CHUCK Season 2 Episode 19 - Chuck Versus the Dream Job

CHUCK SEASON 2 - EPISODE 19



Chuck's life seems to be coming together, his long-absent father has returned and he is about to land his dream job at Roark Instruments.
Meanwhile, Lester and Jeff convince Big Mike to send them to NextExpo, which is hosted by Roark Instruments.

Read episode recap - Below

Cast and Crew

Writer: Phil Klemmer, Corey Nickerson

Director: Robert Duncan McNeill

Star: Zachary Levi (Chuck Bartowski), Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah Walker), Joshua Gomez (Morgan Pace), Adam Baldwin (Major John Casey), Sarah Lancaster (Ellie Bartowski), Ryan McPartlin (Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb), Julia Ling (Anna Wu), Mark Christopher Lawrence (Big Mike), Vik Sahay (Lester), Scott Krinsky (Jeff).

Recurring Role: Bonita Friedericy (General Beckman), Tony Hale (General Beckman)

Guest Star: Scott Bakula (Stephen J. Bartowski), Arnold Vosloo (Vincent Smith), Pablo Espinosa (Javier Diaz), Chevy Chase (Ted Roark), Brian Kubach (Drew)

Featured Music:
"Highschool Hoodlums" by The Datsuns (Chuck shows up for his interview/Chuck meets Ted Roark)
"Around The Bend" by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour (NextExpo kicks off)
"Luisa's Bones" by Crooked Fingers (Chuck discovers Roark's secret/Chuck suits up)
"Daddy's Gone" by Glasvegas (Chuck gets a free pass/closing scene)


Episode Recap



Episode 219 | Season 2 | 04/06/2009

After Chuck's long search for his father proved futile, Sarah located him through a search in the Big Computer. Steve Bartowski is glad to see Chuck, and they awkwardly catch up. However, when Chuck asks him if he'd walk Ellie down the aisle at her wedding, he says he can't; he's afraid she won't want him there. Angered, Chuck doesn't want to hear anymore what he can't do. Touched by Chuck's love for Ellie, he agrees to attend. Ominously, Steve peeks outside and utters, "They're tracking my every move."



Ellie, having forgiven Awesome for his bachelor party, excitedly discusses their wedding details. She's stunned when Chuck walks in with their father. Old emotions rise to the surface and she tearfully says of the day he left, "Pancakes. You said you were going to make pancakes." Teary eyed, she leaves the room. Chuck comforts her, saying he's the only family they've got, and they can choose to hate him or forgive him. Ellie agrees to give him a chance.



Steve is small talking with Awesome and boasts that he invented plasma TV technology, He claims that his college friend Ted Roark (of Roark Industries) stole all his ideas and didn't give him a dime. Chuck and Ellie try to change the topic. Steve says Roark's new software, releasing tomorrow, has components he invented. He sets a Roark NextExpo announcement on the table which Chuck flashes on.



In Castle, General Beckman says Chuck's flash matches chatter they've heard about Roark Instruments. The CIA believes that Roark's latest software, Rios, could be infected with a virus that would cause irreparable damage to the world's computers. They're sending in Chuck as a new Roark employee to see if he flashes on anyone or anything. When Sarah mentions the Roark connection to Chuck's father, Casey asks if his "daddy issues" will get in the way of the mission. Hardly. Working for Roark is Chuck's dream job.



At the Buy More, Lester and Jeff tell Big Mike about NextExpo, where tomorrow Roark will release their new operating system. It'll be a big event, and good for their career development. Big Mike says they can go and tells them to have fun camping out at the weirdo convention.



At his new job, Chuck is awestruck when he's introduced to Ted Roark. Meanwhile, Lester and Jeff show up in the Roark parking lot to camp out until the convention, and spot Chuck coming out the door, being handed a key card. Lester calls Morgan to tell him Chuck took a job at Roark. Morgan pretends he already knew but is devastated at the news.



At Chuck's excitement about his new job, Sarah reminds him that it's just an assignment. However, the gig has him thinking that if he'd been more motivated after college he wouldn't have worked at the Buy More and therefore wouldn't have become the Intersect. Most important, his father wouldn't think he's a loser. Sarah assures him he doesn't think that. Chuck knows, but says he probably wishes he were doing something a lot more important than Nerd Herd. Sarah says, "You are."



At home, Chuck and Sarah join Awesome, Ellie, Steve and Morgan, who is glaring at Chuck across the table, for dinner. After toasting to Steve's return, Morgan sarcastically toasts to Chuck's new job at Roark Industries. Chuck and Sarah are shocked, Awesome and Ellie thrilled, and Steve hurt that his son took a job with his enemy.



On his first day of work, Chuck spots Sarah and Casey, convincingly dressed as nerds, standing in line for the Expo. They tell Chuck they plan to retrieve the source code for the new operating system so Roark can't release the software or the virus. They tell Chuck to keep an eye on Roark in case anything goes wrong.



Chuck enters the auditorium and flashes on a man on stage with Roark. Lester and Jeff see Chuck and wave but he doesn't see them because of the flash. "He's forgotten us already," Jeff says. Chuck warns Chuck and Sarah, who are trying to get past the keypad access door. At home, Steve disgustedly watches the Expo live on the web as Roark struts on the stage.



Roark holds up a remote that will launch the Rios OS. Chuck radios Sarah, whose attempt to hack the security code has alerted security. As Roark counts down to the release, Sarah tells Chuck he must stop it. Improvising, Chuck runs on stage. As the Fulcrum agent watches, a stunned Roark asks Chuck what the hell he's doing. Chuck goes with the truth again, telling him about the CIA and the virus. Roark thinks he's crazy and motions for security. Chuck snatches the remote from him and bolts.



At home, Ellie and Steve watch Chuck run through the auditorium, stepping over people in seats. Steve cheers for Chuck to go while Ellie yells at him to stop. Jeff and Lester help, and Chuck is almost out the door when he's downed by a stiff arm from co-worker Drew. As security hauls off Chuck, Drew returns the remote to Roark, to cheers from the crowd. Roark depresses the button and launches the software.



At home, a hysterical Ellie accuses Steve of putting Chuck up to attacking Roark. Steve denies it, but says working for Roark was a lousy job and that Chuck knows what he's doing. When Awesome says maybe she should consider Steve's point, Ellie, in her anger, brings up the bachelor party. Sorry she went there, she leaves. Steve tells a crushed Awesome that Ellie isn't really mad about the bachelor party. She just doesn't want Awesome to turn into him.



Chuck returns home and starts reviewing Orion's Intersect schematics, wondering what he's supposed to do with them. Steve asks to talk, telling Chuck about Ellie's accusations. He admits ruining everything in his life, including his family. Noticing Chuck's Roark employee manual, he says if working for Roark is that important to him, then fight for it. After he leaves, Chuck notices the campus map matches a map on of the schematic cards. "Oh my God," Chuck says, "Roark has an Intersect."



Chuck tells Sarah and Casey about the Roark Intersect, but conceals that he has the schematics. Casey is skeptical, thinking the apple doesn't fall far from the crazy tree. Casey stalks off. Sarah, despite Chuck's pleas, says that Beckman's orders are clear. Chuck runs to the bunker where unbeknownst to him, Casey is waiting. Chuck dons Casey's spy gear, only to have him snatch Orion's map from his hands. Busted, Chuck comes clean about Orion giving him the plans before he died. Casey is furious that he didn't tell them and orders him to take off his clothes.



Desperate to get the Intersect out of his head, Chuck pulls a gun on Casey and says he's going whether he helps him or not. Casey notices it's a tranq gun and is insulted. "You don't even have the common courtesy to threaten me with an actual firearm." He tells Chuck to put the toy down, but instead of doing that Chuck shoots him with it. Casey barely falters, so Chuck shoots him again. Still standing, though wobbly, Casey grabs him by his neck. Chuck sticks a dart in his neck. Third time's a charm, and just before Casey goes down, he says, "I'm going to kill you when I wake up."



Chuck sneaks into Roark industries behind a late-leaving worker. Following his map, he hides in a room when he hears a commotion. He's shocked to see his dad at the center of it, wrestling with four security guards and demanding to see Roark because he wants Chuck to get his job back. A Fulcrum agent arrives and punches Steve, so Chuck bursts into the hallway, tranq guns blazing and shooting blind. Miraculously, he hits everyone but his father. The five drop to the ground, leaving a stunned Steve standing.



Chuck tells his father, "I'm not who you think I am," just as Vincent steps out, very much alive and gun drawn. To Steve, he says, "Good to see you again." Steve tells Chuck, "I'm not who you think I am either." Chuck watches dumbstruck as his father covertly keys a command into his wrist computer, slamming security doors shut. As they try to make their escape, Chuck realizes his father is Orion.



At a secured door, Steve tells Chuck to flash on it. Chuck says he can't, but Steve says to try harder, that it will be the last thing he flashes on. Chuck flashes and gets the password. They enter the room holding Intersect 2.0, Steve's creation. Two screens pop up on either side of it. He sits Chuck in front of one and keys in a command to remove the Intersect by overriding his brain. However, it won't work. A door opens, and Roark, flanked by security, enters the room. It was all a trap to capture Orion so he can fix Intersect 2.0.



When Roark orders his men to kill Chuck, Steve says he'll fix the Intersect, if they let Chuck go. As they're making a deal, the security door opens; Sarah and Casey are there, guns drawn. With the criminals apprehended, Beckman scolds Casey and Sarah for losing the Intersect and Orion. At home, Awesome cooks Ellie pancakes for dinner and tells her that Steve left. Ellie says she doesn't need him anymore. Chuck says not to count him out just yet. Locked in a basement, Steve works on Intersect 2.0.