Chuck/Awesome

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Thinking about it, Chuck himself has a habit of CMoAs every season opener.
    • Season 1: He defuses a bomb without the use of the Intersect.
    • Season 2: He performs a magnificent Xanatos Gambit, convincing the enemy that he has them surrounded:

Chuck: My name is Charles Carmichael. I'm a CIA agent, and this is my trap. I don't think you gentlemen recognize the gravity of the predicament you're in. Your call to the Buy More? Yeah, we traced that. Your compound is currently surrounded by 23 infantry troopers, 16 snipers, 7 heavy gunners, 4 demolitions experts and enough ammunition to orbit Arnold Schwarzenegger. You're outmatched and you're outgunned. Those pea-shooters you're holding might as well be sharp sticks and strong language.

      • And then later in the same scene, Chuck keeps showing just how well he can work under stress when he manages to improvise a good enough explanation for the bad guys not seeing any of The Cavalry Chuck had been talking about and even manages to temporarily get the upper hand of the situation.

Chuck: Of course you don't see anyone. You do you think we are, the FBI? All you'll see before you die is one big bang of white light sending you straight to hell. One last time... give up.

      • When the bad guy (played by Michael Clarke Duncan no less) scoffs at this, he then calls up Morgan who seemingly confirms his bluff.
      • In a sense, this is also a CMOA for Morgan, who had produced blueprints and concocted a full-scale military operation for a game of Call of Duty with the staff of a competing store. Yes, the battle plans are impossible to use on Call of Duty, but think about it - Morgan came up with a battle plan for a video game that was so well thought out, that a member of the CIA used it as a bluff against some terrorists.

Chuck: Morgan, you're my new hero.

    • Season 3: The beginning of the episode, when he singlehandedly beats up a bunch of CIA Operatives.
    • Season 4: Sarah and Casey tied up. Chuck held at multiple gunpoints at another location. Baddie with a radio gives the order: "Kill him". Loads of gunshots over the radio, then silence. Sarah and Casey looking deeply upset. Then...
  • radio crackle*

Chuck: [voice over the radio] Hello? Clearly you have no idea who I am or you would have sent more than 10 men to kill me. If you touch one hair on Sarah's head I'm going to do to you what I just did to your men. Do I make myself clear? I'm coming up.
Camera cuts to Chuck putting the radio down and turning to Morgan.
Chuck: Scary enough?


Season 1

  • Casey takes out a bad guy with a flying microwave in "Chuck Versus the Tango."
  • Chuck, in "Chuck Versus the Truth." It's hard to spot because it's buried in amongst a whole bunch of funny, but his exact words are, "I'll pretend to take the serum for myself then give it to my sister instead." Chuck is fully prepared to die for his sister.


Season 2

  • Buy More employee Anna Wu gets her Crowning Moment in "Chuck Versus the Break-Up," wherein she opts to take Morgan's place in a cage fight against a man over twice her size (Guest star Michael Strahan)... and then proceeds to give him a vicious beating with a tripod, which she treats like she's wielding a bo staff. The utter shitkicking is so great that even Casey is impressed (as evidenced by the fact that he got on the phone and recommended her for government field work).
  • In "Chuck Versus Tom Sawyer," Chuck plays Missile Command to stop a satellite from launching a several missiles and cause World War III in front of dozens of people and in sync with Tom Sawyer.
  • Morgan's Crowning Moment came in "Chuck Versus the Fat Lady", when he blackmails Emmett Millbarge into leaving Chuck alone.
  • "Chuck Versus the Gravitron:"
    • Where do we start? Maybe with the message he leaves on one of the Castle screens:

Chuck: Unleash the Casey.

    • Towards the end of the episode, we have him finally confronting his past in the awesomest manner possible:

Chuck: "You're under arrest, Jill, and I'm breaking up with you."

    • Also, Big Mike of all people gets a Crowning Moment when he takes down Leader in one hit after mistakenly identifying him as someone trying to rob the Buy More and thusly saving Casey's ass. Don't screw with that man's Buy More.
  • In "Chuck Versus Santa Claus," Morgan hides under an artificial snow display for an extended period of time, waiting for the perfect moment to help take out Rhyerson with a snow blower... mind you, this is just after Captain Awesome and Big Mike's plan nearly fell apart, so Morgan actually was the hero.
  • ULTIMATE CMoA: In "Chuck Versus the Suburbs," Badass Crew Casey, Sarah, and Chuck turn the tables on Fulcrum and use their own Faux Intersect machine to reduce all of them to insanity.
  • At the end of "Chuck Versus the Lethal Weapon," Chuck returns to his room and turns over his Tron poster to reveal that he's been keeping tabs on, and investigating the people and plots around him, and is actively searching for a way to get the Intersect out of is head, showing the first real sign that he has been employing his intelligence and talents for his own benefit, independent of his handlers and in defiance of them. And Chuck does it at a moment when the viewer is probably feeling sorry for him, so the sympathy is instantly transformed into respect and admiration for the guy.
  • Captain Awesome (appropriately) earns one in "Chuck Versus the Colonel", with this exchange...

[[spoiler:Sarah:: "Chuck, NO!"
Chuck:"He can handle it! You can handle this, right? Tell me you can handle this!"
Awesome:"You're being serious? He's being serious?"
Chuck:"Devon, I need you to help me. I need you to be cool about this. I need you to cover for me with Ellie. I need you to be awesome. Can you... be Awesome?"
Awesome: "You're a spy, Chuck?
Chuck: "Yeah, more or less, yeah."]]
Awesome: Whoa... Wow... This is... Awesome!

  • "Chuck Versus the Ring:"
    • "You rang."
    • Chuck pretty much spends the entire episode being awesome, but caps it off with the final scene.

Chuck: Guys... I know kung fu!


Season 3

  • Sarah gets one in "Chuck Versus Operation Awesome," when Shaw is dressing down Chuck for having people he cares about:

Chuck: There's something you need to know about me, Shaw. There's nothing in my life that I care about more than my friends and my family. I don't expect you to understand that, being the spy that you are, I'm sure that you don't care about anybody.
Shaw: Families and friends make us vulnerable. Make us unable to pull the trigger, and that puts everyone in even greater danger. Just ask your partner here. She'll tell you the same thing.
Sarah: Sometimes it helps to know that you've got something to lose.

It's even greater knowing that she'd said the exact opposite earlier.
  • In "Chuck Versus the Fake Name," Chuck is impersonating an assassin who is one of only five people in the world who can make a particular sniper shot that is half a mile away from the target, a hotel. In that hotel room, Chuck and Shaw are helpless as Sarah is being held at gunpoint. A gunshot rings out, and we see a nice, clean bullet hole dead-center in the gunman's forehead. Pan over half a mile away to see...

Casey: (smugly) Five people in the world can make this shot, huh? Guess I'm one of 'em.

Ladies and gentlemen, that's why John Casey is a Colonel Badass.
  • "Chuck Versus the Beard". The episode averages more CMoAs in the first 15 minutes than in the previous 5 episodes combined. The Grand Finale.....

Morgan:"Thank me later, dude. We're gonna die."
Chuck: (Smirk) "No, you're not."
Cue Curb Stomp Battle.

  • "Chuck Versus the Tic-Tac" has Chuck taking a pill which suppresses his emotions & improve his effectiveness as a spy/with the Intersect 2.0. He flashes on multiple styles of martial arts at the same time (whereas he could only flash on one at a time previously), then utters the following:

Chuck: I'm not afraid. Of any of you.

He then dodges a bullet at point blank and proceeds to lay the smack down. (Chuck's initial emotionlessness can be disturbing, and the ensuing confusion and dawning horror about what he was about to do really turns down the awesome.)
  • "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners:"

Beckman: I must caution you that allowing your private life to interfere with your professional one can be dangerous. But, off the record, it's about damn time.

  • Morgan lures a tiger into an apartment by offering himself willingly as live bait in "Chuck Versus the Role Models."
  • "Chuck Versus the Ring, Part II":
    • Morgan unhesitatingly breaks his own thumbs to escape his bindings, something Chuck was too squeamish to do in "Chuck Versus the Suburbs."
    • When Chuck recognizes Justin Sullivan as the guy who manipulated his sister, he disarms and strikes him with a cane without using the Intersect.
    • The team tricking Shaw into identifying the Ring Elders and then, when Shaw taunts Chuck about the fact that it's their word against his and no one is going to believe that he is involved with the Ring or that he killed Chuck's father:

Chuck: You know, your Nerd Herd associate can also help you with video conferencing. Smile, Daniel. You're on TV.

  • Chuck's showdown against Shaw. After being unable to flash for most of the episode and losing badly to Shaw, Chuck seems to be knocked unconscious. Then he opens his eyes, declares that he just needed to 'reboot', leaps to his feet and WIPES. THE. FLOOR. WITH. SHAW.


Season 4

  • Chuck's mother kicking ass in the final scene of the season four premiere. Linda Hamilton's still got it.
    • Also from that episode: Chuck kicking the asses of about a dozen armed agents in a matter of minutes.
  • Big Mike using a taser on Hugo Panzer when he gets out of line during a midnight release party. Don't screw with that man's Buy More.
  • Morgan taking down three bad guys with a 10,000 volt shock, taking the same hit himself in the process. It even earns Casey's respect enough to let him date Alex. Watch in awe.
  • Jeff and Lester's "Aisle of Terror," freaking the hell out of Robert Englund.
  • Volkov definitely earns Magnificent Bastard status with his first appearance, using some killer Obfuscating Stupidity as part of a Xanatos Gambit to find Orion's secret files.
  • Pretty much anything involving Sarah's Roaring Rampage of Revenge in "Chuck Versus Phase Three:"

Sarah: You got me. I'm just a needy, love-crazed girl on a husband hunt... (*inserts ammonia-filled needle into the subject's neck*) who's trained in over two hundred ways to kill you. Afraid yet?

Thai soldiers: IT'S THE GIANT BLONDE SHE-MALE!

Volkoff: PUT FROST ON THE DAMN PHONE!

  • "Chuck Versus the Push Mix." Let us count the ways:
    • Morgan navigating a Laser Hallway with yoga moves, including one he didn't know he could do.
    • Sarah and Chuck's mother as Back-to-Back Badasses.
    • Casey getting the information about HYDRA to Chuck while barely concious from a multi-story fall, and later unplugging his monitoring equipment to fake his death before nailing Volkoff's assassin with a bonsai.
    • And the topper of them all, Chuck's Batman Gambit to pose as his father to take down Volkoff, perfectly predicting every action he'd take, and finishing with General Beckman and other CIA operatives as the Big Damn Heroes.
      • Big Damn Heroes!? Batman Gambit!? It was more of a Xanatos Gambit! Chuck wasn't in any danger, with the exception of maybe a few bruises from a pistol whip. Beckman and the other operatives were lying in wait. They weren't rushing in to save Chuck's life--they even knocked on the door instead of bursting through every opening. He made a fool out of Volkoff!
      • Chuck revealing his plan to Volkoff ending it with "...After all, I am my father's son".

Chuck(after finding out Ellie's having her baby): What? Oh. Oh. Uh... General. General, can we borrow a van?
Beckman: Agent Bartowski, you just arrested Alexei Volkoff and obtained the Hydra network that we have spent the last twenty years searching for. (Turns to the lieutenent standing behind her) Lieutenent, get this man a chopper!

    • Given that the episode was the originally planned season (and potentially series) finale, series co-creator Josh Schwartz boasted that it would end with the best 10 minutes in the show's history.
  • General Beckman gets one in "Chuck Versus the Seduction Impossible" when she rescues Roan Montgomery with a Rocket Launcher. Judging from the footage in between the shot and the impact, she fired it across town.
    • Winds of Change from the Scorpions just adds to the awesome...
    • Plus, Casey shooting four enemies through a wall.
  • Chuck gets a callback to his original CMoA in "Chuck Versus the A-Team" when he defuses a suitcase nuke with fruit juice.
  • In "Chuck Versus Agent X," the old lady who lives at Agent X's place (VOLKOFF'S MOTHER!) gets one. Responding to the group of bad guys attacking her house by grabbing a belt-fed machine gun out of a nearby chest, leading to this exchange with Casey:

Casey: You know how to feed one of these?
Mother: Ha, you're feeding me.

Watching a woman old enough to be your grandmother lay down suppressing fire is both terrifying and awesome.:
  • In "Chuck Versus the Last Details," Casey manages to snipe four people through shuttered windows with nothing but knowledge of the layout of the room and a glasses-mounted camera on the inside.
  • Of course, being a season and potentially a series finale, "Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger" has its fair share of awesome. Quick, to the spoiler room!

Decker: Stand down or get buried!
Chuck: No.
Decker: No?
Chuck: Let me explain:
(picks up a chair and hurls it at the broadcast monitor)
Chuck: (to Casey) That guy may think he's a hard-ass, but I'm the Intersect.

    • The Duel homage, in which Chuck rides the Nighthawk in order to rescue Alexei Volkoff.
    • Not your standard CMoA, but the moment Chuck strips off his disguise and walks into Vivian's office with absolutely no plan, no weapons, or backup.

Receptionist: May I help you?
Chuck: My name is Charles Car--Chuck Bartowski, and I'm here to see Vivian Volkoff.
Receptionist: And what is this in regard to?
Chuck: She wants to kill me.

    • This gets topped off with the final confrontation with Decker, during a Mexican Standoff of epic proportions:

Decker: You're all under arrest. (to Chuck) I'm kinda disappointed in you, Bartowski. You thought you could get past me with a few of your spy friends? You shoulda known I'd bring an army to stop you.
Chuck: I know the move. But we have a move of our own. [[spoiler:(nods to Morgan) It's called The Magnet. See, while you're busy looking at me, and all of my "spy friends," you're missing something really, really big. Care of Volkoff Industries...
(A massive paratrooper corps drops in, composed of, as Casey says:)

Casey: Russians. So many Russians.

(Massively outgunned, Decker and company surrender their arms)

Decker: Russian Special Forces. You really are a traitor.]]

Chuck: Just for the day.

    • The final exchange in that confrontation:

[[spoiler:Decker: You're done.
Chuck: I quit. Now get out of my way.]]

    • Not that there aren't other Awesome Moments. Take, for example, a moment when Morgan and Awesome conspire to take out an agent. Awesome is distracting the agent by talking with him, and Morgan thinks of all possible attacks, and ultimately settles on nothing, as Awesome decides to just deck the guy. Score one for Awesome.

Morgan: [[spoiler:You are supposed to be the Magnet!
Awesome: Dude! "Sweep the leg?" Come on! In real life, you just make a fist and you hit'm as hard as you can!]]

    • And, of course, Casey has his when he spots Decker's Schmuck Bait and points it out:

Casey: It's a setup. When I make my move, you kill us all. In the report, you make yourself out to be the good guy, right? A real hero.
[[spoiler:Decker: Well, it's all right. You see, John, I'm not afraid to be the bad guy.

Casey: Neither am I. (Curb Stomp Battle ensues)]]


Season 5

  • In Chuck Versus the Business Trip, we have an assassin learning the hard way just what happens when one messes with John Casey and his family and friends: he will kill you and all your friends while you're still too busy gloating to duck.
  • Chuck Versus the Hack Off gives us one hell of a satisfying Back-to-Back Badasses moment with Gertrude and Sarah teaming up to kick bad guy ass while Chuck distracts the hackers by partaking in the titular "Hack Off".
    • And there's also Lester (of all people!) actually saving freaking John Casey from being outnumbered by prisoners by simply threatening to "pull the plug" on them.
  • Chuck Versus the Santa Suit features the return of Daniel Shaw, as he easily takes over Castle with Sarah & Casey as his hostages. However, when he goes to fight Chuck, it becomes a different story. For starters, Chuck turns Shaw's plan to upload the Intersect 3.0 in his head on its rear by rigging the Intersect glasses so that Shaw's downloaded the Omen virus instead. And then, Chuck proceeds to show how much of a Badass Normal he is by actually giving Shaw a good fight.
    • Best part of this: he was WINNING pretty handily against Shaw in a fist fight.
      • which makes Shaw's taunting/BadassBoast to Chuck just before the fight even funnier! Chuck's been doing push ups indeed!
    • And just to add to the awesomeness... Ellie finishes off the fight by knocking Shaw out from behind with a frying pan, right as the villain had Chuck at gunpoint.
    • The awesomeness isn't limited to the Bartowski family however - Jeff & Lester are the ones who figure out what the Omen virus does by reverse engineering it, which gives Chuck the idea to use it to remove Shaw's intersect.
    • Even when injured, Casey has his awesome moment here. He first escapes his cell by using the wiring inside the "Mr. Pippers, the Preppy Polar Bear" toy to rig the cell controls to free himself. He later assists Morgan in lifting Sarah and getting her to safety. And keep in mind, Casey is doing all this while wounded.
  • The very last scene in Chuck Versus Bo, in which Sarah, in order to fight her way out of a trap, loads the Intersect into herself. Ensue, Curb Stomp Battle.
  • Jeff & Lester (of all people!) get a marvelously awesome moment in "Chuck Versus the Bullet Train", as they pull off a Big Damn Heroes moment to save Morgan, Alex, and Awesome from two villains who had the trio captured.
    • Jeffster's philharmonic orchestra performance of "Take On Me" in the finale.
  • Gertrude blowing up Dekker.
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