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Alias: Truth Takes Time

Vaughn: "No one should have to hunt down their own mother, no matter what the circumstances are."

About halfway through the episode, I realized that it was Emily, not Irina, who would be killed – but it was still a good red herring.

One thing has changed for me, though. I now believe that Irina really loves Sydney, possibly much as Darth Vader loved Luke, because of (1) Irina telling Sloane, "Never talk to me about your love for Sydney again," and of course, (2) because Irina called Sydney's name in order to get her out of the building. To further the Darth/Luke comparison, Sydney and Irina have now both shot each other, and even in pretty much the same spot.

Jack now has operational control of the task force, and wow, is Kendall pissed. It's clear that Jack's first priority always was, and still is, his daughter. I was very relieved that Jack wasn't fooled by Irina after all; it would have been out of character for him. I'm also very amused by Jack and Irina having sex in the last episode, all the while thinking they were outwitting the other; Jack must have injected Irina with the passive transmitter somehow when they were in bed. I'd give money to see that.

This episode makes Sloane's character even more interesting. What a compartmentalized man he is, able to love Emily to the point of giving up his quest for immortality for her sake, but still able to do tremendous evil. I was actually relieved that Emily couldn't go through with her betrayal, because I found it difficult to believe that she would do it in the first place. That last scene with the two of them together was very powerful. He even forgave her for wearing a wire. What is he going to be like now that she's gone? And will Dixon pay a price for killing her, even though it was an accident? (Poor Dixon!)



Sydney has now had both of her mothers return from the grave, and she has lost Emily twice. Is she also going to lose Irina twice?

Bits and pieces:

— The Morse code through the earrings was exceedingly weird. I think it would have made more sense for it to say "Trust no one" instead of "Truth takes time." (Although Sloane at one point also says, "What I'm pursuing is truth." I've been assuming it's immortality, but now I wonder.)

— The Sark/Vaughn scene on the stairwell was very well done, even though we all knew Vaughn had to be wearing a vest. Also, it looks like Vaughn's problems with "internal affairs" or whatever last week are now a non-issue, since all that happened was that his clearance was downgraded.

— The opening credits, absent for weeks, are back.

— It was great to see Will at the conference table again. I like it.

— Alt-Francie has bought a present for Vaughn. How weird is that? If it was a tie, what possible reason could she have? What's wrong with the tie?

— Poor Emily. At least they won't have to buy a new burial plot for her.

— This week's itinerary: Tuscany, Stuttgart, Florence.

All in all, a standard good Alias episode. Three out of four spies,

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

4 comments:

  1. Way to go, Jack! I should have known that he's too smart to be fooled again. And it's a delicious irony that in the previous episode Kendell told Jack that if the mission to capture Sloane went well, Jack would have his job...only to have the mission go completely wrong, and Jack gets his job.

    Poor Sydney, indeed. How many mother figures can one woman lose? And is it a terrible twist that the earrings, which seemed to be a solely sentimental gesture on Irina's part, turned out to be a spy gadget? Or, since they communicated Irina's one constant message (originally heard in the season opener, right?), are they earrings still a lovely symbol of mother-daughter love?

    Sydney looked very pretty at the genetics lab, but I miss her sexy outfits and crazy wigs.

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  2. Ugh, I can't stand Emily. I mean, I get the whole 'stand by your man' thing, but Sloane is just pure evil. I understand it must be a tough position for her, but the man has killed people. Plural people.

    I'm sorry, nothing excuses Sloane. Not even loving his wife as much as he does (which is, apparently, quite a lot). PS. The way Emily says 'Ribolita' makes me want to punch her in the face for no reason.

    Great review! I should add Alias to my rewatch list. For now, I just watch random episodes at the gym. Jennifer Garner's abs are downright inspiring. And ridiculous. Did you know she ate mostly yogurt while filming?

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  3. Another bit of ret-con that has always bothered me. In the episode where Sydney and Jack are in Cuba, she tells her dad that she was never very good at Morse code; yet, here she is decoding it like it is nothing. It wouldn’t have been too big a stretch for Vaughn to know it and give Sydney the letters.

    I was so relieved that Irina that Jack was onto Irina. Makes much more sense and, as you say, is much more in character.

    Like sunbunny, I am not sorry to see Emily go. She’s never been a very strong character and her “betrayal” never felt right. Like Kendall, I thought she was part of the master scheme and was setting them all up, but it turns out that she’s just weak. Unable to take any side at all, and it costs her dearly.

    You’re making me feel guilty, sunbunny. I am not at the gym watching these; I am baking bread. Carbs and no workout. No wonder I don’t have Garner’s abs. :-)

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  4. Yes, Sloane is evil, but he does/did love his wife. That was clear by the look on his face as he climbed into the helicopter. Of course, if he had any honor, he would have stayed behind and taken the heat. But, again, he is evil.

    I guess Sydney has learned a tough lesson. She cannot trust her mother. Ever. Not even a little. That sucks.

    Way to go, Jack!! We needed Jack to outsmart Irina and he did. I love him and Victor Garber!

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