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Alias: The Enemy Walks In

Irina: "Tell me, Sydney. Who sent you here? You must tell me."
Sydney: "Or what? I'm grounded?"

Fun and exciting, although I was mildly let down.

This episode was mostly a resolution and re-set of last season's cliffhangers, with a good deal of material aimed at bringing new viewers up to speed. Which is okay; I really do want this show to acquire a big audience, so I don't have to fret about it being picked up every year.

It did include an intriguing introduction to Mommy Deadliest, a.k.a Laura Bristow, a.k.a. Irina Derevko. It was clever of them to have her shoot Sydney right at the beginning; it made her seem capable of anything, and every time she showed up, I had no idea what she would do. (Plus I thought it was extremely creepy the way she intimated that she should have killed Sydney as an infant.)

The rest of it was a little too pat. Dixon is no longer a threat to Sydney's cover, because Jack covered for Sydney. Sloane is also under control again, for the same reason. Will's exposé has been negated by portraying him as a heroin addict... yes, Jack again. Spy Daddy is quite the fixer here.



The one plot point I found myself most intrigued by is, what the hell really happened to Vaughn? Sure, great, he can swim really well, he got himself out of danger... but then what happened to him? Why move Vaughn to France if they were going to harvest his organs? Was Khasinau about to surgically implant a homing device?

Bits and pieces:

— Same cast, with the addition of Lena Olin as Irina, and David Anders as Sark, and a new saga sell. I liked last year's intro by Sydney better, though.

— Did Irina really kill Khasinau, or was it a red herring? Is Vaughn's buddy Weiss really dead, too?

— There were some gross out moments: Khasinau with the scalpel on that guy's forehead, followed by Sydney stabbing Vaughn with the adrenalin needle.

— So Sloane did kill his wife, Emily. Possibly with her consent. He supposedly loved her deeply; how can this turkey live with himself?

— Here's a question. Are Irina and Jack still married?? I must admit that Jack is probably my favorite character, and I can't wait to see these two people alone in a room together.

— Are you telling me that a non-Asian woman with blue hair isn't going to be noticed in Taipei, even in a hazmat suit?

— Vaughn (or Vartan, the guy who plays him) has a tattoo on his upper left shoulder. What was it?

— The basic re-set of characters and plot had one major change. Will, Syd's friend, will never be the same again, and she no longer has to lie to him. Plus, hey, his life is totally ruined. Lots of plot possibilities there.

— The scenes with CIA shrink, played by Patricia Wettig, might be a fun continuing plot line this season; Jack and Sydney are going to be dealing with major trauma, with Irina back in their lives.

This week's...

... itinerary: Cliffhanger clean-up in Taipei, short trip to Cap Ferrat, France to plant a bug in Jean-Marc Ravais' office. (Ravais is an associate of Khasinau's, right?) And a trip to the Port of Barcelona (looking a bit like the Port of Los Angeles) to get the Bible.


... hair report: Jennifer Garner's hair has been lightened a bit and looks longer. Loved the blue wig from the last season ender, and the blonde wig with that incredible dress in Cap Ferrat.

... most romantic moment was Sydney and Vaughn after his rescue, gazing speechlessly at each other.

I'm intrigued, and waiting breathlessly for next week. What does Irina have planned for our heroes? As she said at one point, "Truth takes time." Wanna bet it takes the rest of the second season?

Very good episode,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

4 comments:

  1. This was a bit of a let-down, especially the focus on bringing in new viewers. Did you review these episodes as they aired, Billie? Marathoning is much more satisfying.

    I can't say enough good things about Lena Olin. I hope I look like her when I'm that age. I hope I'm that poised, intimidating, and resourceful.

    The Dixon plot did resolve too quickly: has he forgotten about Sydney's knife wound to the upper arm? Really, though, the Dixon plot is frustrating because I want him to be in the know. He would want to know he's working for the bad guys. Why not tell him?

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  2. Yes, I reviewed this series while it was airing. And I agree that marathoning can be a lot more fun. I've been considering lately doing Alias again because I haven't watched it since it ended and I honestly don't remember a lot of the twists and turns.

    Enjoying your comments very much, Josie!

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  3. Although there was a lot of exposition and re-telling of last season's stories, I like this for the introduction of Irina. Lena Olin is simply amazing.

    I also thought it was a good idea to give Sidney someone other than Vaughn in whom to confide. The fact that Will knows her secret just opens up all kinds of story possibilities.

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  4. Who doesn't love Lena Olin? She is just beautiful.

    Nothing really struck me this time around beyond what everyone else has said. Not the greatest season opener, but still fun.

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