Chuck may have gotten its name from Chuck Bartowski: Nerd Herd supervisor, asset, and spy-in-training, but I submit that there's another agent who deserves just as much adoration: Chuck's John Casey isn't as innocent or lovable as his charge, but he saves the day just as often, if not more than our titular hero. The series is all about people finding their inner capacity to be heroes, from Chuck to his bumbling pal Morgan to his excessively "normal" sister Ellie, and beyond. But it's also about warriors finding their inner humanity. Every time I watch the show, I'm just as invested in Casey's slow realization that he actually cares about his partners beyond the call of duty as I am with Chuck's developing spy skills.
Plus, who doesn't love an reluctant hero? Han Solo? Mal Reynolds? Captain Kirk? Buffy Summers, even? There are reasons why these characters are usually the fan favorites. It's much more interesting to see someone with inner conflicts step up to the plate than it is to watch a saint do the same thing.
Casey is a critical part of Team Moron. To fully appreciate the vital contributions he made to the mission, I give you nine times that Agent Casey was a total boss:
1. When He Shrugged Off A Tranquilizer Dart
Always a professional, Casey would never let a little thing like a heavy dose of sedative get him down. For long, at least.
2. When He Was A Master Of Disguise
He's no DiCaprio, but so long as the part doesn't require more than some theatrical grunting, Casey can handle it.
3. When He Always Had Chuck's Back
He reveled in giving "Lemon" a hard time. But when the chips were down, Chuck could always count on Casey to back him up.
4. When He Knew How A Real Man Shows Affection
I'm not crying, you're crying.
5. When He Was The Captain Of The Chuck & Sarah 'Ship
On the real, no one gave more encouragement to Chuck and Sarah than secret softie Casey. The closer he got to them, the more he wanted to see them happy. And he knew they'd be happiest together. Bless.
6. When He Got The Party Started
Shame on you if you didn't think that Casey had the moves.
7. When He Didn't Kill Morgan For Dating His Daughter
Even though he kind of wanted to.
8. When He Showed Off His Range
In need of a pitch-perfect high C? Casey's got that in his arsenal too.
9. When He Proudly Acknowledged His Friends
Spy stuff comes easy to Casey. He'll take a bullet with no problem, drop into high pressure situations without a second thought, and take on the world's baddest bad guys without breaking a sweat. It's far more challenging for him to be vulnerable, or to get close to anyone. And that's why it's so satisfying when he lets those walls come down.
Here's to you, John Casey. You may not have the show's title, but you've got mad respect.
Images: Warner Bros. Television; zacbartowski, chuckvsthegifs (2), yvonestrahovski, isobelstevenz (3), camiladorkable, chuckflashes/Tumblr
