Chuck Versus the Honeymooners

"Chuck Versus the Honeymooners" is the 14th episode of the third season of Chuck. It originally aired on April 26, 2010. When Chuck and Sarah go AWOL after the death of Daniel Shaw, Beckman sends the newly reinstated Casey and Morgan to bring them back. Meanwhile, Ellie is upset that her brother may miss her going away party before she and Devon leave to join Doctors without Borders in Africa.

Plot summary

Chuck and Sarah

The episode begins with Chuck and Sarah on a train outside of Paris, airing the sexual tension that has built up over the course of their working together and disobeying an order by Beckman to return to Burbank. Fearing what would happen if the General were to learn about their relationship and not wanting to give each other up after finally being together, they decide to run away and leave the spy life behind, at which point Sarah throws Chuck's phone out the train window. However, while discussing plans about their new life together, Sarah and Chuck each independently recognize a fellow passenger as the Basque terrorist Juan Diego Arnaldo (Carlos Lacamara). Separately, Chuck and Sarah investigate before they confess what they've learned and the couple agrees to complete this one final mission before retiring. They hastily assemble a plan to neutralize Arnaldo's bodyguards, which goes well until they are confronted by Casey, who has managed to track them down. Arnaldo flees, but is eventually subdued with the assistance of Morgan, who has accompanied Casey. However, the men accompanying Arnaldo that Chuck and Sarah drugged were not members of ETA at all, but Interpol operatives assigned to bring him into protective custody to end the two years he spent on the run. Another passenger, a woman named Elia (Lela Loren), overhears them and places a call to her associates and vanishes into the crowd and is revealed as a member of ETA assigned to make sure Arnaldo doesn't talk.

Beckman berates Chuck and Sarah over the phone for their poor judgment, and arranges for a new Interpol team to collect Arnaldo. The five wait at a nearby café while Arnaldo listens in as Chuck and Sarah each explains their desire to be together with Morgan and Casey, respectively. Each admits that they don't want to quit their jobs, but are willing to do so because they believe the other wishes to leave the spy life. Casey is sympathetic because of his own experience with the decision Sarah now has to make, so allows Chuck and Sarah to escape again. However, as they do so, they are confronted and handcuffed by the Interpol agents from the train who reveal their replacement team was found dead. Chuck and Sarah escape and return to the café, where they find Casey, Morgan and Arnaldo have been captured by Elia and her team. Chuck and Sarah break into the café and work together to defeat the terrorists. Casey again offers them the chance to escape, but Arnaldo steps in and warns them against not being honest and being true to themselves. Having listened to both of them express their feelings, he suggests they don't have to choose between each other and their careers. Chuck and Sarah decide they want to "have it all," and return to Burbank.

Back at Castle, Beckman debriefs Chuck and Sarah on their actions in Europe but attempts to stop them when the couple openly discloses their relationship. Although she is displeased and warns them of the risks involved with allowing their personal lives to interfere with their professional one, Beckman notes off the record that "it's about damn time."

Casey and Morgan

When Chuck and Sarah fail to return to Burbank as scheduled, the government declares them AWOL. Beckman orders Casey to track them down by utilizing Morgan's close relationship with Chuck. Casey is initially reluctant to accept Morgan's assistance, but Morgan is quickly able to determine the couple's whereabouts on a train to Zürich using his extensive knowledge of Chuck's life. Casey orders Morgan to pack for the trip as the two set off on a flight to Europe to intercept them.

They board the train and split up to search for Chuck and Sarah. Casey corners the pair in the dining car, while Morgan tries to chat up Elia, who is riding in another compartment. Morgan foils Arnaldo's attempt to escape, and is stunned when Casey deduces Chuck and Sarah intend to quit. While waiting for the replacement Interpol agents at the café, Casey and Morgan both attempt to talk Chuck and Sarah out of running, but eventually give them their support. When the new Interpol team arrives, Morgan casually starts to chat them up about Lake Como, which he studied extensively in his travel guide on the flight to Europe, and realizes they are not from Interpol when one of the agents makes a mistake by identifying an annual boating festival as "palaces" instead. The two are captured by Elia and her team but are subsequently rescued by Chuck and Sarah, who returned when they learned the real Interpol agents were found dead.

At Castle, Beckman debriefs the team and congratulates Casey on the mission. Casey admits that Morgan's assistance was instrumental in locating Chuck and Sarah and praises his resourcefulness and quick action during the mission, of which Beckman takes note.

Ellie and Chuck

Ellie and Devon are preparing to leave for their trip to Africa, and Ellie is upset because she has not heard from Chuck about their going away party. Devon attempts to get information on Chuck's whereabouts from Morgan, who only promises he's in the process of tracking them down. Meanwhile, Jeff and Lester invite themselves to the party to perform, where they accidentally blow out their amp and admit that they need Chuck in order to repair it; Ellie loses her temper, and demands they fix it themselves, angrily stating "We DON'T need Chuck." To appease Ellie, Lester decides to perform "unplugged." However, at the party, Ellie gets drunk and, in a speech, vents her frustration over Chuck's absence.

When Chuck finally returns home, he finds the video of the party and is distraught over having missed saying goodbye to Ellie. Ellie then walks in, having forgotten her phone, and admits that she wasn't upset with Chuck, but herself for leaving her little brother. Chuck notes he's not so little anymore, and that he won't be alone as Sarah walks in. Ellie happily realizes that Chuck and Sarah are "back together" again.

Production

Production details

• When Chuck and Sarah fight while handcuffed, many of the moves in which Chuck lifts or spins Sarah are in fact taken from swing dancing. Chuck's flash prior to the fight focuses solely on martial arts.
• In the beginning of the episode, Chuck comments on Sarah's admission of not actually having a favorite band or song, in reference to the pilot.
• Morgan stating that he is the Intersect on Chuck is a callback to "Chuck Versus the Wookie" when Sarah described Morgan in the same fashion following a game of "Know-Ya!"
• Morgan and Casey being tied up is a callback to "Chuck Versus the Undercover Lover" when Chuck and Casey are tied up and Casey uses Chuck to kick an enemy as he does with Morgan.
• The ending is a callback to Chuck's "wicked vinyl collection" as mentioned by Morgan in "Chuck Versus the Sandworm".
• During dialogue with the musician Yvonne Strahovski uses Polish language for a third time in the series.
• This is the second time Morgan exposes the main villain, the first time was in the previous episode
• When Diego is running towards him, Morgan uses "the Morgan" for protection. It is used and referenced by Chuck in "Chuck Versus the First Kill"
• When Chuck uses the phone booth to talk to General Beckman, the operator requests him to insert two euros before disconnecting them. Switzerland is not part of the EU and does not have the euro. The correct currency would be Swiss francs.

Flashes

• Chuck identifies Arnaldo as a member of the Basque terrorist group ETA with a flash.
• While fleeing Arnaldo's compartment on the train, Chuck uses a flash on gymnastics to re-enter his own compartment from the roof of the speeding vehicle.
• Chuck flashes on French to address another passenger while preparing to capture Arnaldo.
• Chuck flashes on martial arts and swing dancing moves to prepare for the fight in the café.

References to Popular Culture

• Chuck and Sarah riding a motor scooter while handcuffed is similar to James Bond and Wai Lin riding a motorcycle while handcuffed in Tomorrow Never Dies
• Lester told Jeff to bring their turtlenecks when they went unplugged in Ellie's party. This and also their looks during the gig was that of Simon & Garfunkel
• Chuck plays "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone for Sarah at the end of the episode to signify their new life together, much the same way as the song was used in the spy film Point of No Return starring Bridget Fonda.
• When Morgan realizes that the Canadian girl on the train is a spy, he groans "Oh Canada", this is a reference to "O Canada", the Canadian national anthem.

Reception

"Chuck Versus the Honeymooners" was watched by 6 million viewers, for a 2.1 18-49 rating.^[1]

Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B rating.^[2]

References

External links

• "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners" at TV.com