Why is the Intersect removed from Chuck at the end of 4.07 First Fight? What is the purpose of leaving Chuck without the Intersect from 4.08 Fear of Death to 4.10 Leftovers? Upon first watching the show, some viewers thought it was a test by the CIA to see whether Chuck can be a spy without the Intersect.
I think it is absolutely a test, but not in the sense that it is a government test to see whether Chuck can be trained as a real spy without the Intersect. It’s a test by the writers to see whether Chuck and Sarah’s relationship is based on the Intersect and will crumble without it.
This show is a constant exploration of a complicated and most unlikely relationship between a spy like Sydney Bristow (Alias) and a nerd like Jim Halpert (The Office). It explores obstacle after obstacle to this relationship and makes Chuck and Sarah overcome the obstacles to prove the point that they are perfect for each other.
In this arc, Chuck is stripped of the Intersect to see whether he’s worthy of a super spy like Sarah without it. This is put in Rye’s words, “Are you a spy? Or are you a guy with a spy girlfriend?” And we can see Chuck’s insecurities surface, and also Sarah’s own doubts and fears when she unwittingly humiliates him before Casey, Rye, and Beckman when Chuck says, “I’m a spy,” and she yells, “No, Chuck, you are not!”
And so Chuck is put in yet another catch-22 situation (after the one in his red test episode)—now he thinks he needs the Intersect to be worthy of Sarah, but Rye tells him that he must forget his love for Sarah to get the Intersect back. And Chuck chooses his love for Sarah over the Intersect.
And in the next episode, Sarah will move heaven and earth to prove to Chuck (and us viewers) that her love for him is not based on the Intersect but on him. Once that point in very clearly made in Phase Three, Chuck can get the Intersect back.
But, of course, the writers are not going to let this question “is Chuck a real spy without the Intersect?” go unexplored.
And that’s where season 5 comes in. The whole season is there to make the point that Chuck has indeed become a real spy even without the Intersect, and the master episode that clearly makes this point is 5.07 Santa Suit, which is the reversal of 4.09 Phase Three. In this episode, Shaw renders Sarah powerless, just as the Belgian did with Chuck in Phase Three, and Shaw taunts Chuck that Sarah is the superior spy, and Chuck will move heaven and earth to save Sarah against an Intersected Shaw who has all the advantages.
You can rest assured that, after 5.07 Santa Suit, Sarah, who still had doubts at the beginning of the season, will never again say that Chuck is not a spy without the Intersect.
Didn’t find a spot for general questions but I have a question about season 4. It seems to me that Chuck and Sarah spend a substantial amount of time apart although the length of time is never quantified. in 4.01 Sarah states we have been on this mission for months and I have not seen Chuck in forever. In 4.12 and 4.13 They state Sarah has been undercover for months. What is the approximate timeframe between 4.01 and the wedding. The time gaps/jumps get glossed over in the story.
Also, there are numerous times that Sarah states, I am willing to do anything to help get Chuck’s mom back and then this theme is again reiterated several times by Chuck’s mom, in the park and on the plane about having to do things you might regret and becoming someone you will not recognize. The only time I see anything out of the ordinary play out is knocking Casey out the window. Is this possibly an example of a Chekhov’s Gun that does not get fully developed or did I miss something once again?
Good question, which gave me an idea for a Chuck Timeline post or page.
Season 4 starts at the end of September 2010 (about six months after Chuck and Sarah get together) and ends with the wedding in May 2011.
So, Sarah and Chuck are mostly separated during the first six months of their relationship, when Sarah is a spy while Chuck is not (and Casey misses him, too).
In 4.12 Chuck Versus the Gobbler, Sarah has been undercover for about five or six weeks, from around mid-December 2010 to the end of January 2011.
The theme of season 4 is family, which is bolted onto the series-long theme of teamwork versus working alone. Chuck’s mom represents the old spy way of doing things, working by herself, and she tries to make Sarah work the same way. Sarah tries, but Chuck realizes in 4.13 Chuck Versus the Push Mix that this is nonsense and steps in with Morgan, proving that teamwork is better than working alone. Push Mix (like the rest of the show and showcased again in 5.13 Chuck Versus the Goodbye) is a celebration of togetherness as the ultimate source of strength and effectiveness.