John Casey

From Chuck Wiki

Colonel John Casey is portrayed by actor Adam Baldwin on the television show Chuck on NBC. He is partnered with CIA agent Sarah Walker to protect Chuck Bartowski.

As of episode 21 of season 2, "Chuck vs. the Colonel," Major Casey is promoted to the rank of colonel.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Series 3 Development 3.1 Branch of Service 3.2 Rank 3.3 Personality

[edit] Biography

Virtually nothing has been revealed about John Casey's past or his family except his mother whom he called on Christmas. All that is known about is age is that he was 23 years old when he started training with his mentor, Ty Bennett. He was a choirboy and has perfect pitch.^[1] Although Casey has flown the B-2 bomber^[2] and expressed a clear interest in American military aviation technology,^[3] he holds the rank of Major in the US Army (later Colonel).^[4] At what point he was recruited into the NSA is currently unknown. Casey was mentored by Ty Bennett, who taught him hand-to-hand combat techniques and attempted to help Casey, who already possessed a short temper, find a "calm center".^[5] He also attended Roan Montgomery's course on Infiltration and Inducement of Enemy Personnel ("Seduction School") and failed it twice – although it was revealed that Montgomery failed him because Casey's partner was "too pretty," with Montgomery also musing that he should have failed Casey a few more times on account of his attractive partner.^[6]

Casey suffered a devastating personal tragedy while stationed undercover in Chechnya. He was involved with an Associated Press photographer named Ilsa Trinchina who was apparently killed in a bomb blast near the hotel where they were staying.^[7] The incident left him deeply traumatized, with cameras apparently causing flashbacks to the tragedy. It was later revealed that Ilsa was a French spy who had faked her own death. Ilsa reappeared in "Chuck vs. the Undercover Lover" as the undercover fiance of a Russian crime boss. Casey also had a final tryst with Ilsa after capturing the Russian crime boss before she departed for further espionage missions.^[7]

He has had previous dealings with CIA agents Bryce Larkin and Sarah Walker in the past, and has been intimately involved in some capacity with Sarah's DEA friend Carina as well.^[8]

Casey is seen as a staunch Republican. He is a supporter of Ronald Reagan, he is pro gun rights, and he has displayed distaste over the fact that Obama has discontinued Waterboarding.

[edit] Series

Casey was on-hand when Bryce Larkin stole the Intersect computer, and participated in the pursuit to apprehend him. He apparently fatally shot Bryce during his escape attempt, but not before Larkin was able to successfully send the contents of the Intersect to his old college roommate, Chuck Bartowski.^[9] After CIA agent Sarah Walker failed her initial attempt to recover the Intersect when Chuck's computer – on which the e-mail Bryce sent was stored – was accidentally destroyed, the National Intelligence Director (Wendy Makkena) dispatched Casey with a team to clean up the operation. He was to determine what Chuck knew and who he worked for, and eliminate him. After Sarah proved Chuck was not a threat and contained the Intersect secrets in his brain, Casey was assigned to protect him.

As part of his cover Casey was given a job at the Buy More where he worked as a "Green Shirt."^[2] Despite poor customer service skills, Casey is nonetheless an effective, if aggressive, salesperson. Although most of his coworkers are afraid of him, they also know to come to him in dangerous situations rather than attempt to resolve them themselves.^[10] He is also ruthless in dealing with shoplifting.^[2]

Although initially unknown to Chuck, Casey had been secretly monitoring his home with listening devices from his apartment in the same complex. His preferred listening device is the EM-50|EM-50, which he has placed throughout the apartment Chuck shares with his sister and her live-in boyfriend. When Chuck discovered the bugs after a tipoff from Laszlo and confronted his handler, Casey showed little reaction despite it being one of the first times Chuck had directly stood up to him.^[11] Chuck later admits to being a fan of Casey's work.^[12] Much of Casey's downtime is spent monitoring Chuck's apartment.

Casey was forced to face a painful chapter from his past when Chuck flashed on a list of Russian mobsters staying in Los Angeles, and one of the names pointed directly to "Sugar Bear," a name Chuck realized was a pet name a former lover had for Casey. Chuck innocently teased Casey over it and his temper nearly drove him to strangle Chuck. Sarah then revealed that the woman in the flash was Casey's former lover Ilsa Trinchina, apparently killed by a bomb in Chechnya. Later, Chuck and Casey learned that Ilsa is French spy and had faked her death in the blast. Chuck later convinced him to fight for her. Although they rekindled their relationship, Casey and Ilsa ultimately parted ways after a brief tryst.^[7]

He met with a very personal betrayal when he discovered his old Sensei, Ty Bennett, had turned rogue and was building a criminal empire with former students, even inviting Casey to join him. The mission to capture Bennett nearly proved fatal to Chuck when Casey allowed the vendetta to distract him. As a result, Beckman ordered Casey to stand down and pulled him off the case to apprehend Bennett, bluntly telling him that he was never told Bennett went rogue because they knew he would go after him. After being confined to Castle, Casey took advantage of Chuck's empathy and compassion to facilitate his escape, then went after Bennett himself. Casey engaged in a duel with Bennett, who taunted him over his lack of focus and calm. Chuck then realized that Casey's anger was his strength, and helped him use it to defeat his mentor.^[5]

Unknown to Sarah and Chuck, who believe that Chuck will be allowed to return to his civilian life once the Intersect mission is finished, Casey is under orders from Graham and Beckman to execute Chuck to prevent the data from falling into the wrong hands. After recovering the Cypher, a key component of the rebuilt Intersect, the command to terminate Chuck was given. Casey attempted to appeal the decision, but Beckman and Graham believed there was no other choice. However, before Casey could carry out his orders, the sabotaged Cypher exploded, killing Graham and destroying the new Intersect. This turn of events retracted his terminate orders for the foreseeable future.^[13] This standing order ostensibly became moot after Chuck's father removed the original Intersect from Chuck's brain.^[14]

Despite his long service, including in many dangerous hot spots spanning three wars, Casey had never been shot in the line of duty. However, this changed when Ned Rhyerson, a frightened apparently amateur criminal, took the Buy More hostage while eluding police. When Ned unexpectedly came across Sarah and Casey talking to Chuck in a back room, panic ensued. Chuck managed to talk him down, but while trying to uncock the revolver, the gun went off and struck Casey in the left foot, severing a substantial part of his left pinky toe.^[15]

[edit] Development

Adam Baldwin was cast in the role of John Casey, announced on February 8, 2007.^[16] Schwartz had Baldwin in mind for the role almost from the beginning of the casting process.

Although the character of Casey has received relatively little attention, Schwartz indicated in interviews that "Chuck vs. the Undercover Lover" established a lot of what made Casey, Casey. He received further development in "Chuck Versus the Sensei," when it's revealed that his former mentor had turned rogue. Much of Casey's personality and background is revealed through small details that surface in episodes, often used to humorous effect.

[edit] Branch of Service

Casey's branch of service in the series is a matter of confusion. In "Chuck vs. the Helicopter" he tells Chuck he once flew the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. His special forces team in "Chuck vs. the Ring" included members of the United States Marine Corps. According to Casey's bio at the official site he holds his rank through the United States Army, and US Army paraphernalia can be seen in Casey's apartment in many episodes.

[edit] Rank

In addition to confusion over his branch of service, the series is also ambiguous over the rank Casey was promoted to in "Chuck vs. the Undercover Lover." Throughout the episode, he is referred to as "Colonel Casey." Although normal rank progression from major is to Lt. colonel, the episode never establishes whether he was promoted to this rank or full colonel, as both ranks are frequently addressed as "colonel" in casual usage.

[edit] Personality

John Casey was described by Sarah in "Chuck vs. the Intersect" as a "burnout," although the exact meaning of this was never explained.^[9] Chuck describes him as having an "angry center," as opposed to the traditional "calm center".^[5] He is gruff, straight-forward, cynical, and hard-edged, and tends to keep everyone at an emotional distance. He is often sarcastic and ironic, and rarely shows signs of caring for anything other than his job and country (and his bonsai tree).

On occasion, however, Casey does allow part of his human side through. This was most clearly revealed when confronted by his former lover, Ilsa, and later by the revelation that his mentor had turned rogue. He also vouched for Sarah's father and suggested his assistance in helping them apprehend a Saudi sheik with terrorist ties should be considered when Jack Burton was to be brought to trial for his own illegal activities.^[17] Although he disagreed with Sarah's feelings for Chuck in "Chuck Versus the Crown Vic," he later attempted to defend her in front of Beckman when Sarah was to be replaced by CIA agent Alexandra Forrest, insisting that Beckman allow Chuck to state his own case as to why he worked well with Sarah.

Casey's relationship with Chuck is complicated. A running gag is that Chuck (always unintentionally) will typically cause Casey distress, embarrassment or physical harm at some point during an episode (such as the destruction of Casey's prized Crown Vic). Typically, Casey is hard on and insulting to Chuck; he shows frustration with Chuck's constant mistakes, inability to perform tasks for which he is not trained, and constantly failing to follow orders. However, although he seldom expresses it openly, he seems to recognize that Chuck is doing the best he can as a civilian forced to act as a spy with little or no training. He does at times show appreciation for him and recognizes that he has potential as an agent. He has expressed respect for Chuck's integrity, intelligence, and inventiveness. He showed particular respect for Chuck's courage in deciding to use the only sample of an antidote in their possession to save his sister's life, even though he had been poisoned and would die without it.^{[18][3][5][17]}

Casey has a deep sense of personal honour; when it appeared that the replacement Intersect was ready, despite the antagonism he often expressed toward Chuck, he did not want to terminate him and felt that Chuck's service to the government entitled him to a better fate than termination. However he is also loyal to his government and was prepared to carrying out his instructions regardless.^[13]

Casey is a staunch gun rights advocate.^[19] He keeps a photo of former President Ronald Reagan in his apartment which he has a habit of saluting and addressing directly as "Sir" so is likely a Republican and has a "Rogues Gallery" he uses for target practice. His two prized possessions are his 1985 Ford Crown Victoria|Crown Vic^[19] and his Bonsai tree, though he deliberately killed the tree in a fit of rage when he learned his former mentor had turned rogue.^[5] He also purchased himself a new gun for Christmas.^[15] Casey is also fond of quiche, a dish which he takes very seriously.^[2]

"Chuck Versus the First Kill" humorously suggested Casey is not as intelligent as the other team members when he tried to cheat off Chuck's Fulcrum entrance exam, however he is an excellent shot and trained killer. Casey is also a skilled martial artist, which is demonstrated when he fights his old sensei in "Chuck vs. the Sensei," although Casey was forced to retreat when he fought Sarah in "Chuck Versus the Helicopter." He has demonstrated a remarkable tolerance to pain and extreme endurance. He broke his own thumb to escape a set of handcuffs in "Chuck Versus the Suburbs," was able to remain awake and function relatively normally after being shot with a tranquilizer dart in "Chuck Versus the Helicopter," and it took Chuck three tranq darts to put Casey down in "Chuck vs. the Dream Job." Casey is also exceptionally strong. When Carina cuffed him to a bed in "Chuck vs. the Wookiee" he managed to free himself by tearing apart the frame with minimal leverage and no assistance, and ripped an entire radiator from the wall of a motel room in "Chuck Versus the Colonel." He can turn almost anything into a weapon, including the aforementioned bed frame and radiator, as well as household appliances.^[20] Casey carries a SIG Sauer P229 modified with Trace laser grips and mounts for a suppressor throughout the series.

Despite his own nature and preference for conventional spy tactics, Casey has realized that Operation Bartowski is most effective with Sarah Walker. While he admired Agent Forrest's thinking, he also realized she was a greater liability on the team than Sarah, despite her feelings for Chuck. In a rare display of emotion he told Agent Forrest that Sarah was the best partner he ever had, and strongly disagreed with her assessment of her as a liability to the operation. He encouraged Chuck to tell General Beckman why Sarah should remain on the team.

A significant amount of humour in the series centers around Casey's demeanor and random moments that are completely incongruous with his tough image, such as unexpectedly singing a note to which a puzzle is keyed and revealing having been a choir boy with perfect pitch, and dancing to 90's music (specifically Hanson's "MMMBop") while undercover as a DJ at Sarah's high school reunion.^[3] One of Casey's favorite movies is Steel Magnolias.^[21] He frequently responds to situations with monosyllabic grunts, which Chuck can recognize and has even numbered,^[19] and often tosses off one-liners reminiscent of cliche action films.^[13] While working at the Buy More in the days leading up to Christmas, 2008, Casey had been assigned to man the gift-wrap counter and was so distraught over the resulting paper cuts he had band-aids on all his fingers.^[15]

Casey has a personal war with his beliefs and his duty to his country. He believes Chuck has served his country honorably, and Devon stumbled into a place where his knowledge was dangerous. At the end of "Chuck Versus the Colonel," he lies to General Beckman about the events leading up the AWOL mission that Chuck and Sarah embarked upon to rescue Chuck's father, sparing Sarah from imprisonment and Chuck from lifelong confinement.

1. ↑ "Chuck vs. the Fat Lady"
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} "Chuck vs. the Helicopter"
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} "Chuck vs. the Cougars"
4. ↑ Spy Dossiers, nbc.com/chuck
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4} "Chuck vs. the Sensei"
6. ↑ "Chuck vs. the Seduction"
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} "Chuck vs. the Undercover Lover"
8. ↑ "Chuck vs. the Wookie
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} "Chuck vs. the Intersect"
10. ↑ "Chuck vs. the Breakup"
11. ↑ "Chuck vs. the Sandworm"
12. ↑ "Chuck Versus the Marlin"
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1 13.2} "Chuck vs. the First Date"
14. ↑ "Chuck vs. the Colonel"
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1 15.2} "Chuck Versus Santa Claus"
16. ↑ Casting Update: February 8, 2007, TV Squad
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} "Chuck vs. the Delorean"
18. ↑ "Chuck Versus the Truth"
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1 19.2} "Chuck vs. the Crown Vic"
20. ↑ "Chuck Versus the Tango"
21. ↑ Employee Profiles: John Casey at insidebuymore.com