Team Bartowski, previously known as Operation Bartowski, is the main spy team of the series that was assembled by NSA Director Diane Beckman and CIA Director Langston Graham when they were still serving under the US intelligence.
The team consisted of Chuck Bartowski, CIA agent Sarah Walker, NSA Operative John Casey, and Morgan Grimes.
The team mainly operates out of their secret base, Castle, hidden under the Buy More in Burbank. They also often utilize their heavily modified van during missions.
With the fourth season finale, Team Bartowski was disbanded, when they were fired after Chuck went rogue to save Sarah's life.
This led ultimately to the decision for the team to form a freelance spy agency, with all the assets of Volkoff Industries gifted to them by Hartley Winterbottom and Vivian Volkoff backing them.
Members[]
- Chuck Bartowski: Human Intersect until Season Four finale
- Morgan Grimes: Human Intersect in part of Season Five
- Sarah Walker
- John Casey
Member Roles[]
In Season One and Season Two, Chuck's primary role is as an observer/analyst - possessing no fighting abilities of his own, he is relied upon to 'flash' on important objects or information, solve puzzles, and occasionally help out if necessary. When he uploads Intersect 2.0, however, in Chuck Versus the Ring, he gains the ability to learn martial arts and other skills by flashing at need. Additionally, in the 6 months prior to the beginning of Season Three, he is trained to become a spy at a CIA facility in Prague.
His dislike of firearms means he usually dispatches enemies with non-lethal methods, such as with tranquilizer guns. Throughout Season Four, Chuck matures as a spy.
Sarah and Casey provide the backbone of the team, specializing in martial arts and firearms usage. Their role remains constant throughout the series, providing the upfront force needed in the team, and when Chuck progresses to become a true spy in Season Three, they work in tandem with each other. In "Chuck Versus the Truth", upon being contaminated with the potentially fatal Truth Serum, Casey reveals that Sarah is more adept at lock picking than he is. Casey's strong personality has often caused rifts in the team, however, for example in Chuck Versus the Sensei, when the anger caused by the appearance of his old sensei, now Fulcrum agent Ty Bennett, causes Casey to make a request to Beckman that Chuck should be "benched" from this mission. Similarly, Chuck and Sarah's close relationship has often resulted in fall outs, for example in Chuck Versus the Three Words, when, after the events in Chuck Versus the Pink Slip, Sarah requests a transfer off the team after Chuck reveals his feelings for her.
Morgan joined the team when Chuck revealed his secret life to him in Chuck Versus the Beard. He becomes an officially sanctioned member after Casey negotiated with Beckman to accept him in exchange for an important prisoner. As a team member, he is the least capable, like Chuck once was, however, in his short service he has on several occasions shown himself very capable, for example in Chuck Versus the Honeymooners,
Morgan recovers from 10,000 volts
when he realizes two Interpol agents are actually undercover ETA agents when the agents, supposedly stationed at Lake Como, misidentify an annual boating festival for "Palaces" and in Chuck Versus the Couch Lock, where he is directly responsible for the capture of the fugitives in an act that Chuck described as the single bravest thing he'd ever seen, followed by an admonition never to do something like that again.
He has been code named "The Magnet" in Chuck Versus the Aisle of Terror, where Casey pretends to assist him on his first mission. Morgan waited in a parking lot, while he was dressed professionally and carrying a briefcase. He was held at gunpoint by an enemy agent who Casey wanted documents from. Casey shows up behind the man, with the man now at gunpoint as well. Morgan then realizes why he was code named as The Magnet.
Daniel Shaw first joined the team in Chuck Versus Operation Awesome, when, after Chuck and Devon successfully revive him, he takes control of the team. He frequently overrode the authority of the other team members in order to discover the potential of Chuck as a real agent. After briefly romancing with Sarah after Chuck Versus the Fake Name, he is apprehended by The Ring and it is revealed to him that his wife was killed by Sarah Walker during her "red test".
Sarah is unaware that his wife was her victim, however, and apologizes profusely when it is revealed to her in Chuck Versus the American Hero. Whilst Shaw insists that it will not get in the way of the team, it is slowly revealed that he then plotted his revenge by working with The Ring, culminating in abducting Sarah in Paris in Chuck Versus the Other Guy. When Chuck manages to track him down and attempts to take him out, Shaw escapes with Sarah and warns Chuck not to follow, or he will kill him as well. Chuck, of course, does follow and successfully stops Shaw, which results in the long awaited consummation of a romance between Chuck and Sarah.
Alex Forrest was only a peripheral member of the team briefly, after she replaces Sarah in Chuck Versus the Broken Heart, when Beckman initiates a "49B" and removes Sarah as Chuck's handler, as she feels the close relationship between her and Chuck compromises the team. Sarah is reinstated at the end of the episode, after she successfully safeguards Chuck when Forrest did not, and Forrest is reassigned.
Carina Miller and Cole Barker are both associates of the team, with Carina first appearing during Chuck Versus the Wookiee, as one of Sarah's past friends. Having played Team Bartowski to obtain the diamond they are tasked with stealing from a suspected drug smuggler for her own aims at the DEA. Carina appears again during Chuck Versus the Three Words, tasked with stealing a "weapon" with the team (which actually turns out to be information left by a deep cover agent on the Ring). At the end of the episode, Carina sleeps with Morgan, as he is the only man ever to say no to her. Cole Barker appears during two episodes in Season Two, Chuck Versus the Beefcake and Chuck Versus the Lethal Weapon, and is originally assumed to be Fulcrum, though he later proves a staunch ally. Cole is a deep cover MI6 (SIS) agent tasked with infiltration the splinter organization. In the episode of his first appearance, the team are tasked with helping him retrieve a playback device to access the information stored on a Fulcrum data chip, containing the names of every Fulcrum agent currently working inside the CIA.
Unfortunately all does not go to plan, and Chuck, Sarah, and Cole are captured by Fulcrum and submitted to torture. They are soon rescued by Casey however, and Cole is sent back to the UK alone after having been refused by Sarah when asked to go with him). Cole's driver is killed by a Fulcrum agent, en route to the airport, however, and he is once again captured, only to escape again at the beginning of the next episode, with another mission to follow.
Jim Rye was a brief associate, sent from Langley, help retrieve the suppressed Intersect 2.0. After a month of having NSA scientists investigate on Chuck's mind, they found out that the Intersect is hidden in a part of the brain still, but inactive. Jim tries to scare Chuck into using the Intersect's skills by using Chuck's fear of death. The Intersect only partially flashes at times in Chuck Versus the Fear of Death, and Rye keeps pushing for complete success. He sends Chuck on a mission to Switzerland, completely away from the safety of Casey and Sarah. Chuck is then kidnapped by the Belgian after Agent Rye is killed. The Belgian assumes Chuck still has a working Intersect.
Team History[]
CIA agent Bryce Larkin had stolen the the Intersect and sent it to Chuck, who unintentionally downloaded the Intersect into his mind when he opened an e-mail addressed to him in Chuck Versus the Intersect. Both CIA and NSA, whilst not being certain of who the Intersect had been sent to, narrowed it down to Burbank, CA, where they sent top CIA Agent Sarah Walker to investigate. She successfully locates Chuck, however NSA agent John Casey was sent to kill him. However, when Chuck flees with Sarah to avoid getting killed, he flashes on a bomb plot in a nearby hotel, where a high profile dinner is being staged.
With the help of Casey and Sarah, Chuck successfully averts a major disaster by defusing the bomb using a Russian computer virus. Similarly, in Chuck Versus the Helicopter,Chuck proves his worth when he aids the escape of Agent Walker from enemy captive, and, after being captured himself, successfully hijacks a helicopter before landing it safely, with Sarah's aid. Based on these events, both the NSA and CIA agree on the adeptness of the team, and decide to put the trio to use.
In Chuck Versus the Tic Tac, Casey appears to go AWOL, as he assists the Ring in obtaining a package from a 15-level underground US Government facility when the team attempt to "spy-proof" the building under Beckman's orders. Chuck notices Casey take the package, and inadvertently reveals this to Beckman, who questions Casey. When he does not respond, she strips him of his rank, and he is officially ejected from the US Military.
Initially, Chuck and Sarah believe Casey is unaware who he is dealing with, but it is revealed he is fully aware he is assisting the Ring when they attempt to break him out of his holding cell. However, they later find out he was blackmailed by The Ring, and told that unless he complied they would kill his old fiancee. Casey begins a brief but fruitful civilian life working at the Buy More, during which time he comes under fire from Jeff and Lester, as he regularly assaults them. Big Mike helps him to control his emotions, and he apologizes when they go for lunch at Subway. In Chuck Versus the American Hero, after Chuck is offered a deployment in Rome and a team consisting of anyone he wants by Beckman, Casey takes interest - despite officially being a traitor, within reason he would be allowed to join Chuck in Rome. He highlights his "extensive military experience", and Chuck decides that if he helps him get Sarah back, he will happily reinstate him in his team for Rome. When the situation doesn't go to plan, however, and Chuck suspects Shaw of being a double agent, Beckman denies Chuck the opportunity to work in Rome. Finally, in "Chuck versus the Other Guy", when Casey captures The Ring leader and opens up a comms link with Beckman, he demands reinstatement for transferal of the leader. Beckman reluctantly accepts, and Casey is officially reinstated into Team Bartowski.Whilst Sarah and Chuck had brief flirtations before, as of Chuck Versus the Other Guy the two have begun a real relationship. This has impacted the team greatly, with Chuck and Sarah working more closely together, whilst Casey has been assigned to mentor Morgan.