Chuck Versus the Aisle of Terror
Encyclopedia
"Chuck Versus the Aisle of Terror" is the sixth episode of the fourth season
of Chuck
. It originally aired October 25, 2010. Team Bartowski battles sinister scientist Dr. Stanley Wheelwright (Robert Englund
), who is plotting to release toxins that induce nightmares. Meanwhile, the true allegiances of Mary Bartowski
(Linda Hamilton
) come under scrutiny, and the Buy More
gang celebrates Halloween.
) walks through a secured area at Volkoff Industries. When a guard (Roland Kickinger
) stops him, Wheelwright claims he is just looking for the fitness center, but the guard grabs him and demands identification. Wheelwright feigns an asthma attack, and uses his "inhaler" to spray a toxin into the guard's face. Wheelwright reveals to a security camera that his nerve gas, atroxium, is fully functional and can send people into permanent nightmares. An observer, Mary Elizabeth Bartowski
(Linda Hamilton
), walks out and claims that she knows a buyer in Los Angeles.
Two weeks later, immediately after "Chuck Versus the Couch Lock
," Mary calls her son Chuck
and they arrange to meet for the first time in years at Griffith Park
. As Chuck walks toward the playground, Mary sneaks up on his backup, Sarah Walker
, and they hold each other at gunpoint. Chuck introduces them as his mother and girlfriend, and Mary reveals that she is deep undercover in the Volkoff organization. She claims that there is no evidence of this, because her CIA records were expunged when she went undercover in Project Isis. She informs them that she broke cover so the CIA could obtain Wheelwright and the atroxium, telling Chuck to explain the information to General Beckman by telling her he flashed on Wheelwright. They arrange for Chuck to pose as Volkoff's most trusted buyer, so Wheelwright can be taken into custody when he tries to sell the atroxium. Beckman approves the mission, and John Casey
lets Morgan Grimes
join the team after his help in "Chuck Versus the Couch Lock
." Later, Chuck informs Sarah, Casey, and Morgan that he has found his mother.
Chuck, using his usual cover of "Charles Carmichael", meets Wheelwright at a restaurant. As Wheelwright starts to talk about price, Mary arrives. To keep her cover intact, Mary reveals Chuck as a CIA agent. Knowing that Chuck is wearing a ballistic vest, Mary shoots at his heart. Sarah approaches them, but Mary shoots at her, shoots at a security camera (disabling Morgan and Casey's feed), and she and Wheelwright escape with the atroxium.
Mary later returns at the Buy More
and kidnaps Chuck at gunpoint. As he enters her car, he activates a tracking device on his phone. While she drives, she reveals that although she had to sabotage the mission and kidnap Chuck to maintain her cover, she will still give them Wheelwright, as he is too dangerous. She leads Chuck to Wheelwright's portable laboratory, where both he and the atroxium are hidden. Mary, knowing that Chuck activated the tracking device, flees, and Sarah and Casey arrive to find Chuck, an unconscious Wheelwright, and the atroxium.
With Wheelwright in custody at Castle, Chuck and Sarah starts dismantling the atroxium's container. Suddenly, a timer starts counting down from five minutes. Wheelwright reveals that the only way to disarm it is with his thumbprint. Although he initially refuses to give it, they hold him at gunpoint and point out that he too would be affected if the atroxium where released. He reluctantly gives his thumbprint, but it instead accelerates the countdown, and the toxin is released. Wheelwright reveals that, having been the human test subject for his own toxin, he has learned to suppress fear. Chuck locks Sarah safely in a holding cell and chases Wheelwright to the Buy More. Chuck then puts the store on lockdown, but Wheelwright drugs him with the concentrated dose from his inhaler.
As Chuck runs through the store, he is further terrorized by the various Halloween decorations. Chuck hallucinates that Mary kills Sarah when Wheelwright finds him and they stumble upon the "Aisle of Terror", which the scientist uses to torture Chuck into unlocking the store. However, Chuck gains control of the situation and displays various terror-inducing images, making the scientist again susceptible to fear. Wheelwright runs out the aisle and is clotheslined by Sarah. Chuck manages to suppress the fear until Wheelwright gives up the antitoxin by closing his eyes. Wheelwright is again taken into custody.
Meanwhile, Casey searches for information on Project Isis with Pierce, an expert on expunged missions. Casey informs Morgan that Mary was telling the truth, to keep Morgan from telling Chuck the truth: Project Isis was ended 20 years ago after Mary went rogue. As Mary goes to meet Chuck and Ellie
, she is captured by several masked individuals. Chuck attempts to rescue her, and he unmasks one of the captors, revealing her to be Sarah. Sarah tells him that she is protecting his "blind spot" (Chuck's influenced judgement about his mother), and Mary is taken away. Chuck then reveals to Ellie the truth about Mary being a spy.
Meanwhile, Devon's mother, Dr. "Honey" Woodcomb (Morgan Fairchild
), visits him and Ellie. Although they had previously booked Honey a hotel room, she cancels the room and stays at their apartment. She does many things that bother Ellie and Devon, such as fastidiously cleaning the apartment. Devon offers to take Honey to the hotel, but Ellie decides that she could use some motherly advice.
Chuck feels betrayed after Mary apparently sabotages the mission and shoots him in the chest, but she reveals this was only to maintain her cover. She leads him to Wheelwright, and jokes that it is compensation for missing his tenth birthday. As Mary prepares to leave to avoid capture, Chuck informs her that Ellie is pregnant.
Mary comes to visit Ellie while Ellie is shopping with Devon and Honey. After Honey buys the unborn baby a dictionary in lieu of a chicken dancing
doll that Devon wanted to buy, Ellie admits that, although Honey is overwhelming, she is glad to have a mother figure. Mary hears this comment, and is apparently affected by it. She buys the toy and contacts Chuck to arrange for her and Ellie to meet one last time before she goes back undercover. As Ellie and Chuck wait for Mary at a restaurant, Casey discovers that Mary has been lying about her true allegiances the whole time. Casey and Sarah capture Mary, and Mary drops the doll. Chuck reveals to Ellie that Mary is not coming, and that she is a spy.
However, the main attraction is the "Aisle of Terror". Jeff is inspired by a psychology experiment of world-renowned Professor Schofield at UCLA
. Jeff was a "mentally disturbed" subject in this study of his subconscious, receiving a sandwich as compensation. The Aisle of Terror displays various images proven to inflict terror on even the most fearless individuals, including public showers, babies in snail costumes, old people, interspecies relations, black licorice, man feet, and otters.
Although Morgan and Chuck are initially disgusted by the Aisle, it later becomes vital in defeating Dr. Wheelwright.
Chuck (season 4)
The fourth season of Chuck was announced on May 13, 2010. Having initially ordered 13 episodes, NBC ordered an additional 11 on October 19, 2010 for a total of 24 episodes....
of Chuck
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...
. It originally aired October 25, 2010. Team Bartowski battles sinister scientist Dr. Stanley Wheelwright (Robert Englund
Robert Englund
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
), who is plotting to release toxins that induce nightmares. Meanwhile, the true allegiances of Mary Bartowski
Mary Elizabeth Bartowski
Mary Elizabeth Bartowski is a character on the television series Chuck. Mary is the estranged mother of Chuck and Ellie Bartowski. She is portrayed by Linda Hamilton.-Biography:...
(Linda Hamilton
Linda Hamilton
Linda Carroll Hamilton is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sarah Connor in The Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Catherine Chandler in the television series Beauty and the Beast, for which she was nominated for two Golden Globes and an Emmy...
) come under scrutiny, and the Buy More
Buy More
Buy More is a fictional big box electronics retail chain in NBC's action-comedy series Chuck. The Buy More is a parody of similar chains, particularly Best Buy....
gang celebrates Halloween.
Main plot
Dr. Stanley Wheelwright (Robert EnglundRobert Englund
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
) walks through a secured area at Volkoff Industries. When a guard (Roland Kickinger
Roland Kickinger
Roland Kickinger is an Austrian-born bodybuilder and actor from Vienna. Standing 6-feet-4-inches-tall and weighing from 250-300 pounds, he has appeared in numerous bodybuilding competitions, fitness magazines and training videos...
) stops him, Wheelwright claims he is just looking for the fitness center, but the guard grabs him and demands identification. Wheelwright feigns an asthma attack, and uses his "inhaler" to spray a toxin into the guard's face. Wheelwright reveals to a security camera that his nerve gas, atroxium, is fully functional and can send people into permanent nightmares. An observer, Mary Elizabeth Bartowski
Mary Elizabeth Bartowski
Mary Elizabeth Bartowski is a character on the television series Chuck. Mary is the estranged mother of Chuck and Ellie Bartowski. She is portrayed by Linda Hamilton.-Biography:...
(Linda Hamilton
Linda Hamilton
Linda Carroll Hamilton is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sarah Connor in The Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Catherine Chandler in the television series Beauty and the Beast, for which she was nominated for two Golden Globes and an Emmy...
), walks out and claims that she knows a buyer in Los Angeles.
Two weeks later, immediately after "Chuck Versus the Couch Lock
Chuck Versus the Couch Lock
"Chuck Versus the Couch Lock" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of Chuck. It originally aired October 18, 2010. When Colonel John Casey's Clinton-era team returns looking for him, Chuck Bartowski must decide what he's willing to sacrifice in order to find his mother...
," Mary calls her son 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:...
and they arrange to meet for the first time in years at Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
. As Chuck walks toward the playground, Mary sneaks up on his backup, Sarah Walker
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...
, and they hold each other at gunpoint. Chuck introduces them as his mother and girlfriend, and Mary reveals that she is deep undercover in the Volkoff organization. She claims that there is no evidence of this, because her CIA records were expunged when she went undercover in Project Isis. She informs them that she broke cover so the CIA could obtain Wheelwright and the atroxium, telling Chuck to explain the information to General Beckman by telling her he flashed on Wheelwright. They arrange for Chuck to pose as Volkoff's most trusted buyer, so Wheelwright can be taken into custody when he tries to sell the atroxium. Beckman approves the mission, and John Casey
John 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....
lets Morgan Grimes
Morgan Grimes
Morgan Guillermo Grimes is a major character on the television series Chuck. He is portrayed by actor Joshua Gomez, and is the best friend of Chuck Bartowski....
join the team after his help in "Chuck Versus the Couch Lock
Chuck Versus the Couch Lock
"Chuck Versus the Couch Lock" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of Chuck. It originally aired October 18, 2010. When Colonel John Casey's Clinton-era team returns looking for him, Chuck Bartowski must decide what he's willing to sacrifice in order to find his mother...
." Later, Chuck informs Sarah, Casey, and Morgan that he has found his mother.
Chuck, using his usual cover of "Charles Carmichael", meets Wheelwright at a restaurant. As Wheelwright starts to talk about price, Mary arrives. To keep her cover intact, Mary reveals Chuck as a CIA agent. Knowing that Chuck is wearing a ballistic vest, Mary shoots at his heart. Sarah approaches them, but Mary shoots at her, shoots at a security camera (disabling Morgan and Casey's feed), and she and Wheelwright escape with the atroxium.
Mary later returns at the Buy More
Buy More
Buy More is a fictional big box electronics retail chain in NBC's action-comedy series Chuck. The Buy More is a parody of similar chains, particularly Best Buy....
and kidnaps Chuck at gunpoint. As he enters her car, he activates a tracking device on his phone. While she drives, she reveals that although she had to sabotage the mission and kidnap Chuck to maintain her cover, she will still give them Wheelwright, as he is too dangerous. She leads Chuck to Wheelwright's portable laboratory, where both he and the atroxium are hidden. Mary, knowing that Chuck activated the tracking device, flees, and Sarah and Casey arrive to find Chuck, an unconscious Wheelwright, and the atroxium.
With Wheelwright in custody at Castle, Chuck and Sarah starts dismantling the atroxium's container. Suddenly, a timer starts counting down from five minutes. Wheelwright reveals that the only way to disarm it is with his thumbprint. Although he initially refuses to give it, they hold him at gunpoint and point out that he too would be affected if the atroxium where released. He reluctantly gives his thumbprint, but it instead accelerates the countdown, and the toxin is released. Wheelwright reveals that, having been the human test subject for his own toxin, he has learned to suppress fear. Chuck locks Sarah safely in a holding cell and chases Wheelwright to the Buy More. Chuck then puts the store on lockdown, but Wheelwright drugs him with the concentrated dose from his inhaler.
As Chuck runs through the store, he is further terrorized by the various Halloween decorations. Chuck hallucinates that Mary kills Sarah when Wheelwright finds him and they stumble upon the "Aisle of Terror", which the scientist uses to torture Chuck into unlocking the store. However, Chuck gains control of the situation and displays various terror-inducing images, making the scientist again susceptible to fear. Wheelwright runs out the aisle and is clotheslined by Sarah. Chuck manages to suppress the fear until Wheelwright gives up the antitoxin by closing his eyes. Wheelwright is again taken into custody.
Meanwhile, Casey searches for information on Project Isis with Pierce, an expert on expunged missions. Casey informs Morgan that Mary was telling the truth, to keep Morgan from telling Chuck the truth: Project Isis was ended 20 years ago after Mary went rogue. As Mary goes to meet Chuck and 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:...
, she is captured by several masked individuals. Chuck attempts to rescue her, and he unmasks one of the captors, revealing her to be Sarah. Sarah tells him that she is protecting his "blind spot" (Chuck's influenced judgement about his mother), and Mary is taken away. Chuck then reveals to Ellie the truth about Mary being a spy.
Bartowski Family
Mary finally returns to her son Chuck and explains to him that she is deep undercover in the Volkoff organization. She refuses to learn anything about him or Ellie, as she wants them protected if her cover is ever blown at Volkoff and she is tortured for information. Although she knows next to nothing about Chuck, she knows "everything" about his CIA career as Charles Carmichael. The only reason Mary has broken her cover and contacted Chuck is because Dr. Wheelwright is too dangerous to be left free, and she believes Chuck to be perfect for the job.Meanwhile, Devon's mother, Dr. "Honey" Woodcomb (Morgan Fairchild
Morgan Fairchild
Morgan Fairchild is an American actress. She achieved prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in which she usually conveyed a glamorous image. Fairchild has also performed in live theater and played guest roles in television comedies...
), visits him and Ellie. Although they had previously booked Honey a hotel room, she cancels the room and stays at their apartment. She does many things that bother Ellie and Devon, such as fastidiously cleaning the apartment. Devon offers to take Honey to the hotel, but Ellie decides that she could use some motherly advice.
Chuck feels betrayed after Mary apparently sabotages the mission and shoots him in the chest, but she reveals this was only to maintain her cover. She leads him to Wheelwright, and jokes that it is compensation for missing his tenth birthday. As Mary prepares to leave to avoid capture, Chuck informs her that Ellie is pregnant.
Mary comes to visit Ellie while Ellie is shopping with Devon and Honey. After Honey buys the unborn baby a dictionary in lieu of a chicken dancing
Chicken Dance
The "Chicken Dance" is an oom-pah song and its associated fad dance is now a contemporary American folk dance. The song was composed by accordion player Werner Thomas from Davos, Switzerland, in the 1950s....
doll that Devon wanted to buy, Ellie admits that, although Honey is overwhelming, she is glad to have a mother figure. Mary hears this comment, and is apparently affected by it. She buys the toy and contacts Chuck to arrange for her and Ellie to meet one last time before she goes back undercover. As Ellie and Chuck wait for Mary at a restaurant, Casey discovers that Mary has been lying about her true allegiances the whole time. Casey and Sarah capture Mary, and Mary drops the doll. Chuck reveals to Ellie that Mary is not coming, and that she is a spy.
Buy More
The Buy More prepares for Halloween, but Morgan is unable to plan the decor due to a CIA mission. He delegates this task to Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel. They decorate the store with various generic Halloween decorations like pumpkins, witches, and scarecrows, which they resent.However, the main attraction is the "Aisle of Terror". Jeff is inspired by a psychology experiment of world-renowned Professor Schofield at UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. Jeff was a "mentally disturbed" subject in this study of his subconscious, receiving a sandwich as compensation. The Aisle of Terror displays various images proven to inflict terror on even the most fearless individuals, including public showers, babies in snail costumes, old people, interspecies relations, black licorice, man feet, and otters.
Although Morgan and Chuck are initially disgusted by the Aisle, it later becomes vital in defeating Dr. Wheelwright.
Cultural references
- Wheelwright and the development of a fear-inducing toxin references the BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
villain Scarecrow (Dr. Jonathan Crane)Scarecrow (comics)The Scarecrow is a fictional character, a supervillain, that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
specifically scenes from Batman BeginsBatman BeginsBatman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
. His frequent comments about nightmares further reference Freddy KruegerFreddy KruegerFrederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger is a fictional, horrifying character from the Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror films. He first appears in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams,...
in the Nightmare on Elm Street seriesA Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise)A Nightmare on Elm Street is an American horror franchise that consists of nine slasher films, a television show, novels, and comic books. The franchise began with the film series created by Wes Craven. The franchise is based on the fictional character Freddy Krueger, introduced in A Nightmare on...
, a role previously made famous by Englund. - Count OrlokCount OrlokCount Orlok is a fictional character portrayed by Max Schreck in the silent movie Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens...
(Max SchreckMax SchreckFriedrich Gustav Max Schreck was a German actor. He is most often remembered today for his lead role in the film Nosferatu .-Early life:Max Schreck was born in Berlin-Friedenau, on 6 September 1879....
) is shown in Nosferatu in the Buy More. - Halo WarsHalo WarsHalo Wars is a real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 video game console. It was released in Japan and Australia on February 26, 2009, in PAL territories on February 27, and in North America on March 3...
posters are clearly visible. - HD DVDHD DVDHD DVD is a discontinued high-density optical disc format for storing data and high-definition video.Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format...
s are behind Chuck in the Buy More. However, they have been rendered obsolete by rival Blu-ray DiscBlu-ray DiscBlu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
s. - Morgan says "classic RossRoss GellerRoss Eustace Geller, Ph.D. is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television series Friends, portrayed by David Schwimmer. The character is noted for his geeky, lovable demeanor.- Origin :...
and RachelRachel GreenRachel Karen Green is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television sitcom Friends, portrayed by Jennifer Aniston. Aniston received an Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe for her performances.-Background:...
," which references the series FriendsFriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
.