Plot

Chuck trains a new Nerd Herder and deals with an asset with ties to The Ring. Devon gets nervous about covering for Chuck when Ellie gets suspicious of his work.

"Chuck" - "Chuck vs. Nacho Sampler" - Feb. 1, 2010

We open Three Years Ago at the Buy More the first time Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) walked into the Buy More. ("Vicki Vale, a vick-a Vicki Vale.")

We cut to the present day with Morgan (Joshua Gomez) asking if Chuck (Zachary Levi) remembers the day Sarah walked in and if it was love at first sight. This is prompted by a windblown Hannah (Kristin Kreuk) walking in looking luscious. Morgan skedaddles and Chuck introduces her to the Buy More mongrels including Jeff (Scott Krinsky) and Lester (Vik Sahay).

She has read the Nerd Herd manual in her free time and wants to be the best Nerd Herder ever, even though it's not her "dream job." He says that won't be hard. She says he got to go to Paris on an install so how bad could it be? He asks her to keep that particular "install" on the QT. Casey (Adam Baldwin) arrives to say it's yogurt time. Jeff and Lester think Chuck "hit that" and agree to let "the best stalker win."

Back at the secret lair, Agent Shaw is offsite and the dynamic trio are tasked by the General (Bonita Friedericy) to trace recent suspicous financial dealings - money from Ring offshore accounts wired to him - of one Manoosh Deepak (Fahim Anwar), a genius computer engineer MIT dropout. This will be Chuck's first "asset." They've destroyed his CPU so he'll have to come to the Buy More to get a replacement. She wants Agent Bartowski to find out what Manooshis doing for the Ring. Chuck thinks it will easy. But Casey and Sarah point out developing an asset is very important:insinuating himself into their life, gaining trust, and then potentially burning them. Manoosh arrives at the Buy More and Chuck heads out to start developing. Casey and Sarah worry they're moving Chuck along too fast.

At the Buy More Chuck comes on way too strong, angering Manoosh by interrupting Hannah working on his sale, and complimenting his eyes and such. Chuck gives him a free CPU and his card and tells him to call him. Manoosh sets off the alarm with the CPU and Chuck tells him to go on ahead and Manoosh books. And Chuck realizes how hard it is indeed.

Awesome (Ryan McPartlin), lying on the couch, starts when Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) enters. She wonders why he's been so jittery since the Generalissimo's party. Why he's stopped working out and rock climbing. Awesome defensively says he pulled a hammy. Then Ellie asks him if he knew Chuck was going to Paris. (She found the ticket stub in his luggage). Awesome says he did. Ellie says Chuck's always wanted to go there and wonders why he didn't tell her. She excitedly asks if he saw the Eiffel Tower. Awesome freaks and says yes and then no and in fact, he has to go to the hospital. She says he's been hiding something. He says he hasn't, professes his love, and skedaddles.

Lester and Jeff circle Hannah, creepily. Chuck rescues her and is about to give her the Bartowski tutorial when Casey again says it's yogurt time. He asks Morgan to keep an eye on Hannah and away from Jeff and Lester.

Morgans asks them to step in to his office, formerly the broom closet. He tells them there will be no dating in the workplace. They balk. He then comes clean and says he likes her and is asking nicely for them to back off. In return, Jeff wants to sleep over twice a week with him and Chuck. Lester wants the next Buy More hire to be Padma Lakshmi type who is a potential wife for him. Morgan signs off on these demands and then asks them to use their stalker skills for good and learn everything about Hannah for him.

At the lair Casey and Chuck look over Manoosh's file. He's a loner geek: comic books, video games, "Battlestar Galactica," "Dune," nacho sampler. A lot like Chuck. Sarah says Chuck came on too strong, an asset should feel like they're in control. Chuck wonders what Sarah was told about him before she came into the Buy More. She says "they thought you and I could connect." He says he thought he was pathetic for thinking he was having the luckiest day of his life. She says it wasn't pathetic, she liked his sweetness and innocence and it made it harder.

Chuck not so surreptitiously "runs into" Manoosh at his favorite Mexican restaurant. He jokes they had a bet to see who could get someone to steal something. He and Manoosh bond over graphic novels and Chuck claims Hannah might've actually liked him. Manoosh orders the nacho sampler, and the bartender (Leslie-Anne Panaligan) says they're all out. Chuck slides his over and Manoosh offers to buy him a beer.

Jeff and Lester give their report to Morgan. They've discovered she's too good for him: French cinema, classical music, eating sushi with chopsticks and without rice. Morgan is not happy.

Many beers later Manoosh and Chuck are bonding over their mutual geek underachievement. Manoosh says soon all the doubters will see them flourish. Chuck asks what that means. Manoosh says he's working with weapons but it's secret. He says he wants to tell him but is distracted by his Ring phone. Chuck alerts Sarah and Casey who trace the call to a few miles away. They realize they don't have much time before the Ring men show up so they send in the big guns. Sarah goes into the bar with a "frak off" t-shirt. Manoosh is transfixed. Chuck tells him to play it cool and put out the vibe. Sarah sits and makes a big move to kiss him. As she does she pricks him with a tranquilizer and they drag him off just as the Ring baddies are entering "Two and a Half Amigos." Chuck is bummed when he sees her play Manoosh just like she did him.

The next morning Manoosh awakes to a scantily clad Sarah smooching him in her "bedroom." She claims he had one too many and they made love and it was so amazing they just passed out. He asks why she chose him. She says because he was mysterious and then was intrigued by the top secret work he said he was doing. He blurts out it's a weapons system that will change the world. She asks him to tell her more. He says he will but first he wants to do it again since he doesn't remember last night and this time he wants to remember. Casey shoots him with a twilight tranq dart.

Sarah walks next door to confer with Chuck and Casey. They're in the lair in a faux bedoom set up with one way glass.

Manoosh awakens again, jumps up and calls Chuck and calls him an amazing wingman. He asks if Chuck saw his briefcase since it has his life's work in it. Chuck did and they agree to meet at the Buy More to do the handoff.

They open the briefcase against Casey's advice. They find a solid red packet inside and figure that's what they need and take it for observation. Chuck is worried if Manoosh goes back without it the Ring will mess him up. Casey says that's too bad.

Devon is at the Buy More and is freaking out, saying he told Ellie Chuck went on a work trip. He wants to tell Ellie, he doesn't like lying to his wife. Chuck says he can't tell the truth and lays out the Witness Protection consequences. He warns Devon it will get easier to live with the secret. Just then Ellie enters so Chuck has Awesome duck. She wonders why Chuck kept Paris a secret. He lies and says he went on a private install and the guy liked his work so much he offered Chuck the use of his flat for a week. He thought she and Awesome could use a proper honeymoon and he wanted it to be a surpise. She is thrilled. (Casey and Sarah watch this over the monitors as they work on the red packet and Casey approves at what a good liar Chuck has become saying Sarah taught him well. She doesn't look so happy about it.) After Ellie leaves, Devon calls it coldblooded. Chuck says they're not kids anymore and she's better off not knowing.

Manoosh enters and thanks Chuck. Chuck says what are friends for? Manoosh confirms they are friends and when he gets back from this trip he'll be rich and then he'll start his own company and hire Chuck. He confides he learns his weapon is worth much more on the open market than what he's being paid. Chuck's inner softie melts at this and tells Manoosh he's going to get him some yogurt for his trip and for him to sit tight.

He runs off to the secret lair beseeching Casey and Sarah to help protect Manoosh. Casey says Manoosh has served his purpose. As they talk Ring baddies enter the store and Manoosh tears off out the back. More pull up outside the loading dock.

Casey and Sarah unlock the red packet and it turns out to be full of shaving cream. It was a decoy.

Behind the Buy More the Ring goons ask Manoosh for the weapon. He says he will give it to them, puts on a pair of sunglasses, flashes Intersect-style, learns Kung Fu and takes them all out. Casey, Sarah, and Chuck watch all of this on the monitor and Chuck realizes Manoosh is the weapon, he took the new Intersect. Manoosh drops his Ring phone on one of the goons and drives off.

Chuck is freaked out Manoosh was able to build his own Intersect. Turns out he reverse-engineered it. Sarah gets a hit Manoosh used his credit card to buy a ticket to Dubai where Weap-Con is taking place. Casey, who whips out the brochures, is excited to write off the trip as a business expense. He finds it incedibly relaxing.

Morgan invites Hannah into his office in which he's playing Tchaikovsky and has hung French new wave posters in a shallow effort to fool her. He's also wearing an ascot. He says he just wanted to see how the Buy More was treating her. She's amazed at how much they have in common. He blathers about culture and about how none of his co-workers know about it. She agrees saying she can't believe Chuck had never been to Paris before that install. Morgan asks what the what. She says of course Morgan must have known since he's assistant manager and all. Of course he says, knowing everything about Chuck as he does. He probably also knows what's going on that yogurt store too she figures. Morgan freaks and climbs over his desk and says Chuck's ex works at the yogurt store and he's having trouble letting go. She asks why he wanted to see her. He says forget it and leaves and wonders why Chuck didn't tell him about Paris and where else he's gone.

Cut to a shot of Dubai, UAE, and Weap-Con. Chicks with guns, sheiks, dudes in camouflage, and The Clash's Rock the Casbah on the soundtrack. Casey, Chuck, and Sarah take in the sights. Casey is distracted by all the goodies. Sarah tells him to focus. One man shows off his wares: a mobile interrogation unit, impossible to escape from.

Manoosh takes the stage and welcomes them to the future of warfare and weapons. He says it's him. Yes, he's an uncoordinated weakling but... and he puts on the glasses, flashes and says he's now a deadly kung fu expert. The audience laughs at him. A soldier from the audience comes up to test him and then two more and Manoosh takes them all out. Manoosh says imagine an entire army of men like him. He tells them they'll start the bidding at $50 million in five minutes. The crowd is abuzz. Manoosh goes backstage to nosh on nachos- as he requested. Casey wants to tranq him but Chuck says it's his asset and he can control him.

Chuck goes up and confronts Manoosh and comes clean and says the people he's dealing with aren't nice. Manoosh is freaked but mostly he's upset Chuck and Sarah pretended to be his friend and lover. He says he'll take his chances with the bad guys. And takes off with his glasses. Armed dudes show up and corner Casey, Chuck and Sarah before they can give chase. Manoosh heads back onstage where he is confronted by the Ring leader. Chuck, Casey, and Sarah are herded onto the stage behind him.

The trio are all handcuffed to chairs. Chuck freaks that the Ring now has Manoosh and his new Intersect. Casey is glad he bought a fancy laser pen which burns through anything. In order to get it Chuck has to pull the pen - with his mouth- from Casey's front shirt pocket. Chuck burns through the cuffs and Casey undoes Sarah and Chuck. They bust out.

With a gun pointed at his head the Ring leader tells Manoosh to give them the weapon and they will kill him since they no longer need him. Manoosh drops the glasses and stomps them and says they need him now. Sarah and Casey bust in with guns out. Chuck walks in and threatens the Ring leader with a laser pen but it turns out be a pen knife. Hee. Casey says it's just like Chuck to bring a knife to a gunfight (love the The Untouchables (1987) reference). Chuck flashes on a nearby throwing star and whips the pen at the Ring leader hitting his gun hand. Sarah and Casey take care of the rest. The Ring leader runs and they take off after him telling Chuck to hold on to Manoosh . Manoosh thanks Chuck for saving his life and says if he lets him go he promise he will drop out and never work on the Intersect again. Chuck lets him leave.

But as he walks back out into Weap-Con, Chuck thinks better of it realizing Manoosh is his asset not his friend, grabs a tranq gun being demoed and shoots him. Casey is impressed with his "stones."

Back at the lair Sarah explains Manoosh has to go underground. Chuck says he'll handle telling him. Manoosh says he just wants to go home and forget this happened. Chuck tells him he can't, he has to go to a secure facility. Manoosh beseeches Chuck for his help, saying he thought he was his friend. Chuck says he's not, he's a spy. Manoosh is hauled off and it clearly hurts Chuck. Casey says the only way to deal with burning an asset is Johnnie Walker Black.

Chuck heads back to the Buy More and Hannah asks if he's been off to Paris again. Dubai, actually, he says. She reveals she knows his ex works at the yogurt store. He wants to give her that tutorial but now she's on a break and sashays off to get sushi. He sighs. Morgan comes up and wants to talk. Chuck says he's beat. It must be the travelling. Chuck asks what travelling. Morgan says driving around town on all those installs. He wonders if Chuck wants to talk to him about anything. Nope. He asks if Morgan wants to ask him anything. Nope. They part and Morgan is sad Chuck is keeping secrets. Lester and Jeff ask after his night with Hannah. Morgan says it's time for more research. But not on Hannah, on Chuck.

Ellie is excited the first class tickets to Paris have arrived. Awesome freaks and thinks they shouldn't go. Ellie says it's crazy, they're free tickets. He says nothing in life is free, that they come with strings and... and... she took a vow to obey him and he forbids them from going to Paris. He snatches the tickets and stalks out of the apartment. She goes after totally confused and runs into Morgan.

He asks if she's okay. She says she thinks something weird is happening between Awesome and Chuck. Like some secret conspiracy he asks? She agrees it sounds crazy. Nope, he says, he thinks so too. They decide they have to figure out what's going on. Morgan says he has his best men on it.

Chuck sits down with some Johnnie Walker. He takes a sip and then a big gulp. Casey and Sarah watch on the monitor and Casey says their boy is growing up. He says he's turning into a spy and that's a good thing. Sarah wonders.

We flash back to Sarah getting her info on Chuck as she walked into the Buy More for the first time. All anybody really knew was Chuck having some sort of connection to Bryce Larkin. She saw Chuck and said "piece of cake."