Chuck 4x11 "...vs. the Balcony"

It's funny, for a good 2/3 of this episode, I was thinking to myself that I've kind of become complacent about Chuck. That's not to say the show isn't good or anything, just maybe that I've gotten a little too used to how the episodes are set up. I will say, however, that they are pretty good at coming up with those end of episode twists. I knew some kind of twist would be coming for this one, but I wasn't quite sure what it would be.

There were two main missions in this episode. The regular ole mission was to recover this nanochip that had all of the European CIA black sites listed on it from a Chateau in Loire Valley, France before this French dude named Pierre (naturally) could get it. The sub mission of the hour, however, was to get Chuck to propose to Sarah. He tried to do it at this fancy Italian restaurant at the beginning of the show, but upon hearing of her parents' disastrous similar proposal, put it on the backburner.  Lucky for him, they got a shiny new mission in France, right?

Chuck, Sarah and Casey head out to France and get going on both missions. There is some shenanigans involving a wine bottle. You see, the nanochip was inserted into a wine bottle, so they had to track down the bottle it was in, but of course that bottle was used for some big party going on, and a French dude did not want to give up his glass, which the nanochip was in. Yada yada, Chuck successfully retrieves the chip, has to fight some bad guys, and very nearly proposes to Sarah before they head back stateside.

I say very nearly, because he never actually did successfully go through with the proposal. Because that would be too easy. It would also be too easy for him to do it at some point in the very long flights they would've had to take back and forth from France but, you know, details. Guys always think it needs to be some big fancy thing, when it really doesn't.

Anyway. Back in Castle, Beckman informs them that Chuck and Sarah will be going back to France to pretend to be rogue agents turning over the chip to Pierre. Beckman makes sure to tell Sarah that she has to be the one to do the drop, in the most obvious set up for some kind of later twist ever.

Morgan tries to psych up Chuck to really propose this time when they're back in France, only Sarah overhears them. She has a secret conversation with Morgan, and is on board to make sure the whole thing goes well. Once they're over there, the mission appears to go off with nary a hitch (apart from Chuck having to beat up Pierre and one of his henchmen), and just when he's about to propose... lights! Agents! Sarah is being arrested for treason!

Back at Castle, we find out that it was all a set up to get Sarah to look like a turncoat, so she could go into Volkoff's business and take it down from the inside, therefore releasing Chuck's mom from Volkoff's grasp. Chuck is understandably upset by this news, but Sarah is determined, and heads off to do her duty, sans-proposal. Bum bum bum!

At the Buy More this week, marriage was also on Lester's mind, as his parents decided to take matters into their own hands and try to arrange a marriage for him. The girl in question happens to be beautiful (you know she's going to be beautiful when they do a slow-mo shot of her boot or heel-clad feet entering the store). Lester, of course, screws it up, a couple of times. First he tries to be too traditional, then he goes full on Jeffster and serenades her in the store, ostensibly freaking her out a little too much.

One last thing - is there some kind of bad guy handbook that instructs them in that specific look? You know the one. They have their head tilted down, and look up at everything through their eyelashes, their lips pursed, sometimes with a mischievous grin playing on them. I swear, every bad guy does that exact same look.

Quotes:

"Not every criminal works for Alexei Volkoff, Chuck." - General Beckman (this made me laugh out loud because I have repeatedly been saying that everyone they've been running into lately has been magically connected to Volkoff!)

"Why is everyone obsessed with marriage?! ... I don't wanna talk about it." - Lester

"Forget about the balcony, Bartowski. All you need is the girl." - Casey

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