Alias: Breaking Point

Marshall: "You're going to bust her out, aren't you? Kick some NSC booty? Can I just say, love?"

All of Sydney's men galloped to her rescue. This is one of those episodes that I watched with a huge grin on my face. Well, except for when they were torturing Sydney. But seeing Jack, Vaughn, and Sloane band together to break Sydney out of jail was just so much fun. They even recruited Shaft to help them do it.

I was relieved that Sydney didn't fall for the "prisoner in the next cell" trick, as good as he was. I kept going back and forth about whether or not he was a plant, right up until the moment Lindsey had him beaten and stabbed in front of her – and then I was sure he was. And Lauren shot him. Good for her.

This was a decisive episode for Lauren. She was finally forced to take sides, and it couldn't have been an easy decision. To her credit, she chose the right side, which makes her harder to dislike as a character. I must admit I was hoping she'd ally with the opposition so that I could hate her. She and Vaughn just don't feel married to me. Is this intentional on the part of the writers? Or am I just fixated on wanting him with Sydney?

I was absolutely certain until this episode that Sloane was still evil and manipulating everyone somehow. Now, I'm not so sure. Sloane may have Rambaldi's healing formula thing, whatever it is, but still – Sloane actually took a bullet for Jack. With Emily dead, are Jack and Sydney truly all Sloane has left? Could he actually be... sincere? Nah. Couldn't be. As Jack surmised, it must be because Sloane needs something important from Sydney.

So what are they all going to do now? Start their own covert agency for hire in Zurich?

Bits and pieces:

— The credits ran at the beginning of the episode. This never happens. I think they like to run the credits at odd moments to surprise the audience.

— Neurostimulation involves serious yuckiness, reminiscent of that really bad Hannibal Lector sequel.

— Jack only wears glasses during surgery. :)

— I was really pleased that Vaughn recruited Marshall.

— The music that was playing during the FEMA break-in scene ("What do I have to do... to prove my love for you") was just perfect.

— Sloane: "As usual, Jack, you're in danger of outsmarting yourself."

— Jack's stash was an absolute hoot, and totally in character. "The fact that you're even letting me see this place means it's not your only one, is it?" "You're smarter than you look."

— I hope they bring Richard Roundtree back. He only got a couple of scenes.

— After what Lindsey just did to Sydney, I bet Jack will eventually kill him.

— This week's itinerary: There was a conspicuous lack of exciting destinations. We got Los Angeles, Los Angeles, the L.A. river, and the desert outside Los Angeles.

Excellent episode, and lots of fun. Four spies,

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

• Next episode
  
• Alias season 3
  
• Alias home