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Sarah's at the hospital, soaking in a tub of ice (apparently that's all that was needed to counteract the effects of the Norseman -- at least temporarily). She's alive, but not well, and Chuck's plan is to save her. So he and Casey head to the maximum security prison to free Alexei Volkoff, the only man who could possibly have the antidote. Unfortunately, some CIA baddie (Richard Burgi) beats them to Volkoff and takes him away before they get there. He tells them to stop what they're doing or they'll end up dead. Chuck refuses because, you know, he's the Intersect. He steals a fancy prototype motorcycle (with the help of General Redhead, which is awesome) and chases down the truck transporting Volkoff. Unfortunately, before he gets there, Burgi (also known as Decker, by the way) uses some fancy anti-Intersect shades to remove the Volkoff from Volkoff. He goes back to being Hartley Winterbottom (!) right before Chuck shows up. Which means he doesn't know anything about the past thirty years. Fortunately, though, he does know about the Norseman, which he and his friend, Stephen Bartowski had been working on. They come up with an antidote, which buys them some time but doesn't save her.
So they head to Volkoff Industries to get the real antidote from Vivian. When they arrive Hartley chickens out, leaving Chuck alone to head up to Vivian's office. She thinks he's bold and stupid, and she's not going to help him. Duh. She thinks it's all him manipulating her, about her father and everything else. Which is when Hartley shows up. Chuck and Hartley successfully convince her to take the secret identities that Chuck and Sarah were going to use to get away to leave Volkoff Industries with her father and start over. Chuck heads back to the hospital to save his bride. After a standoff outside with Richard Burgi and his army (Chuck, with the help of Volkoff Industries, brought Russian special forces with him), he gets inside and does save her. Then they get married. The vows are lovely and touching, and we flash back to their meeting and all the times they kissed and fell in love. It really could have made a perfect series finale, actually.
Until they open an envelope, Hartley and Vivian's wedding gift. It turns out it's all of Volkoff Industries' assets: $877 billion. Since the CIA's done with the Buy More and Castle, the first thing they do is buy that up. Chuck gets a final message from Decker, who tells him that he thinks he's been doing good and saving people, but he hasn't. He's just been a pawn all along, and the Intersect, the Ring, Fulcrum, Shaw and Volkoff have all been part of that. Chuck tries to get him to tell him whose pawn they are, but he won't. Casey, Chuck, Sarah, and Morgan stand around and try to figure it out, then Casey says they're fired so they can't figure it out anyway. But Sarah and Chuck offer their news about buying the Buy More and everything below it. They offer Casey and Morgan jobs working with them in the base, as freelance spies, which they accept (and, presumably, Big Mike and Jeffster! will keep their jobs upstairs). In other words, the show reset itself by going back to what it's always been. Morgan's all excited, so he picks up some sunglasses from Chuck's last effects box (left by General Redhead). They're lying on a note that specifically leaves them for Chuck. But Morgan puts them on and gets the Intersect uploaded into him. (Which is annoying, because I thought you had to have some sort of special brain to handle it, which I wouldn't think Morgan does.) He tells them "I know kung fu." The end.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!A few things Chuck wants us to know: Chuck wasn't the first Intersect. Agent X was. And he became Alexei Volkoff. Whose daughter has control of a crazy weapon called the Norseman, which she tried to kill Sara with last week. Now it's "Five Days Ago." Chuck and Sarah are in bed, being adorably nervous about their upcoming wedding, which is exactly one week away. They freak out. Then they freak out some more, because: What if it's cold feet? Chuck's sure it isn't, and thinks they should try out the wedding on their own: a dry run with no people or cameras around to make them nervous. Chuck: "Practice makes..." Sarah: "Perfect. We'll be ready for anything."
But they couldn't have prepared for this. Close-up of Sarah's ring as she's wheeled into the hospital on a stretcher. Chuck fills in Ellie and Awesome: the poison is Thorium. Ellie says that's a radioactive metal, not a poison and wonders the form: It was liquid. Ellie asks Awesome if he has any ideas, but he says poison guns aren't in any textbooks. They put Sarah in a tub of ice, which helps her for now. But Ellie and Awesome need to know everything about this poison. And they need an antidote. Morgan comes in and joins everyone else who's gathered (Casey, Chuck's mom...). He says he told everyone at the rehearsal that it was food poisoning and she'd be all right. Then he wonders if that's true. Chuck holds her hand when she wakes up a little and tells him he looks worried. He lies that it's about the wedding, and she tells him: "Don't freak out." They talk sweetly until she drifts off again, at which point Chuck tells Casey they have to break in to the maximum security prison that Volkoff's in and get him out; he's their only hope.
Prison break. Casey and Chuck, disguised as guards, make their way in with the help of Mary back at Castle, who's guiding them and shutting off alarm systems along the way. But when they get to Volkoff's cell, the door's open. Not a good sign. And he's gone. When Chuck asks Casey where he is, a voice tells Chuck "He's gone, Bartowski." Mary wonders what's going on. Casey says he knows that voice and he goes pale, which worries Chuck more than a little. Casey asks Chuck if he remembers Casey telling him about the guy who they'd hire to put a bullet in all their heads without breaking a sweat? "This is the guy they hire to kill that guy." Chuck turns to a TV monitor in the cell (convenient!) to find Richard Burgi, a CIA guy named Decker, who tells Chuck that his CIA resources are revoked for breaking in. Chuck tells him he needs to save Sarah, but Decker has no sympathy. "Stand down or get buried." Chuck says no, and uses a chair to smash the TV. He turns to Casey and says, "That guy might think he's a hard-ass, but I'm the Intersect." No room for the Cake opening this week; too much good stuff to pack in.
Chuck calls Ellie at the hospital, who tells him that Sarah's breathing on her own and in and out of consciousness, but at the rate her body's shutting down, she only has about twelve hours to survive. He gets off the phone and Casey tells Chuck and Mary that "she's here." I'm not sure where "here" is, but "she" is General Redhead, who pulls up in a black SUV with tinted windows. She tells the current members of Team Bartowski that Decker's transporting Volkoff to a site outside of Phoenix and that no one who's gone inside it has ever come out. Chuck says they need to intercept him in transit, but General Redhead says they're an hour ahead of them on the freeway. So they'll need something fast. General Redhead tells Chuck that if he does this, he's going against the CIA and will have to go on the lam with Sarah and never see his family again. He looks at his mom, but says he'll do anything necessary to save Sarah. General Redhead gives them her keycard into Castle. Once there, Chuck says he wants the Nighthawk. Mary doesn't approve, and even Casey says it's never been tested. Chuck doesn't care; it's the only thing fast enough to get him to Volkoff. Turns out it's a super-fast (250 mph on the highway) motorcycle. When Mary asks if he's ever even ridden one -- "and I hope to God the answer is no" -- he flashes on how to ride.
Then he's riding it as fast as he can, while Mary and Casey monitor from Castle. Mary, like a real mom, tells him he's driving awfully fast. Inside the Volkoff transport truck, Decker comes in and greets the prisoner. He tells him this transfer isn't about killing him; the CIA just wants him for some testing regarding Agent X. Volkoff looks confused or disinterested, so Decker wonders if he's playing coy or if he really doesn't remember any of this. He tells Volkoff his real name is Hartley Winterbottom. Volkoff (who's wearing a prison suit with a number -- -- on it; what is that? a date?) laughs and says no one is named that. Hee! Decker says Volkoff is a fictitious profile he created with Stephen J. Bartowski. Chuck approaches the back of the truck as Decker pulls out some sunglasses and says the tech boys want him sans Volkoff. He puts the glasses on him, and Intersect-ish flashes flicker. Then he hangs his head. Chuck tells Casey and his mom to "light it up." Apparently they control the weapons from back at Castle, because Chuck's bike starts shooting up the truck until it stops. Then he shoots one more crazy fireball that opens the back of the truck. Decker's knocked out, so Chuck frees up Volkoff. But when he wakes him, Volkoff has no idea what's going on. Chuck locks Decker in Volkoff's cell before he wakes. When he does, he tells Chuck that's not Volkoff, since he removed the Intersect. Volkoff asks Chuck if he's related to Stephen J. Bartowski. Chuck says that's his father, and he's coming with him. Volkoff (I guess I should start saying "Hartley") worries about the dangerous motorcycle, but climbs on. And screams like a baby as Chuck speeds away.
Casey's apartment. Hartley, looking in a mirror, can't believe it's been thirty years. He sees Casey's Reagan picture and asks if he's still in charge. Casey scoffs: "If only." Hartley asks what Volkoff did for thirty years, but Mary doesn't answer. He asks what kind of man he was. Mary tells him he was very successful in a highly competitive business. Volkoff thinks there's more to it than that if someone's used the Norseman. Chuck interrupts and says they don't have time for this; his fiancée has been attacked by the Norseman. Hartley explains the Norseman: a weapon he and Stephen had worked on to achieve peace through violence. Casey thinks Reagan would be proud. Chuck asks if there's an antidote, and Hartley says there is: Iridium 5, which he can easily make. They head to the hospital. On the way out, Casey says they'll discuss their plans for "Viv" once they've saved Sarah. Hartley wonders who Viv is, and Casey says a woman named Vivian used the Norseman on Sarah. Hartley asks Chuck who Vivian is, because it's a Winterbottom family name. Chuck (whose hair is looking awfully Ken Doll square these days, by the way) admits that she's Hartley's daughter. Hartley can't believe it, especially since she's Chuck's enemy. He asks Hartley if he'll help him save Sarah so they can begin to clean up all the mistakes that were made. Of course Hartley will.
Hospital. As the antidote is inserted into Sarah's IV, we flash back to Chuck and Sarah's "dry run" a few days earlier. Chuck gives Sarah crap about her vows only being on one sheet of paper, but she says she covered all the bases. He tells her to go ahead and say them, and he'll give her notes later. She starts in: "Chuck, you're a gift. You're a gift I never dreamed I could want or need and every day I will show you that you're a gift that I deserve. You make me the best person I could ever hope to be, and I want to spend, and learn, and love the rest of my life with you." Chuck's gone from smug about her one page to completely moved. She asks if it was talky, but he tells her it was perfect, hugs her, then says his own are ridiculous now. She tells him not to freak out, because whatever he wrote will be perfect too.
Back in the hospital, Ellie says that the Iridium 5 isn't working. It's slowed down the poison, but that's it. So they bought more time, but still need to find a way to save Sarah. Chuck wonders WTH to do, and Mary says Volkoff was working on a project a few years back called "Lead Apron." Chuck: "Which is a way to protect against radioactive poisoning." Hartley says he must have known Iridium 5 was weak, so he developed Iridium 6. Chuck asks what the time frame is, and Ellie says "a day, maybe less."
The gang heads outside; Casey says he'll call in a favor for some guys who'd be happy to give them a ride to Volkoff's headquarters in Russia, because they love mixing it up with the Reds. But Decker and his guys come out then. Decker tells Chuck he might be the Intersect, but he's not bulletproof, and they all draw guns on him. Chuck flashes and takes a couple guys out, but two others shoot him with a taser. Casey and Mary just watch on horrified (and they're surrounded too).
Hospital. Morgan tells a sleeping Sarah hilarious stories about Chuck being a hero. He tells her the point of the story is that Chuck never gives up, which she already knows.
Chuck's in a holding cell, begging Decker to let him save Sarah, who's CIA just like Decker. He just wants to get the antidote. "One last mission, that's all I'm asking for." Decker fires Chuck instead, and says Operation Bartowski is done and the Buy More's for sale. Chuck wants to just be let go then. But Decker wants one more thing from him first, because it's CIA property. He pulls out glasses that he says are a suppression device, which should only hurt "a lot." A couple of CIA guys hold
Chuck's eyes open while the anti-Intersect flashes it out of him.
Then Decker has a meeting with Casey, and tells him that he needs to convince Chuck and Mary to stand down since no one can know the true origin of Alexei Volkoff. Casey tells him he's onto him, because he knows Chuck won't bail out on Sarah. He thinks Casey will try to escape with Frost and Chuck, but it's a setup and Decker will kill them all and then make himself out to be the hero. Decker pulls a gun and says it's okay, because he's not afraid to be the bad guy. But Casey's not either, and he topples the table on Decker before he can pull the trigger. Casey locks himself behind bulletproof glass with all of Castle's guns. He calls Morgan and asks if the CIA guard is still at the hospital. He is, so Casey tells Morgan to take him out now and meet him at the apartment. Then he makes his way to the cell holding Chuck, Mary, and Hartley. Casey and Mary are going to stay here and be the magnet, drawing Decker's attention away from Chuck and Hartley, who will head to Russia. They tell Hartley that he'll need to act like his old self, and then they explain Volkoff: mean, dictatorial, manipulative, conniving... Hartley wonders why they didn't tell him he was such a monster, then he realizes, "My daughter? I made her into me? I made her into Volkoff."
Hospital. Morgan tells Ellie and Awesome they have to take out the CIA guard. Awesome says they don't do that kind of thing, but Ellie's like, "Wait. Is he dangerous?" Morgan says he is, and she says, "Devon, take him out." Morgan says he's the spy, and he'll be taking him out while Devon talks to him, a little spy maneuver they call "the magnet." Devon asks if he's going to punch him out, but Morgan hasn't decided. He might sweep the leg.
Back at Castle, Casey gives Chuck a file with two secret, untraceable identities for Chuck and Sarah to take on. Chuck starts to say something sappy, but Casey cuts in and tells him to do whatever it takes to save her. Chuck asks his mom if he'll ever see her again and she says, "Not if everything goes right." They hug goodbye and she cries as he slips out of Castle.
Hospital again. Devon talks to the CIA guard, as Morgan tries to pep himself up to sweep the leg, karate chop, or something. Awesome, sick of waiting, punches the guy out. Morgan scolds him for it, because he was supposed to be the magnet. Awesome: "Sweep the leg? Come on! In real life, you just make a fist and you hit him as hard as you can." Morgan says Awesome got lucky.
Hartley and Chuck show up at Volkoff Industries, which Hartley says is quite stark, and isn't his suit a little much. He can't remember the plan. Chuck tells him to say he's Volkoff and he's here to see Vivian. Then they're in. Hartley says he can't do this, because he's not the man he was and Chuck's not the spy he was without their Intersects. Chuck asks what's really going on, and Hartley wonders what if Vivian's in there. He says he can't see her, because he doesn't know what to say to a daughter whose life you ruined. "I'm going to run away now." Chuck tries to stop him, but he runs all the way out. Then the receptionist finally approaches Chuck and asks if she can help him. He turns to her, pulls off his fake moustache and fake glasses and says his name is Charles Carmich... Chuck Bartowski and he's here to see Vivian. The receptionist asks why, and Chuck says: "She wants to kill me." Every guard in the Richard III-esque reception area pulls a gun on Chuck.
Chuck's led to Vivian's office, where she's waiting. She says she can't believe it and calls him "Charles Carmichael." She says he's "bold. Stupid, but bold." He tells her Sarah's still alive, and she wonders how that can be. He says it doesn't matter, but he needs her help for the antidote. She asks what's his clever plan this time to get out of this. He says he's out of plans. "The woman that I love is dying and all I can do is hope that you haven't totally become this person." She gestures for one of her guards to hit Chuck, and he does. Then she gets up and points a gun at his head. She says all Chuck's done is manipulate her, like telling her that her father is a monster and now telling her he's something else, some sort of hero.
Hartley, who's snuck in, says, "I wouldn't say 'hero.' Bloody fool, more like." She turns the gun on him. He tells her what happened: He was a scientist who convinced Chuck's father to help him. Chuck asks how he got in here, and Hartley says he asked to see his office and everyone was nice, jumping right up to help him. "I guess I must have been a harsh boss. And father." He apologizes to Vivian. She yells at him for making her his succession plan. She rips off the necklace he gave her as a gift. He picks it up and says it was his grandmother's. "Her name was Vivian. She rode horses. And she looked just like you." Vivian's clearly touched. Chuck tells her she's a good person who comes from a good family, and she's not a killer. She says she killed Sarah in cold blood, but Chuck says she hasn't yet; there's still time if she gives him the antidote. She says no, and yells that she has to be Volkoff now, because she's this building and this company. "I can never leave. I can never go back." Chuck asks what if she could, and offers the two secret identities Casey gave him for her and her father to start over. Hartley asks how Chuck will escape, but he only cares about saving Sarah at this point. Hartley tells Vivian he doesn't know her, but he'd like to. "If you pull that trigger, you'll lose yourself forever. Like I did." Chuck tells her she can still change. Hartley puts the necklace on top of the identity cards, and Chuck pleads with Vivian to help.
At the hospital, Ellie checks her watch and says her brother's cutting it close. Outside, Casey and Mary are sitting in a car with Morgan, noticing that the whole place is surrounded by Decker's men. Mary says Chuck will never be able to get in, but Morgan says Chuck will come up with a plan. Just then, the CAT squad (Carina and Zondra) climb in the backseat with Morgan and thank him for letting them know what's going on. Casey introduces them to the "mother-in-law." That's when they detect something in the air, and Chuck lands in a parachute and army gear right in front of Decker and a bunch of suits with guns. He takes off his mask and parachute in slow-mo, and tells Decker he has the antidote and to let him in. Decker says no and tells his men to get Chuck out of here. Which is when Casey, Mary, Morgan, and the CAT squad come out and draw their guns back on Decker. Chuck thanks them for coming, but Decker says they're all under arrest. Decker tells Chuck he's disappointed that Chuck thought he could get past him with a few spy friends; he should have known Decker would bring an army (more guys have lined up behind him). Chuck says he knows the move, but they have a move of their own. It's called "the magnet. See, while you're busy looking at me and all my spy friends, you're missing something really, really big. Care of Volkoff Industries" (so Vivian's in!). A bunch of parachuted guys land, with weapons. Russians. Chuck's spy friends are just as surprised as Decker and his cronies. Decker: "Russian special forces. You really are a traitor." Chuck: "Just for the day." He pulls out a file that he tells Decker contains everything about Agent X and the cover-up, and Decker's involvement. He says if anything happens to Sarah or his family, it hits the front pages of newspapers everywhere. Decker tells him he's done, and Chuck says he quits.
Then he runs inside. Chuck and Sarah finish their pretend vows, complete with ribbon in place of wedding bands and "I do"s as he runs inside to give her the antidote. He gets there and pleads for her to survive as they kiss in their dry run. "It's not too late. It's not too late. Please" he pleads with Ellie and Awesome. Ellie looks totally torn up about it, too. They all three hang their heads into commercial.
Afterward, we get a "First Church of Saints" wedding sign that says "Funeral and Viewing, 3 p.m." But under tha
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t is "Bartowski wedding, 4 p.m." (Shouldn't it say "Walker-Bartowski wedding"?) Anyway, that's what's going on inside. Does anyone else have whiplash? Sarah's in a totally different dress than she tried on at Castle, so you'd be forgiven for thinking this is a dream sequence. But I'll spare you the suspense: It's not. When we arrive at the wedding, Sarah's apparently already said her vows (which can't have meant as much to Chuck the second time, and the show obviously knows that, since they spared us), so it's Chuck's turn. (Oh, and Sarah, by the way, looks even more gorgeous than ever, all glowy and shiny and with a loose side up-do.) He tells her his vows don't cut it, because they don't express the depth of his love or that he'll fight for her every day or that their kids will be like little superheroes. "So no vows. I'll just prove it to you every day for the rest of our lives. You can count on me." She replies "Perfect." And everyone's crying, but no one more than their minister, Morgan. He marries them by the power vested in him by the Intergalactic Federation of Planets. Sarah giggles. Then they kiss. It's not their most passionate one ever, but then he dips her and kisses her neck. Sweet.
As they leave the church, we get a "made when showrunners weren't sure if this was returning" montage of Chuck and Sarah. It includes some big moments: "Trust me, Chuck." And that explosive first kiss. They really really make out in a hotel bed. They tell each other "I love you." Chuck tries to have the perfect proposal in France. Then they get into their limo, all smiley, and ask their driver to take them to the airport. Really? In her wedding dress? The driver's Morgan, which Chuck is surprised about, but Morgan says he's always been the driver. "Having a little trouble letting go, I suppose." Chuck asks him to roll up the partition, and he does.
As the car drives away, Chuck gets a call from Hartley, who apologizes for missing the party, but he says they sent a little gift. "Just a little something for my best friend's son and his bride. Be wise with it, Charles." Aww. I'm going to miss Volkoff/Hartley. Chuck pulls an envelope out from under his seat, and he and Sarah look at it in shock.
Two Weeks Later. Buy More. Chuck shows up in his Nerd Herd outfit. Jeffster! are manning the Nerd Herd station, though. They tell Chuck that the Buy More's been sold, and they're sure they'll all be jobless within a week. A customer comes up and Lester says, "Leave us alone. Private conversation." Chuck tells them to give it a little time, then leaves. Big Mike yells at them to get to work, since the new owner might stop by today. Chuck heads down to Castle, which is totally empty except for one box. The TV monitor comes on. It's Decker, who tells Chuck it's "the dawn of a new chapter, eh, boy?" Chuck tells him to watch the "boy" talk. Decker says the box is full of his personal effects, from General Redhead. "Wouldn't want you to be without your pocket protector." Chuck says he'd rather wear it than be in business with Decker.
This part is important (I think. I hope), so I'll try not to miss anything. Decker: "You really think you've been fighting evil? Doing good? You're just a pawn. You always were." Chuck asks what he's talking about. Decker: "You think it was all a coincidence? The Intersect? Fulcrum? The Ring? Shaw? Agent X? It was all just part of the plan, Bartowski. Pieces on the puzzle board. See you never, Bartowski." Chuck asks him to wait and asks what plan. "My life was changed forever. My friends were put in danger. My family -- My father was killed, Decker." Decker gives his best toothy evil villain laugh. Then he shuts himself off, leaving static. Which we all know wouldn't happen on a TV that fancy. It would be a blue screen.
Still in Castle later, Casey, Sarah, Chuck, and Morgan wonder who could be the puppet master. (God, what if the evil laugh right as he said his father was killed means the puppet master is Stephen J. "Bakula" Bartowski? I would be happy to see him and so angry at the show for making him a villain. Don't do it, Schwartz.) Casey says it doesn't matter anyway, since the CIA fired them all. Chuck says okay, and asks what if they went into business themselves. Casey asks who, and Sarah says they have a base (empty Castle) and the Buy More's proven to be an excellent cover (excellent? Really? How many times have bad guys found it?!) Morgan says there's just one problem: The Buy More sold. Chuck says they know; they bought it. With the $877 million Hartley gave them as a wedding gift: all of the assets of Volkoff Industries. Chuck prefers to think of it as a cool billion, because it's fun to say. He says their first purchase was the Buy More and everything below it. And now they have all of Volkoff's resources at their disposal. They ask if Casey and Morgan still want to take on bad guys. Casey: "Hell yeah." Morgan: "Hells yeah." Chuck says they've bought a Gulf Stream, but still need to re-outfit Castle. So, any ideas? He, Casey, and Sarah walk away as Morgan marvels about being freelance spies. He basically writes himself his own little fan fiction about them. Then he notices a pair of sunglasses in Chuck's box of effects. He picks them up -- slick new shades for a slick new gig. We see a note under them that says they're for Chuck from General Redhead. He wonders what could go wrong, then puts on the glasses. He gets Intersected, and falls over. Still lying down, he opens his eyes: "Guys, I know kung fu."
I guess we'll have to wait all summer to see if that's a joke. But the rest of the end (resetting the show in the same place with exactly the same characters) feels a little tired to me. I enjoy Jeffster! in moderation, but could live without the entire Buy More storyline nearly episode. Think about it: The reason this episode rocked was because there was no Buy More B plot.
DeAnn, a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon, wonders if they're going to change the show's name to Morgan season, or if it will just be one episode of stardom/superheroism like Jonathan in "Superstar." You can contact her at twopmodmars@gmail.com.
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Discuss this episode in the forums, then see why we think this show could really do without Morgan.
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