Two words: Weinerlicious uniform.

For the record, and for the uninitiated, Weinerlicious is a fictional restaurant name, not an adjective in the above phrase. “Chuck Versus the Helicopter” could possibly be the most screencapped episode of Chuck in the entire series just for that singular costume Agent Walker dons to blend in on the outskirts of Buymoria.

But that’s not what’s great about this episode. (OK, it’s one thing that’s great about this episode.) Storywise, what sets this one apart is that it’s really a continuation of the pilot. It’s as though there was so much to establish, so much character motivation for which to lay a foundation that they needed another hour to put it all in place.

I’ll get into that and a whole lot more after the jump in this second Remote Access Chuck recap in conjunction with Chuck Me Mondays. The tweets were out of control again last night. Apologies to all my Twitter followers. I tried to be witty, at least. Or is that twitty?

If the pilot set us up with Chuck, “Versus the Helicopter” added crucial elements of what Sarah and Casey are all about. And what they’re all about, I’d quite forgotten, is trusting no one, especially not each other.

So I was a bit taken a back when Sarah tore into Chuck near the end.

“No, it is not OK. How could you think I was the double, huh? I am not Bryce. Bryce betrayed everything that I believe in, and if you ever accuse me of that again then I will walk away. Mission over. We all go back to Washington. And you do not want that to happen Chuck. That you should trust me on.”

I have to be honest, I did not like Sarah in that moment. That tirade was part-threat, part-personal issues bubblilng over and part-her not appreciating what an amazing thing Chuck had just accomplished, not only in landing a helicopter but in generally saving her butt from the evil Dr. Zarnow.

Going back to Washington means going down the rabbit hole for Chuck, so to me it was wrong of her to throw that in his face. She didn’t like being distrusted, but I think it was her mixed emotions about Bryce that fed her fury most at that moment. The sight of her at Bryce’s funeral in the ensuing montage only confirmed that for me. And it just wasn’t right. Her apology the next day at the Weinerlicious was necessary.

And what she said to Chuck next really sets up the series.

You know, with Dr. Zarnow gone, Chuck, those Intersect secrets aren’t going anywhere. That means more missions, more danger, more secrets that you can’t tell your sister or your friends. Some people want to be heroes, and some people have to be asked. So, Chuck, are you ready?

Coming so early in the series, this of course was an episode of firsts. Besides the first glimpse of Sarah’s legendary cover costume, we got (I think) the first Tron poster reference from Morgan, the first look at the souped-up home theater room, the first time Chuck didn’t stay in the car and the first look at General Beckman, at least the actress who’d continue to portray her.

Dr. Zarnow is also the first Intersect engineer Chuck would encounter, albeit anonymously. Zarnow’s testing of his Intersect abilities was hilarious for the pop culture references the writers dropped in.

There was a Lost reference to Oceanic Flight 815, a possible reference to Tom Clancy’s book “The Cardinal of the Kremlin” and a mention of “Northrop Davis voting computers,” which was meaningless to me until I found that defense contractor Northrop Grumman got into voting machines in 2002. There might even have been a Da Vinci Code reference in there.

Zarnow seems to get blown to bits by a cell phone bomb—though we don’t see the explosion. The Sarah-Casey distrust begins with her finding and consealing the shattered phone from Casey and later telling Chuck it’s proof Casey terminated the doctor. Who’s Chuck to argue, right? Well, Casey employs reverse logic to convince him that it’s Sarah who’s “cleaning” up all contacts to her and Chuck may be next.

For all her indignation later at being so accused, I don’t blame him for his suspicions.

The immediate result is a most excellent Weinerlicious fight scene in which Sarah kicks Casey’s butt and then shows up for dinner with the Awesomes. Ellie, of course, is blown away (figuratively) by her brother’s catch.

It’s a really minor point, but I loved this quick exchange after Chuck shows up. It’s kind of a comedic bass line that you feel more than hear.

Chuck: Everyone OK?

Morgan: Yeah, just a little hungry, dude. You’re late.

Awesome: And dirty for my tastes.

Dinner with the Awesomes usually turns personal, usually thanks to Devin. So you’ve got Bryce discomfort, an agent showdown and the faux Chuck-Sarah relationship as undertones of an already awkward family dinner.

Convinced by Casey that Sarah’s souffle is laced, Chuck calls back to the cold open by pulling the tablecloth away. If Morgan had done it, Chuck’s plan would have worked. As it was he needed Casey’s help to torch the souffle before dancing on it in the tub. That is not the way to a woman’s heart.

When Zarnow’s plot clicks with Sarah, she runs out and is captured within seconds. I found that a little tough to believe. Those tranquilizer guns figure pretty prominently in this show. Luckily, the quiches Casey brought—wait, Casey brought quiches?—were laced with trackable microbots that lead them right to…Morgan.

This was the point in the episode where Chuck employs his non-Intersect abilities, deducing where to find Sarah in a way that impresses even Casey.

One thread throughout this episode is Bryce’s death, which we believe to be real at this point. In a way it gives the episode a kind of depth. It throws off Chuck when Ellie shows him the obituary, and it clearly affects Sarah at a few different points. It’s like a curveball that gives the episode a subtle emotional edge.

The fact that neither Chuck nor Sarah fully grasped the impact Bryce had on the other made this episode even more interesting to watch knowing how things would play out.

That’s a rare quality for a show to get better on second and third viewings, particularly with the knowledge of future events. That makes Beckman’s final orders to Casey to eliminate Chuck once the new Intersect comes online even more compelling. If she only knew, huh?

Loose ends worth noting:

• I loved Casey’s line, “No problems, only solutions.” Very military. I had a marine reservist for a college roommate who used to say stuff like that.


• Chuck gets the Code Zebra Linux call because Jeffster are Mac artists. Have we heard that since?


• I loved Zarnow divulging his motivations to Chuck with his back to Sarah as she picks her handcuff lock. And he doesn’t even shoot her before escaping with Chuck. So very Scooby Doo-esque.


• Chuck has a very lucky ID badge. He’s also lucky that helicopter’s can stay aloft indefinitely without a pilot. And he’s lucky that any flying machine can be flown and landed by a lay person with the right coaching.

Thus ends the recap. What’d I miss? What’d I misinterpret? What was I so spot-on about that you’re marveling at my insights? Comment liberally, or conservatively as your politics dictate.

And I’ll see you again on Chuck Me Monday.