Chuck Episode 2.20 Chuck Versus the First Kill

At the Buy More, Sarah assures Chuck that the government is doing everything they can to find his father, who was abducted by Fulcrum. Emmett announces that in the next 24 hours, a Buy More corporate evaluator will visit to assess his job performance. He warns the usual suspects that any attempts to make him look bad will result in them being fired and sent off to work in fast food. Morgan and the rest of the Buy More crew meet to determine if they're going to behave or misbehave. Unbeknownst to them, Emmett is watching them via security video as Morgan instructs the crew to "let Rome burn."

In the Bunker, Beckman tells Chuck that they haven't located his father, whom Fulcrum has in their custody. Chuck isn't satisfied with that; he's given a year of his life to the CIA and will do anything it takes to get his father back. He goes to the jail where Jill, his ex and a Fulcrum agent, is being held and asks for her help. Considering Chuck helped put her in prison, at first she's not agreeable. However, when Chuck says he can get her a deal with the CIA, she agrees to cooperate.

At the Buy More, a full-scale rebellion is underway. Twisted Sister blares on the radio while employees fight with light sabers and play Guitar Hero, Lester struts around sans pants, and no one is tending the registers. Emmett gets Morgan into the cage and makes him a deal; he says that a good evaluation will get him promoted out of "this hellhole." But, only if Morgan can get everyone to cooperate. Tantalized by gaining freedom from Emmett's totalitarian managerial tactics, Morgan agrees to get everyone to behave.

In the bunker, Casey fits Jill with a locator on her ankle, warning that if she tries anything Sarah will shoot her. She says that her dad's best friend, whom she calls Uncle Bernie, may know where they are holding Chuck's father. Uncle Bernie recruited her into Fulcrum, and is guarded almost 24 hours except for when he attends family functions. Since none are coming up, they set up an engagement party for Jill, with Chuck posing as her fiancé. When the heavyset Uncle Bernie arrives, Chuck flashes on him. Casey tells him through his earpiece that Bernie is highly dangerous and known as "The Carnivore."

Bernie feigns the usual pleasantries in front of Jill's parents, then takes them aside. He asks Jill how she's out of prison. Jill reveals her deal with the CIA, adding that he can get witness protection through cooperating. Furious, Bernie draws his gun. When Jill's mother interrupts, they use the distraction to run. Casey and Sarah pose as Chuck's friends to get into the house. Bernie wheezes his way up the stairs and corners Chuck and Jill in the attic. Since a gun will be heard, Bernie grabs a bat to beat them to death. However, mid-swing he drops dead of a heart attack. When Casey and Sarah arrive, Casey congratulates Chuck on his first kill.

The four get Bernie out of the house "Weekend at Bernie's" style by walking him out of the house under the guise that he's had too many drinks. The five leave the party, with Casey grousing at Chuck that he killed the one person who knows where his dad is.

The next day at the Buy More, the crew is on their best behavior and dressed to impress. A smug Emmett shows the corporate evaluator around at his store that's running "smoother than a Swiss watch." Meanwhile in the bunker, Sarah tells Chuck that Jill has to go back to prison. Despite his pleas that Jill is the only link to finding his father, Sarah still says no. Morgan calls Chuck for advice on believing a person you trust the least to get what you want. Chuck, looking at Jill on surveillance video, says sometimes you have to just decide to trust.

Chuck tells Jill she's going back to prison. She's understanding and is glad she at least got to see her parents again. She gives Chuck back the engagement ring that she enjoyed wearing for a few hours. She's also glad to see his work with the CIA hasn't changed him like her Fulcrum work changed her. She also reveals that she knew the CIA was never going to let her go. They all lie, she warns, and tells Chuck to watch his back.

At the Buy More, everyone continues to heap praise on Emmett. But, he wants one more thing from Morgan; to use his "in" with Big Mike to get him to praise him on tape. Emmett fears Big Mike won't say anything nice because if Emmett leaves, then he has to actually work. Morgan, bearing a foot-long teriyaki from Subway, gets Big Mike to talk. In the bunker, Bernie's cell phone rings. Chuck fishes it out of Bernie's pocket and answers, posing as Bernie. He learns they're moving Orion to base and stalls until Casey and Sarah trace the call. Jill, familiar with the building, convinces them to take her along.

Cuffed inside the surveillance van with Sarah guarding her, Jill directs Chuck and Casey through the Fulcrum building. Chuck flashes on everyone and tells Casey they're surrounded by Fulcrum assassins. At Jill's direction, they tell the front desk they're here for auditing. Jill directs them to the eighth floor where the holding cells are. However, they're intercepted by an agent who leads them to the auditing room. As they watch a Fulcrum recruiting video and take a test, that agent reports his hallway encounter to Agent Bergey, who runs their faces through their computer. Their covers blown, Bergey snarks, "Here to rescue your father, Chuck?"

At the Buy More, Morgan overhears Emmett talking to the corporate evaluator and learns he was really here to assess Big Mike instead of Emmett. And, that Emmett set up the whole charade about being promoted as a ruse to steal Big Mike's job. Emmett seals the deal when he plays an edited recording of Big Mike to the evaluator, making it appear that he took the day off to go fishing. Appalled that Big Mike would diss him like that, the Buy More suit gives Big Mike's job to Emmett. Morgan can only watch, horrified.

The Fulcrum evaluator separates Chuck and Casey by telling Chuck that he scored high while Casey flunked. Knowing they can trace Chuck via his watch, Sarah tells Casey to let him go. While being escorted out, Casey realizes the gig is up when a Fulcrum agent approaches with a shotgun. He grabs the gun and clocks the two unconscious as Sarah directs him to where Chuck is. Casey races toward Chuck, who's just been told by Agent Bergey that he knows Orion is his father. Chuck plays dumb until the guns come out, and hands over his earpiece.

When Chuck's wire goes dead, Sarah gears up to go after him. Jill convinces Sarah to let her come, saying she needs her to navigate the building. However, Fulcrum security figures them out and sends a building-wide alert of the security breach. The agents focus on Sarah and the hardware comes out. Sarah kicks a gun from one of them and dives for cover in a cubicle as bullets fly. Bergey goes to investigate, ordering the guards to shoot Chuck if he tries to escape. Security gets word that it's the CIA and is ordered to evacuate the building.

As Chuck sits under guard, he watches as Casey, dressed as a window washer, lowers himself into view outside the window. Behind the agents, who are facing Chuck, Casey draws the big gun. Chuck ducks and Casey fires through the window, blowing the two agents away. "Looks like I passed that test," he says. He tells Chuck to find where his dad is located on the computer and runs to help Sarah. When Sarah sees Jill has disappeared during the fracas, she radios to Casey that she's escaped. However, Jill is just hiding, and overhears Bergey say they're moving Orion to Blackrock.

Bergey enters his office and orders Chuck away from his computer. He draws his gun, and Chuck does a "Morgan," the same move of covering his face and jewels that he used when Bernie was going to beat him to death. The move is called "The Morgan," because it was the defensive pose Morgan used in high school when the girls would beat him up. Bergey steps toward him to shoot, but slips on the glass, trips over Chuck's foot and tumbles out the window. "What is it with that move?" Chuck wonders aloud as Bergey, hanging from the scaffolding, calls for help.

Despite the fact that Bergey just tried to kill him, Chuck grabs his arm to try to pull him up. In the hallway, Jill hears Chuck calling for help and races in to grab him by his foot. However, Bergey's coat rips and he falls 15 stories to his death. Jill leads Chucm to where his father is being held, but when they get there he's not there. Sarah is still shooting it out among the cubicles. Casey sees the test taker making a move on Sarah and shoots her, saying, "That's for flunking me."

Jill and Chuck race to where Chuck's father is being held but when they get there, he's gone. Jill tells him about Blackrock, but hasn't heard of it. Chuck flashes on the name, and says it's a secret Fulcrum base in Barstow. Jill wonders how Chuck knows that. Chuck says, "You don't want to know." Sarah radios Chuck about Jill's escape. Instead of giving her up, he cuts off her ankle monitor. He admits lying about the deal because he'd do anything to save his father. But, she kept her part of the bargain. Because she'll be alone and need money, he gives her the ring and lets her go.

At the Buy More, a self-satisfied Emmett hands the demoted Big Mike his green shirt. The rest of the Buy More crew watches as if at a funeral as Big Mike walks by them. When he comes to Morgan, he kisses him Godfather style and says, "I know it was you, Morgan. You broke my heart." Morgan sheepishly walks away under the glare of Big Mike and the rest of the employees. When he's out of earshot, Big Mike tells the crew that he doesn't want anything to happen to Morgan "as long as his mama and I are dating."

General Beckman is furious that Jill escaped during the mission. Because their operation and Chuck's identity has been compromised, she's shutting the project down and putting Chuck into lockdown. Despite Sarah's protests, she stands firm on her decision. Even worse, because Chuck trusts Sarah, she wants Sarah to lie to Chuck and say they intercepted his father while he was being transported and he's back in Castle. Then, take him to an all-too-willing Casey, who will tranq him for transport.

Despite serious misgivings, Sarah convincingly delivers the lie to Chuck. At that, Chuck apologizes to her for almost thinking that he couldn't trust her. And, that Jill was right about the CIA never letting him go. Guilt overriding duty, Sarah hugs Chuck and whispers that it's all a lie. And, to remove his watch. As Casey watches suspiciously on video, Sarah tells Chuck they have to run. She drops his watch into a shopping basket and they leave. As they drive off, Chuck is in disbelief that Sarah disobeyed orders. "You're committing treason Sarah, you can go to jail." Chuck says. "I know," Sarah responds.