Chuck wouldn’t exist without the Intersect. That photo-filled brain computer brought Chuck into the spy life, turned a computer geek into a hero, and saved the day a whole lot. It also caused its fair share of problems. As we come to the end of Chuck season 5, it’s time to take a look back at the impact of the Intersect on Chuck
#26 Chuck Downloads the Intersect… Into His Brain
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Intersect” (1.1)
In the first few minutes of the Chuck pilot episode, the Intersect made its first appearance as an e-mail attachment hidden behind an old computer game.
#25 Chuck’s Intersect Destiny
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Alma Mater” (1.7)
Was the Intersect always meant to get to Chuck? We got our first glimpse at this possibility when videos of a former Stanford professor proved that Chuck’s ability to absorb subliminal information was unusually high. And just perfect for the Intersect.
#24 The New Intersect Goes Boom
Episode: “Chuck vs. the First Date” (2.1)
Chuck thought — for a brief moment — that he might get a reprieve from his Intersect duties when a new version came online. But then Fulcrum blew it up, taking the CIA’s Langston Graham with it.
#23 Software Update
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Break-Up” (2.3)
After an entire episode of seemingly monopolizing in Sarah’s affections, Bryce Larkin added insult to Chuck’s injury by leaving Chuck some sunglasses. These turned out to be nothing more than an update to the existing Intersect. Chuck was not amused.
#22 A Killer Fulcrum Intersect
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Suburbs” (2.13)
Fulcrum had an Intersect. But it had the unfortunate effect of melting the brains of all who tried to download it. Chuck, however, survived the process — and got a bit of Fulcrum intel as a bonus.
#21 Enter Orion
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Predator” (2.17)
The origins of the Intersect computer suddenly became much clearer with the introduction of Orion, a shadowy programmer who just might know how to remove the Intersect from Chuck’s brain. Although Orion seemed to die before the end of the episode, he did leave Chuck a series of computer schematics.
#20 More Orion and More of the Fulcrum Intersect
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Dream Job” (2.19)
Roark Industries turned out to be the home of a new-and-improved Fulcrum Intersect. Chuck turned out to be able to flash on command. And Stephen Bartowski turned out to be Orion.
#19 A Successful Intersect Uninstall
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Colonel” (2.21)
Fulcrum thought Stephen Bartowski had perfected an Intersect for them. He didn’t. Instead, he programmed the display to remove Chuck’s computer. Unfortunately, this didn’t quite stop Fulcrum.
#18 Kung Fu
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Ring” (2.22)
Chuck seemed determined to stay Intersect-free and out of the spy life. It might have worked too, if Bryce Larkin hadn’t gotten himself shot while he and Chuck were besieged by Fulcrum agents. The only way to keep the computer safe was another download. And this time it brought some kung fu with it.
#17 It Takes More Than the Intersect to Make a Spy
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Pink Slip” (3.1)
However cool the Intersect 2.0 was, it didn’t exactly work at first.
#16 Accept No Substitutes
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Nacho Sampler” (3.6)
The Ring, desperate for an Intersect, hired a guy named Manoosh to build them one. He did so, at least a bit. But then Chuck and the CIA caught him, so that didn’t work out so well.
#15 Glitches
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Tooth” (3.16)
Apparently, having a super-powerful computer sitting in your brain can have harmful side effects. Who knew? While Chuck wasn’t quite as crazy as initially suspected, the Intersect quickly became a bit of a problem for him.
#14 A Little More History and a Bug Fix
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Living Dead” (3.17)
In what shouldn’t have been a surprise, we found out that Stephen Bartowski had given himself an early-version Intersect back in the day. Fortunately, he also figured out how to keep the computer from melting brains — with a wristwatch. Oh, and Daniel Shaw downloaded an Intersect.
#13 A Rival Intersect
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Subway” (3.18)
Because they were evil like that, the Ring managed to get their own Intersect — and gave it to Daniel Shaw. That wasn’t cool even before Shaw used his newfound powers to kill Stephen Bartowski in front of his children.
#12 Intersect Battle!
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Ring: Part II” (3.19)
With Chuck’s Intersect causing major brain meltdown, it seemed that Daniel Shaw would win the battle of the Intersects. But then Chuck managed to reboot, making everything all better.
#11 Mommy Takes the Intersect Away
Episode: “Chuck vs. the First Fight” (4.7)
Not only did Mary Bartowski take off with the evil Volkoff, but she also wiped out Chuck’s Intersect before she left. No wonder Chuck had mommy issues…
#10 The Return of the Intersect
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Leftovers” (4.10)
There seemed to be no way to get the Intersect back. The CIA was no help. Near-death experiences didn’t cut it. Even an attempted-lobotomy failed to get the computer running. Fortunately, Stephen Bartowski left behind a computer for Ellie. When Chuck got hold of it, a new Intersect was the result.
#9 The Replacements
Episode: “Chuck vs. the A-Team” (4.18)
With the Intersect working so well for Chuck, the CIA decided that it should work even better for top-notch spies. Enter Captains Vic and Rick (formerly known as “Greta”). The two superspies seemed poised to make Chuck redundant until our hero disarmed a bomb with fruit juice. The CIA then realized that Chuck was the better Intersect.
#8 Making More Chucks
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Muuurder” (4.19)
The superspy Intersects didn’t work, so the CIA decided to try clones of Chuck Bartowski. That plan might have worked OK, if only one of the Chuck-alikes wasn’t secretly a murderous traitor.
#7 Another Use for the Intersect
Episode: “Chuck vs. Agent X” (4.22)
Back in the day, Stephen Bartowski did some questionable things with his early Intersect prototypes. The worst of those things? The creation of Agent X. In doing so, Stephen turned sweet analyst Hartley Winterbottom into the evil mastermind, Alexei Volkoff.
#6 Goodbye Chuck, Hello Morgan
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Cliffhanger” (4.24)
Clyde Decker managed to both return Alexei Volkoff to his Hartley Winterbottom personality and suppress Chuck’s Intersect. Was it the end of the supercomputer? Nope. Not after Morgan put on the Intersect glasses…
#5 Morgan Goes Nuts
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Frosted Tips” (5.3)
Morgan’s odd behavior and memory lapses seen over the first few Chuck season 5 episodes led the spies of Carmichael Industries to realize that this particular Intersect had some nasty side effects. Thanks to a touching childhood story, however, Morgan stood down and got rid of that Intersect shortly thereafter.
#4 Computer Viruses Are Bad for Brain Computers
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Santa Suit” (5.7)
Remember that Intersect that Daniel Shaw had? Well, it turned out he still had it during Chuck season 5. He would have used it to take over the CIA as well, except for Chuck turning the tables on him and implanting the Omen virus in the Intersect glasses.
#3 Sarah’s Turn
Episode: “Chuck vs. Bo” (5.10)
With Chuck kidnapped and Sarah and Casey outgunned, what other choice did Mrs. Bartowski have? Little on Chuck has been more impressive than an Intersect-ed Sarah.
#2 So Much for That Brain
Episode: “Chuck vs. the Bullet Train” (5.11)
We knew Sarah’s time with the Intersect would be limited, but the meltdown was impressive. Thanks to a high rate of flashing, Sarah’s brain got ready to implode within days. She would have survived more-or-less intact, however, were it not for the nefarious interference of Nicholas Quinn. After Quinn’s “flash” cards and memory-erasing, Sarah’s poor brain didn’t stand a chance.
#1 The Intersect’s Final Chapter?
Episode: “Chuck vs. Sarah” and “Chuck vs. the Goodbye” (5.12 and 5.13)
While we won’t know what happens with the final incarnation of the Intersect until the Chuck series finale airs, it will play a part. One good copy of the program exists. Will it go to Nicholas Quinn? Sarah? A new character? Or will the Intersect return again to Chuck?
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Laurel grew up in Mamaroneck, NY, Grosse Pointe, MI and Bellevue WA. She then went on to live in places like Boston, Tucson, Houston, Wales, Tanzania, Prince Edward Island and New York City before heading back to Seattle. Ever since early childhood, when she became addicted to The Muppet Show, Laurel has watched far too much TV. Current favorites include Chuck, Modern Family, Supernatural, Mad Men and Community. Laurel received a BA in Astrophysics (yes, that is possible) from Colgate University and a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and History of Science from Columbia University before she realized that television is much better than studying.
