Chuck Versus the Other Guy

Chuck Versus the Other Guy
Season 3, Episode 13

Air Date	April 5, 2010
Writer	Chris Fedak
Director	Peter Lauer
Previous	Chuck Versus the American Hero
Next	Chuck Versus the Honeymooners

"It means you haven't changed, you're still Chuck. You're still my Chuck."

―Sarah

Chuck Versus the Other Guy is the thirteenth episode of the third season of Chuck, which aired on the 5th of April, 2010.

Synopsis[]

Shaw insists that their main goal is to bring down the Ring, and he assures the team that his discovery that Sarah was the instrument used in the death of Evelyn Shaw is immaterial, that the Ring is still to blame. A distraught Sarah has faith that Shaw is ready for the mission, but Chuck is worried about his emotional stability.

Sarah finally declares her love for Chuck, before heading to Paris on a mission with Shaw that turns out to be a setup. When Chuck and Morgan realize Shaw has been turned, they recruit Casey and go to the rescue.

Full Story[]

As the episode opens, Shaw has taken Sarah to a warehouse where he claims the Ring Director has been tracked. The two break into the facility and Shaw leads her down into its lower levels, where he deliberately separates from Sarah and leaves her alone to find video equipment playing a looped recording of the film of Eve's death, shown to him by the Director. Sarah recognizes it as her red test, and Shaw reveals to her that the woman she killed was his wife, Evelyn. He tells the horrified Sarah that he knows she wasn't to blame and that she was set up by her superiors.

Meanwhile, a concerned Beckman informs Chuck of the development, and Chuck is panicking over Sarah's disappearance. He turns to Casey for help, but Casey is still discouraged by civilian life. Chuck manages to convince him to help when Sarah's emergency locator activates. With contact information provided by Casey, Chuck launches an assault on the warehouse complex, complete with air support and a tank, only to arrive and find Shaw and Sarah in what appears to be perfect safety. It is then that his squad bursts in.

Back at Castle, Chuck is reprimanded by Beckman for his unauthorized use of the strike team, although Shaw defends his actions, saying he was being a good agent in protecting his partner, that he was acting like a true spy. He then inquires as to who set up Sarah's red test. Beckman says that Director Graham took the secret to his grave. Furthermore, she says that the team must be disbanded, as they can't work together with such history. Shaw replies that the Ring has turned people against them before, and it's better that they go after the Director and take out the Ring together, saying he can still work with Sarah.

Up at the Buy More, Morgan believes that he is going to be made a full member of Team Bartowski and tenders his resignation to Big Mike. Seeing this from afar, Jeff and Lester see this as an opportunity. When Casey confronts him, it turns out that Casey is actually beginning settle into the Buy More. Morgan then leaves, telling Casey enjoy his old life, a sentiment Casey repeats.

Meanwhile, Chuck calls Beckman, trying to point out that it must be apparent that Shaw is an emotional train wreck. She brushes off his concerns, saying that Shaw is a complete professional, unlike him. Beckman orders Sarah and Shaw to Washington to head up the search for the Director, and benches Chuck until she decides what to do with him.

The fact that Sarah is leaving with Shaw leaves Chuck so depressed that he starts drinking while playing Guitar Hero 5. When Morgan returns home, he attempts to stop Chuck from descending into this spiral to the "dark place" that he went into after college when Jill left him. When Morgan keeps pushing, however, Chuck flashes and ties him up in game controllers. Sarah then arrives and finds Chuck depressed, drunk, and half dressed, with Morgan trussed up on the floor. After she frees Morgan, she speaks to Chuck, who says he forgot to ask her an important question; he asks her if she loves him. Sarah says yes, and kisses him. Chuck breaks the kiss to ask her what about his red test, and she explains that Casey told her what really happened, saying that it was the best news she had ever heard, because she knew that he was still Chuck, that he was still her Chuck.

Sarah then tells him they have a mission. Morgan emerges to help finish sobering Chuck up, and then he and Sarah go to meet Shaw at a Ring Base where the Director is said to be. Chuck is still unsure of Shaw, but goes along with the attempt to apprehend the Director by breaking into his private elevator while Shaw provides security. Chuck tells Sarah his skepticism before Chuck and Sarah confront the Director, who reveals that the Ring has developed its own prototype of the Intersect Cipher, and carefully manipulates the situation to create a standoff between Sarah, Chuck, and two of his operatives. He then reveals that they have walked into a trap when several additional Ring agents arrive and force Chuck and Sarah to stand down. Shaw arrives and shoots the Director's men and says he will cover their withdrawal while he retrieves the Cipher. The elevator doors close, leaving Chuck and Sarah outside as they hear a gunshot. After they leave the facility, it is revealed that the entire incident was staged by the Director, and Shaw has been turned.

The team debriefs at Castle, and Beckman reprimands Shaw for shooting the Director, but Chuck comes to his defense, saying he saved their lives. Beckman reveals that the Ring's Cipher is flawed, and based on the components, was manufactured in Paris. Beckman orders Shaw and Sarah to follow-up, Chuck is to stay where he is.

Chuck returns home, and while Morgan is unconvinced of Shaw's motives, Chuck is confident. But, when Chuck shows Morgan security footage of Shaw defeating several Ring operatives in hand-to-hand combat, Morgan stops the video when he notices that none of Shaw's attacks actually connected. When he asks if Chuck had actually seen any blood or grey matter from wounds during the mission, Chuck realizes that Morgan is right. The fight was a sham and Shaw really has turned.

Chuck attempts to contact Beckman with this discovery, but she angrily suspends Chuck when she sees Morgan in Castle, leaving the two alone on the mission to save Sarah. Morgan reminds Chuck they have one more asset they can count on: Casey. Morgan makes a motivational speech to Casey, seeing that he's following his old footsteps, this is enough to convince Casey to get back on his feet. On the flight to Paris, Chuck tries flashing on any information pertinent to stopping Shaw but all what he gets is intelligence from ten years ago. Casey assures him that he doesn't need an Intersect to figure it out, before the Intersect he was smart, and he has to use that to get the intel they needed to save Sarah, it's what he has to do. Chuck then studies the files again.

Meanwhile, Shaw takes Sarah to the street where Evelyn was killed, and Sarah realizes what he is doing and that he has been turned by the Ring. He then poisons her with a paralytic agent, and the Director appears, revealing the CIA suspected Eve may have been turned, so Graham ordered Sarah's red test to eliminate her. Shaw turns over all his technical data on the Intersect to the Director, who leaves so Shaw can eliminate Sarah.

Chuck and Casey arrive, and while Casey deals with the Director, Chuck confronts Shaw, having determined from all his files that every year, Shaw comes to Paris to visit the site of his wife's death. Therefore, it was logical he would want Sarah to see it too. The two fight, but Chuck doesn't want to hurt Shaw, merely protect Sarah. He does flash once, disarming Shaw. Shaw, however, then disarms Chuck, knocking him down. Shaw apologizes and assures Chuck that he is not at fault, and promises not to reveal his identity as the Intersect if he does not interfere. If he tries to follow, he says he will kill Chuck.

Chuck, however, will not allow Sarah to be hurt, and picks up a gun to pursue them, confronting Shaw on a bridge where Shaw intends to throw Sarah into the river. Chuck tries to reason with Shaw, pleading with him not to do this, but Shaw is convinced Chuck is incapable of shooting him, and will not abandon his own obsession for revenge. With no other option, and to save Sarah's life, Chuck shoots Shaw three times in the chest. Shaw topples from the bridge, trying to pull Sarah over the edge with him into the river below. Chuck grabs Sarah, saving her, and watches as Shaw falls into the river.

Meanwhile, Casey video-calls Beckman, who firmly states that he no longer works for her, and unless the Buy More has a sale, they have nothing to talk about. She reverses her opinion when she learns that Casey has captured the Ring Director and asks what he wants in exchange for him. Casey requests that he be fully reinstated with his old rank, a new Crown Victoria, and a something she's probably not going to like.

Back in the US, Morgan goes to see Big Mike, asking for his job back. Big Mike reveals to Morgan that he couldn't bear to open the assistant manager position up and that the job was waiting for him. Big Mike and Morgan share a bonding moment and they settle on Morgan calling him Dad. As Morgan walks out of the door, he receives a phone call from General Beckman who offers him a spot on Team Bartowski. He thinks it is a joke, but Beckman states that the NSA does not joke. Morgan says he has to quit his job, but Beckman reminds him that he has to stay with the Buy More to maintain his cover.

Back in Paris, Chuck is sitting vigil while Sarah sleeps off the toxin Shaw used on her. When she finally awakens, he tells her everything, that he shot Shaw to save her, he could not let her be hurt, and he did what he had to do. He assures her he is still the same guy, that he is her Chuck. She appreciates that Chuck saved her, and she kisses him, but they are then interrupted by Beckman on a video call, who wants them back in Burbank immediately.

With a nod from Chuck, Sarah turns the computer around and closes the screen. Chuck tries to speak, but Sarah tells him to shut up and kiss her. He smiles and climbs into bed with her.

Guest Stars[]

Brandon Routh as Daniel Shaw
Mark Sheppard as the Ring Director
Bonita Friedericy as General Diane Beckman

Trivia[]

When Chuck asks Sarah if she loves him, she says "yes" four times. In the previous episode, Chuck says "I love you" to Sarah four different times when asking her to run away with him.
At the beginning of Sarah and Shaw's dinner date, Shaw apologizes for not having done this before. This being their first dinner date contradicts the implication from the later episode, Chuck Versus the Living Dead, of a previous romantic week for Shaw and Sarah in Washington DC.
As Shaw decides to leave Sarah and act as a target for the airstrike, we get some insight into their relationship. Shaw has been flirting with Sarah from the beginning and has clearly been successful at building a relationship with her, but his real love is always his deceased wife, not Sarah.
The one-minute conversation, where Sarah finally confesses that she loves Chuck, is a turning point of the entire series, with regard to Chuck and Sarah. Everything before that is ambiguous about whether they will be together; everything after that takes their love as a given.
When Sarah confesses to Chuck that she loves him she says that she fell in love with him 'After you fixed my phone, and before you started defusing bombs with viruses.' these events happened in the first episode of the series.
Shaw plummeting into the water and trying to take Sarah with him is similar to the ending of the movie Die Hard. There, villain Hans Gruber was shot by hero John McClane; before falling to his death from a high rise, Gruber grabbed Holly Gennaro (McClane's ex-wife) and tried to take her with him. Both scenes are shot in a similar fashion, with the camera pointed towards the villains as they begin their freefalls.

Quotes[]

Morgan: You are on the precipice of emotional ruin here!

Chuck: I'm already over the edge!

Morgan: No you're not! Soon you're going to start quoting liberally from the works of John Hughes and then things are going to go dark! Things are going to go really dark, and I'm not gonna let that happen!

~

Chuck: But earlier on in my... drunken haze... I realized I hadn't asked you a question, a really important question. I'd like to ask you now if that's okay. Just once for the record... Sarah, do you love me? [Long pause] Wow. I'm, uh, in my underwear. I'm sitting in my underwear holding a plastic guitar. There's a very good chance I'm making a complete fool of myself, isn't there?

Sarah: Yes.

Chuck: I should probably put some pants on.

Sarah: No, Chuck... Yes.

Chuck: What?... uh, What?

Sarah: Chuck, I fell for you a long, long time ago. After you fixed my phone, and before you started defusing bombs with viruses. So, yes. Yes.

~

Chuck: Right now, I need a team and you're all I've got, buddy, okay. CIA or no CIA we need to save Sarah, just the two of us.

Morgan: No. There is another.

~

Casey [to Chuck]: Focus! Forget the intersect, forget about being a spy. Before all of that you were smart. You're gonna take this intel, you're gonna figure out where Sarah is. It's what you have to do.

Music[]

"Kettering" by The Antlers
"If You Leave" by OMD
"Bye Bye Bye" by Plants and Animals