Original air date January 24, 2008 (part of a season ending double header)
Season 1 episode 12
Synopsis
Flashback: Grozny, Chechnya 2004. Casey is posing as an energy consultant and his girlfriend, Ilsa, is a photographer covering the civil war. She leaves for work while Casey stays behind in bed. When an explosion occurs outside the room, Casey rushes out to discover the street littered with debris and Ilsa’s camera in the street, destroyed.
Current day at the Buy More, Casey is holding a camera while remembering. Chuck intervenes when he sees an obnoxious customer pushing all Casey’s buttons.
Jeff hacks into a hotel computer searching for a celebrity name, and Chuck sees names on the screen he flashes on. Multiple bad guys and Casey’s former girlfriend, Ilsa,Trichina, are on the list. The information includes a letter she wrote using Casey’s pet name, Sugar Bear.
Chuck shares the information with Casey, including Ilsa’s information. Casey responds violently. Chuck tells Sarah about Ilsa and asks her to help him find out about her.
Ellie and Devon come to pick out their anniversary gift. Morgan helps them decide between a tv or a washer and dryer. Beckman assigns Team Bartowski to go undercover to the hotel and find out what is going on. After the briefing, Sarah tells Chuck that Ilsa is dead.
At the hotel there is a party with the Russians Chuck flashed on. One of the men mistakes Chuck for a distant relative and Chuck plays along. He spots Ilsa in the room and points her out to Sarah while they dance. Casey runs into Ilsa while helping Sarah and Chuck. She tells him she had amnesia and was blind and deaf. Chuck flashes on the man who introduces Ilsa as his fiancé. He is a Russian oligarch; Casey is stunned.
Sarah goes to the hotel undercover while Chuck talks to Casey about Ilsa, and Devon has the washer and dryer delivered. Ellie and Devon have a conflict over their anniversary gift.
Chuck convinces Casey to go to the hotel and they run into Sarah. During her stakeout, Chuck sends Casey to talk to Ilsa in the bar while he helps Sarah to set up a bug in Ilsa’s room. Casey and Ilsa enter the room while Chuck is checking out a briefcase he found, flashing on Ilsa as a spy. Chuck hides under the bed while Casey and Ilsa make out on the bed. Chuck’s phone goes off and he shares her secret with Casey. Then they both hide under the bed when Ilsa’s fiancé arrives. She sneaks them out when he falls asleep.
Devon discovers the horrors of hanging out with the Buy More gang during his disagreement with Ellie. Ilsa comes to the Buy More to talk to Casey and explains her situation and says goodbye. Casey drowns his sorrow in his apartment and Chuck checks on him. Chuck convinces him to go to the hotel when they discover Ilsa has been bugged. Meanwhile Sarah finds Ellie drowning her sorrows after her issues with Devon.
Chuck calls Sarah for help and Morgan arrives to stay with Ellie. Casey and Chuck are captured by Ilsa’s fiancé and must escape off the balcony and into the pool to save themselves and stop the wedding. With Sarah and Ilsa securing firearms during the confrontation, the team succeeds in capturing the Russians.
The next morning, Devon comes home to find Ellie recovering from her hangover and Morgan stayed the night to keep her company. They now have a TV instead of a washer and dryer. Ilsa leaves Casey’s apartment with Chuck spying on them. They say goodbye and Chuck joins Casey to commiserate, Casey rejects Chuck.
Points of Interest
- Multiple Casablanca references throughout the episode. The ending is a comic take on the final scene of the film.
- There were limited rewrite or writing edits available to the last two episodes as they were in pre production during the writer’s strike.
- Merritt Yohnka, the stunt coordinator for Chuck, won the 2008 Emmy for his work in this episode.
- The translation for the line Sarah says to the handsy Russian- “Touch me again and I’ll break off not only your finger.”
- The first time the writer’s use Sarah as the ‘straight man’ for Chuck or Casey.
- Season 1 got a full 22 episode pick up from NBC but were unable to complete the season due to the strike.
References
- Young Frankenstein- It’s Alive!. Chuck finally gets Casey to tell him about Ilsa.
- Lone Ranger- Kemo Sabe used by Chuck.
- Lethal Weapon 2- The fall from the balcony into the pool.
- White Nights- Chuck refers to the film while dancing with the Russians.
- Rocky and Bullwinkle- Casey tells the Russians they must have learned to tie people up watching the cartoon.
- Sixteen Candles- Morgan yells out “Damn, Mom, I got my headgear on” when he wakes up next to her.
Music
Love On The Rocks: Neil Diamond- Casey gets drunk; Casey rises up out of the pool.
Ultimate: Gogol Bordello– Chuck and Casey escape.
