The Buy More has suffered an outrageous attack; the staff of the Beverly Hills branch have snuck in and TP'd the place in outrage that the Burbank branch is getting the new Roark Industries R7 laptop first. Clearing up his workstation, Chuck is startled when his computer is hacked by none other than Orion, who knows Chuck is the Intersect. The connection is not secure, so Orion promises to send Chuck one of his own laptops so they can talk. This forces Chuck to come clean to Sarah, Casey and General Beckman that he's been searching for Orion on the sly.
As Team Chuck hashes this out, the laptop arrives at the Buy More but is signed for by Lester, who mistakes it for the new R7. He, Jeff and Morgan play with the laptop, inadvertently triggering a program that hijacks a Predator drone. Thinking it's a game, they choose to target the store, making Team Chuck assume that Orion is a fake and the laptop was a trap. They go to evacuate the store, but when Morgan decides bombing the Beverly Hills branch would be more fun, Chuck realises what happened and takes the laptop from the guys. However, the laptop is seized by Big Mike, who locks it in his office safe until it's due to be displayed and charges Emmet with guarding the store overnight.
Team Chuck resolve to break into the Buy More that night to retrieve the laptop, but so do Jeff and Lester. Meanwhile, Fulcrum agent Vincent, who recently tangled with Orion in Hong Kong, is given the task of investigating any Orion links at a certain electronics store in Burbank...
Buy More is crowded that night. Emmet channels every Western movie ever as he patrols the store, while Sarah and Casey run interference, Jeff and Lester just interfere and Chuck sneaks into the office to retrieve the laptop, where he's surprised by Vincent. Sarah and Casey scare Jeff and Lester out of the store and knock out Emmet, then rescue Chuck from Vincent, who takes a Cyanide Pill before they can stop him.
Big Mike and Morgan are called to the store. With Emmet injured and the laptop missing, they conclude the Beverly Hills staff have struck again, and an enraged Big Mike resolves to get revenge. With Jeff and Lester in tow, they set off to Beverly Hills to burn their rivals to the ground.
Chuck is put on lockdown as General Beckman comes to LA to take charge of the situation, telling Chuck that the Orion he's been talking to is a Fulcrum decoy. In private, though, she tells Sarah and Casey the truth: Orion is the real deal, and he must be kept away from Chuck at all costs.
Alone in his room, Chuck is contacted on his computer by Orion, who proves his identity by showing a symbol that triggers a flash. He instructs Chuck to sneak back to Castle to use the laptop without telling his handlers. Chuck protests, so Orion taps into the video feed for Casey's apartment just in time for General Beckman to state that she doesn't want Chuck de-Intersected at all. At Orion's prompting, he sneaks out the window and escapes.
At Castle, Orion's laptop verifies his identity. Behind Chuck, Vincent's bodybag moves... He and Orion plan to meet in person that night, and an address appears on the laptop's screen. Turning to leave, Chuck is confronted by Vincent, who took a Tetrododoxin pill to fake his death. He takes Chuck prisoner to get to Orion. However, Chuck falls on the computer desk, knocking it sideways to show the address to a security camera.
Meanwhile, Sarah notices a problem: where is Chuck? He should be trying to sneak in to see the General, unless... she brings up the security feed first from Chuck's room, then Castle, just in time to witness Chuck's abduction. Running the tape back, she finds the address on the laptop.
At gunpoint, Chuck lures Orion into Fulcrum's trap. Sarah and Casey save Chuck before Vincent can kill him, but Orion is forced onto a helicopter. Another drone is hacked, and despite Chuck's efforts to override, the helicopter with Orion on it is blown up. Devastated, Chuck confronts the General over forcing him to keep the Intersect, which she unrepentantly confirms.
Back home, Chuck finds a package left in his bed by Orion. It turns out to be a series of cards showing plans for the Intersect, and a disc. The disc contains a message from Orion explaining that, while he hopes their meeting goes well, he's left this information just in case something goes wrong. He says there is a way to remove the Intersect and that, by studying the cards, hopefully Chuck will find it.
Back in Castle, the General asks Casey if she thinks Chuck and Sarah's relationship has become too close. Casey says no, but Beckman demands all their surveillance so she can decide for herself. Meanwhile, on the security monitor, Chuck casually lies on his bed with a graphic novel. A graphic novel lined with hidden Intersect cards...
Trope Flash:
- All Up to You: General Beckman lays it out clear for Chuck — he's the only agent who's managed to even get a hint as to Orion, not to mention his repeated ability to stop FULCRUM even the tiniest bit. She needs Chuck now more than ever, as she's lost too many agents to FULCRUM as it is.
- Armed with Pepper Spray: Emmet, while guarding the store. Jeff and Lester get it in the face.
- Cyanide Pill: Vincent takes one of these when cornered. It turns out to be Tetrododoxin, to Chuck's very unpleasant surprise.
- Expecting Someone Taller: Chuck says when he sees camera footage of General Beckman meeting with Sarah and Casey "Wow, Beckman is tiny."
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Sarah, when she tells General Beckman that Chuck won't just stay in his room while they decide his fate and... wait a minute, where is Chuck?
- Faking the Dead: Fulcrum Agent Vincent takes a Cyanide Pill when captured and appears to die, only to wake up in time to take Chuck hostage to smoke out Orion.
- Foreshadowing: Much is made in this episode of the efforts that have been made to locate Orion, all to no avail, and yet Chuck was able to find him by doing a few web searches. Orion not only goes to a lot of trouble to help Chuck, he even leaves him an envelope of information in case he dies, as if he literally cares more for Chuck than his own life. All of which suggests that Orion has some special, personal reason to help Chuck...
- We also get the first glimpse of the mysterious ruling panel apparently controlling FULCRUM.
- Funny Background Event: When Emmett shows Big Mike his bruise, everyone looks shocked except for Lester, who openly smirks.
- I Always Wanted to Say That: Orion admits as much after telling Chuck, "This disc will self-destruct in five seconds," at the end of his last message.
- Noodle Incident: The mission Team Chuck are returning from as the episode opens, which clearly involved posing as plumbers. "And, in case you hadn't noticed, none of us know how to actually plumb!" Chuck and Sarah agree that future missions should not involve plumbing.
- Parental Sexuality Squick: After hearing about Morgan's plight for the last few episodes, the audience is treated to a front-row seat as he sits in bed hearing Big Mike and his mother Right Through the Wall (the thin wall). He's thrilled when there's an emergency alert at the store.
- Shame If Something Happened: To make Chuck co-operate with trapping Orion, Vincent holds up photos from his wallet of Sarah, Ellie and Awesome, threat implicit but clear.
- Shout-Out:
- When playing with Orion's laptop, Morgan, Jeff and Lester activate a predator program they don't know is real and set it to target their own location, similar to WarGames.
- When guarding the Buy More, Emmet enjoys a fantasy of himself as a Sherrif, comparing himself favourably to "Shane, Marshall Dillon, [and] Clint Eastwood."
- On returning from the Beverly Hills Buy More, Big Mike declares, "I love the smell of Burbank in the morning! Smells like victory!"
- His speech to the Beverly Hills team spoofs Molloy's from The Untouchables. As they express distaste and leave, Morgan shouts after them, "Well you're not from Burbank!"
- In his just-in-case message, Orion signs off with "This disc will self-destruct in five seconds," like in Mission: Impossible.
- Chuck hides Orion's Intersect plans inside a copy of Ex Machina.
- Swiss-Cheese Security: Chuck doesn't think stealing the laptop back will be a problem.Chuck: Big Mike keeps the combination in his desk.
Casey: He keeps it in his desk?
Chuck: It's a Buy More, Casey. Relax. - Take That!: The Beverly Hills Buy More has a poster reading "Let us help spend your parents' money for you."
- Tempting Fate: When planning the Buy More heist, Sarah notes that at least no one else knows where it is. Cut to Fulcrum planning a heist of their own.
- This Page Will Self-Destruct: Orion’s prerecorded message to Chuck ends this way, along with an admission that I Always Wanted to Say That.
- Tranquil Fury: Big Mike, when Emmet's injuries are blamed on the Beverly Hills Buy More.Big Mike: No, Morgan. We will remain calm and collected. We will be calm and collected when we go to Beverly Hills tonight. We will be calm and collected when I use my manager's key to get into the store. And we will be calm and collected when we BURN that motherlovin' store TO THE GROUND!
- Wham Episode: General Beckman meets Team Bartowski in person for the first time (and makes it clear Chuck is absolutely necessary in their shadow war against FULCRUM), while we get the first hint that someone else is actually calling the shots at FULCRUM...
