Chuck Episode 4.16 Chuck vs. the Masquerade

A ruthless agent, Boris Kaminsky, pays a visit to three former associates of Volkoff in search of a key. He shoots the first, a Russian who swears he doesn't have the key. The second, a beautiful Italian agent, he starts to make love to until she pulls a gun on him. She shoots but when nothing happens, he holds out his hand to show her the bullets. Then he shoots her. The third agent, a German, when threatened with being shot, tells him that while he doesn't have the key, he knows who does. For the moment, he's allowed to live.

It's Valentine's Day. Chuck and Sarah are getting cozy in the bedroom when Sarah asks for the chocolate strawberries in the fridge. Chuck hesitates, having told Morgan he could have the living room to spend some romantic time with Alex. He tries to sneak through to the kitchen and finds Morgan and Alex blindfolded and engaged in a strange Tantric ritual. Chuck drops the bowl of berries, but Sarah suddenly appears and grabs the bowl midair. Sarah, her robe stuck to the wall, gets free by stripping down to her surprise outfit she's put on for Chuck: a sexy teddy with angel wings. "Surprise!"

It's at this moment, with Alex and Morgan blindly feeding each other chocolate, and Chuck and a barely clad angel Sarah standing in the living room, that Casey barges in. While he stands grappling with the bizarre scene, Morgan and Alex take off their blindfolds. Morgan gives Chuck grief for violating their agreement. But Casey, recovering from the spectacle, stops them all short, saying that Beckman wants them immediately at Castle, and then stalks out. Chuck says, "Happy Valentine's Day everybody!"

Beckman explains that they are searching for Kaminsky, a man the CIA believes is trying to take control of Volkoff Industries. His next target will be a woman, Vivian McArthur, who they believe Volkoff was deliberately hiding, and who was Volkoff's chosen successor. There's a masquerade party at her manor in Somerset, England that night, and Kaminsky will be targeting her there. That's where they will have to go to protect her.

At the party, a masked Chuck and Sarah mingle. Morgan and Casey tend bar. Casey gives Morgan grief for still living with Chuck, telling him he needs to grow up. Chuck, wielding a broad English accent, searches for Vivian. After eating a scalding appetizer, he reaches blindly for a nearby glass of wine and takes a drink. The masked woman whose glass it is laughs and tells him to help himself. They start to talk and he asks if she knows Vivian. She slips away, and he realizes that she is Vivian. Meanwhile, Sarah finds Kaminsky and runs to tell Chuck.

Sarah and Chuck find Vivian outside with one of her horses. They explain to her that she's in a perilous position - and moments later shots ring out. Vivian explains that she's Volkoff's daughter but has no idea why assailants would be after her; Chuck and Sarah explain the truth about Volkoff to her. Pinned down, Sarah calls Casey and Morgan to help them escape. They hop in a car and power their way past the gunmen, guns a-blazing, with Casey and Morgan in the back.

A sleep-deprived Ellie and Awesome show up at the Buy More. They're desperate for a gadget that might help baby Clara sleep soundly and give them some much-needed rest. Big Mike steers them toward the baby aisle and the "Sleep Sheep," a plush toy that allows parents to record their own voices to soothe the baby. They're dubious but desperate. The baby suddenly falls asleep; Ellie and Awesome look around in wonder and notice Jeff and Lester in the Home Theatre Room. Jeff's sleeping in an inversion chair, clinging to a Sleep Sheep. The recordings he and Lester made have put baby Clara out like a light. Ellie diverts Jeff and Lester's attention, allowing Awesome to steal their Sleep Sheep. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Fearing that Morgan is feeling like a third wheel, Chuck and Sarah decide to make him feel a bit more welcome in their apartment. They decide that while Chuck debriefs Vivian at Castle, Sarah will spend the evening hanging out with Morgan at their apartment. In an awkward attempt to bond, they try playing some videogames together (Sarah demolishes Morgan), having fun with Morgan's action figures (Sarah sacrilegiously refers to them as "toys"), until Morgan realizes that in many ways he's still a child. He decides on the spot that it's time to move out.

Chuck brings Vivian up to date on her father. She's confused about what she should do next. Chuck encourages her to cooperate with them. She should move into a CIA safe house, her tells her. Vivian's all in - she actually suggests they use her as bait to capture Kaminsky and his men. As Chuck and Vivian plot, Casey runs into an old colleague, Jane Bentley, in the halls of Castle. She's working for the NSA and wants Casey to come lead a team for her. Casey is loyal to Beckman, but can't help but inquire about Bentley's mission. She tells him she'll be in touch.

Chuck returns home to find Morgan packing up. He isn't ready for his best friend to move out. But Morgan explains that it's time they both grew up. Chuck's in shock, but Morgan's already moving ahead. He's divided up many of their common possessions. They can't quite figure out how to handle Chewbacca and Han Solo, their prize "Star Wars" figurines, bought as a pair and destined to remain a pair. Clearly, splitting up the bounty acquired as best childhood friends will prove a bit messy.

Casey, Sarah, and Chuck work with Vivian on setting their trap for Boris Kaminsky and his henchmen. Vivian recounts that the daily routine at her country manor includes a morning horseback ride. Sarah dons riding gear and will try to draw the assassins' attention, while Casey stakes out the riding trail with a sniper rifle. Chuck and Vivian remain at the stable.

Kaminsky triggers an electronic device that causes Sarah's horse to buck. She's thrown violently to the ground. Her riderless horse returns to the stable - and Vivian and Chuck climb aboard, determined to save Sarah. Chuck radios Casey that something's wrong. Casey swoops in and dispatches one of Kaminsky's men just as he is about to kill Sarah. Vivian spurs her horse to race across the manor, Chuck barely hanging on.

Two of the killers are on horseback, pursuing Chuck and Vivian. Chuck flashes and dismounts from the horse at full speed, grabbing an overhanging branch, swinging around like a gymnast and power kicking his two pursuers clean off their horses. Casey continues to kill Kaminsky's killers, one at a time.

Vivian returns to the stables, where she's confronted at gunpoint by Kaminsky. Convinced she knows more than she's willing to tell about her father, Boris is growing impatient. Vivian furtively taps her horse, causing the animal to rear up and stun Kaminsky - and slide her saddle-mounted shotgun toward her. Vivian wields the shotgun quickly and cuts Kaminsky down.

Back at Castle, Chuck, Sarah, and Casey regroup with Vivian. She denies knowing any more about her father's operation. Later, on her own, she investigates his old headquarters. On his desk she finds a metal figurine of a horse, with an intriguing decoration. She removes the necklace her father gave her from her neck and places the medallion into the decoration's indentation. It's a key. She turns the medallion and the horse figure rotates and opens a secret passageway.

Back at their apartment, Chuck finds Morgan, surrounded by boxes and reflecting on moving out. He and Chuck sit on the couch for a few final minutes of nostalgia. They agree that the Han Solo and Chewbacca pair cannot be broken up. They elect to give the collectibles a happy home: baby Clara's bedroom. And there's another important addition to the little girl's bedroom: a video/audio monitor, giving Ellie and Awesome a real-time view of their child. Maybe the can finally now get some sleep.

Back at Castle, Casey runs into Jane Bentley again. She's determined to bring him into her organization, but Casey declares he's not leaving Burbank. You won't have to, Bentley tells him. She takes him to a secured doorway, revealing a high-security warren. Her mission for Casey is quite local, she reveals.