Recap / Chuck S 1 E 04 Chuck Vs The Wookie

If you want a dull moment, just check out your cover story.

-Carina

Unpredictable and impulsive DEA agent Carina turns up with a mission for the team: steal drug lord Pehman Alahi's diamond. While preparing, Morgan meets Carina and becomes enamoured. Demanding that Chuck set up a double date, he inadvertently gives Carina an opportunity to sow discord within the team by letting Chuck know that Sarah used to date Bryce.

The team attends a pool party at the target's beach house to case the place, only for Carina to steal the diamond, trigger the alarms... and leave the team to deal with the fallout. Casey tracks her to her hotel to get the diamond back. Seeing him coming, Carina slips the diamond into a visiting Morgan's bag and uses her wiles to incapacitate Casey.

When Casey has been gone for too long, Sarah goes after him, only to run into Pehman Alahi and his goons who are also looking for the diamond. Meanwhile, Chuck finds the diamond in Morgan's bag...

**FLASH**

... And realises it's not a drug diamond after all, but is being used to fund terrorism. He calls Sarah, who tells him to bring the diamond to the hotel where she and Casey are being held hostage. Getting off the phone, Chuck is accosted by a burglar who turns out to be Carina, coming to steal the diamond back from Morgan. He tells her about Sarah, and although initially dismissive, she agrees to go and help.

Trope Flash:

• Actor Allusion: Before they fight, Carina and Sarah have a short conversation, with each speaking in the respective native language of their actresses: Carina (Mini Andén) speaks in Swedish while Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) speaks in Polish.
• Attack Hello: Carina's way of greeting Sarah is by breaking into her apartment to have a gratuitous Cat Fight.
• Backseat Changing Room: Sarah needs to change out of her mission outfit and into the uniform for her cover job at the Weinerlicious, and as she's already late she does so in the back seat as Chuck drives her there. Chuck's gaze is drawn by the view in the rearview mirror, until Casey covers it.
  Casey: Eyes front, soldier.
• Badass in Distress: While searching for the diamond, Alahi ends up capturing Sarah and Casey and contacts Chuck in order to exchange them for the diamond. Chuck goes, but manages to convince Carina to help out, and they manage to rescue Sarah and Casey and apprehend Alahi
• Bling-Bling-BANG!: Alahi has a blinged-out golden fun.
• Carpet of Virility: Drug baron Alahi's chest is significantly hairy, promptly Chuck to nickname him "Señor Wookie".
• Chained to a Bed: Sarah finds Casey handcuffed to a bed in his underwear after Carina's through with him. By Sarah's comment, it's implied their Noodle Incident also ended up this way. She actually takes her time freeing him, snatching her phone to take a picture. Gets less funny when Alahi and his goons break into the room and hold them both hostage. But he eventually gets free by breaking the headboard.
• Convenient Escape Boat: After stealing the diamond, Carina runs off to a jet ski she hid on the coast so she can make her escape.
• Dress Hits Floor: A favourite move of Carina's, seen twice in the episode: once on Chuck and once on Casey.
• Easily Forgiven: Sarah and Casey doesn't hold much of a grudge against Carina after she betrayed them, with her last-minute change of heart apparently being enough to mostly redeem her in their eyes.
• Femme Fatale Spy: Carina definitely embodies this, as she makes much more use of her seduction skills than Sarah ever did. Even Casey isn't immune to her seduction, despite knowing better. Apparently, she's just that good in bed. Lampshaded by Chuck
  Carina: You analysts don't know what it's like for us field agents. But it's our job. We shed identities like people shed clothes.
  Chuck: In your case, that's quite often.
• The Gadfly: Carina seems to live to cause chaos. Whether it's "accidentally" letting slip to Chuck that Sarah and Bryce were a couple, or trying to seduce Chuck to annoy Sarah, she will home in on any opportunity to upset the applecart.
• Goofy Print Underwear: We see Casey has lucky clover boxers when Carina leaves him Chained to a Bed.
• Hastily Hidden MacGuffin: When Casey's closing in on Carina while she has the diamond, she hides it away on Morgan via a Kiss of Distraction before confronting Casey.
• Head-Turning Beauty: Carina gets the attention of practically every male in Buy More when she first walks in. Morgan even describes her as "almost six feet of pure Swede".
• Heist Episode: Carina comes to Sarah with a heist job about stealing a diamond from a drug baron's beach house. The heist was going fairly smooth, until Carina betrays Chuck and Sarah so she can steal the diamond for herself, instead of handing it back to the government.
• Honey Trap: Sarah and Carina pose as Brainless Beauty party girls when infiltrating Alahi's pool party. Given he's a pervert, it works surprisingly well. For a time.
• Hopeless Suitor: Morgan is enamored with Carina upon first seeing her and keeps pestering Chuck about setting up a double date once he finds out she's Sarah's friend. Carina herself is barely aware of his existence and can't even remember his name.
• Hostage for MacGuffin: Alahi offers this deal with Chuck when he captures Casey and Sarah. Chuck Takes a Third Option by convincing Carina to help him.
• I Can't Believe a Guy Like You Would Notice Me: Part of the reason why Chuck is somewhat resistant to Carina is that he just can't believe a woman like her would go for a guy like me. He's also equally disbelieving when she tells him his crush on Sarah might not be one-sided.
  Carina: Sure you don't want to come back to my hotel room?
  Chuck: As flattered and... intimidated as I am by your proposition, why me?
  Carina: I love taking what Sarah wants.
  Chuck: Me? No, Sarah doesn't want me.
  Carina: Yeah, she probably doesn't know it yet herself, but I do!
• I'm a Man; I Can't Help It: Despite being a consummate professional and knowing Carina is a Femme Fatale Spy, Casey still can't resist falling into bed with her. Somewhat Justified as it's supposed to demonstrate Carina is an irresistible Sex Goddess. Sarah's definitely not impressed with him when she finds out, though.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: When Alahi is holding the Hostage for MacGuffin exchange, he warns Carina and Sarah that they can't simply fight off him and his Mooks. They proceed to do just that.
• Internal Reveal: Chuck finds out that Bryce and Sarah were romantically involved, which was suggested in previous episodes.
• Instant Seduction: When Carina seduces Casey, all we see is her take off her coat to reveal her Black Bra and Panties and Casey staring. Then we cut to Sarah finding Casey Chained to a Bed.
• Kiss of Distraction: Carina pulls Morgan into a sudden kiss so she can hide the diamond on him before Casey catcher her. He doesn't question it.
• MacGuffin: The diamond. Carina first claims it's stolen, but it's later revealed Alahi is planning to use to fund terrorist groups. Carina steals it for herself, leading both the team and Alahi to go after her. At the end, Chuck manages to retrieve it and the diamond goes to Director Graham.
• Ms. Fanservice: Carina is a Head-Turning Beauty that constantly acts like The Tease, and also ends up showing a lot of skin wearing Lingerie and a bikini.
• Necktie Leash: When trying to seduce Chuck, Carina keeps pulling him by his necktie.
• New Old Flame: Carina and Casey had some kind of romantic or sexual involvement when they last met in Prague. Despite knowing better, he's still obviously attracted to her. Later it's suggested it also ended up with him Chained to a Bed.
• Noodle Incident: Whatever happened with Casey and Carina in Prague. Casey getting Chained to a Bed in his underwear is apparently an encore.
  Carina: [upon meeting him again] Nice to see you with your pants on this time.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: When Sarah first meets Carina, she asks her what her current cover is and she answers "Carina", which implies that Carina is not her real name. It's also confirmed in this episode that "Sarah Walker" is not Sarah's real name.
• Operation: Jealousy: Variation. Carina hits on Chuck, only because "I love taking what Sarah wants."
• Pool Scene: Pehman Alahi is throwing a pool party at his beach house when the team decides to infiltrate as guests.
• Post-Kiss Catatonia: After Carina gives Morgan a passionate Kiss of Distraction (so he won't notice she's hiding the diamond on him) he becomes noticeably drowsy, allowing her to push him into the elevator and out of Casey's reach.
• Product Placement: When Sarah pulls out her phone to take pictures of Casey Chained to a Bed, it's clearly an Apple iPhone and she noticeably holds it for a moment at the center of the camera.
• Saying Too Much: Chuck tells Morgan that Carina was recently in Argentina. Carina hears, telling her that - given the level of clearance needed to know that - Chuck is not "just an analyst" as she's been told.
• Schmuck Bait: Casey ends up going to bed with Carina, despite knowing she's Femme Fatale Spy and that she's currently working against.
• Shipper on Deck: Despite trying to seduce him for most of the episode, Carina reveals to Chuck she's rooting for him and Sarah by the end, claiming she only acted like The Tease to make Sarah jealous, telling him that his feelings for Sarah aren't one-sided.
• Shout-Out
  • Star Wars
    • The Wookie in the title obviously is a reference to the hairy Wookie race, as Chuck finds Villain of the Week Alahi equally hairy.
    • Morgan when comparing Chuck and Larkin:
      Margan: If Chuck is Solo, Larkin is his (Boba) Fett.
  • Chuck plays Halo 3 on his room while he and Morgan talk about Sarah and Carina.
  • Morgan's messenger bag "Tyrell Corporation" written on the side.
• Title Drop: Pehman Alahi, a drug baron and owner of the diamond, is very hairy. Chuck describes him as Senor Wookie.
• Uncomfortable Elevator Moment: Casey has an awkward moment with riding an elevator with a random mother and her daughter since he's still stuck with the bedpost hanging from his cuffs, from his Chained to a Bed moment.
• Villain of the Week: Pehman Alahi (Iqbal Theba), a drug baron, is the target of the week and holder of the stolen diamond they plan to take plan. Played With in that the real antagonist becomes Carina, who set up the whole thing in order to steal the diamond for herself, although she has a change of heart at the very end.
• Watching the Reflection Undress: When Sarah has to change clothes in the backseat of a car with Chuck and Casey, Chuck's eyes inevitably wander to the rearview mirror... but Casey notices and promptly puts the mirror away and chastises Chuck
  Casey: Eyes up front, soldier.
• Wild Card: Carina ends up switching sides quite often.
• With Friends Like These...: Carina is introduced as Sarah's old friend, who planned the whole diamond heist with the intention of running off and leaving Sarah to face the heat. When Sarah gives her a What the Hell, Hero?, Carina just initially handwaves it with an "I knew you'd get out of it". But when Sarah really gets into trouble, Chuck convinces Carina to help out.
• With My Hands Tied: Sarah and Casey still manage to fight Alahi's Mooks even after they're handcuffed. For bonus points, Casey still has the bedpost hanging from his cuffs.

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