Chuck Vs. The Sensei
Original air date December 1, 2008
Season 2 episode 9
Synopsis
Top secret location, 1994.
Flashback to Casey training with his Sensei, Ty Bennett. Bennett repeatedly defeats him, telling him he has no focus and needs a calm center.
Present day, Emmett pushes Casey to the edge with his lecture about better customer service. Morgan and Chuck discuss Jill and Chuck lets Morgan know that she is out of the picture. Morgan tells him to focus on his future with Sarah.
Sarah calls Chuck to Castle where they are discussing the GLA ( Global Launch Agency) and Beckman joins to give them a mission. The GLA does work for the CIA and there is concern that one of the secure facilities might be breached. The team is to go check it out and see if Chuck flashes.
Chuck is resistant as he was hoping for some time off after his ordeal with Jill, Sarah tells Beckman she will deal with it. She reminds Chuck that a new mission will take his mind off it.
Sitting in the van at the site, Chuck expresses dissatisfaction with the job and he is embarrassed to discover they could hear him on an open mic. He tells Sarah he is on it and has the surveillance covered. Casey is inside and is surprised by someone dressed all in white and hooded. The figure smashes and takes something from a cabinet after knocking Casey over. Casey chases him while yelling at Chuck to close all the doors to the facility. Chuck complains about Casey yelling at him long enough for the figure to escape and the doors close behind him.
Sarah sees the figure and shoots at him but misses. Giving chase, Sarah is surprised by the figure who is hiding above her. He knocks her down and runs out but is tackled by Casey outside. Casey rips the hood off to discover his former Sensei from the flashback. Bennett escapes in a speeding car and Chuck flashes on him when drives past.
Casey stabbed Bennett with a pen and when Bennett removes it in the car he sees Buy More on the barrel.
Ellie awakes Chuck in a panic. Awesome’s parents are visiting and Chuck meets them. Chuck and Sarah are joining in the wedding planning.
Beckman speaks to the team at Castle and tells them Bennett has gone rogue and is recruiting his former students for his work. They are now on the case to pursue Bennett and protect the technology he is trying to steal from the CIA. Casey tells Beckman the mission is too dangerous for Chuck and she agrees.
Emmett tells the Buy More staff about a competition to improve sales and customer service.
Sarah tells Chuck that Casey is acting badly because he feels betrayed by his Sensei. Morgan instructs the Buy More staff to sabotage the competition by underserving the customers for the lowest scores.
The meet location the team was given ends up being a decoy with a bomb that explodes as they flee. As they are decoyed, Bennett arrives at the Buy More and asks Chuck where Casey is. When Chuck convinces him that Casey isn’t there and Bennett leaves, Chuck tails him and calls Casey. He is caught almost immediately but Sarah and Casey arrive to rescue him, Bennett again escaping them. Casey has to be stopped by Sarah from crashing into Bennett with Chuck in the trunk.
Devon and Ellie are shopping with his parents at the Buy More. Ellie is trying to cope with their overbearing natures.
When it becomes clear to Beckman that Casey is not functioning normally, he is taken off the mission and confined to Castle. Chuck feels for Casey and tells Sarah he should be more understanding.
Emmett informs the Buy More team that the lowest scored employee will not be just the loser but will have to close up every night. That throws Morgan, Jeff and Lester into overdrive.
Casey lures Chuck into Castle from the Buy More and forces him to flash on Bennett’s lair and then handcuffs Chuck to the counter in the Orange Orange and makes him promise not to tell Sarah anything.
Sarah is with Ellie, Devon and his parents to plan the wedding. Ellie cracks during the meeting and tells Devon’s parents she is done. When Chuck figures out how to get to his phone he uses clues to help Sarah guess what is happening and the address where Casey is and then uses freon from the yogurt machine to escape.
Sarah and Chuck arrive at Bennett’s location to help Casey but they are all captured by Bennett’s men. Casey challenges Bennett to combat in their old style and they fight. It is quickly clear that Casey is losing so Chuck taunts Casey into anger and Casey then wins. Chuck quips to Sarah that Casey doesn’t have a calm center, he has an angry center. The FBI then storm the room; it seems Chuck called for help.
Emmett gives the winner of the competition a big screen tv.
Casey does show gratitude to Chuck as they walk back home. Chuck apologizes to Ellie for missing the dinner and Ellie tells Chuck the future in laws are gone and that she wants her Dad to walk her down the aisle. Chuck vows to find him.
Points of Interest
- Bruce Boxleitner, guest starring as Devon’s father, was the star of the film ‘Tron’ in 1982.
- The birthday card that Chuck has from his Dad has a Las Vegas area code.
- The original DVD for the episode misspelled Sensei as Sensai.
- Sarah’s disguise inside their stake out is the same as when she poses as Eva Anderson in Chuck vs the Ex.
- Skip speaks in this episode- he and other Buy More staff get lines in the finale.
- The Buy More tv’s have scenes from samurai films.
References
- Serenity (Firefly)– Damaging my calm is a line from Baldwin’s character in the film.
- Star Wars- “Use the Force”: Chuck trying to reach his phone.
- Rocky III- Casey faces Ty Bennett while Eye of the Tiger is used.
- MacGyver- “Those seven years of MacGyver finally paid off,” Chuck breaks the handcuffs.
Music
New Song- Datarock: Break in at the GLA
Don’t Worry- Love As Laughter: Ellie tells Chuck what she wants for her wedding
Shake Your Blood- Probot: Casey fights his Sensei.
