| Chuck Versus the Role Models | |
| Season 3, Episode 15 | |
 | |
| Air Date | May 3, 2010 |
| Writer | Phil Klemmer |
| Director | Frederick Toye |
| Previous | Chuck Versus the Honeymooners |
| Next | Chuck Versus the Tooth |
- "You're a spy, honey. We're spies."
- ―Chuck
Chuck Versus the Role Models is the fifteenth episode of the third season of Chuck, which aired on May 3, 2010.
Synopsis[]
Chuck and Sarah are assigned to train under legendary CIA agents and married couple, Craig and Laura Turner (Fred Willard and Swoosie Kurtz). Meanwhile, Casey must train Morgan, who is now a member of Team Bartowski.
Full Story[]
The episode starts with a montage footage shot in the style of the 1980s series "Hart to Hart." A red Ferrari is driving along a mountain road, and Morgan introduces his "boss", Chuck, as the driver of the Ferrari. The scene then cuts to Sarah driving another car, and Morgan introduces her as "his girl, Sarah Walker, a CIA agent with more than just killer looks". A montage of scenes from the second and third season then plays, before Morgan introduces himself, driving a moped between the two racing cars. This opening scene plays homage to television series, Hart to Hart, a lighthearted mystery program which ran from 1979 to 1984.
Morgan then wakes up in the middle of the night, indicating the opening scene was a dream, before getting up and walking into the kitchen. The fridge door is open, and, thinking Chuck is behind it, Morgan starts talking about his dream. Sarah gets up from behind the fridge door with a bottle of orange juice, and Morgan is surprised, losing his trail of thought. The pair then engage in embarrassed conversation, with Sarah offering Morgan the orange juice, which Morgan politely accepts. Sarah then hands him the juice and leaves. Sarah walks back to Chuck's room, and Morgan claims to hate Chuck, as he was clearly not told that Sarah would be staying the night.
In the morning, Morgan snaps at Chuck, claiming he is flaunting having sex, which Chuck sort of apologizes for. Chuck then reveals to Morgan that he plans on asking Sarah to move in with him, before Sarah coughs from behind Chuck, and it is clear that Sarah had heard at least part of the conversation. Chuck then asks Sarah to move in, deciding now was the best time considering he had already inadvertently revealed his plan to her. Sarah is confused as to why they would decide to live together, as they are "not a normal couple", before lifting part of the couch to reveal a stash of pistols. She removes one, but is questioned by Chuck, who is worried that stashing firearms in the house could result in someone finding them accidentally. Sarah explains that it is necessary for their protection, but Chuck is unconvinced, as he does not want guns in his apartment.
Chuck, Sarah, and Casey are then briefed by Beckman in Castle, where she explains that they are to watch another CIA couple, Craig and Laura Turner, to learn how to operate effectively as a spy couple. It is revealed the Turners have an impressive track record, and Sarah and Chuck will be accompanying them on their next mission. Casey is then tasked, to his disgust, with training their newest recruit, Morgan.
Sarah and Chuck are then shown at home, preparing for the arrival of the Turners. They argue briefly, before the Turners enter the apartment courtyard. Laura remarks on how anyone could bear being stationed in such a place, and Craig decides that 'Bartowski' sounds 'ethnic', before they approach the door to Chuck's apartment. Sarah and Chuck rush to the door, and Craig remarks, "Dear God, it's us thirty years ago", while Chuck whispers to Sarah, "Look Sarah, that's us in thirty years."
The Turners explain a past mission to Chuck and Sarah. Sarah and Laura seem bored, but Chuck is interested. Craig proposes a toast, and Sarah offers Laura a drink, only to find out she is doesn't drink anymore. Craig drinks a Manhattan prepared by Chuck, calling it "serviceable", and criticizing the cherry, claiming it should be made with the Marasca cherry, found at the nearby Grand Ambassador hotel. The Turners then reveal that the mission is tonight, with the target being Otto Von Vogel, a software designer who has managed to create a decryption software capable of bypassing CIA defense systems. Chuck and Sarah will "watch and learn" from the Turners at the party that night, which Vogel is using as a front to try and sell the device. The Turners are to access the master suite at the hotel the party is staged in, where they will retrieve the decryption software and escape.
The mission, however, does not go as planned. Craig is a philanderer and Laura is revealed to be an alcoholic, at one point the two get into a heated argument about just these points. With the Turners incapacitated, and with their covers at risk, Chuck and Sarah step in to complete the mission themselves. They successfully access the master suite, only to confront Vogel's pet tiger, Sasha. Chuck flashes and determines the software key is hidden on her collar. When the tiger falls asleep, Chuck steals the collar, and he and Sarah narrowly escape when Sasha awakens and gives chase. However, as they flee the party, they are intercepted by the Turners, who reveal their behavior during the party was a ruse and steal the software at gunpoint before fleeing.
Beckman finds it hard to believe that two of the CIA's best agents went rogue and wants to know why. Then, Chuck and Sarah return to the apartment, where Chuck says he fears that he and Sarah may become like the Turners. When he brings up a cherry, Sarah realizes that the Turners may be staying at the Grand Ambassador hotel, where the best cherries are, probably staying in town to sell the software. It is easy to find their room, for they ordered twelve Manhattans. They apprehend them and bring them back to Chuck's place. The Turners try pointing out that technically they didn't sell the software and therefore, did not commit treason, before throwing the blame at each other. Chuck stops the fight and tells them that all they wanted is to learn from the best, who are not so great. Craig retorts that the CIA cracks down on idealists, especially those in love.
Unfortunately, Vogel had found them due to the tracking device in Sasha's collar. Worse, Chuck can't flash or find any hidden guns, as Sarah put them all away. Sarah takes the Turners and cuffs them to the bathroom tub while Chuck lets Vogel in. While Vogel's goons use Sasha to search the apartment, he personally interrogates Chuck and Sarah. He voices his belief that this is a CIA safe house, and they are not a real couple. When they deny this, Vogel is about to shoot them, when Sasha scratches on the bathroom door. But the Turners have escaped. Chuck then tries convincing Vogel that they have a common enemy when the Turners return, gun in hand, to rescue them. When Vogel is distracted with Sasha's roar, Chuck flashes and he and Sarah quickly subdue the bad guys before pointing guns at the Turners. After a standoff of ideals, Craig decides to surrender.
Later, at Castle, Beckman congratulates Team Bartowski on a successful mission before asking the Turners to clarify their actions. Chuck stands up to speak on their behalf, but Sarah says that the Turners did a triple cross to lure Vogel out to be captured. A satisfied Beckman accepts the alibi. The Turners announce that they are retiring from the CIA, to leave Chuck and Sarah as their successors.
Initially, Sarah seems in opposition to her moving in with Chuck when he presents her with the idea. At the end of the episode, however, she reintroduces the idea to Chuck and accepts his earlier proposal, happy to move in with him. She explains that spending her childhood on the run has made her wary of settling down.
Concurrent Story Line[]
Ellie and Devon are shown to have joined Doctors Without Borders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they have just arrived at a new medical clinic. They become worried by the number of men with guns, but nevertheless find the clinic after Devon promises to cook dinner for Ellie. When night falls, Devon notices a snake slithering near Ellie and cautions her to remain calm as he goes for his knife. But before he could strike, one of the site's workers, Justin, kills it first. Devon apparently catches malaria, so Ellie decides to bring him home. As their truck drives away, Justin calls someone on a Ring phone, revealing that he purposely infected Devon with something that seemed like malaria and that Ellie doesn't suspect a thing.
At the Buy More, Casey begins training Morgan, who is concerned that Chuck and Sarah are going on exciting missions whilst he is stuck in the Buy More. Casey explains he is a liability until he has been properly trained, drawing parallels to the way Sarah and Chuck are treated initially by the Turners. The training mostly revolved around the Buy More, including talking to an attractive girl and attempting to steal Big Mike's key card.
When Casey offers to help track down the Turners, Beckman reminds him of his task, which he wasn't able to accomplish. If he doesn't bring Morgan up to speed, then they'll both be sent to boot camp. However, despite having extensive weapons information due to video games, Morgan couldn't even shoot a gun without it flying out of his hand. Morgan realizes that Casey is going to fire him and laments that he has failed to be a spy, despite all the good he wants to do. Casey can relate with how he was kicked out of the NSA and Morgan was there to help him and now he wants to return the favor. Morgan attempts to move his chair closer to Casey, saying that means they're friends. Casey pushes the chair back, but agrees they're friends, but to be quiet about it.
Morgan later traps the tiger Sasha in Devon and Ellie's home, who quickly tears the place up. Afterwards, Casey tells Morgan that he failed all of his exams but passed the test of courage. As Casey terms it, "only an idiot could go up against a tiger."
Guest Stars[]
- Bonita Friedericy as General Diane Beckman
- Fred Willard as Craig Turner
- Swoosie Kurtz as Laura Turner
- Udo Kier as Otto Von Vogel
- Scott Holroyd as Justin Sullivan
Trivia[]
- This was the first episode to have featured what goes on in Morgan's imaginative mind.
- Unusually, the code featured in Chuck's flash on the collar is HTML, not an application programming language.
- Verdi's La donna e mobile in the context of its opera Rigoletto, essentially is a way of showing the male lead's womanizing ways; this, then, makes it an appropriate selection for the scene where it is revealed that Mr. Turner is consistently unfaithful to his wife.
- Chuck is shown to have an allergy to cats, as does the actor, Zachary Levi.
- The tiger scene probably refers the Hart to Hart episode In the Hart of the Night, when the Harts sneak into a room guarded by a lion to steal an idol.
Quotes[]
- Chuck: Honey, darling, would you mind telling me what you've done with our small cache of weapons?
- Sarah: I got rid of them, sweetheart.
- Chuck: You actually listened to me?
- Sarah: I can't quite believe it myself.
~ Sarah: I'm sorry that I freaked out when you asked me to move in with you. It's just, you know how I grew up. I spent my life living in hotel rooms under fake names. I've been trained to survive a thousand different situations in the field. But nobody ever taught me how to live a normal life.
- Chuck: Well, I hate to break it to you, but I don't think we're ever going to have a normal life.
~ Ellie: I can't really talk to Devon about anything. He's, like, born to be here. The villagers love him. They have this nickname for him, we can't really pronounce it in Bantu, but it loosely translates to "Dr. Super Fantastic White Person."
Music[]
- Mel Torme - "Comin' Home Baby"
- Verdi - "La Donna E Mobile"
- Barry White - "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby"
- Miike Snow - "Sans Soleil"