Chuck vs. Santa Claus

Well it’s Christmas time on Chuck, so what better opportunity for a hostage crisis at the Buy More?  That was the writers’ staff logic this week, as the episode begins with the police pursuing an armed felon in a high-speed car chase, culminating with said felon crashing his car into the Buy More of all places.  He forces Chuck to lock down the store, trapping everyone inside, including Ellie and her nimrod boyfriend, who are conveniently there doing some last minute shopping.

I was more horrified than I’ve ever been watching Chuck when I saw that included in the ranks of the police who respond to the Buy More scene was Reginald VelJohnson.  I suppose a lot of people associate him with his role on long-running 90s sitcom Family Matters, but to true action aficionados like me, he will forever be Sergeant Al Powell, the loveable, good-natured, Twinkie-munching beat cop who helps John McClane out in the first two Die Hard movies.  VelJohnson enters Chuck looking no older than he did on Die Hard twenty years ago.  And he’s wearing a patrolman’s outfit.  And he’s munching a Twinkie.  Was I seeing what I thought I was seeing?  Was Chuck really being so brazen as to attempt to pay homage to the greatest character-driven action masterpiece of all time?  Did VelJohnson need the paycheck this badly?  Unfortunately, I guess so.  Also included in the police lineup as the head honcho is Michael Rooker, who played Sylvester Stallone’s best friend in Cliffhanger (1993), another action classic.

Meanwhile, Sarah and Casey are also in the Buy More and their mission is to extract Chuck safely from the situation.  Except the situation doesn’t seem all that dangerous because the gunman is a mild-mannered guy who lost his job and just wanted to get Christmas gifts for his kids, and who doesn’t even know how to use the gun he’s holding.

I guess he’s no Hans Gruber.  Speaking of Hans Gruber, in fact, the whole episode is a Die Hard homage (or rip-off, depending on how you look at it), right down to the bad guy having an ulterior motive (involving Fulcrum’s quest to find Chuck and the Intersect).  Awesome serves as a surrogate Ellis (the dumb tool from Die Hard who tries to move in on Bruce Willis’ wife and puts the hostages in danger by trying to be a hero instead of leaving the heroics to those who know what they’re doing).

Once I got past my fierce protectiveness toward Die Hard, I actually fairly enjoyed the episode.  There’s some stupid crap between Morgan and what’s-her-name, but there’s a nice moment between Sarah and Chuck, and the ending is surprising and (for Chuck at least) rather dark.  That’s it for Chuck for 2008.  It will be (mildly) interesting to see what it does when it returns after the hiatus.

Season 2, Episode 11: Chuck vs. Santa Claus (originally aired December 15, 2008)

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Photographs courtesy of NBC