Chuck Versus the Predator
Encyclopedia
"Chuck Versus the Predator" is the seventeenth episode of the second season
Chuck (season 2)
The second season of Chuck contains 22 episodes and was originally aired from September 29, 2008 to April 27, 2009. The season continues to focus on Chuck's constant struggle to keep his spy life and real life apart as he becomes more accustomed to being a spy. More background on the Intersect...

 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 on March 23, 2009. Chuck Bartowski
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:...

 reluctantly tells his handlers that he has been contacted by 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....

, the mastermind behind the 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...

 computer and the person who can erase the Intersect from his brain. When the team goes to retrieve the computer Orion sent to Chuck, they run into 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...

 agent named Vincent (Arnold Vosloo
Arnold Vosloo
Arnold Vosloo is a South African American actor, best-known for playing Imhotep in The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns, as well as the role of the superhero Darkman in the sequel Darkman II: The Return of Durant and its 1996 sequel, Darkman III: Die Darkman Die...

). After Orion's computer is brought back successfully, General Beckman
Diane Beckman
Brigadier General M. Diane Beckman, USAF is a fictional character in the NBC television series Chuck. Beckman is a senior official of the National Security Agency, working within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. She holds her rank of brigadier general in the United States Air...

 (Bonita Friedericy
Bonita Friedericy
Bonita Friedericy is an American actress. She currently can be seen in the television series Chuck as NSA Director Diane Beckman. She has also appeared on Malcolm in the Middle, Veronica Mars, Star Trek: Enterprise, Bones, The Nine, The West Wing, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and in the film...

) arrives in person to oversee the operation to locate Orion. Meanwhile, a conflict breaks out between the Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....

 and Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...

 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....

 branches.

Main plot

Chuck Bartowski
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:...

, 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....

, and 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...

 return from an assignment involving plumbing. Chuck still longs to find 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....

, the chief designer of the 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...

 and the only one who could remove, to return to his civilian life. As he stays up all night reviewing the chart behind the Tron
Tron (film)
Tron is a 1982 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Lisberger, and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It stars Jeff Bridges as the protagonist Kevin Flynn; Bruce Boxleitner in a dual role as security program Tron and Tron's "User", computer programmer Alan Bradley; Cindy...

poster (from the previous episode) and searching for Orion on his computer, he notices that the webcam activates. On the other end of the connection, an unknown man in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 types on a laptop. He then types on a wrist-mounted computer pad and leaves. Suddenly, a group of 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...

 agents led by Vincent Smith (Arnold Vosloo
Arnold Vosloo
Arnold Vosloo is a South African American actor, best-known for playing Imhotep in The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns, as well as the role of the superhero Darkman in the sequel Darkman II: The Return of Durant and its 1996 sequel, Darkman III: Die Darkman Die...

) arrive, identifying the man as Orion. Suddenly, a missile arrives and destroys the agents.

Later, Orion sends Chuck a message on a computer, revealing his knowledge that Chuck is the Human Intersect. Orion wishes to meet with Chuck, and sends him a computer. Chuck promptly informs Sarah, Casey, and General Beckman
Diane Beckman
Brigadier General M. Diane Beckman, USAF is a fictional character in the NBC television series Chuck. Beckman is a senior official of the National Security Agency, working within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. She holds her rank of brigadier general in the United States Air...

 (Bonita Friedericy
Bonita Friedericy
Bonita Friedericy is an American actress. She currently can be seen in the television series Chuck as NSA Director Diane Beckman. She has also appeared on Malcolm in the Middle, Veronica Mars, Star Trek: Enterprise, Bones, The Nine, The West Wing, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and in the film...

), who wants the computer since it is capable of breaking defense computers and hijacking weaponry. Meanwhile, Lester Patel intercepts the computer, believing it to be the new Roark 7 gaming laptop.

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....

, Lester, 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....

, and Jeff Barnes access the advanced laptop. When opened, Orion asks for identification. When they reply that they cannot, Orion assumes that they are in danger and sends a Predator drone from Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...

. Assuming it is a simulation game, they target their own location. Casey detects the drone and prepares to evacuate the building, but the group in the bathroom instead target the Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...

 Buy More (See "Buy More"). Chuck realizes that his coworkers have intercepted the laptop and orders Morgan to stop playing with the computer. He finds then in the men's room and enters a target sequence cancel code to abort the aerial support mission. Big Mike walks in on the commotion, assumes that the laptop is the Roark 7, takes it, places it in a safe, assigning Emmett Milbarge (Tony Hale
Tony Hale
Tony Hale is an American actor, best known for his role in the Fox comedy series Arrested Development as the neurotic Byron "Buster" Bluth.-Early life:...

) to guard it overnight. Meanwhile, Vincent reports his discoveries to the Ring Elders and convinces them to let him infiltrate the Burbank Buy More.

As Emmett guards the Buy More, Casey, Chuck, and Sarah sneak in to retrieve the laptop. Chuck orders Casey and Sarah to cause a distraction while he inputs the combination to Big Mike's safe, telling them not to use guns or violence. As the agents get into place, Emmett walks past Lester and Jeff, who have their own plan to rob the laptop. As Jeff attempts to throw his voice to distract Emmett, Emmett seeks the source, leading everyone to scatter. As Chuck enters the office, Lester mistakenly scolds Casey (believing him to be Jeff) and Jeff mistakenly talks to Sarah (believing her to be Lester). Suddenly, Vincent enters through the roof to steal the laptop. After Chuck unlocks the safe, he turns around and flashes on a gun-wielding Vincent.

When Jeff and Lester realize that there are other robbers in the store, they flee, only to get maced
Mace (spray)
Chemical Mace is a tear gas in the form of an aerosol spray which propels a lachrymatory agent mixed with a volatile solvent. It is sometimes used as a self-defense device...

 by Emmett. As Emmett gloats, Casey incapacitates him with an elbow strike. As Sarah joins Casey, Chuck comes out help at gunpoint by Vincent, who demands that they drop their guns. When Chuck explains why his plan excludes guns, Vincent explains that it would be unprofessional not to shoot someone. Casey produces a gun and shoots Vincent first. Before they can question Vincent, he ingests tetrodotoxin
Tetrodotoxin
Tetrodotoxin, also known as "tetrodox" and frequently abbreviated as TTX, sometimes colloquially referred to as "zombie powder" by those who practice Vodou, is a potent neurotoxin with no known antidote. There have been successful tests of a possible antidote in mice, but further tests must be...

.

Casey dumps Vincent's body in Castle. Beckman stops Chuck from opening the laptop, suspecting Orion of being in Fulcrum and taking over the operation personally, warning Chuck that he may have to return with her if Fulcrum knows his identity. When Orion again messages Chuck is and calls his cell phone, Chuck explains that the computer is locked up in a government facility and Orion is suspected of being connected to Fulcrum. At Orion's order, Chuck to look at the computer and flashes on a symbol. When Chuck asks how Orion knew that was in the Intersect, he replies that he put it there, fully convincing Chuck.

Orion shows Chuck surveillance of a meeting between Beckman, Sarah and Casey, where Beckman explains that Chuck is too important to national security to allow him Orion to remove the Intersect, hence the lie that Orion is connected to Fulcrum. After seeing Sarah agree, Chuck flees, leaving his watch behind. Chuck reaches the laptop, and Orion confirms that he can remove the Intersect. As they arrange a meeting, Vincent crawls out of his body bag and kidnaps Chuck, having been trained to survive tetrodotoxin's near-death state. Meanwhile, Sarah and Casey realize that Chuck has left his apartment and notice the address of his meeting with Orion on a surveillance video.

At the rendezvous, Vincent threatens to kill Chuck's family, forcing Chuck to tell Orion that he is safe. Suddenly, Fulcrum agents surround and capture Orion. As Orion is led to a helicopter on the roof, Sarah and Casey arrive and shoot Vincent. As the helicopter takes off, Chuck opens the laptop and finds that Orion has activated an "Emergency Protocol". Suddenly, the Predator drone arrives and destroys the helicopter, with Orion inside.

After Beckman admits that she does not want the Intersect removed from Chuck's head, Chuck returns home to find a packet containing cards depicting the Intersect and a disc. On the disc, a video of Orion instructs Chuck to study the cards before self-destructing. Beckman questions Casey about Sarah's reliability and feeling towards Chuck, requesting everything Casey knows about them. Meanwhile, Chuck reviews the cards, determined to return to his old life.

Buy More

The Buy More employees discover their store toilet papered
Toilet papering
Toilet papering is the act of covering an object, such as a tree, house, or another structure with toilet paper. This is typically done by throwing numerous toilet paper rolls in such a way that they unroll in mid-air and thus fall on the targeted object in multiple streams...

 by the employees of the Beverly Hills branch, led by Barclay (Matt Winston
Matt Winston
Matthew "Matt" Winston is an American actor, the son of late special effects artist Stan Winston. He attended Yale, is married to Amy Smallman and has two small children....

). Big Mike reveals that they are jealous that the Burbank branch is getting the new Roark Instruments laptop first. Lester later intercepts Orion's laptop for Chuck, believing it to be the Roark 7. From Jeff's "office" in the men's bathroom, Lester, Jeff, and Morgan command a Predator drone and nearly bomb themselves, believing it to be a simulation game. They then command it to bomb the Beverly Hills branch, but Chuck arrives and cancels the mission. Big Mike walks in on the commotion, presumes that the laptop is the Roark 7, takes it, places it in a safe, and assigns Emmett to guard it overnight.

Jeff and Lester later sneak in to the store to steal the laptop, becoming separated. Realizing that they are actually talking to Sarah and Casey, they flee the store. They are then maced by Emmett, who is then incapacitated by Casey. Big Mike and Morgan arrive, and Jeff and Lester lie about overhearing the break-in. Emmett thinks that an entire crew has attacked him, leading everyone to suspect the Beverly Hills branch.

They enter the store to retaliate, and accidentally causes a chain reaction of shelves tipping over. As they celebrate their victory, the Beverly Hills group enters and accuses them. Big Mike convinces them that involving the police is not "the Buy More way" and the group exits. Mike thanks Morgan and informs him of rumors of a store closing, he reassuring his de facto stepson that he will not let that happen.

Music

  • "Making Love Out of Nothing At All
    Making Love out of Nothing at All
    "Making Love Out of Nothing At All" is a power ballad written and composed by Jim Steinman and first released by Australian rock band Air Supply for their 1983 compilation album Greatest Hits. It reached #2 on the U.S...

    " by Air Supply
    Air Supply
    Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo, consisting of Graham Russell as guitarist and singer-songwriter and Russell Hitchcock as lead vocalist. They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten hits in the United States, in the early 1980s...

  • "Amazing Life" by Matt Pond PA
    Matt Pond PA
    Matt Pond PA is a New York based band formed in Philadelphia by singer-songwriter Matt Pond. They have released eight LPs and eight EPs since 1998....


Cultural references

There are a number of allusions to The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...

in this episode. Orion's communication with Chuck via computer screens is similar to when Morpheus first contacts Neo in his bedroom, such as when Chuck's search of the Internet is interrupted by Orion. There are some musical clues, such as when Vincent is about to shoot Chuck, and audio clues, as when Chuck opens the laptop sent to him by Orion, that are very similar to the music and sounds used in The Matrix. Chuck's phone conversation with Orion and his plan to escape the agents guarding the area is reminiscent of Neo's conversation with Morpheus at his work.

Critical response

"Chuck Versus the Predator" received positive reviews from critics. Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...

gave the episode an A, though he expressed disappoint that plot points were resolved so quickly. Eric Goldman of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

gave the episode a 9 out of 10, praising the burglary scene. "From Jeff and Lester mistaking Sarah and Casey for, well, Jeff and Lester; to Emmett spraying mace in Jeff and Lester's face; to Casey revealing he still had a gun on him, despite Chuck telling him not to, this sequence was expertly constructed."

Viewer response was also positive, with an 8.5/10 user rating at TV.com
TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...

. The episode drew 6.156 million viewers.
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