Knife's Edge: The Spotless Mind on Chuck

Knock-knock.

It's been a while since we've had an episode of Chuck that focused on Chuck Bartowski's better half, Agent Sarah Walker.

We've been given slivers of Sarah's backstory--it was only last season that we learned her true name (that would be "Sam" for those keeping score)--but the enigmatic spy who has stolen Chuck's heart has remained largely an international woman of mystery, her heart encased in stone until Chuck came around. But does Sarah love Chuck for the man he is or the man that she thinks he could be? And with the Intersect out of commission for the foreseeable future, what does that mean for their own?

This week's episode of Chuck ("Chuck Versus Phase Three"), written by Kristin Newman and directed by Anton Cropper, did not disappoint on that front, giving Yvonne Strahovski the perfect showcase for her skills, both in terms of silently emoting and kicking butt. While the action led Sarah (and Casey and Morgan) to far-flung countries before learning of The Belgian's Thailand hideout (where this "giant blonde she-male" took on an army), the episode itself was more about the lengths we'll go to in order to save the ones we love, whether that might be a literal rescue (in the case of Chuck/Sarah) or a figurative one (Ellie/Awesome).

Love, it seems, is all about making sacrifices... and refusing to back down.

I can't go any further without first praising Strahovski for her gutsy performance in this week's episode, from her high-flying fight scenes (the way she took out that Thai fighter was wickedly awesome) to the more tender scenes. Zachary Levi's Chuck might be the heart of the series, but Strahovski's Sarah is its ethereal soul.

From the way Strahovski silently conveyed her innate sadness and regret upon learning of Chuck's elaborate proposal scenario (complete with multiple sports cars and a white stallion), stabbing herself inwardly for not telling him out loud what she thought was obvious, to the way in which she finally came clean, bringing Chuck back from the edge of emptiness during the Phase Three procedure all summed up her quiet strength and charisma as an actress. (Plus, that shot of her emerging from the water with a knife clenched between her teeth? Epic.)

With Sarah, it's been just as much about what's not been said as what has been, her whole life being a struggle to compartmentalize, to rationalize, to think logically and keep her emotion in check. But when she saw clearly that her chance at real happiness was in peril, she didn't hesitate from crossing several lines in order to save her boyfriend. International incident be damned, really. From kidnapping an official on Thai soil (plucking him right out of the Thai embassy in an automated carpet) to threatening him with an ammonia injection (!!!), Sarah was willing to do whatever she had to in order to get Chuck back safe and sound. If that's not true love, I don't know what is.

Sarah has long seen Chuck as more than just an asset, as more a three-dimensional man than just someone carrying the Intersect. It's bloody obvious that she would love him regardless of whether he could be in the field with her, or whether he had access to the Intersect or not. But from Chuck's perspective, one can see why he might wonder whether his abilities enable his relationship with Sarah. (After all, it's not like she would have been willing to jump into bed with Chuck when he was just a Nerd Herder. We can all admit that she was initially way out of his league.)

Those fears and insecurities were given form by the procedure that The Belgian and his scary scientist helper (whom you might recognize as Adam Sandler's doctor in Funny People), a nod to both Charlie Kaufman/Michel Gondry's The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and perhaps to Christopher Nolan's Inception as well. I kept waiting for a spinning top to turn up in one of Chuck's dreams, each designed to force him to flash.

I especially loved the final dream sequence at the apartment complex, as Ellie and Awesome drifted back into their darkened apartment and Chuck walked through shards of glass in the living room. Beautifully directed and exquisitely imagined, the sequences allowed us to take a look into Chuck's mind without superfluous exposition, bringing his subconscious thoughts to life in a visual format. Interestingly, however, it's his knowledge of those around him that act as a trigger (such as Ellie's lack of anger about him spying again), reminding his subconscious that he's dreaming in the first place.

But it's Sarah's confession--that she loves him, Intersect or not, and wants to be with him--that pulls him back from the very edge, mere seconds before his entire consciousness would have been wiped out, rendering Chuck an emotionless robot with a computer in his head. Love does conquer all, it seems. Even doomsday psycho-surgical procedures.

Meanwhile, Devon attempted to help Ellie out by drafting the entire Buy More staff to fix the mysterious laptop that Stephen left Ellie in his old car, clearly intending his daughter to find the device. Sacrificing the next 36 hours (and his dignity somewhat), Devon trades medical consults with the Buy More staffers in exchange for spare parts and technological know-how.

He does get the laptop up and running again, just in time for Ellie to return home to solve the riddle. (Fortunately, the response to "Knock-Knock" wasn't "who's there?") It's fitting that the solution should be something deeply personal, something that only Ellie would know ("I'm here"), making me believe that whatever it is that the computer contains--and we're only given Ellie and Awesome's facial response (and a "whoa" for good measure) this week--it's something vital and something that Stephen intended for Ellie, rather than Chuck to have. So it's not an Intersect mainframe. But what is it?

That's the question and one I wish I had an answer for, but we'll have to wait a week to find out just what is lurking on that laptop. Is it something that could restore the Intersect? Or something altogether different?

Regardless, I'm intrigued and I thought that this week's fantastic Sarah-centric episode of Chuck removed some of the sting of last week's sub-par installment, which left me cold. Definitely a step in the right direction and it used the series' sprawling cast to good effect here, while also injecting some humor into a some very tense situations. Well done, all around.

This season of Chuck has been a mixed bag, with some very strong episodes ("Chuck Versus the First Fight") sitting alongside some lackluster ones. I'm definitely missing some of the writers who left after last season--from Ali Adler and Phil Klemmer to Matt Miller and a host of others--who seemed to nail the show's voice and tone better than many of these newcomers. Which isn't to say that they won't in time adapt to the rhythms of the series, but it's been a bit of a teething process, I think, this season. Fingers crossed that the upcoming episodes are more in line with "First Fight" and "Phase Three" and less like "Fear of Death" or "Cubic Z."

But an ass-kicking Sarah Walker taking on anyone and anything getting between her and Chuck? Thank you very much indeed.

What did you think of this week's episode? And of this season of Chuck so far as a whole? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on Chuck ("Chuck Versus the Leftovers"), Chuck's mom comes over for Thanksgiving leftovers dinner the day after the holiday; Morgan and the rest of the Buy More crew deal with the busiest shopping day of the year.