Vaughn is good, and he's eye candy. I still have trouble with the idea of Mr. Cutie-Pie Boy Scout going rogue. Thankfully, that part appears to be over.
The plot is thickening, and relatives are coming out of the woodwork. The dysfunctional spy family, the best part of Alias, now includes Vaughn's father and someone named A. Sloane, who bears a strong resemblance to Arvin. To top it off, Auntie Katya is back, and as devious as ever.
Katya is a puzzle. She is obviously working on Nadia for some reason of her own, possibly on Irina's behalf. (Note how she told Nadia that Irina was a thief as a child... just like Nadia.) But why? And why did she tell Sydney, "I had no intention of killing you; nor did your mother." Really? Where are they going with this? One of the main reasons I love this show is, I don't have a freaking clue. It keeps me tuning in.
Bill Vaughn is alive. Bill Vaughn is dead. Chocolate! Peanut butter! Which is it? Those photos were convincing; I think Bill Vaughn is alive, because what would be the point of all this if he's not? And of course, Irina must be alive, too. I noticed that Katya referred to Irina in the present tense a couple of times when talking to Nadia. Later, Arvin did the same thing – again, with Nadia. From which I conclude that Arvin and Katya both know Irina is still alive.
I love what they've been doing with Marshall this season; the Jack and Marshall show has taken an unexpected and touching turn. Marshall is the only one who knows what happened to Jack. He was willing to get in trouble with Sloane to test Jack, and nag him into seeing a doctor. All I can say is, that large scale genetic mutation thing? It better be reversible somehow.
And finally, what a cliffhanger. What's with Sloane Two? He perpetrated the Bill Vaughn hoax. He tried to steal the Rambaldi instruction manual. He set up the hit on Sydney earlier in the season. Is Sloane Two another Rambaldi player who happens to be Arvin's brother? Is he just impersonating Arvin? Is he deliberately framing him? Whatever it is, what perfect casting. Ron Rifkin and Joel Grey look enough alike to be brothers.
Bits and pieces:
— Sabina, the blonde Russian ex-CIA recruit who came on to Vaughn, sounded a lot like Lena Olin. I thought Sabina and Vaughn had some interesting chemistry there.
— Dixon just keeps getting crunched this season. No good subplot for Dixon yet. Let's hope they're still planning to involve him with Angela Bassett in some future episode.
— How likely is it that Dixon would show up on a Vaughn rogue mission, even with the Rambaldi connection? Suspension of belief, anyone?
— Am I nuts to want Sark to be a member of the extended family, too?
— Numbers, numbers, numbers. Katya is prisoner 41958 at the Quantico Women's Detention Center; Jack's medical test was labeled Patient 17; the service ticket for the music box was 112402, and the account number for "A. Sloane" that Sydney got from the music box was 001-87456829. My point? Not a single 47 in the bunch.
Quotes:
Scarface: "I've been watching you for an hour."
Vaughn: "Yeah? Am I your type?"
Sydney: "I like a clean sink."
She cleans sinks when she's worried. And she runs when she's upset.
Vaughn: "Consider this the second time you've been rejected by the CIA."
This week's...
... itinerary: Paris, Bordeaux, Darmstadt, Santiago. And isn't Quantico in Virginia?
... language skills: I love it when Vartan speaks French.
... hot look: Not much to choose from this time, although I loved the coat Sydney was wearing when she picked up the music box, and Nadia's "Die-Hard Fan" t-shirt.
Lots of fun. Three out of four spies,
Billie
---
Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.
I've been looking forward to Joel Grey for a while, and it's great to see him introduced in this way. [The rest of this comment has been redacted for spoileriness.]
ReplyDeletePoor Vaughn, working through his issues and being used like that. I appreciate that the writers want to give him some backstory with oomph like Sydney and Nadia have, but--like you, Billie--I would have also welcomed some Sark family drama.
Jack's genetic mutation is frightening. What if he grows a second head? He'll be doubly genius and able to see everyone's endgame.
I, too, love Sydney's coat.
Do French security guards really wear berets? That's adorable. I mean...that's totally intimidating.
Cool episode of Alias, definitely one of the hottest and coolest shows of all time. :)
ReplyDelete