Recap: Chuck vs the Curse (5.06)

Dog house – noun, 1.  a small shelter for a dog 2. where you are sleeping tonight when your wife is so mad that she leaves you tied up to a beam in a factory after rescuing you from a torture-loving psychopath

Tonight’s stellar episode of Chuck was certainly not short on emotion! All of the non-Buy More characters had important roles to play in a very well-integrated storyline. We got great scenes with Alex and Morgan, Ellie and Devon and some really emotional scenes between Chuck and Sarah that showed that even though their relationship has come a long way, there are still some trust and communication issues to work out, not to mention that Chuck is still handling some serious family baggage.

The episode began with the team reassembling in Castle, still trying to come to grips with Decker’s plan and his death. They decide to find Beckman and, speak of the devil, she pops up on a computer screen to tell them that they are all under arrest for the murder of Decker as well as treason. How could she do this to them? But wait, Casey notices that she’s trying to give them a message by tapping her finger on the desk in morse code. Casey heads to rendezvous with Beckman while Chuck and Sarah head to Orion’s cabin. Morgan gets tasked with wiping Casey’s computer clean.

Morgan breaks into their apartment and is greeted by Alex and a large gun (the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!). They don’t have much time to reconnect before the CIA shows up with one special agent Robin Cunnings making a very leggy entrance. Alex quickly concocts a story (they are dating!) and after searching the apartment, Robin leaves. Chuck calls and tells Morgan that he and Sarah are on the run and asks him to retrieve his PANTS (Private Artifacts Never to Share) from his apartment.

Alex helps Morgan get into Chuck’s apartment by creating a diversion, once again proving that she’s got a lot more skills than her history as a grad student and waitress would suggest. Alex is not ready to take Morgan back yet, but it sure seems like he made some inroads with her in this episode. She won’t agree that their time together was a date, but she does agree to keep his PANTS. After he leaves, she opens the box and the first thing she sees is a picture of the two of them.

Chuck and Sarah head for the cabin. Chuck is wracked with guilt worrying about Ellie and Awesome. He tells Sarah that he thinks that there is a Bartowski curse and that every member of his family ends up having to leave their family to protect them. Sarah assures him that there is no curse and Chuck is different because he has her and they are together. Chuck hacks into the CIA mainframe and is unable to find out who Decker’s boss was. They do find out that they’ve been discovered, however, and that Robin’s team is on their way. They quickly realize that Robin’s team is actually after Ellie and Awesome in a case of mistaken identity.

Meanwhile, Ellie and Devon finally get a night out on the town sans Clara and they are out to make the most of it. Ellie borrows a dress from Sarah (complete with the classic Sarah-getting-dressed montage) and they both plan special surprises for each other. At the restaurant, they talk about how exciting Chuck and Sarah’s lives are and decide to pretend that they are spies and develop a set of gestures to communicate about their “mission”. Little do they know that they are soon to be involved in a mission indeed, a la [easyazon-link asin=”B002ZG97B0″]Date Night[/easyazon-link]. Ellie uses Chuck’s dining club account (he loves the points!) to book the restaurant and thus Robin’s team mistakes them for Chuck and Sarah.

Ellie and Awesome end up getting into a limo, both thinking that it was the surprise that the other had planned. They soon realize that they are being abducted. They jump out of the moving limo (“tuck and roll”). Turns out that Beckman sent the limo to get them to safety and they are soon picked up by Robin’s team who pretend to be working with Chuck to protect them. Robin keeps up the act, holding them in a room with massage chairs and wine. Ellie isn’t buying it, though and realizes that Robin is going to ransom them for the Omen computer virus.

Beckman wants to give her a fake virus and Casey agrees. Chuck thinks that they need to turn over the real virus to keep Ellie and Devon safe. Sarah agrees with him and tells him that she will convince GB and Casey. So Chuck being Chuck,  he of course runs off with the virus and goes to Robin before Sarah can talk to GB and Casey. Meanwhile, Ellie and Devon have escaped from their holding room and are working on a plan. Robin ties Chuck to a beam and is going to torture the location of the virus out of him using her electric “toy”.

Ellie and Awesome manage to take out the electricity (which thankfully and gratuitously involved Devon taking off his shirt!) but both are soon captured. Robin threatens to hurt Devon and Chuck tells her where he hid the virus. Sarah and Casey get there just in time to save everyone, but not before Robin uploads the virus. Sarah is so mad at Chuck that she leaves him tied to the beam.

Back in Castle, Beckman informs them that all charges against them all have been dropped. Chuck and Sarah talk about the Bartowski curse and Chuck agrees that he will never leave her out of his plans again (when have we heard this before?). Everything seemed to be wrapped up nice and neatly. Too neatly. Forgive me, but my first thought when everything seemed so hunky dory was “this is a bad OMEN”! Sure enough, seconds later the Omen virus rears its ugly head and launches itself in every computer in the world, then powers down…waiting…. Computer screens all over the world are scrambled and at a certain maximum security prison, the electronic door locks are on the fritz. DUN DUN DUN….<cue blackscreen>.

My goodness! Even after a second viewing I’m at a loss to add much commentary to this recap other than repeatedly saying “WOW!”, but I’ll spare you that. We got a brief peek of what’s to come after last week’s ep, but the longer Chuck vs the Santa Suit preview really upped the intensity. It’s looking like a dark Christmas indeed for our favorite spies!

Memorable quotes and other thoughts:

Good job of breaking me out, moron, I was actually a little proud of you – Casey
Did you just compliment me AND insult me? – Morgan

You live with your girlfriend’s father? – Robin

Martini = Pineapple

This is where we come in our darkest hours – Iran Contra, Nicaragua, the Clinton years… – Casey to Beckman at a deserted honky tonk bar

The panties were optional, and I didn’t opt to wear them – Ellie (so not ideal when you are wrapped up in a spy mission!)

…some people call it torture, I like to think of it as more of an art form. – Robin

Do you ever cry, Chuck? – Robin
Sometimes, particularly during sports movies. [easyazon-link asin=”078322611X”]Field of Dreams [/easyazon-link] – it’s just gut-wrenching but also uplifting” – Chuck

There’s usually a back-up generator, FYI – Chuck to Devon after the lights come back on and he is caught

If you ever go out alone again, just remember, I’m a trained assassin – Sarah to Chuck
You wouldn’t shoot me, would you? – Chuck

I just gotta ask – what’s in Chuck’s PANTS? – Alex