Which -- and it took two seasons, both parents, and Ellie getting married to get us to this place -- brings it back around to a nonromantic, nonsexual, non-gendered reiteration of that same issue: X isn't Y's equal without the Intersect but X can't have the Intersect until X becomes Y's equal. Which takes Y out of the conversation altogether and says, "X can't have the Intersect until X has the Intersect," and the only way to do that is work the math so that X sub 1 equals X sub 2, which he only rarely does at this point, due to him equating Spy with the Intersect rather than being a skilled human being.

In other words, x != X until Chuck realizes all spies are Batman, not Superman.

Except for Chuck. (Well, and Sarah's constant flow of hot, dark-haired homosexual boyfriends that somehow also end up with the Intersect, but we can talk about those next week.) Which is why this is absolutely my favorite storyline of the entire show that doesn't include Bryce Larkin, because it's the only conceit of the show that absolutely must be ripped apart at some point: What does Superman do without Earth's yellow sun, except find new ways to be super?

Okay, so the microdot is heavily encrypted, but so far it's showing some photographs and some blueprints of CIA assets: The Belgian's selling CIA intel and not really a diamond at all. And also there are 20 diamonds total. Casey and Walker are still on microdot duty, while Carmichael and Rye are tasked with capturing the Belgian and his stones. And because nobody knows what's on there -- and SPOILER ALERT it's so contrived that nobody could possibly foretell it, anyway -- they're all treating this as Code Red.

Especially Walker, who once again demands to join them in Switzerland. Still unsure if the Intersect is a Boy/Girl thing or just a regular Boy thing, Chuck surprises everybody, including himself, by asking that Sarah stay at Castle. She's like, "No but okay, but this is actually dangerous." Chuck's hurt reply -- "I'm sorry, and I can only handle fake danger?" -- is as bitchy as it is valid, so she does her Sarah Walker thing and switches viewpoints instantly: "Well, yes. The Intersect is a big deal. But also Agent Rye's been pulling this shit for days now and it's not working, and this diamond is clearly majorly killworthy. This is Advanced Dangerous, not Regular Dangerous." Chuck won't budge. Things get weird.