'Chuck': Jordana Brewster and a matter of trust

Oh, "Chuck," you outdid yourself this week. I mean, how can you not respect -- heck, adore! -- a show that includes references to The Godfather, The Princess Bride and Weekend at Bernie's, plus Duran Duran, creepy management training firms, neo-Soviet propaganda posters, a killer move called The Morgan, full-on cube warfare, trust, betrayal and great big diamond rings. But there's more! Chuck, Casey and the Buy Morons become sharp-dressed men; Jill returns; and Sarah decides where her loyalties lie. And did I mention the Duran Duran? Eeeeeeeeee!

OK, so Fulcrum has Papa Bartowski, a.k.a. Orion, a.k.a. Scott Bakula, and Chuck wants him back. When the government seems to be dragging its feet on the rescue mission, he decides to go to Jill for information. She initially declines to help -- Chuck DID throw her in jail AND choose her nemesis -- but Chuck offers her a get-out-of-jail free(ish) card. Of course, Jill doesn't know where Orion is herself, but she knows someone who will -- Uncle Bernie, a family friend and high-level Fulcrum agent who recruited her to the bad guy-side. Unfortunately, Bernie tends to be under heavy guard except for during family events. Like, say, an engagement party? Ooooh, check out that ring Chuck gives Jill!

Things go wrong quickly, as Bernie is not happy to see Jill, and less happy to learn that she made a deal with the Feds. He decides to kill them on principle, but he has a heart attack and dies as Chuck cowers in fear. Apparently that 96-ounce steak he consumed was inadvisable. Chuck and Casey have to drag him out of the house, claiming he's drunk. Hey, maybe they can stop at his beach house on the way back to the Castle. You know, for the weekend.

But all is not lost -- a timely phone call from Fulcrum to Bernie's cell reveals that Orion is being held at Strength Leadership Corp., an executive training firm/Fulcrum recruiting ground/creepy culty corporate brainwashing company/repository and employer of last resort for designers of neo-Soviet Propaganda posters. Chuck and Casey infiltrate, but they're spotted and are forced to take the entry test, where they're identified. Chuck and Casey are separated, and things look bad for Chuck.

But Sarah and Jill come in after them, and the women engage in some distinctly non-nerf cube warfare with the entire Fulcrum corporate staff. Chuck again manages to off a bad guy with his lethal cower, and Jill tells him what she's learned about his dad -- that he's been transferred to a place called Black Rock. Intersect Chuck knows that's a secret facility in Barstow. In appreciation for Jill keeping up her end of the deal, Chuck takes off her ankle monitor, gives her the highly expensive ring as seed money, and sends Jill on her way -- something he hadn't originally planned on doing. Awww, Chuck -- you're still Chuck!

And the government is still the government. General Beckman decides that Chuck is just too untrustworthy, and it's time to lock him down. She tells Sarah to trick him into coming back to the Castle by telling him that his dad has been rescued. Casey will tranq him, and they'll ship him off to seclusion and imprisonment. And it looks like Sarah is going to do it ... until Chuck thanks her for being the one person he always knows he can trust. That does it -- she tells Chuck that it's a trap, and that they have to run. They ditch his locator watch and take to the road. "You're committing treason, Sarah," Chuck says in disbelief. "You could go to jail!" "I know," Sarah replies. And she doesn't care -- she's made her choice.

The Buy Morons
Emmett has a request -- corporate is coming in to evaluate him, and he needs everyone to be on their best behavior. After a very Vizzini vs. Dread Pirate Roberts reasoning sequence from Morgan (if only one of them had mentioned Iocane Powder...) the Buy Morons decide to go nuts and sabotage everything for Emmett. But Emmett has a card up his sleeve -- if the corporate guy approves of his performance, he'll have no choice but to promote him out of this place. Then Morgan and his cronies will be free to slack off at will.

After some debate, Morgan buys it, and the store runs like a well-oiled machine. He even gets Lester and Jeff to dress up in suits! (Anna is also wearing a suit, but hers still has a VERY short skirt.) The only thing Emmett needs is a glowing recommendation from Big Mike, which he convinces Morgan to wheedle out of the man. Morgan records Mike saying Emmett's presence means he can take off and go fishing at will -- which turns out to be a problem. See, the corporate guy is actually there to evaluate Big Mike. Between Big Mike's absence and all the praise the employees give the assistant manager, he has no choice but to give the store to Emmett. It was a trick! This is what Emmett wanted all along!

Big Mike gets demoted back to the floor -- and he knows why. He kisses Morgan full on the lips and channels Michael Corleone -- "I know it was you, Morgan. You broke my heart! You broke my heart!" He tells the rest of the Buy Moron not to do anything to Morgan while he's still banging Bolonia. Things don't look good for the little bearded one...

OK, folks, what did you think? What were your highlights? Did I miss any movie references? Were you all as blissed out as I was after the ep -- and was it at leas tin part because of the Duran Duran? Talk!