| Chuck Versus the Masquerade | |
| Season 04, Episode 16 | |
 | |
| Air Date | February 21, 2011 |
| Writer | Rafe Judkins & Lauren LeFranc |
| Director | Patrick R. Norris |
| Previous | Chuck Versus the Cat Squad |
| Next | Chuck Versus the First Bank of Evil |
- "I never expected this to be my life, but here I am, and I'm happy."
- ― Chuck
Chuck Versus the Masquerade is the sixteenth episode in the fourth season of Chuck, which aired on February 21, 2011.
Synopsis
A much anticipated Valentine's Day is interrupted when Chuck and the team are sent to England to protect a reclusive young heiress, Vivian McArthur (Lauren Cohan). Meanwhile, Casey is tempted by NCS Director Jane Bentley (Robin Givens).
Back at home, Ellie and Devon find an unlikely solution to a parenting problem, as Morgan ponders a big move.
Full Story
The episode begins when a former Volkoff Industries operative Boris Kaminsky (David S. Lee) begins a search for a key that can unlock a part of Volkoff's office to claim the organization. He kills off two of Volkoff's lieutenants, leading him to a last one in Volkoff's organization, who tells him that he knows where the key currently is. The lieutenant is spared, but found dead later on by the CIA.
Chuck unveiling his homemade "Love Machine" shirt
Meanwhile, Chuck cedes Morgan the living room to spend Valentine's Day with Alex, ahile he and Sarah retreat to the bedroom. Chuck enters his bedroom and surprises Sarah with a shirt he made. Before Sarah unveils her own special outfit for Chuck, she tells him to get her chocolate strawberries she made from the kitchen. Chuck then sneaks out to get them, as Morgan and Alex are playfully blindfolded. Chuck is then interrupted by a phone call from Beckman. Chuck declines the call as Sarah picks up the strawberry bowl. Her dress coat stuck to the wall and she takes the coat off and surprises Chuck with a sexy winged cupid outfit. Casey arrives at that point and grunts after seeing the two couples in the living room. Alex is busy explaining herself to her father as Morgan is upset at Chuck for being in the living room with Sarah. Casey just tells them to leave for a mission immediately.
Happy Valentine's Day
At Castle, the team realizes that Castle is suddenly crowded by agents, who Beckman tells them are from the National Clandestine Service (NCS) who are expanding parts of Castle. The team is briefed on a mission to protect Vivian McArthur (Lauren Cohan) from Boris at her country estate in England.
At a masquerade party at Vivian's manor, Chuck and Sarah split to find her, Morgan and Casey are disguised as bartenders. Casey finds a woman who intimidates him by saying that he was born to be an impressive bartender, where Morgan promptly agrees that the drinks he's made is in fact fantastic.
Sarah then runs into Boris, as the two ask each other if they had seen Vivian. Meanwhile, Chuck unknowingly stumbles upon Vivian who is not enjoying the party. The two then converse before Chuck asks if she had seen Vivian, to which she sarcastically responds in third person that no one ever really knows her and that the party was a failed attempt to get to know her neighbors. Sarah meets with Chuck and tells him that Boris is around, Chuck tells Sarah that he just found Vivian. They then head over to Vivian's stable, where she is grooming her horse. Sarah holds her at gun point, Vivian is confused when Sarah attempts to arrest Vivian for being an associate of Alexei Volkoff. They are then interrupted when a group of Volkoff's men attack them. Vivian then tells Sarah that she has nothing to do with Volkoff, she had not seen him for years, but she then reveals that she is his daughter and has lived her whole life believing that her father is an oil company executive. The team then escapes the manor in one of Vivian's cars and return to Burbank.
Returning to Castle, the team finds out that Vivian is merely a civilian and has nothing to do with her father's notorious organization. She explains that her father had never spent much time with her and kept sending her to boarding schools. Chuck tries to calm Vivian down and tells her that he once used to be like, dragged into the spy world and later is content with being a spy. Vivian then proposes to be bait to lure Boris and the other men looking for her to know more about the key to Volkoff's office as she knows nothing of it.
The team returns to England, except for Morgan who is moving out of Chuck and Sarah's apartment. Sarah poses as Vivian for the latter's daily morning horse ride. Vivian gives Sarah her necklace to complete the disguise before leaving to the forest to lure out the men hunting her. Casey is ready in the forest as a sniper, awaiting Sarah to be tailed. Halfway through the forest, Sarah falls unconscious off the horse when Boris had it panicking. The horse then runs back to the staple ranch where Chuck is with Vivian. The two then ride into the forest on the horse to rescue Sarah as she is being approached by the men. Sarah is saved when Casey puts his sharpshooting to good use.
As Chuck and Vivian ride through the forest, they are tailed by two other men. Chuck flashes and hangs onto a tree, and kicks the two men unconscious. Chuck then runs to Casey and Sarah as she asks where Vivian is. Back at the stable, Vivian is held at gunpoint by Boris. He asks her for the key, but Vivian is still unaware what or where the key is. Vivian then pulls out a shotgun hidden beside the horse and kills Boris.
After the mission was done, the team comfort her through her trauma, explaining it was self defense. They ask her if she at least now knows where the key is, as Sarah gives back the necklace to her. Vivian looks sharply at her necklace that has a locket with the letter 'V' on it. She then promptly responds that she still does not know where the key is. Casey assures her that Volkoff Industries will not be returning anymore without a leader, as Boris has been killed along with the other lieutenants that Boris killed himself.
Before the episode ends, Vivian visits the sealed up Volkoff Industries Headquarters by herself and enters Volkoff's office. She finds a spot with the letter 'V', and places her locket onto it, confirming it as the key. This then unlocks a secret entrance in Volkoff's office.
Meanwhile, Devon and Ellie are mega-stressing on handling their baby. While at the Buy More, the two find out that Clara would not stop crying until she is comforted by a certain song playing in a teddy bear belonging to Jeff and Lester. They attempt to find out about it by asking them at first, but knowing Lester, he would probably rather play the music live to their baby instead, so they decided to steal their teddy bear.
They then keep their baby comforted with the song playing in the teddy bear. And also gave her own room as she is already three months old. In addition to Clara's room, Morgan had given the baby his childhood collectibles of Star Wars that he bought with Chuck.
Throughout the episode, both Morgan and Casey display a strong feeling of being left out. Morgan feels irrelevant as Chuck and Sarah are engaged, meanwhile Casey is feeling left out as he has been put into service as a bartender and on paperwork.
Morgan makes a decision to move out of Echo Park as he feels that Chuck and Sarah deserve their own home. Morgan then decided that he would rather not split the various collectibles the two collected since childhood, but rather gave their Star Wars Han Solo and Chewbacca collectibles to Clara Woodcomb to remain as a part of their family.
Meanwhile, Casey is being persuaded by Director Jane Bentley of the NCS. The NCS maintain at Castle for several days and began constructing additions to the place. Bentley tempts Casey to join the NCS when Casey was formerly one of the best sharpshooters of all time, and is now serving in Team Bartowski disguising as bartenders, waiters, and doing paperwork. Near the end of the episode, Bentley shows Casey to an entrance to a new part in Castle, restricted to only NCS staff.
Guest Stars
- Mekenna Melvin as Alex McHugh
- Lauren Cohan as Vivian McArthur
- Robin Givens as Director Jane Bentley
- David S. Lee as Boris Kaminsky
- Tudor Petrut as Jurek
- Sonya Macari as Antonia
- David Reynolds as Christoph
Quotes
Chuck: Sarah, I gotta tell you, masquerades really creep me out, okay. It's like Eyes Wide Shut but, you know, not so boring.
Sarah: Chuck, c'mon, it's just a bunch of socialites wearing masks.
Chuck: Yeah, could be that; or it's a sex crazed orgy party where they don't want you to see their faces or know their secrets.
Sarah: No, I've been to those kinds of parties and it doesn't look anything like this.
Chuck: What!? Wha...wha...wha..what? Really?
Sarah: C'mon, Chuck, don't be ridiculous.
~
Chuck:Buddy, I know you're commited to moving out, and I get it,but I can't tell you enough how much Sarah and I love you, and love having you here.
Morgan: Dude. I love being here. It'd be easy to leave if things sucked, you know, and I need to grow up. Maybe that means leaving behind something that's great too.
Chuck: The end of an era.
Morgan: It is indeed.
Trivia
- This episode was a Valentine's Day special, despite being broadcast a week after it, with Template:415 airing on that day instead.
- The episode was originally to be titled as "Chuck Versus the First Mate".
- One of the earliest promo pictures prior to the pilot episode with Morgan and Chuck is seen when Morgan looks into their old stuff before moving out.
- Casey refers to Chuck and Sarah's relationship as "Charah", which is used by fans to refer to the couple.
- When Boris confronts Vivian for the key, he claims her father was training her, without her realizing. This conversation is very similar to a conversation in the book/film Stormbreaker by Anthony Horrowitz. Some of the stated reasons are almost exactly the same, like knowing martial arts, and being fluent in several languages.
Music
- "Felicia" by The Constellations
- "Immunize" by Pendulum
- "Love Insurance" by Mike Kirkland
- "Send Me on My Way" by Rusted Root
- "Crinan Wood" by Alexi Murdoch
- "No Time For Dreams" by Last Days of April
- "Squealing Pigs" by Admiral Fallow