Family Matters

S03E10

We pick up where we left off last week, with Casey meeting up with Robert Patrick, the caller on the other end of the Ring phone. He wants Casey to steal something from the CIA during some sort of security testing they're going to do. And, during testing with Sarah and Chuck, Casey does steal it. Chuck catches him, and keeps mum for all of twenty seconds, until he thinks General Redhead and Casey are teaming up to test him. When he realizes Casey really wanted it kept secret, it's a little too late. So, Casey gets locked down in the secure CIA facility, but he hid the stolen treasure (a pill that makes whoever takes it fearless) first. Luckily, Morgan's been practicing his spy skills and Chuck flashes on Robert Patrick, realizing he used to be CIA before he turned Ring, and Casey probably doesn't know. Chuck and Sarah head in to break Casey out, but … he knows, and he leaves with Robert Patrick instead. See, Robert Patrick made Casey who he is. Literally. Back when he was just Alex Coburn, Robert Patrick took him under his wing and made him black ops. And the guy gave up everything. That's how Robert Patrick got him to turn his back on his country: by threatening to kill Alex's old fiancee. So, they save her and kill the bad guys, and then the ex-fiancee's daughter runs in. She's about the right age and her name is Alex. But Casey walks out again, telling Chuck, "What's dead is dead." At Castle, General Redhead fires his ass, but says if he were anyone else, it would be much worse. So, he has to start over as a civilian, and it's as sad and lonely a life as Casey can imagine.

In other storylines, Awesome spends the whole episode trying to convince Ellie to do Doctors Without Borders, enlisting a little help from Chuck and Morgan, but she just got accepted into a neurology fellowship at USC, which has been her dream since they were kids (seriously ... what kind of kid dreams of neurology fellowships?). In the end, she tearfully tells Chuck Devon's the best choice she's ever made, and she's going to do Doctors Without Borders with him. When she goes inside to tell him, he's throwing her a congratulations party with just the two of them, and tells her if the fellowship's important to her, it's important to him, so she should take the job. So ... was all the Doctors Without Borders stuff build-up and nothing's going to come of it? I mean, I'm glad if they're staying, but what was the point of that? Also, Awesome and Morgan discover each other's secrets: They both know!

Watch full episodes here, then discuss them in our forums. Then see which Chuck character we want to spend 24 hours with!

A few things Chuck thinks we might need to know: Awesome was used as a Ring decoy, so he asked Ellie to join Doctors Without Borders. Morgan found out Chuck's a spy, and it was the best news he'd ever heard. Now (or, rather, in the past): "Honduras 1989." An older military guy at a desk in a tent tells a young military guy named "Alexander Coburn" that he hasn't qualified for special ops service. The young guy looks pretty shocked and upset by this news, but the old guy's just like, "Dismissed!" Outside, Robert Patrick asks Alexander Coburn if he wants a Tic Tac, then offers him a role on a covert black ops team of true patriots. Robert Patrick pops another Tic Tac as he asks the kid if he wants to go home to his family, or become the soldier he's always dreamed of. We flash into the present, where an older-looking Robert Patrick tells Casey he's glad he took his call, because General Redhead is going to give them a mission to test CIA security, and he needs Casey to pick something up for him. He gives Casey a key, and says he knows he'll make the right decision. He always does. At this point, I love the show for not hitting us over the head with him being Alex Coburn, by having him say, "Alex Coburn" or something.

Outside the window, Morgan's spying and videoing as Casey meets with Robert Patrick in his apartment. Chuck finds him there and wonders what's up, and Morgan says it's spy work; he thinks Casey's getting a new mission. Chuck tells him if Casey were getting a mission, Chuck would be too, and that Morgan's been kept out of the spy loop for a reason: It's dangerous. Just then, Casey's door opens and Robert Patrick comes out, telling Casey it's a pleasure working with him again. Chuck and Morgan duck and hide and Chuck's like, "Working on what?" The day, at Castle, General Redhead tells them they're on a "trace cell" mission, and will have to break through fifteen levels of security at a CIA facility to get there. Oh, and by the way: Shaw's in D.C., and Sarah will join him later for personal reasons. So he won't be on the mission.

"Subterranean CIA Facility." They enter "Level 1," and it's funny that the security level actually says "Level 1," etc. The first hall they have to get through to make it to "Level 2" shoots bullets or something across the hall, so Chuck flashes and does gymnastics through it. When they make it to "Level 15," they're all exhausted. Sarah opens the door, and Casey tells her to stay outside and watch the door. Then he puts Chuck on the actual mission while he goes on his side mission and uses the secret key Robert Patrick gives him to find a little case holding a pill. Chuck opens his box and finds nothing but a note from the desk of General Redhead that says, "Job well done." He laughs and then finds Casey closing the secret mission box. Casey denies taking anything out of the box, and then pulls a gun on Chuck and says if he breathes a word to anyone, he's as good as a dead man. Sarah comes in and asks if everything's okay. Chuck lies, "Yeah." Cake credits.

By DeAnn Welker

Awesome shows up at Chuck's and asks him to help Ellie commit to Doctors Without Borders. They both thought she did, but Awesome says it must have hit her that it meant leaving Chuck. She knocks and Awesome runs out. She comes in and tells Chuck she got into some prestigious neurology fellowship at USC that she's wanted since middle school. Uh, yeah right. Like a middle-schooler has ever wanted that. She tells him that Doctors Without Borders is the only thing Devon's been excited about in weeks, though. Casey pages Chuck to come to Castle, but not breathe a word of his secret. Chuck tells Ellie that sometimes your dream job isn't always what you expect, and I don't know about Ellie, but I have no idea what he's trying to tell her with that.

Castle. General Redhead tells them that their mission at the CIA facility was a day too late, because a pill called Laudinol that makes people fearless was stolen. Chuck wonders if it would help him flash, and Sarah says it would, but he wouldn't feel anything. He says at least he would "work," and I don't get where this depression and self-loathing is coming from, since it's very anti-Chuck. Anyway, General Redhead tells him which vault the pill was stolen from, and Chuck starts laughing and says they're very good, what with testing him and all. Amused, he says, yes, he saw Casey take the pill. Casey growls at him, and General Redhead asks if he's sure. Chuck says he is, but then Casey growls more, and Chuck's like, "No? No." He tries to say it was poorly lit and he's often wrong, but it's too late, and Casey pleads the Fifth. So he's forced to put his gun on the table and Sarah's forced to take him into custody. She asks John if he wants to tell her what's up, but he doesn't.

Buy More. Morgan's working when Chuck asks for his help on a spy-related mission. He asks if he happened to record Casey's conversation last night. Morgan says that would depend on if it would get him into trouble or not. But Chuck says he needs it, and Morgan says yeah, he recorded it: audio and video. They watch it in Morgan's "office" on his phone, and all the "audio" is Morgan spouting off ridiculous lines about the smells in the air and chewing carrots. Fortunately, Chuck flashes on Robert Patrick, who he sees is a former colonel dishonorably discharged. Morgan asks what, but Chuck won't tell him details. Meanwhile, back at Casey's, they're ransacking the place. Sarah asks them to show some respect for one of the best that we have. Chuck shows up and tells her that Casey's being played by his old commanding officer, who turned Casey's former sensei, because he's a member of the Ring. Chuck wants to convince Casey, but Sarah says he's being moved to Thailand tomorrow and if they break him out, they could get in trouble for treason. Chuck's in because it's Casey, which is just what Sarah was hoping he'd say.

Chuck and Sarah return to Level 1 and she says she'd be surprised if they've changed the security in twenty-four hours. So Chuck starts his gymnast moves and bangs into a glass wall, all, "Well that wasn't there before." Then an alarm sounds and a nerd with two security guys comes out and calls them infiltrators. Chuck and Sarah think quickly and pretend they were back to test the security upgrades. Chuck even pretends to call General Redhead. It's enough to convince the guard, who sends his guards away and offers them a tour of the place.

Ellie and Awesome argue as they ride their exercise bikes facing each other. It's very Ellie and Awesome. They both think Chuck's on their side, so they hop off their bikes and run over to talk to Chuck. But Morgan answers. Awesome says a third opinion never hurts, so Awesome and Ellie talk over each other. Morgan can't hear any of it (although we do hear Awesome say Medecins Sans Frontieres, which is hilarious in the contest of the fast-talking over each other. Morgan tells Awesome he's obviously being selfish, so Awesome takes him inside and they have a showdown that consists of them telling each other that if he only knew what the other one knew, he'd know he's right. Until it ends with them being all, "Do you know?" And they agree to say what they know at the same time, but with "Chuck's a..." they both realize they both know. Awesome talks about how hard going on missions is, and Morgan's obviously jealous, but pretends he totally goes on missions, too. They go back out, and Morgan tells Ellie he now agrees with Awesome and they should do Doctors Without Borders. Awesome says "Medecins San Frontieres" again, and Morgan tries, but it's garbled, so Awesome says it again, and Morgan tries yet again. Ah, Morgan. Always good for a laugh.

The nerd finally gets Chuck and Sarah to Level 15, and tells Chuck he's his biggest fan and he files all Chuck's mission reports. He brings up the Chuck-Casey kiss, but Chuck is much more interested in how they've secured the holding cell. The nerd is the security measure, because he has the only key card in the building. Sarah asks him for the key card, but the alarm goes off, so she punches him out. Chuck asks if it was necessary, and she says, "Yes." They try to unlock Casey's cell, but there's an explosion first. Chuck hopes he didn't do that. Casey gets up after the explosion and Robert Patrick and his men are on the other side with a hole blown in the wall. Chuck and Sarah stand there when the actual door opens. Robert Patrick says they just want Casey, so Chuck tells Casey that Robert Patrick is part of the Ring. Robert Patrick: "Let's go, John." Casey tells Chuck he knows, and then leaves with Robert Patrick.

By DeAnn Welker

Chuck and Sarah try to run but barely get outside the building when the CIA nabs them. General Beckman's at Castle, live and in person, telling Sarah and Chuck it reflects poorly on her to have three of her agents arrested for treason in twenty-four hours. Chuck tries to stick up for Casey, but General Redhead says Chuck doesn't know Casey the way he thinks. She explains that Casey's really Alex Coburn, who was reported dead the same day Casey became black ops for Colonel Keller. Sarah guesses Keller recruited Casey again, but this time for the Ring. General Redhead says the only reason Sarah and Chuck aren't in prison is because she needs them to find and capture Casey, dead or alive, to make sure the Laudinol doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

Casey's dressed in gardening clothes pretending to trim the hedges when Morgan comes out. Casey pretends he needs Morgan's help with a mission, which you already know is the most exciting news Morgan's heard since finding out his best friend's a spy. Back at Castle, Chuck asks Sarah how the past three years with Casey could all be a lie. She says sometimes people change, and it's hard to know what to believe or who to believe in. She tells him she thought he'd changed, because he wants to be the perfect spy. She knows how much he's sacrificed, but she asks him to please not lose the guy she met three years ago or to give up on the things that make him great. She hands him a gun, but he says he'll always be that guy and pushes it away. Awww. He's still our Chuck. He tries to talk to her about something serious, but she says they should focus on the Laudinol. They figure that Robert Patrick doesn't have the Laudinol yet or he wouldn't have broken Casey out. Sarah says there was nothing in Casey's apartment, but it might be in the Buy More, although Casey knows he couldn't get past the security cameras. Chuck sees Morgan enter the Buy More and look around, and says that Casey would have to use someone desperate or plain stupid to impress him.

Chuck arrives home to find Casey waiting for him instead of Sarah. Casey pulls a gun and says to give him the case so he doesn't have to shoot him. Sarah's sneaking in behind Casey, which Chuck sees. Chuck tells Casey he believed in him and trusted him. He says he knows everything: that Casey used to be Alex Coburn, that he's working for Robert Patrick and stole the Laudinol, but he doesn't know why. Casey turns and sees Sarah, then tells them that Alex Coburn had a fiancée, who thinks he's dead, and if he doesn't turn over the Laudinol to the Ring, they'll kill her. Hard to believe a patriot who gave her up to go black ops would care if they kill her now, but I'll pretend that working with Chuck and Sarah helped Casey grow a heart.

Casey shows them a strip of mall pictures of the young Alex Coburn and a young girl. He says she was the love of his life, Kathleen, and he gave her up and now 20 years later they're threatening her. If Casey doesn't show up at the meet, they'll do it. Sarah decides to have Chuck go to Kathleen's and sneak her out to safety. Casey says Chuck didn't even know he was Alex Coburn until today. Chuck: "I don't care who you were. I know who you are." Casey and Sarah head to the meet, but when he arrives, he's alone. He lights a Cuban and leaves the matchbook with some matches sticking up when they take him to see Robert Patrick. Meanwhile, Chuck arrives at Kathleen's and pretends he's with the gas company. He says there's a leak and they need to leave, but Ring guys show up and he says the gas leak is outside so she must go back inside. She's obviously concerned and tells him it's getting weird. He apologizes and then locks her in the closet as she kicks and screams. He watches the Ring guys approach.

Back with Casey. He finds Robert Patrick alone in a room. He asks "Alex" if he has the Laudinol, and Casey pulls out the pill case. Robert Patrick knew he could count on him, because good soldiers always follow orders. He tells Casey he wouldn't be in this mess if he would have stopped caring about Kathleen 20 years ago like he told him to. He opens the pill case and finds a Tic Tac. He asks what the hell this is, and Casey snarls, "Your breath stinks." Robert Patrick asks if Casey thinks he's going to just walk out of here with the five men outside. "The one thing I always taught you: 'Make sure you have someone watch your back.' " Yeah, dude, Casey knows. Outside, Sarah lowers herself from her hiding place under the car and counts five matches sticking up on Casey's matchbook. "Five against one," she says, then starts shooting and throwing knives at guards standing around the car. She jumps out and awesomely takes them on. Casey and Robert Patrick fight inside. Yvonne is fantastic at really selling what a bad-ass Sarah is, because she takes out these guys much more easily than Casey takes Robert Patrick, who pleads that Kathleen will die if he kills him. Casey's too smart for that and says, "You'd never call them off." To his credit, Robert Patrick agrees. So, Casey picks him up with his hand and smashes his throat. Sarah watches sort of horrified, and Casey seethes that they're already at the house.

Chuck's hiding inside Kathleen's (and she's somehow not screaming and kicking anymore) as the guys knocking say they're with the gas company. Chuck: "I'm with the gas company!" He calls Sarah and Casey on his watch, and they tell him they're on their way, but he'll have to handle this. Casey tells him to take the pill, which Chuck and Sarah didn't even know Chuck had. It's hidden in Chuck's pocket. Casey tells him it can make him the Intersect he was always supposed to be, so Chuck takes it as the guys continue to knock and finally break in. Sarah and Casey lose contact, then Kathleen starts screaming again. Chuck jokes he just checked the meter, and they knock him out. He wakes up as they're dragging Kathleen out of the closet, and he flashes. He gets up as a cool, kicky song starts up almost like a cheer, and he fights the Ring guys almost as awesomely as Sarah did. But, you know, without feelings, so he's brutal, breaking rails off the stairs and using them to hit people. And, thankfully, Kathleen has giant, heavy candlesticks he uses to knock one guy out. He picks up the last guy just like Casey did with Robert Patrick and looks like he's about to kill him the same way, when Sarah runs in and yells for him to stop. He turns to her, feelingless, but then feels something and drops the guy. He looks at his hands in shock, and then he and Sarah look at each other sort of sadly. Which is understandable, given the conversation they just had about him not changing.

Casey comes in and finds Kathleen passed out on the floor. She wakes up with him over her and asks if she knows him. I wonder if we're supposed to think his face was changed slightly or something because, even 20 years later, you'd recognize the person you loved. It flashes back to Alex on the phone with Kathleen, telling her he loves her in case something happens to him. She tells him not to let his guard down and get emotional, but to get back to him in once piece. He agrees, and she starts to tell him she has news when Robert Patrick takes his phone and hangs it up. He tells him that Alex Coburn will die and be given a hero's funeral, and he will be known as John Casey. "Make it a good life." We jump back to the present, where Casey tells Kathleen the authorities have arrived. A teenage girl runs in and says "Mom." She hugs Kathleen, who greets her as Alex. Sarah and Chuck both register shock, and Casey looks... well as surprised and heartbroken as it's possible for John Casey to look. Which isn't a lot, but Adam Baldwin makes it just enough. He watches them for just a second, and then turns to leave. Chuck tries to stop him, and Casey says, "What's dead is dead. It's too late now." He goes on out. Oh, man, this makes me so sad for Casey. I hope they don't drop it with this episode. (By the way, there's a Dentyne Ice commercial, but it really should have been Tic Tac.)

General Beckman's still live and in person at Castle, scolding Colonel Casey for abusing his privileged position. She says, despite the mission's success, he'd be right back in jail if he were anyone else. "But, you are not just anyone." Chuck starts to smile. She tells him she's about to give him his second second chance. Casey thanks her, and she says, "Second chance as a civilian." Chuck tells her that Casey's given his entire life to this country and she can't make him start over. She says he's done it before and shouldn't have a problem doing it again. She tells Casey he's dismissed for the final time, and he stands to salute her. She reaches out to shake his hand, and tells him, "Good luck, John." Then she asks Chuck to escort "Mr. Casey" off government property. Casey looks sadly at Chuck and Sarah, and then heads out. Chuck follows him, giving General Redhead a chance to commend Sarah on her work with the Intersect. She says he seems to need her less and less. Sarah agrees he's doing great, and General Redhead says she hasn't forgotten Sarah's request to be transferred out of Burbank. She says there's an empty seat on her flight back to D.C. and they can discuss it on the way. Sarah nods, but looks uncertain, of course.

Ellie looks just as uncertain as she strolls into the courtyard at their apartment. She bumps into Chuck, and he tells her she looks exhausted. She says it's this Doctors Without Borders thing, which Devon really wants, and she did too, so she's going to do it. He tells her USC Neurology has kind of been her dream since she was a kid, and she knows that, but she says dreams change and if there's one thing she knows for sure it's that she wants to be with Devon. "He's the best choice I ever made." Awesome comes out and asks if he can steal her away. Chuck tells them he loves them and Ellie walks away with Awesome, all teary-eyed. In their apartment, Awesome has strung a "Congratulations" banner and apologizes for not telling her how proud he was of her for getting the fellowship. He tells her if it's important to her, it's important to him and she should take the job. They'll make it work, together. So, wait, all of that buildup to Doctors Without Borders and her tearful speech just then to Chuck led to this, which is essentially nothing? How very anticlimactic.

In Casey's apartment, which is totally empty, he works to restore his bonsai tree as Chuck works to pump him up. He tells him this place will be great for civilian life. And I can't disagree: It's a great apartment. Chuck points out his nice chair. Then he gets serious and tells him he can still go back. Casey says the general made the dismissal terms crystal clear. Chuck gives Casey the mall photos and says he was talking about Kathleen, who lives right around here, with Casey's daughter. Casey tells Chuck he made his decision between love and love of country a long time ago, and it was the right one for him. He tells Chuck he has to make the right decision for himself, that Walker's a good woman, and it's still not too late. Chuck looks like he's considering it. Then it cuts to Sarah in a cab. The driver asks if she's from this area and she says no. Then Yvonne's adorable Australian accent slips in as she tells him she's thinking of moving here.

By DeAnn Welker

week: A substitute recapper will guide you as Chuck tells Sarah she'll miss him in D.C. Casey works at the Buy More and nothing but the Buy More. Chuck has to complete a mission to be a spy, and if he fails he won't be one anymore. Chuck says if he passes, he and Sarah can be together and they lean in for a kiss. The final piece of his mission is to kill someone. He doesn't know if he can, then he points a gun at the guy and seems to have second thoughts. Enjoy! I'll be off on spy missions for the couple episodes.

Watch full episodes here, then discuss them in our forums. Then see which Chuck character we want to spend 24 hours with!

Has the show stretched the Chuck/Sarah storyline to the breaking point?

DeAnn, a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon, had much simpler dreams as a child than USC neurology fellowship. You can contact her at twopmodmars@gmail.com.