Chuck Versus the Subway

"Chuck Versus the Subway" is the 18th episode of the third season of Chuck. It originally aired on May 24, 2010 in a special two-hour block with "Chuck Versus the Ring: Part II." As the Intersect continues to malfunction Stephen hurries to complete the Governor for his son. Meanwhile, Ellie learns that her brother is a spy, as Daniel Shaw and the Ring close in on Team Bartowski and their families.

Plot summary

Plot

As Stephen works on Chuck’s Governor at Castle, Sarah takes Chuck out to distract him. However, Chuck flashes on Shaw's voice at a flea market, prompting Chuck to chase him into a subway where Shaw escapes. Stephen assists the team by hacking into security cameras and locating the subway station where Shaw exited. Team Bartowski goes to the station and locates a secret entrance to a Ring facility.

They split up and each cover one floor. Chuck stumbles upon the room where Justin Sullivan is keeping Ellie. He flashes to disarm and incapacitate Justin. Casey and Sarah discover that they are actually in a CIA facility, corrupted by Ring double agents.

Meanwhile, General Beckman defends Operation Bartowski in front of a board of National Security directors. They argue that the operation is too expensive and dangerous; she retaliates by saying they have been a successful spy team, albeit unorthodox. Chuck stumbles into the room while fighting Justin Sullivan, making matters worse for the future of the operation. Shaw walks in, explaining that he acted as a double agent within the Ring to gain intel, but that his cover was blown when Chuck shot him. He claims that Chuck is “a true American hero”, but advocates that the Intersect Project be shut down and Team Bartowski disbanded. As General Beckman shows a slideshow of the team’s successful missions, Shaw flashes on Alexis White. Chuck tries to prove that Shaw has the Ring Intersect by throwing a letter opener at him, but this backfires when Shaw allows the letter opener to impale him.

Chuck is arrested and placed in a holding cell. Stephen hacks into the security system, unlocking the door and shows Chuck the way out. He grabs Chuck in his car and they drive away. Sarah tries to force Shaw at gunpoint to admit his affiliation with the Ring, but this results in her being arrested, and eventually General Beckman as well. When Chuck discovers from Morgan that Casey, Sarah, and Beckman have all been arrested, Chuck and Stephen agree to rescue the other members of Team Bartowski and expose Shaw.

They go to Ellie and she leads them to the entrance of the actual Ring facility. They order Ellie to wait outside, as they uncover the Ring Intersect and the operating room where Shaw recovered. Shaw and Justin walk in with corrupt CIA agents. When Chuck suggests a battle of their Intersects, Shaw murders Stephen to break Chuck’s emotional calm. Ellie witnesses this and goes to Devon and Morgan. Team Bartowski is placed into an armored truck, supervised by Daniel Shaw, who tells them that they are going to die. Ellie is shown to be trailing behind the truck, while Morgan and Devon are in Casey's Crown Victoria, planning the rescue.

Morgan, Ellie, and Devon

Morgan is convinced that Ellie is cheating on Devon. He shows Devon the recording of Ellie talking to Justin Sullivan, saying she can't keep their secret from her husband anymore. This leaves Devon heartbroken, seeking advice from Big Mike, Jeff, and Lester.

Later, Ellie returns home after having been gone for more than a day. Devon asks her about the affair. She acts surprised at this suggestion, and explains that Chuck has been arrested by the CIA. Devon is relieved that she wasn't cheating on him, and accidentally reveals that Chuck is a CIA agent. Dissatisfied with the lack of information Devon can provide, Ellie and Devon go to Morgan for answers. He tells them of the Ring and her father and his personal assurances that Casey is not the enemy. In turn, she tells Morgan about Justin and Chuck's arrest.

After helping Chuck and Stephen find a Ring base, Ellie sneaks in behind them and witnesses her father's murder by Daniel Shaw. She tells Devon, who tells Morgan.

At the end of the episode, Ellie is trailing behind the armored truck containing Team Bartowski and their captor Shaw. Morgan and Devon are in Casey's Crown Victoria, planning the rescue.

Casey and Alex

Alex serves Casey breakfast at the diner where she works as a waitress. Casey later returns with a "friend" when he attempts to retrieve her before the Ring can get to her first. Justin holds him at gunpoint and eats while he talks to Casey about Alex. Casey knocks Justin unconscious and kidnaps Alex for her protection. That night, Casey agrees to release Alex from his car so she won't feel endangered, but she takes the opportunity to evade him with her self-defense training and runs away. Casey stops her and explains that he is her father. Alex does not believe him, even when he admits his real name is Alexander Coburn and that she was named after him. Although still uncertain of his story, she listens as he gives her the key to his Buy More locker. She runs at Casey's orders as he is captured by CIA agents under the direction of the Ring.

Alex goes to the Buy More and explains to Morgan that she is Casey's daughter. He takes her to the locker, where they unlock a secret compartment containing a large stack of cash. Morgan helps make arrangements for Alex to flee and disappear as Casey instructed.

Production

In this episode, Alex evades Casey with self-defense training. In reality, Mekenna Melvin has karate training and holds the level of a first-degree black belt in Taekwondo.^[1]

Continuity

• Stephen tells Chuck, "Aces, Charles." This was referenced as "a dad line" in "Chuck Versus the Intersect" and first spoken by Stephen in "Chuck Versus the Dream Job."
• Devon tells Ellie that the stripper at his bachelor party was a CIA agent, proving his faithfulness. This is a reference to "Chuck Versus the Broken Heart."
• Shaw calls Sarah "Sam", a reference to the revelation of her actual name in "Chuck Versus the Fake Name."
• This episode reveals what happened between Casey and his daughter Alex after "Chuck Versus the Tic Tac."
• Chuck tries to prove that Shaw has an Intersect by throwing a knife at him, hoping he will flash and catch it. Stephen did the same thing to Chuck in the previous episode, "Chuck Versus the Living Dead".

Flashes

• Chuck flashes on Shaw's voice at the market.
• Chuck flashes on martial arts to disarm and incapacitate Justin Sullivan.
• Shaw flashes on the name and picture of Alexis White.
• Chuck flashes on the control panel outside the Ring base, identifying the manufacturer McTiernan Industries as a subsidiary of the Ring.

Cultural references

• During the kitchen scene Morgan makes reference to Star Wars saying Chuck wouldn't join the Dark Side.
• When Morgan and Devon contact General Beckman from Castle, the last thing she tells them before being taken away is "You are our only hope", which is looped twice due to a system glitch. This is a nod to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and Princess Leia's hologram, saying a similar phrase to Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.
• Chuck says "Open Sesame" when he unlocks the door they had seen Agent Shaw go through, a reference to the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

References

External links

• "Chuck Versus the Subway" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Chuck Versus the Subway" at TV.com