ChuckTV.net The CHUCK archive
Gamechanger.
Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak teased everyone with that proclamation for the season 2 finale. When Chuck Bartowski echoed those immortal words of Neo from the Matrix, ‘I know Kung Fu!’, a new game became afoot, indeed!
Chuck is now poised to move from childhood to the turbulent times of teenager in terms of his hero’s journey. In the first two seasons Chuck was finding himself and as such he was mostly a passive passenger of the events around him. Now he will become an active participant and begin to take control of his life, thanks to the Intersect 2.0, a more robust version cleverly designed to dramatize his internal growth in visible ways.
Good stories make a hero’s journey difficult. Those are the stories where the audience becomes emotionally involved as the hero is tested and pushed. How a hero deals with adversity is more interesting than how he deals with victory. An Intersect that gives Chuck abilities to such an extent that they may deemed ‘superpowers’ would seem to make his journey too easy, but the show is far too clever for that.
The Intersect 2.0 was designed for a professional agent. Cool, detached, and disciplined. Someone like Bryce Larkin. As we’ve seen repeatedly over the past two seasons, Chuck is the antithesis of Bryce. He is emotional, deeply attached to friends and family, and pinballish in the manner in which he approaches life. The Intersect 2.0 is so not Chuck!
In order to manage the Intersect 2.0, Chuck will be forced to develop the mental disciplines and traits that mirror his needed growth to become a spy and to take control of his life. But just as a child enters puberty and undergoes physical changes powered by unseen hormones, Chuck will deal with new abilities powered by the new Intersect and controlled by his mental state. To properly utilize the new abilities of the Intersect 2.0, he will need to learn to control his emotions. Chuck must take on mental disciplines that run counter to his nature. In Chuckspeak, he needs to find his calm center.
This new Intersect dynamic is very much based on the two halves of a person’s mind; emotion versus logic or Dr. Jekyll versus Mr. Hyde.  With Chuck this struggle is a reverse Hulk Out. David Banner can only become the Hulk by losing control; Chuck can only access his new Intersect abilities by maintaining his calm and staying in control. Both of them struggle with control of their power once it is active.
Chuck has been given a tool that will allow him to become a frontline member of Team Bartowski. No more stay in the car moments for Chuck! He faces the challenge of mastering the Intersect 2.0 by being more Bryce Larkin and yet not losing those qualities that make Chuck, well, Chuck. Qualities that are his biggest strength and weakness.
Then there is Sarah.
Sarah fuels Chuck’s emotions. But it is not always a positive feed. Sarah is described as Chuck’s Kryptonite and his Spinach. But those concepts deserve their own article. Stay tuned for more.
Lou aka OldDarth is a moderator for the ChuckTV.net forums and occasional contributor to Chuck vs. the Podcast. This is his first guest post for ChuckTV.net.
nice analysis! looking forward to your next post.
Great article, Lou!
Nice teaser at the end, and yes, it even worked on me. 😉
Nice article. I especially liked the reverse “Hulk Out” reference. That is AWESOME. Hopefully it will incoroprate a close up (as the activation of the Intersect usually does) of Zach’s eyes, like the “green” eyes of David Banner (Bill Bixby). Keep up the great work chucktv.net. And KEEP ON CHUCKIN’ all you Chuckaholics out there.
I still have confidence in that the writers will find a way to allow the Chuck and Sarah relationship to not necessarily become a perfect Ellie/Awesome kind of deal, but at least move it forward if even in a slow progression. ANYTHING but a return to the stuff of Seasons 1 and 2. Been there, done that, and we DON’T need to do it again. It’s like telling the same story over and over, and that just won’t fly.
There are too many ways that a development of their relationship can be explored, especially not that Interscet 2.0 is part of the picture. I think Chuck’s great writers have the talent to do that. As I’ve mentioned on a Chuck thread on a more general TV site, what we don’t want is for the Chuck/Sarah thing to become “Angstapalooza.”
oops. I meant NOW that Intersect 2.0 …..
Excellent analysis, very calm. 😉 I hope to read more of your work here on this fine site!
Most kind everyone.
Glad you liked the teaser Aardy! 😉
I like it! A very well put and nicely phrased article, Lou. And you know I’m looking forward to the next one!;)
Nice analysis of “Chuck”s possible future. Now let’s see if the writers tolling in the back room hold your views!
Awesome post, things like that will keep Chuck alive during the hiatus 🙂
Great article Lou. Great idea starting a blog.
I like your take on the new intersect. I think that is exactly what the producers had in mind when they mapped out the season.
As an avid Chuck and Sarah shipper I am anxiously waiting for your installment.
I liked this post. I also felt that season 3 would be about Chuck becomes a spy first and Chuck and Sarah make progress little by little to a more secure relationship. After all this is a television show which means that Chuck and Sarah need to maintain some tension before they just end up old and married. I loved the Office until Jim and Pam became old news and the show lost a lot of its mojo.
I think season three is going to be huge. The comic stuff seems endless with intersect 2.0 and frankly it is better than any other ways to keep chuck and sarah apart for a little longer, even as their relationship strengthens in a ‘really good’ way, to quote Josh.
I am starting to fear that the writers are going to dumb down the Chuck and Sarah relationship too much if we keep complaining about it. I like the tension of them being in the early stages of their relationship, just not the backstories about former lovers or people brought in just to get between them. I don’t mind seeing Chuck and Sarah have to hit on CIA ‘marks’ as long as it is legit spy work, that is half the fun of the show right there. I would hate to see the writers feel boxed into defining Chuck and Sarah in a way just to please fans. I think by now the writers all understand that a fair amount of fans will freak if we go back to the more contrived ways of keeping them apart. Those same fans might also lose interest if the Charah relationship becomes old news however.
I believe that Chuck and Sarah should be loyal to each other regardless of what happens to their relationship from episode to episode but beyond that I don’t want to see them get together any time soon as a full time couple. I would rather see an extended courtship with plenty of spice.
I think they may get married when the series ends hopefully after several more seasons and have a repeat of The Ring episode as a grand finale which will make everybody feel good. But I also think they may quit the CIA by then because Sarah will have learned that killing people is not the answer. She has a whole development process to go through in future seasons IMHO.
I have seen a lot of fans saying Charah has to do this and has to do that. We need to let the writers handle this. Clearly everybody knows about the comic con backlash and it really is getting to be overdone. The only thing I expect out of Charah is loyalty to each other from this point forward. I am not in a big hurry for their relationship to have to arrive somewhere at an exact date however. I believe that would be a mistake for the chemistry of the show.
Chuck and Sarah burn up the screen when they are together, even when they aren’t getting along. That is not chemistry that you just bottle up. Compare them to the Burn Notice couple. Michael barely seems able to pay attention to Fiona in the first couple seasons. I know people like that show but gosh darn you would think that Michael doesn’t care for women at all in several episodes when Fiona throws herself at him. There is just no comparison to Chuck and Sarah. I could name a lot of couples that fizzle compared to Charah, and I cannot think of a hotter couple out there today in tv land.
Nice. Thee whole kyrpto thing is great for Chara. This should be interesting and should make for hilarious results in S3. 🙂 I also look forward to more action. Ye. Comedy and action. The two things that made me fall in love with Chuck.
@ Dave: I agree with you about Chara and all but the triangles are annoying as shit. Other than I’m fine with where their at as their relationship continues to grow. Though we can’t see that if moronic fans stop watching the show just because they thought Chuck is going to change and/or that Chara arn’t “offically” together. Sorry! Those of you who plan on doing this are idiots (there are other words in which I can describe you but that wouldn’t be very lady like of me). So much for more Chuck and Chara. DONT STOP WATCHING! KEEP SPREADING THE WORD AROUND ABOUT CHUCK!!!
Very nice analysis, OD. Lots to ponder as we await season three.
Great article, Lou. I cannot wait for your next article because I love the Chuck and Sarah subplot. I would love to see Chuck and Sarah together, but I leave it in the hands of the talented writers to deliver that all in good time. They have done an awesome job so far with this show and I trust they will continue to do an awesome job. I know they want Chuck and Sarah together as much as the fans do, but the writers also know once they get Chuck and Sarah together, viewership will most likely drop. I’m confident the writers will eventually deliver so I will hang on for the bumpy, but also very thrilling ride.
I agree with dave. One of the things that needs to happen with them between the seasons is they need to decide to be loyal to each other. The one thing the fans don’t want to see and will not accept is Chuck and Sarah getting serious and romantic with every new potential love interest that enters the show. As long as the potential love interests are marks or targets of missions and everything that occurs is legit spywork as being part of the missions, then I can accept that.
Funny how it always comes back to the relationship. 😉
Wonderful article. Are you saying that you think that Chuck has to be physically calm to “activate” his powers (I think that he was calm before he knew kung fu)?
Hey Zim003. Not necessarily physically but definitely mentally calm. The two do go hand in hand though.
Thanks for the kind words.
It seems to me the season two finale ended with a Spinach flash.
love the article lou cant wait for more
Amazing article, I must say! Which again just spirals my curiosity on how season 3 will come about. I agree with you Lou regarding the effect of the new intersect on a person like Chuck. We will definitely see more character struggle as Chuck delves deeper into a persona contradictory of his very own.
I do NOT however agree with you guys regarding the chemistry that the Chuck-Sara or Chara tandem is bringing. It’s actually more of a ‘SUCK’ tandem in my opinion. Forgive my bluntness, but the only attraction i see in Sara’s eyes for Chuck, is pity in its raw form. I’ve never sensed her urge of wanting Chuck so much at any given moment, that she’s always just confused and never really sure of herself or what she feels. And to build chemistry or that so-called sexual tension, shouldn’t there be a strong longing on both party’s end?
And as for the other way around, I don’t think Sara is THE ‘kryptonite’ to Chuck anyway. Chuck well, is Chuck when he begins to have feelings for somebody. He gets all clingy and emotional and not to mention, extremely sweet, ergo sara’s ‘kryptonite-ish’ effect on him. Not to pass judgement on his character, after all Chuck’s weaknesses are his strengths, and what makes Chuck, well, Chuck.
Maybe they can bring back that chick Jordana Brewster at around season 4 or 5, i even think they’d make a greater pair. Well, just my 2 cents folks.
Like I said before Shane. No matter what the topic it always circles back to the relationship.
Old Darth very well written, and very soothing to all of the “Charah” fans as well! I look forward with great anticipation to your next posting.
I think the very success of the show depends on the Sarah and Chuck relationship. Sarah said that she should always assume disappointment and that it was her own fault. She also feels Chuck disappointed her in the Break Up , season 2 episode 3. She needs to find out that Chuck broke up with her to keep her alive—the biggest sacrafice he could make for her. There are several ways it could be handled. Perhaps Corina could stumble on to the surveillance tapes and mention them to Sarah thinking that she already had seen them. The tapes would include Rone Montgomery and Bryce Larkins conversations with Chuck(season 2 , episodes 2 and 3). Perhaps this will release Sarah from her curse of being disappointed and she proceeds with a midnight visit to Chucks bedroom in her purple nightie to seal their relationship. No one will ever come between them again. I want Sarah and Chuck to be deeply committed to each other and then the action and comedy can proceed to a new level. Comedy cannot survive in the face of anquish and heartache. We need some great positive action to expand viewrship. In spite of the enthusiastic response at comedy-con the audience represented only a few thousand solid supporters. We need to make sure that sponsors get their money’s worth—viewers do not want to be depressed about Chuck’s relationship with Sarah being in constant crises. Love wins the day and the dollars.
Larry to my mind Sarah already knows what Chuck did in the Breakup. All her reactions in the courtyard where for herself. Once inside she realized what Chuck had just done. You can see it when she looks back at Chuck over her shoulder.
Just chiming in to compliment Lou on a great first blog. Looking forward to more of your thoughts.
Your Majesty! I am honoured. Most kind.
dave, great comment. my favorite quote: “an extended courtship with plenty of spice.” i’m totally on the same page as you! (as i imagine many other chuck fans are.)
i`m a fan of a CHUCK. is there any next episode
I cannot see any great benefit in introducing a couple of new love interests for Chuck and Sarah—F & S can say now they were teasing but judging from the storm they caused they put both feet in their mouth–they simply just screwed up. They have some extra episodes to do something with–I am already looking forward to Routh’s exit–I hope Casey kills him with a big green rock.
I will not stop watching Chuck unless the angst drives me to another channel. If it gets that bad I am sure I will have lots of company. I hate to say this but I do not like the angst, I hate it. This show may turn into a tragic love story–something like a soap. I want action and comedy not love trapezoids.
Well written blog. Keep us posting.