wow.
http://chuckthisblog.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/roundtable-reaction-fear-of-death/#comment-28717
Joe, we pretty much agree on this. The Fear of Death was Sarah’s fear of Chuck’s death. I’ve sort of danced around this in several posts but after re-watching I think I may be on the right track. It once again comes down to the characters only having part of the story.
Rye has a theory about PFOD, and Chuck gives it some credence at first since he starts to flash each time, but by the end he’s discounted it basically because he has faced death and not flashed. Guys with guns and dangling from a great height are not new experiences for our boy. Neither is a solo mission.
All Sarah knows is that Rye is determined to put Chuck in a life or death situation with no backup, and Chuck isn’t flashing. When Sarah asks Casey if he thinks Chuck can handle himself if necessary Casey gives the honest truth, the one that Sarah knows but is afraid to say. We don’t know if he can, but he’ll try. Chuck is a hero and will put his life on the line for his team or the mission, and he has done it time and again both with the 1.0 and the 2.0. Fear is not an issue with Chuck, he does overcome it, even when there were girlish screams involved. Sarah knows this. He took on three ninjas and allowed himself to be beaten to a pulp for his team. And she knows that no matter how many times she says don’t be a hero, don’t risk it if you can’t flash, that is precisely what he will do. She also knows the hard truth, on his own without the intersect and without his team he doesn’t stand a chance because he won’t shoot someone in the back, or even shoot to kill unless someone else, like her, is threatened.
Chuck knows Sarah will do anything to protect him, including get herself killed, which as we know is Chuck’s real greatest fear. Without the intersect in the field he now feels like a liability to her and the team, even though he possesses other spy skills, which are not glossed over in this episode, he lacks confidence. The loss of confidence on Chuck’s part however t isn’t his real issue. Sarah almost seems to prefer he didn’t get the intersect back, and Chuck must at least suspect he knows the reason. He wouldn’t be out there risking his life, he’d be safe. Chuck’s safety is Sarah’s main, perhaps only, concern. Chuck actually refers to this when Rye thinks he’s identified Sarah as the problem for Chuck. Chuck doesn’t call for Sarah in his bedroom to come and save him, he calls to warn her, then tries to flash and handle the situation. Rye thinks Chuck couldn’t flash because he knew Sarah would save him. Hello stupid stick. Chuck took on three Ninjas and endured 31 days of experimentation, and took a beating without complaint. Chuck only turned to Sarah in the vault when he thought he needed his team, his natural reaction to having no way to solve the problem and a partner who looks to him to solve the problem. The problem is Rye keeps putting Chuck in no-win situations where only a flash can save them (in his opinion) and then criticizes Chuck for looking for a solution when he can’t flash. That is Chuck being a hero, not Chuck expecting momma Sarah to save him. But Chuck also knows that were Sarah there he’d just as likely cause her death and capture as his own, so when Rye says let’s be heroes, Chuck agrees, because the mission and Sarah’s safety are more likely achieved if he puts himself on the line again.
Sarah knows Chuck is a hero, and will sacrifice himself for others without hesitation. And she knows that while he isn’t flashing and Rye is his partner Chuck making that sacrifice is a virtual certainty. Chuck knows that Sarah will do anything to protect him, up to and including treason, or sacrificing her life. Do they still have some issues about being a spy couple. Oh yeah, but they’re real and dramatic, and show us both the tragic and heroic parts of our heroes while keeping them both who they are, and people we can root for.
Season 4 is GENIUS.
by Ernie Davis November 17, 2010 at 9:44 pm
Joe, we pretty much agree on this. The Fear of Death was Sarah’s fear of Chuck’s death. I’ve sort of danced around this in several posts but after re-watching I think I may be on the right track. It once again comes down to the characters only having part of the story.
Rye has a theory about PFOD, and Chuck gives it some credence at first since he starts to flash each time, but by the end he’s discounted it basically because he has faced death and not flashed. Guys with guns and dangling from a great height are not new experiences for our boy. Neither is a solo mission.
All Sarah knows is that Rye is determined to put Chuck in a life or death situation with no backup, and Chuck isn’t flashing. When Sarah asks Casey if he thinks Chuck can handle himself if necessary Casey gives the honest truth, the one that Sarah knows but is afraid to say. We don’t know if he can, but he’ll try. Chuck is a hero and will put his life on the line for his team or the mission, and he has done it time and again both with the 1.0 and the 2.0. Fear is not an issue with Chuck, he does overcome it, even when there were girlish screams involved. Sarah knows this. He took on three ninjas and allowed himself to be beaten to a pulp for his team. And she knows that no matter how many times she says don’t be a hero, don’t risk it if you can’t flash, that is precisely what he will do. She also knows the hard truth, on his own without the intersect and without his team he doesn’t stand a chance because he won’t shoot someone in the back, or even shoot to kill unless someone else, like her, is threatened.
Chuck knows Sarah will do anything to protect him, including get herself killed, which as we know is Chuck’s real greatest fear. Without the intersect in the field he now feels like a liability to her and the team, even though he possesses other spy skills, which are not glossed over in this episode, he lacks confidence. The loss of confidence on Chuck’s part however t isn’t his real issue. Sarah almost seems to prefer he didn’t get the intersect back, and Chuck must at least suspect he knows the reason. He wouldn’t be out there risking his life, he’d be safe. Chuck’s safety is Sarah’s main, perhaps only, concern. Chuck actually refers to this when Rye thinks he’s identified Sarah as the problem for Chuck. Chuck doesn’t call for Sarah in his bedroom to come and save him, he calls to warn her, then tries to flash and handle the situation. Rye thinks Chuck couldn’t flash because he knew Sarah would save him. Hello stupid stick. Chuck took on three Ninjas and endured 31 days of experimentation, and took a beating without complaint. Chuck only turned to Sarah in the vault when he thought he needed his team, his natural reaction to having no way to solve the problem and a partner who looks to him to solve the problem. The problem is Rye keeps putting Chuck in no-win situations where only a flash can save them (in his opinion) and then criticizes Chuck for looking for a solution when he can’t flash. That is Chuck being a hero, not Chuck expecting momma Sarah to save him. But Chuck also knows that were Sarah there he’d just as likely cause her death and capture as his own, so when Rye says let’s be heroes, Chuck agrees, because the mission and Sarah’s safety are more likely achieved if he puts himself on the line again.
Sarah knows Chuck is a hero, and will sacrifice himself for others without hesitation. And she knows that while he isn’t flashing and Rye is his partner Chuck making that sacrifice is a virtual certainty. Chuck knows that Sarah will do anything to protect him, up to and including treason, or sacrificing her life. Do they still have some issues about being a spy couple. Oh yeah, but they’re real and dramatic, and show us both the tragic and heroic parts of our heroes while keeping them both who they are, and people we can root for.
Season 4 is GENIUS.
by Ernie Davis November 17, 2010 at 9:44 pm
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