(S02E20) “Chuck vs. the First Kill”

Poor Big Mike. On tonight’s Chuck, Emmett gets sneaky and tricks Morgan into leading a group brown-nosing session where all hail to Chief Emmett in order to get him out of the store and onto better things. Unfortunately, what Morgan and the rest of the crew fail to realize is that Buy More’s corporate manager wasn’t there to evaluate Emmett, but instead Big Mike. The very man they sent on a fishing trip for the day while the store was left in Emmett’s “safe” hands, ends up demoted and miserable.

The Buy More crew weren’t the only one being used and abused. In a desperate attempt to break his dad free from harm, Chuck turns to ex-girlfriend/fulcrum agent Jill who eventually leads them to a Fulcrum cover building where recruitment as well as holding cells are used in exchange for her own freedom, a freedom Chuck and the crew never plan on showing her. However, after Jill proves useful, Chuck realizes that he may not have a lot, but he does still have his word and he cuts her loose.

The General, less than thrilled that Jill is now running free and Orion is still MIA, instructs Casey and Sarah to trick Chuck into their custody where they’ll take him underground and destroy any hopes of his having a normal life. Basically, they’re planning on putting him into a nice little prison where his problems no longer have to be there own. Casey shows no hesitation but Sarah, of course, is not ready to let her almost-boyfriend go. After a final show of humanity and trust by Chuck, Sarah decides that keeping him alive and in a somewhat semblance of normal is more important than government orders. The pair are now AWOL and soon to be hot pursuit from the government.

There’s plenty of big questions to be answered this season. Will Orion be saved? Will he be able to get reverse the damage that the intersect has done on Chuck’s brain and personal life? Will Sarah and Chuck ever be able to experience a normal relationship? However, the question I’m most curious about at the moment is, which side will Casey choose? This Regan-loving, all-American soldier sure does find pride in his CIA roots, but one has to wonder if there will ever be a time when humanity will win out over patriotism. Something to ponder anyway.