Episode Report Card DeAnn Welker: A- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT No Nunchucks for Chuck
By DeAnn Welker | Season 3 | Episode 5 | Aired on 01.25.2010
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.Agent Superman does his review of Team Bartowski and determines the problem is... Casey and Sarah, who have been coddling Chuck and keeping him from being a real spy. Agent Superman's solution is to send Chuck on his first solo mission to Paris. Chuck's ready for it, but Sarah and Casey? Not so much. Once he's on his seat, in first class next to one Kristin Kreuk (light-years less annoying here than she was as Lana Lang), he learns his mission's on the plane. It's to get a key from the luggage of a Ring operative named Hugo played by Stone Cold Steve Austin. Chuck uses a tranq pen from Agent Superman to knock Hugo out and finds the key, but then Hugo finds him. Chuck fights and ultimately wins, and heads back for more flirting with Kristin. Until he's poisoned by Hugo and the flight attendant, and they all head back to the cargo hold for more fighting. With the help of Sarah (flying the plane from Castle), Chuck wins again. But he doesn't get to use his nunchucks. Then he tells Kristin she can have a job at the Buy More if she ever needs one. He doesn't expect her to show up, but she does as Chuck mopes at the end, of course.
Back at the Buy More, Morgan's getting no respect, especially from Lester, who won't even speak to him. They're playing practical jokes like laxative-ing his coffee and gluing him to a chair. Morgan realizes Casey's a total badass and enlists his help to get respect. Casey just has to growl and most everyone decides they're on Team Morgan. When Casey puts out a cigar in his hand, everyone still on Team Lester leaves, other than Jeffster! (mostly just Lester, though; Jeff's just sticking for moral support). That night, Casey goes all Clockwork Orange on Lester, and the next day he tells Jeff what a kind, warm person Morgan is. And Morgan gives Casey a raise, as if he's relying on the Buy More money. Still, the male bonding is sort of cute.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!Buy More. Morgan shows up in his assistant manager vest as Otis Redding sings "Respect". He walks to the backroom, and we soon realize he's not getting respect, because someone's tried the heated doorknob trick, Lester's giving him the silent treatment, and Jeff gives him laxative coffee. Morgan's too smart for that and won't drink it, then orders Lester to get out of his seat. We then see that Lester's been hovering (very convincingly) over the chair instead of sitting. When he moves, Morgan sits right down in the glue they've put on the seat. Uh-oh. Respect kicks back up as everyone clears out and Morgan hollers for someone to send Chuck back.
But Chuck's busy grilling Casey on Agent Superman while Casey seems to be doing actual work at the Buy More (at least that makes one of them). Casey says to go ahead and ask Agent Superman himself, since he's been living at Castle. Chuck wonders if he's really in charge, and Casey says he is, and right now, he's questioning Sarah. Chuck wonders what they're talking about, and we cut to Agent Superman asking Sarah if Chuck's a real spy. She says he is, even though he's been at it much less time than most. Agent Superman says he's read everything about Chuck, and "sometimes he's like Bond; sometimes it's like a Jerry Lewis movie." Perfect description, actually. I heart Agent Superman. He asks if Chuck's a liability, and we cut back to Chuck, all, "The review's about me?! Shouldn't he ask me about me?" Morgan interrupts them by sliding in on his chair, and Chuck asks if he's glued to it. Morgan says he is, and that everyone's teamed up against him. Morgan says he needs help. Casey mutters, "You give me five minutes running this Popsicle stand and we'd be ready." Morgan: "Ready for what?" Chuck: "The Russians." Casey gets a page, and Chuck follows him away from Morgan, asks if that's Agent Superman and says that his voice should be heard. Casey: "Your prepubescent little girl screams are going to be duly noted," because Agent Superman wants them both in Castle now.
Castle. Agent Superman's scribbling on some notes with glasses on -- an obvious Clark Kent shout-out, right? -- and Chuck tells him that he's sure things have been said about himself or his abilities, but... Agent Superman interrupts him and says this is his meeting. Then he stands up and says they can all agree Team Bartowski's been dysfunctional, and it's obvious what the problem is. He points to Casey and Sarah and says, "Them." They're like, "WTF?" And even Chuck's shocked. Agent Superman tells him he could be a great spy, but they won't let him evolve. Chuck: "Really? I mean, yes, really!" Sarah says Chuck's not ready, and Agent Superman tells her it's "duly noted, and ignored." Then he tells Chuck he's going on his first solo mission to Paris. Is Chuck ready? "Absolutely." Opening titles, followed by our latest "Journey to Vancouver" Honda commercial. This time, Morgan doesn't believe Awesome that the GPS knows its way anywhere, so they take detours to the giant Paul Bunyan and to Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone (we see snapshots). And Awesome does his GPS impersonation, which Morgan thinks is Australian, but Ellie says is actually his Irish accent. Funny, because when I was in Ireland, our GPS had an English accent.