ChuckTV.net The CHUCK archive
A Brief Note about Symbolism and Foreshadowing in ‘Chuck vs. the Honeymooners’
I had a strong, immediate reaction to the “ring†scene in ‘Honeymooners’, but after replaying it a few more times I’m struck by how potent this scene really is and on how many levels it works. Whether we have the actors (Levi and Strahovski), the writers (Adler, Judkins and LeFranc), the director (R.D. McNeil), the editor or the music department to thank (or, more likely, a combination of all the above), it’s a great showcase for the kind of emotionally resonant moments that elevate “Chuck†above many other shows.
The facile description of this scene is that Chuck gives Sarah a prop wedding ring to facilitate their cover as newlyweds. But by putting Sarah in front of a mirror and letting us see her reaction to what she finds there, the show gives us a lot more than that. We get some insight into what’s going on in her head. And armed with this information we can deduce some things about the past, the present and maybe even a little of the future.
As the scene begins, Sarah walks out of the bathroom and, while teasing Chuck about their cover, moves to the room’s mirror to check her appearance. Since the mirror is off-screen, some people missed this on first viewing, myself included. That she’s looking in a mirror is, I believe, vital to understanding Sarah’s emotes.
Once Chuck starts to put the ring on Sarah’s finger, the orchestration turns wistful, ethereal. It’s a musical cue to the audience that what’s coming is a dreamlike interlude. Chuck, through his loaded ‘Mrs. Charles†delivery and watchful eye on Sarah’s face, demonstrates awareness that his act carries emotional significance beyond the application of a cover accessory. It’s the trigger that sets up Sarah’s reaction – and that’s where things get more interesting.
When the ring slides home, Sarah’s playful smile fades, to be replaced with a sweeter, deeper one born from her recognition of the moment. The man she loves is putting a ring on her finger at a time when she is feeling free and profoundly happy. The powerful symbolism inherent in Chuck’s action could not be more obvious or meaningful. This is more than a cover. On the path she is following this is a premonition of the future.
Instinctively, Sarah looks up to the mirror and is met with the perfect iconic image, one that portrays a traditionally important moment in a “normal†woman’s life: The man, attentive and caring, gently placing an engagement ring on the third finger of her hand; his own ring, in clear evidence, bearing testament to his love and commitment. Has she envisioned this moment in her own mind’s eye? Is this the improbable realization of a secret wish?
Alas, as she sees herself in the mirror, her smile begins to falter. Moments of joy haven’t come easily for Sarah Walker. They’ve been fleeting and often accompanied by heartbreak. Even her father showed her through painful experience, to “be prepared for disappointmentâ€. It’s so ingrained that she’s already anticipating something going wrong to ruin the moment.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this kind of reaction from Sarah. In the last few seconds of ‘Best Friend’, we saw a woman who had just been told that someone cared about her, unconditionally. And that very person, a person we are lead to believe she had fallen for long before, was holding her hand with obvious affection. But instead of basking in the simple pleasure of the moment, her expression revealed she was already pondering how it was all going to go wrong.
On cue, the train jostles, seemingly just another bump on the track like we’d experienced earlier. But it’s more than that. In Sarah’s look we see her recognition of expectation fulfilled – the fates knocking her perfect picture askew. Going even further, the bump can be seen as foreshadowing of what is to come. Just as we see Sarah glimpsing her possible future with Chuck, the train hitting the bump foretells that the journey to that destination will not likely be a smooth one.
Returning briefly into the moment, she looks away to assess the cabin and in that moment a new bit of symbolism appears. Chuck and Sarah, together but looking in different directions – could this signify that their response to adversity as a couple will sometimes take opposing directions?
Or that, in going forward together they may have to look away from each other for their answers?
What comes next is very telling, however. The image Sarah saw in the mirror is so powerful, so compelling that her head practically snaps back to the mirror. Symbolically, she’s defying the fates to embrace this vision of them together. Her eyes flare, her lips part and there is no mistaking her fascination with this new reality. She’s mesmerized.
Even as Chuck massages her arms and she relaxes into him, it only pulls her part way out of the reverie.
Watching Sarah enthralled by their combined visage, we might imagine she was so caught up in just being with Chuck that the full reality of it hadn’t sunk in until this moment. That only in seeing them as a couple, as others saw them, could her appreciation of this change in status be complete.
Or we might believe she’s staring into her own eyes, wondering who this woman was staring back. Surely the happily in love person before her was not the same hardened spy who arrived in Burbank three years ago?
Either of these possibilities could lead to her gaze of awe and wonder. And who could really blame her?
In a show chock full of previous episode references, it’s hard not to call back Sarah’s halting confession to Casey amidst her growing doubts in ‘Crown Vic’. Or her longing stare through the window at Devon and Ellie’s engagement in ‘Marlin’. Or her wonder over the charm bracelet’s true meaning in ‘Santa Claus’. Or, maybe most appropriately, the reluctant removal of her fake wedding rings in ‘Suburbs’. These scenes all spoke to the small flame of hope she kept burning, that the simple but conventional pleasures in life she yearned for but had been denied could be hers as well.
Watching this sequence it feels satisfying to believe that all of those lingering questions found an answer at last.
Wow that is moving and Deep. ALso i thought it was odd that they didnt look back at eachother after they looked in opposite directions to make sure the other one was ok. It makes me think that Chuck is going to have to look over his shoulder alot in the future while being with Sarah.
http://www.insidepulse.com
vote for chuck vs burn notice
I agree @Mark that was beautiful. Thank you so much for that intake.
Innnnnnnteresting! I’ll have to go back and watch that scene again! Thanks for the great analysis.
Very well written :). Thanks for sharing!
A very thoughtful look at a scene that really captures the Chuck/Sarah zeitgeist: humor (Sarah’s Texan accent) and an underlying depth of feeling that is quite rare to see on a show that is generally thought of as a comedy/action program. So many layers to their relationship, and you did a great job of peeling back some of them. In lesser hands than those of Levi, Strahovski and director McNeil, the scene would have been a throwaway; a simple one-beat shot to establish their plan of action to capture the bad guy. Instead, we get to see the deep yearning in Sarah for what that wedding ring symbolizes, as well as a replay of sorts of Chuck placing what is traditionally a token of love and affection on Sarah — a mirror of his fastening his mother’s charm bracelet on her wrist in “vs. the Santa Claus”.
Well done, Aardie!
Very nice writeup. The point about the mirror does help to explain the scene better, and I liked how you tied her apprehension together in this scene and in others such as Best Friend.
One thing I would add is that later in the episode, after they come to an agreement and are totally on the same page in the cafe, you see Sarah lose all apprehension. The smile she gives then is of pure joy. Even with an impending showdown with Beckman she is completely happy. Then, in the last scene, you get a sense of wonder, wistfulness, and contentment.
Why do I bring that up? Your point about her apprehension in the ring scene is well taken. I do think there will be some bumps along the road. I would expect that, as any relationship, even a committed one like they are now in, has ups and downs. However, I would attribute her worried look to the fact that at that point she and Chuck were together, but not completely on the same page. Once they were, that facet of apprehension was gone.
At this point they were still giving up the spy life. She felt that was her sacrifice to stay with a man who unconditionally loved her and she was more than willing to do it because she was with a man she unconditionally loved an knew would NEVER betray her.Every other man in her life to this point had betrayed her. When they realized how important the spy life was to each other( even the change in wording in ” Chuck Bartowski, do you promise to NOT QUIT the spy life AND BE WITH ME), was an afformation that they both believed they could have everything they wanted AND be together in a committed ( Dating Exclusively!!!) relationship.
I think it’s important to note that whatever bumps might be in the road, it will be a road finally traveled together.
On a side note, and one that plagues me quite often thinking through this new relationship, is the fact that something quite big is missing from “Charah”. Think back to Season 2 “vs. The Ring”, Chuck tells his father “I love her.” The first, but not the last time we hear those words from Chuck, but we’ve never heard them from Sarah. Even in the scene when Chuck asks and where she admits she does, she doesn’t say it, a simple “Yes” is all we get. I’m keeping that bit in the back of my mind moving forward, but it is definitely rattling around in there.
@Andrew, a penny Sarah’s thoughts in that last scene.
Someone asked Ali Adler if we’ll ever hear Sarah tell Chuck that she loves him. I can’t remember the reply, but it wasn’t a straight-up no. Personally, that is a scene that I’m very much looking forward to. I’m pretty confident it will happen in the next 5 episodes.
I think Ali Adler’s response was something akin to “keep watching.”
While I am looking forward to that scene myself, I am not too hung up on it at this point. We KNOW Sarah loves Chuck. HE knows Sarah loves him. For now that is what is important. It is not OOC for Sarah to be hesistant to say those powerful 3 words. If you watch the DYLM scene in 3.13, Sarah had a very hard time trying to say what she felt, and kind of waited until Chuck gave her an opening. It wasn’t until that opening presented itself and she gave her “time to go for it” head nod, that she finally spilled her feelings.
A couple of reasons that she picked that particular moment to make her feelings known were that she didn’t have to initiate the coversation, and that Chuck was in a bad way and needed to hear it then and there. She had always been reactive rather than proactive, so a “By the way Chuck, I love you” moment was unlikely. By holding her feet to the fire for an answer, she was able to react. And she saw what a “low place” Chuck was in at that moment. The guy she loved was falling apart and she had to save him. When she finally does come forward with a declaration, I surmise that it will be a moment of pressing circumstance, such Chuck being in mortal danger, and her being in fear of losing him.
I think this whole past season she was in fear of losing him and didn’t quite know how to stop that process. I think she wasn’t sure if she or the spy-life was more important to Chuck and did not want to get in his way of becoming a spy. But when he came to her and told her point-blank how much he loved her, you could almost see the walls of her resistence and doubts come crumbling down.
That is so true what you said about her ‘saving’ him when he was at such a low point. I think at this point she felt safe enough to show her feelings towards Chuck. But to actually say “I love you” to Chuck will be awhile. I wonder if she has ever said those words to anyone in her life and maybe Chuck is the only one to have said those words to her and MEAN them and for her to utter those words, she wants to be absolutely sure of herself and the person she says them to.
You said it so much better than I was able to. Thanks!
I completely agree on this, but I wanted to mention that while Sarah may be reactive when it comes to verbalizing her love, she has, from season 1, been the proactive one physically. She was the one who initiated their first kiss in 1×8, and in all the scenes of 3×13. Chuck, on the other hand, always held back, not quite sure how to play the cover, but was quite vocal about his feelings for her.
I don’t want to get into a whole debate about gender differences, and I certainly don’t want to offend anyone, but their personalities are kind of switched from the traditional (perhaps cliched is more appropriate?) gender roles. Of course, this probably isn’t news to anyone else, but I’ve just noticed it between your comment and watching scenes from the past few episodes.
Still looking forward to when Sarah says ILY, because it’s sure to be set up as a powerful and touching scene.
Like this week?????
(SPOILER ALERT) And sure enough, when he needed to hear it most, when he will need all the help he can get to fight The Ring, Sarah comes through with those three little words. Right off the cuff, too. Proactive and everything. Now we just have to hope Chuck’s keeping his nightmare flashes a secret won’t come back to bite him too hard, now that Sarah has made herself that vulnerable again. You know she’s gonna be pissed as hell that he didn’t tell her the man who tried to KILL HER is still ALIVE. Shoulda chopped off the bastard’s head. Guaran-damn-tee you The Ring wouldn’t ne bothering with Shaw then.
The happiness emoted by Sarah in this episode was unlike anything the show has ever seen. The whole show takes on a new feel when Sarah is so obviously and truly happy, for what seems to be the first time in her life.
I love how people call everything from 3-13 forward the Shrah Smiles Season !!!
@JT — I expect that we’ll hear her say the “l” word sometime in the next 5 episodes. As for a penny for her thoughts, that’s the miracle that is Yvonne’s ability to emote. She says infinitely more with a look than mere words could convey. With just a glance we get a good idea of exactly what’s she’s thinking.
Love the review! gives me more insight to the episode, and makes me all the more excited for more chuck-and-sarah intimate moments. definitely season-4-worthy!
Really nice analyse. We have another great scene, in my opinion, involving the rings: when they are taking it off before trying to leave Pündtün. Again we have a demo of the chemistry and the acting skills of Yvonne and Zach.
The scene I like to compare this one to is Bryce’s return in “vs the Break Up”. When the cover marraige is announced by Beckmand and C/S initially think it’s going to be them, both are happy. However, Bryce enters and re-introduces “The Andersons” cover by putting a wedding ring on Sarah’s hand in full view of the rest of Team B. Sarah’s expression is anything but the happiness she has in 3.14, but embarrassment. Her look is one of wanting Bryce to tone it down.
Spectacular analysis!!
This is an amazing analysis of the scene. We discussed this scene recently and we were struck by that scene. I think it will resonate later on too and isn’t simply a throwaway scene. Considering the title of the finale…
Great job!
Great writing, Aardvark, and great analysis. With Yvonne S. it’s easy to believe that every nuance you see is absolutely intentional and part of the story.
Astute food for thought. You offer up more possibilities than the moment was likely meant to convey which aptly demonstrates how art and our response to it is subjective.
Sarah was definitely savoring the potential ‘realness’ of the moment. Something she has never been able to, or allowed herself to, do before.
It is a great moment. Too bad an establishing shot of Sarah looking into the mirror was not included to clarify what she was doing.
Congrats and thanks for sharing.
Great write up, but like OD I think you’re attributing way more to the scene than was actually there, projecting your views of Chuck and Sarah’s future relationship onto a segment that wasn’t intended to be quite so deep and textured. In many ways what one has seen on Chuck this year is what has actually transpired. Those who looked too deeply were often led astray as their desires for the show distorted their projections, leaving them disappointed.
That’s not to say what you’ve concluded is incorrect. For the most part, I agree with your forecast of the future for Chuck and Sarah. There will be difficulties. These two individuals will deal with (or not deal with) the problems in their relationship in different. In the end, both Chuck and Sarah have what they want, or at least a beginning and ultimately I don’t see them giving it up without a fight.
If I were RDM and someone presented me with the above essay and asked whether that had been my intention for the scene, my immediate answer would be, “Why, yes. Yes, of course it was.”
So if that was the intention, hats off to the show once again; if not, then they’re accidentally doing great stuff. And if all this depth only resides in the mind of Aardvark, well, then I enjoyed the analysis and the extra layer it adds to an already very layered show.
If it was the show’s intention, I wish they’d focus a little less on imbuing short scenes with deep, multi-layered symbolism and invest more effort in shoring up the spy plots, making the Ring a credible opponent, and tightening up other aspects of the show.
Having said that, I certainly enjoy the the show, enjoyed the last episode and deeply appreciate Aardvark’s piece. Even if the symbolism was largely in Aardvark’s head, presenting his views of the relationship going forward using this scene was brilliant.
Yes, I realized even while writing this essay that some of the more detailed symbolism would create this reaction. I’ve often felt the very same way when confronted with similar deconstructions and their overly complex rationalizations. In many of those cases I thought the authors had gone off the reservation and were attaching all kinds of unintended meaning to events in an attempt to justify their own belief system.
But I forged ahead anyway, if for no other reason than to have laid out the observations and let others make up their own minds how deep the rabbit hole went. I made an effort to pose some of the more exotic speculation as questions, to aid in this purpose. And I never expected everyone to agree with everything.
If, in the end, this piece does nothing more than get people to think about the scene a bit more and find their own true meaning, I’m happy with that. 🙂
As much work as you put into this, I don’t think it means jack. I’ve always felt that people look too much into things, and this is just an overanalysis of a simple romantic scene.
As OD said above, art and our response to it is subjective. While we may not all agree with the depth of nuance Aardie saw, it’s certainly a legitimate analysis and backed up with the source material.
Absolutely.
Nice Aardie! What a softy you are. I also am of the party that believes that Zach and Yvonne are what made that scene really great. I don’t know that the writers intended all that you extrapolated, but I love that you could see all that in the finished product. Sometimes Chuck has really great moments; thanks for drawing attention to this one.
Awww, shucks, MSB. You always know how to get me to blush. 😉
Because the show is so tightly edited, things go by so quickly. I end up missing a lot. I wish I had the time to rewatch the show a number of times, rewatch certain scenes with slow-mo & freeze frame. An article like this is a godsend. At least now I can go back and watch it once more and get so much more out of it than I did the first time. Thanks for a fantastic article with great pix to accompany it.
Quite the eye for detail! Though it may not necessarily have been intended to be that deep, all that’s been said is definitely true about the couple. Already from the promo for tonight’s episode we see how Sarah does not want to move in with Chuck, of course there’s probably more to it than shown (possible Morgan-related as we see a quick scene of them in the kitchen in the middle of the night? either way looking forward to seeing what happens there, bound to be good for a few laughs). Still its amazing how well the actors on this show portray their character, and to you for being able to analyze it so well! And since we’re on the topic of looking closely, did anyone notice that the guy who played the polish rocker on the train (who Sarah stole the handcuffs from) is actually Yvonne’s real boyfriend, Tim Loden!!
What a wonderful article/review which has given me food for thought and motivation to watch the episode yet again. I am always surprised and never disapointed in what I take away from the wonderful comments and discussions here.
I am yearning to see further into Sarah’s character, looking forward to that possibility in the hoped-for Season 4.
The scene in a lot of ways, and a little more simply, is what we the audience are feeling through Sarah. Pure happiness, taking in the moment, and not wanting the moment to go away. And of course, that fear of ending the moment and in general the relationship is always there. Because the way these writers work, I say we should expect to be disappointed too (in terms of ending the relationship, the show will always be good). We didn’t want the moment to end either! And we all want a real ring on Sarah’s finger too. So it is very true that this season is veiwed in the eyes of Sarah, especially this scene. I think the reason that this article writer looked so deeply into the scene is because the audience, and the writer, were feeling what Sarah was feeling.
Wow that was a really good and deep analysis!!! excellent job!
Good read. Which got me to thinking about something. After reading this, I wish I could ask the writers/actors/director/music director just what they were trying to get across.
I remember back in the dark ages when I used to have to read poems/novels/short stories etc and then state what I thought the author was trying to say. Even back then, I always wondered if I were close to thinking the same way the author was or just how far off I was in my thinking.
I’ve often wished the same thing, but it’s even more complicated than that.
One of the things you hear if you hang around writers is that they’re often surprised that a story they were writing took on its own life – it went somewhere they weren’t expecting and the characters “needed” to say and do things that didn’t fit the author’s original intent.
I’m sure this happens in film and television as well, and is exacerbated by the multitude of creative hands in the mix. I believe that, regardless of the author’s original intent, a scene may play out unexpectedly when the directors, actors and editors add their efforts.
So in the end, how we interpret a scene may end up being more important than what was originally intended. Did it convey something meaningful and serve the story? Did the creative participants grasp the scene’s essentials and deliver them successfully?
Even in the middle of a delightfully fun episode, I give this scene an ‘A’.
I think I have a possible answer to your question about C and S looking in opposite directions after the train jostles (“– could this signify that their response to adversity as a couple will sometimes take opposing directions? Or that, in going forward together they may have to look away from each other for their answers?”). With the benefit of having seen the follow up episode, I think what we see is them instictively watching “each others backs”, as if they had ever needed to be told by Swoozie Kurtz’s Mrs. Turner in “the Role Models”.
I agree. That’s yet a third interpretation that feels very appropriate after Swoosie Kurtz’s admonition in ‘Role Models’.
Maybe the strongest of all of them.
Well I think that there are parts in the analisys that were spot on and some that were not. I would have to say that the part about them looking different ways was a little over the top but I do think that a lot of the other stuff was amazing! Thanks!
I think that Chuck and Sarah will have many more scenes like this one in the upcoming season…but I think that they will be followed by and I LOVE YOU from both Chuck AND Sarah. After Chuck Vs. The Tooth I think that Sarah will be telling Chuck that she loves him a lot more next season!