, he lets them audition. They go all out at the Buy More, with Lester doing his very best Toto. Ellie thinks Awesome's crazy if he wants this lame band, but Awesome's just trying to let a guy lives his dream for five minutes. This show uses music more perfectly than any other show in the history of television, I think.
In the end, Sarah apologizes to Chuck for not understanding his friendship with Morgan. It's just that no one cares about her like that. Chuck tells her someone does, though. Awwww. And then Morgan steps up and wins Anna back by saying, "I lo... like you very very much." Morgan tells Chuck how great life is now that they are both with their ladies. Chuck looks a little sad, knowing his relationship is fake and all. But at least he'll always have Morgan, right? That's the real lasting love story here anyway. (Though it might have to compete with Jeff and Lester's at this point, after Jeff got all heroic to get that second audition for his BFF.)
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!No previouslies. Probably because, according to the forum posters, these episodes are being aired out of order, anyway. Instead we open in Tarzana, California, in 1992, in front of a middle school. A little boy with an Alf T-shirt is running from someone. It's a little girl, who calls him "Morgan Grimes," and then tries to beat him up for spying on her in the locker room. Then a shadow with curly hair walks up to save Morgan. In a younger version of Chuck's voice, he tells the girl he'll handle it from here, then he tells Morgan to stay away from girls for probably 15 years.
Flash-forward 15 years (give or take a few), and Morgan's in the viewing room showing Jeff, Lester and Chuck a picture of Anna on the big screen. Chuck says, "Your ex-girlfriend," so that we viewers know a) who she is since she hasn't been on in months and b) that they broke up at some point off-screen. Morgan says, "Anna Melinda Wu. Five feet two inches. Ninety-six pounds. Chinese descent." Chuck wonders why we're in here talking about her. Morgan needs their help on a spy mission. Everyone teases Chuck about how he can't handle the spy stuff, and will just be there for moral support. Jeff and Lester are there to do the spying. Jeff asks Chuck if it surprises him that 80 percent of his encounters with women have been completely without their knowledge. Chuck is actually more surprised about the other 20 percent. As am I. Chuck tells Morgan he's not comfortable stalking another human being, but Morgan says it's not stalking, just "caring enough about someone to learn things about them they won't tell you themselves." In other words: stalking. Morgan tells Chuck he really needs him.
Back at Ellie and Awesome's, she hollers to Devin that she really needs him. He comes into the bedroom wrapped in a towel, which he opens for her. But that's not what she needs. She needs his help with the wedding, because with work and being a sister and a girlfriend (er ... fiancé) and everything else, she doesn't have time. So, she literally tears her to-do list and gives him part of it, which she tells him is cake, flowers and the band. She'll take care of everything else. I find it a bit surprising that she would put him in charge of flowers. Plus, aren't those the three biggest to-do things at a wedding anyway? What's she going to do? Get a pedicure? Anyway, he says that this is a partnership, and she likes that answer enough to start making out with him. He shuts the door in our faces as Chromeo starts singing "Momma's Boy."
The song continues as Morgan, Chuck, Jeff and Lester arrive at a van. It has "Keep out!" signs on it, and when they slide open the door, it looks like the homemade version of Casey's spy van. Chuck wonders what in the hell this is, and Lester explains that any money Jeff doesn't guzzle down his throat (on Beer brand beer, obviously), he spends on spy gear. Chuck finds this incredibly creepy. But I wonder how he can be surprised, given that Jeff just told him he's a total stalker. Morgan wants the small talk to stop, and for them to man their posts. As they set up in the van, we see that Casey and Sarah are spying on them from their own van. Casey says, "Babysitting the freak show. This should be enlightening." I wonder if he means just Jeff, or if he thinks the whole crew is a freak show. Because Jeff alone would totally qualify as a freak show. Morgan sees Anna leaving the Buy More and getting into a cute red car. She drives away, and Lester says, "The subject is on the move," and follows. Casey: "Idiots on the move." He and Sarah follow.
They follow Anna to an open-air restaurant that just happens to have an opening onto a road, where they stop to spy on her. She's freshening up her makeup at her table. Chuck thinks they're stalkers and need to stop this. Casey wonders what the crazy stalkers are up to, and Sarah gives them props for their "decent spywork." Hee. Chuck tells Morgan to think about what he's doing, and Morgan says he's getting answers. Chuck tells him there are other ways to do that, and Lester replies that they already tried cloning Anna's cell, but she has a CDMA carrier, so they couldn't copy the SIM card. I am sure someone reading this is geeky enough to know what that means, but I don't. Although, it's not exactly what Chuck meant, anyway. Just then, a guy gets out of his little black convertible and walks over to Anna's table. Lester suggests it might be Anna's brother. The guy starts making out with Anna, and Lester says, "Still, it could be her brother." Morgan wants to abort the mission since he can't compete with this guy, who has healthy hair, a clean smile and a killer car. Um, what is a "clean" smile? One without food in your teeth? I have never heard that expression. The mention of the car causes Chuck to notice the license plate, which he flashes on. He sees the guy's mug shot, documents with his name (Jason Wang) on them, some dead people, some guns and a starfish. Morgan says the guy is his worst nightmare, and Chuck tells him to trust his instincts.
In the Secret Spy Lair, Sarah tells Casey and Chuck that Agent Redhead will be available to talk about the Jason Wang situation soon. Chuck asks why they have tennis balls in here; do they play? Sarah says they're not toys, but white phosphorous grenades that can melt iron. He picks up a can of breath spray and guesses it's a mini flame thrower, but Casey tells him it's mint-flavored knock-out spray. Chuck would like one of those because he's always really vulnerable. Casey doesn't answer, but just growls and walks off. Well, it wasn't a no.
Agent Redhead pops up on the screen and, without greeting, starts explaining who Jason Wang is: a car importer with no criminal record. But he runs with a dangerous gang called Triad. [Not a subtle name is it? It's like calling your Italian Gentlemen's Club "Mafia." Or your book group "The Rapists." - Zach] Sarah explains that the gang is responsible for smuggling drugs, guns and other weapons. Agent Redhead says they've been watching Triad, but didn't know about Wang's involvement before Chuck's flash. Chuck pipes up that she's welcome, but Agent Redhead just looks at him menacingly over her glasses. He goes on, "You really don't have to thank me. ...Not that you are thanking me. I guess you're just making a statement. Continue." Sarah, whose back is to Chuck, smiles sweetly, clearly charmed by Chuck's naïve sweetness. Agent Redhead tells Chuck to use his social connections to get close to Jason Wang. Chuck has to clarify that she wants him to befriend his best friend's ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend. She asks if there's a problem, and he says no. She turns off her screen, and he says he has a big problem here. Opening credits.
Chuck's alarm goes off at 7 a.m. He turns it off and Awesome, sitting to his bed, asks him if he slept well. Chuck says he actually was having nightmares that people were spying on him, which now seem all too real. Awesome says he's just getting home from work after a tough night, because "Saving lives can get pretty gnarly sometimes." Chuck's all "Tell me about it." Awesome asks what Chuck's plans are, and Chuck bumbles about work and then possibly pizza with Sarah. Awesome calls this a cakewalk and asks if Chuck will find a band for the wedding, since he knows how much Chuck loves music and how busy he is. He was thinking this could be a win-win. Chuck is surprised that Awesome wants him to find a band for the wedding, but Awesome just says, "Thanks a lot, dude," and leaves.
We hear Chuck saying, "I can't do this!" But then we're in the Spy Lair, where he continues, asking Sarah and Casey how Agent Redhead can ask him to betray Morgan by befriending his ex's new boyfriend. He wonders if Agent Redhead was born with stars on her shoulders, or if she's ever actually had a friend. Sarah understands it might be difficult for Chuck with regard to Morgan, but Chuck interrupts that it's not difficult; it's not happening. He says that Morgan's been his best friend since kindergarten. Sarah says she's sorry, but it's not optional. Chuck wonders why no one gets that he can't betray his best friend. Casey snorts, "Semper Fidelis" and explains that it means "Always faithful." He says it means putting your friends' well-being above your own. He salutes Chuck. Chuck agrees, saying it's pretty sad when Casey's the only one who understands him. He wants to go tell Agent Redhead. But Casey says orders come before honors here, so Chuck has to go befriend Jason Wang.
Jeff is compulsively dinging a service bell, for some inexplicable reason, as Chuck's on the phone with possible wedding bands. He eliminates the band he's currently talking to when the person on the other end sites their Uncle Max's klezmer band as their greatest influence. When he hangs up, he explains to Jeff and Lester that he's helping Ellie and Awesome find a band for their wedding. They tell him that this is his lucky day since they have a band (this is news to Chuck) named Jeffster! (They were originally going to go with "Jester," but didn't want people to take them for fools.) They tell Chuck they'll play Ellie and Awesome's wedding.
Morgan is elsewhere in the Buy More grilling Anna on what she did last night. She is actually helping a customer, and tries to tell Morgan that, but he just keeps asking where she went and who she might have gone with. Back at the Nerd Herd counter, Chuck tells Jeffster that his sister's musical tastes run more classical, but they point out he hasn't heard Jeffster yet. They call him a musical bigot. Chuck sees Casey gesturing at him, so he tells Jeffster it's a flat-out no and walks off. Morgan managed to get Anna away from her customer, and she tells him she's seeing someone. He acts like a petty baby, talking about how it might not even be a man because we all know about her very colorful past. She tells him to grow up. Before he can say anything else stupid, Chuck comes up and basically asks him to go away. Morgan tells Anna he hopes she and her new boyfriend are very unhappy together. When he leaves, Chuck apologizes for him, but Anna says that's all Chuck's ever done and that Morgan's never going to grow up. Chuck tells her there's a million reasons to love him, but maturity isn't on that list. Casey gestures at Chuck again, so he moves on to mentioning Anna's new boyfriend. She says that at least an evening out with him doesn't involve riding his handlebars through a Taco Bell drive-through. Chuck understands, since he's been riding those handlebars for years. Have we seen that? Because I would like to, please, show. She laughs and walks off, but he manages to ask her on a double date. She's so excited and invites him to a show tonight at Jason's show room, where the only thing more expensive than the champagne will be the cars. He tells her can't wait to meet her new boyfriend. Then he turns and whispers to Casey that he hates him.
Later, at Casey's, Chuck's brooding that he has to do this to Morgan. Sarah explains the mission: She and Chuck will enter as their cover couple. Casey continues that they'll see if the skin-covered robot flashes on anything. Chuck thinks that's real nice. They ignore him and Casey says they'll try to figure out Jason's connection to Triad. Sarah says she'll try to plant "this GLG-20." Casey will be in the van, monitoring everything. Chuck suggests that since they're betraying Morgan, they also should have a second mission to show Anna what she's missing. Casey says there's only one mission here and calls Chuck a moron. Chuck tells Casey that sticks and stones may break his bones, but Casey threateningly asks if he'd like to test that theory. He says not particularly and acts like he's not afraid, but when Casey moves his club or whatever he's carrying toward Chuck, Chuck totally flinches.
Benji Hughes' "Why Do These Parties Always End The Same Way?" starts playing as we're at the car auction. Chuck asks Anna what this is all about, and she says it's a car preview for an auction tomorrow. Sarah tells Anna that these cars cost more than a house, and her boyfriend must be very successful. Chuck says that success shouldn't be measured that way, but in a person's ability to love, and if that's the case, Morgan's "stinkin' rich." He asks Sarah if she would agree, and she tells Anna she does miss them together. Anna seems surprised. Sarah says she'll always think of Anna and Morgan as the perfect couple. It's cute she's helping Chuck with his mission, because I know she has to be lying about the "perfect couple" thing. Casey, from his own spy van (or SUV) tells them to cut the infomercial on the bearded loser, since Wang just walked in. Chuck rubs his ear, apparently where the earpiece he's hearing Casey through is. Anna says, "That's so strange." Chuck's all, "What?! That I was touching my ear?" Then he blames it on eczema, and says that's totally normal and not strange. Oh, Chuck, haven't you been doing this long enough to know better than to be that obvious? But what she thinks is strange is that Sarah thought of she and Morgan, since Anna didn't think Sarah had ever thought of her at all. Sarah tells her she's always thought of her as a friend. Jason walks up and Anna introduces them as her friends. He says, "Any friend of Anna's," but doesn't finish his thought, so it isn't all that meaningful of a sentiment, now, is it? Chuck tells Jason he feels like he knows him already. We get binocular vision of Jason, and then we are outside with Morgan, who's spying. He sees Chuck, and can't believe it. He calls him "Judas." Poor Morgan. And Chuck.
Ellie calls the Buy More to get Chuck to help her with a computer, but he's not around. They think he's out on an install or something. Lester starts to hang up, but Jeff grabs the phone and says they'll be right over to fix it. As they hang up, Ellie tells Awesome it finally pays to have a brother in mediocre places. Jeff tells Lester he almost blew their chance to go over there and audition. Lester's puzzled, so Jeff starts in: "If you had one shot, one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted -- one moment. Would you capture it? Or just let it slip?" It might just be that I'm obsessed with Eminem, but that was sort of perfect, wasn't it? Lester says "Jeffster lives, man!" But when Jeff walks away Lester looks nervous.
At the car auction, a group of Asians who look straight out of Big Trouble in Little China walk in, and Chuck flashes on them. Which, with how they are dressed so conspicuously, I could have done. And I'm not Intersect. Chuck tells Sarah he just flashed. The lady leader is Smooth Lau, and they're all Triad. Sarah wants to follow them, but Anna ropes her into a conversation. She tells Chuck to go without her, but whispers for him to wait for her. She slips him the GLG-20, and sweetly humors Anna.
At Ellie and Awesome's, Lester's finished fixing their computer and Jeff's set up his band equipment. Ellie wonders what Jeff's doing, and he explains he's setting up to rock her hard. She's all, "Rock who hard?" And he tells her that they're auditioning to play the biggest gig of her life: her wedding day. She asks Awesome if he really set them up to audition, and he says Chuck must have. She asks if he outsourced his to-do list, and he just says that he knows how much Chuck loves music and thought it would be fun for him. Ellie tells Jeffster they have a lot to do. Jeff wants to start the audition, but Lester's too nervous. Even Jeff's inspirational speech doesn't help, because Lester says Jeffster's success will lead to a break-up and a lot of other ugliness. When Lester storms out, Jeff tells Ellie and Awesome he's a tortured artist.
At the car auction, Chuck completely disobeys and follows the Triad baddies into a garage, where they're meeting with Jason Wang. Jason wants to know what's in the container that he's giving them the keys to, but Smooth Lau tells him to mind his business, since he'll get paid either way. Chuck looks through these tiny binoculars and tries to flash on something, but doesn't. Jason tells them this is risky, and he's out after this shipment. Chuck sticks the GLG-20 to the metal leg of one of those great big red toolboxes. As Triad goes for a crow bar to open their jammed container, Chuck backs into a power cord, setting off a dominoes-style series of events. First, the cord comes unplugged, knocking a can of ... something onto the floor, where it rolls ever so slowly across the garage. Triad hears something, and Casey realizes what's happened and after a quick, "Dammit, Bartowski!" he gets out of his SUV to try to save the day. The can eventually rolls into a broom, which is knocked over, the handle hitting a rag that has some sort of metal nut on it. It falls onto the ground and bounces over to the Triad guys.
Back in the party portion of the auction, Anna's talking about how good Jason is for being nothing like Morgan. Sarah says that's not good, since Morgan's the guy she keeps comparing Jason to. Anna realizes Sarah is totally right, and asks if this means she still loves Morgan. Sarah hears a radio say, "Attention security: We found an intruder on the premises." She says, "Chuck," who we see hiding behind a car as the Triad guys are looking for where the noise came from. But they also get the same call about the intruder. They're holding him in the parking lot. When Sarah and Casey arrive in the garage and see Chuck alone and that the Triad folks left, they wonder who the intruder is in the parking lot. Chuck quickly realizes it's Morgan and wants to help him. We see the guys pulling Morgan and his bicycle away, as he says he can explain. Sarah and Casey can't help because if they pull out weapons, they blow their covers. Chuck says if they're not going to save him, he will, and he takes off for the parking lot.
Smooth Lau is interrogating Morgan, asking who he is. He says he's nobody, but then he says his name is Marlamin Stoneheart and he's a 60th level gnome warrior. She wants the truth, so he admits he's only 59th level. Chuck arrives and says Morgan's not a spy. Smooth asks who Chuck is, but Anna walks up then and says, "Morgan?" Jason, who's with her, scoffs, "This is your ex from the Buy More?" Smooth threatens Morgan if he doesn't tell her who he is. Chuck tells her not to do anything, because he knows why Morgan's here. Morgan tries to stop him, but Chuck says that Morgan's not a spy, but a stalker. He says it's a thin but very key difference. Then he says that he can see why Anna dumped Morgan, because he's an obsessed, but totally unthreatening sicko. Then he adds, "Grow up, Morgan Grimes." Man, did he really have to be that mean to sell it? Triad lets him go, even calling him "Sicko." They are okay with organized crime, but not a little innocent stalking, apparently. Everyone leaves and Sarah tells Chuck he saved Morgan, but Chuck's sad that it came at the expense of Morgan's dignity. Back in the garage, one of the Triad guys immediately finds the GLG-20, and shows it to Smooth. She guesses the freak wasn't just a stalker after all and says, "Kill him."
In the backroom at the Buy More, Morgan struggles to move a home theater box himself. Chuck offers to help him, but Morgan says he has to learn to do things on his own from now on. He manages it in a totally unsafe way that I'm sure isn't how the Buy More wants him to move heavy boxes. Morgan tells Chuck to enjoy the memories of their friendship and leaves the backroom. Chuck tries to follow, but is stopped by the creepy half of Jeffster. He wants to know what Morgan and Ellie thought of Jeffster. He acknowledges they didn't really get to play out, but if Chuck could put in a good word. Chuck says he doesn't understand anything Jeff just said, but he doesn't care. He tells him to figure out his own crap. Finally!
In the Spy Lair, Sarah asks Chuck to do some paperwork. Seriously. He asks her why she didn't step in on Morgan's behalf and on behalf of their friendship. He tells her she doesn't get who Morgan is to him, but she says she does: "He's your best friend." He tells her she doesn't have a clue what that means, and explains. He doesn't have parents, not really. He doesn't talk about it because they want it to be a mystery to us. He says it wasn't always this way, and that Morgan was there the day that Chuck's mom took off. He didn't say much, because what is a fifth-grader supposed to say, but they sat there and split a cherry cheesecake and played "Legend of Zelda" all night long. Awwww. Cute. Flash back to that. He goes on that his dad is a whole other story, but Morgan was there for that too. He tells her that Morgan is more than his best friend; he's family. The part is really beautiful and cutting, but says that Chuck knows exactly how this whole thing is going to sadly play out in the end: "Before you got here, and long after you've gone, Morgan is my family." Sarah tells Chuck that they failed to learn the contents of the Triad container last night. Wait. They were right there; couldn't they have brought someone -- anyone -- in to intercept it? She says she appreciates his friendship with Morgan, but since they don't know what was in the container, losing sight of that endangers many people's best friends. (I would add: and families.)
Jeff knocks at Ellie and Awesome's. A sweaty Awesome answers and says it's not a good time. He shuts the door, but Jeff sticks his hand out and stops it. Awesome tells him you're supposed to stop a door with your foot. Only Jeff would not intuitively know this. Jeff asks: "Have you ever had a dream that never came true?" Awesome thinks for a minute and then says "No." Of course. Jeff asks if he's ever had a best friend with a dream that's never come true. He doesn't wait for an answer, though. He says that Lester was too scared to sing yesterday, but "he has a voice that makes angels cry" (in which way?) and asks for another chance. Awesome gives them another audition, but then shuts the door in Jeff's face.
At the Buy More, Chuck's still trying to talk to Morgan. Morgan says he never wants to speak to him again, but first he has a question: How did Chuck betraying him turn into Chuck saving him? Chuck apologizes for betraying him, but Morgan tells him he doesn't get to apologize, because this whole thing is Morgan's fault. He says Chuck told him not to spy, but he did it anyway, and then Chuck had to save him. He's sick of Chuck having to bail him out. Chuck tries to say Morgan's bailed him out plenty of times, but Morgan doesn't even listen. He says he can't count on Chuck to fix things his whole life, but Chuck says he can. Morgan wants to pay for his own mistakes and fight his own battles. Just then, the Triad guys walk in, and Chuck tells him to start with a different battle. He gets Morgan into the backroom, where they hide amid the boxes. Morgan thinks this is just Chuck saving him again, and he decides to go out there and take it like a grown man (who spies on women). He won't have Chuck saving him anymore. Chuck stops Morgan and tells him he can't just go out there with his breath stinking like garbage. Morgan can't believe Chuck would kick a man when he's down like this, but we all know where it's going. That's right, he freshens Morgan up with some "breath spray." Morgan says it's strong and immediately falls over. Chuck, "That's quick!"
Chuck's wheeling one of those giant home theater boxes through the Buy More. It's clearly full of Morgan. I am annoyed by this, because he could have just taken Morgan out the back instead of going through the store. Which would make more sense anyway, because wouldn't that be where people load their packages? I know it had to be done this way to work, but it still annoys me. The Triad guys approach Chuck and ask where the stalker is from the party the other night. Chuck tells them he went out the back for pizza or something. They head toward the back and Chuck presses some sort of emergency button that alerts Casey and Sarah to get to Chuck, who's in trouble. As Chuck continues pushing the cart, Anna tells Chuck she wants to talk to him. He leaves Morgan alone on the cart and she shows him her boyfriend on the TV. It's a news piece about the fancy car auction, and Chuck flashes on an attendee of the auction: an ambassador. Casey and Sarah run up and Chuck tells them that the Triads are going to kill the Chinese ambassador. Sarah asks why he'd walk into a known Triad den, but Casey exposits that Wang has a legitimate business, so the ambassador doesn't know. Chuck says they've just got to get Morgan, but finds his cart is missing. Uh-oh. We get a close-up of Morgan's snoring face inside the home theater box, which is being placed in the back of a van by the Triads. Chuck runs out the back door, followed by Casey and Sarah, just in time to see them drive off with Morgan.
Chuck, Sarah, and Casey show up at the auction in a Nerd Herd car. When they get there, they order Chuck to stay in the car. He doesn't want to, but they insist. We know this always goes well, right? They're gone about two seconds when he sees the SUV Morgan's in. He follows it to where it parks to a Rolls Royce. He flashes and realizes there's a bomb in the car's hood ornament. They are giving the car to the ambassador, who's always dreamed of having a Rolls Royce. Smooth asks about last night's problem, and when she finds out he's not dead, she has her guys put him in the trunk of the Rolls Royce, to kill two birds with one bomb (a little easier to do than with a stone). Chuck calls Sarah and Casey on his watch and tells them what's going on. Sarah tells him to stay where he is. She tells Casey to get Chuck, and she'll get the car. Which is confusing since Chuck was just watching the car. It must have been from far enough away they'd have to split up to do this? And how do they know where the car is if it's not near Chuck? This episode was a lot better without close inspection.
Sarah enters the garage where the container is and tells Casey that it's empty; the car has already been dispatched. He doesn't respond, but Smooth Lau comes up behind her and knocks her down. She can't believe a girl as hot as Sarah is a cop and says it's a shame she has to mess up that face. Chuck sees the Rolls pulling out, and stops in the Nerd Herd to tell the ambassador there's a bomb in the car. The ambassador thinks Chuck telling him this is a Triad trap (uh, how, exactly?) and tells his driver to keep going. Sarah and Smooth continue to fight in and around a car in the garage. It's brutal, with broken CDs used for cutting, faces hit on steering wheels and more. It's not pretty. Chuck turns around to follow the Rolls, and Casey jumps on the roof of the Nerd Herder car. Girls fight. Chuck drives. Casey hangs on. Chuck won't let Casey in the car because he knows Casey won't let him save Morgan. Girls fight, using seat belts to choke each other. Casey promises he'll let him save Morgan if he lets him in, so Chuck rolls the window down. Girls fight, using reclining seats. Casey opens the glove compartment and pulls out a gadget that drives the car. Chuck can't believe there's a remote control for this thing. Girl fight ends with Sarah slamming Smooth's head into the steering wheel so hard the airbag comes out. She sees a fancy blue car and drives it out of the garage.
Chuck and Casey continue their pursuit of the Rolls. An ice truck ends up blocking them all off, and two guys jump out with guns pointed. Casey pulls out his badge and explains who he is. Chuck runs to the front of the car and unscrews the hood ornament bomb. It has 54 seconds left on the timer. The guys don't trust Casey and make him put his hands on his head and get on the ground. Chuck takes the bomb and runs to the Nerd Herd car and throws the bomb in, right as Casey's forced to turn his head the other way. It's weird these guys let Chuck do all of this but wouldn't let Casey do anything, even though he's the one with the badge. The Nerd Herd car drives away, presumably with Chuck inside. If only there were a remote control for that car. Hmmm.
Sarah drives up, says, "CIA. Let him go," and the men oblige. What do they have against the NSA? Or was it just Casey? She asks where Chuck is, and Casey says the heroic imbecile took off with the bomb. He says, "Get out of there, Bartowski," and Sarah worries. The view of the car gets blocked by a bus or street car, so maybe he could stop it and get out. Sarah worries. And the car explodes. Sarah starts actually crying, and Casey actually looks slightly less stone-faced than usual. Chuck comes up behind them and says, "That was pretty sweet, huh?" Sarah turns and sees him. He sees she's crying and asks, "What?" He says he was just using the remote, which Casey takes from him before he finishes his explanation. Chuck apologizes, then asks for their help getting something out of the trunk. He opens it to find a still-sleeping Morgan. He won't remember a moment of it.
Back at the Buy More, Morgan wakes up and Chuck tells him he really had him worried. Morgan is embarrassed that he fainted at the very thought of fighting. He apologizes to Chuck, since he had to save him again. Chuck asks Morgan if he knows who he is to him, and all that he's done. Morgan thanks him, but asks him if he could butch it up just a little bit. That's so cute.
In the Spy Lair, Agent Redhead is applauding their successes. She's being very warm for Agent Redhead. She asks for them to excuse her, as she's late for her evening plans. Chuck asks what her version of that is. Casey yells at him. Agent Redhead says she's meeting Condoleezza for cosmos, because even she has friends. But the way she says it as she pushes her hair back over her ear makes me think there's a little more to it than friendship. Hmmmm. I guess we'll never know.
Awesome and Ellie are entering the Buy More. He apologizes for outsourcing the music to Chuck, and he tells her that he took care of the flowers, cake and Ellie's own half of the to-do list. She thinks that's sweet. [Who is this woman, who is happy that she has no say in her own wedding? - Z] He says he's also back in charge of the band, which is why they're here. She's all, "What?" And he nods toward a hair-band looking poster that says "Jeffster!" Jeffster are both wearing T-shirts to match, though I don't see them for sale yet, unfortunately. Awesome tells Ellie that partnership is trust.
Onstage, Jeff tells Lester that partnership is trust. Lester says he can't do it, but Jeff says he can. Lester admits he was never afraid the band would break up; he was just scared. Jeff shushes him and asks if he's ever had a dream that never came true. Then adds that he's asking him to sing, not for himself, but for Jeff. They fist bump. And Lester grabs the microphone as the opening cords of Toto's Africa begin to play. Lester starts singing. It's not bad, exactly, but it's just... like if most of us sang. Ellie asks Awesome if he's honestly considering his lame band for their wedding. He says no, but to let a man have his dream, even if only for five minutes. Casey puts in earplugs. Chuck and Sarah walk in, smiling. Lester hits the chorus and really gets into it: "Gonna take a lot to drive me away from you." The camera pans up and we realize their stage is actually just the Nerd Herd desk, with all of the staff gathered around. Only the fat curly-haired guy is wearing a Jeffster! shirt of his own and totally getting into it. "There's nothing that 100 men or more could ever do. / I bless the rains down in Africa. / Gonna take some time to do the things we never had." (Does this song even make sense?) Lester dances crazy. Half the crowd looks simply puzzled, but Chuck's enjoying it.
Sarah looks at Chuck and hesitates a little, but then apologizes for not being more sensitive about Morgan. She says it's just that doesn't have anyone in her life like that, who cares about her. He says, "Yeah you do." And they share an adorable look. Morgan's walking into the backroom, where Anna's getting stuff out of her locker. He tells her he should have said this to her a long time ago. And she's starting to look giddy and excited. He goes on: "Anna Wu, I lo... I like you very, very much." They start kissing as the actual Toto starts to sing. We go back to Jeffster!, who are doing a fine job lip-synching, but it's all Toto now. Morgan and Anna join Chuck and Sarah in the crowd, and Chuck smiles big at his best friend. Morgan tells him to look at them, both with their girlfriends. It's as good as it gets. Chuck looks sadly at Sarah, and they both look at their hands, which are intertwined. But, you know, for their cover. It's obviously very sad, but mostly just annoying at this point.
On watching this a second time, I had a lot more nitpicks, but I really think the friendship stuff came across even stronger, what with Chuck and Morgan, Chuck and Sarah, Jeffster, Agent Redhead and Condoleezza, Ellie and Awesome, Anna and Sarah, even Casey's Semper Fi. Very cool how the theme really carried through the whole episode. This show works so much better when everything is about one thing instead of having these two completely separate plots, with the Buy More crew doing one thing, while Chuck, Casey, and Sarah do something else.
Anyway, week: Chuck gets tortured (or at least threatened with torture). Can he handle it? The Sports Illustrated swimsuit models will be in the episode, too, so announcer guy promises an "interesting night." I don't really like that "interesting" is the best the promotional folks could come up with, but I'm always in when it comes to this show.
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DeAnn is a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon. You can contact her at twopmodmars@gmail.com.