Chuck & Echo: Building Superheroes in the 21st Century

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to preview the first five episodes of the new season of Chuck, the delightful spy-action-comedy-romance-drama hybrid on NBC that returns for a third season on Sunday. When we last saw Chuck, way back in April 2009, he’d downloaded the Intersect 2.0, a program that gives him the ability to “flash” on not just information (that’s what was in the Intersect 1.0), but also skills. Like kung fu, playing the guitar, speaking Thai, and hand-to-hand combat. As I watched those episodes, it struck me how similar Chuck is to Echo on Dollhouse, another character with multiple skills and intelligences downloaded into her brain. The similarities are striking, which made me wonder: is this the new 21st century superhero? The person whose extra abilities are imparted by, basically, computer programs? Let’s take a look at our heroes.

The Technology

Summer Glau's Bennett holds Eliza Dushku's Echo hostage and imprints her with a new memory. / FOX

They aren’t born with it. They aren’t zapped with radiation or bitten by a spider. They don’t have special suits. No, our new superheroes are enhanced thanks to databases and binary code.

The plot device that allows Chuck to be a hero of sorts is a computer program called The Intersect that was downloaded into his brain in the pilot episode. It’s a database of image-encoded information from various intelligence agencies. When he sees or hears something that triggers a “flash”, the Intersect shows him a series of images that impart information about a person, item or heinous plan. At this point, he was still reliant on his own physical aptitude – he’s something of a bumbler who doesn’t like guns – but with extra intelligence. At the end of season 2, however, he was briefly de-Intersected then decided he does want to be a hero and re-Intersected himself with the new Intersect 2.0 which added physical knowledge to the intelligence database. In other words, now he can “flash” on a skill, like hand-to-hand combat, when needed. Mostly. This show has a strong comedic throughline, so the flashing doesn’t always go as planned.

Echo also has skills and knowledge downloaded into her brain, but in her case she is being transformed into another person. Same body, different mental imprint. The imprints Topher gives her wipe out her previous persona, including her “real” self, and she becomes the new person through and through. Or at least she did, until the end of season 1 when Alpha nabbed her, dumped 40 imprints into her brain, and she retained them all. Now Echo can move between those imprints almost effortlessly, accessing knowledge or abilities as needed. So we have two characters with seemingly unlimited potential thanks to the not-all-that-unbelievable technology being used to manipulate their brains.

The Humans

Not only do Chuck and Echo both have additional data in their brains, those brains are “special”. It’s been established that Chuck is one of very few who can handle the Intersect. So far, he’s the only person who has successfully downloaded the Intersect. In an episode last spring, we saw bad guys die in a Raiders of the Lost Ark homage as they attempted to download the Intersect while Chuck shielded partner/love interest Sarah from seeing the images.

Likewise Echo is special in that within a year of becoming a Doll, she began to show signs of growing beyond the childlike state their brains are wiped to between assignments. Since then she’s not only regained some of her real memories but successfully integrated multiple personalities into one functioning brain. The only other Doll to carry so many imprints at once is Alpha, certified insane sociopath.

The Teams

Chuck returns with Sarah and Casey as his handlers. / NBC

Neither of our heroes exists in a vacuum, because where would the fun be without sidekicks? Both have handlers, supporters, people they need to protect and tech support, to different degrees. Chuck as Sarah as a handler/love interest; Casey as a handler/reluctant friend & supporter; Ellie as a sister/person to protect; and Morgan as tech support (sort of)/BFF/person to protect. This season Chuck also has a brother-in-law who knows his secret and wants to help although the spy thing is more of a challenge than he anticipates.

Echo has Paul as a handler/love interest/former adversary; Boyd as a former handler/reluctant friend & supporter; Sierra as a psuedo-sister/person to protect; and Topher as tech support (but not BFF). This season Echo also has Adele DeWitt, boss at the LA Dollhouse, who knows her secret and wants her to help bring down the corporation that owns the Dollhouses.

Others are involved in their lives to various degrees, but it’s interesting that both have such similar people surrounding them.

The Battles

Chuck demonstrates a new super skill: playing guitar. / NBC

Chuck is a more external show in that it deals with bad guys who are terrorists or thieves or assassins. The Big Bad this season is The Ring, a mysterious group who wants the Intersect for their own presumably nefarious purposes. Chuck has just come through 2 years of trying to get the Intersect out of his head so he could lead a “normal” life, only to decide that he does in fact want to be the hero. In the first episode of season 3, he makes a very difficult decision between “normal” and “hero” that has some serious repercussions, but by the third episode, he’s made peace with his decision and when a new mentor appears in episode 4, he’s excited about becoming a real spy and gaining control over the somewhat erratic new Intersect.

Dollhouse, on the other hand, focuses on internal battles. Initially Echo was fighting to remember who she was before becoming a Doll and breaking out of the Dollhouse to return to her former life. After accomplishing both of those goals, however, she realized that she could not let her fellow Dolls stay imprisoned, so she returned to the Dollhouse to help bring down Rossum, the corporation that owns the Dollhouse organization.

Superheroes on the Rise

Echo's combat skills come in handy. / FOX

Echo has embraced the multiple imprints and learned to navigate them quickly, becoming a serious threat to the many baddies out there trying to keep her from taking down Rossum. Chuck still struggles to master the Intersect, however, in addition to learning how to be an effective spy.

Perhaps it’s good that Dollhouse is ending in a couple of weeks; it would seem that Echo is near the end of her hero’s journey already. After she presumably defeats Rossum (let’s not declare victory too soon; this is a Joss Whedon show, so happy endings aren’t guaranteed), where would she have to go from there? She’s a superhero with a wealth of knowledge and abilities, seemingly invincible. All she needs is flexible body armor to stop any stray bullets.

Chuck, on the other hand, has simply reached a new stage in his quest to be a hero, navigating his upgraded abilities thanks to the Intersect 2.0 and saving the world while keeping those he loves safe. I’m looking forward to watching him as he continues the journey, although I hope he doesn’t lose is adorable Chuckness in the process. From what I’ve seen so far, I don’t think he’s in danger of that.

Dollhouse returns tonight at 9/8c on FOX; Chuck‘s third season premieres Sunday at 9/8c on NBC with two episodes, followed by another new episode at its regular time Monday at 8/7c.