Chuck Episode 3.05 Chuck vs. First Class

The employees of the Buy More are against new Assistant Manager Morgan. A mute Lester leads a group of evil tricksters to make Morgan's life hell. While Morgan is able to avoid a "hot door knob" and laxatives in his coffee, he does get super-glued to the break room chair.

There's another new boss in town--Special Agent Shaw, and Chuck is not happy about it. On top of that, Shaw, as the new special agent, conducts a review with Sarah about Chuck to find out if he's a liability. Chuck is determined to prove to Shaw that he is a real spy and not just some unlucky civilian, and he's going to get his chance sooner than he thinks.

After carefully reviewing Chuck's mission history, Shaw assesses two major flaws: Casey and Sarah. Shaw believes the two agents have coddled Chuck and stunted his growth as a spy. To remedy this, Chuck is going on his first solo mission: undercover, in Paris. Although Chuck thinks he's ready, Casey and especially Sarah aren't so sure.

Shaw readies Chuck for his first solo mission, giving him a specialized KGB tranq pen to drug the bad guy. As a test, Chuck squirts the liquid into Jeff's coffee, but unfortunately Morgan drinks it and passes out--falling victim to a mistaken prank. Shaw believes Chuck is ready for this mission: he's had two years experience. Like concerned parents, Sarah and Casey help Chuck pack, but Chuck is all set--he has his nunchucks. Sarah tries one last time to get Chuck to stay, but Shaw's got the first class ticket in hand. Chuck's on his way to Paris.

Chuck enjoys the perks of first class, including in champagne and his new traveling companion, Hannah, who is also in the IT field. Back at the Buy More, Morgan's day isn't going quite as well as Chuck's: while he was unconscious, he was locked in the Super Claw toy machine and Casey was the only one to help him out.

Chuck and Hannah enjoy the first class bar and get to know each other a bit more, as well as scope out the other passengers. One of which is a muscle-bound guy whom Chuck flashes on--his target. Chuck contacts Shaw and realizes that the mission is not in Paris, it's on the plane! Hugo Panzer is a Ring Operative and master of close-quarter combat. Hugo is moving a C.I.A. crypto-key to Paris. Chuck needs to get Hugo's claim ticket, get into the cargo hold, find Hugo's bag and confiscate the key. Shaw directs Chuck to use the tranq pen against Hugo's brawn.

Sarah is livid at Shaw for assigning Chuck to a mid-air mission--they are unable to help him if anything goes wrong. Sarah, suspicious of Shaw's secrecy, questions him, but Shaw has some questions of his own for Sarah: while Chuck was in Prague, Sarah went off the grid for three days, spending it in Lisbon--why was she there? Is she a double agent, a Ring Operative--or was it because of Chuck?

Chuck starts his mission, taking a seat next to Hugo and awkwardly trying to spike Hugo's drink without him noticing. Things don't go as smoothly as Chuck hopes: the pen fails and sprays Hugo in the face--and he recognizes that the liquid is not ink! Hugo grabs Chuck by the neck, but luckily Chuck is able to squirt the sedative directly into Hugo's mouth, knocking him out. Chuck grabs Hugo's claim ticket.

While Casey calls Sarah to check up on Chuck, Morgan interrupts and asks Casey to help him gain the respect of the Buy More employees. Lucky for Morgan, Casey hates insurgents--people who don't follow the rules.

Chuck goes down to the cargo hold to find Hugo's bag--which ends up being a coffin. At Castle, Shaw confronts Sarah about her feelings for Chuck, but Sarah isn't giving into Shaw's smugness. On the plane, an unconscious Hugo is electro-shocked awake by his specialized watch. Chuck opens the casket and finds the key taped to the corpse's hand and he squeamishly detaches it. However Hugo has made his way down to the cargo hold and Chuck needs Sarah's help. But Sarah has started listening to Shaw about coddling Chuck, and when Chuck calls her, she doesn't pick up. Chuck, really on his own this time, is out of options and hides in the coffin--calling Casey for assistance. Casey's advice: act like a girl and flash on a weapon or die.

Hugo has found Chuck and Casey calls Sarah to let her know. Chuck gets his butt kicked by Hugo, until he finds a sword from a fencing team's luggage on the flight. En garde! Chuck flashes and becomes a fencing master. Chuck uses this new skill to swipe the binding that is holding back massive amounts of luggage, and just when Hugo goes in for the kill, all the bags fall down, knocking Hugo out. Looks like Chuck's first solo mission is a success.

Attention Buy Morians: meet your new Lieutenant Assistant Manager, John Casey. Morgan uses Casey as his muscle and scares off most of the Buy More employees, all except for Lester and Jeff, who promise this isn't over. Later on, however, Casey takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps Lester; performing a creepy brainwashing technique.

A successful Chuck spends the rest of his first class flight talking to Hannah, each revealing secrets to each other: Chuck has never been to Paris, and Hannah just got fired from her job. Hannah is impressed with Chuck's story of the Buy More and has taken quite a liking to him. Chuck, thoroughly enjoying his first solo mission, takes a sip of a mysterious martini--which was a big mistake. Hugo's regained consciousness and has just poisoned Chuck.

Chuck frantically calls Sarah for assistance and she orders him to throw up--but another Ring Operative, disguised as a stewardess, holds Chuck by gunpoint and demands the key in exchange for the anecdote. Chuck takes the Ring agent down to the cargo hold, where Hugo greets him with a punch to the gut. Sarah, worried that Chuck is outnumbered by two Ring operatives, is surprised when Shaw radios in a favor to use a specialized satellite to take command over Chuck's plane. In order to help Chuck, Sarah is going to have to "fly" that plane.

Chuck is captured, poisoned, and beaten by the time Shaw calls him. The Ring agent, Serena, bargains with Shaw and tells him that she'll give up the anecdote for the key--but Shaw's not giving up that quickly. He is able to deduce Serena's identity from the type of poison she used on Chuck and tries to use this against her, but to no avail. For Chuck, it seems like the end, but Shaw's people are never alone, and Sarah takes control of the plane, steering it violently side to side so Chuck can maneuver and get the anecdote. Serena is knocked out by a suitcase and Chuck readies himself with his nunchucks. As soon as he flashes, Sarah levels out the plane, but the bad guys have been taken out already: by the falling bags.

Shaw reveals to Sarah that he has lost a spy before, and it was his fault--making him determined not to have it happen again. Sarah tells Shaw that she was in Lisbon burying Bryce Larkin, because it was the site of their first mission. Meanwhile, the plane finally lands in Paris and Hannah invites Chuck to come take a tour of the Eiffel Tower with her. But Chuck's mission is over; the C.I.A. needs the key, and he has to come back to Burbank immediately. Chuck leaves an open invitation for Hannah: if she ever finds herself in Burbank, come by the Buy More and they'll be a job for her there.

At the Buy More, Lester is fully brainwashed and his desire to destroy Morgan is gone. Chuck returns the key to Castle and thanks his team for the support. Shaw uses the key to open a lock box that belonged to a spy who was working as a double agent inside The Ring. The box reveals discs and Shaw hopes that the former spy didn't die in vain. Shaw takes a small envelope and shows it to Sarah--the wedding ring of his dead wife, Eve Shaw. Shaw and Sarah have made the same mistakes: they both fell in love with spies. At the Buy More, things seem to be back to normal until Chuck sees a familiar face: Hannah has come to Burbank.