Original air date January 10, 2010 (First of a two part premiere on Sunday night with another episode following on January 11).

Season 3 episode 1

Synopsis

Six months after the events of Chuck vs. the Ring, Prague.

Chuck is held in a room with Russian gang members. He is being interrogated as Agent Carmichael. Chuck is unarmed and being coached through an earpiece by General Beckman. The briefcase he is seeking is in the room. When Chuck demands the case, a member of the Russian gang (Yuri) draws a gun and Chuck flashes, calling up his martial arts skills. He is able to get a gun and threatens his captors. When they still refuse to hand over the case, Beckman instructs Chuck to shoot. He does not shoot and uses his martial arts to defeat the mob and grab the case.

Beckman orders Chuck to zip line to escape, using the Intersect. He is unable to flash when he freaks out. Yuri shouts that Chuck is dead from below, as he has a drawn pistol. Beckman ends the simulation, confronts Chuck for not shooting when ordered, and then informs him he has failed his training. He argues, telling her he gave up a lot for this, but she has him tranquilized and removed.

Flashback to six months earlier with a montage of the end of season two. Casey also informs Chuck that he is going to a training facility, and Chuck tells Sarah the news. She is upset and tells him it will change him, and they should run away together. She wants to be a real person.  She needs time to set up their escape, so he should go to train and then meet her in three weeks. The flashback ends as Chuck accepts her plan.

Chuck is now in Ellie and Devon’s apartment, and they ask where Sarah is. He tells them he lost her, and Ellie instructs him to call her. Sarah appears to be on a mission, emerging from a swimming pool and picking up her phone when it rings. Chuck’s face is on the screen, and she throws the phone in the pool.

Chuck is a wreck. He is living on cheese balls, watching TV, and lying on Ellie and Devon’s sofa. Time passes as Chuck continues repeating this pattern as his beard grows and his bathrobe is ratty. Ellie wakes him from sleep and tells him Morgan has arrived to see him. Chuck doesn’t respond any better to Morgan, but Ellie forces him to do something, so he goes to the Buy More to get more cheese balls.

Chuck tries to sneak into the store, but his beard, robe, and glasses make a bad impression, and he is spotted by Emmett. He thinks he is a shoplifter and calls security, who reveal his identity. Emmett taunts Chuck, which causes Chuck to flash on Kung Fu, but he controls himself. Lester and Jeff refer to Sarah, which makes Chuck realize she must still be around. Apparently, she is still working at Orange Orange. Chuck goes there but runs into Casey, who knocks him down and demands to know what he thinks he’s doing there. Chuck tries to question Casey about Sarah and he tries to deny seeing her, but his phone rings, and her name is on the screen. Sarah won’t speak to Chuck. While trying to convince Casey he can help with their mission, he sees where they will be going. He starts to leave, and Casey asks him what happened with Sarah. Chuck tells him it’s something he needs to fix.

Chuck cleans up, dresses in his Buy More uniform, and goes to El Bucho, the restaurant where the mission is taking place. He gets in using his computer emergency excuse and is spotted by Casey, who tells Sarah. She confronts him, asking him what he is doing there and then tells him to kiss her when she sees their mark approaching. When he obeys, she slaps him and knocks him down. Sarah tells the mark that Chuck is an ex who can’t let go.

Chuck ends up in a back room, holding an ice pack to his face. Casey mocks him for being knocked out by a slap. Chuck tries to apologize for compromising the mission; he just wants to prove he can be a spy. Sarah tells Casey to throw Chuck out, and Casey explains they are on a mission to locate Ring operatives using the courier, Javier.  He tells Chuck he needs to leave. Chuck flashes on Javier and realizes he is an assassin.

Chuck tries to get back in but fails, dropping his Buy More identification. He calms himself and flashes but accidentally knocks out a man that walks up to him and then realizes he was a musician who was to play at the restaurant. He uses the man’s guitar and jacket to get back into the building. The staff rushes him to the stage, and he makes the excuse the missing musician has a spastic colon. Chuck then realizes he has to play the guitar and flashes at that moment. He tries to warn Casey that there is an assassin but can’t spot him. 

The man he knocked out wakes up and removes his disguise; he is the assassin. Sarah’s mark tries to offer help to get rid of Chuck, but she refuses. They dance, and Casey orders them to tranquilize Chuck, but he ducks, and the keyboard player is hit. Then the assassin appears, Chuck spots the laser sight on the mark, and flings himself at them. The assassin flees, and several agents draw their guns. Sarah doesn’t believe Chuck when he explains. She tells him they were protected, and both she and Casey tell him he spoiled the mission. Sarah tells him he isn’t CIA anymore, and it’s over. The assassin (Javier) picks up Chuck’s badge as he escapes.

Chuck goes back to the sofa and the cheese balls. Ellie and Devon both talk to him, Devon asking if he is on a mission. He tells Devon he was fired from the CIA, and Devon wants to know if the CIA will kill him because he is no longer a spy. Chuck freaks out; he tells Morgan he is a loser, and Morgan tells Chuck that he lost Anna and he flunked out of chef school. He is living in the Home Theater Room at the Buy More.

In Castle, Casey and Sarah are packing up. Sarah is watching Chuck on the surveillance screen, and Casey sees her. He tells Sarah that Chuck still loves her. 

“I promise you, Casey, he is NOT in love with me.”  Casey tells her she has been inhumane to Chuck. She uses the job as an excuse, and he tells her she needs to put him out of his misery.

Javier comes to the Buy More and is confronted by Emmett, who threatens him with mace and insults him. Javier shoots Emmett in the head and leaves him in a pile of boxes at the loading dock. 

In the store, Chuck and Morgan are leaving when Sarah walks up. She says she wants to say a proper goodbye and shakes hands with Chuck. 

“It’s been a pleasure working with you, Agent Walker. 

You too, Agent Bartowski.”

Chuck thanks her but says he knows the agent thing didn’t work out. He tries to explain, but Javier approaches with his men. They knock Chuck out and capture Sarah. 

Chuck wakes up in a cell and is questioned by Javier. He sees Javier has a Ring Communicator. Chuck tries to flash but fails and is beaten up by Javier. Semi-conscious, Chuck flashes back to his meeting with Sarah in Prague. He walks up to her and tells her he can’t run away with her. He has to stay and train to be a spy. He wakes up in his cell.

Casey searches for Sarah and looks at some surveillance. He sees Emmett’s body at the loading dock and requests satellite information for all vehicles coming and going for the last six hours. He takes the mini-gun case and leaves.

Chuck is trying to flash so he can escape but is too emotional and is unable to. Sarah calls to him from the next call and tells him to break out and get them out of there. When he tells her he hasn’t been able to, she reassures him and he then flashes when Javier comes into the cell again and threatens to hurt Sarah. He takes the keys and the Ring Communicator, unlocks Sarah’s cell, and then they have to zip line to get to the ground. He flashes successfully, but they find Javier where they land. They are held at gunpoint, but Casey flies in by helicopter, shooting all the bad guys before landing and rescuing them.

At Castle, Beckman tells them that Team Bartowski is back in business so that they can hunt down the Ring. Chuck gets his job back at the Buy More with Casey’s help. He also got Morgan’s job back as well.

Beckman speaks with Sarah and says her job is to keep Chuck’s emotions under control so that he can function. 

At home, Ellie and Devon are moving to their own apartment, and Morgan claims dibs on their room so he can live with Chuck. 

Sarah comes and asks to talk. He tells her he didn’t go with her in Prague because he felt that he could do something real with his life as a spy, help people, and change the world. She tells him she shouldn’t have asked him to run with her; she was impulsive, and it wouldn’t happen again. Sarah tells Chuck that he has to keep his feelings to himself. Casey approaches and tells Chuck it is time for training. In Castle, they prepare to box, and Chuck flashes as they begin to spar.  

Points of Interest

• Chuck is referred to as Agent Bartowski for the first time.
• These episodes aired directly after Olympics coverage on NBC.
• There was a 9 month break between the end of season 2 and the first episodes of season 3. This is the same as the 9 month break that occurred between the end of season 1 and the beginning of season 2.
• When Sarah sees Chuck for the first time after Prague she orders him to kiss her and appears to let it go on a little long but then pulls away and slaps him. Despite her hurt and anger, seeing Chuck initially still has an effect on her.
• When Chuck ended on April 27, 2009 it had not been renewed for a third season. The renewal was announced on May 17, 2009. The renewal was for 13 episodes only with an option for 9 more episodes at the discretion of the network.
• Intersect 2.0 can’t be used effectively if Chuck is unable to control his emotions; is freaking out or is overly stressed. Sarah’s calming influence allows him to function as a spy. Beckman orders Sarah to be his calming agent so that he can be trained as the ultimate lethal weapon.
• The photo of Chuck with Sarah in the backyard of the house used for Chuck vs the Seduction is seen as their couple photo in this episode.
• The flashback scene at the train station in Prague is immediately recognizable for showing a different Chuck, even before he says anything. He is not dressed in his normal, casual fashion. A long trench coat, dress slacks and black dress shoes indicate he has adopted the spy style. When Sarah kisses him he doesn’t respond. As he begins to try to explain, the lyric of the song playing, My Backward Walk by Frightened Rabbit, is prominently heard. “Working on erasing you….” Incredibly effective editing.
• At the end of Chuck vs the Colonel, Sarah tells Chuck ‘it’s real’ when they leave for the rehearsal dinner. As opposed to here where Sarah tells Chuck that in the spy world- “It’s complicated, nothing is real. This is simple, this is a real life.” Sarah does not believe Chuck can be a real spy and still be the man she knows. He seems to support that by reversing his commitment to running with her and staying in Prague for spy training.
• Tony Hale’s last episode as Emmett Milbarge was the result of budget cuts from season 2 to season 3. Julia Ling’s last episode as Julia Ling was the last episode of season 2 (until she gets to reprise later in the season). Also the result of budget cuts.

References

• Big Lebowski- Chuck’s beard, bathrobe and behavior at the Buy More (montage to Just Dropped In).
• Rocky III- the sparring match between Chuck and Casey and final freeze frame.
• Kung Fu- Casey tells Chuck “you have much to learn, grasshopper.”
• Serpico- Emmett call Chuck a vagrant Serpico.
• Dead Poets Society- Oh, Captain, my Captain.
• Brokeback Mountain- Emmett says Javier is wearing ‘Brokeback boots’.

Music

Black and Gold- Sam Sparro: Training scene in Prague.

Wait It Out- Imogen Heap: Sarah asks Chuck to run away with her; Chuck tells Ellie and Devon he lost Sarah; Sarah throws her phone in the pool; Chuck and Sarah talk in El Bucho.

Just Dropped In- Kenny Rogers: Chuck mopes in his bathrobe and beard.

Hold On- Wilson Phillips: Emmett’s death.

Young Adult Fiction- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: Chuck and Morgan get their jobs back a Buy More.

Eye of the Tiger- Survivor: Casey trains Chuck.

My Backwards Walk- Frightened Rabbit: Chuck rejects Sarah in Prague.