Recap: Chuck vs the Hack Off

Please stay in your seats until the ride comes to a complete and final stop

This was another absolutely packed episode with so many great moments and visual gags that there is no way I can do them all justice! The writers are definitely throwing everything that they have into every episode. This week we had prison scenes, nudity, computer geeks, Buy More hijinks, a female Casey, lots of relationship stuff, blackmail, a double cross and a straight up murder of an important character – in other words, just another [exemplary] episode of Chuck S5.

As many people suspected, we found out that Lester and Casey are indeed being held at the same county prison (I’m suspending my disbelief for the entertainment value!). Casey is miserable but is trying to avoid trouble in the form of several goons that Decker has hired to make sure that he never leaves the prison. He resists Sarah and Chuck’s efforts to help him escape, thinking that it will only make the situation worse. Lester, on the other hand, is completely unrepentant and seems to be adjusting well to prison life. He’s scheming (of course!) to become the “shot caller” based on tactics he learned in a woman’s prison movie. Turns out he’s onto something as he later saves Casey from a mob of prisoners by threatening to “pull their plugs” and cut off the free cable and high speed internet that he has installed for all of the prisoners.

While Lester seems content to remain in prison, back at the Buy More, Jeff really misses him and he and Morgan plot to get him back by hiring “better Lester”, an Indian model pretending to be a Canadian Hinjew with a much better voice than Lester’s (what would the band be called? Valieff? Jeffali?). When Lester realizes that he’s been replaced, he finally repents and apologizes to Jeff, who agrees to drop the charges (what about Big Mike? He was the one hurt in Lester’s little scheme!)

Back to Casey – luckily for him, he’s not the only one who is miserable. Verbanski can’t stop thinking about him and even poses as a prison guard to meet him for a “conjugal visit” in a storage room. Her obsession with him allows him to get her to agree to join forces with Carmichael Industries, basically taking Casey’s place the team, sarcasm and grunting included. Her teaming up with Sarah lead to some very entertaining scenes, with Sarah acting as her de facto therapist. Gertrude tries to convince Sarah that they are not made to settle down, which brings up some of the doubts that Sarah has had all along but had managed to squelch as her relationship with Chuck advanced.

As it turns out, Sarah’s lingering doubts are minor in comparison to the identity crisis Chuck is going through. Delving back into his hacker days (while drinking Chardonnay straight from the bottle) make him wonder whether they have chosen the right path and if they should ditch the spy life and remake Carmichael Industries into a tech company instead. Of course Chuck isn’t allowed to entertain these thoughts for more than a few hours before it becomes clear that they are not going to be able to leave the spy game anytime soon.

Decker blackmails Chuck and Sarah into obtaining a dangerous computer virus in return for Casey being released from prison unharmed. The virus is in the possession of a hacker who, realizing how dangerous it was, quit his life to join a [nudist] cult (blurry bits!). Chuck and Sarah infiltrate the cult with hilarious results and manage to obtain the chip with the virus. They later recover the drive that goes with it from a technological terrorist group, The Collective, with help from Chuck’s expect hacking skills. Unfortunately, when they meet Decker to turn over the chip and drive, it turns out that it was all a set-up – he now has proof that they are in possession of a very dangerous computer virus and when he releases it, they will be wanted terrorists. Meanwhile, Casey will die in prison.

This thought is more than Verbanski can bear, though, so under the auspice of confronting Decker, she plants a bomb on him and detonates it, apparently killing him. She and Morgan then spring Casey from prison to help his team. Verbanski tells Casey that she has to go into hiding and that she wishes things could be different.

The episode ends with Sarah and Chuck realizing that now is not the time to consider leaving the spy game and that it is going to take the best spying they can accomplish to get them out of this situation.

Other thoughts and memorable quotes:
“We used to call this routine, “The Routine” – Morgan
“Creative!” – Sarah

“I’m going to look like a Hinjew Michelangelo by the time I get out of here” – Lester, on prison life

“I can’t even picture what Lester looks like anymore” – Jeff
“…imagine David Beckham – Lester is a shorter, feminine version of his wife” – Morgan

“Right, like I’m going to take orders from Ward and June Cleaver?” – Verbanski isn’t thrilled about working with Chuck and Sarah

“We’re joining a cult. Strip. C’mon!” – Sarah, already taking off her shirt
“Now keep a close eye, I really have no place to hide a gun” – Sarah to Verbanski

“The church [of the Eternal Wind] believes that the spirit enters from underneath” – cult leader
“Well, that’s a totally natural entry point…” Chuck, tugging at his way too short tunic

The movie Swordfish was based on Chuck’s hacking exploits as “The Piranha” (and Sarah’s actually seen the movie!)

I loved this episode! What did you guys think?

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26 comments

  1. BEST EPISODE EVER!!! And Yvonne, all I can say is ME GUSTA (rrrrrowww) Can’t wait for the next episode! I’m so excited!

  2. Thanks for the great re-cap. I suspended my disbelief that Casey should be in Federal prison, not county too, for the same reasons you did…and it worked! That aside, I loved everything about this episode top to bottom (even the parts sans tops and bottoms). So glad that Gertrude killed that scum Decker. I knew Shaw would return at some point…looking forward to his demise (again) as well. Very excited for the rest of the season, looks like lots of great suprises in store…hopefully my prediction/wish from way back in S3 will come true and Orion will return for the finale. Keeping my fingers crossed. 🙂

    • I don’t think you have to suspend disbelief that Casey was in county jail instead of a federal prison. When Decker accused Casey the officers behind him were local police. They would have had jurisdiction first, so why draw attention to CIA secrets by charging him federally? Besides, he hadn’t been convicted yet, so jail makes more sense than prison.

  3. Im confused by this recap. Why didnt you mention the return or so to speak of Shaw?

    • Sorry, my bad. Had a minor brain fart and forgot it was a preview for Shaw’s return. He makes a good villan so Im ok with him coming back.

  4. I can’t believe Decker’s dead. He was turning out to be one of my favorite villains.

  5. Hey guys,
    This was an awesome episode but ever since I read the summary, I can’t wait for Chuck v. The Baby! It sounds amazing especially since it’s a Sarah-centric episode.
    I’m really sad that chuck is ending, it was a great show! I made a video, I hope you guys check it out. It’s a monatge of all my favorite moments from Season 1 and 2 (the best in my opinion!) . Hope y’all like it! 😀

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkXYzFWAqMI

  6. Now on to Chuck vs. The Hack Off.

    I believe that there can’t be too many Casey quotes. . .so:

    If I break out of prison I’m a fugitive, I don’t run from the law. . .I am the law!

  7. There were two fight scenes in this that disappointed me because they looked faker than the fight scenes Shaw stages in the Other Guy. All other stuff in other episodes have been great but when you see someone get “kicked” no where near them, it really lets you down.

    As for Decker I wish he wasnt killed off so soon, he was a good villain and im kinda hoping Shaws in more than one episode.

  8. Hi All,

    I loved this episode – Finding out Chuck was a world class hacker is cool! Sarah smiling @ how Nerdy was & how attracted to Chuck she is was sweet! Verbanski finally atmitting that she loves Casey was funny! The funnest scene was the No 1 Collective Hacker realising who Chuck was & that he was in trouble lol. It was a great “CHUCK” episode!

  9. Awesome episode! The best of the season. Have Check Flash when he sees Shaw and let’s get rid of him once and for all.

    • Have Chuck Flash

      • That’s what I’ve been waiting for. With Chuck’s Intersect just suppressed and not removed, I’ve been waiting for the moment this season where he breaks through the suppression and it kicks in. You know it will happen at some dire moment when someone close to him (probably Sarah) is in extreme danger.

  10. I missed the stuff about Shaw. Where in this episode did they have or say anything about Shaw? Also, I’m wondering if we’ll ever get info about Sarah calling herself Sam, remember from season 3? I hope they resolve that little mystery.

    Otherwise, I loved this episode. Oh, how I hate to see this show end!!!

  11. Ok, I just went back and saw the promo for the Christmas episode and saw where they are bringing back Shaw. But I’m still wondering about Sarah calling herself Sam. Anybody out there have any info for me on that one?

    • I’m beginning to think the only way to get rid of Shaw is to have someone kill him who knows how to cheat death several times over. LOL

      BTW: [So glad Brandon Routh agreed to come back as Shaw. I love to hate Daniel Shaw and he does a great job of making you just hate him (good or bad). I feel Shaw got the closest to disposing of Team Chuck. So there is that sense of true mortal peril with his return. No true safety in the spy world for a second. Now who let him out? Who is pulling the strings? Does he have the Ring Intersect still? ]

  12. Did I pick up a reference to the Pink Panther movie “A Shot in the Dark” with Chuck and Sarah’s visit to the nudist colony/church?

  13. Solid episode, wont go into much detail, but I did want to point out something that I have not seen mentioned…When Colin Davis was talking to Chuck about the virus he created and said he was “out running something that should have never been created in the first place” and Chuck said he “completely understood,” that was an obvious (at least to me) parrellel to the intersect and Orion. I dunno if that will have some significance in future episodes, or if it was just a little nugget for us fans. Either way I thought it was very cool.

    As for the preview…I love to hate Shaw, he is a great villain. So as long as they keep him a creepy sleaze-ball (as Routh plays so very well), then I say bring it on, can only make for some good TV.

  14. Shaw is back! And I feel that he is back to help the team, otherwise he wouldn’t just show up at their doorstep. I mean, both Chuck and Shaw have been used by the CIA, so it makes sense they’ll join forces to take revenge. As for the mastermind behind all this… I suspect Sarah’s mum. Come on, the mother of a kick-ass CIA spy is just a “walking hug”? Plus, back in e04, the viper was ordered to kill anyone but Chuck and Sarah. I get why Chuck; but Sarah? It has to be personal!

  15. I missed this episode and have been all over the net and my cable provider trying to find it so I can watch it. NBC doesn’t even have it! Does anyone know where I can view it??

  16. I’m not a happy camper! I figured I could watch it on-line so I didn’t record it and I don’t know anyone who recorded it. If anyone has it on VHS let me know and I’ll pay for the postage and send it back to you. I know I’m backwards, I still have a VHS but I also have a DVD player so all is not lost 🙂

  17. CAY- could you please refresh my mind on what happened to the intersect? The last I remember I think it was taking a nap in Morgan’s head which seems weird since the intersect has been the main plot point since the first episode season 1. The most powerful instrument known to mankind cannot just vanish! Unless I fell asleep and missed something. Feedback if possible please.
    Paul

  18. Chuck and Sarah seem to be very distant.
    Where is the chemistry between Zachary and Yvonne ?
    Will the intercept return ?

  19. Great chemistry on previous episode so I am not saying it has dissappeard but this episode seems to have focus on Casey on that part.

  20. The moderator took the info down but I want to thank the person who told me to keep looking on-line. I did find the episode and watched it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!