Chuck Versus the Ring
Encyclopedia
"Chuck Versus the Ring" is the second season finale of Chuck
, which aired on April 27, 2009. The day of Ellie
and Devon's
wedding arrives, but Chuck
finds himself forced to protect both his sister and the event from a vengeful Ted Roark.
The title of the episode is a double entendre
, referencing both the wedding rings, and the Ring
, introduced in this episode, who are the main antagonists of season 3.
quit the Buy More. At Castle, Beckman offers Chuck a position as an analyst on the ongoing Intersect
project, which Chuck declines. Beckman informs Casey that he can rejoin his Special Forces unit, but asks Sarah
to stay behind a moment. Upstairs, Chuck receives an extremely large sum of money from the government in exchange for the work he did for them. Casey gives Chuck his personal number if he ever needs anything, and for the first time tells Chuck he's done a good job after the two share an awkward hug. Back down in Castle, Beckman reassigns Sarah to the Intersect project alongside Bryce Larkin
, who is now at Castle. They are due to head to Zurich
the next morning.
At the church on the day of the wedding, Chuck tells Ellie he quit the Buy More. Ellie is proud of him, and tells him to follow his dreams. He tracks down Sarah, who is going over her part in the wedding with Honey Woodcomb and asks her to go away with him on a vacation, however Sarah breaks the news that she's leaving the next day with Bryce. Chuck leaves and takes a bottle of wine with him from the dining hall where the reception will be held, but before he can start drinking he discovers two dead caterers stashed under a table. Roark arrives and demands the Intersect, or else he will kill Ellie. He goes to warn Sarah but Morgan intercepts him first. Chuck tells Morgan to stall, and to specifically deliver a message to Sarah that he forgot the rings, as she saw them earlier. Morgan does as he asks, immediately alerting Sarah that something is wrong. She tells Morgan to continue his attempt to stall the wedding, then finds Roark and a Fulcrum
team assembling. Chuck heads back to Castle to recover the Intersect cube but Bryce warns him it's already been moved, and reveals he knew about Orion
, Chuck's father, for some time now. When he tells him Ellie's life is in danger, Bryce decides to offer himself up as bait. Chuck also leaves Casey a message at his personal number.
Morgan delays the wedding by having Jeff and Lester perform before the ceremony (which Devon allows after Morgan tells him the instructions came from Chuck). Chuck arrives as Sarah is searching for a weapon, and Bryce offers himself up as the "Human Intersect". Roark still intends on killing the wedding party and a gunfight breaks out, with Sarah using knives from one of the gifts as a weapon. They are pinned down and out of ammunition and they are about to be killed by Roark when Casey's special forces
team parachutes through the glass ceiling into the dining hall to save Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce. Before anyone notices the commotion, Jeffster!'s rendition of Mr. Roboto
ends with a fireworks display that sets off the sprinkler systems, destroying the ceremony but sparing Chuck from devising an explanation for Ellie. As Roark tries to escape, Stephen punches him, then Casey and his team take Roark back to Castle and set up a temporary base in the facility.
Chuck is upset that his spy life has again damaged his private life. He realizes however he can use his government pay to set things right, and with Sarah and Casey's help, quickly plans the beach-side wedding that Ellie had really wanted the entire time. He confesses to Ellie that having Morgan stall was his idea and not to blame Morgan, and convinces her to trust him. The second wedding goes off without a hitch. During the ceremony Bryce watches from the beach, and realizes that Sarah does not intend to go with him, which she confirms. At Castle, Miles, one of Casey's men, murders both Roark and Casey's team but spares Casey because Casey had previously saved his life. Casey assumes he's Fulcrum, but before knocking him out, the man says he is not Fulcrum. At the reception, Bryce approaches Stephen, who warns him to leave his son alone and asks him about changes he made to the new Intersect. Bryce tells him he does not want to know, and leaves with a man posing as a government agent. However, Stephen quickly flashes on the man, who was presumed dead in the intelligence in Stephen's head. While Chuck and Sarah dance, Sarah tells him that he is a real hero and begins to confess her true feelings for him but is interrupted by Stephen as he warns them about the man who took Bryce. Sarah figures that if the spies knew about Bryce, they must also know about Casey, so she rushes to try to save both Bryce and Casey. Chuck begins to rush after her when his father tries to stop him on the grounds that Chuck is no longer a spy. Chuck protests and says that he has to go because he loves Sarah, so Stephen agrees and gives him the wrist computer to help Chuck find Sarah and the others. At Castle, Chuck intercepts Sarah and Casey, and demands that, although he is no longer a spy, he's uniquely needed due to the fact that it was the Intersect, and he was a Bartowski; Sarah and Casey concede and the three go to help Bryce.
At the building where the Intersect is stored, Bryce discovers the ambush and escapes into the vault. The team arrives shortly after and engages in a firefight. Chuck uses his father's computer to gain access to the Intersect, where he finds Bryce with a fatal gunshot wound. Bryce warns him the Intersect is too powerful and must be destroyed. Chuck tries to tell Bryce that the Intersect is needed to fight Fulcrum, but Bryce tells Chuck that Fulcrum does not matter, that they are only one part of the Ring. He asks Chuck to take care of Sarah before dying. Chuck turns to the Intersect, torn between destroying it or downloading. After flashing back on several previous moments, illustrating why he was sent the Intersect in the first place, Chuck reluctantly downloads the new system into his head. Chuck then triggers a power surge that destroys the system and also disables the security system protecting the chamber. Miles and his men enter with Sarah and Casey as prisoners and prepares to kill them in front of Chuck. As he takes aim, Chuck flashes and instantly learns kung fu
then effortlessly defeats all five hostiles, revealing that the new Intersect is able to impart physical skills as well as information.
As Sarah and Casey stare at Chuck (who is, himself, recovering from a state of shock) in surprise and disbelief, the episode ends with the words "To Be Continued...".
A major concern of Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz was that audiences would mistake the previous episode
for the season finale, however Fedak described "Chuck Versus the Ring" as a "cataclysmic bit of action-comedy," and promised that it would be even bigger than "Chuck Versus the Colonel." The ending had been planned from the earliest stages of the second season's development, and much of the mythology that was revealed throughout the final episodes of the season had been in existence from the initial planning of the series in 2007.
When preparing to film the fight scene between Chuck and The Ring agents, Schwartz and Fedak were unsure whether to employ a stuntman or actually use Levi during the shoot. Only after giving Levi a chance to work with the stunt choreographer and seeing what they had worked up did they decide to use as much of Levi in the scene as possible.
Chuck (TV series)
Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...
, which aired on April 27, 2009. The day of Ellie
Ellie Bartowski
Eleanor Faye "Ellie" Bartowski Woodcomb, M.D., Ph.D., is the older sister of title character Chuck Bartowski on the television series Chuck. She is portrayed by actress Sarah Lancaster.-Biography:...
and Devon's
Captain Awesome
Devon Christian Woodcomb, M.D., often referred to as Captain Awesome or simply Awesome, is a character on the TV series Chuck, and is portrayed by the actor Ryan McPartlin. The character's nickname comes from Chuck's assertion that "everything he does is awesome," and his frequent use of the word...
wedding arrives, but Chuck
Chuck Bartowski
Charles Irving "Chuck" Bartowski is the main and titular character of the American fiction television show Chuck on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi.-Character profile:...
finds himself forced to protect both his sister and the event from a vengeful Ted Roark.
The title of the episode is a double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
, referencing both the wedding rings, and the Ring
The Ring (Chuck)
The Ring is a major spy organization on the television series Chuck. The main antagonist of the second season , Fulcrum, is revealed in the Season Two finale to be only one part of the Ring, which then serves as the main antagonist of Season Three...
, introduced in this episode, who are the main antagonists of season 3.
Plot synopsis
The episode begins as Chuck and CaseyJohn Casey (Chuck)
Colonel John Casey is portrayed by actor Adam Baldwin on the television show Chuck on NBC. Prior to the episode "Chuck Versus the Tic Tac," he was partnered with CIA agent Sarah Walker to protect Chuck Bartowski....
quit the Buy More. At Castle, Beckman offers Chuck a position as an analyst on the ongoing Intersect
The Intersect
The Intersect is a fictional secret technology appearing in the television series Chuck. Within the series, it is used to house and analyze large quantities of encoded data...
project, which Chuck declines. Beckman informs Casey that he can rejoin his Special Forces unit, but asks Sarah
Sarah Walker (Chuck)
Sarah Lisa Bartowski is the alias of one of the main characters of the fictional television show Chuck on NBC. She is portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski and is one of two agents assigned by the NSA and CIA to protect Chuck Bartowski after he unwittingly downloads the secret government computer known...
to stay behind a moment. Upstairs, Chuck receives an extremely large sum of money from the government in exchange for the work he did for them. Casey gives Chuck his personal number if he ever needs anything, and for the first time tells Chuck he's done a good job after the two share an awkward hug. Back down in Castle, Beckman reassigns Sarah to the Intersect project alongside Bryce Larkin
Bryce Larkin
Bryce Larkin is a recurring character on the spy comedy series Chuck on NBC. Bryce is the ex-college roommate and fraternity brother of the series' main character, Chuck Bartowski and was formerly partnered and once romantically involved with Chuck's CIA handler Sarah Walker. Bryce was responsible...
, who is now at Castle. They are due to head to Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
the next morning.
At the church on the day of the wedding, Chuck tells Ellie he quit the Buy More. Ellie is proud of him, and tells him to follow his dreams. He tracks down Sarah, who is going over her part in the wedding with Honey Woodcomb and asks her to go away with him on a vacation, however Sarah breaks the news that she's leaving the next day with Bryce. Chuck leaves and takes a bottle of wine with him from the dining hall where the reception will be held, but before he can start drinking he discovers two dead caterers stashed under a table. Roark arrives and demands the Intersect, or else he will kill Ellie. He goes to warn Sarah but Morgan intercepts him first. Chuck tells Morgan to stall, and to specifically deliver a message to Sarah that he forgot the rings, as she saw them earlier. Morgan does as he asks, immediately alerting Sarah that something is wrong. She tells Morgan to continue his attempt to stall the wedding, then finds Roark and a Fulcrum
Fulcrum (Chuck)
Fulcrum is the codename of a fictional hostile espionage organization on the television series Chuck. Fulcrum serves as the series' main antagonists up until the end of season two, though their specific goals beyond acquiring the Intersect have not yet been fully revealed.-History:Very little...
team assembling. Chuck heads back to Castle to recover the Intersect cube but Bryce warns him it's already been moved, and reveals he knew about Orion
Stephen J. Bartowski
Stephen J. Bartowski is a recurring character on the television series Chuck portrayed by actor Scott Bakula. Stephen is the estranged father of Chuck and Ellie Bartowski, and under the government codename "Orion" was the chief designer of the Intersect....
, Chuck's father, for some time now. When he tells him Ellie's life is in danger, Bryce decides to offer himself up as bait. Chuck also leaves Casey a message at his personal number.
Morgan delays the wedding by having Jeff and Lester perform before the ceremony (which Devon allows after Morgan tells him the instructions came from Chuck). Chuck arrives as Sarah is searching for a weapon, and Bryce offers himself up as the "Human Intersect". Roark still intends on killing the wedding party and a gunfight breaks out, with Sarah using knives from one of the gifts as a weapon. They are pinned down and out of ammunition and they are about to be killed by Roark when Casey's special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
team parachutes through the glass ceiling into the dining hall to save Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce. Before anyone notices the commotion, Jeffster!'s rendition of Mr. Roboto
Mr. Roboto
"Mr. Roboto" is a song written by Dennis DeYoung and performed by the band Styx on their 1983 concept album Kilroy Was Here. In Canada, where they were always more popular than in their native U.S., it went to #1 on the RPM national singles chart, becoming their third single to top the charts in...
ends with a fireworks display that sets off the sprinkler systems, destroying the ceremony but sparing Chuck from devising an explanation for Ellie. As Roark tries to escape, Stephen punches him, then Casey and his team take Roark back to Castle and set up a temporary base in the facility.
Chuck is upset that his spy life has again damaged his private life. He realizes however he can use his government pay to set things right, and with Sarah and Casey's help, quickly plans the beach-side wedding that Ellie had really wanted the entire time. He confesses to Ellie that having Morgan stall was his idea and not to blame Morgan, and convinces her to trust him. The second wedding goes off without a hitch. During the ceremony Bryce watches from the beach, and realizes that Sarah does not intend to go with him, which she confirms. At Castle, Miles, one of Casey's men, murders both Roark and Casey's team but spares Casey because Casey had previously saved his life. Casey assumes he's Fulcrum, but before knocking him out, the man says he is not Fulcrum. At the reception, Bryce approaches Stephen, who warns him to leave his son alone and asks him about changes he made to the new Intersect. Bryce tells him he does not want to know, and leaves with a man posing as a government agent. However, Stephen quickly flashes on the man, who was presumed dead in the intelligence in Stephen's head. While Chuck and Sarah dance, Sarah tells him that he is a real hero and begins to confess her true feelings for him but is interrupted by Stephen as he warns them about the man who took Bryce. Sarah figures that if the spies knew about Bryce, they must also know about Casey, so she rushes to try to save both Bryce and Casey. Chuck begins to rush after her when his father tries to stop him on the grounds that Chuck is no longer a spy. Chuck protests and says that he has to go because he loves Sarah, so Stephen agrees and gives him the wrist computer to help Chuck find Sarah and the others. At Castle, Chuck intercepts Sarah and Casey, and demands that, although he is no longer a spy, he's uniquely needed due to the fact that it was the Intersect, and he was a Bartowski; Sarah and Casey concede and the three go to help Bryce.
At the building where the Intersect is stored, Bryce discovers the ambush and escapes into the vault. The team arrives shortly after and engages in a firefight. Chuck uses his father's computer to gain access to the Intersect, where he finds Bryce with a fatal gunshot wound. Bryce warns him the Intersect is too powerful and must be destroyed. Chuck tries to tell Bryce that the Intersect is needed to fight Fulcrum, but Bryce tells Chuck that Fulcrum does not matter, that they are only one part of the Ring. He asks Chuck to take care of Sarah before dying. Chuck turns to the Intersect, torn between destroying it or downloading. After flashing back on several previous moments, illustrating why he was sent the Intersect in the first place, Chuck reluctantly downloads the new system into his head. Chuck then triggers a power surge that destroys the system and also disables the security system protecting the chamber. Miles and his men enter with Sarah and Casey as prisoners and prepares to kill them in front of Chuck. As he takes aim, Chuck flashes and instantly learns kung fu
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
then effortlessly defeats all five hostiles, revealing that the new Intersect is able to impart physical skills as well as information.
As Sarah and Casey stare at Chuck (who is, himself, recovering from a state of shock) in surprise and disbelief, the episode ends with the words "To Be Continued...".
Production
"Chuck Versus the Ring" addressed many plot points that appeared throughout the series to that point. Most significantly Chuck learns the reasons why Bryce Larkin originally sent him the Intersect in the opening of the series. The episode revealed a pre-existing relationship between Bryce Larkin and Stephen Bartowski/Orion. Sometime before the events in the pilot and after Bryce got Chuck kicked out of Stanford, Orion learned about Bryce's actions in protecting his son and comes to view him as the only spy he could trust. Their interactions are not explicitly mentioned, however Bryce learned enough about Orion to come to respect him and view him as a hero. However Bryce goes against Orion's wishes of not involving Chuck and sends the Intersect to him, knowing his former college friend could handle it and saying he deserved to know the truth about his father's disappearance when he was a child. It also brought an end to the Fulcrum Intersect arc that dominated the second half of the season, as well as the minor arc concerning the wedding of Ellie and Devon.A major concern of Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz was that audiences would mistake the previous episode
Chuck Versus the Colonel
"Chuck Versus the Colonel" is the 21st episode of Chuck's second season, and the 34th episode overall. It aired on April 20, 2009. Chuck and Sarah go on the run in an effort to locate Chuck's father. At the Buy More, Morgan becomes a pariah among his coworkers after Big Mike's demotion.-Main...
for the season finale, however Fedak described "Chuck Versus the Ring" as a "cataclysmic bit of action-comedy," and promised that it would be even bigger than "Chuck Versus the Colonel." The ending had been planned from the earliest stages of the second season's development, and much of the mythology that was revealed throughout the final episodes of the season had been in existence from the initial planning of the series in 2007.
When preparing to film the fight scene between Chuck and The Ring agents, Schwartz and Fedak were unsure whether to employ a stuntman or actually use Levi during the shoot. Only after giving Levi a chance to work with the stunt choreographer and seeing what they had worked up did they decide to use as much of Levi in the scene as possible.
Production details
- In the Orange Orange, Chuck thanks Casey for saving his life "at least once a week," in reference to the show's weekly schedule.
- When Chuck enters the Intersect room, it is similar to Bryce Larkin's entrance to an Intersect room in the pilot.
- Chuck's flash in the Intersect room focuses on four pairs of Japanese kanjiKanjiKanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
, each representing a different martial art: karateKarateis a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
(空手), kyūdōKyudo, literally meaning "way of the bow", is the Japanese art of archery. It is a modern Japanese martial art and practitioners are known as .It is estimated that there are approximately half a million practitioners of kyudo today....
(弓道), hakkō (几光), and kung fu (功夫).
Flashes
- Stephen flashes on the spy who arrived to take Bryce to the Intersect.
- In the Intersect room, Chuck flashes on images demonstrating how to do kung fuChinese martial artsChinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
and proceeds to take out all of the hostile agents in the room.
Music
- "Now We Can See" by The ThermalsThe ThermalsThe Thermals are an American indie punk band based in Portland, Oregon. The group was formed in 2002. With influences heavily rooted in both lo-fi punk, as well as more standard rock, the band's songs are also known for their political and religious imagery.- History :The Thermals came together in...
- "Looking At The Sun" by Gramercy Arms
- "Mr. RobotoMr. Roboto"Mr. Roboto" is a song written by Dennis DeYoung and performed by the band Styx on their 1983 concept album Kilroy Was Here. In Canada, where they were always more popular than in their native U.S., it went to #1 on the RPM national singles chart, becoming their third single to top the charts in...
" by StyxStyx (band)Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater.... - "Christmas TV" by Slow ClubSlow ClubSlow Club is a folk-rock duo from Sheffield, England. The band formed in 2006, after the break-up of Sheffield band The Lonely Hearts.-History:The band is made up of Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor...
- "Friday I'm In LoveFriday I'm in Love"Friday I'm in Love" is a song by British rock band The Cure. It is the second single taken from the album Wish , and is among the band's most well-known songs...
" by The CureThe CureThe Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member... - "3 Rounds And A Sound3 Rounds and a Sound-Personnel:*Israel Nebeker – vocals, guitar, bass*Ryan Dobrowski – drums, percussion*Luke Ydstie – upright bass*Kati Claborn – vocals, mountain dulcimer, banjo*Shawn McLain – violin*Ian Krist – vibraphone...
" by Blind PilotBlind PilotBlind Pilot is an American indie folk band based in Portland, Oregon. Their debut album, 3 Rounds and a Sound, reached number 13 on the Billboard Top Digital Albums chart....
Reception
Alan Sepinwall of the New Jersey Star-Ledger called the episode the best in the series. He particularly cited the scene of Jeffster!'s performance of "Mr. Roboto" set against the church shootout as containing "so much concentrated awesome that it might be illegal in certain states." IGN scored the episode a 9.3, finding it a bit choppy with multiple endings that caused the episode to seem to stop and start.Music
- The song "Now We Can See" by The ThermalsThe ThermalsThe Thermals are an American indie punk band based in Portland, Oregon. The group was formed in 2002. With influences heavily rooted in both lo-fi punk, as well as more standard rock, the band's songs are also known for their political and religious imagery.- History :The Thermals came together in...
is played in the opening scene as Chuck and Casey march to Emmett's office to quit their jobs. - "Looking at the Sun" by Gramercy Arms plays as Chuck learns that Sarah is leaving the next morning after the wedding.
- The song "Christmas TV" by Slow ClubSlow ClubSlow Club is a folk-rock duo from Sheffield, England. The band formed in 2006, after the break-up of Sheffield band The Lonely Hearts.-History:The band is made up of Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor...
is played in the scene when Ellie gets married on the beach. - Blind PilotBlind PilotBlind Pilot is an American indie folk band based in Portland, Oregon. Their debut album, 3 Rounds and a Sound, reached number 13 on the Billboard Top Digital Albums chart....
's "3 Rounds and a Sound" plays while Sarah and Chuck dance. - "Mr. RobotoMr. Roboto"Mr. Roboto" is a song written by Dennis DeYoung and performed by the band Styx on their 1983 concept album Kilroy Was Here. In Canada, where they were always more popular than in their native U.S., it went to #1 on the RPM national singles chart, becoming their third single to top the charts in...
" by StyxStyx (band)Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
is played by Jeffster when Morgan is trying to stall the wedding before Chuck comes with the Intersect.