Chuck Versus the Baby

Chuck Versus the Baby
Season 05, Episode 08

Air Date	December 30, 2011
Writer	Rafe Judkins, Lauren LeFranc
Director	Matt Barber
Previous	Chuck Versus the Santa Suit
Next	Chuck Versus the Kept Man

"Chuck's taught me that every now and then it's okay to be surprised."

―Sarah

Chuck Versus the Baby is the eighth episode in the final season of Chuck, which aired on December 30, 2011.

Synopsis[]

Chuck offers to lend a hand when Sarah is forced to confront a secret from her past and feels she must do so alone.

When Sarah encounters her old handler, Kieran Ryker (Tim DeKay), she fears that it may harm those closest to her, including her mother, Emma (Cheryl Ladd).

Full Story[]

Beginning with a mission in Budapest five years past, Sarah listens to a voice mail from her mother before she is given a job by her CIA handler, Kieran Ryker, to storm a building and retrieve a package. But she soon discovers that the "package" is, in fact, a baby girl, whose parents had been murdered by the men she had just eliminated. Ryker tells her that she did a good thing rescuing the baby, the heir to an enormous fortune, and eliminating the gangsters who killed her parents for it. Sarah guesses that Ryker is after the fortune too. He is dissatisfied with his work, and he wants a payoff. She reveals that she didn't bring the baby to him, and escapes.

Returning to her hotel room, Sarah is at a loss as to how to care for the baby, so she calls her mother, Emma, for advice. Once the baby is asleep, Sarah calls CIA director, Langston Graham, who states that the baby must be put into protective custody. Realizing that this would ruin the baby's chance of a normal life, Sarah lies to Graham, claiming she doesn't have the baby. She then gives the child to her mother, knowing that the CIA doesn't know her identity, since Sarah and her father have gone through many aliases.

Back in the present, Chuck has a surprise ready for Sarah. Despite the fact that she tries to get out of it due having heard from Shaw that Ryker knows about the baby, Chuck refuses to let her ruin the surprise. He takes her to their dream house and has candles and a romantic setting in front of the fireplace. He got the realtor to give them the keys so they could try it out for the weekend. Sarah states that they still can't afford it. However, Chuck explains that Beckman told him that when they sign back up for the CIA, it comes with a large enough bonus that they could put a down payment on the house.

Sarah tells him something has come up though and she needs to handle it immediately. Back at Castle, Sarah is determined to save the child from Ryker. Chuck can tell something is wrong, but Sarah won't tell him what. She retreats to what the old Sarah would do - go it alone. Chuck, however, offers to act as if she is a Carmichael Industries client, and the team will work for her, no questions asked. As long as she promises not to go it alone. Sarah agrees to the proposal and gives her team only what she deems need-to-know information.

Sarah arrives at the rendezvous Ryker previously used. A man dressed as a waiter stops and gives Sarah a cup of coffee, then continues walking down the street. Under the coffee cup is a message to take the next bus. She tells Chuck and Casey, who are watching from a sniper perch, to pursue the waiter. Despite the fact that Chuck told Sarah to stay there, she hops on the bus and tells Chuck sorry through the window. Chuck and Casey chase down the waiter and Chuck tackles him. When they try to question him. he speaks only Hungarian. Without an Intersect and with Chuck's phrase book not cutting it, Chuck recruits a woman from a nearby deli to translate. The waiter claims ignorance, but Casey suspects that he is lying and can understand English. He walks up to their captive, telling him that he better tell them where Ryker s, or he'll lose a lung.

Sarah finds and infiltrates Ryker's safe house but is captured. Ryker then interrogates her as to the baby's - now a young girl - location, revealing that Shaw set her up, Ryker tells her that the reason he originally requested to be her handler in Budapest was because she's a loner. She has no family and doesn't trust anyone, so he knew she could keep a secret. Ryker assumes she is still the same, but is called away, as his lackey, the waiter, turns up, tied and gagged. The lackey admits that he cracked, just as Chuck and Casey arrive to rescue Sarah.

Meanwhile, the Woodcomb's, Morgan, and Alex decide to spend their free time playing board games ('The Game of Life') in Castle as they await word from the team. The Woodcomb's decide to excuse themselves to do some role-play in the interrogation rooms, where they overhear Morgan's unsubtle attempts to get back with Alex. She tells him that there is no quick fix for them, that they just have to take some time. The Woodcomb's decide to intervene, separately telling the other couple about them taking a break before getting back together. Ellie tells Morgan Alex is in pain, and Devon tells Alex that Morgan loves her. When all is said and done, Alex takes Morgan back.

Returning to Burbank, Chuck approaches Sarah about the op, and tells her that whatever it is that she needed to hide, not telling him about it was a mistake. Sarah agrees and apologizes to Chuck for not telling him about Budapest and the girl, because she trusts him completely. Then she tells Chuck everything, including the location of the girl. They hug, and Chuck hears feedback. He finds a listening device tangled in Sarah's hair. Sarah realizes Ryker must have put it there to learn the girl's location and crushes the device between her fingers.

In a race against time, Sarah activates the alert beacon at her mother's house and tries to phone, though the call does not go through. Her adoptive sister, Molly, hears an electronic chirp, and the old silver rattle on her dresser opens to reveal the message "receiving coordinates" displayed. Molly calls for Emma.

Ryker and his squad arrive at Emma's house. Ryker walks inside, expecting a simple smash and grab, only to find that Sarah has beaten him there. Ryker and Sarah fight, one of the most vicious fights Sarah has embattled to date, he nearly strangles her, but stops to gloat about how he will kill her, her mother and the little girl as soon as he has the money.

He tells Sarah she is a fool for always going it alone and forces her to her feet. He is surprised by the sound of gunfire outside, and turns, shocked that he was wrong about Sarah. She takes the opening and fatally stabs him, telling him she's not alone anymore.

Molly and her mother are safe in Echo Park, where Morgan plays video games with the child, and she is surrounded by her new family. Returning to Echo Park, Sarah is introduced to her adoptive sister by Emma. Chuck tells Emma how excited he is that he finally gets to meet her, and she thanks him for giving Sarah back to her. The implication is that this connection will continue.

Chuck and Sarah are in the house again and she tells him she doesn't want to rejoin the CIA. If they do, then the life he described to her previously in the house, won't be what they'll get. Instead, it'll just be more missions and unknowns. Chuck agrees. However, sarah carves her name in the doorframe, telling Chuck that it's a symbol of them owning the house someday. It doesn't matter if it's that day or years from then, they will get that house. Chuck carves his name in the frame as well.

Guest stars[]

Trivia[]

The Wilhelm Scream can be heard as Ryker pushes the waiter backwards down the stairs.
In the flashback scene with Sarah and Ryker in Budapest, a bus passes with the number 2525. It is a reference to the movie Speed.
Sarah claims the CIA had no knowledge of her mother because of her numerous aliases growing up. This indicates that the birth certificate Director Graham mentions in a flashback in Chuck Versus the Cougars was a fake, since it would contain Emma's name if it were real.
The final flashback in this episode contradicts what was previously stated in Chuck Versus the Intersect and Chuck Versus the Nacho Sampler. Graham is shown assigning Sarah to be Chuck's handler while still in Langley. While in his office, Graham shows Sarah a file on Chuck. During a flashback in season 3 Sarah is shown receiving Chuck's info through her phone while already inside the Buy More. In the pilot, her original orders were to ascertain the location of the Intersect files. She didn't become Chuck's handler until after they found out he had downloaded the Intersect.
The continuity issues argue that the baby should be at least two years older than she is, preferably from a mission at least seven years ago when Sarah might actually have still had a handler, in the series she has been shown several times working independently and with a partner, not a handler, as long as five years ago.
After all of the conspiracy tactics were over, their accounts should have been unfrozen by then. The idea that they still don't have money for the house, is unexplainable.

Quotes[]

Chuck: Yes, I love you, so of course I'm going to wanna know what's going on why this mission needs to be so secretive, why you need so many guns - but I'm willing to put that aside.

Sarah: Really?

Morgan: Really?

Casey: Really?

Chuck: You're not helping.

~

Chuck: I thought we decided no more secrets, no more doing things on our own - your words, not mine.

Music[]

The Black Block - Modeselektor
Clownin Around - Deer Tick
Life, Oh Life - Dads
We Are Young - Fun feat. Janelle Monae