Chuck Versus the Beefcake
Encyclopedia
"Chuck Versus the Beefcake" is the fifteenth episode of the second season
of Chuck
. It originally aired on March 2, 2009. The team is ordered to retrieve Fulcrum
intelligence hidden in the belt buckle that is in the possession of an agent named Cole Barker (Jonathan Cake), who they codenamed beefcake
. Upon capture, Cole is revealed to be an undercover MI6
agent. Though broken up with Sarah Walker
, Chuck Bartowski
becomes jealous after noting Sarah's interest in Cole. Meanwhile, Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel's search for a new Buy More
employee turns into a search for the "Buy More Babe". Morgan Grimes
' reluctance to live with his mother while she is in a relationship with Big Mike leads to Chuck and Morgan to make an important decision.
agent killed in "Chuck Versus the Suburbs
" after testing an Intersect
prototype on Chuck Bartowski
. At Castle, General Beckman
(Bonita Friedericy
) orders Chuck, Sarah Walker
, and John Casey
to determine why someone would rob a CIA
dump site and how that person even knew where to find it. Later, Beckman informs the team that the grave robber is Cole Barker, a Fulcrum agent. Chuck suddenly flashes to learn that Cole's belt buckle belonged to White and contains government intelligence. Casey reveals that Sarah will have to seduce Cole to remove his pants, ironically after Chuck has just "dumped" her (See "Chuck and Sarah").
Sarah seduces Cole at a hotel bar. As they ride an elevator to his room, Chuck flashes to identify two men as Fulcrum agents. While Casey follows the agents, Sarah and Cole violently undress and she manages to remove his belt. As Casey chases the agents, he lets a woman go after seeing she has a baby. However, she is also revealed to be a Fulcrum agent and a shootout ensues, interrupting Sarah and Cole. Meanwhile, Chuck races to Cole's room to find a scantily-clad Sarah holding Cole at gunpoint, with his belt tied around her wrists.
Sarah gets dressed and they drag Cole to the roof for transport. Cole warns them that they have made a mistake and he is actually an MI6
agent working undercover. Suddenly a helicopter appears and fires on the team. Cole protects Sarah and shoots a gas pipe that explodes and destroys the helicopter. He later explains that the only way to read the chip hidden in the belt buckle is to retrieve the playback device. Chuck pleads with the team to let him try to hack the chip, but they all say its too risky, agreeing to let Cole go back undercover to contact Fulcrum. As Cole meets with Fulcrum agents at the hotel, Chuck attempts to hack the chip at the Buy More
, triggering a homing device
. Fulcrum agent Alexis White (Katrina Law
) learns that meet is a setup and takes Sarah and Cole hostage. As Alexis tracks the chip back to the Buy More, Chuck panics and smashes it.
As Cole, Sarah, and Chuck hang from chains in an abandoned warehouse, Chuck reveals that the chip contains information about him. Sarah warns Chuck not to tell the Fulcrum agents about the Intersect no matter what the torture. Suddenly, Alexis arrives and threatens to poison Sarah if Chuck does not tell her who has the Intersect. Cole interrupts and asks if she really believes Chuck could be the Intersect. Just as Chuck reveals that he is the Intersect, Casey arrives with a tactical squad and saves Sarah. Rather than be taken prisoner, Alexis injects herself with ricin
and smiles at Casey as she dies, saying "Fulcrum wins."
Cole promises not to tell anyone about Chuck's true identity and the CIA lets him go. However, a policeman later pulls over the car Cole is riding in and shoots the driver. Sarah arrives at Ellie Bartowski's house to tell Chuck he must go under 24-hour protection, meaning they will have to move in together. Their cover relationship must continue, canceling Chuck's plan of living with Morgan.
Chuck later decides to prove his worth to Sarah by hacking the chip, which only results in them being tortured with Cole. Chuck continues his attempts to impress Sarah by enduring as much torture as Cole, but he faints when threatened with a needle. Though Sarah regrets being "dumped" by Chuck, she rewards Cole with a passionate goodbye kiss. Unfortunately, Chuck watches the exchange from a security monitor. Hurt, he approaches Morgan Grimes
and asks him to be his roommate so that they may move out of Ellie's house and move on with their lives. However, Sarah is forced to put Chuck under 24-hour protection, meaning they will have to move in together and continue their cover relationship.
Chuck later approaches Morgan and asks him to be his roommate so that they may move out of Ellie's house and move on with their lives, overjoying Morgan. However, Sarah is forced to put Chuck under 24-hour protection, meaning they will have to move in together and continue their cover relationship.
), Jeff and Lester blame the entire encounter on Chuck, causing Chuck to be slapped. Big Mike receives a number of calls from Human Resources and demands that Chuck come to his office.
" was produced before "Chuck Versus the Suburbs
", the former was preempted for a presidential speech, and the airing order was swapped in the United States
so that the Valentine's Day
-themed "Chuck Versus the Suburbs" could air on its intended date in the week of the holiday. As a result, "Chuck Versus the Beefcake" continues plot points introduced in "Chuck Versus the Suburbs", with the episode beginning shortly after Brad White's burial.
gave the episode a B, calling it "a pretty good, if slightly-less-than-top-quality episode of one of the most predictably entertaining hours on television", explaining, "Why less-than-top quality? I think the Chuck/Sarah relationship is starting to go around in circles, and not in a fun, merry-go-round kind of way... That said, there was nothing really wrong with the way this episode treated Chuck and Sarah, and really nothing wrong with the way Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski played it, particularly the long sequence in which our hero is forced to listen to Sarah make out with the titular beefcake (Jonathan Cake)."
Eric Goldman of IGN
gave the episode an 8 out of 10, writing, "Overall, this was a decent episode, which gets a bit of a nudge up in my rating thanks to a couple of notable moments – most especially the absolutely huge action sequence that came near the end, as Barker and Sarah took on a heavily armed Fulcrum helicopter. Barker, two guns a' blazin', blowing up a gasoline tank, and the helicopter with it, was very cool and one of the biggest and most impressive action set pieces we've seen on this show."
Viewer response was also positive, with an 8.5/10 user rating at TV.com
. The episode drew 6.657 million viewers.
Chuck (season 2)
The second season of Chuck contains 22 episodes and was originally aired from September 29, 2008 to April 27, 2009. The season continues to focus on Chuck's constant struggle to keep his spy life and real life apart as he becomes more accustomed to being a spy. More background on the Intersect...
of Chuck
Chuck (TV series)
Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...
. It originally aired on March 2, 2009. The team is ordered to retrieve Fulcrum
Fulcrum (Chuck)
Fulcrum is the codename of a fictional hostile espionage organization on the television series Chuck. Fulcrum serves as the series' main antagonists up until the end of season two, though their specific goals beyond acquiring the Intersect have not yet been fully revealed.-History:Very little...
intelligence hidden in the belt buckle that is in the possession of an agent named Cole Barker (Jonathan Cake), who they codenamed beefcake
Beefcake
Beefcake is a term denoting the use of nude or semi-nude male bodies. It can refer to a genre or a person. It often is used to denote male sexual attractiveness stemming from physical build but the definition has expanded to include anyone interested in physical fitness, bodybuilding and weight...
. Upon capture, Cole is revealed to be an undercover MI6
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
agent. Though broken up with Sarah Walker
Sarah Walker (Chuck)
Sarah Lisa Bartowski is the alias of one of the main characters of the fictional television show Chuck on NBC. She is portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski and is one of two agents assigned by the NSA and CIA to protect Chuck Bartowski after he unwittingly downloads the secret government computer known...
, Chuck Bartowski
Chuck Bartowski
Charles Irving "Chuck" Bartowski is the main and titular character of the American fiction television show Chuck on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi.-Character profile:...
becomes jealous after noting Sarah's interest in Cole. Meanwhile, Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel's search for a new Buy More
Buy More
Buy More is a fictional big box electronics retail chain in NBC's action-comedy series Chuck. The Buy More is a parody of similar chains, particularly Best Buy....
employee turns into a search for the "Buy More Babe". Morgan Grimes
Morgan Grimes
Morgan Guillermo Grimes is a major character on the television series Chuck. He is portrayed by actor Joshua Gomez, and is the best friend of Chuck Bartowski....
' reluctance to live with his mother while she is in a relationship with Big Mike leads to Chuck and Morgan to make an important decision.
Main plot
Cole Barker (Jonathan Cake) robs the grave of Brad White, a FulcrumFulcrum (Chuck)
Fulcrum is the codename of a fictional hostile espionage organization on the television series Chuck. Fulcrum serves as the series' main antagonists up until the end of season two, though their specific goals beyond acquiring the Intersect have not yet been fully revealed.-History:Very little...
agent killed in "Chuck Versus the Suburbs
Chuck Versus the Suburbs
"Chuck Versus the Suburbs" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of Chuck. It originally aired on February 16, 2009. General Beckman sends Chuck Bartowski, Sarah Walker, and John Casey to an Los Angeles suburb on an undercover mission, with Chuck and Sarah posing as a married couple...
" after testing an Intersect
The Intersect
The Intersect is a fictional secret technology appearing in the television series Chuck. Within the series, it is used to house and analyze large quantities of encoded data...
prototype on Chuck Bartowski
Chuck Bartowski
Charles Irving "Chuck" Bartowski is the main and titular character of the American fiction television show Chuck on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi.-Character profile:...
. At Castle, General Beckman
Diane Beckman
Brigadier General M. Diane Beckman, USAF is a fictional character in the NBC television series Chuck. Beckman is a senior official of the National Security Agency, working within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. She holds her rank of brigadier general in the United States Air...
(Bonita Friedericy
Bonita Friedericy
Bonita Friedericy is an American actress. She currently can be seen in the television series Chuck as NSA Director Diane Beckman. She has also appeared on Malcolm in the Middle, Veronica Mars, Star Trek: Enterprise, Bones, The Nine, The West Wing, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and in the film...
) orders Chuck, Sarah Walker
Sarah Walker (Chuck)
Sarah Lisa Bartowski is the alias of one of the main characters of the fictional television show Chuck on NBC. She is portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski and is one of two agents assigned by the NSA and CIA to protect Chuck Bartowski after he unwittingly downloads the secret government computer known...
, and John Casey
John Casey (Chuck)
Colonel John Casey is portrayed by actor Adam Baldwin on the television show Chuck on NBC. Prior to the episode "Chuck Versus the Tic Tac," he was partnered with CIA agent Sarah Walker to protect Chuck Bartowski....
to determine why someone would rob a CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
dump site and how that person even knew where to find it. Later, Beckman informs the team that the grave robber is Cole Barker, a Fulcrum agent. Chuck suddenly flashes to learn that Cole's belt buckle belonged to White and contains government intelligence. Casey reveals that Sarah will have to seduce Cole to remove his pants, ironically after Chuck has just "dumped" her (See "Chuck and Sarah").
Sarah seduces Cole at a hotel bar. As they ride an elevator to his room, Chuck flashes to identify two men as Fulcrum agents. While Casey follows the agents, Sarah and Cole violently undress and she manages to remove his belt. As Casey chases the agents, he lets a woman go after seeing she has a baby. However, she is also revealed to be a Fulcrum agent and a shootout ensues, interrupting Sarah and Cole. Meanwhile, Chuck races to Cole's room to find a scantily-clad Sarah holding Cole at gunpoint, with his belt tied around her wrists.
Sarah gets dressed and they drag Cole to the roof for transport. Cole warns them that they have made a mistake and he is actually an MI6
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
agent working undercover. Suddenly a helicopter appears and fires on the team. Cole protects Sarah and shoots a gas pipe that explodes and destroys the helicopter. He later explains that the only way to read the chip hidden in the belt buckle is to retrieve the playback device. Chuck pleads with the team to let him try to hack the chip, but they all say its too risky, agreeing to let Cole go back undercover to contact Fulcrum. As Cole meets with Fulcrum agents at the hotel, Chuck attempts to hack the chip at the Buy More
Buy More
Buy More is a fictional big box electronics retail chain in NBC's action-comedy series Chuck. The Buy More is a parody of similar chains, particularly Best Buy....
, triggering a homing device
Track & Trace
In distribution and logistics of many types of products, track and trace or tracking and tracing, concerns a process of determining the current and past locations of a unique item or property....
. Fulcrum agent Alexis White (Katrina Law
Katrina Law
Katrina Law is an American actress of German, Italian and Taiwanese descent originally from New Jersey, USA. She represented New Jersey in the Miss Teen USA Pageant. Katrina is also the lead singer and bass player in her band "Soundboard Fiction"...
) learns that meet is a setup and takes Sarah and Cole hostage. As Alexis tracks the chip back to the Buy More, Chuck panics and smashes it.
As Cole, Sarah, and Chuck hang from chains in an abandoned warehouse, Chuck reveals that the chip contains information about him. Sarah warns Chuck not to tell the Fulcrum agents about the Intersect no matter what the torture. Suddenly, Alexis arrives and threatens to poison Sarah if Chuck does not tell her who has the Intersect. Cole interrupts and asks if she really believes Chuck could be the Intersect. Just as Chuck reveals that he is the Intersect, Casey arrives with a tactical squad and saves Sarah. Rather than be taken prisoner, Alexis injects herself with ricin
Ricin
Ricin , from the castor oil plant Ricinus communis, is a highly toxic, naturally occurring protein. A dose as small as a few grains of salt can kill an adult. The LD50 of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram Ricin , from the castor oil plant Ricinus communis, is a highly toxic, naturally...
and smiles at Casey as she dies, saying "Fulcrum wins."
Cole promises not to tell anyone about Chuck's true identity and the CIA lets him go. However, a policeman later pulls over the car Cole is riding in and shoots the driver. Sarah arrives at Ellie Bartowski's house to tell Chuck he must go under 24-hour protection, meaning they will have to move in together. Their cover relationship must continue, canceling Chuck's plan of living with Morgan.
Chuck and Sarah
As Chuck eats breakfast with Ellie and her fiancée Devon Woodcomb, Ellie worries about Chuck, who appears to be ignoring Sarah. Taking Ellie's advice, Chuck heads to the Orange Orange yogurt shop and ends his cover relationship with Sarah, ironically only moments before Sarah is ordered to seduce Cole. Chuck is forced to listen to said seduction, while Casey enjoys his discomfort.Chuck later decides to prove his worth to Sarah by hacking the chip, which only results in them being tortured with Cole. Chuck continues his attempts to impress Sarah by enduring as much torture as Cole, but he faints when threatened with a needle. Though Sarah regrets being "dumped" by Chuck, she rewards Cole with a passionate goodbye kiss. Unfortunately, Chuck watches the exchange from a security monitor. Hurt, he approaches Morgan Grimes
Morgan Grimes
Morgan Guillermo Grimes is a major character on the television series Chuck. He is portrayed by actor Joshua Gomez, and is the best friend of Chuck Bartowski....
and asks him to be his roommate so that they may move out of Ellie's house and move on with their lives. However, Sarah is forced to put Chuck under 24-hour protection, meaning they will have to move in together and continue their cover relationship.
Morgan
Morgan is growing increasingly disturbed with his mother's new relationship with his boss Big Mike, who has begun to refer to him as "son". Morgan avoids his mother's house by staying with Ellie and Devon. However, they discover Morgan looking for a snack one night, completely naked, greatly disturbing Ellie.Chuck later approaches Morgan and asks him to be his roommate so that they may move out of Ellie's house and move on with their lives, overjoying Morgan. However, Sarah is forced to put Chuck under 24-hour protection, meaning they will have to move in together and continue their cover relationship.
Buy More
Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel are assigned to hire a new Buy More employee, which they turn into the search for the "Buy More Babe". They manage to lie to and offend nearly every potential employees. Threatened with a lawsuit by a swimsuit model (Brooklyn DeckerBrooklyn Decker
Brooklyn Danielle Decker is an American fashion model and actress best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, including the cover of the 2010 issue. In addition to working for Victoria's Secret for the 2010 "Swim" collection, she has ventured into television with guest...
), Jeff and Lester blame the entire encounter on Chuck, causing Chuck to be slapped. Big Mike receives a number of calls from Human Resources and demands that Chuck come to his office.
Production
Although "Chuck Versus the Best FriendChuck Versus the Best Friend
"Chuck Versus the Best Friend" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of Chuck. It originally aired on February 23, 2009. When Chuck Bartowski flashes on Anna Wu's new boyfriend, Chuck is ordered to befriend Jason Wang to determine the extent of his connections with the Triad...
" was produced before "Chuck Versus the Suburbs
Chuck Versus the Suburbs
"Chuck Versus the Suburbs" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of Chuck. It originally aired on February 16, 2009. General Beckman sends Chuck Bartowski, Sarah Walker, and John Casey to an Los Angeles suburb on an undercover mission, with Chuck and Sarah posing as a married couple...
", the former was preempted for a presidential speech, and the airing order was swapped in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
so that the Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
-themed "Chuck Versus the Suburbs" could air on its intended date in the week of the holiday. As a result, "Chuck Versus the Beefcake" continues plot points introduced in "Chuck Versus the Suburbs", with the episode beginning shortly after Brad White's burial.
Music
- "Tigers in the Fire" by Love Grenades
- "Wake Up" by Mackintosh Braun
- "Airplanes" by Local NativesLocal NativesLocal Natives are an indie rock band based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, USA. Their debut album, Gorilla Manor, was first released in the UK in November 2009, and later released in the US on February 16, 2010...
- "The Brightest of the Head" by Starflyer 59Starflyer 59Starflyer 59 is an alternative rock band from Riverside, California that was founded in 1993 by Jason Martin, brother of Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric. While Jason Martin has written nearly all of Starflyer 59's songs, the band has included a number of different musicians over the years, including...
Cultural references
- Chuck inquires if he will be home in time to watch Charlie RoseCharlie Rose (talk show)Charlie Rose is an American television interview show, with Charlie Rose as executive producer, executive editor, and host. The show is syndicated...
. - Cole is portrayed as a homage to James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
. - Barker says, "Come with me if you want to live", a direct quote from every installment of the Terminator franchiseTerminator (franchise)The Terminator series is a science fiction franchise encompassing a series of films and other media concerning battles between Skynet's artificially intelligent machine network, and John Connor's Resistance forces and the rest of the human race....
. - Jeff mimics Sharon StoneSharon StoneSharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
in Basic InstinctBasic InstinctBasic Instinct is a 1992 erotic thriller directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas, and starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone....
by uncrossing his legs.
Critical response
"Chuck Versus the Beefcake" received positive reviews from critics. Keith Phipps of The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode a B, calling it "a pretty good, if slightly-less-than-top-quality episode of one of the most predictably entertaining hours on television", explaining, "Why less-than-top quality? I think the Chuck/Sarah relationship is starting to go around in circles, and not in a fun, merry-go-round kind of way... That said, there was nothing really wrong with the way this episode treated Chuck and Sarah, and really nothing wrong with the way Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski played it, particularly the long sequence in which our hero is forced to listen to Sarah make out with the titular beefcake (Jonathan Cake)."
Eric Goldman of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode an 8 out of 10, writing, "Overall, this was a decent episode, which gets a bit of a nudge up in my rating thanks to a couple of notable moments – most especially the absolutely huge action sequence that came near the end, as Barker and Sarah took on a heavily armed Fulcrum helicopter. Barker, two guns a' blazin', blowing up a gasoline tank, and the helicopter with it, was very cool and one of the biggest and most impressive action set pieces we've seen on this show."
Viewer response was also positive, with an 8.5/10 user rating at TV.com
TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
. The episode drew 6.657 million viewers.