Chuck Episode 4.05 Chuck vs. The Couch Look

Casey flashes back to 1999: in the desert mountains of Iran, a special ops team neutralizes the guards in a remote mountain hideout. The A-Team-style warriors under the command of John Casey have orders to destroy a hoard of gold bars being used to fund terrorism. As Casey prepares the C4, his team members balk: why shouldn't they all get rich? Casey reminds them - that's not their mission. But his three cohorts have other plans, and draw their weapons on their leader. Casey flips his knife against the wall, killing the lights. In the ensuing chaos, Casey knocks them each unconscious, arresting his once loyal men. They're headed for Leavenworth.

At Buy More, Jeff and Lester invite Casey for a little Magic the Gathering get together, but he wants none of it. Meanwhile, just an aisle away, Casey's daughter Alex pops in on Morgan. She's affectionate, but Morgan keeps her at arm's length. He's terrified Casey will find out they're dating and cause him true bodily harm. Alex urges Morgan to come clean with her dad and then leaves, kissing him for good luck.

Chuck and Sarah pore over files downstairs at Castle. The search to unravel the Volkoff connection to Chuck's mom is stymieing them. Chuck suddenly flashes: Casey's old special ops team is somehow connected to Volkoff. They get the story from Casey. After his team was court-martialed, they escaped and went underground. They've tried to kill him a few times over the years, but he doesn't know their whereabouts. He thinks the only thing that might smoke them out would be Casey's funeral. Chuck hatches a plan: they'll fake Casey's death, knowing that his old colleagues can't resist the temptation to come say goodbye.

Casey, Chuck, and Sarah pitch the idea to Beckman. Once Casey's rogue team discovers he's dead, they'll quickly come in search of his hand. By cutting it off, they'll be able to access the biometric lock that still guards the Iranian vault filled with gold. The CIA will spread the word through back channels that Casey's died and his funeral is open to the public. Casey will be given a drug that will make him appear dead. Beckman approves and congratulates Chuck on his tactical thinking - and his willingness to use a fellow agent as bait.

Casey struggles to get into his death suit: a dress Marine Corps uniform. He and Chuck go over the effects of the Tetrodotoxin, the drug that will effectively paralyze him to simulate death. He'll still be able to hear and open his eyes, but he'll be quite immobile. Since Chuck and Sarah will be busy springing the trap for the rogue agents, Chuck tells Casey that Morgan will be delivering his eulogy.

Ellie and Awesome stop by with good news: they're having a girl. Ellie pulls Chuck aside to give him her blessing in his search for their mom. She wants her to have a chance to see her granddaughter.

The funeral is underway. CIA agents are parked in the pews. One of Casey's rogue agents approaches the casket and sticks a pin in Casey's hand, trying to verify that he's dead. Casey doesn't flinch. Given that Casey's effectively be paralyzed, Morgan thinks this is an ideal time to confess his intentions for Alex. He stammers his way through the speech, unable to really confess. Another member of Casey's gang approaches the casket, smudging a lit cigar against Casey's wrist to test whether he's really dead. Again, Casey doesn't move.

Chuck and Sarah move in to apprehend the trio of rogue agents. Even though the criminals are outnumbered, they've got a way to neutralize the threat: they've wired the church with flash and smoke bombs, which they detonate. In the confusion and smoke, the men get away with Casey.

Casey and Sarah fall back to Castle to track Casey's whereabouts and call in tactical support. The rogues have taken Casey's body to a warehouse where the begin preparation to saw off his arm. But as they're distracted by a pizza delivery at the door, Casey struggles to break through the bounds of the drug. He's able to get himself upright and stagger off. He grabs a pipe and proceeds to whoop on his captors, then jumps out a window - but not before he's re-injected with the paralyzing Tetrodotoxin. He stumbles down the street, his vision and consciousness quickly blurring. He tries to dial Chuck on his cell phone, but reaches Buy More instead. Jeff answers the call and summons Lester for a rescue mission. They think Casey has overdosed.

Sarah and Chuck trace Casey's cell phone to the alley where he was hiding. Jeff and Lester have beaten them there and are hauling the paralyzed Casey into their car. "He's got the couch lock, real bad," Jeff explains to Morgan on the phone. Morgan tells them to take Casey back to his apartment, then relays the good news to Chuck and Sarah, who continue hunting for the rogue soldiers inside a warehouse wired with explosives. As they're trying to disarm the charges, two of Casey's rogue band pop out, guns drawn. Chuck and Sarah are now high-value prisoners.

Back at the apartment, Morgan anxiously guards Casey who, though awake, still can't really move. As he toys with possibly telling him about his blossoming affair with his daughter, Alex stops by. Terrified, Morgan takes Alex to tell her he can't see her. Feeling dumped, she heads off. Another A-Team goon shows up with a message for Morgan to deliver to Casey: he's holding Chuck and Sarah hostage.

Morgan paces his apartment anxiously. Casey's still locked up. Morgan calls Awesome to find out how to bring Casey out of his stupor. He needs to get Casey's hear rate up, perhaps by scaring him or getting him angry. Morgan realizes this is the perfect opportunity to finally reveal to Casey that he's pursuing Alex. On hearing the news, Casey stands bolt upright, then grabs Morgan around the throat. The revival technique worked. They head for Castle to get armed for the rescue mission. Casey informs Morgan that there's no way he'll allow him to date Alex - end of conversation.

The rogues take Sarah and Casey back to the Iranian bunker where the gold vault remains shut. They want to draw Casey to them, so they can use his hand to force open the biometric lock. Chuck takes the opportunity to ask his captors some questions about Volkoff and a prisoner named Frost. They explain that Frost isn't a prisoner - she's their boss!

Morgan and Casey locate the bunker and devise how they'll rescue Chuck and Sarah. Casey will infiltrate, while Morgan waits outside, hacking into the facility's control systems. Casey enters, is disarmed and waits for Morgan to shut off the lights so he can start the operation. Through shockproof gloves, Morgan fumbles with the electronic control panel outside, setting off the sprinkler system before shorting out the electronics. The rogues force Casey to open the vault, and then discover Morgan outside. They capture him and have him wait next to Casey while they begin moving the gold bars from the vault. Morgan suddenly grabs a dangling live wire, swings over toward the vault and discharges himself in standing water, electrocuting the rogues.

Back in Burbank, Morgan's throws a little party to celebrate his survival. Alex shows up and explains to Morgan that she forgives him for dumping him earlier; Casey explained that he forbade Morgan to see her. But now, after seeing his heroism in the desert, John Casey is okay with Morgan dating his daughter. Of course he does have a piece of advice. "Break her heart," he warns, "I break your everything."

Sarah finds Chuck in the courtyard, despondent and introspective. He's sad that his mom isn't a prisoner, that she's actually a bad guy. But he's glad he's got Sarah and such great friends. Sarah gives him a kiss and lets him return to his alone time. Chuck's phone rings: it's his mom.