Chuck Episode 4.11 Chuck vs. the Balcony

In the peaceful vineyards of the Loire valley, assassins chase a CIA agent. He takes refuge in the chateau's wine cellar and hurriedly injects a wine cork with a top-secret nanochip. The thugs arrive moments later, shooting him in cold blood. With his dying breath, he hides the injector.

Chuck and Sarah sit at a romantic restaurant. Unbeknownst to Sarah, Chuck's ready to propose. As he stumbles, trying to start the conversation, Sarah relays a story of her parents' disastrous first attempts at a proposal. It took place in a setting very much like the restaurant they're in now, she tells Chuck, and literally ended in flames. Chuck, sensing the time and place are suddenly all wrong, aborts his plan to propose. He intercepts a balloon-holding Morgan outside, stops the waiter from delivering champagne, and shoos off the string quartet. He'll have to rethink the plan.

Back at Castle, Beckman lays out a mission for Chuck, Sarah, and Casey. They're to go to the French vineyard where the agent was killed and find the missing nanochip before French terrorist Pierre Melville can recover it. Casey scoffs; his cover will be as Chuck's manservant. After Chuck and Casey leave, Sarah reconnects with Beckman via secure video chat. Sarah tells Beckman that Chuck's still concerned about Volkoff and his mother, so she's personally volunteering to do whatever it takes to bring Volkoff down.

Chuck and Morgan regroup on the proposal plan. Morgan tells Chuck that the mission to the French chateau is the perfect place to propose. Chuck's not so sure, but Morgan's got it all worked out. As Chuck preps for the mission, Morgan briefs him on all the proposal-worthy locations at the vineyard. Chuck's "sub-mission" will be to propose to Sarah once the nanochip recovery is complete.

At Buy More, Lester's edgy. His "Hinjew" parents have selected a woman for him to marry. The arranged bride will be visiting the next day from Lester's ancestral homeland: Saskatchewan, Canada. He complains to love expert Big Mike, who counsels him to be honest with the girl. Lester's afraid of hurting someone's feelings, but knows he can't have some Canadian arranged bride cramping his style. He's been very successful with online dating. He tells Big Mike to give the would-be bride the brush off for him.

At the chateau, Chuck and Sarah mingle amongst the beautiful crowd gathered for a wine tasting. The setting is remarkable, and as they explore the building in search of the nanochip, they discover a stunning balcony overlooking the rolling vineyards. Chuck makes a mental note: this is the spot to propose.

Casey is casing the wine cellar, looking for signs of the nanochip. He hides amongst the racks and listens as the French terrorist comes in with his goons; they quickly discover the nanochip injection gun. The terrorist, Pierre Melville, tastes the tip of the gun and instantly determines that the chip has been hidden in the cork of a bottle of Chateau LeFranc. The search is on.

When Chuck gets some intel on how to recognize Chateau LeFranc, he quickly finds a patron about to drink a glass of wine with the chip in it. He steals the glass and makes a run for it. Meanwhile, Sarah heads to the cellar to rescue Casey. Acting drunk, she distracts the thugs just long enough to deliver a series of crushing kicks and punches. The chip recovered, the team heads home before Chuck gets a chance to propose. Back at Castle, Beckman's got another mission for them: return to the chateau to pose as rogue agents and try to sell Pierre Melville a secret chip with a tracking device in it. Beckman insists that Agent Walker be the one to make the transfer when the deal goes down.

Lester's arranged bride arrives â€" and she's gorgeous. Rather than brushing her off, Lester goes all out to woo her with touches of his Indian heritage. He transforms the Home Theater Room into his personal boudoir, replete with silks, a hookah, and a sitar-playing Jeff. His would-be bride is more than a little freaked out; Lester's obviously more traditional than she'll ever be. She gets up to leave. Lester levels with her; he was merely trying to impress her. Impressed, she decides to give him a break.

Before she and Chuck leave for their return mission to France, Sarah corners Morgan. She wants to know all about the proposal plans - so she can make sure it goes just right. Morgan tells all. Back at the chateau, Chuck and Sarah work in tandem to attract the terrorist. Meanwhile, Morgan coordinates the post-mission proposal with each of them separately. Chuck would die if he knew Morgan had let Sarah in on the proposal plans. Sarah successfully hands off the tracking chip to the terrorists and heads to the balcony where she knows Chuck will be waiting to propose.

Back at Buy More, Lester's got one chance left to land the woman of his dreams, Jinsana. He's plotted with Jeff to reveal the true Lester to her. His secret weapon? Jeffster!, of course. Watching a performance at Buy More, the poor girl is equal parts baffled, embarrassed, and terrified.

Chuck is all nerves. As he paces the balcony, the terrorists, intent on preventing his escape, catch him from behind. Summoning a flash, he knocks them all unconscious. Mission completed, Morgan talks to Chuck and Sarah separately in their respective earbuds. They're both nervous, but Morgan, ensconced in Castle and watching a video feed, reassures them that this is so right. Casey joins Morgan to help his co-workers complete their most important sub-mission.

The moment is perfect: from their perch on the balcony of the chateau, Chuck and Sarah look out over a moonlit vineyard. Sarah tells Chuck she's never seen a more beautiful place. Chuck replies "I have: every time I look at you, it's the most beautiful place I've ever been." Even Casey's touched. Chuck fumbles with the words as he drops to one knee and pulls the ring out of his pocket. The stage is perfect. But as he speaks, a bank of lights claps on, flooding the balcony. A CIA apprehension team rushes in, automatic weapons at the ready. They steal Sarah away from Chuck. She's being arrested for treason!

A heartbroken Chuck watches Sarah languish in a holding cell at Castle. He tells Casey of his plans to propose; the moment had been perfect. In a rare moment of sympathy, Casey tells Chuck that it's not about the moment or the place. All you need is the girl. Chuck enters Sarah's cell to try to propose once more, but she tells him he's leaving. Her arrest was a setup to make her look like a traitor so she can go undercover to disrupt Volkoff's operation. She'll be back, she tells a tearful Chuck. As she's led off in chains, Chuck fingers the ring box in his pocket.