Chuck Versus the Sensei

Chuck Versus the Sensei
Season 02, Episode 09

Air Date	December 1, 2008
Writer	Anne Cofell
Director	Jonas Pate
Previous	Chuck Versus the Gravitron
Next	Chuck Versus the DeLorean

"Use the Force! Use the Force, Chuck!"

―Chuck

Chuck Versus the Sensei is the ninth episode in season two, which aired on December 1, 2008. It is the twenty-second episode overall.

Synopsis[]

Casey becomes emotionally involved with a mission, when he finds out that his respected sensei Ty Bennett (Carl Lumbly) has gone rogue.

Meanwhile, Awesome's parents Honey (Morgan Fairchild) and Woody (Bruce Boxleitner) visit to plan Ellie and Devon's wedding.

Emmett holds an employee of the month contest, but the staff have other plans.

Full Story[]

In a flashback, Casey is training with his sensei, Ty Bennett (Carl Lumbly), who keeps winning their combat battles. Bennett keeps admonishing him because Casey has no focus. Bennett points out that, until Casey finds his calm center, he'll never beat him in a battle. This segues into the present where Emmett is giving Casey a lecture on customer service. He tells Casey that he needs to smile more, be more jovial, then slaps Casey on the arm. Emmett's words begin to fade out as Casey fights for control. As soon as Emmett finishes talking, Casey thanks him for the tips.

Morgan and Chuck are walking by and Morgan states that John scares him. The conversations switches to how Jill and Chuck are doing, and Chuck tells him that it didn't work out. When Morgan asks why, Chuck mutters about her being in the "big house" and suddenly corrects it, saying that she bought a big house. Morgan tells him that's good because Jill is his past and now Chuck can focus on his future. Sarah calls Chuck at that moment and Morgan smiles at him and walks off so that Chuck can answer the phone.

Sarah asks Chuck if the Global Launch Agency means anything to him. Chuck is then at Castle and he tells her and Casey the GLA sent probes to every planet except Pluto. He gets sidetracked because Pluto is no longer considered a planet and it bums him out. General Beckman jumps in and says that GLA also conducts top secret research for them; most of their surveillance and weapons technology is developed in the company. They've recently learned that someone might be trying to get to one of the secure facility labs. She wants them to take Chuck to see if he flashes on anyone inside.

Chuck is a little put off that they already have another mission because he wanted to take some time off. Sarah tells the General that they'll take it from there and General Beckman hangs up. Casey sarcastically comments on Chuck's wanted downtime and asks what's the problem is. Chuck points out that he is still reeling from the discovery that his ex-girlfriend Jill was a Fulcrum agent. Sarah tells him that a new mission could be exactly what he needs currently.

A little while later, Chuck is sitting in the surveillance van outside of GLA and makes an aggravated comment over the headset about how the new mission is just sitting in the van, not realizing that anyone can hear him. Sarah gets on the line and tells him he's on an open mic and he shows surprise, stating it's good to know. He tells her he has all the exits covered and everything looks quiet and he's not getting anything, much less flashes.

Casey checks in, saying he's got nothing just as a person dressed all in white rappels down a rope behind him. The sound of the person landing on the floor, makes him grab his gun and aim it towards there. However, suddenly someone slams into him from the side and grabs something from the glass cabinet behind him before they take off running. Casey chases after the person, yelling for Chuck to close one of the doors. Chuck manages to get it closed, but only after the person has slipped through and Casey is stuck behind it.

Chuck reopens the door for him just as the thief runs across Sarah. She fires her gun at him but misses. She follows the thief into a room, where two people in a glass walled lab point upwards, indicating the person is hanging behind her. The thief knocks her down and runs off out of one of the exit doors. Casey slams into him from the side, and they battle. The thief has him pinned and Casey stabs him with a pen. It gives Casey long enough time to yank of the persons mask only to discover it is his former sensei, who grins evilly at him. Too shocked to stop him, Casey watches as Bennett takes off, jumps into a car and it speeds away.

Casey says that Bennett taught him everything he knows. Back at Castle, General Beckman reveals that Bennett has turned into a rogue agent and is now recruiting others for Fulcrum. Beckman explains that they didn't tell Casey he went rogue because he's been recruiting his former students. Chuck wants to know what the training was like, but Casey says it's classified. The General tells him they're opening the case because he has knowledge of Bennett. When Chuck tells him to talk, he grits his teeth and says, "In hell."

The General explains that with the group he's got, they have been able to steal quite a bit of technology. This time it was an advanced inertial guidance system. Chuck states that it's not a weapon and Casey snaps back at him that it is when its inside a missile. They begin to bicker about why Bennett got away. Sarah interjects and calms them. The General tells them that they have intel on where he intends to trade the item with others and wants the team to stop the deal and recover the guidance system. Casey points out that the mission is probably too dangerous for Chuck and General Beckman agrees.

While Sarah and Casey stake out Bennett's meet location, a car pulls up. Since they don't have any further information, they decide to just pull their guns and just go in. They grab the driver out of the car, and he says he's just there to pick up a passenger and give them the case in the back seat. They open the door to see a briefcase with a blinking light. Casey tells them to run and grabs the driver, the bomb exploding moments later.

Meanwhile, Bennett shows up at Buy More, having figured out there was a connection to Casey due to the pen he was stabbed with. Chuck manages to convince him that Casey is out, and then tails him. He is almost immediately captured and placed in Bennett's car trunk over his objections that he's too tall for such accommodation. Sarah and Casey managed to intercept and rescue Chuck, but Bennett gets away. It then becomes clear that Casey may be too emotionally involved to continue with the mission, and General Beckman confines him in Castle. That is not enough to stop Casey, who forces Chuck into flashing on the location of Bennett's dojo, before handcuffing him to the counter in Orange Orange, placing the key and his cell phone on a nearby table, just out of reach. After several fruitless attempts to get them, Chuck finally manages get the phone to call Sarah. She tells him to stay put, but Chuck uses the restaurant's freon supply line to flash freeze his cuffs and break them, for which he thanks seven years of watching MacGyver.

When they catch up to Casey, they are all captured by Bennett's henchmen. Just as Bennett is about to shoot Casey, he challenges his old sensei to honorable combat, which he accepts. Unfortunately, even while trying to maintain his calm center, Casey is no match for Bennett. Chuck then realizes what is wrong, and gets Casey angry, seeing and saying that his anger is his strength, and suppressing it in favor of Bennett's 'calm center' is counterproductive. Finally understanding, Casey uses his rage to beat Bennett. Then, a squad of FBI storm the dojo. Later, Casey shows a sincere moment of gratitude to Chuck, briefly.

Meanwhile, Devon’s parents Honey (Morgan Fairchild) and Woody (Bruce Boxleitner) make a visit to 'help' Ellie and Awesome plan their wedding. They proceed to drive Ellie crazy, making all the decisions on colors, cake's entrees, but when Woody - with his heart in the right place - suggests he walk Ellie down the aisle, she loses it. To make her happy, Chuck says he will find their father.

At the Buy More, Emmett reinstates the Employee of the Month program, which will be based on customer comment cards. The winner gets his or her photograph framed beside a picture of Moses Finkelstein, founder and CEO of Buy More. Morgan seems skeptical and gathers the employees in the break room, conveying his opinion that hard work and higher sales would only benefit the shareholders and Emmett. The employees make a side bet to see who can score the lowest on their comment cards. Emmett later confronts them with their customer service marks, revealing that their combined high score is one. He threatens that the employee with the lowest score will close the store every Saturday night for a month, motivating the employees to show better customer service.

The next day, Emmett announces the new Employee of the Month: Skip Johnson, who apologizes to the employees for not being rude enough. Along with his name on a plaque, Skip wins a bonus one time only gift: a 65-inch flat-screen television, which Emmett only included to punish the troublemakers.

Trivia[]

Casey at one point says "You're damaging my calm, Chuck!" an echo of his character, Jayne, and his comment about River, "She is startin' to damage my calm," in the Firefly film, Serenity.

Quotes[]

Chuck: Those seven years of MacGyver finally paid off!

~

Sarah: Nice work, sensei.

Chuck: Yeah, well, the thing is, Casey doesn't have a calm center. It's more an angry center.

~

Casey: Beckman was out of line pulling me off this mission.

Sarah: I agree with her. You're too emotionally involved.

Casey: This from the agent that can't keep her chocolate out of Bartowski's peanut butter.

Guest Stars[]

Music[]

Datarock – “New Song”
Love As Laughter – “Don’t Worry”
Probot – “Shake Your Blood”
The Accidental – “Time And Space”
Your Vegas – “It Makes My Heart Break”

DVD[]

In the Season 2 DVD, the episode title is misspelled, titled "Chuck Versus the Sensai".