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Sarah Walker Bartowski

Sarahs5icon
Sarah as she appears in Season 5

Seasons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Portrayed by: Yvonne Strahovski
Status: Alive
Occupation: CIA Agent (seasons 1-4),
Wienerlicious counter (cover, season 1),
Orange Orange counter (cover, seasons 2-3),
Head of Burbank Buy More and Carmichael Industries (season 5)
Aliases: Sarah Bartowski (season 5)
Sarah Carmichael (working alias, season 5)
Jodi Jullian (Chuck Versus the Dream Job)
Elana Truffaut (working alias, French Diplomat)
Jennifer Burton (juvenile alias, high school)
Katie O'Connell (juvenile alias, Wisconsin)
Rebecca Franco (juvenile alias, Cleveland)
Mrs. Anderson (working alias, 2005)
Mrs. Charles (working alias, season 3)
Giant Blonde She-male (nickname, season 4)
Mrs. B (Morgan, seasons 4-5)
Angel (Jack Burton)
Sam(season 3)
Relatives: Chuck Bartowski (husband/soulmate)
Jack Burton (father)
Emma (mother),
Molly (adoptive sister)
Eleanor Woodcomb (sister in law)
Devon Woodcomb (brother in law)
Clara Woodcomb (niece),
Stephen Bartowski (father in law, deceased)
Mary Bartowski (mother in law)
Relationships: Chuck Bartowski (husband),
Bryce Larkin (ex-boyfriend),
Daniel Shaw (ex-boyfriend)
Residence: Echo Park, Burbank, CA
Appearances: All


Quote1
Without you I'm nobody, I'm nothing but a spy.
Quote2


Sarah Walker Bartowski, known throughout the series as Sarah Walker, was probably born May 1982, although at least one false passport, seen in Chuck Versus the Helicopter, had her birthday listed as 30 November 1979. She is a CIA operative initially sent to Burbank to assess Chuck Bartowski, the recipient of the last contact sent by her former partner apparently gone rogue, Bryce Larkin. She is a main character in NBC television series Chuck.

She is portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski

History[]

Sarah Walker grew up apparently splitting her time between her grandmother and her father, although the details are lacking. Her father, Jack Burton, made his living as a con man and apprenticed his young daughter to the grift.

YoungSarah

Whenever Sarah spent time with her father, they were on a con. She went through a dozen aliases before she entered high school. It was then, after her father's arrest in San Diego, that Sarah was recruited by the CIA. She was taught to trust no one, to rely upon herself, and show no weakness. She worked with CIA handler Kieran Ryker, who proved himself untrustworthy, and with partner, Bryce Larkin who apparently betrayed her trust as well.

At the time of the Pilot, Sarah becomes one of Chuck's government handlers, along with Colonel John Casey of the NSA. The three of them form the CIA-NSA joint black-ops team Operation Bartowski.[1] She is assigned the task of protecting Chuck after he unintentionally uploads the Intersect. From her first interaction with Chuck, she found herself liking him, and told him so.

Chuck Bartowski[]

As part of her cover, Sarah poses as Chuck's girlfriend. One of the complications, and a focus for the development of her character through the series, is that, although initially she insists the relationship is only her cover, she grew steadily closer to Chuck, and ultimately fell in love with him. While Sarah was at first reluctant to either recognize or acknowledge her feelings for Chuck, every other character readily picked up on her attraction to him.

Sarah's DEA associate, Carina Miller, was one of the first to recognize that Sarah's feelings for Chuck are more than merely professional. [2] In Chuck Versus the DeLorean, Sarah's father also realizes she is genuinely attracted to Chuck, and he to her. Agent Roan Montgomery[3] in Chuck Versus the Seduction also discerns that she has feelings for him, pointing out to Chuck, who thinks otherwise, that "the lady doth protest too much." Ellie, Casey, MI6 agent Cole Barker, Devon Woodcomb, and her own ex-boyfriend, Bryce Larkin all commented at one time or another on her obvious attraction to Chuck.[4]

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Chuck and Sarah's first kiss.

The development of Chuck and Sarah's relationship is hindered by Sarah's insistence that their connection is nothing more than her cover and by Chuck's tandem interest in actually finding a real relationship, as demonstrated in the episodes Chuck Versus the Truth and Chuck Versus the Ex. She does, however, display a willingness to go to great lengths for him, even being prepared to draw her gun on another CIA agent who is attempting to take him into custody in Chuck Versus the Marlin, [5] and she encourages him to go on the run in Chuck Versus the Colonel to avoid protective custody.

In Chuck Versus the Truth, when Chuck and Sarah are exposed to a potentially fatal truth serum, Chuck asks Sarah whether she sees any future with him. She says no, but it is later revealed that she was only able to deny her feelings because her CIA training included being able to withstand the effects of pentothal, and she admits that she might have compromised herself without such training. In Chuck Versus the Imported Hard Salami, however, when she believes they are about to be killed by a bomb, Sarah desperately kisses Chuck to his shock and delight.

As early as Chuck Versus the Marlin, Sarah is shown to have a deep understanding of, and sympathy for, Chuck. She realizes that he could not process the possibility of being sent underground into permanent custody if presented Casey's blunt way. But when she tries to gently introduce the possibility, he immediately insists that she “Say it. Say what you're not saying,” indicating he was beginning to learn who she is and how she thought too. When Chuck is about to be taken off to a CIA internment facility, she holds his manacled hands and promises to tell his family and friends the right things. In Chuck Versus the First Date, when it seems that Chuck is about to end his time as a CIA asset, she is very complimentary of his performance and encouraging about his potential, “You can do anything, I've seen you in action...anything you wanted you could have.” In Chuck Versus the Seduction, when Roan Montgomery scoffs at Chuck's ability to romance a woman, she jumps to his defense, saying he has a lot to offer, that he was “passionate and sweet and caring...I promise you, Chuck Bartowski, on his own, can seduce this woman.” She tells Chuck not to take Roan too seriously, and, when he replies that he doubts he'd be charming anyone, she says, “Why not, it worked on me.”

SarahInjured

Sarah is injured in Chuck Versus the Break-Up.

During the first half of Season Two, Chuck and Sarah steadily begin moving towards establishing a real relationship, and begin when Sarah agrees to go on a first "real" date with Chuck (Chuck Versus the First Date), in anticipation of the Second Intersect going online and his expectation of a chance at a real life – neither realizing that General Beckman and Langston Graham have ordered Casey to terminate Chuck as soon as the new Intersect is operational.[6] When, however, The Cipher was found to contain a Fulcrum bug which destroyed the Intersect and killed Graham, Casey was spared the distasteful task of killing Chuck.

Chuck's growing relationship with Sarah is derailed by Bryce Larkin's return.[3] She is initially torn between Chuck and Bryce, because she and Bryce had had a close relationship that ended with his supposed death less than a year before. But, after a few more episodes, Sarah's feelings have clearly shifted toward Chuck. When Sarah is admitted to hospital in Chuck Versus the Break-Up, Bryce is spotted by Ellie and Devon lingering outside Sarah's room. They had been told that he is Sarah's ex, and when Devon takes him in to examine his injury, he explains that Sarah has feelings for Chuck, stating clearly that the pair are deeply involved. Bryce then advises Chuck that a personal relationship between he and Sarah could endanger their lives [7] and that he trusted Chuck to 'do the right thing.' Chuck then spoke to Sarah about how they could never have a real relationship because of who they were – a talk that obviously broke both hearts.

The following episodes show that Chuck and Sarah's feelings for each other continue to grow despite the 'breakup', as Chuck finds out more about Sarah's past. This is seen most strongly by the emotional support Chuck provides Sarah when a mission in Chuck Versus the Cougars forces her to revisit part of her childhood,[8] and later when Sarah's father appears in Chuck Versus the DeLorean.[9] In Chuck Versus Santa Claus, Chuck gives Sarah his mother's charm bracelet, a gift Sarah says is something he should save for a "real girlfriend", to which Chuck responds "I know."[10] In Chuck Versus the Lethal Weapon, Chuck tells Sarah that he is crazy about her, and tells her that when he gets the Intersect out of his head, he's "...going to live the life that I want with the girl that I love."

Sarah's emotional connection to Chuck leads to her being replaced as Chuck's handler in Chuck Versus the Broken Heart, as Beckman was concerned those feelings could jeopardize the mission. The replacement agent, Alexandra Forrest, fails to effectively protect Chuck, however, and he refuses to work with her further because of her ruthless operating procedure. Sarah's feelings and deeper understanding of who Chuck is, and not just an asset, give her an insight that warns her that Chuck had been abducted when she sees he left his phone in his room, and locates his watch in the courtyard fountain. Beckman reluctantly acknowledges Sarah and Chuck's emotional attachment is actually a benefit to their working relationship rather than a detriment, and she allows Sarah to resume her role as his handler. During this time, Sarah made an unauthorized search of the CIA database at Langley for Chuck, to locate his father when his own efforts failed. She goes with Chuck when they track Stephen Bartowski down to a trailer near Barstow, CA. Sarah's willingness to provide support for Chuck during Chuck Versus the Dream Job when he reunites with his father again clearly indicate her more than just professional feelings for him.

ChuckSarahColonel

Chuck and Sarah in Chuck Versus the Colonel.

In Chuck Versus the Colonel, General Beckman orders Sarah to lure Chuck to Castle so he can be taken into custody. Sarah objects, and, although she tries to go through with her orders, in the end, her feelings for Chuck lead her to warn him that he is about to be taken into custody, and that they have to run.[11] When Chuck points out that by doing so she is committing treason and could go to prison, she merely says, "I know." While on the run, Chuck and Sarah spent the night in a motel, and are forced to share a bed. In the morning, no longer able to suppress their feelings for each other, they begin to kiss passionately. When Chuck searches his wallet for a condom, however, all he finds was an "IOU" from Morgan, and then Casey's arrival ends the interlude.

In Chuck Versus the Ring, Sarah is reassigned by Beckman to work on the new Intersect project with Bryce, but when questioned by Bryce at Ellie's wedding, she reveals she has chosen to stay with Chuck. At the reception, Chuck tells his father that he is in love with Sarah.

The first half of Season Three sees Chuck and Sarah's relationship collapse. In Chuck Versus the Pink Slip, it is revealed that six months prior, when Chuck uploaded Intersect 2.0 and was offered spy training in Prague by General Beckman, Sarah was worried that it would change him if he became a real spy.

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Escaping the Ring in Chuck Versus the Pink Slip

She offered to meet him at a Prague train station, and run away with him, taking new identities, and leaving the spy life behind. Chuck initially accepted, and he meets her at the train station, but, in the end, he refuses to go with Sarah, citing this as his one chance to become a real spy, explaining that he has an ability to help others which is unique. When Chuck is then dismissed from training as a failure, he attempts to call her, but she throws her phone in a pool when she sees it is him. Chuck comes to the conclusion that he has to do something if he wants Sarah, and he infiltrates Casey and Sarah's mission so that he can try to talk to Sarah. She is not interested, however, and tells Casey to throw him out of the restaurant. Chuck flashes just as he was being kicked out and realizes that the courier who Casey and Sarah expected to find is, in fact, an assassin for The Ring. Chuck manages to get back into the restaurant by posing as the guitar player for the mariachi band performing that night, and, when he sees the assassin's laser sights flickering between Sarah's head and the mark's, he throws himself from the stage and onto Sarah to protect her. Despite saving her life, Sarah was angry that he jeopardized the mission.[12]

In Chuck Versus the Three Words, when Carina Miller returns to take a mission with Team Bartowski, Chuck attempts on numerous occasions to talk to Sarah but she is unwilling to listen. Sarah was still deeply hurt and she is cold to Chuck, but Carina harshly points out to him, "You idiot, the reason Sarah is cold is because she loves you. Now get your head out of your ass, and go be a spy." When Chuck is later locked in a vault that is filling with gas, and he believes he might die, he attempts to talk to Sarah through the vault door to explain why he did what he did. She didn't hear, however, as she was in the ventilation shaft above, turning off the gas valve to save Chuck. She then manages to take out the guards, and opens the doors herself, just as Chuck finished his speech with the words, "I love you," and collapses. Later, in Castle, when Chuck is recovering from the gas, Sarah holds a video conference with General Beckman, where she requests a transfer, saying Chuck's feelings for her may be making his control of the Intersect worse, not better. Beckman refuses to transfer her, telling her to get on with her job. At the end, Carina supplies Sarah with tape of Chuck's full speech to her, and she finally understands why he refused to run.[13]

Ringbase-otherguy

At work in Chuck Versus the Other Guy

In Chuck Versus the Angel of Death and Chuck Versus Operation Awesome, Sarah warms to Chuck once more, even supporting him when he refuses to allow Devon to work on behalf of the CIA or NSA. When Chuck meets Hannah in his first solo mission on a flight to Paris, they begin a brief relationship, which effectively puts things between Chuck and Sarah on hold.[14] In Chuck Versus the Fake Name Chuck ends his relationship with Hannah when he realizes that his feelings for Sarah are still very much present, and he cannot keep Hannah safe, or tell her the truth about him. Meanwhile, Sarah begins a tentative relationship with Agent Shaw.

In Chuck Versus the American Hero, when Shaw finds out that Sarah unknowingly killed his wife, Evelyn Shaw, during her Red Test, their nascent relationship ends. Shaw leads her to a warehouse, which he claims is the Ring headquarters. When they enter, Sarah believes it to be a trap, and activates her beacon. Shaw reveals that she killed his wife and she, visibly upset, begs his forgiveness. Chuck, believing that Shaw plans to kill Sarah, arrives along with several dozen soldiers, air support, and a tank to rescue her.

It wasn't until Chuck Versus the Other Guy, that Chuck's belief that Sarah is in danger from Shaw was borne out. Chuck and Casey follow Shaw and Sarah to Paris to save her from him. Chuck finds them together with the Ring Director, and Shaw has drugged Sarah so that she is conscious, but unable to move. Shaw tries to subdue Chuck to keep him from interfering, then takes Sarah to a bridge over the Seine where he plans to throw her in. But, while Casey deals with the Director, Chuck recovers a gun, and follows. Threatened by Shaw and terrified for Sarah, Chuck shoots him, and he falls into the river.

You saved me

"You saved me."

As Sarah recovers in a hotel room in Paris, she recalls the events of the previous evening. Chuck explains, "I couldn't let him hurt you, Sarah. Trust me, I did what I had to do, but I'm still the same guy, I'm still Chuck." Sarah then realizes what Chuck did for her. She says, "You saved me," and kisses him. They are interrupted by a call from Beckman ordering them back to Burbank, but they shut off the computer. As Chuck starts to speak, Sarah interrupts him with, "Shut up and kiss me." He climbs into bed with Sarah, and the pair finally consummate their relationship.

Chuck Versus the Honeymooners sees Chuck and Sarah attempting to run away from the spy life together, however, they both realize that they want to be spies and be together, and so, in Chuck Versus the Role Models, Beckman orders them to observe Craig and Laura Turner, a married couple who also happen to be spies. The Turners bitter relationship and their betrayal of them on mission, however, stuns them and Sarah must point out the they are not the Turners, to which Chuck wistfully responds, "Yeah, I know. But I kind of liked the idea that we could become them." When Sarah decides, in the end to cover for the pair, after they save the younger couple, Beckman tells her, "I just hope you and Agent Bartowski were able to learn something from these two exemplary operatives." And Sarah replies that working with the Turners was 'quite humbling.'

Chuck Versus the Tooth again highlights Sarah's protectiveness towards Chuck, when his mental condition is thought to have degraded as a result of Intersect pressure. When he is admitted to a CIA mental facility for observation after having disturbing dreams relating to a possible Ring agent, and then acting on them, she not only visited him but, took a tooth he had smuggled into the facility after the confrontation that got him confined, to test it, believing all the while he is going to be proved correct. Finally, she visits the psychiatrist, Dr. Leo Dreyfus (Christopher Lloyd), to explain how special Chuck is, and, in the end, she leads the charge to save Chuck from attackers at the facility.

In Season Four, Sarah establishes herself as Chuck's partner in the field rather than just his protector. Sarah is, however, still very protective of Chuck. In Chuck Versus the Fear of Death, Chuck has lost the Intersect, and, although she assures him that he doesn't need it to do great things, but when he puts himself at risk to regain it, she blurts out he isn't a spy – not right now, which both angers and hurts Chuck. This episode begins to show that Sarah has come to rely on Chuck for her own well-being, and that she is willing to do anything for him. When Chuck is kidnapped by The Belgian, she crosses many lines trying to find and rescue him, including breaking the law by kidnapping someone from a foreign embassy.

Sarahwalker412

Sarah as she appears in Chuck Versus the Gobbler

She next dedicates herself to ending Mary Bartowski's (Linda Hamilton) 20 year mission and restoring her to her family. Mary is working under cover with international arms dealer Alexei Volkoff (Timothy Dalton), and in order to bring down Volkoff, and return Mary to Chuck, she goes to great lengths to establishes herself as a double agent and begins working inside Volkoff Industries, going so far as to push Casey from a 20 story window, at his suggestion, to establish her credentials with Volkoff.

In Chuck Versus the Balcony, Chuck tries to find the perfect place to propose, but Sarah uncovers his plan, and subverts Morgan into working for her to make sure Chuck is successful, orchestrating events herself so that he will be. In the end, however, the perfect proposal is thwarted through no fault of Chuck's. When the moment finally comes, Chuck quietly proposes to Sarah in a hospital corridor without outside help, and she happily accepts.

In Chuck Versus the Seduction Impossible, however, Sarah and Chuck have a disagreement about eloping or having a family wedding. She eventually explains to him her reluctance stems from the fact she has no family or friends to invite, but she says she realizes his family is her family. By the end of the episode, Sarah agrees to the family wedding and lets Chuck into her past.

In Chuck Versus the Cat Squad, Chuck invites Sarah's old team, the C.A.T. Squad to Burbank so that she has someone there for her for the wedding. This becomes a disastrous event when the squad is forced into a mission to capture their nemesis, Augusto Gaez. Sarah's conflict with teammate Zondra is reignited. In the end, the C.A.T. squad discovers a mole in their midst, while Zondra and Sarah mend their friendship. Carina and Zondra agree to be Sarah's bridesmaids.

Littlecomfort

Mary notes Chuck and Sarah's moment

In Chuck Versus the Family Volkoff, Sarah hands Chuck a prenuptial agreement to sign. Chuck, under advice from Casey and Morgan, uncharacteristically signs the prenup without talking about it, which throws Sarah off. Sarah admits that it was unusual, and it gave her Chuck's point of view on the prenup, "...it kind of threw me when he just signed that prenup.... but now I see what Chuck's side of it would have been like. Flipping out about our relationship, boiled down to the contents of an envelope. Seeing the end before we've even started.... it's more about what it dredges up for me. My relationship with my family and having to take sides." At the end of the episode, Sarah tears up the document and tells Chuck to forget about it, but happily signs Chuck counterpoint prenup which states; "I, Sarah Walker, promise to always love Chuck Bartowski. In return, he will always love me. I promise Chuck that I will not even contemplate the word 'divorce,' and I will never use my prenup. "

In Chuck Versus the Wedding Planner, Chuck and Sarah are conned out of their wedding money by their bogus wedding planner. As a con-man's daughter, she is furious that she got taken. They accidentally get every branch of the US government involved to search for their con artist and get suspended for abusing their position in the agency. Sarah engages her father for intel on the con artist, but never mentions the wedding. He discovers their wedding plans anyway and helps run a sting to help them to get reinstated. When he leaves, he gives her money for her wedding, Sarah did not invite him to the wedding knowing he would not show up; nor did he.

During Chuck and Sarah's rehearsal dinner in Chuck Versus the Last Details, Vivian Volkoff uses the Norseman on Sarah, leaving her near death.

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Sarah poisoned

While Ellie and Devon are able to keep her alive, she sinks into a coma and her condition deteriorates. Chuck, Casey, and Mary go rogue in order to track down Volkoff and get the antidote. Eventually, Chuck runs out of options and simply turns himself over to Vivian, pleading for Sarah's life. He gives up the pair of new, clean identities meant for him and Sarah so that Vivian and her father can start over. Vivian agrees and provides Russian special forces team to help deliver the antidote.

Chuck delivers the antidote in time to save Sarah and marries her in an emotional ceremony where even Casey was seen to tear up. Sarah calls Chuck 'a gift' who makes her the best person she could ever hope to be. As a wedding present, Hartley hands over 877 million dollars in assets from Volkoff industries, allowing them to fund their own freelance spy agency, Carmichael Industries.

In Season 5, Sarah's devotion to the spy life wanes, subtly at first, but more pronounced in later episodes. She becomes more comfortable with her emotions and believing in her friends, rather than relying on distrust, suspicion, and self-sufficiency. The start of this mind set begins most notably in Chuck Versus the Frosted Tips, when she believes that Morgan's drastic change in attitude was due more to a malfunctioning Intersect than a power trip, even when Chuck believes that Morgan was simply acting like an over-confident ass, as he had once before.

She further displays a disconnect from her spy life when she tells Chuck, in Chuck Versus the Baby, that she doesn't want to rejoin the CIA. She suggests that Carmichael Industries become a Cyber Security Company, focusing on Chuck's primary strength with computers, and minimizing the amount of gun play they would be subjected to, in Chuck Versus Bo.

Sarah5

Carmichael Industries Operative

When Nicholas Quinn's emergence and the re-introduction of the Intersect glasses lead to the team having a "last mission," Quinn kidnaps Chuck in the aftermath and offers to exchange him for the glasses; pinned down with limited ammunition, Sarah opts to upload the flawed Intersect in order to save herself and Casey.

Unfortunately, during the mission to rescue Chuck, Sarah is captured by Quinn, who realizes that she has the faulty Intersect. He then forces her to flash repeatedly, instigating memory loss in order to manipulate her to steal the Intersect and kill Team Bartowski. Chuck, however, discovers and swaps out the Intersect glasses she took. When she later holds Ellie hostage, Ellie chooses to crash her car when she sees Sarah is not wearing a seat belt and knocks her out. Chuck then takes Sarah back to their dream home, hoping to coax her memories back. But when he lets her go, she attacks him and steals the glasses. She then notices and remembers the initials she and Chuck carved into the door post earlier.

Quinn soon tracks her down, takes the glasses, and admits he lied to her. When he shoots at her, Chuck throws himself in the way of the bullet, saving her life, and, although wearing a vest, the point blank shot takes him down. He urges Sarah to flee.

Sarah then goes in pursuit of Quinn, learning that he is trying to reassemble The Key, a device that can modify the Intersect's original function. When she fails to stop him on a plane, she returns to Chuck to ask for his help. They track Quinn to Berlin, where, by coincidence, she and Chuck re-enact situations from the pilot. She did, however, make the mistake of assuming that Chuck would kill Quinn when the opportunity arose. When he did not, Quinn escapes, and Chuck accidentally shoots down Casey's helicopter.

Locked in Castle, Sarah is convinced to work with the team against Quinn. When they finally track him down, Sarah is forced to shoot Quinn when he goes for his gun. Chuck, who wished to modify the Intersect to implant Sarah's lost memories in her brain, now realizes that he must upload it himself to access the information to defuse the bomb, in order to save Beckman and the audience in a concert hall.

After Casey gives her back her own case notes in video format, she did believe she had or did love Chuck, and that he was telling the truth about the depth of their love. Later at the Base, Morgan tries to show Sarah the wedding montage video, but she declines, gets angry, and leaves. Later, in the courtyard, Morgan tells Chuck that he knows where Sarah is, all he has to do is 'listen to his heart and go to her' and that when he does, he needs to kiss her and it will all come back to her.

Afterward, Sarah feels unsure of herself because most of her memories of the last five years are still missing. Chuck finds her on the same beach he retreated to in the pilot, and asks her to trust him, just as she asked him to do when they first met. Sarah asks Chuck to tell her their story and is clearly moved by Chuck's recounting of their relationship, from their first encounter at the Buy More to their wedding, and life as husband and wife. She is seen both laughing and crying. When he finishes, Chuck tells her that Morgan believes that her memories will return if Chuck kisses her. One magic kiss. He tries to laugh the idea off, but Sarah stops him and tells him to kiss her. The series ends as Chuck and Sarah share a kiss on the beach.

Development[]

On February 12, 2007, Australian actress Yvonne Strahovski was announced[15] for what was then the role of "Sarah Kent," joining Zachary Levi (Chuck) and Adam Baldwin (Maj. John Casey). Prior to beginning of filming the character's name was changed to Sarah Walker. Strahovski was unable to come to the US for audition, so the producers allowed her to make her audition via the internet.[16] The character is a reversal of typical action film gender roles, with Sarah Walker portraying the protector and fighter while Chuck is the more emotional "brain".

Strahovski herself is highly active and performs her own fight scenes. She says this one of her favorite parts of the role, especially the fight scene in Chuck Versus the First Date against Michael Clark Duncan's towering Mr. Colt.[17] She also speaks fluent Polish, which she worked into the role several times including in the Season One episode Chuck Versus the Wookiee

Dance

Sarah and Chuck

Very little of Sarah's background was revealed in Season One other than her relationship with Bryce Larkin and her middle name. Attention is paid to her past in the first half of Season Two, however. In June 2008, Nicole Richie was announced as appearing in a role of a former classmate of Sarah's from high school,[18] and in September, Gary Cole was revealed to be playing Sarah's father, Jack Burton in Chuck Versus the DeLorean .[19] Season 5 introduced Sarah's mother, Emma and gave information on Sarah's life before the show events. Only five episodes, Chuck Versus the Cougars, Chuck Versus the DeLorean, Chuck Versus the Balcony, Chuck Versus the Wedding Planner and Chuck Versus the Baby provided any significant information on the character's past, and most of her development has focused on the character's relationship with Chuck, and her growth as a person not just as a spy.

Jonathan Cake appeared as an MI-6 agent, Cole Barker as part of a three-episode story arc, in which the agent and Sarah explored an attraction. This was followed by an appearance by actress Tricia Helfer, who played Alexandra Forrest, a CIA agent assigned by General Beckman to take over as Chuck's CIA handler. Agent Forrest was assigned because of Beckman's concerns over the developing relationship between Sarah and Chuck.[20]

By Season Four, Sarah acknowledges a real relationship with Chuck. Dubbed "Giant blonde she-male" throughout Thailand on her search for a kidnapped Chuck, Morgan sees it as proof that she truly loves Chuck, Intersect or no. At the end of Chuck Versus the Balcony, Sarah volunteers for a mission to bring down Volkoff Industries, to help Chuck get his mother back after nearly two decades of undercover work. In Chuck Versus the Gobbler, Sarah has become a double agent under a setup by General Beckman working for Alexei Volkoff.

Personality[]

Although a highly-trained and competent CIA agent, Sarah is capable of being warm, kind, and compassionate, although she can return to her former ruthless self when required.[10] She lacks Chuck's open and trusting nature, but displays a great deal of intuition about others' characters; case and point, Sarah quickly recognized that Chuck was just a regular guy and not a threat, and chose to protect him from the NSA team led by John Casey.[21]

She is also shown to be much more understanding and sympathetic to Chuck's situation than Casey, and is highly protective of her asset, well beyond the requirements of her mission. Casey only seems concerned with physical threats to Chuck's safety, Sarah as concerned for his emotional wellbeing. She typically objects to any orders by Graham and Beckman to put him in dangerous situations, and openly warned both Lou[22] and Jill[23] — with whom Chuck had brief relationships — not to hurt him. In Chuck Versus the Broken Heart, John Casey tells Chuck's replacement handler, Alex Forrest, that Sarah was the best agent he has ever worked with.

Sarah is quick to acknowledge and reinforce Chuck's own abilities beyond the Intersect and has told him on several occasions that he is a hero and a great spy.[6][24] During a hostage situation at the Buy More, Sarah promises Chuck that she would never let anyone hurt him, and proves determined and willing to go to any extreme to protect him. This is clearly demonstrated when she chooses to execute an unarmed enemy agent who had learned Chuck was the Intersect, and thereby threatened Chuck as well as his friends and family.[10] Although she denied any romantic interest in Chuck for a long time, even justifying some of her actions as a result of acting impulsively, she seems to be unable to fool other characters, notably Ellie, Carina, Roan Montgomery, Bryce, and Casey. On many occasions she openly acknowledges a desire to remain friendly with Chuck on a personal level, until the end of the second season, when she and Chuck share some intimate moments. She objects to lying to or concealing information from Chuck and using him without his knowledge.

Family and Relationships[]

Little information about Sarah's real life was revealed in the course of the series, and as a result, she is shown to be highly secretive, with a past built around false identities. She jealously guards her personal history, and once even threatens Chuck when he attempts to learn more about her.[8] As a nod to continuity, when Sarah does talk to Chuck about her past and family, she continues to use the name "Burton", as she has not revealed, even to Chuck, her real name.[9][10] In the episode Chuck Versus the Cougars, her father is shown being arrested by the ATF.

C&S

Partners

Jack Burton is first seen in Chuck Versus the DeLorean, when he is visiting Sarah in Burbank. He is a con man and a pickpocket who isn't aware of his daughter's job. He guesses that she is "some kind of cop" which Chuck confirms. Sarah's mother is not mentioned until Chuck Versus the Balcony, when Sarah tells Chuck her mother's family owned a restaurant from which her mother and her family escaped from her dad's "nightmare proposal" with only minor burns. Emma is finally introduced in Chuck Versus the Baby when it is revealed Sarah deliberately cut herself off from her mother to keep her, and the child Sarah gave into her care, safe.

Sarah on many occasions has been shown to become very frustrated when the people close to her who keep secrets, especially Chuck. Ironic, considering how closely she guards her own past. Whenever it seems Chuck is keeping things from her, Sarah goes to great lengths to find out why and what he is hiding. When Chuck and Morgan were secretly searching for her dream house, Sarah realized they were keeping a secret quite quickly, and when direct questioning didn't work, she seduced the answers out of Chuck. When Chuck has keeps secrets from her, Sarah is usually shown to be either angry or very hurt, especially after she found out from Shaw that Chuck had kept from her how the Intersect 2.0 could be affecting his brain.

Zoomcharah

"You tell me things that you don't tell other people."

Sarah has often been shown to mask her emotions and she seldom lets anyone in close enough to see how she genuinely feels. Bryce Larkin,[7] Casey,[22] Carina,[2] Roan Montgomery,[3] and even her father[9] have all had dialog pointing out that she is indeed in love with Chuck, although Sarah herself wouldn't admit it until Season 3. Her father who had to be convinced there was a connection between her and Chuck, commented on how he "made a $10 million bet" that Chuck loved her. Chuck is one of the few people she has allowed to get close to her, and in the few times she has been in a vulnerable state, Chuck has been the one there to offer comfort and support, in Chuck Versus the Zoom he points out, “Husband. It's my official title now, I have a ring to prove it. You tell me things that you don't tell other people.”

She never completely shut herself off from her emotions, and through her time with Chuck, learns to trust them again.

Skills[]

She is skilled in a variety of espionage techniques, and is adept at taking on different roles and covers. Sarah's cover previously had her working at the Wienerlicious[25]—a restaurant across the street from the Buy More—and later at a frozen yogurt shop called the Orange Orange.[26] She has also portrayed a ditsy party-goer,[2] the efficient personal assistant to "Mr. Lichtenstein",[9] a hotel staff member,[27] a call girl,[23] a waitress, a scientist,[28][29] and a member of the Nerd Herd.[30] Sarah has also used her appearance both as a distraction and an angle on missions as well, at times flirting with or seducing the team's targets when needed.[2][24][31] Sarah speaks several languages, including Polish,[2] Russian[27] and German,[9][32] and can easily turn on an Australian or English accent,[28] She has also displayed domestic skills, and can cook in the right circumstances.[33] In Chuck Versus the Angel of Death she reveals she spent a year on Secret Service detail.

Vs Intrsct 132

Knife Skills

Sarah is highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, including against multiple enemies and even managed to hold the substantially larger Mr. Colt at bay.[6] She is also a very good shot with extensive firearms training. Most notable is her expertise in the use of throwing knives, the extent of which caused Stephen Bartowski to assume she had an Intersect as well, and is one of the skills witnessed by Graham that led him to recruit her into the CIA.[8] She typically wears several throwing knives in a sheath strapped to her leg when her wardrobe allows,[8][21] and has also used specially-designed hair pins for the same purpose. Sarah has also shown that she is a skilled pilot as seen when she talks Chuck through the procedure of landing a helicopter and takes control of a 747 plane.[21]

Several episodes have implied that Sarah envies the "normal" life Chuck desires to return to. There are indications that she is concerned that Chuck's experiences in espionage work might not only threaten him physically, but might also disillusion him and destroy his kind, trusting nature. She fears that his involvement in the spy world will change him into someone she could no longer recognize, akin to her own experience.

There have been various hints to Sarah's similarity to Chuck when it comes to their curious nature. In Chuck Versus the A-Team, she and Chuck realize that Casey has been going on missions without them. Sarah expresses a great deal of curiosity about the situation, as did Chuck. The two agree to tail Casey. The two got themselves into trouble themselves, however, when they believed Casey was in trouble, just before unveiling themselves to be Casey's teammate on the covert operation. Throughout the episode, both Chuck and Sarah feel neglected and pushed aside as Casey's new team from the NCS begin to take their spotlight. The two take this as a challenge. By the end of the episode, they finally managed to prove their team's superiority, ultimately leading to the NCS team being disbanded, and Casey returning to Team Bartowski.

Name[]

Although she has been called Sarah Walker since she was a teen, it is not her real name. It is a name that Langston Graham gave her when he recruited her into the CIA, after the arrest of her father while she was still in high school, as seen in Chuck Versus the Cougars.

TeenSarah

Jenny Burton

Throughout the series, she has had numerous names, but she appears to have adopted the name Sarah as permanent, as even her mother uses it when introducing her to her adoptive sister in Chuck Versus the Baby. It has not been announced if the name Graham hints at on her birth certificate is actually her real name, or if it will ever be revealed.

In Chuck Versus the Wookiee, she asks Chuck, "Do you really think my name is Sarah..." during an argument, and later quietly admitted her middle name was Lisa. In the episode, she and Carina must introduce themselves to each other by their current cover names despite having worked together in the past, apparently under alternate aliases.

In Chuck Versus the Fake Name, she indicated to Shaw her name (or nickname) was originally Sam, however, Sarah Lisa Bartowski (nee, Walker) is listed on the marriage certificate.

She has also been:

Jennifer Burton (juvenile, San Diego)

Katie O'Connell (juvenile, Wisconsin)

Rebecca Franco (juvenile, Cleveland)

Elana Truffaut (working alias, French diplomat)

Mrs. Anderson (working alias, pre-2007 with Bryce)

Eva Anderson (working alias, season 2)

Mrs. Charles (working alias, season 3)

Sarah Carmichael (working alias, season 5)


Appearance[]

Sarah is a physically fit and beautiful woman. For the first four seasons, Sarah has long blonde hair. It was sometimes up in a ponytail or in pigtails - usually while she was working at Weinerlicious. In season 5, it was cut to shoulder length and given some curl. She has blue-grey eyes.

She keeps herself slim and in shape by working out in her apartment or sometimes sparring with others in Castle.

She is tall, almost 5'10”, and often enhances her height with high heels.

Trivia[]

  • Chuck has observed that she likes extra pickles on her burgers and doesn't like olives on her pizza. He noted this in his Intersect research on the back of his Tron poster as the only true thing he knew about her.
  • She is fond of rocky road ice cream.
  • Sarah's favored side arm throughout the series is the Smith & Wesson Model 5906.
  • Her dream is a normal life, a home and a family in a house with a white picket fence and red door, something she always thought was out of reach until she met Chuck.
  • She is a marksman, and with knives is deadly accurate. Her skills in close protection came from a year on Secret Service duty.
  • Even Casey acknowledges she is the better pick lock, and she can bypass a standard lock without apparent effort.
  • She chose the life of excitement, on the road with her dad, learning the con's.
  • Her bio indicates that she went to Harvard although this is unconfirmed. The real world CIA requires a Bachelor's degree for special agents.

References[]

  1. Chuck Cast and Crew, TV.com
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Chuck vs. the Wookie"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Chuck vs. the Seduction"
  4. "Chuck vs. the Ring"
  5. "Chuck vs. the Marlin"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Chuck vs. the First Date"
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Chuck vs. the Breakup
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Chuck Versus the Cougars"
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 "Chuck vs. the Delorean"
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Chuck vs. Santa Claus"
  11. "Chuck Versus the Colonel"
  12. "Chuck vs. the Pink Slip"
  13. "Chuck vs. the Three Words"
  14. "Chuck vs. First Class"
  15. Development Update: Monday, February 12, The Futon Critic
  16. Interview: January 23, 2008, YvonneStrahovski.net
  17. Interview: October 8, 2007, BuddyTV.com
  18. Cast Update: June 26, 2008, TV Decoder
  19. Cast Update: September 10, 2008, IGN.com
  20. Blog Entry: November 21, 2008,YvonneStrahovski.net
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 "Chuck vs. the Intersect (Pilot)"
  22. 22.0 22.1 "Chuck vs. the Imported Hard Salami"
  23. 23.0 23.1 "Chuck vs. the Fat Lady"
  24. 24.0 24.1 "Chuck vs. the Crown Vic
  25. Season One
  26. Season Two
  27. 27.0 27.1 "Chuck vs. the Undercover Lover
  28. 28.0 28.1 "Chuck vs. the Ex"
  29. "Chuck vs. the Sensei
  30. "Chuck vs. Tom Sawyer"
  31. "Chuck vs. the Third Dimension"
  32. "Chuck vs. the Sandworm"
  33. "Chuck vs. the Suburbs"

External Links[]

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