Intersect 2.0 (2024)

For other uses of the term Intersect, see The Intersect.

Intersect 2.0 is an encrypted data base made by the US government. It is first actually seen in use in the Season Two finale, Chuck Versus the Ring though mentioned as inoperative in Chuck Versus the Dream Job.

Bryce Larkin was slated to upload the new Intersect, but is ambushed and killed on site by agents of the Ring. After watching Bryce die, Chuck makes the difficult decision to upload the new Intersect into himself before using a device given to him by Bryce which caused a power surge in the computer, destroying the Intersect cube. His actions make Chuck the human Intersect 2.0.

Intersect 2.0 is far more advanced than its predecessor; the console is hand print activated instead of requiring a password, the video consoles also show the images one after another without the pause or delay of static seen in the the original and prototype Intersects.

Additionally, rather than static files, the 2.0 temporarily installs actual skills as knowledge in the user's brain as learned information; hence Chuck's startled discovery that he knows kung fu.

History[]

Whether due to their failure to capture the original Intersect or independently early in its original development, Fulcrum attempted to reconstruct their own Intersect. The earliest direct reference to this may be traced to Chuck Versus the First Date, after the organization attempted to steal the Cipher.

In Chuck Versus the Suburbs, after Sarah, Chuck and Casey infiltrate a Fulcrum-fronted suburb. Neighbor Sylvia Arculin informs Chuck that she finds him attractive, and attempts to entice him to visit her across the street sometime. When Casey finds out her husband has made bulk purchases of high power cabling which suggests he has been attempting to hack government information, Chuck is sent to visit her. She attempts to seduce him, and handcuffs him to a bed. Chuck manages to get the keys and escapes into another room, where he finds a computer running what is a test version of the Fulcrum Intersect. Chuck inadvertently starts the test, and collapses when the information is uploaded into his brain.

He escapes, however, and it is revealed that both Sylvia and her husband are Fulcrum. When they realized Chuck had survived the test and was unharmed, they capture Sarah, Casey, and Chuck, and force Chuck to upload the full version of the Fulcrum Intersect into his brain. He survives the upload, despite it being a more traumatic event than the initial Intersect upload. Casey, meanwhile has escaped and moves to run the test again while the Fulcrum agents are all in the test room and unprotected. Chuck protects Sarah, who is strapped into the test chair, and the pair ride out the run with their eyes closed. The Fulcrum agents, however, were severely damaged, all but three were either killed outright or completely debilitated.

In Chuck Versus the Dream Job, it is revealed that the Fulcrum Intersect project is being headed up by Ted Roark. Stephen Bartowski, a.k.a. Orion identifies this version of the Intersect as "Intersect 2.0", and calls it his baby. The device is significantly more advanced in appearance than the original Intersect and Beta Intersect, which used a traditional PC as its interface and required a cipher. The new Intersect, however, only uses a cube.

Roark has been unable to complete the project, but when Chuck breaks into the Roark Instruments, he comes across his father, who is attempting to get past several of Roark's guards. Chuck tranquilizes them, and the pair enter Roark's hidden Intersect room. Orion reprograms the Intersect 2.0 to try and remove the Intersect from Chuck's brain, but it doesn't work. Roark enters, and explains that there is a problem with Intersect 2.0, and captures Orion. He is told his son gets to live so long as he cooperates, and he is subsequently forced to complete the faulty Intersect.

In Chuck Versus the Colonel, Stephen reveals that he secretly did what he originally intended to do before being captured: he successfully reconfigured the Intersect 2.0 Cube to erase the Intersect images from Chuck's head. Team Bartowski rescues Stephen and captures the Intersect 2.0 from Fulcrum.

In Chuck Versus the Ring, Stephen tells Bryce that he knows the new Intersect 2.0 has undergone extensive modifications from his original design. When he asks Bryce what the new Intersect is capable of, Bryce replies, "You don't want to know." Bryce was slated to receive an upload from the new Intersect at the Intersect Base, though he also brought along a device made to destroy the new Intersect. Bryce was mortally wounded in an ambush from several Ring operatives while entering the Intersect chamber and told Chuck to destroy it. Instead, Chuck uploaded the new Intersect, and then destroyed the 2.0 using the power surge device. After less than a weekend without the Intersect, uploading this new Intersect made Chuck a Human Intersect again.

In addition to its intelligence data, one of the modifications to Intersect 2.0 was the instillation of knowledge of new skills; his first flash gave him the ability to do highly-advanced martial arts, allowing him to quickly dispatch several Ring agents surrounding him. Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak indicated that the changes added were designed specifically for Bryce Larkin, who was professional, calculating, and in total control of his emotions. Chuck's highly emotional nature, however, has a direct effect on the functionality of the Intersect and made it's behavior unpredictable.

The Intersect 2.0 features prominently in Season Three and Season Four, where Chuck uses it to flash not only on intelligence data, but also to learn skills like playing the guitar, using a zip line, languages, dancing, Parkour, martial arts, knot tying, and firearms training. As previously stated, Chuck is occasionally unable to "flash" using Intersect 2.0 if he is undergoing emotional stress, such as his situation with Sarah during the third season.

As of the second half of the third season and throughout the fourth season, Chuck appears to have control over his emotions as he is able to flash in high pressure situations. This may be due to him establishing pressure releases such as having Morgan back in his confidence and is no longer keeping secrets from his best friend.

Skill Flashes[]

The Intersect 2.0, like the former Intersect, gives flashes of information but unlike former models it can supply the human Intersect with skill flashes. Skill flashes occur when the Intersect supplies the host with information on how to perform physical skills, which ran the gamut from kung fu to defusing bombs. He flashes on these skills as they become useful for solving problems, which in Chuck Versus the Colonel occurred just as Sarah was put in mortal danger. When Chuck is not always able to get these flashes , because of his emotional nature having a direct effect on the functionality of the Intersect he can be heard to say such things as "Flash, dammit!" as he tries to force access to the needed knowledge.

In early episodes of the third season, these skill flashes are shown to be very strong, causing him to react automatically to the flash. In Chuck Versus the Pink Slip, he had to make a concerted effort to resist throttling Emmett, while in Chuck Versus Operation Awesome he almost unconsciously launched into an angry tirade berating a customer in her native Thai, and then reflexively kicked Lester in the face.

The Laudanol pill Chuck took in Chuck Versus the Tic Tac, showed that Chuck could perform coldly, ruthlessly, and efficiently if the emotional factor was removed from his flash skills.

Sarah comments at one point, that it looks like Chuck "Saw something really bright and tasted something really sour at the same time" when he flashes.

Known Abilities[]

Negative Effects[]

In Season Three, it is revealed that long term use of an Intersect in a human brain may start having negative effects on that brain. It is possible that we saw this effect at the end of the second season when Orion flashed on the agents taking Bryce to have Intersect 2.0 uploaded, resulting in Orion suffering pain. What makes this even more likely is that Orion doesn't have a governor on at the time.

The negative effects the Intersect can been seen as bad flashes where the intersect images interfere with the users vision causing them pain. Chuck began to experience vivid nightmares that were eventually traced back to the Intersect itself, and Chuck's therapist expressed concern that the Intersect may overwhelm Chuck's mind entirely. During the final two episodes of the third season, the condition worsened while Chuck flashes on information or skills, causing him to suffer random flashes of information and a lingering ringing noise in his head, and severe headaches. This prevents him from recovering from the flashes, leaving him vulnerable. After he 'reboots' in Chuck Versus the Ring Part 2, however, this effect is greatly lessened, and the restoration of the Governor his father made, eliminates the problem.

As of Season Four, Chuck begins using the Governor at all times. The research Ellie completed via the Laptop, looking at the Intersect from the point of view of a doctor, not an engineer,solved these problems.

Related Articles[]

• Laptop Intersect - A different Intersect 2.0
• Ring Intersect - The Ring's Intersect 2.0
• Intersect Glasses
• Intersect 3.0