- A car crashes into the Buy More, everyone inside, including Ellie and Devon are taken hostage. Chuck does his best to protect everyone. The real goals are not evident, and it will lead to some very hard choices.
- Chuck's nerd herd was prepared for the Christmas shopping rush, not apparently mentally unstable Nathan Edward 'Ned' Rhyerson crashing in his car trough the front glass and taking everyone hostage without clear demands. Awesome is among the hostages with Ellie, but refrains his natural heroism long enough at Chuck's urging. Casey and Sarah fail to extract unwilling Chuck separately and end up hostages, Casey even loses a toe. Police detective Mauser, the negotiator in charge, alas also makes Chuck flash.—KGF Vissers
- 'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring -- except for last-minute shoppers about to be robbed blind by Big Mike (Mark Christopher Lawrence) and Emmett (Tony Hale), who have jacked up prices at the big-box store 15 percent. Meanwhile, Chuck (Zachary Levi) invites Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) over to the house for a fake fireplace and "Twilight Zone marathon." As good as the offer sounds, she turns him down. "I don't do Christmas," Sarah says. Painful memories and all that.
We head inside the Buy More where Awesome (Ryan McPartlin) and Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) have arrived to take advantage of ye olde friends and family discount. The employees are dressed as Elves and watching a high-speed chase broadcast live on high-definition tubes now 15 percent more than they were yesterday. Hmm, any chance we'll see that car again?
Speak of the sedan! A car CRASHES through the front window of the Buy More! A man steps out unharmed, gun drawn. "Hi," Chuck deadpans. "Welcome to the Buy More." Cue opening credits!
One opening credits sequence (plus commercials) later, the flustered criminal -- named Ned, naturally -- settles in for a bona fide police stand off. On "Die Hard" musical cue, the general (Bonita Friedericy) gets word of the Intersect's predicament and passes it along to Sarah and Casey (Adam Baldwin). "See if you can remove Chuck without calling attention to yourselves or the asset," the general says. Casey is visibly disappointed.
Outside the Buy More, Sgt. Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson), cousin to Big Mike and no relation to Sgt. Al Powell of "Die Hard," eats a Twinkie and discusses the curious case of amateur criminal Ned Rhyerson (Jed Rees), no relation to Ned Ryerson of "Groundhog Day." Inside, Ned explains he recently lost his job and, quite suddenly, has become the "new O.J." The hostage negotiator calls, requesting Ned send out a hostage as a sign of good faith. Emmett immediately volunteers. "What's going on inside is the greatest sales event of the season!" Emmett tells the assembled press. Nice work, buster.
Chuck, meanwhile, asks to go to the break room and finds Sarah and Casey waiting. They urge him move downstairs to safety, but a good Intersect never leaves his family and friends behind. "I can't take that chance," he says. Just then, Ned enters. The gun accidentally goes off! And we go to commercial!
One excruciatingly long commercial break later, we discover Casey has been shot in the foot. "You owe me a toe, Bartowski," Casey fumes. Suddenly, the negotiator calls looking for a list of demands. The only problem: Ned has no demands. This O.J. has not come prepared. Instead, the man calls his wife to ask for advice.
A few more "Die Hard" references later (we hope someone is getting a royalty check), the staff is allowed to call their loved ones. Chuck, naturally, calls Sarah. "You are my girlfriend, sort of," he says. Awww! But wait! Chuck isn't done being adorable. He gives Sarah a charm bracelet once belonging to his mother. Sarah is touched.
Ned, meanwhile, has come up with a demand: He wants to go home and spend Christmas with his family. The negotiator enters the store. "What do you say we make a trade?" he asks. "Me for two of your hostages." Ned agrees ... and sends Sarah and Casey out. Doh! With two superagents gone, the negotiator, Mauser (Michael Rooker), introduces himself to Chuck, who has an Intersect moment! Mr. Negotiator is a Fulcrum agent!
A long and mind-numbing string of advertisements later, Chuck corners Ned and pleads with him to release all the hostages. Outside, the SWAT team leader (Matt Riedy) tells Sarah and Casey there is no record of Ned being married. The dynamic duo rushes to HQ and trace the earlier call. Guess what? Ned isn't so bumbling, after all. He called the negotiator! Both are Fulcrum agents. The entire incident was a way to smoke out who Sarah and Casey were protecting!
Inside the Buy More, the negotiator reveals himself as Fulcrum baddie Mauser. "I want to know where Bryce Larkin and the Intersect are," says Mauser, threatening to kill Ellie if Chuck doesn't talk. Our hero explains he has no idea know where Larkin currently resides ... but he does know where to locate the Intersect. "It is right here," says Chuck, tapping his head. Uh oh.
A few words from our sponsors later, Mauser explains the plan: Chuck will leave in an ambulance under the agent's supervision and be taken to a Fulcrum safe house. Chuck asks to say goodbye to Ellie and Awesome. He whispers a heartfelt goodbye to the former and tells the latter that "it's time to be brave." In other words: go time, John McClane style. Yippie-ki-yay!
As Chuck is led outside to the ambulance, Awesome assembles his elite team: Big Mike, Lester (Vik Sahay), Morgan (Joshua Gomez) and Jeff (Scott Krinsky). The fearsome fivesome attack! The excitement is short lived, however, as Ned promptly spin kicks Lester into the land of unconsciousness. "Who's next?" Ned asks. That would be Morgan, who emerges from a pile of fake snow, spraying criminal with white stuff. Big Mike and Awesome take advantage of the distraction, sandwiching Ned and knocking him out cold. Team Awesome unite!
Sarah and Casey, meanwhile, chase the ambulance and shoot out its tires. Chuck manages to escape, and the entire crew find themselves in a Christmas tree lot. Sarah locates Chuck and instructs him to flee, which he does. Then she searches for Mauser among the trees...when the faux negotiator appears of out nowhere! The two wrestle for a gun and Sarah wins. Sarah is about to take him into custody when the faux negotiator taunts, "I know that Chuck Bartowski is the Intersect." He tells Sarah she can lock him up, but Fulcrum will get to him and will then know Chuck's true identity. Chuck doubles back to help Sarah just in time to witness, from a distance, Mauser appearing to surrender himself into her custody. Sarah hesitates for a moment...before executing the man! Chuck's secret is safe, but is the cost too high for our gentle Intersect to accept?
Back at the Buy More, Ned is led away in cuffs and the employees celebrate. Chuck, on the other hand, returns to the store looking pretty low. The love of his life is a cold-blooded killer -- even if she did it to protect the Chuckster. Maybe he shouldn't have given her mom's bracelet, after all?
Morgan, meanwhile, experiences a shock of his own as he spots Anna (Julia Ling) and Lester kissing. He has no idea it was all Lester's doing. Nor does he hear Anna's "Ugh" afterwards.
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