Chuck Versus the Ring: Part 2

Chuck Versus the Ring: Part 2
Season 03, Episode 19
Air Date	May 24, 2010
Writer	Chris Fedak & Josh Schwartz
Director	Robert Duncan McNeill
Previous	Chuck Versus the Subway
Next	Chuck Versus the Anniversary

"Sorry, I just had to reboot."

―Chuck

Chuck Versus the Ring: Part 2 is the Season Three finale of Chuck, which aired on the 24th of May, 2010.

Synopsis

The Ring has Chuck and the rest of Team Bartowski. Shaw has promised to kill them, as he did Stephen, but family Bartowski in the form of Ellie, Devon and Morgan are in pursuit intent on rescue.

Meanwhile, Big Mike gets some serious news about the fate of the Buy More.

Full Story

In a flashback to 1991, a young Ellie tells their father that Chuck broke their mother's favorite necklace. Stephen tells them that there's nothing in this world that they can't fix together. Stephen tells Ellie to look out for her little brother, Chuck, no matter what.

In the present, Ellie has lost track of the truck carrying Chuck, Sarah and Casey, which she relays to Devon. Chuck is devastated by his father's murder. When the truck stops, it is seen by Devon and Morgan in Casey's Crown Vic. Shaw then throws the team the keys to their cuffs, so he could claim they were killed trying to escape. Meanwhile, Morgan then makes an offhanded comment about opening the glove compartment and picking up a spy manual, when they both realized that they are in Casey's car. They find a gun and two buttons. Devon pushes the yellow one, which sets up a targeting system on the windshield. Morgan pushes the red one, which fires a missile from behind one of the headlights, hitting the truck and knocking Shaw unconscious. They then rescue Chuck, Casey, and Sarah and escape. Chuck tries flashing but it only hurts him; Casey is impressed that Devon and Morgan used his missile. They meet up with Ellie and to discuss what to do. Chuck suggests going into hiding but Ellie refuses to do so and wants to call the police. Casey shoots down the idea, since a call might be traced. However, Ellie doesn't want anything to do with the spy life. Chuck gets in with her and she drives off with him so they can talk, leaving Devon in Sarah's care.

Meanwhile, Big Mike receives a call from Moses Finkelstein, the founder of Buy More, learning that the Burbank branch will be closed down soon because of their low sales. He goes to Lester and Jeff to find out where his assistant manager and Chuck are. Lester suggests that they tell their loyal customers about the shutdown so that the big shopping spree would prove that they can still sell.

As brother and sister talk, the latter is more concerned that her brother has been keeping secrets from her. Chuck apologizes for everything and tells her that their father was a hero. He promises that they will take down the Ring and Shaw for what they have done. Ellie tell Chuck that once he's done with the Ring, he is going to quit the spy business because she made a promise to protect him and she can't do it if he keeps putting himself in danger. Chuck reluctantly agrees.

Chuck then sends his family out of the city, advising that they not draw any attention to themselves. He then joins the rest of his team in Casey's apartment, who set up a perimeter alarm. Chuck then hacks into a cell holding General Beckman. She explains that Shaw has taken her place as the speaker of the Joint Security summit for a secret convention of spies. The Ring intends to fully take over the CIA and NSA at the ceremony. As she breaks up, Beckman warns that the Five Elders will be there. Chuck then flashes. Though the experience disorients him, he learns that the Elders are in fact the leaders of the Ring. The team all agrees that this is a suicide mission to pull off.

At the summit, Chuck and Sarah go disguised as Russians,

Chuck and Sarah undercover

while Casey and Morgan go in as a technician team to hack the summit's database. Chuck then pretends to bump into Shaw and slip a phone in his pocket. Morgan then finds the room for Chuck. Casey finds his daughter Alex's phone number on Morgan and gets angry; and plans to move Morgan into the afterlife.

Meanwhile, as Chuck and Sarah take off their disguises, they run into Justin Sullivan, the Ring agent who tricked Ellie, passing on a message from Shaw that his Russian accent needs a bit more work. Chuck tries flashing but it only causes him pain. Sarah then knocks out Justin and his cohort. Chuck then confesses to Sarah about the Intersect flashes getting more dangerous. Sarah insists that they abandon their mission since Shaw is not worth risking Chuck's life. Chuck says that if he can get the Governor back he'll be fine, and asks that she go help Morgan and Casey or the plan will fail.

Back at the Buy More, a whole line of customers have arrived. Jeffster! then asks Big Mike if they can play their music video on the store TVs. Big Mike agrees to, but only for later in the day, so as not to scare anybody.

As Shaw gives his speech, the phone in his pocket starts ringing, and he answers it. Chuck tells him that he's in Room 752, his room, and he knows about the Elders. Shaw then taps his Ring phone, giving the Elders the signal to leave, while he proceeds to Room 752. Chuck then explains his "dastardly plot", which was to ID the Ring Elders, and thanks Shaw for doing that for him. They have been captured along with Justin by Casey and Morgan. Shaw mocks Chuck's plan, his team are fugitives and therefore don't have any authority to arrest him. Chuck challenges him about the death of his father. Shaw smugly admits to Chuck that he did kill his father and acknowledges that he is a member of the Ring and will still walk out a hero. Chuck then reveals that he broadcast his entire confession to the auditorium. He then demands the return of the Governor. Shaw challenges him to try to take it. Chuck tries flashing again but it doesn't work and Shaw is able to grab him and throws him back against the window. Sarah arrives just in time to save Chuck but Shaw gets away by jumping out the window.

Morgan returns to the Buy More during its 'Going out of Business Sale'. Jeffster! is about to play their song, when the Buy More executives arrive to find the unauthorized sale and request to see Big Mike. Hiding behind an aisle, Big Mike admits to Lester and Jeff that Moses couldn't protect them anymore; the Buy More executives closed down the Burbank branch.

Chuck is taken to Castle to rest after the Intersect access failed. He tells Sarah about his fear of what would happen if he dies. Sarah assures him that they will find Shaw and get the Governor back.

Meanwhile, Morgan spots Shaw placing bombs in the Buy More. He tries calling Sarah but Shaw intercepts him and tells Sarah to bring Chuck to him. He ties up Morgan in the back of the store. As he tries to get out, he falls to the side. He manages to call Casey, who tells him to break his thumbs to escape and pull the fire alarm to evacuate the store. However, Mike, Jeff and Lester pull it first before he could, to facilitate their escape. Sarah arrives at the Buy More without Chuck and is then captured herself by Shaw. Chuck then arrives to save Sarah from Shaw. As he is lying on the floor, his life flashes before his eyes.

A flashback shows Chuck walking into his father's study and accidentally uploads a prototype Intersect into his brain. Stephen finds him in the process and seeing the full upload, he realizes that Chuck suffer no side effects.

Chuck then remembers the many times his father telling him that he was 'special'. Having "rebooted" his brain, Chuck is able to fight back. He soon holds Shaw in a choke hold. Shaw urges him to finish it but Chuck instead relents, declaring that he had already killed him once. His opponent calls him weak for showing mercy, only for Sarah, who had freed herself, to knock him out, correcting that such traits are what makes him great. She then give the Governor back to Chuck.

Outside the store, Big Mike fears that it is over, knowing that he will definitely be fired for making an unauthorized sale. Jeff suggests burning the store to save their jobs. The mere thought of it is the last straw for Big Mike, who walks out of the two.

As NSA cleaners search the Buy More for Shaw's detonator, Chuck tells Sarah about his promise to Ellie to quit the spy life and asks if she can ever love a regular guy. She replies that she fell in love with a regular guy. Just then, Morgan finds the detonator. But while he's asking for Casey to set up recommendations to General Beckman, he accidentally drops it, just as Chuck predicted, arming the bombs. Everyone clears the store before the explosives go off, destroying the Buy More. Jeff and Lester think that they caused this and drive away; the media also thinks that they were responsible too and a manhunt has been issued for the two suspects.

Twenty-four hours later, Chuck, with his friends and family, host a for wake for Stephen; also Alex has also been invited. Morgan tries flirting with her but Casey warns him to stop by threatening to break the rest of his fingers and burn down the apartment. Chuck then tells his sister that Beckman has agreed to release him from being a spy, considering how he took down the Ring and got her job back. Chuck soon receives a message on his iPhone, instructing that he go to his computer. On it, a posthumous message from Stephen, set to play in the event of his death, activates. He reveals that he was a solo spy for twenty years, doing things that the government wouldn't do, against unidentified enemies trying to destroy him. Because he's gone, his children are no longer safe. Directed to their family's old home, Chuck discovers a secret archive beneath his father's study, containing various files on his past missions. On a table in the central hall, he finds the broken piece of the necklace he broke years ago. Next to it is a box read -- Mary Elizabeth Bartowski: Missing.

Elsewhere, a woman is typing at a computer. Suddenly, her phone rings and the voice coming out of it says that "they" are going to have to move her. The unknown woman is also seen wearing that the same broken necklace that Chuck's mother wore.

Guest Stars

• Brandon Routh as Daniel Shaw
• Bonita Friedericy as General Diane Beckman
• Mekenna Melvin as Alex McHugh
• Scott Holroyd as Justin Sullivan
• Scott Bakula as Stephen Bartowski

Trivia

• The "break your thumbs" technique makes its second appearance, the previous being in "Chuck Versus the Suburbs".
• One of the items in Stephen's secret base is very similar to the guidance system Ty Bennett attempted to steal in "Chuck Versus the Sensei".
• Chuck mentions his role as Perchik in Fiddler on the Roof once again. He did the same thing when preparing to take on the alias of Rafe Gruber in "Chuck Versus the Fake Name".
• The eight year old Chuck is wearing a Superman tee shirt when he accidentally downloads the proto-Intersect, an indication of just how special he really is.

Quotes

Shaw: No gun? Very brave, Chuck. So, what's happening?
Chuck: You're under arrest.
Shaw: No. What are you doing here? What's your plan?
Chuck: I'm sorry, are you asking me to make the classic villain mistake of explaining my dastardly plot to you? You know what? I'd love to....

~

Chuck: [semi-conscious]: I promised her I'd leave. That I wouldn't be a spy anymore.
Sarah: What?
Chuck: Ellie. She's gonna be so mad at me if I die.

~

Shaw: You have to do it, you have to kill me.
Chuck: No, thanks, I've already done that once before.
Shaw: That's what makes you weak.
Sarah [clobbers Shaw]: No. That's what makes you great!

Music

• Band Of Horses - "On My Way Back Home"
• Wolfmother - "Sundial"
• Bon Jovi - "Blaze Of Glory"
• Band Of Horses - "Blue Beard"
• Bishop Allen - "Don't Hide Away"