A very 'Chuck' Christmas
Do you ever watch Cops and think, "Come on, no criminal could be THAT stupid!" Chuck introduces us to one such idiotic wrongdoer, who crashes (literally) the Buy More on the day before Christmas. Get ready to unwrap a surprise!
Tidings of spoilers and joy.
It's almost Christmas, which means different things to different people. For Emmett and Big Mike, it means jacking up prices and preying upon last-minute shoppers. For the Bartowski clan, it means lounging around in pajamas and watching the Twilight Zone marathon. For Sarah, it brings up memories of her dad's annual Salvation Army con. And for the Buy Morons, it means it's time to don them now their gay apparel -- specifically, elf or Sexy Mrs. Claus outfits -- and watch the latest police chase on the local news.
Unfortunately, that chase ends when the perp crashes into the Buy More and takes everyone hostage. Casey wants to go in with guns a-blazing (after all, he bought himself a new gun for Christmas), but Sarah counsels a softer approach. After all, if they show up in force and hustle Chuck out, it will show the bad guys that Chuck is someone of note, and that would mean that everyone -- Chuck, Ellie, Awesome, Morgan, the lot -- would have their lives ripped apart.
Our dumb criminal is Nate Ryerson, who just lost his job, wanted to get his kids Christmas present, and somehow ended up in a police chase. He seems like a total idiot -- for one thing, he keeps scratching his head with a loaded gun -- and Chuck is drafted into being the Voice of Reason in the store. Chuck feels sorry for hte poor schmuck and tells Nate he can help him out of this -- he's got friends in high places who can make this all go away! Chuck gets to answer the phone when Lt. Mauser, the LAPD hostage negotiator, comes calling. He also gets to counsel Awesome that it's really not a time for heroics. Awesome so doesn't want to hear that.
Casey and Sarah sneak in through a tunnel, but Nate catches them, and accidentally shoots off Casey's toe. Casey is NOT a happy bunny about that. When Mauser comes in and offers to trade himself for two hostages, he suggests they send out the injured man. Nate decides to send Sarah as well. Doh! Sarah tells Chuck it will be ok -- after all, what else could go wrong?
How about this -- Mauser's a Fulcrum agent, and he's working with Nate. Mauser tells Chuck that Fulcrum knew that Casey and Sarah were NSA and CIA, and that they must have been protecting something important. When they saw the two come running to protect Chuck, they knew it had to be him. Then they did a little research and discovered that Chuck was Bryce Larkin's roommate. Aha! Chuck must know where Bryce and the Intersect are! Mauser threatens to have a suddenly competent Nate kill Ellie if Chuck doesn't reveal what he knows. Chuck tells him that Bryce is gone, but that the Intersect is right there in his head.
Mauser prepared to take Chuck to a Fulcrum facility, but Chuck asks to say goodbye to Ellie and Awesome first. When he hugs Awesome goodbye, he tells him that it's time for Awesomeroics. Finally! Mauser loads Chuck into an ambulance, but Sarah shoots out the tire before he gets too far away. Chuck scampers into a Christmas tree lot, which leads to some cat-and-mouse (cat-and-Mauser?) action until Sarah shows up. She tells Chuck to run, but of course he's stubborn. Sarah and Mauser fight, and Sarah eventually gets the upper hand. Mauser says it's no matter-- they can lock him up wherever they want, but Fulcrum will find him, and when they do, Chuck's pathetic little life is over. He'll be their lab rat for the rest of time! Chuck comes sneaking back just in time to see Mauser raise his hands and say he's willing to go into custody -- and for Sarah to shoot him anyway. Dun dun DUN!
The Buy Morons
Anna isn't talking to Morgan, since he turned out to be such a wimp about moving in with her. Anna, you can do better! After all, you won the bet about how the car chase would end!
Big Mike is distraught about how much money they're losing while they're in captivity -- all his customers will go to Large Mart! So when Chuck convinces Nate to let a hostage go, Emmett "volunteers" -- Take me! My mother is dying of a mythical disease! But is wasn't cowardice on Emmett's part -- as soon as he got in range of the camera, he started talking up Buy More's fantastic deals and dangerously low prices. Hee!
Ellie brings Awesome to the store to buy him a Christmas present (using Chuck's discount), only to discover that he already bought himself a present from her -- skydiving lessons. He needs more adrenaline in his life! Ellie is NOT happy.
After the gunman enters, Awesome is all for rushing the guy and taking him out. Morgan, depressed that Anna thinks he's a coward, is all too willing to listen, but Chuck and Ellie quash the plan twice. After Chuck releases the Awesome (as the Casey is recovering from a shot-off toe), the Buy Morons try to grab Nate, who kicks Lester in the face, sending him end over end. Awesome is imperiled until Morgan jumps out of his trap in the fake snow and sprays Nate in the face with fluffy snow bits. Big Mike and Awesome crush Nate between them. Saved!
Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends
- Chuck insists that Sarah spend Christmas chez Bartowski -- "I'm not taking no for an answer, Walker, so prepare to be heartwarmed."
- Later, he gives Sarah his Christmas gift -- his mom's lucky charm bracelet. Sarah is touched, although I can't imagine superspies really go in for jangly jewelry. Chuck rethinks the gift after he sees the bracelet chiming merrily on Sarah's wrist as she shoots Mauser in cold blood, then lies about it to him. Doh!
- Anna and Ellie hover over Lester after Nate coldcocks him, giving him a great view of their cleavage. Later, Lester grabs Anna and kisses her. Strangely, she lets him live. Morgan sees this, and assumes that Anna and Lester are together now. Sigh.
- Actually, I find it somewhat strange that Anna didn't kick Nate's ass when he came crashing in -- we know she's got the skills...
- Sadly, we didn't get a whole lot of Casey this week. I do appreciate his injuries -- first, his fingertips are covered in gauze, because Buy More giftwrap duty has left him riddled with paper cuts, and later, when Nate "accidentally" shoots off his toe. Casey is really pissed about that one -- he's been through war zones without a scratch, but looking after Chuck, he loses an appendage!
- Chuck convinces Nate to let everyone call their loved ones. Awesome and Ellie talk to The Awesomes, Lester calls the Love Chat Line, and Jeff asks to speak to prisoner number something-or-other, A.K.A. "mom."
- I do like that Chuck has that whole over-the-counter leap thing down. That counts as his spy maneuver, I guess.
good episode, but you forgot carl winslow as big mike's cousin.. looked like a sly reference to Die Hard, where he played another LA cop responding to a hostage crisis on Christmas eve
Im starting to get annoyed by Chuck. At first i thought it was great that he has his own mind and it was funny, but today not trusting sarah to leave when they had the chance and then coming back to see her kill the agent. I think Chuck is starting to become more annoying and losing all the Chuck charm that he has had previously.
Actually, Reginald VelJohnson WAS playing Sgt. Al Powell, his character from "Die Hard"! I kept waiting to hear any other DH references (Hans Gruber, Nakatomi, etc.) but, if there were any, I missed them.
I liked this episode more than I thought I would. I was afraid it'd be "a very special Christmas episode", especially with a kidnapper who was so noce. I was glad that it turned out to be a Fulcrum plot. Way to go, show!
Actually, Reginald VelJohnson WAS playing Sgt. Al Powell, his character from "Die Hard". He introduced himself early on in the episode. I didn't catch any other Die Hard references, though.
sorry-double post
cn, that was Reginald Veljohnson, who played a character with the same name (Al Powell) in Die Hard. He even had some of the same lines.
Other allusions to "Die Hard":
-The metal security door coming down
-Use of Beethoven's "Ode To Joy"
-Al eating Twinkees
Did I miss any?
2 weeks in a row and two die hard references and this one wasn't even subtle and you don't comment on either.
Please p*** this blogging on to someone who knows WTF is going on.
Let's make a deal, Dan -- I'll pick up on important Huey Lewis references, and I'll leave Die Hard to eagle-eyed fans like you. Until someone actually says "Yippee Kay Yay, Mother BLEEP," I'm out. I liked Die Hard when I saw it, but apparently not enough to remember anything beyond that and the horrific hopping over broken lightbulbs scene, which still makes my feet hurt, 20 years on.
Now, if they put in more Heathers references -- or add in Duran Duran references, or Muppets references, or ... the list goes on, I'm all over it.
"I think Chuck is starting to become more annoying and losing all the Chuck charm that he has had previously."
I have to agree with Chucks Heroes' comment. Obviously Chuck's love for Sarah clouds his thinking, but it also weakens his character (to me anyway).
Also, I applaud the writers for not going for "he was pulling a weapon from his collar" when Sarah gunned down Rooker. She is supposed to be a deadly agent, anyway.