Chuck vs the Tooth

Original air date:  May 10, 2010

Season 3 episode 16

Synopsis

Chuck and Sarah are on the couch in their apartment with Chuck’s head in Sarah’s lap. They are watching Spies Like Us, one of Chuck’s favorite films. Chuck falls asleep and dreams the Zamibia president is about to be assassinated at a concert. When he wakes up he gets Casey and General Beckman out of bed to tell them what he dreamed. Beckman doesn’t believe him and sends him to a CIA psychiatrist – Dr Leo Dreyfus tells Chuck that he thinks the Intersect is causing damage to Chuck’s brain and that is what is happening to him. He won’t allow him to continue to be on duty and tells him he needs to talk to his partner about this.

Chuck believes his dream and talks Morgan into helping him. They go to the opera because that is where the Zamibia president is appearing and Chuck falls asleep again. He dreams that the President’s physician is trying to kill him. When he wakes up he leaves Morgan with a tranq gun and goes to stop the physician from killing the Zamibian president.

Casey and Sarah realize where Chuck and Morgan went and follow. Casey uses the tranq gun and puts Morgan under while Sarah finds Chuck. 

 He convinces her to help him and flashes on one of the Dr’s teeth. Believing it is a fake, he knocks out the doctor’s tooth and this gets him sent to a CIA psychiatric facility that is filled with former agents who have cracked on the job.

Beckman is annoyed at Chuck and insists he must stay in the psychiatric facility. Chuck gets a visit from Sarah and Casey and gives them the tooth he got from the Dr. He insists it is a fake and wants it analyzed. The analysis shows it is a normal tooth. The Dr tracks Chuck down in the facility, trying to find out how he knew there was a plot. 

 Chuck was right but he knocked out the wrong tooth. The physician and his goons get to Chuck, inject him with a serum to make him talk. Chuck tries to fight but is too drugged up even when he flashes.

Sarah and Casey have interceded with the psychiatrist on Chuck’s behalf and show up in time to save him, proving that he was right. The physician was involved with organ harvesting and was selling his information to the Ring.

 When Chuck goes back to Dr Dreyfus he is told that the Intersect is causing damage to his brain and he must tell Sarah what is happening. He is cleared to work but when he goes home to tell Sarah the truth she tells him she loves him and apologizes for not being able to say it before. He doesn’t want to ruin the moment so he doesn’t tell her.

Chuck now has recurring dreams and images of Shaw still being alive after being shot and he is trying to kill Chuck.

Anna Wu has returned to town from Hawaii and wants Morgan back but he has evolved since they were together and the spy world is his priority now. When he finally talks to her she tries to give him the possessions he had in Hawaii when he left. He refuses them and refuses her.

Ellie is helping Devon recover from his illness and runs into Justin, the man in Africa that helped them. He tells her a rogue CIA agent is looking for her father and convinces her Casey is that agent and wants to hurt Stephen Bartowski. When she goes to talk to Casey she sees guns in his apartment and believes the lie. When she tells Devon, he tries to cover for Chuck’s secret and dismisses it. She is determined to help Justin find her Dad so she can protect him.

Points of Interest

• Rohrschach images are on the tv in the Buy More as Casey talks to Morgan about Chuck being put in a facility.
• Guest star Christopher Lloyd played Doc Brown in the Back to the Future film franchise.
• This episode marks the final appearance of Julia Ling as Anna Wu. Budgetary constraints forced the show to eliminate multiple characters throughout the show.
• When Chuck and Sarah are watching tv, Chuck says there is nothing good on tv on Monday nights. The show aired on Mondays. “Monday nights are a wasteland.”
  
  

Sarah’s true commitment shows- “I’ll always come back for you” but Chuck’s ability to lie continues.

Sarah tells Chuck_”I’ve never felt this way” and we now know that she has not ever been in love before.

References

Spies Like Us- Chuck and Sarah are watching the film at the beginning of the episode. Chevy Chase, the star of the film, plays Ted Roark on Chuck.

Dr Leo Dreyfus is drawn from the film “What About Bob’ where Richard Dreyfus plays a psychiatrist named Dr Leo Marvin.

“Fear is the mind killer” is a quote from the sci fi novel, Dune.

The psychiatric ward shown in the episode is a reference to the 1975 film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Christopher Lloyd played a patient in the film.

Music

Right Round- Fio Rida featuring Kesha: Anna Wu returns to the Buy More; Morgan enters the Buy More wearing a tux.

Ode to Joy- Beethoven: Chuck’s dream montage; Chuck falls asleep at the concert.

Here’s Looking at You Kid- The Gaslight Anthem: Chuck finds out the Intersect is dangerous; Morgan talks to Anna; Chuck lies to Sarah.

Jackie Wants a Black Eye- Dr Dog: Morgan and Casey discuss Chuck’s mental problem; Morgan dismisses Anna.