In the words of the General Beckman, "Hello, Chuck. Welcome Back." Oh show, how I've missed you! It has been a long, Chuck-less summer so let's get right into the recapping, shall we?
Brand New Chuck
He's no longer a spy, but he's got a new objective: to find his mother! He enlists Morgan's help since Casey and Sarah have their own missions, and they end up spending months (and thousands of dollars) on the road to no avail. Defeated, they find themselves back in LA with no other leads save for a curious Chinese restaurant menu.
The Buy More is Back and Better Than Ever
Chuck's pounding the pavement and claiming to be "100% snatchable" to an interviewer, but no one will hire him. Conspiracy? Well, yes, and it leads him straight back to the Buy More - which has been rebuilt as a CIA/NSA substation. Two words: scary efficient. And the big boss behind the desk? General Beckman! She tells Chuck that he still works there, but he's not entirely convinced. Her response: "you're out when I say you're out."
Thing I love about this show, #127
Morgan. He's loyal to a fault, and yeah, that beard is pretty irresistible. Among his hijinks in this episode: suggesting sexting (that's sext writing to those not in the know) to put the spark back into Chuck and Sarah's relationship. Bring on the baby oil! Also, hilarious? Unsuccessfully hitting on Greta (guest star Olivia Munn) and changing his fake name to Michael Carmichael. Hey, he's no mute assistant named Sven!
From Russia, with Love
The menu Morgan found? Same emblem as the briefcase holding the EMP made by Volkoff Industries that was acquired by Casey and Sarah. Upon further inspection, they find the menu to be for ordering weapons, and they call the number posing as "the New Ring". In spite of their growing debt (hey repo man!), Chuck and Morgan plan a trip to Moscow to get more information about Mama Bartowski's whereabouts. At the same time, Sarah and Casey's jet gets gassed by Volkoff's henchman and rerouted to Moscow.
Chuck and Morgan enter the Volkoff compound and find the server room. Inside, Chuck attempts to hack the computer to download files about his mother. But before the file downloads completely, Morgan realizes that what he thought was sexting with Sarah on Chuck's behalf was her trying to tell him that they're in the building and need help.
Chuck springs into action, utilizing his rusty kung-fu skills to take down ten men. He rushes to free Sarah and Casey, and they head back to the server room. But they're trapped! Chuck decides that the file isn't important enough to lose any of them so he employs the EMP, and after a flurry of gunshots, they escape. (Love that they all pile onto the bus for their grand escape. Yay for public transportation!)
The Whole Truth
Chuck tells Sarah and Casey about his search for his mom, and they agree to help him look for her. Chuck knows that he needs to rejoin the agency again, but what about Ellie? He wants to tell her the truth, but when she tells him that she's pregnant (Baby Awesome!), he knows he can't spoil her happiness.
Appearances May Be Deceiving
Sarah gives Chuck more information on his mom: she was captured. He's more determined than ever to bring her home if she's still alive. And we're left watching Mama Bartowski shoot a few Volkoff cronies in an undisclosed location while pronouncing that she's got her own family. Lets watch that moment again, shall we?
Quoted Quotables
Chuck: "Buddy, this isn't the opening to a television show. This is real life." (talk about meta!)
Morgan: "You kiss your mom with those thumbs?"
Remember to come back next week for another Chuck recap. Looks like it's going to be intense!
(Image courtesy of NBC)