Chuck places Wheelright in a cell in Castle, as Sarah begins trying to disarm the toxin deployment device Wheelright constructed. Chuck wonders what he should tell Ellie now about their mother. He is at a loss, but sees Morgan on one of the Buy More security cameras, and figures he might have an idea. Chuck runs out to go talk to Morgan, as Casey enters Castle. He tells Sarah that he doesn't trust Mary. Sarah says that there are no files to check as they have all been expunged. Fortunately, Casey knows an unsavory character who is an expert at retrieving expunged documents.
Chuck finds Morgan as they walk out onto the sales floor -- or try to, as they get tangled in a number of cotton spider webs. When they free themselves they realize that, despite prior belief in the contrary, Jeff and Lester actually successfully decorated the store for Halloween. They find the two decorators and congratulate them on their work. Well, Chuck and Morgan have seen nothing yet. Jeff and Lester show them into the Aisle of Terror. Lester explains that Jeff had been participating in psychology experiments led by a Dr. Schofield, who hypothesizes that certain images can cause dehibilitating terror in even the most fearless of people. Those images will be displayed on the monitors in the Aisle of Terror. Images such as old people! Public showers!! A baby in a snail costume!!! "Yes, this is scary," Morgan tells them, "but in a really bad way." He and Chuck leave the guys to their tricks.
Ellie, Devon, and Honey search for baby items in a store. Mary, too, is there, observing her daughter and son-in-law. Ellie looks at a stuffed bear that she thinks is cute, but Honey hands her a dictionary, saying every child needs a dictionary, before flitting off to another part of the store. Ellie tells Devon that she's happy to have Honey there as a positive female influence as she goes through her first pregnancy. Yes, she can be a bit much at times, but Honey wants to be in the baby's life. "More than I can say for my mom," Ellie concludes, obviously not seeing her mother observing the scene. As Ellie and Devon leave, Mary moves over and picks up the bear Ellie had wanted.
Back in Castle, Chuck tells Sarah that it is weird: the woman they found is not the woman he remembers as his mother. Sarah, while working on the toxin bomb, asks if Chuck is just trying to justify not telling Ellie about Mary. Chuck smiles because Sarah knows him all too well. As Sarah works on the bomb, a clock lights up, and begins counting down from five minutes. They rush over to Dr. Wheelright who explains that the countdown is a security measure in case anyone tampered with his handiwork. They order him to stop it, but he refuses. Sarah opens the cell door and points her gun at him. He is convinced! Wheelright places his thumb on a fingerprint reader, and the clock disappears. As Sarah moves to another part of Castle, the clock jumps back to life and quickly counts down to zero. The bomb springs to life and releases the toxin.
As Chuck begins to cough and his vision begins to jump, he is able to lock Sarah out of the poisoned room. Chuck starts to freak out as Wheelright explains that he has been testing the Atroxium on himself for years, so he is no longer scared of anything. Wheelright's face becomes demonic as Chuck yells that he is scared of everything. Sarah tries to tell Chuck that it is all in his head, but he is flipping out. He accesses a panel that opens up into the Buy More Home Theater room. Wheelright says that when he escapes, he is going to kill Frost for double-crossing him, but Chuck has enough presence of mind to lock down the store. Wheelright grabs Chuck and sprays more of the toxin in his face. Chuck stammers and falls to the floor where he sees Sarah come to him. He hears a gunshot. Sarah looks down and she is bleeding from her chest. She falls, revealing her assassin: Mary Elizabeth Bartowski.
In a covered garage, Casey and Morgan wait for the guy with access to expunged records. Morgan, dressed in a suit and sunglasses, looks just like a real spy. He asks Casey what his role in the operation is, and Casey replies that he is The Magnet. Morgan likes the nickname, as he repeats it over and over again. Meanwhile, unable to escape, Wheelright takes Chuck into the Aisle of Terror to really give Chuck a good scare. He throws Chuck down onto the remote for the monitors, which starts up Dr. Schofield's images. Wheelright recognizes the work of his former partner, and begins to become disturbed by what he sees. Old people? Public showers?? A baby in a snail costume?!?! Wheelright freaks out, and runs for the exit. There he is met by Sarah's swift karate chop to the neck. She rushes to Chuck who asks if he can just keep his eyes closed until they acquire the antidote.
Back at the garage, Morgan does his best David Caruso on CSI: Miami impression by repeatedly taking off his sunglasses in a "cool" fashion. He is halted by the sound of a gun clicking and the feel of cold steel against his neck. The gunman asks who Morgan is, but is stopped himself by the sound of Casey's gun clicking against the gunman's neck. Morgan now understands why his code name is "The Magnet." The gunman hands over the files on Frost, and leaves. Casey quickly looks at the file and tells Morgan that Mary's story checks out.
In the Buy More, Chuck is feeling better after receiving the antidote from the frightened Wheelright. His phone buzzes with a text message from his mother. She wants to see Ellie. Sarah offers to come with Chuck, but he says it will be alright. Chuck returns home and finds Ellie in the courtyard reading the dictionary Honey purchased. Ellie is outside in order to escape Honey for a bit. She appreciates Honey, but the mother she wants to talk to disappeared forever years ago. With a knowing smile, Chuck asks Ellie if she's busy that evening.
A car drives down a dark street, and stops by another car. The drivers emerge: Sarah and Casey. Casey wanted to meet out there to escape the possibility of Morgan or Chuck hearing what he had to say. He shows Sarah Mary's file. It says that Project Isis was abandoned twenty years ago. Everything Mary had told Chuck was a lie.
Ellie and Chuck sit at a restaurant waiting for their mother. Ellie is practically shaking with anticipation. She doesn't know what to do when Mary arrives. Should she play it cool? Should she embrace her mother? Chuck advises to just do whatever feels right. Mary is late, but maybe she's a bit lost, so Chuck goes outside to look for her. On the sidewalk, he sees Mary approaching with a stuffed bear in hand. A van screeches to a halt behind her, and masked men jump out and grab Mary. Chuck sprints to them, and tackles on of the assailants. He pulls of the attacker's mask, and reveals...Sarah?!? "Chuck, your mom is not the spy you believe her to be!" Sarah exclaims, as she slams the doors shut and the van speeds off. Chuck solemnly reenters the restaurant and sits down next to Ellie. "I'm sorry, but mom's not coming," he ruefully tells her. Ellie iis crushed, again. "Why does mom keep doing this?" she pleads with her brother. "Because she's a spy," Chuck replies.
Commentary
Although this episode was filmed long before Chuck's eleven-episode pick-up was given by NBC, I'd like to think that the pick-up news flooded some life into this season, because "Chuck vs. the Aisle of Terror" was one of, if not the best episode of the season so far. True, there was no great Chuck Fu throwdown, and in fact, Chuck didn't even flash, but the other elements of the show were in top form.
First, Mary Elizabeth factored heavily into the story. Not since she shot Ivan Drago in the season premiere, has Chuck's mother been such an integral part of the episode. This had been a bit worrying as this season is ostensibly about Chuck's mother. Further, I thought Linda Hamilton was doing some good work here. I think the chemistry between the actors could have been a little stronger, but that will come with a few more episodes together under their collective belt.
Second, for the first time this season, the entire cast was in the episode. Yes, Big Mike and General Beckman were there only shortly, but it was nice to see the entire universe of characters brought to bear on an episode. I was also pleased with the fact that Jeff and Lester's plot was integrated nicely into the main plot. As I have said in this space on numerous occasions (just read the Commentaries from any of my recaps this season), for me, it is always better when the boys somehow unknowingly help Chuck foil the bad guy. In this case, their whacked out minds produced the Aisle of Terror that unwittingly led to Wheelright's downfall. Devon and Ellie, too, had a nice storyline that merged perfectly with the main plot. Ellie would, of course, wish her mother was there to help her through her pregnancy. It's a great bit of contrast to show Honey being a substitute mother figure for Ellie with Mary standing right there. Everything about this plot felt very natural. All of the subplots were well-written and well-played, so kudos to the writers for integrating everyone in the cast nicely.
Third, this episode made great use of the guest stars. Robert Englund was perfectly cast as Dr. Wheelright. He's a creepy guy who really doesn't need any special effects to make himself look scary, but I loved the physical flourishes and mannerism he used to make himself all the more fearful. I've seen a couple of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, and I definitely saw a few of Freddy Kreuger's movements in Dr. Wheelright. I also always love having Morgan Fairchild back as Honey Woodcombe, mostly because I love typing her character's name (I'm a sucker for a cheap pun, what can I say?). Anyway, as mentioned above, using her to reflect Ellie's need of a mother figure was well-done.
Fourth, there was no trace of Chuck-Sarah relationship angst. In this episode, they were nothing but a sweet couple who looked out for each other. Further, the joking about Chuck still trusting people, is heart hurting, and his rakish good looks were all, as usual, well-acted by Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski. Seriously, one can argue (and I do) that these two may have the best chemistry of any couple on television right now.
Last, what a cliffhanger! Is Mary telling the truth? Is she really a double-agent for Volkoff? Has she betrayed her son again? How will she be able to prove her innocence? Will Chuck act against Sarah and Casey to prove his mother's innocence? Who will Morgan side with? Will Mary's arrest throw a wrench into Chuck and Sarah's relationship? Will Ellie ever get the stuffed bear? So many questions waiting to be answered! Color me intrigued!
Alright, so that's what I've got on "Chuck vs. the Aisle of Terror." What did you think of the episode? Did you enjoy it as much as I did? Did you enjoy the Halloween theme? Do you think Mary is innocent or really working for Volkoff? Please leave your questions, theories and comments below. For another take, check out Brittany's review here. I'll be back next week with another recap. Until then, I'm off to do something for thirty bucks and a sandwich. Or just a sandwich.
Follow: twitter.com/tvovermind
Follow: twitter.com/MikeNJD
thought it was great and you are dead on with your description. good stuff! long live chuck!!!