Chuck Versus Phase Three
Encyclopedia
"Chuck Versus Phase Three" is the ninth episode of the fourth season
of Chuck
. It originally aired November 22, 2010. In order to escape the Belgian (Richard Chamberlain
), whose mission is to discover more about the Intersect
, Sarah Walker
, Chuck Bartowski
, Morgan Grimes
, and John Casey
immerse themselves in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Ellie
and Awesome dive into the secret Stephen Bartowski
left behind.
) orders Dr. Mueller (Torsten Voges) to activate the Intersect
in Chuck Bartowski
's brain. Chuck experiences several lucid dreams where his friends and loved ones beg him to flash, and although he tries his hardest to do so, he manages to realize that they are just dreams. The scientist moves to "Phase Three", effectively lobotomizing
Chuck and removing everything in his brain not pertaining to the Intersect.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, General Beckman orders Sarah Walker
and John Casey
to stop the Belgian from selling their government secrets, but Sarah begs Beckman to forget the intelligence and focus on rescuing Chuck. Morgan Grimes
reveals that Anand Chanarong (James Lew
), the man who does the Belgian's "dirty work", is at the Thai Embassy in Los Angeles. After capturing Chanarong, Sarah threatens him for the location and almost hits him before Casey tells her to cool off at home. There she finds Chucks proposal plan and is motivated more than ever to find him. She threatens to kill Chanarong for information, and when he talks she goes on a rogue mission to Thailand.
Sarah reaches a bar filled with mercenaries and asks about the specific location of the Belgian, quickly earning the moniker of "giant blond she-male", as she fights her way through its patrons. The bar's owner offers the location, but only if Sarah can defeat his best fighter. After trading blows, the fighter throws dirt in Sarah's eyes and knocks her to the ground. As he grabs a knife and moves in for the kill, Casey and Morgan arrive to intervene. The fight is resumed, and Sarah manages to win.
The team reaches the Belgian's facility, defeats his guards, and incapacitates the Belgian and Mueller. Sarah wakes Chuck before Phase Three takes effect. Beckman debriefs the team at Castle, and tells Chuck she is deciding how he will serve the CIA
without the Intersect.
and Devon Woodcomb find Stephen
's laptop in the Ford Mustang
he left them, but they find that it does not work. While Ellie works a 36-hour shift at the hospital, the Buy More
employees fix the laptop in exchange for free medical care from Devon, though by the end, the entire staff has become involved. But once the computer is activated, it displays the words, "Knock, knock", asking for a password. Devon tries "Who's there", but it doesn't work. When Ellie returns home, she figures out that the password must be "I'm here", due to her childhood habit of mixing up the joke. As soon as she types it in, the computer comes to life, and the episode ends with Ellie's stunned reaction to the results (which are not shown to the viewer).
gave this episode a score of 8.5 out of 10. Myles McNutt of A.V. Club gave this a grade of B+. The Fien Print wrote that "If they gave Emmys for the things Strahovski's doing in this ep, this would be Strahovski's Emmy episode," while Alan Sepinwall of HitFix.com called the episode "awesome. And that's not even factoring in the usual heart-on-sleeve genius Strahovski brings to scenes like Sarah smelling Chuck's shirt, or two very different visions of Sarah trying to send the same 'I love you' message to Chuck."
Chuck (season 4)
The fourth season of Chuck was announced on May 13, 2010. Having initially ordered 13 episodes, NBC ordered an additional 11 on October 19, 2010 for a total of 24 episodes....
of Chuck
Chuck (TV series)
Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...
. It originally aired November 22, 2010. In order to escape the Belgian (Richard Chamberlain
Richard Chamberlain
George Richard Chamberlain is an American actor of stage and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare .-Early life:...
), whose mission is to discover more about the Intersect
The Intersect
The Intersect is a fictional secret technology appearing in the television series Chuck. Within the series, it is used to house and analyze large quantities of encoded data...
, Sarah Walker
Sarah Walker (Chuck)
Sarah Lisa Bartowski is the alias of one of the main characters of the fictional television show Chuck on NBC. She is portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski and is one of two agents assigned by the NSA and CIA to protect Chuck Bartowski after he unwittingly downloads the secret government computer known...
, Chuck Bartowski
Chuck Bartowski
Charles Irving "Chuck" Bartowski is the main and titular character of the American fiction television show Chuck on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi.-Character profile:...
, Morgan Grimes
Morgan Grimes
Morgan Guillermo Grimes is a major character on the television series Chuck. He is portrayed by actor Joshua Gomez, and is the best friend of Chuck Bartowski....
, and John Casey
John Casey (Chuck)
Colonel John Casey is portrayed by actor Adam Baldwin on the television show Chuck on NBC. Prior to the episode "Chuck Versus the Tic Tac," he was partnered with CIA agent Sarah Walker to protect Chuck Bartowski....
immerse themselves in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Ellie
Ellie Bartowski
Eleanor Faye "Ellie" Bartowski Woodcomb, M.D., Ph.D., is the older sister of title character Chuck Bartowski on the television series Chuck. She is portrayed by actress Sarah Lancaster.-Biography:...
and Awesome dive into the secret Stephen Bartowski
Stephen J. Bartowski
Stephen J. Bartowski is a recurring character on the television series Chuck portrayed by actor Scott Bakula. Stephen is the estranged father of Chuck and Ellie Bartowski, and under the government codename "Orion" was the chief designer of the Intersect....
left behind.
Main plot
In Thailand, Adelbert "The Belgian" de Smet (Richard ChamberlainRichard Chamberlain
George Richard Chamberlain is an American actor of stage and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare .-Early life:...
) orders Dr. Mueller (Torsten Voges) to activate the Intersect
The Intersect
The Intersect is a fictional secret technology appearing in the television series Chuck. Within the series, it is used to house and analyze large quantities of encoded data...
in Chuck Bartowski
Chuck Bartowski
Charles Irving "Chuck" Bartowski is the main and titular character of the American fiction television show Chuck on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi.-Character profile:...
's brain. Chuck experiences several lucid dreams where his friends and loved ones beg him to flash, and although he tries his hardest to do so, he manages to realize that they are just dreams. The scientist moves to "Phase Three", effectively lobotomizing
Lobotomy
Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
Chuck and removing everything in his brain not pertaining to the Intersect.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, General Beckman orders Sarah Walker
Sarah Walker (Chuck)
Sarah Lisa Bartowski is the alias of one of the main characters of the fictional television show Chuck on NBC. She is portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski and is one of two agents assigned by the NSA and CIA to protect Chuck Bartowski after he unwittingly downloads the secret government computer known...
and John Casey
John Casey (Chuck)
Colonel John Casey is portrayed by actor Adam Baldwin on the television show Chuck on NBC. Prior to the episode "Chuck Versus the Tic Tac," he was partnered with CIA agent Sarah Walker to protect Chuck Bartowski....
to stop the Belgian from selling their government secrets, but Sarah begs Beckman to forget the intelligence and focus on rescuing Chuck. Morgan Grimes
Morgan Grimes
Morgan Guillermo Grimes is a major character on the television series Chuck. He is portrayed by actor Joshua Gomez, and is the best friend of Chuck Bartowski....
reveals that Anand Chanarong (James Lew
James Lew
James Jene Fae Lew is an American martial arts actor. He has made 80 on screen film and television appearances and 46 more as a stunt coordinator or stunt double. He has done choreography for movies like Get Smart and Double Impact as well as television shows such as, Discovery Channel's Fight...
), the man who does the Belgian's "dirty work", is at the Thai Embassy in Los Angeles. After capturing Chanarong, Sarah threatens him for the location and almost hits him before Casey tells her to cool off at home. There she finds Chucks proposal plan and is motivated more than ever to find him. She threatens to kill Chanarong for information, and when he talks she goes on a rogue mission to Thailand.
Sarah reaches a bar filled with mercenaries and asks about the specific location of the Belgian, quickly earning the moniker of "giant blond she-male", as she fights her way through its patrons. The bar's owner offers the location, but only if Sarah can defeat his best fighter. After trading blows, the fighter throws dirt in Sarah's eyes and knocks her to the ground. As he grabs a knife and moves in for the kill, Casey and Morgan arrive to intervene. The fight is resumed, and Sarah manages to win.
The team reaches the Belgian's facility, defeats his guards, and incapacitates the Belgian and Mueller. Sarah wakes Chuck before Phase Three takes effect. Beckman debriefs the team at Castle, and tells Chuck she is deciding how he will serve the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
without the Intersect.
Chuck and Sarah
In Chuck's dreams, he faces his fear that Sarah will not love him without the Intersect. However, she risks her entire career searching for him in the real world. After Sarah finds a map in Chuck's pocket protector, Morgan reluctantly reveals that Chuck was planning on proposing to her. This motivates her to find Chuck, and she wakes him by telling him that she would marry him if he asked. Chuck later asks Morgan to help him surprise Sarah with the proposal.Woodcombs
EllieEllie Bartowski
Eleanor Faye "Ellie" Bartowski Woodcomb, M.D., Ph.D., is the older sister of title character Chuck Bartowski on the television series Chuck. She is portrayed by actress Sarah Lancaster.-Biography:...
and Devon Woodcomb find Stephen
Stephen J. Bartowski
Stephen J. Bartowski is a recurring character on the television series Chuck portrayed by actor Scott Bakula. Stephen is the estranged father of Chuck and Ellie Bartowski, and under the government codename "Orion" was the chief designer of the Intersect....
's laptop in the Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
he left them, but they find that it does not work. While Ellie works a 36-hour shift at the hospital, the Buy More
Buy More
Buy More is a fictional big box electronics retail chain in NBC's action-comedy series Chuck. The Buy More is a parody of similar chains, particularly Best Buy....
employees fix the laptop in exchange for free medical care from Devon, though by the end, the entire staff has become involved. But once the computer is activated, it displays the words, "Knock, knock", asking for a password. Devon tries "Who's there", but it doesn't work. When Ellie returns home, she figures out that the password must be "I'm here", due to her childhood habit of mixing up the joke. As soon as she types it in, the computer comes to life, and the episode ends with Ellie's stunned reaction to the results (which are not shown to the viewer).
Continuity
- Lester misidentifies the laptop Stephen left for Ellie as a "Roark 7". He made the same mistake with a similar laptop Stephen sent to Chuck under his alias of Orion in "Chuck Versus the PredatorChuck Versus the Predator"Chuck Versus the Predator" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of Chuck. It originally aired on March 23, 2009. Chuck Bartowski reluctantly tells his handlers that he has been contacted by Orion, the mastermind behind the Intersect computer and the person who can erase the Intersect...
".
Cultural references
- Chuck compares his dreams to "The Manchurian CandidateThe Manchurian CandidateThe Manchurian Candidate , by Richard Condon, is a political thriller novel about the son of a prominent US political family who is brainwashed into being an unwitting assassin for the Communist Party....
or that episode of either Family TiesFamily TiesFamily Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young...
or Hogan's FamilyThe Hogan FamilyThe Hogan Family is an American television situation comedy that aired from March 1, 1986 to July 20, 1991...
." - During the pit fight, Sarah's opponent throws sand in her face which causes blurred view. The effect is similar to the one from the final fight in BloodsportBloodsport (film)Bloodsport is a 1988 American martial arts film directed by Newt Arnold and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb and Leah Ayres. The film is based on the claimed adventures of Frank Dux, and was followed by three sequels Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite , Bloodsport III and Bloodsport 4: The...
. - The scene where Chanarong mocks Sarah about her biological clock by saying, "Tick, tick, tick, tock." has been likened to Jordan Chase from DexterDexter (TV series)Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
. - When Sarah rises from the river to fight The Belgians' mercenaries is a nod to Apocalypse NowApocalypse NowApocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
when Martin SheenMartin SheenRamón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
's character Captain WillardBenjamin L. WillardCaptain Benjamin L. Willard is a fictional character and the main protagonist in Francis Ford Coppola's film Apocalypse Now, and is portrayed by American actor Martin Sheen. His character is loosely based on the character Charles Marlow from Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness. He is a...
comes from the river to kill Marlon BrandoMarlon BrandoMarlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
's character Colonel Kurtz.Walter E. KurtzColonel Walter E. Kurtz is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, portrayed by Marlon Brando. Colonel Kurtz is based on the character of a 19th century ivory trader, also called Kurtz, from the novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.-Biography:Walter...
Music
- "Creator" by Santigold (vs. Switch & Freq Nasty)
- "Miss Friday" by Nico StaiNico StaiNico Stai is a musician singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles Ca. Born and raised in Spain, Nico relocated to Los Angeleswhere he formed and fronted various bands before embarking on a solo career in 2006....
- "WomanWoman (Wolfmother song)"Woman" is a song by Australian hard rock band Wolfmother, featured on their 2005 debut studio album Wolfmother. It was released as the band's fourth single in Australia on 17 June 2006, and later in the United Kingdom on 17 July...
" by WolfmotherWolfmotherWolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,... - "J'ai Claqué La Porte" by ChromeoChromeoChromeo is an electrofunk duo formed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 2004.-History:Chromeo is composed of P-Thugg on keyboards, synthesizers, and talk box, and Dave 1 on guitar and lead vocals...
- "Excuses" by The Morning BendersThe Morning BendersThe Morning Benders are an indie rock band from Berkeley, California, now based in Brooklyn, New York.In 2008, they released their debut album Talking Through Tin Cans on +1 Records...
Critical response
Eric Goldman of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave this episode a score of 8.5 out of 10. Myles McNutt of A.V. Club gave this a grade of B+. The Fien Print wrote that "If they gave Emmys for the things Strahovski's doing in this ep, this would be Strahovski's Emmy episode," while Alan Sepinwall of HitFix.com called the episode "awesome. And that's not even factoring in the usual heart-on-sleeve genius Strahovski brings to scenes like Sarah smelling Chuck's shirt, or two very different visions of Sarah trying to send the same 'I love you' message to Chuck."