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WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! If you haven’t watched the Chuck season finale yet, then leave now!
Fans are in a turmoil this morning following the twist at the end of last night’s Chuck season 4 finale, “Chuck vs. the Cliffhanger”. I had the opportunity to talk with Robert Duncan McNeill, one of Chuck‘s executive producers and the director of the finale. We talked about the finale in some detail, looked back at the previous four seasons, and talked about the future of the show. The full interview will be in this week’s episode of Chuck vs. the Podcast, but I wanted to share this quote from Robbie about Morgan, Chuck, and the Intersect:
“I agree with the fans, totally. I think that’s another key to our show, Chuck has to have a unique nature that allows the Intersect to function the way that it has. We’ve established that in the mythology. I don’t think that when we come back in season 5 that we’re going to see Morgan as an Intersect that equals Chuck at all. I think it’ll be a Morgan version of what that does. I think it’s important, like the fans are suggesting, to distinguish that Chuck is special and that he’s the only one that can use the Intersect in the way that we’ve seen it succeed so well in the last four years.”
We talk more about that twist, the wedding, the future, the past, and more in the full interview coming your way later this week.
Morgan downloading the intersect has some wondering why is Chuck so special if anybody can download it but I think that is because the method has improved thanks to Ellie and others who worked on it. It has me wondering if going to rehash the problems Chuck had again with Morgan in control and use
I do think it is important Chuck show he is the type of Hero Sarah know he is without the use of the intersect
I agree with you. Chuck is a hero with the interect but he’s also a hero without it and he’s the we all love (including sarah). The normal guy.
Part of the problem with the show is that the writers don’t seem very keen to abide by the shows mythology. In the pilot episode, the intersect was just a computer. Neither the government nor the scientists that built is knew it could be downloaded into the human mind. After the pilot, the idea of it being downloaded become the purpose of the intersect, but no single person was supposed to see all the intersect images. This is what made Chuck special. His brain ability to retain information. Even through season 2 Chuck was the only person that could handle being uploaded. Everyone else suffered extreme mental trauma or death. We even get to see young Chuck download an early version of the intersect, much to his fathers surprise, Chuck is unharmed by it. Apparently no one had survived it before. Chuck dad dies telling him he’s special. Even Chuck brain begins to break down under the stress put on it be the intersect and as a result need the governor to prevent it from killing him. Then we get to season 4, now everyone is a intersect: Morgan, two Gretas, and Volkoff. They don’t need governors that we know of, Volkoff survived 30 years without one-Chuck couldn’t last 3 years.
This is why the ratings have tanked this season- no regard for the shows history. The writers are making it up as they go along. This is what killed Heroes.
Just one more point. If the Volkoff identity could be removed/suppressed, then why didnt Frost do it to Volkoff when they were in Orions HQ instead of doing it to Chuck. Makes no logical sense why she would endager Chuck by removing it from him and not Volkoff. All she had to do is walk up to Volkoff and say “Hey Alexi, Check this thing out”–End of Volkoff. Why didn’t she do it? Because that twist hadn’t been thougt up yet. The Season would have ended at episode 13 with Volkoff going to Jail and Ellie giving birth. Then they got the back order and it like “Okay, what do we do now?”
If the Morgan storyline extends past the season 5 premier, I might just stop watching!!
So agree. I was talking with one of my friends at school today and that was my concern. Chuck is supposed to be the only one able to handle the intersect but now everyone can. Sure it makes an interesting story but you can’t sacrifice important parts of the history for the sake of interesting episodes.
So far Chuck has been the only one to handle the Intersect without problems.
We won’t know if Morgan can until season 5. The Gretas couldn’t and thus had it removed. Volkoff had his personality changed, but never had the full Intersect. Did he ever flash? Perhaps he only had an early incomplete version of it or maybe something else entirely?
You all make some good points. I will be interesting to how this takes us.
Chuck did have problems which was why Orion made the “govenor” watch for him so Chuck’s brain wouldn’t have a meltdown.
I agree with you 100%. Sadly this sort of lack of character and foundation continuity is being the norm in TV series.
Whoops I meant “becoming” not “being.” I’ll take the opportunity to emphasize Mark’s point – if the Intersect could have been handled by anyone Chuck would never have been a spy. The CIA would have simply erased it from his brain. They went way off the reservation with that new Intersect team. And Morgan? Puh – leeze. A plot in which Ellie became the Intersect would have kept the continuity since she’s a Bartowski.
Good Point, pov. The problem is every network is looking for their golden ticket and if numbers don’t show right away, out comes the axe. It took Chase at least 7 episodes to find itself-too long. Ordinary Family started out good, got dull, started to pick up…axed. So, if we can get 13 episodes, great…if they can carry it all the way to syndication…even better. At least they’re letting the series end on it’s own instead of playing the 1-2 month waiting game.
It’s just easier to assume that the current intersect is much stable than the one Chuck downloaded in season 1 hence allowing it to be downloaded to almost anyone.
QUOTE “Just one more point. If the Volkoff identity could be removed/suppressed, then why didnt Frost do it to Volkoff when they were in Orions HQ instead of doing it to Chuck. Makes no logical sense why she would endager Chuck by removing it from him and not Volkoff. All she had to do is walk up to Volkoff and say “Hey Alexi, Check this thing out”–End of Volkoff. Why didn’t she do it?”
My thoughts: As the last couple of episodes established, the secret of Hartley/Volkoff was a huge coverup that people had been killed over. Frost was smart, knew that she needed to protect the Volkoff power base and at the same time protect the secret or risk being killed herself. Perhaps she was made an offer to keep quiet or else. Using the suppression device on Chuck might have been a way to protect those secrets so he didn’t keep digging like he always does. Mama B knows best.
I completely agree with Mark,
The intersect being unloaded/reloaded passed around to several people is beyond tiresome. I am OK with the concept that the CIA is trying to make the Intersect more user friendly (so to speak) and I wasn’t against the idea of the “Gretas” getting it temporarily.
I don’t believe that Chuck is the only person to be able to absorb an intersect, however I do believe people with his mental aptitude are exceedingly rare. What distinguishes Chuck from others is who he is.
The Agent X angle, I had ZERO issue with. It’s easily reconciled by being the first prototype.
One last thing, you/we have to remember that, until last week, this episode was designed to end the series, for the most part. If this had ended up being the SERIES finale, I suspect most of you would be laughing it up at the idea of Morgan getting an intersect at the end.
However, since the Chuck writers had no idea (and probably expected cancellation) that they’d be back for one more season, of course NOW it looks bad.
I would suspect that, although Morgan downloaded the intersect, it won’t last long. The writers have lots of ways to ‘back out of this’ – even in keeping with the mythology. Example: Morgan days later starts experienceing excruciating migranes – the intersect is consuming/killing him. So of course, it’s got to be removed. I would bet Ellie figures out both how to do it, and get it into Chuck once more.
Just my thoughts on things. I think if you look at the episode from the sense of ‘series finale’, I think you’ll feel differently then you might now.
Give these guys an episode for lolMorgan and the intersect, and I suspect he’ll be intersect free by the end of episode 2.
Looking forward to hearing more…
Giving Morgan an Intersect of any type, should not have been done at all. In my opinion.
The show is called Chuck & the Intersect is a tool for Chuck.
BMB.
Completely agree. If they feel they told all of Chuck’s stories, I would’ve been happier letting the show end at season four, because the show is called CHUCK. Not Morgan.
I think this should be fixed in episode 1 of season 5. The show is not called Morgan, it is called Chuck. We have gone through this before where Chuck loses the intersect. The character of Chuck should be action packed and not without the intersect. If Chuck does not get back the intesect from the start, it is going to reduce the show to a very low rated one altogether.
Agreed. A Morgan intersect might be fun for one or two episode; more than than and you ask for trouble. But we need Chuck back with a computer in his head.
Here’s what I think:
Decker used a suppression device, the Intersect is still there. About Morgan, I think he has some kind of “software” that is used to do the opposite.
So, when Morgan said “I know kung fu”, it should have been “I think I know kung fu but when I flash there is no data”.
Oops that post is not clear.
What I mean is that Morgan thinks he has the Intersect but I think he only has the software to “release it”. He might flash but it will be an “empty flash”.
posted a similar view below before i read your comment i agree with you intierly. you dont instal a program again if it stops working, you either uninstall it and then reinmstall it or you install a program to fix that program. it wouldnt make sence for beckman to put a whole new intersect in when it just needs to be unrepresed. as for the empty flash i dont think that he will even flash. he just thought he would because he thought he downloaded the intersect. when roarik in season 2 saw the intersect that stephen made to take chucks out he said he felt a rush but never actually downloaded the intersect. but a counterpoint to all this is that morgan fainted like chuck always did. mabye it wont work properly like it didnt work in chuck vs the A-team. i dont know if repeating season 1 with morgan is a good idea for the final season. i think that they should work to tie everything together and come full circle with the series. it sounds like is what will happen because of what the eraser said. i liked the episode but instead of morgan getting the intersect it should have ended with you seeing the glasses and have a note from beckman that said “use this well” or “may the intersect be with you”. not have chuck notice them but have us see them and use this a a cliffhanger.
technically, morgan shouldn’t know kung fu because those were the glasses that bryce gave to chuck in break-up. there was no intersect 2.0 then.
Anna, the glasses that Chucked used in Chuck vs. The Break-Up were destroyed. Right before Chuck hits the ground, you see smoke coming out of the glasses, therefore the glasses used in this past weeks episode were new, and these were given to him by General Beckman.
Thanks for that. I’ll keep an open mind about it but still I’m not a real big fan of more Morgan Grimes.
My only other concern about the finale is not enough Sarah Walker. Can you please ask them why she had such a small role in this episode?
I just hope they realize that many fans like me are a million more times interested in the Sarah Chuck relationship than the Morgan Chuck relationship.
One more addendum. I have absolutely no interest in any story that has Morgan Grimes take screen time away from Sarah Walker. None whatsoever.
She had such a small role because she was in the hospital for 95% of the episode. Did you even watch it?
I understand that of course though I’m not in favor of it especially for a finale.
I was talking going forward in particular. An expanded role for Morgan has to come out of others screen time and I have no interest in seeing it come out of the 4 other characters I mentioned but especially Sarah. She doesn’t get enough screen time IMO. She is the reason I watch this show, not Morgan.
But Uplink, the show is called CHUCK, not SARAH. 😉
True but if it was me that would change! 😉 She would be in all 43 minutes! But seriously it is called Chuck and not Morgan either! I just don’t get why they put such an important game changer through the fifth most important character to me. Sarah, Chuck, Casey, Ellie and THEN Morgan.
Because you’re not writing it? He may be the “fifth most important person” to you, but that doesn’t mean he is to everyone else nor do we know how that story will develop. People were freaking out when they heard Morgan would discover Chuck’s secret in the middle of season 3, but that worked out well. I’m sorry you’re upset that the show isn’t all about Sarah, but it never pretended to be, so I don’t see why you’re complaining.
Oh I’m willing to give it a shot and I have come to accept that Fedak sees the show differently than I do. But I just have no interest in seeing a peripheral character taking screen and story time away from the one I think is most important or the other 2 of the big 3. I watch the show for Sarah, Chuck and Sarah, Chuck Sarah and Casey. I don’t watch it for Morgan in the least.
Never have liked the Morgan character. They could have dumped him after season 1 and it would have been ok with me. They did better with him in the season that shall not be named and season 4. However, I still feel you could send him to the cutting room floor and use Chuck, Sarah, and Casey to end up with a better product. If anyone thinks increasing Morgan’s face time at the expense of Sarah’s will help, you need to conduct some poles of your readers/listeners.
I’m not saying that Morgan’s face time will increase, that if it does it will be at Sarah’s expense, or that it “will help”. (“Help” what?) I’m saying calm down. Wait and see what they decide to do with season 5. They opened up a lot of options with the season finale, we don’t know which options they’ll choose to follow through.
Yes please urge them not to turn this into the Chuck and Morgan Show. As was said the relationshipthat truly drives this is Chuck and Sarah. Frankly there’s been too much Morgan this season.
I don’t want to sound like I am bashing Morgan to much, because I actually like him.
I like Morgan & Alex together very much. I think the Casey & Morgan developing friendship & working relationship is great.
But, the absolute HEART of this show is & always will be Chuck & Sarah & Chuck, Sarah & Casey working as a spy team together.
Giving Morgan an Intersect, makes Chuck now seem a little ordinary to me & I don’t like that. I think giving Morgan an Intersect was just done for comedic reasons, which I think was stupid & it takes away from the special aspects that make Chuck, Chuck.
Like Chuck said, the reason the Intersect works so well for him, is not just him but the fact that Chuck, Sarah & Casey are a team.
What the writers did last night takes away from the main dynamic of that team & now makes Chuck seem ordinary.
That is the part of this, that I don’t happen to like.
PS Also, I got short changed on the Wedding that I have been waiting 4 yrs for, with Morgan officiating & making a joke of the Damn ceremony.
A little upset with last night.
Am I alone in this?
BMB.
no i felt more wedding would have been nice after 4 years of waiting, and all the bubble talk of maybe not another season of chuck! i agree with the casey and morgan roomies and add in there casey’s daughter and possiably the intersect with that, wow. play it right and i’m hoping we have way more then 13 episodes of chuck on fridays 2011-2012. this tv show was the first after my mom passed away that made me forget for a little bit everything i was going through and to have it end was unthinkable to me): more chuck fridays!!!
Agreed re wedding. Morgan officiating and making it by the powers invested in him through some galactic nonsense was wrong.
The “Galactic nonsense” proves they are true nerds & it feeds the mythology of the show.
Perhaps in the sense of it being the Chuck/Morgan Bromance. But this wasn’t Chuck and Morgan’s wedding. it was the marriage of a spy who became a woman because Chuck, and a boy who became a man because of Sarah. And that, my friends, is the kind of romance that warranted a wedding that treated it as a solemn, but joyous occassion. Not with a friggin’ Ewok officiating.
I think people were disappointed in this wedding because of all the build up that happened in the Awesome/Ellie wedding that had knives, a gunfight, Jeffster singing, Casey dropping in through a glass ceiling with commandos. How the hell do you top THAT wedding? 😉
Kind of poetic that the Chuck/Sarah wedding goes off without a hitch especially since Chuck’s spy life always seemed to get in the way of his and his family’s personal life. He is a spy now with or without the intersect as Casey’s line in Castle confirmed.
Morgan with an intersect takes us back to the beginning of the show when Chuck stumbles across an email that changed his life forever. I think it’s a nice touch to bring the series full circle for season 5. Like many though I’m not a big fan of a Morgan Intersect. I hope Ellie uses her knowledge of the Intersect to A.) Scan Morgan, a working intersect and then apply that to B.) Chuck a non-working Intersect.
Ellie is going to be important for Season 5 in getting Team Bartowski back together and getting Chuck working again with the Intersect. I think they can use her as an important scientist/doctor who can manage the Intersect side of things and Chuck needs to develop something of his own by the end of the season to carry on the legacy of his father.
My 2 cents…
You are not alone in this. I am thinking that last night’s episode will be the last one I watch. Morgan has ruined the series for me and he made the wedding and all the planning out to be a joke. I am very close to saying ‘Hasta la vista Chuck.’ Since we are only being given 13 episodes, what does it matter to NBC, no wonder they are in last place.
mabye it was only the thing that would unsurpress the intersect so margan didn’t get and intersect after all. i woke up and though about that this morning. i doubt that morgan will retain the intersect the whole season.
Well i disagree with all the above comments and feel that Chuck doesn’t need the intersect and i like Morgan and think there are others who do to. I mean yeah Chuck and Sarah come first but i don’t feel it’s fair on the people who may like Morgan for people to have a hissy fit over all this.
That’s my Opinion
sorry to say this Mel but WTF was that
And Uplink ur soooooooo right
I really thought we would see Sarah waking up and chuck being all happy and teary and there would only be the two of them there why this is happening
YOU KNOW A REAL C/S MOMENT I really miss these little things but apart from this not happening a great episode
Wow damage control already and pointless damage control at that. Unless they plan to give Chuck the intersect back early in S5, it doesn’t matter what they are trying to show by this scenario.
I don’t want to watch a show called Morgan, I want to watch a show called Chuck.
I’m going to give the new season a shot and watch the first 3 or 4 episodes before casting final judgement, but none of what the show runners has been saying is very encouraging to me.
It’s not “damage control”, it’s him answering a question I asked during the course of a 40-minute conversation.
One more point, this reminds me of Ali Adler making a video clip during the S3 fiasco pleading with viewers to stick with it. Yes there was a great payoff, but it took 13 episodes to get there. With only up to 13 episodes left, I don’t think the fans will want to watch even half of the season of Morgan being the intersect.
I hope, I’m wrong, and I hope the writers are able to make this work, but I fear they wont get the chance, because if this show bleeds the few viewers they have left, it will be pulled from the schedule well before we get to episode 13.
Your last paragraph I agree with. I really don’t want the last 13 episodes of the series taking any time away from Chuck and Sarah along with Casey taking on the world. Team B to me is Chuck Sarah and Casey. Morgan Ellie and Devon are support players and support players only. Quoting someone I respect, “That is the show I fell in love with” I just hope they don’t increase the role of the support players at the expense of the big 3 especially Sarah.
Personally I find the intersect in Morgan twist very funny and interesting. I’m not worried about Chuck. He’s a big boy now and very much the strong leader. I don’t remember the exact quote, but at the end of season 3, in the finale on their way to Paris, Casey said something like “before you were the intersect you were smart”. The quote as I recall was in response to Chuck’s frustration that the intersect was not helping him determine where to find Sara. As far as the intersect requiring somebody special, let’s not forget that the intersect in the Gretas was a disaster. It seems pretty clear to me that Morgan and the intersect are not necessarily made for each other! Conclusion, I’m not worried and I think it’s pretty funny.
Would everybody simply relax and settle down. When Chuck got the 2.0, people freaked out saying “he’s a normal guy, not a spy; the show’s ruined.” When Mom suppressed his intersect, people freaked out saying “he needs the intersect. He can’t be a spy without it.” When the Gretas got intersected, again, negative reactions. When do you stop questioning every story twist and just have fun with this show? Let things develop as planned. It’s all good.
Exactly! Just enjoy the show you guys and have fun with it.
WORD!!!!
Like Sarah said to Chuck last night; “Don’t freak out!” Stop freaking out over such a little thing, people, especially since nobody has seen how this will be developped during Season 5!
Let’s focus on the positive, here; like Chuck and Sarah, now a married couple, starting their own freelance operative agency, and having to deal with the CIA and the people who manipulated them! I can’t wait to see that!
Oh, man, is that true. I knew friends who said the show wasn’t as good after Chuck got the 2.0 because now he wasn’t a “normal” guy anymore and there was too much “spy stuff”. I’m kind of sad that everyone who begged and pleaded for a renewal are now so unwilling to give this a chance and let it play out.
They’ve made it clear this season that it isn’t Chuck’s “special brain” alone that makes him special. Who he is as a PERSON truly made him a special Intersect. The Gretas had the brains, and they didn’t work out. It is entirely possible that Morgan’s brain can accept it (low odds, but still) and he won’t be able to use it the way Chuck could. That’s why I’m ok with Chuck being able to be a spy without the Intersect. Chuck is special, all on his own, and the computer made him able to skip years of training.
I’ll admit, the Morgan thing sat wrong with me when it happened, but I’m willing to let them give it a try, because they’ve surprised us before.
I’m perfectly fine with a 2 or 3 episode arc about Intersect Morgan. I’d imagine it would go something like:
– At first Morgan appears to be a fully functioning Intersect.
– But quickly it becomes apparent his brain isn’t special like Chuck’s and he starts deteriorating.
– So Team B has to figure out a way to extract the Intersect from Morgan and put it back in Chuck.
Makes sense. Fits with everything we’ve seen before. And quickly gets us back to the show we love.
But “Oh no Chuck can’t flash” has already been done to death, so I hope the people who run and write the show won’t belabor the point one more time.
I agree with you a short arc would be fine, but if they stretch it out like they did with S3 it will get old really fast. For me, what bugged me most about early s3 wasn’t that Chuck and Sarah weren’t together personally, but the fact that they weren’t together much professionally.
There is such great chemistry between Chuck and Sarah by minimizing their screen time togehter they really made that first part of S3 hard to watch. One of my big fears with Morgan being the intersect is that we will lose Chuck/Sarah screen time in favour of more Chuck/Morgan screen time. Also I find that the Morgan/Casey dynamic has also been spectacular and this will also likely be reduced by the new direction.
I’m with the “short arc,” too. See how the Intersect DOESN’T function well in Morgan. Find a way to get it out – and Chuck then gets it back.
BUT….. I’ll watch (haven’t stopped yet) and see what they decide to do. This R.D.M. answer to the question/concern regarding Morgan and the Intersect taking away from Chuck’s unique capability to be the “downloadee” (although, again, Shaw downloaded it, too) did help alleviate some of my “fears” of diminishing Chuck as being “special” (re: Stephen J. Bartowski).
1) Intersect is tailored to fit individuals. When Chuck took on 2.0, intended for cool-calm-collected Bryce Larkin, he really had to work at keeping his emotions at a point where flashes could be effective. So Morgan with what was intended for Chuck should be hilarious.
2) Intersect is suppressed, not removed. Chuck overcame the PSP suppression and now will have a challenge to overcome the Eraser suppression.
3) In all things, Intersect is vastly superior now to other hack attempts, possibly due to Ellie’s understandings of neuroscience. Remember what happened when Andy Richter was installing Intersect in Fulcrum people (Chuck vs the Suburbs)? They all died!
Trust the writers, the directors, and most of all, the actors.
I just wish S5 was sooner!
One thing I have learned from watching this show for the last 4 yrs…
Let me preface this by saying I still watch Chuck (Obviously) & still Love it.
However, Schwartz & Fedak’s definition of “Epic” episodes does not match up with mine.
I also think they should stop using the word “Epic” to describe episodes, because I sometimes wonder if a word like that can really be lived up to in a lot of fans eyes for this show.
It raises ones Hopes & Expectations for an episode, too High.
BMB
Hi all,
I just finished watching vs the Cliffhanger. Morgan getting the intersect obvliously wasn’t suppose to happen! Gen. Beckman gave Chuck because she has dicovered something so big she needs Chuck and Comapanys help! Deckker hinted at it @ the end. I can see Ellie repairing Chuck’s intersect – Because she will discover that Chucks intersect has been locked into Chuck’s subconcous. The main reason for this was the fact that Chuck has downloaded three intersects. Chuck and Morgan will be the new team like in vs the Anniversary. Chuck will have to teach Morgan how to handle it. I think Morgan will prove himself as a good spy. By the look of things Gen. Beckman will need all the help she can get (even Morgans) to prove the “Conspiricy” within the CIA!!!!!
Heres to Season 5!!!!!!!!!
I might be wrong, but I think the tally of intersects in Chuck’s brain is now 5
1 – when childe
2 – Bryce’s email
3 – Fucrum intersect
4 – Intersect 2.0
5 – Intersect 2.5 (after improvements from Ellie) from Orion’s laptop
In Season 2 Papa B “wiped” the intersect from Chuck’s mind. Would downloading other intersects simply not “overwrite” the information similar to how upgrades to computers IRL do?
He has none now lol 😛
Although it went:
Prototype intersect as a child
Bryce’s Email
-Update via glasses
Fulcrum intersect
Then it was removed
Intersect 2.0
(Which got suppressed)
Laptop Intersect (Ellie’s improvements)
And now its either suppressed again or removed.
So in total 5 Intersects have gone into his head, with one update.
This interview will be interesting and I can’t wait for the 3 hrs podcast (i’m just kidding! Any kind of podcast no matter how long would be great.
We probably could get 3 hours of material out of this one, but I think Gray would have a stroke! LOL
We wouldn’t want that – maybe make it 2 hours and hope he has nothing more than a minor seizure. lol
Then split the podcast up. We after all won’t be getting anymore until after Comic Con anyway. We might go through withdrawal if we don’t hear from you three. 😉
I think it could be an interesting and entertaining new angle for the show to explore! I’m just glad that they didn’t go down the same path that every other show seems to have done this year and killed off any of the popular characters!
As long as they don’t start doing that this year or end the series with the revelation that season 5 was a dream/coma and the wedding etc didn’t really happen, I think I’ll be happy. (That would seem like a very lazy way to end a great show!!)
Here’s hoping for a happy (and awesome) conclusion for Chuck’s story!!
I wonder what would have happened if Casey had put on the Intersect glasses? He already kicks butt as it is
I think everyone’s flipping out for no really good reason. Season 5 hasn’t started yet, how do you know Morgan is going to be the center of the show? Chuck didn’t have the Intersect for most of the latter half of this episode, and I still feel like he was the center of the show. The Intersect doesn’t define who’s most important on the team, just who has some kind of special ability. Casey’s the best sharpshooter of everyone, is the show called Casey? Jeffster’s the creepiest duo of all, is the show called Jeffster? It’s called Chuck because it focuses on Chuck, Intersect or not. Plus, if the Intersect did define who the show was about, the last episode of S3 should have been called Chuck & Shaw, or the last of S2 Chuck & Stephen.
I’m trusting that the writers will find a way to balance Morgan as the Intersect with the rest of the team. Maybe you guys should trust them more too.
(now I’m going for the theory that since the show’s title is technically all caps “CHUCK”, this whole conspiracy thing is some kind of CIA operation. “Operation C.H.U.C.K.”)
Any Morgan is to much Morgan. The whole idea of bringing him to the center of anything over Casey and Sarah just drives me insane. His best scenes are as a comedic foil to Chuck or Casey. Otherwise he just sucks.
I disagree, I don’t think Morgan sucks. I have really enjoyed the character development this season. Especially enjoying the whole Casey/Morgan/Alex dynamic.
I just don’t think that him being the intersect is a good idea, at least not for the whole season. The way CF has been talking in the post S4 interviews it sounds like that is the direction they are going.
For a few episodes it might be funny, but any longer than that and I’m not so sure.
Agreed. I like Morgan as a character and I appreciate who he is to Chuck and his purpose on the show. The fact that he got the Intersect made me uneasy as a plot point, not because of who got it. I think any other character getting it would have bothered me from a “been there, done that” kind of feeling.
There’s an awful lot of negativity today. Yikes! I cracked up when Morgan put on the glasses. Seriously, raise your virtual hands if you saw that one coming.
I assume they’ll play Morgan-as-Intersect for comedic affect and not attempt to turn a silly, comical character into a serious one. I doubt the producers really know where they’re going with this. They probably haven’t started writing Season 5 yet. Give them time to figure it out! Who knows? Maybe they’ll decide it doesn’t work and de-Intersect Morgan after an episode or two. Remember the CIA owned and operated Buy More they made such a big deal about before Season 4? After a couple episodes, they largely abandoned that concept and the Buy More was back to “normal.”
Relax, enjoy the Summer, watch your Chuck DVDs and see what they do in September.
I just hope they haven’t jumped the shark
They have! What we have to look forward to is a nerdy Hart to Hart (which was a stupid show to begin with) with Max as the hero. Yeah, that’s going to be great! The shows DOA going into Season 5.
They’re DOA one way or another, since this is already confirmed as the last season!
I just hope they pull the pin and throw eveything they’ve got at it. It sounds as if writers Adler and Miller might be back in the fold so my hopes have gone back up a bit.
I liked the ending…I think Morgan will keep the Intersect 3.0 but because he’s Morgan, I think the intersect wont work as good or be as effective….Plus this makes a good point/plot for Chuck to upload a 4.0 into his brain.
Well the last episode of Season 4 had Chuck lose the intersect, but we, the Chuckers will have to watch if he gets it back. The writers are exploring new ways and evolving characters. My opinion is that the show is renewed for a season 5 for just 13 episodes. The writers are going to probably “sink the ship”, or are intending to end it. The show may go up in ratings or most likely down. If the ratings were doing steady 5s for season 4 then we would not see other characters get the intersect. It was like the writers were like “hey lets try this and lets try that”. The intersect or a certain version of the intersect was only designed and programmed for Chuck by his father Stephen Bartowski, in the original plot. That was made Chuck special. If there is someone to blame, well it is the writers. The show is now moved to Fridays and NBC want to end it. I’m in Australia and I have to download each episode. My friend watches it with me every Tuesday. We talk about it. We have watched it from the start and we like it. We have gone through the “is it getting renewed” bit. I’m sick of watching “reality TV” I have enough reality living everyday of my life.
well all i can say is that people find robin in batman cute but we watch shows coz of the main char not the side kick!as for what the chuck ep said that morgan will have an intersect not equal to chuck having an intersect that’s not solely chuck doesn’t go down well w/ a lot of fans.as most of the fans say the show’s called chuck not morgan.
i agree with the majority of what people have commented on. i personally think that it would be good to see where where morgans character will go with this, but chuck is the original and only true intersect, its an intergral part of the entire show and i think not only does he need it back, but also to be descirbed what makes him so special as we all know
May chuck live long and prosper
Morgan having the intersect wasn’t really the issue that upset me with last night’s episode. I started watching Chuck to see Chuck turn into a spy. I’m shallow enough to admit that one of the main reason I watch the show is to see Chuck take on the physical element of the spy world. I know a lot of people want to see Chuck without the intersect, just using his own smarts, but I don’t particularly want to see Chuck only as analyst or as someone like Charlie or Oracle, sitting in the base directing people. And I definitely don’t want Chuck to go back to being a dude in distress. At least not for more than episode or so. As one of the few people in the fandom to have liked season 3 and 4, I can’t help but think this is a step back, regardless of whether Chuck’s “in charge” or not. The show seems to suggest that Chuck only has his intelligence without the intersect — despite working with the CIA for two years as an asset he was never trained to defend himself, and even though he had been shown as being able to tranq opponents, or even punch out trained agents without flashing while he had the intersect, once the intersect was taken out, he acted as if he was once again helpless. That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t like Phase Three — it cemented Chuck as being physically helpless without the intersect. I do, however, know that a lot of people loved that episode and that there have been more than a few that wish to see Chuck go back to his nerdy roots. If that’s what happens, I’m happy for them, and that they got what they wanted but I don’t know if I’ll be able to really enjoy the show anymore. It doesn’t help that I’ve never been too fond of “private espionage”.
In the end, I’m going to watch Chuck when it comes back in fall, but how long I watch and how much I enjoy it will depend on what they do with Chuck’s story arc, and despite how much I love the show, given what little I’ve heard so far, I can’t help but be nervous about that.
I think the moment Sarah was dying was the moment Chuck left the helplessness behind. They captured him, supressed the Intersect, and he didn’t stop, even when that meant walking into the office of someone who wanted him dead without backup. He showed that he could call the shots with Casey, and Casey would respect him. I think he’s had that capability in him all along and this was his wake-up call. During the ending, he didn’t lament that they couldn’t do this without the Intersect or the CIA like he would have in the past. I’m sure he’ll have some moments of uncertainty when he realizes the enormity of what they’re taking on, but I think that’s ok.
Maybe, but what I’m worried about is that he’ll still be physically helpless.
Maybe, and at this point, that ship has sailed. They had their chance to train him, and they didn’t, because he had the Intersect. I don’t think Chuck has to be the “textbook” hero in that he can physically beat people for him to be a hero.
You’re right, Chuck doesn’t have to be out there hitting people to be a hero. To use my previous example, Oracles a hero. She plots, organizes and directs other heroes. But, as I said, I’m shallow. I like Chuck as a spy, not a strategist. I want to see Chuck out in the field, not sitting behind a computer plotting everything out. Which is why I was disappointed by the finale. Making him essentially into the guy he was at Stanford (or who he thought he’d be) but creating spy plans instead of video games isn’t interesting to me. I like characters that go through arcs that take them in completely different directions or larger journeys than they or we would have thought at the beginning of their story. Where they don’t just grow up but evolve into someone more. And you’re also right that neither Chuck nor anyone else has shown the initiative to train Chuck to fight without The Intersect. Which is why I’m worried about whether or not I will enjoy next season. Because even if he’s calling the shots, having Chuck hiding behind his friends and ordering them to protect him instead of fighting with them not only seems less fun, but also feels like a step-back to me, even if it doesn’t to anyone else.
The “conspiricy” Dekker mentioned & the fact that Dekker laughed @ the fact that Papa B was dead is interesting. Don’t 4get Gen. Beckman gave Chuck the Intersect shades. Dekker & his ilke will want them back. He will automatically assume that Chuck has reintersected himself. So in a weird way Morgan is keeping the Intersect “safe” 4 Chuck. What I can see happening over the 1st 3 episode is Team Orion will: 1) Give themselves breathing room from Dekker & Co. 2) Establish a relationship with the CIA/NSA through Gen. Beckman. And Finally 3) De – Intersect Morgan & Re – Intersect Chuck! What ye think?
I’m liking th at idea.
Ditto. And I’m glad I’m not the only one who sat up a little when Dekker laughed at the mention of Papa B’s death. If you think about it, the heart of Chuck’s journey has always been family. He has is sister, his mother, his new wife, his best friend . . . what piece is missing?
I think thats why Papa B left the CIA. I can imagine that Papa B has been kept alive by the “Bady” organisation like the Ring kept Shaw alive.
Exactly. And they made a point this season to show us the CIA was still VERY interested in the Intersect project. I can picture them forcing his cooperation with the threat of how quickly they could eliminate his family should he be a problem.
Hi all, The conspiricy Dekker metioned & the fact he laughed @ Papa B being Dead is interesting. Don’t 4get Gen. Beckman gave Chuck the Intersect shades. Dekker & Ilke will be looking for them. When he finds out Chuck has em he will think Chuck re intersected himself. So in a weird way Morgan will be keeping the Intersect “safe” for Chuck! This how I see the 1st 3 episodes panning out 1) Chuck & co make some room for themselves. 2) Team Orion develop a relationship with the CIA through Beckman. 3) Morgan De intersected & Chuck Re intersected with Ellie & Hartley’s help. What do ye think?
Sorry for the Re Post!!
Holy cow! I’ve got to wonder if some of you have actually watched the last 4 seasons of Chuck. Do you seriously think the creators of the show don’t know it’s called Chuck!? The ending was a JOKE! Come on……….!! That was hilarious!!
Morgan in the wedding truly offended me. The romance in this show has been the story of a spy who became a woman because of Chuck, and the boy who became a man because of Sarah. It is one of the more fulfilling romances I’ve seen in this kind of media in some time. To trivialize, then, the wedding ceremony with having Morgan preside, and to even further trivialize it with the “powers vested in me by the galactic thingamabob” shatters what should have been a solemn, yet joyous ceremony.
(sorry of this is repeat of above)
Right arm! I couldn’t tell if it was the real thing or a dream. Stupid scene and shows a lack of respect for the fans of this show. We are the reason, they made it to season 2 and so on. And this is how they re-pay. Bull spit move!
I don’t know, it just made me think of Marshall’s wedding on Alias. Or Joey when he officiated the Monica Chandler wedding on friends. Or Mary Jane and Peter Parker being married by her Uncle. Its not unusual for TV shows (or other media) to have a friend of the couple officiate a wedding. I can’t help but think it’s done so that they don’t have to give the characters a specific denomination. While it was somewhat sudden (I think it would have been better if they showed or talked about Morgan doing the whatever it is you need to do to officiate a ceremony before hand for his buddy) I didn’t think it was offensive. After all, Chuck is a nerd whose Christmas celebration is based around a twilight zone marathon and Sarah’s never shown to have any specific religion, it would have seemed odder to me if they had a religious ceremony.
Perhaps. But, if they were worried about that, they shouldn’t have been in a church.
Well, since my replies aren’t getting through, I will just have to write my own comment. This episode was the worst pay-off episode, I have ever seen. Even worse than the Friends fiasco. It was rushed and the pacing was off. Morgan officiating at the wedding made it a joke. And now that he is the intersect, this show is done for me. I loved this show and it is the fans who kept it on for 4 seasons after NBC abandoned it. And this is how they repay us. They have lost a fan. Don’t look below you, Chuck, there’s a great white shark circling.
They’re going through; you need to clear your browser’s cache (CTRL+refresh) to see them.
Thought the episode was great! dreading next year being the last.
It does appear that papa B is alive. Beckman will probably be part of the team unofficially.
Morgan as priest did throw me and made it look like the wedding wasn’t real, unless I missed something.
Going to have to watch S4 over again,again, again to get the fix till next year now 🙂
I hope that the interview with Robert Duncan McNeill, can give us a little more detail about how long we have to put up with Morgan having the Intersect and CHUCK not. I love the storyline they are developing of being spies outside of the C.I.A. I think it has a lot of promise. I think if CHUCK doesn’t have the Intersect no one should. He has used the Intersect less this season which has been fine. We have been able to see that he is not always counting on the Intersect to solve every problem. Something was missing from the show when he didn’t have it when Mary suppressed it. I was so happy when he was able to download it again from his dads computer. The story line of people taking the Intersect from him is getting old, and was so wrong that Morgan got the download instead of CHUCK.
I too agree with the people who thought after we had waited four years for a wedding that there should have been more time spent on the wedding. I would have loved it if Casey had walked her down the isle.
I loved the season 4 finale!
Very happy Chuck could save Sarah and that they got married for real.
Great how the normal Chuck (not Intersect) and Hartley Winterbottom (not Volkoff) rescued Sarah, gave a goo closure to the Volkoff story arc and set up to Season 5 with Team CHUCK vs CIA ?
I hope the Morgan/Intersect part is not for too long. I’d be fine with it for a couple of episodes if it is used for comic relief.
the Casey “Russians, so many Russians” line made me laugh so hard, dito the Morgans “hereby with the Intergalatic Alliance” (or something like that) for the wedding.
Loved the Street Hawk nod 🙂
I hope Season 5 delivers:
1A: Team CHUCK vs CIA with Papa Bartowski aka Orion (Scott Bakula) somehow returning (on screen) to help team CHUCK win.
1B: Chuck & Sarah “Kids” with a flash forward or just the “good news” and happily ever after scene.
2: closure and nice sendoffs (but preferably no proposals, marriages/kids/weddings) for Casey/Wife, Morgan/Alex, Ellie/Awesome and Mama and Papa Bartowski.
3: less Jeffster/BuyMore stuff
Did anyone else relies when Morgan was flashing that the rest of them put the glasses on during the flash?
In the last minutes of the episode, Dekker told Chuck that the stuff in the box was from Gen.Beckman.
He was probably lying. Maybe Dekker left it there for Chuck in order to imput a new identity to him (perhaps create a new Volkoff?)
I think that Morgan will not be in a happy place with the Intersect at all!
Interesting Idea! But that arc been played out with Papa B &Volkoff/Agent X!
A positive note: all issues with the Finale aside, I am very very glad that they let Chuck and Sarah get married.
I have to be honest and say that I reall loved the episode but that last twist did have me thinking of ‘Shark’ and ‘Jump’ but now having watched it a couple more times and thought about it I dont think it will be a bad thing. I had a very similar fear at the end of S2 when Chuck got kung fu as i feared that they would make him change as a person and that he would not need Sarah anymore. Obviosuly that was a focus for early S3 but for a alot of the Fans the drama that happened in S3 made it the best season so far ceratinly when Chuck and Sarah finally got together it was amazing.
I can see that Morgan getting the intersect harms the fact that Chuck is so special to use it and would have preferred if the fact that it was Ellies changes that makles it possible for him to even upload it to have been made clearer. I dont however see that either it changes the focus of the show to Chuck or that it will change the amount of screen times shown to Chuck and Sarah to me It would make more sense to continue the idea of Chuck being with Sarah and Casey being with Morgan on missions
In my opinion unlike some of your other posters this is another reason to have more episodes as 13 is not going to be enough. I am not giving up on more episodes as if the ratings stayed at this weeks 1.5 it would be equal top show at 8.00 and even if it stayed at 1.3 it would be equal second and we know ratings are usually better in the fall than they are now. NBCs current show got a 0.7 in that time slot this week.
Lastly the wedding it is true to say that this was never going to be good enough for some of the fans, why the hatred for Morgan doing it The US is the country where thousands of people get married in Las Vegas by an Elvis lookalike every year. Thousands more in Disneyworld and even on a beach the fact is that they exchanged vows, rings and kissed so why does it matter that they were married by somone they both think of as a friend instead of somone else who they have never met and they have no connection with.
The only problem I saw with this was that Beckamn was stil not invited even after she helped Chuck save Sarah and ignored everything when Sarah rescued Chuck in Phase 3.
So to all those panicing I say give the writers a chance you dont know what they have planned. I hope that most of the fans will keep the faith and continue watching as I am intrigued with the other twists of them working for themselves now hopefully with the knowledge/support of Ellie and Devon and hopefully Beckman aswell, and this whole conspiracy idea.
The good thing is that the device has not removed the intersect from Chuck, but suppressed it. His father took it out, but both times, (when his mother used the device on Chuck) and now his intersect is only suppressed. For all we know Chuck could hit his head, or get too close to an electronic device and have his suppression taken away. As far as Morgan being the intersect….sounds like Chuck Season 1. I’m not worried Chuck is Special.
A lot of people are vocal in their dislike for Morgan as the intersect. I, for one, think that it is a brilliant idea! I thought that giving Morgan an intersect was a natural step in his desire to be a part of Team Bartowski. Like it or not, this entire season had been preparing Morgan to take a more active role in the Team B, and without an intersect, he would have been limited to the technical whiz kid in the van or in castle.
As for those that think the entire show is about Charah or Charah/Casey, they have not been watching the same show that I have for the past 4 years. Before the spy world, Chuck was a part of the geek world. His geek credentials are a major part of him and his friendship with Morgan reflects that. Without the geek/Buy More world, this show would just be Alias or some other spy show. The geek aspect of the show is what makes Chuck unique and interesting.
As for Chuck’s journey, he has come full circle as the “everyman” who is thrown into extraordinary circumstances and becomes a hero. Alex and Morgan are Chuck and Sarah lite. Chuck now has a great opportunity to be Morgan’s handler to complete his growth as a spy. It is ripe for interesting storylines and will have a great Season 1 feeling to it. Granted, Chuck should probably get his intersect working again, but the Chuck/Morgan friendship is the reason that I watch the show… in addition to the Chuck/Sarah/Casey story AND the Chuck/Awesome/Ellie story AND the Chuck/Buy Morons story.
As for Morgan not being able to handle the intersect, in Muuurder, the CIA was trying to find someone that was LIKE CHUCK, so that they would be able to handle the intersect. Who is more like Chuck than Morgan?
As casey would say ‘ you whining pinko’s need to man up and get on with it!’ It’s an ensemble cast ladies and gents, no-one is bigger than the show and the leads all seem quite comfortable sharing the face time and bestlines.
Jeffster – classic lines.
Alex developing as a character nicely.
Morgan Chuck’s relationship is one of the key things here.
Season 2 – Chinese episode Chuck turns on Sarah for compromising his friendship with Morgan. Morgan has been there for Chuck throughout all the seminal moments in Chucks life, now it’s chucks turn to help Morgan.
This is not the Chuck and Sarah show, if you want 43 minutes of Yvonne go and rent one of her movies.
My son and I watch this show because the stories are fun, the in-movie gags are brilliant, the cast is a delight (I love ‘Jeffster!) and the leads seem to have an enjoyable watchable chemistry.
But all this whining about back story, history, resentement around Morgans development, the intersect implantation and plot holes? Sheesh, get real. It’s not that important when compared to the aformentioned.
I could not have said this any better 😉
here is my thought on this although i am not thrilled with Morgan getting the intersect…They basically brought Morgan on the team to give Casey someone to interact with since it has always been Chuck and Sarah and Morgan is the least experienced one out of the four of them in the Finale it was pretty much Pushed that Chuck is Officially a Great Spy without the intersect and Casey even acknowledges that. Morgan having the intersect for a minute might give him the change to give him the experience he needs to be a part of the team and Chuck can be more of a leader of the group now.
Morgan receiving the intersect is probably his next step in evolution, getting more confident, becoming more of a team player, basically growing up.
The team is coming together and amalgamating. I thought they were going independent when they found papa B’s secret basement.
I have to agree with most of the people who commented saying that it was a mistake to give morgan the intersect as i takes away from chucks specialness however i think it would be ok if it was only for the first episode as we only have 13 episodes and we cant waste too much time on this story but if they carry the story on for longer i probably will stop watching.
Just another point I cant help but feel that there was a hidden agenda to morgan giving the intersect, like the writers are planninng a spin off of chuck called morgan or something like that
The problem with morgan having the intersect is he told alex that he isn’t going be a spy anymore! but On the other Hand it would be cooler if both chuck and Morgan to have intersect.
I think thats a possability in terms of the Conspiricy Dekker mentioned. It was hinted at I think in vs the Anniversary Chuck & Morgan becoming a Spy team.
So glad to hear that Robert Duncan McNeill totally gets it: Chuck and his masterful use of the Intersect are central to the magic of the show. Great that Morgan might bring some entertaining use of it to the game, but can’t see Chuck playing second fiddle to Morgan. Not the right dynamic.
Speaking of dynamic, am hoping to see Sarah return more to her former kick ass mode. What made — and makes — the Chuck formula so appealing is the notion that such a hot and hardened CIA agent could simultaneously have a soft spot for a nerd like Chuck.
All the best to the Chuck creative team in Season Five. I hope you write the 13 episodes like they are the last we will ever see. If the show gets picked up for the back half, that’s great bonus, but it would be great to see the Season 5 1-13 take us on the ride of our life, and end the show happy we came along.
So the “twist” was the same as Season 2, except involving the comic relief (while ignoring things that were established about that character in the previous 2 episodes).
The “cliffhanger” was weaker than the previous episode’s (even though you knew Sarah would live).
And the “reveal” is that everything was actually all part of a Plan… which, to me, just seems like a lazy way to tie together the fact that the show has been pulled between comedy, romance and action for the past 4 seasons without ever settling on a consistent mix of the 3.
While I’m not a huge fan of Morgan getting the intersect (and would have been pretty pissed if that had actually ended the series), I think there’s potential for some good humor between him and Chuck/Casey in referencing things like Double Dragon, Twins, Mario & Luigi, etc… it’s not something I’d like to see throughout Season 5, but for a little while it could work.
Keeping the Buy More doesn’t appeal to me. You have 13 episodes, not a lot of time for unfunny filler. While some people might like it, it’s not for me. Chuck and Morgan humming the Imperial March, any time Sarah does humor, and about half the things Casey does/says/grunts are all far funnier than anything Jeff, Lester or Big Mike have done.
Also, if you’re planning on going up against some super secret organization with a master plan, maybe you shouldn’t keep using the same base and cover that was established for you in the first place? Especially if you’re supposed to be the world’s “best spies?”
Then again, the show can’t seem to write decent villains so maybe I shouldn’t worry.
Fulcrum was supposed to be far reaching and deadly, the anti-CIA. And they almost seemed to be a credible threat, sneaky, not afraid of torture or bringing Bryce back to life, ruled by a shadowy council… until Ted Rourke started cracking jokes, got shot and they were never heard from again because of…
The Ring, another far reaching and deadly threat, apparently spread throughout the world, even deadlier than Fulcrum: they can actually build an Intersect, resurrect the dead and manage to kill a significant character… and then they wind up being a bunch of old people trapped and caught in a stairwell.
Then there was Volkoff who seemed menacing and cold as ice, maybe the first REAL villain the show had… until he was revealed to be whacky and a little bit nuts. And then his daughter got shoe-horned in to finish off the season, along a ridiculous doomsday weapon.
If the fifth season has a strong villain, solid humor that doesn’t depend on the Buy Morons, isn’t just a repeat of Season 1 with Morgan in Chuck’s shoes (look for Morgan to actually wear Chucks at some point), and can actually stay consistent I’ll be content.
I’d also love to see Mary take over for Gen. Beckman and Hartley added in as a Q-type character, but I won’t be holding my breath on those.
Either way, I’ll still be watching.
Hi all, Regards Morgan & The Intersect – Chuck is a good Spy without the Intersect but with it he is a great one! I can’t see Morgan being a spy without the Intersect. I think Morgan was given the Intersect to help him understand the burden Chuck carries with such ease. Morgan has been in aww of Chuck since vs the Beard and has been pushing to dip his toe in the spy world. With him getting the Intersect he has been thrown in the deep end. I can see him wanting 2 get back to “safety” because for all his pravado Morgan isn’t a Hero!! Chuck is!!
I partially agree with the masses here, that Chuck should get the intersect back, but at the same time, look at the past as an example. Before the intersect took over Chuck’s life, he was a loser going nowhere. Now, even without it, he has friends, a job, and a life. Morgan, although he has done some spy work, is still the way Chuck was before the CIA entered his life. Maybe it will turn him around into a person we want to see more of. I always enjoyed the comedy he brought into the show, and wanted to see him do more as a character. Furthermore, the show won’t be completely the same without a Chuck intersect, but I still see a lot of opportunities in this final season. They have eliminated the possibility of another villian emerging by making their final enemy one within the CIA. I am also really looking forward to seeing what Decker meant by saying it was all a setup, and why any such idea could possibly have worked. I think it will be a great end to a great show, and who knows. Maybe it will go longer than we think, which would make us all happy. Let us just hope for the best and leave everything to the experts. SEASON 5, HERE WE COME!