Chuck Versus the Third Dimension

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"Chuck Versus the Third Dimension" is the 12th episode of the second season of Chuck. It aired on February 2, 2009. This episode was originally aired in 3-D, as the name suggests, using the same ColorCode 3-D technology as some of the commercials in Super Bowl XLIII. When Chuck foils a plan to kill international rock star Tyler Martin (Dominic Monaghan), the agents kidnap the musician to find out who wants him dead. Meanwhile, Big Mike's old football friend Jimmy Butterman (Jerome Bettis) comes to work at the Buy More.

Plot summary[]

At the Buy More, a huge line of people snakes around inside. A gleeful Morgan tells Chuck that rock star Tyler Martin is appearing at their store today, meaning they can slack and no one will notice.

Chuck spots a guy in a trench coat planting a grenade on a shelf. After flashing on the grenade, he radios Casey and Sarah. Casey, Chuck and Sarah rush the grenade to the basement and safely insulate the detonation. In the Bunker, Beckman tells them to find out who wants Tyler dead. The grenade is a North African military weapon commonly used by intelligence. Beckman wants them to question Tyler, who just finished an African tour.

Flanked by security guards, Tyler struts into the store amid screaming girls. Tyler tells the audience there's one Golden Ticket planted in his new CD for sale, which will grant the winner and a guest backstage access to his concert. When Tyler spots Sarah and drools, they realize getting him alone isn't going to be as hard as they thought. Sarah lures Tyler to the basement where Casey shoots him with a tranquilizer dart.

After transferring Tyler to Casey's apartment, they put Chuck on Rock Star Watch while they try to track down the suspect via his car, which was captured on the Buy More security camera. In the suspect's apartment, they realize they're dealing with a pro when they find detailed pictures of Tyler taped to the walls and bomb-making materials littering the desk.

Tyler wakes, and thinking he's in a fancy restaurant bathroom, pees in Chuck's fountain. When Tyler asks Chuck who he is, Chuck says he's from Tyler's record label. Tyler isn't concerned when Chuck says he's protecting him from a death threat. He just wants to party and tosses Chuck's cell phone into the fountain so their partying won't be disturbed by the wringing hands at the label. At the bar, surrounded by a smattering of women, Chuck and Tyler pound back drinks. Tyler shouts to everyone that all the drinks are on his record label and points to Chuck.

Tyler is just explaining that his manager arranges his tattoos (incidentally, the Chinese character of a tattoo of the left hand which Tyler boasted of is "愛(ai)," which means "love"), when two sexy women ask Tyler and Chuck to dance. Casey and Sarah trace Chuck via a homing device to the bar, where they spot the man who planted the grenade. He sees them and slips outside where they stop him at gunpoint. Inside his trench coat, he reveals several grenades and tells them that he's got friends inside helping him to kill Tyler. With no choice, they let him go. Inside, Chuck flashes on one of the women's necklaces. When they want to go to their hotel room, Chuck can't figure out how to warn Tyler without blowing cover.

Inside their hotel room, Chuck tries to talk Tyler out of going into the bedroom with the women. Tyler agrees, saying Chuck needs them more than he does. He pushes him inside and shuts him in. After they get Chuck's pants off, he runs, narrowly escaping their flying daggers. In boxers, socks and a T-shirt, Chuck climbs to the rooftop and radios for help. As Casey and Sarah race to the top floor, Chuck is cut off by the Bond-like assassins. He jumps onto an exterior elevator and hangs precariously from the side, where the women enter. The elevator doors open, and Tyler sees them. He's shocked when one points a gun at him. A dart hits his neck and he falls. Casey and Sarah enter the elevator and 32 floors up, as Chuck hangs from the side, they defeat the two assassins.

Tyler wakes in Casey's apartment again, and after hearing he's in government custody, starts calling his manager. Casey tranquilizes Tyler again, and he slumps, revealing his back tattoo. Chuck flashes: the tattoo reveals plans for a secret nuclear reactor. Chuck realizes that Tyler's manager, who hires the tattoo artists, has been using Tyler's body to trade secrets. Casey and Sarah chastise Chuck for going to the nightclub. Chuck is angered, saying that he's not a spy with their skill sets and wants time off. Tired of listening to it, Casey shoots a tranquilizer dart at Chuck and he passes out.

Back in Castle, Beckman orders the team to persuade Tyler to perform at the concert so they can capture the assassin, Achmed Gambir, a top foot soldier in a private North African army. Chuck worries about Tyler's safety but agrees to talk to him. As they listen, Chuck asks Tyler for one night of bravery for his entire life back. Sarah is moved when Chuck says, "I can't even tell you what I'd give for that." So is Tyler, who agrees to perform.

When Achmed knocks on Tyler's dressing room door, Chuck radios for help. Achmed breaks open the door and, knife in hand, moves toward the closet where Tyler is hiding. Chuck stops him by showing him a cell phone picture of Tyler's tattoo. As Tyler listens, stunned, Chuck recounts how Achmed and his private army are selling enriched uranium to unstable countries, and that they've been using Tyler's manager to get information to their buyers via Tyler's tattoos. He threatens to e-mail that and the photo to everyone. Achmed puts down his knife. Tyler bursts from the closet, armed with a cymbal. He swings at Achmed, misses, propelling himself and Chuck through the door. They run, passing Tyler's manager whom he punches and fires, ending up onstage.

In the wings, Achmed is readying himself to throw his knife at Tyler, who tells Chuck to jump. They stage dive into the crowd, which passes them around. As Achmed tries to get close, Sarah and Casey find him and knock him out. The crowd passes Tyler back to the stage, then, realizing Chuck's not a star, drops him on his back.

Back outside Chuck and Casey's apartments, Casey reminds Tyler to have his tattoos removed. Tyler thanks Chuck for everything, especially the lesson to put people first. He hugs him goodbye and after one more pass at Sarah, bids her farewell too.

Chuck confronts Sarah about lying to him about shooting the unarmed Fulcrum agent on Christmas Eve. She said that she was trying to protect him, as the agent knew about Chuck, which put him and his whole family in danger.

Buy More[]

Big Mike tells Morgan that he hired an old football buddy of his, Jimmy Butterman (Jerome Bettis), who just got paroled. He wants Morgan to teach him everything he knows.

Meanwhile, in the Buy More break room, Morgan, Lester, Jeff and Butterman slice open stacks of Tyler's CDs to try to find the Golden Ticket. Morgan finds it but can take only one of them. He says they're going to have to settle it "The Buy More way." Jeff, Butterman, and Lester do a series of challenges, which Jeff wins.

At the Buy More, Jeff and Morgan feel bad for Butterman, since he was in jail for so long. They decide to give him the Golden Ticket. Butterman in turn sells the ticket to Skip for $800, and leaves for Philadelphia.

Production[]

The opening credits feature the addition of graphics in the background, as opposed to plain grey or red backgrounds. Presumably, this was done to make the most of the 3D effect that was used.

Flashes[]

• Chuck flashes on the IG-88 grenade.
• Chuck flashes on one of female assassin's necklace.
• Chuck flashes on Tyler's tattoo.

References to popular culture[]

• The golden ticket hidden inside a CD case is taken directly from the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and related films.
• There are several references to the 1994 prison film The Shawshank Redemption.
• The opera music played during two different scenes with the ex-con Butterman is the Mozart duet from the famous scene in The Shawshank Redemption. This prison reference was also used in the Season 1 episode Chuck Versus the Tango
• There is a reference to The Thomas Crown Affair.
• There are references to Arrested Development with the line "No Touching!" and the song "The Final Countdown."
• The grenade type, IG-88, is also the name of the bounty hunter droid in The Empire Strikes Back.
• Dominic Monaghan's rock star role is reminiscent of his role in Lost. When arriving in the Buy More, he says "Hello Cleveland!", a line taken from This Is Spinal Tap, the 1984 mockumentary that satirizes the sort of indulgent behavior Tyler Martin partakes in.
• During the confrontation between Achmed and Chuck inside Tyler's dressing room, the doodle often accompanying the phrase Kilroy was here can be seen.

References[]

External links[]

• "Chuck Versus the Third Dimension" at IMDb