1. Sarah's "flashes" of brilliance
Seeing how Sarah has put boots to asses in previous 88 episodes it is hard to imagine her being any more amazing when handing out a beatdown even with the intersect. But boy oh boy did they do a great job with it; I also love the fact Sarah put on a show for Chuck when she gave Quinn's goons a kicking on the train. I welcome back the intersect-flirting that was one of the brighter points in early season 3 like Chuck's wink & parkour/gymnastics combo in Three Words or his dancing with Sarah in Angel de la Muerte.
But to me the best part of Sarah downloading the intersect was that now she truly knows what it was like for Chuck. The scene where Chuck and Sarah "geek out" over the intersect abilities was touching indeed was so great. What a journey for these two, they really have know shared everything together and these shared experiences only strengthen the ties binding our favourite spy couple. Could anybody argue that these two together don't form the whole much greater than the sum of their parts.
 |
| Strip-Kick is in the intersect...yes! |
2. Nicholas Quinn: Part Doctor Doom, part Wile E. Coyote
Nicholas Quinn, what a piece of work he is! The jaded ex-CIA super-spy is hugely driven and quite resilient; and whilst he may not look a great threat not many can come up against an intersected Sarah, brilliant Chuck and BAMF-tastic Casey and survive... let alone triumph!
Chuck's individual enemies have seemed to resemble classic comic book villains in their relationship to our hero Chuck. Where Volkoff was like a Lex Luthor to Chuck's Superman and Daniel Shaw was perhaps the Sinestro to Chuck's Hal Jordan (Green Lantern); Nicholas Quinn seems to me the Doctor Doom to Chuck's Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards).
Quinn is crazed, vengeful and full of anger towards Chuck for taking what he considered to be his god-given right to the Intersect. Much like Victor von Doom this jealousy has festered and infected his psyche to the point where he is legitimately crazy but still maintaining the ability to be a great strategist who can keep Chuck on his toes.
May I add his resilience, tenacity and unwillingness to die (or go away) has a certain Wile E. Coyote feel too. Maybe not the best villain we have seen on CHUCK but my intense wish for Casey to eviscerate him with a soup spoon means he has me feeling the hate...a good sign for any baddie.
3. Jeffster: A new kind of spy duo
You never know when your calling will come... but CHUCK has always been about the ordinary guy who has greatness thrust upon them and is required to rise to the challenge and be awesome.
But what happens when those called are not ordinary... but weirdos with a taste for 80's power ballads? The answer is they can be just as awesome, which is reason one of the many reason CHUCK is such a great show. It doesn't matter who you are or what you do; you will get a chance to shine! Which is what makes the show so great for the actors playing the roles too. The show's leads are more than happy to defer the spotlight to their support cast to let them shine; CHUCK is a close family off and on screen.
Alex in danger from Quinn's forces and Morgan and Devon thwarted in their attempt to free her; it seemed Team Bartowski was out of options. But often the most surprising heroes arise in times of crisis; cometh the hour of need...Jeffster answered the call!
It was was great to see Chuck tell Casey he believed Jeffster to be up for the task; but after all that is what Chuck does; he sees the best in everyone. That is why Chuck is such an inspirational leader and it is the belief of others (in particular those we respect) which often spurs a person on to greater heights. Much as how the belief of Ellie, Sarah and Casey has boosted Chuck in the past.
Ok so maybe Jeffster is not the best American-Canadian military/spy duo ever (that honour falls to Captain America and Wolverine) but fueled on by the flames of destiny they did the job and saved Alex, Morgan and Devon. Will this earn them a spot on the Carmichael Industries regular roster...who knows?
 |
| Carmichael Industries would like to welcome... JEFFSTER! |
4. Chuck & Sarah: Drawing on their love
Chuck and Sarah steaming it up on a train...WOW!! We should have known sexytime...I mean practice would be part of the deal; I mean I will NEVER forget Honeymooners. A little sweetness was added to the steamy train journey with the couple sitting in bed and talking about the future whilst Chuck drew that picture of him and Sarah together in front of their dream house. I have no doubt this little item will have further relevance as we head into the home stretch.
On a side note how awesome has Sarah's choice of sleepwear been? Chuck has mentioned before that red (and in particular salmon) is not his favourite colour but her recent forays into red clothing must have changed Chuck's mind. All I can say is... HOLY SMOKES I abso-Freaking-lutely love red; from what she picked up the newspaper in from The Bo to what she wore under her mission gear on the train in this episode.
 |
| Mrs. Bartowski...domo arigato indeed!! |
My Chuck-senses were tingling a little when I saw the quality time Sarah and Chuck (sexytime) were sharing early in the episode; as it usually means the angst and pain is soon to follow. The episode starts with Chuck in the clutches of Quinn and ends with Sarah seemingly under the control of the same rogue spy.
In true CHUCK fashion we have the frequent swapping and interchanging of gender-roles between Chuck and Sarah. From the beginning of the series we have seen Sarah as the protector of Chuck's physical well-being; in contrast Chuck established early on he would be her "personal baggage handler" and supreme protector of her emotional well-being (The end of DeLorean with his Buy More Jacket is such a great example).
Over time Sarah has become THE emotional rock which anchors Chuck from losing himself in the world of spies, lies, intersects (malfunctioning & removed), tragedy and loss. From her wedding vows to the support she provided to her husband through the Morgansect debacle; Chuck knows that he can count on Sarah to be his partner and protector in mind, body and spirit.
Sarah could always count on Chuck being there for her emotionally and always trying to protect her from physical harm, even though it wasn't his job and he wasn't very good at it. Sarah did respect his fearless and heroic heart but it often caused her just as many problems by having to save herself AND the intersect from danger. As the depth of Chuck's love and affection and love for Sarah grew so did the lengths he would go to protect the girl of his dreams. He downloaded Intersect 2.0 and added physical talents to his impressive strategic ingenuity and planning. Even without the intersect Sarah knows that if required Chuck would not only fight to his dying breath to save Sarah but thanks to his training he would be a pretty formidable force for any foe and she can count on him in a fight just as much as she can Casey. Heck Chuck has proven NOTHING matters more than Sarah, he was willing to kill to save her and we know just how principled Chuck is... and how much he hates guns.
I have said it before and I will say it again Chuck and Sarah are awesome individuals but together they are so much more. CHUCK is such a great show layered with many great relationships but it is the evolving relationship of Chuck and Sarah that is the fundamentally inescapable foundation upon which the show is built.
 |
| You can have Snakes on a Plane... just give me Charah on a Train |
5. Sarah: She tows the line
Holy crap, watching the scene of Sarah tied up by Quinn and his goons and forced into intersect flashes is cruel, heartbreaking and even thinking about it in brings a tear to my eye (actually more like uncontrollable sobbing). I thought after seeing Casey pull a gun on Chuck and Sarah nothing the episode would be as difficult to watch, boy was I ever wrong! That felt like torture to watch, I mean this isn't some random character we see tortured by the bad guy in the first act...this is Sarah Bartowski, the character we have grown to love and respect over the last five years and do see her previously indomitable will being broken down like that is just such an intense experience.
The use of "She tows the line" by Crooked Fingers is an inspired musical choice and I have heard the song so many times of the past week and it always brings me back to Sarah in the warehouse and the tears just flow!
For me the absolute only saving grace was Chuck didn't see it happening, it may well of broken his heart and spirit especially as he is powerless to stop it from happening and now she has lost her memories. This is the life she and Chuck have built over the last 5 years and all may be lost...if that is not cruel and unusual punishment I don't know what is.
But in the words of Bloc Party "The Pioneers" If it can be broke then it can be fixed... If it can be lost then it can be won, if it can touched then it can be turned, All you need is time. There is nobody Sarah would rather have in her corner against insurmountable odds then her husband and soul-mate Chuck. She trusts in their love and so should we...C'mon Chuck it is time to be awesome not because you want to but because you NEED to!!
 |
| So close you can taste it... this is it Chuck, this is what you fight for! |
No comments:
Post a Comment