Monsters of Television

“I really hope that wasn’t me.”

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is really running out of ideas.

Finally, someone let Casey out of his cage. The man has been trapped in the van for the better part of this season and it was time he had an episode that wasn’t a somewhat cheesy affair (like when it centered around his former sensei). Instead, we get some pretty heavy backstory, some Robert Patrick, and a dash of treason to whet our appetite for all things Casey. But, funnily enough, even when a story is Casey-centric, it all still reflects back on Chuck and Sarah.

I usually don’t do spoiler warnings since you, dear reader, are in fact reading a review of an episode post-first-run airing. But with so many things that happen for Casey’s character that are too good to just read about and not watch, I encourage you to peep the episode first before reading on so I don’t spoil any of the good stuff.

Casey’s character and backstory are at the very core of this episode. John is a man that lives and breathes his country but mostly through the vision of others. He is dutiful to rank and those that have guided him through the military and NSA, so much so that he tends to sometimes be blinded by his reverence of and indebtedness to them. Making the audience believe that is the greatest trick this episode pulls. From his disdain for Roan Montgomery to his blind rage that his sensei flipped for FULCRUM, he has demonstrated his country comes before any personal attachment. But here, John Casey is willing to take a call from the Ring and willing to defy his country in order to appease the man that recruited him to the NSA. As long as you look at this episode in the short view, it makes total sense. Which is all that is necessary since it’s not the whole story.

His backstory involves him in the life before he became John Casey, a military recruit that wasn’t good enough for Special Ops so was willing to be molded by an imposing man holding Tic-Tacs and an opportunity to serve as something greater than a pawn. John Casey, Alex in the day, had a fiancée willing to wait for him when he got back, a woman Casey would later reflect on as the love of his life (I suppose we’re excepting Ilsa since she was in love with an identity he portrayed, not the man himself) but a life he had to sacrifice to chase his dream. His commanding officer would regard him as stupid for holding a torch for woman that believed him to be dead (Alex was announced “killed in action” as he assumed the name John Casey), making him vulnerable to the play: Casey’s recruiter has kidnapped this woman and has threatened her death if he doesn’t retrieve a super-soldier pill from the CIA vault. There are some personal attachments that come before country, and this woman is that one for Casey.

And that brings us to how this reflects on Chuck and Sarah. The entire story of Chuck and Sarah having to capture Casey “dead or alive” hearkens the Season 2 episode “Chuck vs The Colonel” where General Beckman promotes Casey to Colonel in exchange for him bringing Chuck and Sarah (then on the lam in order to find Black Rock and his father) to justice, “dead or alive.” Driving this home further is the fact that Casey, in this episode, upon completion of the mission, is stripped of that title, of all rank actually, as he is demoted to civilian. Not only is this possibly the worst thing that could possibly occur to a man that gave up everything for service but it is an important reversal in this post-Intersect-2.0 world where anything can happen to anyone. Not to call back to Lost, but, seriously, anyone can be dismissed now that Chuck needs his handlers less and less. Although, let’s face it, Casey’s not going anywhere and I wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t a ruse for something else to come.

But one of the most important revelations in this episode is when Chuck demonstrates his trust in Casey by invoking a line he once uttered to Sarah (in “Chuck vs The Cougars”): “I don’t care who you were because I know who you are.” When he said that to Sarah, it was almost obvious that this was in his mounting devotion to her. But now, in respect to Casey, these are the words that every sensitive spy rejecting his past and doing very bad things ever since wants to hear. Not that Casey is a sensitive guy in general but he is particularly vulnerable in this episode and Chuck saying this to him redefines what it means. This sentence no longer belongs to Sarah. It belongs to the bond Team Chuck shares, no matter what happens.

And a lot is about to happen (or could possibly happen). Chuck’s discovery of a drug that caps his fear and allows him to do horrible things to people (the thing which Casey steals for his recruiter) may have an effect on how Chuck perceives his power. He was ready to choke a guy out until Sarah stopped him (part of that “you have to protect the world from Chuck” business they’ve been hinting at) and I can see how that might throw Chuck’s understanding of his power into question. With Sarah becoming more vocal about Chuck not losing his Chuckness, there may be a coming divide between his desire to be a spy (and do something he’s good at) or maintaining himself and nurturing the love he has for Sarah (and that she, possibly, has for him). At the end of the episode, in a moment of clarity, Casey reminds Chuck that Sarah is a good woman and that it’s not too late. It’s been a while since we’ve heard someone reassure Chuck that he and she are good together in a non-work capacity.

While I think I’m more partial to “Chuck vs The Beard,” I feel like this episode is a strong contender for best of the season. But, then again, I’m also partial to Casey getting out of the van every once in a while.

Some quick hits:

• It was only a matter of time before Morgan was going to be used as a pawn in someone’s chess game of espionage. It’s interesting that it was used in such a passing way. But I can see a similar scenario playing out soon where Morgan plays the same role at the center of an episode.
• With such a Buy More-heavy B-story last week, there was almost no Buy More in this episode. I guess after staging a revolution, Big Mike and the gang need a breather.