Ethan Chao[1] is a friend of Jess Valenzuela in National Treasure: Edge of History.
Biography[]
Ethan Chao and Jess Valenzuela grew up together.[2] They even went in the same schools. At their middle school cotillion, Ethan and Jess had a dance routine to Lady Gaga's Bad Romance, and they won the competition. They reused that dance routine at their prom.[3] They also attended the Oak Prep Academy in Baton Rouge together. Ethan attended the school without the scholarship.[2]
Ethan and his friends are doing an escape room, where he and Jess do all the work, while Oren Bradley and Tasha Rivers cheer them on.[4]
Ethan, while harboring feelings for Jess who doesn't feel the same for him, has decided to move on and has been dating Meena Mishra for six weeks.[4]
When Jess shows her what she found at masonic lodge, Ethan gets protective of her, because of her DACA status.[4]
But he later apologizes for lecturing her. Jess then asks him a random question about kidnapping and smaller crimes leading to conviction. Later Ethan figures out that Oren was in trouble, and pressures him into spilling the beans. Ethan then confronts Jess, and they reaffirm their pack to never lie to one another again.[5]
Jess comes to Ethan with the new information of her mother's involvement with the treasure. Ethan now fully supports Jess in her quest to find the Montezuma's Treasure. Ethan joins the others in Sadusky's clue room, where they solve the clue leading to Elvis Presley.[6]
At Graceland, Ethan played a key role in the clue hunt as a disguised pest exterminator. He even spent hours on a moth research previous night to prepare for the role. Ethan was lead into the secret room where the next clue for the Incan Relic was supposed to be. Ethan snapped several photos of the Elvis' guitar Ebony Dove, and its surroundings. When he returned to the van it turned out the guitar was not the clue, but the fake gold record La Paloma, and Jess had went inside to get that record.[6]
Back at Baton Rouge, Ethan confronted Liam Sadusky about being reckless with Jess, and blurted out that she has DACA. He felt sorry afterward, and went straight to Jess and came clean about his oversharing.[6]
Ethan went golfing with Meena, and later returned to his apartment to have some fun. When they are caught by Oren, who came to grab some books to be signed by Riley Poole he invites them to meet him, and Meena grabs at the chance. At the wake, Ethan recognizes the brown Chrysler that followed them to Graceland and calls him out, the Bearded Man then drives away in hurry. Later Ethan sees Liam and Jess kissing, realizing he has missed any chance he had with her.[7]
Ethan and Jess go over to the Governor's Mansion to scope out the Meriwether Lewis' Journal, and on their way discuss the possibility of Liam betraying the group.[3]
After clearing Liam from being the mole, and Jess going with him to the Governor's ball. Liam was left with his ticket, but Meena suggested that she will buy one too and they can have a double date there. At the ball, they hear "Bad Romance" playing, to which Oren and Tasha suggest Ethan and Jess reenact their dance routine. During their dance Meena and Liam disappear, and they realize it was a mistake to dance. Ethan finds Meena, who realized that Ethan has feeling for Jess. [3]
After the ball, and once again thinking that Liam has betrayed them as he ran off with the journal, Ethan pushes Jess to confront Liam. Later when meeting Meena in the hospital to talk about their relationship, Ethan notices Liam tuxedo all bloodied in the trash cart. Asking where the patient was, Ethan finds Liam all beaten up and unconscious. He waits in his room until Liam wakes up, who then tells that he saw Billie at the ball, which is why he took the journal.[2]
Ethan is looking for Jess and goes home, where he finds her. He reveals what happened to Liam. And Jess tells him that she needs to go to Mexico. Ethan knows that Jess needs to do this even if it means she can't come back to America. Ethan stayed behind in an attempt to clear Jess' name. He visits the Baton Rogue FBI department to see Agent Ross, who plays him the recording. Ethan recognized the mistake between "further" and "farther" and knew the tape was a fake. Knowing that he can't really do anything, he joined his friends in Mexico.[8]
Ethan arrived just as the others were preparing for the prison visit. When Jess returned from the prison, she was shocked to find her father alive and wanted to give up on the treasure hunt. Ethan told her to continue, as he has not seen her with a purpose for a long time, and this treasure reignited that in her. They then follow the clue Jess' father gave her to track the Incan Relic to University of the Cloister of Sor Juana. Realizing the music is key, Ethan suggest the lullaby that Jess' mother sang to her that was part of the Daughters of Plumed Serpent verse. He turned out to be right when they found the relic. Back at the hotel they assembled the map, but no one know how to read it, so they decided to visit Rafael Rios again. But at the prison Jess saw Billie and decided to break her father out[8] Ethan went along with her plan and waited her in the car. The escape didn't work as they planned and Ethan had to act as a getaway driver. Once safe, they decided to split up, Ethan and Tasha went back to US legally and agreed to wait for Jess and her father as they smuggle their way in. But just as Ethan arrives in the US and makes stop for gas and snacks the FBI surrounded them.[9]
Trivia[]
- Ethan Chao's full name is revealed in episode 6: Frenemies on the investigation wall of Agent Ross.
Gallery[]
