Has anyone seen Nadia?

(This may contain spoilers, beware!)

The synopsis for Episode 5.07 “Fait Accompli,” was released today, naming Mia Maestro and Michael Vartan as guest stars. Mia Maestro will be rejoining the cast of Alias reprising her role as Nadia Santos, the orphaned, former Argentine intelligence- turned APO operative, who is in a coma after her Aunt Elena injects her with tainted water.

Nadia has been on an emotional rollercoaster this year. After learning her father is international criminal, Arvin Sloane and her mother is a former KGB killer, Nadia moves in with her half sister, only to discover that her stepfather (?), Jack , killed her mother and that she is a link in some sort of 15th century prophecy. Phew! At least she had her goofy boyfriend Weiss to lighten the load. Now she is hanging on by a thread, as her father fights to find a cure for her illness. She’s been swept under the rug so far this season, as new characters and storylines make themselves known, but Nadia is back. In what capacity, we can’t be sure, but I am hoping her appearance will tie up some loose ends from season 4, and perhaps we will learn the true identity of her father. Jack or Sloane?

I did enjoy the dynamic between Sydney and Nadia in season 4. They have such a parallel history, neither of them knowing their mother, or their fathers for that matter, struggling to find a family in the people they work with. But, they finally finding family in each other. I hope that this dynamic can be explored again, though no word on Mia’s full return has been released. (She is currently shooting the block-buster remake, Poseidon).

Aside, learning of Mia’s return as Nadia, I couldn’t help but wonder…what will be Sloane’s motivation once Nadia is cured? Will he use is position at APO to turn on Gordon Dean or will he use it to join forces?

Extra: (*Possible Spoiler*) In the season 4 commentary of 4.02 “APO:Part 2” Jennifer Garner begs JJ Abrams not to kill off Nadia’s character, as Jennifer loved working with Mia. JJ reassures Jennifer that Nadia will only be sick, that she will not be killed off the show. This could leave Nadia’s character open for a full return, if the show goes into a sixth season. Also, during the commentary Jennifer excuses herself to finish filming the finale of season 4. JJ mentions that it is the best finale of all Alias seasons, and to hold on people, because we have tons planned for season 5. According to my calculations, Alias finished filming season 4 in late April. Hence, JG might have been pregnant during the filming of the finale. Jennifer does make a comment about how skinny she looked in season 4 and how fat she is “now.” The commentary includes Ken Olin (I love him!) and Sarah Caplan (producer).

Episode 5.05 "Out of the Box"

Due to the major distractions I experienced while watching last night’s episode, and the complex plot and storyline that is the box, I walked away utterly confused. But in a good way! In an Alias way!

Let’s get down and dirty and try to alleviate some of my perplexity…

Roomies
Sydney doing yoga, Rachel in her old pajamas and the sweet, realistic nature of their morning conversation shot me straight back to season 1 and Francie. I love the idea of Rachel and Sydney living together. As Sydney mentioned, they are both in a transitional period of their lives, and who better to understand each other than Rachel and Sydney. I look forward to watching Sydney’s nurturing side surface, and seeing Rachel come out of her shell.

The Joker and Jack
In season 2, I believe Sloane approaches Jack in the very restaurant that they met in last night. Last night, Sloane asks to be reinstated at APO for Nadia’s sake and we learn that Jack has already put in the request. I was shocked! What? Jack wants Sloane back? And then I remembered; these two are in some secret cahoots. They have plans we are unaware of and having Sloane back at APO will benefit not only Nadia and Gordon Dean, but this hair-brain scheme that Jack and Sloane concocted in season 4.

Sloane is approached by the mysterious Shed contact and finally introduced to Gordon Dean, “one of his benefactors.” I am guessing there are either 12 benefactors (old Alliance roots) or 5 benefactors (hence, Prophet 5). Either way, Dean has a mole inside APO, a mole that will show no mercy if his daughter’s life is threatened. *Side note: I wonder if will occur to Gordon Dean to ask Sloane where Sydney lives. Sloane’s been there, he’s been in the house. Wouldn’t that make sense if you were trying to kill Rachel or Sydney? I suppose that’s just too easy for Alias.

I literally got chills watching Arvin Sloane waltz back into APO, Jack standing at the end of the corridor. And I imagine Sydney will not only get chills, but a serious case of déjà vu when she returns from her mission with Grace. Speaking of…

Side by Side
Grace and Syd side by side, I love it! I love him, I truly do. He’s not terribly smart when it comes to math and science, he’s a man of few words, but I can already feel chemistry between Thomas Grace and Sydney Bristow. Not in the Vaughn sense of chemistry, but in the Dixon sense. Grace and Syd are still learning to trust each other. They are still learning about each others strengths and weaknesses, which could mark a very fun friendship for the both of them.

Rienne on the Run
We find Renee held up in Marseille with her frozen papa, after ambushing a US storage facility in Frankfurt to steal a drug that can wake her father. Sydney and Grace find her just as daddy is waking, in a fit of hysteria after being on ice for 23 years. Did we not all grab a pen and paper and do the math? 23 years, Vaughn’s dad was killed in 1979, damn, that’s 26 years. Bugger! Ah, well, it wasn’t as if it was Renee’s dad anyway. It turns out Mr. Science Experiment was actually the doctor that developed the chamber, Mr. Aldo DeSantis. This we find out after the DSR files don’t coincide with the files recovered in San Francisco. DiSantis is extracted and is met by Dean. DiSantis says, “the girl is alive and she is working with the CIA.” Hmmm. So, this is where the trail failed me. I am lost! Is the man in the box really her father, just with a different brain? Or is it a different man all together? Because wasn’t it mentioned by Marshall or Rachel, that the files contained evidence that the frozen man had had a transplant? HELP ME! This storyline is giving me a brain-ache! But in a good way! In an Alias way!

Nod to Vaughn
Did anyone else shed a tear as the camera panned into the hockey rink? Were you not expecting to see Vaughn on the ice in his hockey gear? Instead we find Diane Lewis, the one woman keeping Sloane from reinstatement. We soften for Sloane as he pleads with Diane to let him return to APO, to use their resources to cure his daughter and then we cringe as he shares photos of Diane’s daughter and threatens her life. Good old Sloane! I love him this way! Smarmy and stealth! Welcome back Arvin.

Next Week on Alias
Ohhh, Rachel on her own mission! Can’t wait to see if the girl's got what it takes. So, what did you think?

PS. I recieved my season 4 DVD in the mail yesterday and I have already watched all episodes with commentary. I heart JJ Abrams and Ken Olin. I just love those guys. The Bloopers are great, especially the surprise appearance of Melissa George (aka Lauren Reed) that had the set in a freak out.

The Devil in Dixon?

He is a loyal servant of the US of A, former military deceived by Arvin Sloane. He is Sydney’s right hand man, played CIA Director for a spell and his whole family fell victim to the Covenant. Marcus Dixon is a whole-hearted American, focused on bringing down the evil of the world, and he’s smooching on CIA Director Chase. But is he harboring a secret agenda? Is there a dark side of Dixon that has been hidden by his love for Sydney and his children? Is his outward soft side balanced out by an inner darkness?

We first meet Dixon as Sydney’s loyal partner. We come to find that he is in the dark when it comes to the true workings of SD-6 and its allegiance to the country. We plead with Sydney to tell Dixon the truth and when she finally has no choice, he grows bitter and resentful. He returns to save her and joins the real CIA.

When Diane is killed in revenge for Emily’s death, Dixon goes on a Vicatin binge and switches the results of his drug test. This is the first time we see Dixon’s desperation and lack of control, up until that point Dixon had always been the rock. After Sydney returned from her missing 2 years, Dixon kept the truth from her, to protect her; complete role reversal from the first season.

It has been mentioned in several spoilers and speculations that Dixon may have turned on the CIA and that this season we will see a different side of Dixon, a sinister side. Dixon, as a character, has always distanced himself from the Rambaldi plot line, other than hacking into Project Blackhole for the Rambaldi box to save his children. If he isn’t involved in P5 or Rambaldi, what is he involved in? Is it connected to Sloane? Is he in on it alone? With Jack? What is next for our American hero?

Heartless Murderer or Secret Ally? By SRG

Again, a big thanks to SRG who has provided us with today's topic. Thanks! And happy viewing to all!

In my daily musings about Alias, two interactions between Irina and Vaughn came to my mind. I was thinking about the person in the box and whether or not its Vaughn's dad and if Irina helped Bill Vaughn fake his death. I suppose we’ll find out for sure tonight, but two scenes gave evidence to make this a plausible scenario.

One is from season 2, when Vaughn sees Irina for the first time after she's turned herself in to the CIA. When he's leaving her prison cell, she says "You look just like him," in reference to his father. I always thought that was a rather cold and heartless thing for her to say, him knowing that she killed his father. If in fact Irina and Bill were actually friends or partners in the Prophet 5 mystery, it seems more appropriate that she would make that comment, knowing that Bill Vaughn is alive and that she didn't kill him.

The second is in the season 4 finale when Irina tells Vaughn that he shouldn't wait to propose to Sydney and that she had seen the ring. He tells her something like "you killed my father, I don’t think I have to ask for your blessing". She doesn't have any reaction to his accusation, in fact she almost seems amused, and just continues on with her advice to tell Sydney about his “covert” activities. It seems that maybe deep down she knows she didn't kill Bill, so she doesn't feel any guilt or remorse when he says that to her. Also, the question comes to mind about how she knew what Vaughn was up to. Unless she’s somehow involved in Prophet 5, I don’t see how she would have found out.

SRG asks some great questions with this article. How do you suppose Irina is connected to P5? Do you believe Bill Vaughn is in fact alive? And if so, what is his connection to Irina, other than she is his “killer” and he “stole” Nadia from her?

Professional and Preggo

Sydney Bristow is pregnant. She’s the lead agent in a black ops division of the CIA and she’s pregnant. But, did we really think that would slow her down? She returned to SD-6 after they murdered her fiancé. She was back in the office the next day after being shot in the shoulder by her mother. Not much sidelines Sydney Bristow; not boyfriends, bullets or babies. Some have commented on the unrealistic actions of Sydney as an expectant mother, that writers have approached Sydney’s pregnancy carelessly. What these fans are forgetting is that 1) this is dramatic television and 2) we are talking about Sydney Bristow. It is very realistic for her character to be active, influential and not easily deterred. She wouldn’t be Sydney if she wasn’t out on missions, stretching her limits, meeting deadlines and nabbing the bad guys. And aside from being held 200 feet up in a car by a magnet, Sydney’s kept out of harms way. She is realizing her limits as an agent and her potential as a handler, which is a great transition for a character that will soon be feeding, burping and rocking baby to sleep.

As I mentioned in my article “Spy Bun in the Oven,” Alias took a turn when Jennifer Garner announced her pregnancy. Fans were worried that the butt-kicking that is Alias would disappear, and so far, we haven’t seen many fight scenes, with or without Sydney. She’s given her fair share of injuries, a couple swift kicks to the face, but the last four episodes have been lacking in physical action. I predict with the training of Rachel we’ll see more fight sequences, and as Thomas Grace gets more comfortable in his new position, he too will be breaking out the punches. And no worries, Sydney will be back once the baby is born (no doubt Garner is equally missing the action).

What are your predictions for Sydney as a working mother? Will we be seeing Baby Bristow-Vaughn in APO headquarters, being passed around the conference table? How can Sydney be a super spy and a super mom? Will Alias return to its Felicity roots with more Syd at home? And will Vaughn be back to be daddy?

The Role of Renee

She has spent 7 year working along side Michael Vaughn in a race to find out the truth about P5. She’s ranked 8th on the CIA’s Most Wanted list, and according to Sloane, she assassinated a Serbian diplomat and several CIA agents stationed in Istanbul. Now, she is in possession of the chamber, the box, the cryo-bed, where who knows has been sleeping on ice for who knows how long. She’s French, she’s sassy and she can’t be trusted. But who exactly is Renee Rienne?

Vaughn told Renee all about Sydney. He didn’t tell Sydney or us for that matter, anything about Renee. I can only imagine that when Mr. Jager from the FBI came to investigate Vaughn in season 2, that Jager was on to Vaughn’s deep cover, full fledged op involving Renee and their investigation into Prophet 5. We’ve been going back to old episodes, reviewing awkward moments, actions that couldn’t be explained, looking for the truth behind Vaughn’s illuminating smile and charming boy next dimples. Over the seven years of his rogue investigation, we’ve seen Vaughn as the tender boyfriend of Sydney the Super Spy. He plays hockey and poker, he loves Santa Barbara and he’ll do anything, including stand up to Jack, in order to protect his love. We’ve also seen him beat the pulp out of Sark, meet former-KGB killers in seedy bars, string Lauren up by chains and then proceed to kill her with three triangular shots to the chest. He went rogue in season 4, helping the Sloane Clone acquire the transistor coil to find out more about his dead father and all the sudden, there was a specific reason he became Sydney’s handler and his name isn’t Michael Vaughn?

Has Vaughn’s current outlandish behavior and deep-seeded bitterness towards to CIA related to his father’s death, all influences of the mysterious Renee? Do they have more in common than we know, than we think? What is your take on Renee’s role? Good? Bad? Is she Vaughn’s sister? Does she know more than she’s lead on? Will we ever get to see Vaughn and Renee working together, past or present?
*Spoiler below…..



And now that we know for sure that Michael Vartan has returned to the set of Alias and that he and JG were shooting on the beach…what do you think? Dream? Wedding?

"...Like she were your own daughter..." by SRG

Who be the daddy? Let's ask SRG, one of two new guests writers.

The question of Nadia’s true paternity popped up at the end of season 4. Irena Derevko’s coy “I wonder where she gets that from,” response to Jack’s comment about Nadia being “exceptional” raised my eyebrows as to its true meaning. Was she simply being sarcastic regarding the criminal and deceptive qualities of her and Arvin, or was Irena insinuating that Nadia gets her positive qualities from Jack, making him her true father? This question was slumbering in the back of my mind until I watched the “Mockingbird” episode last night. Hearing Sloane ask Jack to “Take care of Nadia…like she were your own daughter”, with a special emphasis and bitter tone on the last phrase, was like a 4-alarm waking up my snoozing theory. Does Arvin know something we don’t? Could Jack really be Nadia’s father? Here’s what we know about Syd and Nadia’s parentage and how they relate to The Prophecy:

Thanks to Uncle111’s well thought out timeline, Irena evidently had two affairs with Sloane, thus the confusion over whether he was Syd’s father. Jack had Syd’s DNA tested in season 3, which proved what we already knew to be true, that Jack is Syd’s father. So, that matter is (though, you never really know on Alias) settled.
In season 1, Jack, Vaughn and Weiss extracted Syd from FBI custody to prove that she was not “The Chosen One”, who it was said would never see the beauty of the mountain mentioned in the The Prophecy. HOWEVER, aside from Irena telling Syd she was “The Chosen One” in the season 2 finale, her identity as such was basically proven in the season 4 finale, when she was the only one who could destroy Rambaldi’s invention of the big-bad-red-ball-that-makes-everyone-a-nutter. Writer mistake or a storyline we will see again this season? We can only guess.
One of Irena and Sloane’s affairs happened right before she was extracted by her “car accident,” supposedly resulting in the birth of Nadia. Sloane tested his DNA with that of “The Passenger,” and it was a match. Nadia’s identity as “The Passenger” was confirmed by her delivering Rambaldi’s message through a series of drawings while being hopped up with Rambaldi fluid at the end season 3.

All of this seems to add up that Jack is Syd’s father and Sloane is Nadia’s, yet I can’t help but wonder what Irena meant by her comment, and if Sloane knows a truth the rest of us have yet to discover.

Thanks SRG! I look forward to having you post more on Let's Talk Alias!

The Cry of the Mockingbird by Robetron

Thank you to Guest Writer Robetron for this great in-depth look at last night's episode.

Before attempting any genuinely sophisticated analyses, may I just say, “OUR SHOW IS BACK!” We all had our doubts; some loudly trumpeted them; others left them unspoken, trusting in the integrity of the greatest television series to ever hit the airwaves. The three episode build up was a necessary evil, but there is no doubt (at least in my mind) after tonight’s episode that ALIAS is still as good as TV can be. It had humor; it had action; it had suspense; it had intrigue. Like the changes or not, everything just works in the way we all loved seasons one and two. That said; think with me about what I saw as the focus of this episode: The Cry of the Mockingbird.

Taking the introduction of the character of Rachel from the previous episodes into consideration, I cannot deny feeling like many of you out there. She cannot, must not, replace Sydney, but this seems like what the writers are trying very hard to do. This viewer-ship spans a pretty wide range of ages and sophistication, so those who look deeper into the show tolerate a little pandering to the superficial watchers who may not always “get it” unless the point is driven home. I think it is safe, at this point, to assume that we all see the parallels of Sydney’s past with Rachel’s current situation. We even appreciate the differences the two characters have in personality, though, as Rachel settles into her role, that gap seems to be narrowing swiftly. I am of the mind, however, that the whole comparison has been a little over done. It has been so emphasized that for the majority of tonight’s episode, I was still suspicious of Rachel’s motives. It seemed too convenient, especially since we have known what Syd’s major weakness is: empathetic suffering. I was clobbered over the head so often with Syd-similarities to Rachel’s plight that I was almost completely persuaded she was a “Trojan Horse,” as the call sign, “Mockingbird” can imply. Ah, but it was the final scene that solidified my confidence in her. I’ll get to that. Hold on a minute.

Let’s dish on some of the details. Regarding the giant magnet/ crane trap set by Dean, why don’t we all join-in on one big Joey Laurence “WOAH!” This was very cool, very original. The introductory scene left us struggling to think, “What is she going to do?” By the way, the out-of-chronology beginning was a staple of the best episodes in seasons one and two. It is good writing, and absorbs our attention through the whole show, sweating, biting our nails, twitching and bouncing as we wait for the resolution of the point of tension that we first see in the beginning. From a writer’s point of view: bravo.

Anyway, the trap Dean and Peyton set was brilliantly elaborate. “Accidentally” getting sloppy and allowing the CIA to hear irresistible information was pretty good (I can’t believe no one in the show saw this coming – they’ve all done it to other people). The remote control magnet-crane with a camera in the cab was an incredibly well thought out detail. Not only were we given testimony to their formidability as CIA foes, but we are also impressed by their resolve and depth of desire to have Rachel back in their clutches. This is also evidence of her intrinsic worth. She has already crippled Dean’s organization financially, and she knows their protocols well enough to take them down for good. Her OJT (On the Job Training) with the real CIA, however, is proving to be a “crash course” (excuse the pun). I am willing to admit it: they got me again. When that car dropped, shattered, and sat motionless for much too long, my heart jumped into my throat. (When I saw the car-crash at the end of season four, my heart rate was up for an hour after I came down off the ceiling.)

Oh, do not pass too quickly over the newest new guy, Mr. Mysterious who was sent to the other bird in the story, the jailbird, Arvin Sloan. At first, my question was, “Who is this new assassin and who is his mark?” He is turning out to be much more insidious than I had anticipated. He was not sent to kill; he was sent to extract. Dean and Prophet 5 are much more powerful than SD-6, the Alliance, or the Covenant ever was. They must have people throughout the national government, or at least have dirt on them for blackmailing. Common now, fess up; who really thought Sloan would refuse to make the deal? Trying to blackmail Arvin Sloan is like trying to poison a rattle snake. Sloan is all too familiar with the methods of navigating through struck deals to turn it to his benefit. As I suspected, the two stories are beginning to mesh.

I know the suppositions of romance have been flying long before the season ever started, but Rachel and Thomas Grace do seem to have an unspoken on-screen chemistry that is reminiscent of the Sydney/Vaughn early days. The sarcastic, “Wanna come over here and do the advanced binomial calculus? ‘Cause I’d be happy to stand there and watch,” was a little too snippy, but it does add toughness, a self confidence to the character that she previously lacked. This is the point at which I began to think the writers were trying to replace our beloved Sydney, something the Alias-faithful may come to resent. Whether or not this is the intent, I suppose, is irrelevant and what they are doing, they are doing well. I like her despite my resistance to her. (Agent Grace may not have had much development yet, but what we have seen of him is pretty cool too. I like the “tough guy attitude”, the chip on his shoulder. He is filling a place that has been lacking in every season, an alpha-male who is less cerebral and ready for action.)

Even through all of this, I still could not bring myself to trust ole Mockingbird. Maybe Lauren has me a little gun-shy; maybe my resistance comes from a place of jealousy for the emphasis Sydney is supposed to get, but Rachel always seemed to say and do the thing that you would expect of someone trying to get “in” with the Bristow-coalition. It was not until the final scene that I finally accepted her, and it was not because of anything she said or did so much as the cinematic way one thought was brought out in connection with the other. Let me explain. Rachel was concerned that she would never be safe. As Sydney would naturally do, she attempted to comfort her. Recognizing that the danger would not stop with the capture of Dean, we get a dramatic close up of Syd as she says, “I guess we’ll have to take them all down.” The picture then fades into the scene of Arvin Sloan walking away from his arraignment, free and clear. Without saying a word, we are told, that which brought Sydney into this life and the reason she continued with the Spy business was the necessity of “taking them all down” starting with Sloan. Sloan, who was her constant nemesis in SD-6, her thorn and continual threat after the fall of the Alliance, the source of her perpetual uncertainty while trying to deal with the Covenant, and the unbelievable aggravation as her boss at APO, the monster, the cause of the loss of everyone she ever loved in the civilian world and several within the spy world – was again walking free in the world. No, Rachel; it never does end, but if it is any consolation, we’ll all be out here watching, supporting, and cheering for you and Sydney.

All you Alias-addicts out there stay tuned: more tear jerking, heart pounding, armchair gripping, mind boggling action and suspense is sure to come.

Episode 5.04 "Mockingbird"

Must do it...I cannot withstand the urge… “Mock, yeah. Ing, yeah. Bird, yeah. Mockingbird.” So sorry, I apologize. I have been guzzling a double grande mocha this morning. On to more pressing issues…last nights episode!!

Well, it was another filler episode, but one of great importance. Let’s see, hmmm, where to begin. How about the beginning?

Sydney: Let me just say, Jennifer Garner and Sydney Bristow both were having far too much fun playing a semi-whitetrash pregnant gambler. I do believe both ladies “aren’t like other moms.” And, just another day in the office is right. Preggo as all get out and she's keeping her cool 100-200 feet high, in a car, on a crane. Boil water, get some sheets because anyone else would have had that kid right then and there.

Rachel: She is Mockingbird. Mockingbirds sing, and she's singing about Dean and all his little secrets! She’s scared and confused, and doesn’t doll-faced Rachel Nichols play the part so well? Returning to Prague was a necessity. She worked through the urge to vomit, which is always a good sign. Callback: All Rachel needed was a red wig as she scribbled away at her debrief and we would have been back to the pilot. Congrats to Syd for offering a healthy sandwich, unlike Vaughn’s plate of donuts and pastries. Callback: Rachel in the trunk. Oh, back to the day when Jack and Vaughn broke Sydney out of custody. To prove the prophecy wrong, Vaughn had to cart Sydney around in the truck to flee the police/FBI/DSR.

Thomas: He is Sidewinder. Either he’s a small rattlesnake of the southwest United States and Mexico that moves by a distinctive lateral looping motion of its body and has two hornlike scaly projections above its eyes or he packs a powerful swinging punch delivered from the side. Either way, I like the name. It suits him. I loved him and Dixon together, getting comfortable with each other, playing off each other. We hadn’t seen much of Vaughn and Dixon working side by side. It’s nice to see Dixon with a guy for change. Did ya notice? Did you notice the look Rachel gave Tom as he opened the trunk? Wink, wink! And their little flirty, intense banter as she decoded the passcode? Oh, knocking boots is right.

Mean Dean: The man is running. From the CIA. He cleans out all his accounts (Callback: Ariana Kane cleans out her accounts in order to frame Jack for the murder of Emily Sloane) and he thinks he’s free and clear. No dice Deano. Rachel is alive and she’s smart. So, what is the head of a master crime unit going to do with no money? He’s going to get desperate. So, he makes a deal with the crime boss of all crime bosses, Arvin Sloane. Speaking of…

The Return of Arvin Sloane: I LOVE ARVIN as a baddie! Yahoo! We are back on the SD-6 train people and the destination is pure evil entertainment town! To save his daughter, he agrees to have Dean buy off the committee reviewing his case. Dean sends his little gofer (reminded me of Sark doing all the dirty work) and Arvin stands in front of Boyt Harkin, Mr. Prosecutor and he slaps him on the wrist. Forget about atoning for your sins.

Also, Jack knows something is up. That look of utter shock during Sloane's sentencing was priceless. And, good Lord, the raging foreshadow as Sydney said, “we’ll just have to take them all down. Every single one,” as the camera cuts to Arvin Sloane, slow mo. Classic. So, will Sloane be playing Dean's mole in APO once he is reinstated? Will he be playing double-agent once again? Loyal to whom? Himself? I heart unholy alliances.

Also, Sloane, thinking he is about to spend the rest of his days in the slammer, asks Jack to be Nadia’s power of attorney. He asks him to watch out for her as if she were his own daughter!! Now many times are we going to hear this!!??? I demand a paternity test, pronto.

5th Hard Drive Down: Hmm, very Server 47 to me.

Extra tidbits: The bank account quotes, very interesting. Anyone have any insight??
-The select blood runs through Rouque’s heart.
-The future’s history is written in the ink of the past.
-What a mirror reflects lives eternal.
-If there was never a one there was ever the twelve.

All right, let's hear it... (PS. Next weeks eppy: Who do you think is in the box? Please don't say Rambaldi. I can't handle it. And a heads up, PEOPLE magazine has posted a pic of Vartan and Garner on the set of Alias this week. Check it out.)

The Jerks: The Department of Special Research

Ah, the Department of Special Research, a constant CIA antagonist and a body which has spent a considerable amount of time poking and prodding Sydney Bristow in an effort to better understand Milo Rambaldi and his prophecy. The DSR was created during WWII to investigate Nazi interest in via cult, and after the war an executive order was signed giving them the power to investigate fringe science, paranormal ecology and remote viewing.

We are first introduced to the DSR when Sydney’s face appears on the 47th page of the Rambaldi manuscript. Believed to be The Chosen One, Sydney meets Carson Evans, a hard-faced blonde with thick bangs and the insistence that Sydney is a danger to national security. As research director and DSR Rambaldi expert, Evans subjects Sydney to mental and physical tests to prove she is the woman depicted in the prophecy. Sydney is questioned by FBI Director Kendall about her involvement with SD-6 and her connection to Rambaldi. In season 3, the jerks (as Marshall refers to them) from the DSR take possession of the Rambaldi box, which contains Rambaldi’s DNA. Later in season 3, Kendall reveals himself as the Director of DSR and Project Blackhole, a Rambaldi research facility in the Nevada desert.

Seemingly an unlikely antagonist, the DSR slams Syd and the crew at various turns in their investigation. Jack, Vaughn and Weiss are forced to break Sydney out of FBI custody in order to prove she is not Rambaldi’s second coming and to protect her cover at SD-6. Kendall was in contact with Sydney during her 2 missing years, and only after discovering the Covenant’s intentions with Rambaldi’s tissue and Sydney’s eggs, does he reveal those years to her. Kendall is a constant road block in season 2, hashing out words with Jack and dolling out blackmail-fueled missions all in order to stay ahead of the Covenant. Though actor Terry O’Quinn, who so brilliantly portrayed Director Kendall, is now a main player on Lost, I hope we will see him again in the future. Now that P5 is the main threat, and has the potential to be as much of a mystical mystery as Rambaldi, maybe he can stop by to ruffle Jack’s feathers and coo lovingly at Baby Bristow-Vaughn! HA!

T.T.T.T (Things to Think about for Thursday)

Thursday is creeping up on us, and so is another episode of our guilty pleasure. And I say guilty pleasure because I probably spend more time analyzing, researching and writing for this blog than I do taking care of household chores (my laundry room and kitchen are slovenly).

As I re-watched 5.3 “The Shed,” I realized how much the feel of Alias has changed. The pilot and season 1 were geared toward finding the show’s feel, their nitch and I think this season feels similar. With the departure of characters, and the new crew on board, Alias is again, looking for its nitch. How will these new characters develop? How will they relate to the already established APO team? These are good questions, and when we all sit down to watch tomorrow night, let’s keep our eyes peeled for the answers.

Things To Think about for Thursday:

-What are the similarities between Rachel’s merge into APO and Sydney’s merge into double-agenthood back in season 1?
-What, if any, signs did you see in the development of Rachel and Tom’s relationship, either personal or professional?
-Any clues of devious-doing by Dixon, Jack or Sloane?
-How is Sydney taking to the newbies? How are they taking to her, a pregnant super-spy?
-Any clues on the who, what, where of P5?

Also, as I have said before, always be on the look out for references to past episodes or past plotlines (i.e. Rambaldi, SD-6, the Alliance, codenames, and villains, etc.)

I will be posting a brief overview of the episode tomorrow morning, as usual, and I have asked some guest writers to offer a few additions related to the episode. I am looking forward to what the next few episodes will bring. I believe we will be seeing some old familiar faces (Sark is back in episode 8, and it was confirmed today that Vartan has signed a contract and is back at the ABC lot as of yesterday, to film more episodes.)

Thanks to all for checking in and commenting!! Happy viewing!

The Wink

Did anyone catch it? The wink. Dixon winked at Weiss, right before he departed the CIA for the White House. It was instantaneous. The wink of foreshadow.

There has been some speculation that Weiss is, in fact, not being promoted, that his new placement in Washington is a cover for more covert operations. And that these operations are in assistance to his best friend and presumed dead buddy, Michael Vaughn. It has been said (by spoiler-diva Kristin at E!) that Dixon and Jack are working on some kind of scheme that would tear Sydney apart. Does the wink imply that Weiss might also be in on it? Does that mean Sydney is in the dark in regards to the vitality of her fiancé? And if Jack, Dixon and Weiss are working together on something, how will this scheme tear Sydney apart?

This is huge, is it not? Thoughts? Ideas?

"Your Mother's Sister..."

Ekatrina Derevko made her first appearance on Alias in season 2. She came to Sydney’s aid when she and Vaughn were taken hostage by the hostile North Korean army. With the help of Mr. Chang, Sydney and Vaughn escape the firing squad, but Jack can’t escape Katya’s passionate kiss. We see Katya again, in season 3, as she once again rescues her niece from Russian captivity by shooting her own SVR guards and seducing a young Russian officer. But, Katya turns. She stabs Vaughn and nearly shoots Sydney in assistance to Covenant co-chair Lauren Reed.

The Black Sparrow’s allegiances are unknown. She was on a hunt to find Nadia, she threatened Sloane’s life, telling him to back off Irina. She became a conduit to Irina, and then later bedded her sister’s ex-husband. Katya Derevko is one of Alias’ most ambiguous characters, her loyalties, much like Sark’s, are flexible. We know she joined the SVR to help Irina find Nadia. We know she finds Jack sexy and we know she’s a Derevko. She coaxed Nadia into bringing her chocolate, which she had an allergic reaction to. This helped Sydney find her mother’s music box, which contained the bank account number which cleared Irina of hiring a hit man to kill Sydney. But who is Katya Derevko? Is she good? Bad? Who is she working for? She claims to be working with Irina, but why would she stab Vaughn to save Lauren and attempted to shoot Sydney at the Covenant dig-site? Will we see her again?

Give me some of your Aunt Katya theories...

Sloane: A Pattern

Sloane, the evil genius behind SD-6, and the dark underground of the quest for Rambaldi. He is never one to hesitate, to show mercy, especially when it comes to his passions; Rambaldi and his daughter. In season 2, he kidnaps Neil Caplan (played by Christian Slater), a mathematician, and forces him to piece together the magnetic fields of a Rambaldi puzzle. As I watched this episode, something struck me as oddly familiar (which isn’t necessarily odd when it comes to Alias). Was Bill Vaughn not originally a mathematician, hired by a private foundation, to also study and decode a page of Rambaldi’s text? The lives of Neil Kaplan and his family were threatened, as were the lives of Bill Vaughn and his young son. Correlation? Coincidence?

As Uncle111 has insinuated, it is very possible that Arvin Sloane is behind the creation of Prophet 5. That he, in his quest for Rambaldi, had hired Bill Vaughn, James Lehman and others to decipher a code for him. We know that Sloane has been on a 30 year journey, maybe a journey that began with the text, the Profeta Cinque. In season 4, Sloane and Jack go to great lengths to keep hidden a secret, a secret pertaining to Bill Vaughn. They allow Vaughn and Sydney to investigate the possibility that Bill Vaughn may still be alive, in hopes of learning more. Perhaps Sloane is on a mission to cover his tracks, that he and Jack both know that Bill Vaughn survived, that he is alive and can offer evidence related to Prophet 5 and the deaths of the other researchers.

As I had mentioned in my 5.3 “The Shed” article, I found the scenes with Sloane to be pointless. Uncle111 and a friend of mine then pointed out to me that there are hardly ever any scenes in Alias that are useless or pointless. The Sloane scenes from the last episode may have been boring and ambiguous, but they may hold significance in future episodes. What happened to Sloane’s $300,000? What is Sasha using it for? Was it a payment for something other than a cure for Nadia? Was the meet a set-up? Is Sloane using his search for a cure as an excuse or as a cover for other covert operations? Either way, we can expect that Sloane is, in some way, connected to P5. How connected? As I’ve said, only time will tell…dum dum dum.

Conrad who?

You might not have noticed. Played by actor David Carradine, Conrad was the quiet monk with great wisdom, living a peaceful existence in the mountains of Napal. He had several visitors; Sloane, Sark, Olivia Reed. He was a Rambaldi expert, in possession of great Rambaldi text; he knew the secret of the Passenger. And he died a tragic death at the hand of Sark, while being rescued by Sydney and Vaughn.

What was the significance of this character? We learn in season 3 that he started Sloane on his 30 year Rambaldi journey, that he held the scroll that informed Sloane that he had a daughter, a daughter that would be a conduit to Rambaldi himself. Conrad told Sydney that the Passenger would be her destiny, was she? Is she? Will we learn more about Conrad’s role as we learn more about Prophet 5? Who was Conrad the monk?

Any ideas? (And who didn’t love Conrad kicking Sarkie butt?)

Guest Writer: Welcome Uncle111!!

Hi All,
Here is a timeline drawn up by guest writer Uncle111. He has pieced together some dates and background to help us learn more about Prophet 5 or P5, as it is so lovingly labeled. If you have any dates or information to add, please comment. Enjoy and thanks Uncle111.

Prior to 1969- Sloane is in the Army Corps of Engineers. They had him study a Rambaldi manuscript with the Mueller Device transformer coil on it.
1969- Sloane recruited by CIA
1970- Jack recruited to CIA (source?)- Irina recruited by KGB to marry Jack (already a ranking officer) and find out about Project Christmas, a mind conditioning method. Kassinau is her handler. FBI Caulder is her partner.
1971- Jack and Sloane meet at CIA and become friends. Sloane is Jack's boss and oversees his work on Project Christmas.
1972- Prophet 5 project begins when a private company hires "Bill Vaughn"(a brilliant mathematician)and others to decode a book written in the 15th century. Once the book is deciphered members of the team start "dying off." After at least 2 years our mathematician changes his name to Bill Vaughn and takes his 18 month old son to a different life, and eventually joins the CIA. Vaughn would have to have been born no sooner than the middle of 1972.
1974- Approximate year the organization Gordon Dean works for is formed.- Sloane and Irina have an affair
1974- April 17- Sydney born.
1975- April 17- the date that Jack Bristow's S.A.B.47 Project began 1979- B. Vaughn is supposedly killed by Irina.
1980 or 1981- Sloane and Irina have another affair.1981- Irina fakes her death- Nadia is born
1989- Dixon is recruited to SD-6 (according to time frame Dixon gives Syd. According to Jack, he recruited Dixon)
1991- Jack is recruited by SD-6, and the Alliance is formed, with Jack as a member.(According to Jack in 2001, "about a decade ago." Could be as early as late 1980's then).(1991 is also a number located in one of Rambaldi's hand written notes in a CIA file, under a picture of <0>.) 2001- Syd tells Danny she is CIA. Sloane give Jack the job of killing Danny. Shepard, a subject of mind control conditioning kills Danny and then hides out in a K-Directorate mental asylum.

I think Sloane became obsessed with Rambaldi early on. As of the 4th season the Sloane Clone stated he (meaning Sloane since he had Sloane's memories) had been collecting prototypes of Rambaldi devices for over 35 years. The faulty timeline inherent to the show messes it up a little, but factoring in Syd's 2 missing years, that would mean Sloane began collecting in 1968 or 1972. I think it was earlier rather than later. When he was with the Army Corps of Engineers, before he joined the CIA in 1969, they had him study Rambaldi manuscripts that had drawings of the Mueller Device transformer coil. If he became obsessed before joining the CIA then I say he joined the CIA in order to use government resources in his search for Rambaldi (I think the whole Sloane baby memory incident may have been another Sloane deception and that he was into Rambaldi before joining CIA). Even if he started after coming to the CIA the rest still works. I think what got Sloane obsessed was getting access to certain Rambaldi documents that made him think he was part of the prophecies. I think Irina was identified somehow in what Sloane saw and because of that he worked with KGB to recruit Irina. He may also have seen other things that related to Irina's child that gave him a vision for getting Irina here to marry Jack.

Jack joined CIA in 1970 and even though he didn't meet Sloane until 1971 I think Sloane knew of Jack and his work on Project Christmas. He used this as bait to get the Russians to recruit Irina and assign her to get close to Jack.In 1971 Jack and Sloane meet at the CIA and become friends.In 1972 the Prophet 5 project begins when a private foundation (I believe controlled or manipulated by Sloane) hired "the best and the brightest" to decode a book written (by Rambaldi or an associate) in the 15th century. The project took at least 2 years. About 1975 the organization Gordon Dean works for was formed.

Somewhere between 1972 and 1974 Jack and Irina marry, but early into the marriage, or before, Sloane pulled Irina into his obsession with Rambaldi. There was some question years later as to whether Syd was Jack's or Sloane's. Sloane was either trying to get more control over Irina, was trying to fulfill a prophecy in some way, or Irina was trying to, and they had an affair. Syd was born April 17, 1974. I think Jack believed, based on something he saw or something Sloane said to him, that his child was going to be in danger, maybe a victim of Sloane's or other Rambaldi followers (i.e. Ana Espinoza) at some point in the future. Right after Syd was born Jack started a project, the subject of which was Syd. Whether S.A.B.47 Project was related to Project Christmas or not is unclear, but by age 6 Jack put Syd through Project Christmas, making her spy-capable.

In 1981, Sloane and Irina had at least one more affair which we are told produced Nadia. Soon after discovering that she was pregnant Irina faked her death and escaped back to the Soviet Union, where she had Nadia in 1981. At around age 6, Nadia was given the green Rambaldi fluid by Suit and Glasses in a facility in a Novgorod bunker in Russia. Before she could complete the Rambaldi message she was kidnapped and taken to South America for safe keeping. (I think Sloane was either behind the people who were giving her the fluid or had obtained intel on them and the facility, maybe from Irina, because years later, after the facility is long abandoned, that's where Sloane went to get the fluid he used on Nadia.)

~Written by guest writer Uncle111

There will be more of Uncle111 theories to come. Thanks Uncle111.

Episode 5.3 "The Shed"

Let me begin by saying I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. I was actively cursing commercials for interrupting my viewing and felt slapped in the face when the ALIAS appeared at the conclusion of the program.

We return to Sydney’s apartment, which is one of my favorite Alias sets. It’s so distinctively Sydney. I was saddened by the canceling of the magazine subscription, which lead me to believe that maybe Sydney isn’t in on Vaughn’s fake death. Some have said that she isn’t grieving, that she isn’t as sad or emotional as she was after Danny’s death. But we do have to remember that she has been in this business for going on 13 years. She has hardened. She isn’t the same naïve Sydney as she was in the pilot. She has come to understand that death is a downfall of the job.

All right, let’s get to it…

Thomas Grace
Gotta say, I love this guy! We discover he’s a loner, but he fit right in with the team. There will be awkward moments and uncertainty on Sydney’s part, breaking in a new agent who basically is a fill-in for her “dead” fiancé. We can see from his first encounter with Rachel, gun in her face, that there may be some sparks for them in the near future. This is only reinforced by Peyton’s line “But he really isn’t your type anyway.” FORESHADOW.

Poor Rachel
Recruited by Dean 2 years before as a computer specialist, Rachel comes to find that the CIA she thinks she is working for, is actually a terrorist cell. She is then encouraged to go back into the office and face the people who have lied to her. Poor Sydney, I mean, oops, poor Rachel. It was nice to see Sydney soften to her, and it was nice to see that Rachel trusts her. It’s been a long time since Sydney has trusted someone new, and though Rachel seemed somewhat mousy to me, I can see Sydney leading her down a path of strength and knowledge.

Mean Dean
This guy is driving me bonkers! He’s not exactly smarmly like Sloane, just ahhh! What is he after? What does he want? Who is he working for?

Peyton Place
Was it me, or was she very quick to turn on her best friend? Yikes! She volunteered upfront to “take care of her” and then escapes with Dean. She may have more of an influence in The Shed than we think. She reminds me of Lauren. Lord help us!

Vaughn gone?
They are keeping Vaughn in our thoughts. His magazine subscription, his picture on Sydney’s desk, she is wearing his watch, but not his ring. Grace had mentioned that Vaughn had been “compromised,” and Rachel stated that Dean told her Vaughn was a CIA agent who turned and was being held in Los Alamos. He’s lurking. His presence is still there, which will be key when he finally does return.

$300,000 and a Cure
Did anyone else find the Sloane scenes as useless as I did? What exactly was the point of him meeting with Alexander Delshanko? Why $300,000? That doesn’t seem like much in the world of international crime. I suppose it does show how far Sloane is willing to go to find a cure for Nadia, but I found his scenes boring and pointless. Sorry!

Call backs
I found one call back to the pilot; the scene when Rachel returns to The Shed for the first time after finding out the truth. Sydney returned to SD-6, smiling at her co-workers, wondering which ones know the truth and which don’t. Rachel is nervous, apprehensive at first, like Sydney, glancing around with guilt on her face. Next week, Rachel will have to prove herself loyal to The Shed, as Sydney had. Will she opt for double-agenthood? Time will tell.

Also, remember in 4.1 “Authorized Personnel Only” when Sloane explains APO to everyone. He said he was approached by the CIA to start the group, that they wanted their very own SD-6. Something smells fishy?

The Shed
The definition of shed is a freestanding, small structure, or a small structure attached to a larger structure. Hmmm. Could The Shed just be a cell? Could it be a small structure attached to a large organization, say like The Alliance?

Overall, the episode brought APO’s new recruits into the light. We were able to see how Grace operates, very instinctually (offering Peyton a light) and very protective of Sydney. We see Rachel as young and inexperienced, but we will see her grow in the next few episodes, as she is brought under Sydney’s wing and given an opportunity to fight for the good guys. We weren’t part of Sydney’s growth in season 1. She had already established herself as an experienced agent. It will be nice to see, through Rachel, how Sydney mastered her craft.

Your thoughts?

Stock-er

Alias Déjà vu. It’s common. We’ve heard the name before; we’ve seen the scenario play out between different characters before. Yes, Alias writers are storyline salvage-hounds, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Stock situations are often-used types of incidents or sequences of actions in a drama. Alias has some of the best parallel storylines; characters falling into similar situations, feeling related emotions. One of the strongest of these stock situations is the Vaughn/Lauren, Jack/Irina deception storyline.

Jack was deceived by the woman he loved. Irina was posing as Laura, a loving wife and mother, as she stole CIA secrets from Jack and related them back to her superiors at the KGB. Vaughn married Lauren, posing as an NCS liaison to the CIA, while bedding Sark and leaking information to the Covenant. Each man learns of their wife’s deception, each feeling gullible and naïve for not picking up the on the signs. In season 3, Jack informs Vaughn that the only way to have closure, to find peace, is to kill Lauren. Ultimately, Vaughn shoots Lauren to protect Sydney and he deals with the ramifications in season 4. Aside from throwing the audience for a loop, the similar storylines give Jack and Vaughn a connection, an understanding that they might have been lacking in previous seasons. We experience Vaughn’s betrayal first hand and come to realize Jack’s reluctance to trust Irina, and how he must have felt when he discovered the truth.

I predict that the Rachel/P5 storyline will parallel season 1’s Sydney/SD-6 storyline. We will see the characters form a bond, a mutual understanding which may give Sydney, finally, a friend that can sympathize and empathize with her. Vaughn’s “death” and the death of Danny is another stock situation. Sydney, again, deals with the loss of a fiancé at the hands of a terrorist group. It is due to her reaction to Danny’s death that leads me to believe that Vaughn is still alive. She reacted hysterically to Danny’s death. She continued to wear her ring and keep pictures of him. In Vaughn’s case, she reacts with more fear for the future, and uncertainty. She is clearly upset at Vaughn’s absence, but I feel she would be more so if Vaughn were, in fact, dead. The writers might have intended this. They may have intended for Sydney’s reaction to Vaughn’s death to lack emotion compared to Danny’s, as to hint to the audience that Vaughn is alive.

There are several other stock situations; such as Dixon keeping Sydney’s missing two years a secret, as she had kept SD-6 a secret from him. Will had secret feelings for Sydney while she was dating Vaughn, and Sydney experienced similar hidden feelings when she found Vaughn was married to Lauren.

As I mentioned, reusing storylines isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Writers take into consideration the affect or reaction a certain storyline has. They revisit storylines that bring actor and audience emotion to the surface. These storylines can give the show unity, a full circle feel, which can be satisfying to the viewer and help propel new storylines.

What other stock situations are evident in Alias? Do you think they make the show predictable or boring? Or comfy like a pair of old sweats?

The Power of Five

JJ loves him some numbers. The number 47 has been haunting our dreams since the pilot and now 5 is taking us on a wild ride of codes and cryogenics. What can we learn about this new group just from the number…?

Aside from representing the 5th season of Alias, the number 5 represents air and fire. After a little research (with assistance from Slingshot), I found that the number 5 also signifies the following:

Adventure
Change
Freedom
Exploration
Variety
Sensuality
Unattached
Curious
Experienced
Knowledge seeker
Knowledge teacher
Traveler
Imagination
Child-like
Playful
Periodicity (the reoccurrence of something at regular intervals)

Hmmm. Keep this in mind as we learn more about P5.

Profeta Cinque

Here is what we know about Alias’ new super-secret antagonist…

In 1972, Bill Vaughn (aka Mr. Michaux) is recruited as a mathematician by a private foundation to decode a page of a 15th century book called the Profeta Cinque, or the Fifth Prophet. The foundation was founded by Mueller, an architect who also drew up schematics for the Circumference (the big red ball), which was inspired by Rambaldi. James Lehman is also recruited into this group as a cryptologist specializing in spatial relations and patterns. After years of work, the code is finally deciphered as a sequence of genetic code, proteins and amino acids. Once the group turns in their report on the page, Bill Vaughn contacts James Lehman with a warning. Other members of the research team are dying; heart attacks, car crashes. Bill Vaughn advises Lehman to follow his lead, to change his name and disappear.

Bill Vaughn then joins the CIA. He “rescues” a little girl from Russia, Nadia, who he leaves in the care of Elena Derevko. In 1979, Bill Vaughn is killed by Irina Derevko, Nadia’s mother.

Michael Vaughn is approached by a known fugitive, Renee Rienne, with a story about Prophet Five (P5) and her father’s involvement. Renee tells Michael that Mueller had developed the group and that she is investigating the disappearance of her father. Michael finds that his father was a part of this group. A year later (season 1), Sydney enters the CIA with her story about SD-6 and a device developed by Mueller. This is a clue and Michael becomes her handler.

In season 3, Michael is told by Brill, a retired CIA Ops Officer, that his father was a Rambaldi follower.

In season 4, Michael Vaughn is approached by a man named Roberts with intel that his father may still be alive. Michael is duped into providing Robert’s group with a transistor core used in a Russian project called Nightingale. Michael is then persuaded to help the group secure a Rambaldi book. It is later revealed that Vaughn’s father is indeed dead, and that the Sloane Clone was behind the hoax.

Vaughn decides to tell Sydney about his work with Renee. As he reveals his secret, their car is hit on a dusty road and they crash. Vaughn is taken by Ivan Curtis, a man who wants information about P5. Vaughn is able to escape and contact Sydney. Together they visit Lehman who gives them the location of P5 intel, a villa in Cape Town, South Africa. Sydney and Vaughn retrieve the information and schedule a meet with Lehman. The meeting is ambushed by Gordon Dean, who is posing as a CIA officer and Ivan Curtis. Dean kills Lehman and retrieves the book and Vaughn is shot by Ivan Curtis.

APO discovers that Ivan Curtis is ordering mass amounts of Iridium. The Iridium is being used to sustain a cryogenic freezer with a man inside. Sydney questions Curtis about P5 and its leaders. Curtis informs Sydney that she “doesn’t want to know” and “that even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.” Curtis, fearing the wrath of P5, then jumps from the plane. The cryo-chamber is handed over to the DSR (Department of Special Research), but in transit, it is taken. It is revealed that Renee Rienne is in possession of the chamber.


Wow, that’s a lot of information! Much of which doesn’t lead us any closer to understanding, let alone finding out what it has to do with Rambaldi, Irina Derevko and Michael Vaughn. Who is the man in the box? Is he good? Bad? Are there any bits I missed? What are your ideas, conclusions, speculations?

Head to Head

As I mentioned in the Alias onion article, conflict is the core of Alias. I listed several types of conflict; man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. machine. One of the strongest conflicts in Alias is man vs. himself. There are several instances of internal conflict in Alias, conflict that can define a character according to how they respond to the conflict. Sydney Bristow is in constant battle with herself, both internally and sometimes externally. In the pilot, Sydney struggles with the idea of holding secret her double agent life from her friends and colleagues. She knows first hand the consequences of revealing the truth about SD-6, but has a hard time allowing others to live in the dark. She suppresses her feelings for Vaughn in season 1, 2 and 3, as she comes up against obstacles such as the Alliance and Lauren, and her own guilt about moving on after Danny’s death. And in season 3, she literally goes head to head with herself in a dream state, as she fights to discover what happened to her in the 2 years she was missing.

Sydney’s internal struggles aren’t always about keeping secrets. Irina asks Sydney, “why are you so willing to fight for your country but not for your happiness?” We see from Sydney’s behavior in several situations, that she chooses the happiness of others over her own. She is wildly unselfish, incredibly protective and though her first impulse is to satisfy her desire to destroy SD-6 and any other terrorist cell, Sydney ultimately resolves to do what is best for all.

Another aspect of Sydney’s internal struggle is her weakness. Sydney is able to withstand brutal physical and psychiatric torture (mainly due to her father’s Project Christmas training), but she cannot endure the physical torture of others. Sydney risks blowing her cover with SD-6 and Dixon when she decides to steal a Rambaldi artifact in order to save Will. And while being held by the NSC in season 3, Sydney undergoes extensive electro-shock without cracking, but she folds the moment her cell mate and “friend” Campbell is stabbed.

Season 5 should present several internal struggle situations for Sydney. She will pace with whether or not to stay active on APO missions and she will have to come to terms with her own physical limitations due to pregnancy. But, because of her unselfishness, we can predict Sydney will do what is best for her baby, over what is best for herself or APO.

Are there other instances of characters fighting an internal battle? Can you name other man vs. himself situations? How did these situations affect the plot and character’s relationships with the others?

"You hear that boom...?"

"..., yeah, that's my mind blowing."

What would Alias be without lovable Marshall? Amidst all the danger, underneath all the mystery and drama of Alias is a tiny man, a sensitive man with a caffeine addiction and a photographic memory. Marshall Flinkman has been making us giggle since the pilot with his geeky mannerisms, erratic speech and mind-blowing gadgets. Marshall is Alias' classic character of comic relief, which adds another layer to Alias onion.

Comic relief plays a large part in television drama. Characters like Marshall, with their goofy anecdotes and silly jokes, soften hardcore plotlines to alleviate tension and add variety. Comedic characters are often integrated into the plot in a way that counterpoints and enhances the seriousness of the subject matter. For instance, in season 2, Marshall accompanies Sydney on a mission to London to acquire a copy of Echelon, a system which monitors and records private communications. In Sloane's hands Echelon could strengthen SD-6, and because Marshall has a photographic memory, Vaughn decides it's best to pull Marshall into CIA custody. Marshall, with his lack of field training, mindlessly follows Sydney mumbling in E-wok and nearly passing out from a brush with a tranq dart. This makes for some humorous moments on a mission of very grave proportions.

Weiss, Will and Francie can also be categorized as comic relief characters, making serious characters, like Sydney and Vaughn, laugh and show a sense of humor. This adds a sense of realism and humanity to the show, which can be forgotten in scenes of CIA complexity and international espionage.

Post your favorite comedic moment. What other characters would you consider as comic relief characters? When has Sydney used humor or comedy during serious matters?

"God gave you style and gave you Grace..."

(First, I suppose it is sacrilegious for me to use Sydney and Vaughn’s love song to title an article about new APO agent Thomas Grace, but it’s catchy, sue me!)

This season on Alias, tons of new faces will be wondering around the APO Rotunda. Actor Balthazar Getty has been introduced as Alias’ attempted to replace Michael Vartan. But, before you tranq me and have me carted off to Fort Williams for a round of the Inferno Protocol, understand that I believe the character of Michael Vaughn cannot be replaced. With Sydney’s love in hiding and Weiss off to Washington, APO is in dire need of a strong, rough-around-the-edges character that ain’t bad to look at. Enter Thomas Grace, a former Marine with a temper and a secret.

Our first impression? Cute, but a lousy bar-fighter. Thomas seems to be holding the bad-boy card and his macho air (a large contrast to Vaughn’s boy charm and naïve morality) may bring heaps of black-ops tension and conflict. And though we miss Vaughn and will hold vigil until his return, I think we are in for a treat with Grace. We’ve had big brother Weiss, we’ve had smarmy Haladki and an array of guest agents like Noah Hicks and Ethan Hawke’s, James Lennox, but we haven’t had a permanent male CIA character with a questionable past and unseen motives. He's the quiet guy, the reculsive guy, which may come off rude and arrogant. But I think APO might have found itself a new super-spy.

My Thomas Grace Predictions:
-Dixon may question Grace’s honor and trust.
- Jack may need to keep in line with this "secret" poses a problem or danger to Syd and the rest of the gang. I see a possible father/son thing happening.
-Marshall will stutter, run and hide when he sees Grace coming.
-Rachel will fall for Grace or Grace for Rachel. Either way, there will be a crush there, a la Vaughn in season 1.
-Grace will take a protective stance when it comes to Sydney and the baby, which I think will hold true for all the male characters this year.
Look out for finger-in-face fights and a clash of opinions, but I see all that melting into mutual respect and understanding in the next few episodes. I like Grace from what little we’ve seen of him and I look forward to what his character will bring to the table.

What do you think? Will Grace bring it or will it be a failed attempt by writers to give us a new main man?

Oh, Our Pro...

Aside from being a super-spy, trained in hand-to-hand combat, marksmanship and bomb diffusion, all the while holding a Master’s in Education, Sydney Bristow is the ultra protagonist. For those of you not familiar with the term, a protagonist is the central character of a story, often times the hero or heroine. In Sydney’s line of business, she comes up against main foil characters or antagonists. Antagonists represent or create obstacles for the protagonist, and Sydney has come up against many, many antagonists.

As you know, I’ve spoken of Alias as an onion, and how the core of the Alias onion is conflict. It is the relationship between the protagonist and the antagonist that creates this conflict. One of Sydney’s number one antagonists is K-Directorate Agent Ana Espinoza. Born in Russia, raised in Cuba, (the last of the Cold War babies) Ana is trained in wet-work and close range hits. Ana has been Sydney’s enemy since her SD-6 days, constantly keeping Sydney from reaching her goals and completing her missions. They have had some of best action sequences, duking it out over high-demand Rambaldi artifacts, racing to stay one step ahead of each other. We see Ana reappear in season 4 as a loyal Rambaldi follower. She kidnaps Nadia, brands her with the Order of Rambaldi <0> and uses her as bate to force Sydney into completing a hit for her. Despite years of all out physical battles and her best efforts, Ana Espinoza was duped by Sark and finally captured. What role she will play in the future is as predictable as her behavior.

Who is your favorite Alias antagonist? How would you categorize Irina Derevko? Is she an antagonist? Aside from Sydney, who would you view as protagonist?

Bits 'n' Pieces

I am currently re-watching season 2 (yes, I know, I really should stop). In episode 2.2 "Trust Me," Irina Derevko turns herself into the CIA and Kendall pressures Vaughn to convince Sydney to talk to her. Vaughn explains to Kendall what affect this might have on Sydney, speaking with a woman she thought was dead, a woman who betrayed her, her father and their country. Vaughn looks to the TV monitor where Irina is pacing in her cell. Vaughn then says, “When she was done with my father, they could only identify him by his dental records.”

Vaughn learns later, in season 3, that dental records are not exactly solid proof of death in the world of Alias. Sydney is presumed dead, only after her dental records are matched with the remains found in her apartment after the fire. Sydney is, in fact, alive and has been the last 2 years. Could Vaughn’s line be another clue has to who is in a box? Could it be a clue years ahead of its time about his father and his father’s connection to Irina?

Hey, I'm a Believer!

I am here to engage your mind and introduce you to various ideas related to the writing and making of ABC’s Alias. Today class, we will be focusing on one literary term that may shed some light on the unbelievable world of international espionage.

How is it that a television show like Alias, clad with jet-legged cross country flights, suited with government corruption, 15th century prophets and giant floating red balls, hasn’t been laughed off the TV screen? It’s called suspension of disbelief. Suspension of what, you say? Suspension of disbelief. According to my literary dictionary, suspension of disbelief is a willingness of a reader or viewer to suspend his or her critical faculties to the extent of ignoring minor inconsistencies so as to enjoy a work of fiction.

Suspension of disbelief is generally used to pass off low-budget "cheesy" props and occasional plotholes, in order to fully engage with an enjoyable story – which may be the more so for those additions to its inherent outrageousness. Alias counts on our suspension of disbelief. It is important that we believe that as black-op CIA agents, Sydney and the gang can do whatever, whenever, however they want. They have unlimited resources, knowledge and means; they can land an injured plane unscathed, they can destroy a big red ball, anyone and everyone can escape CIA custody with Jack's help, and they can fake death, cheat death and cause death with one or more of Marshall’s little next-gen inventions. Part of the wonder of Alias is being able to let go of all logical and rational thought and emerge ourselves in the bizarre and ultra-secret functions of a world that is unknown to us.

As viewers, we have to operate under the assumption that Sydney can and will find a cure for Vaughn’s bloody fingernails, or that Marshall will come through and find the grave before Sydney takes her last breath. We have come to beleive that SpyDaddy will stop at nothing to save his daughter’s life (even if it means killing her mother or faking her fiancés death.) The writers are depending on our ability to ignore reason and grasp the idea of Sydney maneuvering her way through the dark criminal underworld while carrying a child, and that whoever has been frozen (I am leaning toward Renee's father now) will thaw out and give APO a run for their money.

So, let us continue to suspend our disbelief; I have a feeling it will need to be stretched and skewed this season. Let us rely on what we do know about Alias; nothing is as it seems, there are dangers we can’t even begin to fathom and good always wins over evil, ultimately.

The Role of Irina

We are first introduced to Sydney’s mother as the soft-smiling, brunette in old family photos, hugging her daughter and lovingly gazing at her husband. Laura Bristow is perceived as a caring mother and dutiful CIA wife, killed tragically in a car accident. As Sydney, we cling to tiny bits and pieces of Mrs. Bristow, in order to better understand Sydney’s rocky relationship with Jack and to shed light on Sydney’s educational motivation. It had never occurred to us, as it had not Sydney, that her mother, the woman she so highly idolized, would be revealed as an enemy of the state.

While investigating her father’s past, Sydney stumbles on an incomplete FBI report involving her father and an Agent Colldar. It seems Jack was being investigated as a possible double agent for the Russian KGB. This is seemingly confirmed when Sydney finds encoded KGB orders hidden on the pages of her mother’s old books; books given to her by Jack. As Sydney and Vaughn battle with whether or not to turn Jack in as the KGB agent that murdered 12 CIA operatives, including Vaughn’s father, Jack lets go of the truth. The truth is that the KGB agent was actually Laura Bristow aka Irina Derevko.

Sydney is devastated by the news that her perfect mother was really a Russian Intelligence Officer, sent to the United States to seduce and marry a CIA agent. Sydney is determined to find her mother, who survived and possibly even orchestrated the car crash in order to disappear. Only one man can leader Sydney to her mother, “The Man” Alexander Kassinau.

Irina Derevko has been one of Alias’ most intriguing and profound characters. Her unknown allegiances and her careful choice of words have not only persuaded Sydney of her goodness, but the audience as well. Irina spent most of season 2 behind bars, deceiving the CIA and using her daughter’s trust to gain access to a Rambaldi manuscript. She then hatches an elaborate plan to be extracted, leaving her daughter in shock. Irina has escaped death more than once, lied to foreign governments and been a fugitive for nearly 30 years, but that doesn’t stop Sydney from learning as much as she can, and forging a relationship with the mother she never knew.

The relationship between Sydney and Irina is difficult to decipher. They battle between trusting each other too much and not trusting each other enough. Sydney is in constant clash with Jack in regards to her meetings with Irina, because Jack knows Sydney is blinded by the true genuine feelings her mother has for her. Despite deceiving the CIA, Irina wishes to protect Sydney and ultimately Nadia, from the fate of Rambaldi and the endgame that could claim both of their lives.

The last we see of Irina is in the mysterious ending of season 4. She assists APO in bringing down her sister and Covenant leader, Elena Derevko and then she leaves with a tender goodbye. How will Irina fit into this season’s whirlwind plot? What is her roll in Prophet Five? What does she know about Vaughn’s investigation and the death of Bill Vaughn? Will she return to help Sydney find the men that “killed” her fiancé or will Irina be out for her own benefit? How will SpyMommy handle the SpyBaby news? And will the Bristow family ever find peace?

Alias is an Onion

Alias is an onion. There are millions of layers, most make you cry or at least make you want to curl up in the fetal position and thank your lucky stars that the CIA didn't recruit you.

The core of the Alias onion is conflict. All books, all TV shows have to have conflict to be interesting and compelling. Alias deals with so much conflict; man vs. man, man vs. himself, man vs. machine (that would be Marshall's area). But the numero uno of all conflicts is good versus evil. Sydney will always be fighting for good (even if her methods are slightly immoral and off-book) , and the bad guys for bad, and then there is the gray area, including people like Sloane and Irina. Good? Bad? Who knows, but that is were the suspense comes in.

Suspense is a very thick layer of Alias. Writers are able to hook us with dramatic and often shocking plot twists (i.e. “..my name’s not Michael Vaughn.”) Suspense leaves us asking questions; who, what, where, when, why? We want to know who is in the box, we want to know who is leading Prophet Five and we want to know, where in damn-nation is Vaughn? These secrets keep us coming back for more, they keep us faithful viewers tuned in and eventually they will herd all the lost sheep back to the farm.

We have been able to peel back many of the layers of Alias in the last week, as new characters and plot lines reveal themselves. We learned Vaughn’s secret, and suspect that he will be back once the danger is gone. We have learned that Thomas Grace has a secret, Jack knows what it is and we will see if it’s something Jack “can handle.” We know someone very important is on ice, and we know it took 45 kilos of Iridium to keep him that way. But, there are still many questions left unanswered. Will Sydney and the new recruits blend as a team in their fight against P5? What will happen to Nadia? And most importantly, when will we see Sark’s deviously adorable face again? We will just have to keep peeling back the layers and dicing up ideas, because we’ve got 20 episodes to go!

Bowling and Hotdogs: Weiss to the White House

How about Weiss’ big action sequence last night? The man moves like a fox!

Agent Eric Weiss has been Vaughn’s best friend and APO’s go-to wise guy for nearly 5 seasons. He’s been a loyal friend (to JJ, since kindergarten) and patriot, fabulous drinking companion and overall teddy bear and now he will depart Base Camp for new digs, the White House. From his days of verbally harassing Haladki, to midnight bowling with Sydney’s Argentinean spy-sis, Weiss has been everyone’s big brother. He made us laugh. He made every hardcore issue or situation a fun and human. He represented the best in people, and was the type of friend anyone (even JJ) would be glad to have fighting on their side.

Here are several other reasons why we’ll miss Weiss:
1. He was Vaughn’s voice of reason and official nickname giver- “Balls of Steel,” need I say more?
2. He was our conduit to Vaughn. (“You ever see Vaughn and ask, “hey, where’s Weiss?”)
3. He gave Sydney Alice in Wonderland. How sweet is that?
4. He just wanted a girlfriend to say “Here, have a drawer.”
5. Two words: Bowling and hotdogs!
6. His one-liners- “Don’t poop where you sleep.”
7. Don’t mess with Weiss on Ice.
8. His magic tricks.
9. He could get whatever was needed (satellite surveillance, phone traces, weapons, maps, inside FBI info.) in as little time as possible and no one ever suspected him.
10. He always answered his cell.
11. He doesn't speak science either.
12. He took it in the jugular and lived to tell the story.

Over and out Retriever. We’ll miss you!

Episode 5.02 "1"

Let me begin by saying that last night's episode is what we call a filler episode. A filler episode is necessary to set up characters and storyline important to the upcoming episode. If you were disappointed by the lack of action, you need not be, next week's eppy looks like an action doozy!

All right, let's dive in: Here are some of the interesting facts and clues I found:

-Renee stated in the bar "It's no accident you found me." In season 4's finale, Vaughn stated "It's no accident I was the one you came to with your story about SD-6." Hmm, it just caught my attention.

-There were several call-backs to previous episodes in previous seasons. For instance:
*Dixon shot small cameras in to the walls and ceilings from his watch. Sydney used the same device in a season 2 episode. It was a lipstick with small cameras inside.
*Jean Brio was mentioned. He was an Alliance member who was shot and killed by Arvin Sloane. There were several call-backs to SD-6 and the Alliance. This led me to believe...are you ready for this????

RACHEL IS WORKING FOR THE VERY PEOPLE SHE THINKS SHE IS WORKING AGAINST. Whoever Gordan Dean is and whoever the people are behind Prophet Five, they are running an SD-6 like cell, with one exception... they have actually infiltrated the CIA and APO. Remember, Gordan Dean has been inside APO. I believe Rachel thinks she is working for APO, and is unaware of Deans affiliation with Prophet Five. Rachel was with friends at the bar when she got a call from Curtis. It reminded me of when Sydney would get calls and have to leave Will and Francie. I think the writers are building up what will be a strong character who will be out to bring down Prophet Five, much like season 1 Syd know wanted to bring down SD-6. Next week's episode should expand on this.

MICHAEL VAUGHN IS NOT IN THE BOX!! The man in the box was an older, gray/white haired man. Curtis told Sydney during his first interrogation that she "doesn't want to know" who he is working for and that "even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me." Whoever is in charge, it's someone Sydney knows, or knows of. I hate to speculate about who is in the box, but my guess: Bill Vaughn is in the box. But, Marshall said later, whoever is in the box probably died or was suffering from a terminal illness and was frozen until a cure was found. (This could be used later in the Nadia storyline). I would have to go back to research, but I can't recall a character or figure from the past that might have died from a terminal illness. So, now Renee has the body and the body is alive. Hmmm..

Clues about Vaughn: The phrase "killed Vaughn" was used about 3 times. AHH, the rule of three. The writers are using their words to convince us further that Vaughn is in fact dead, but I still hold true to last week's clues. He's alive and kicking, much like his baby! Towards the end, Sydney was talking to her father about "not being able to do this without Vaughn," and "he should have been there" for the ultrasound. I think this eludes to the fact that he is in hiding, that he should have been there, but because of the danger to him, he couldn't be. I think we will see some very strong Jack and Sydney bonding this season, which is always great. Can't wait to see Jacko in the delivery room!

Something in the Water: Is it me, or is Alias using a lot of water to kill, tranq and track people? First, Sark and his glass of wine, then Emily and her glass of wine and Sloane and his glass of wine and then Vaughn and his hospital cup and then Curtis and his tracer in the water bottle. People drink anything now adays! Geez!

A Few Extras: Ohh, making my blood boil! Was it just me or did anyone want to rip the face off Curtis when he said "Sorry baby, Daddy just went snooping where he shouldn't have." That was a "no you didn't" moment!

All right, give it to me, what did you think?

Gathering Intel

Alias is in a genre of its own. Its incredibly complex, intricate plot and storylines can leave you with a migraine. To keep you from breaking out the aspirin, here are a few tips for catching as much info. as the writers are pitching:

1. The Rule of 3: Look for items or information that are mentioned more than three times. If it’s brought up more than three times, it’s important.
2. Stay in tune with the tunes: JJ is a music lover and he and the crew do a great job using songs as double meaning. (Hence, Sleeping Beauty).
3. Eyeball It: It's all about the eyes. Sydney and Jack have some of the best stare-downs. Guaranteed they are hiding something.
4. Call-Backs: Keep an ear out for lines you've heard being said before. Also, pay attention when characters make references (verbal or not) to past episodes. (In the season opener, Dixon mentioned when he caught Sydney stealing from SD-6. Also, Vaughn’s watch is a call-back to several episodes).
5. CAMERA, ACTION!: Pay attention to the shots. In last week’s episode the camera captured a cut of the cup and straw in Vaughn's hospital room. You might not have noticed, but it was there, a HUGE clue.
6. Not Said: Listen for what is NOT said. For instance, when Syd interrogates the man in the previews, she says "my baby lost it's father," and not “killed my baby's father.” Subtle sidesteps allow for honesty with deception. Verbiage is huge on Alias. (Thanks to Robetron on the ABC message boards for this one).

If something catches you, if you get a hunch or have a question about something, jot it down and bring it to the board. Maybe others have some answers for you. If you have any tips to add, please do! The more intel we have, the better! Happy viewing!

Spy Bun in the Oven

Let's chat about the elephant in the room (and I am not talking about Syd or Jen)...there has been much debate over how Sydney Bristow's pregnancy will affect the plot of the show. Many say the baby will sink the ship, others say the baby will give Sydney her down-to-earth humanity back- a la Will and Francie. As it has been reported today, Jennifer Garner will play the first pregnant TV heroine in an action drama. Some could argue that writers never intended for Sydney Bristow to become pregnant, that Jennifer Garner's life decision has brought about the character Bristow-Vaughn. I am not one to disagree with this. However, my take on it is: Bring it on! It will be like no mission Sydney has ever experienced. A part of her that is still very much the sweet, innocent Sydney from season 1 will resurface. The writers and actors of Alias have dealt with a lot of death, and now they are taking a crack at life in its most raw, natural form.

Sydney has been at death's door more than any human would deem fair by God, and now she will be knocking down the door of the CIA OB/GYN. Is it due course? Let us revert back to the pilot; the scene in which Sydney and Danny are spending a lazy afternoon in their apartment. He is slouched over several medical journals and Sydney is studying ancient text and trying to decipher it. Danny joins her on the couch and in a tender moment, while kissing her belly, he mentions that "someday there will be a baby in there." We understand, by the look on her face, that Sydney might not have considered having a family and continuing with the Agency. She immediately leads Danny to the shower and spills the beans about her double life. After Danny's death, the idea of Sydney ever reproducing is forgotten, until the season 3 egg extraction and the creepy aspect of a Rambaldi baby enters the picture. But once that threat is eliminated, so is the notion of Sydney becoming a mother. Even has her relationship with Vaughn is rekindled, we never considered that the action spy duo would become model PTA material.

BUT...consider this: We have spent a solid 4 seasons rooting for Vaughn and Sydney. We prayed they would find happiness far from dead fiancees and evil ex-wives, far from Jack's disapproval and Vaughn's apparent double-agent activity. Is a bambino included in this happiness? Do you think Sydney ever considered having a family? (We all know Vaughn's take. He hadn't considered it, bringing a baby into a "messed up world" but how sweet was he? He can't wait to meet their kid. Ahhh!)

How do you think the pregnancy will affect the show? Let's focus on Sydney's pregnancy, not Jennifer's. I suppose it could be considered one in the same, but it's not. Can the show continue with a spy-mom heroine?

(There will be several threads that will deal with this topic as season and the pregnancy progresses. We'll look at it from several angles and where we think the writers are taking us.)

Bits 'n' Pieces

Every once in awhile I will post random, somewhat useless, but fun facts about Alias and its many mysteries. Today I stumbled upon a very interesting tidbit..

Nadia spelled backwards is Aidan. The translation of Santos is saint. Nadia Santos=Saint Aidan, the code name that Lazarey used to meet with Will. Lazarey was a Rambaldi follower and Sark's father, who knew information about "the passenger" aka Nadia Santos. Hmmm, interesting.

Alias' Alice in Wonderland

We all know the story of Alice in Wonderland. Alice falls asleep and wakes up in world of incredible imagination, where she makes friends, enemies and ultimately learns to survive on her own. We have seen several Alice in Wonderland references over the course of Alias’ five seasons, each one forcing us to recognize that Sydney is, in fact, Alice, struggling to stay afloat in a world that is sometimes beyond her own comprehension.

There are 3 common themes expressed in both Alice in Wonderland and Alias. The first is the tragic and inevitable loss of childhood innocence. Alice goes through several physical changes while exploring Wonderland. She is traumatized by the changing of her body, its size and shape, a metaphor for puberty and womanhood. Much of Sydney’s childhood was ripped from her, as her father subjected her to testing and drills to prepare her for her life in the CIA. She is traumatized by the fact that she wasn’t allowed to make her own choices, to pick her own path. And Sydney too, goes through many physical changes, alias to alias, which is required in her line of work.

The second theme is death as a constant and underlying menace. Alice continuously finds herself in situations in which she risks death. Dodging death is what Sydney Bristow does everyday. Each mission, each enemy has it in for her, it lurks behind every corner and forces her to use her brains and brawn to survive.

The third theme is life as a meaningless puzzle. Alice encounters a series of puzzles that seem to have no clear solution. Alice expects that the situations she encounters will make a certain kind of sense, but they repeatedly frustrate her. Sydney’s life has been a puzzle from the start. Learning of SD-6’s true objective and Arvin Sloane’s true nature throws Sydney into a world of puzzles. She is determined to find meaning and solution for each, but as she comes head to head with obstacles she grows frustrated. Sydney constantly speaks about logic, about rational and irrational thought. She is challenged to think outside the box, to find alternative ways to solving the puzzles.

There are several other themes that pertain to both Alice in Wonderland and Alias; such as dreams and subversion, but I thought the themes above were more predominate. Listed below are several instances in which Alice in Wonderland is made reference to in Alias. Please post any that I’ve missed.

Season One: Sydney adorns an Alice costume when she and Francie throw a Halloween party. Sydney uses the call sign “White Rabbit” while on a mission with Noah Hicks in the episode “Snowman.”
Season Two: Sloane makes a reference to Sydney not being a pawn in the game. Irina tells Sydney she’s one of two major players in Rambaldi’s end game. In Through the Looking Glass, the sequel to Alice in Wonderland, Alice is made a pawn in a game of chess. Evil Francie backs Sydney into a mirror (a looking glass) in the season finale.
Season Three: Sydney uses “looking glass” as a code word when she contacts Kendall from Hong Kong. Weiss gives Sydney a 3rd Edition copy of Alice in Wonderland, as her 1st Edition was burned in the fire. Vaughn deciphers a security code from a group of numbers; the code is “Top Hat” which could be making reference to the Mad Hatter.
Season Four: While investigating his father, Vaughn is asked to meet an informant in the UCLA library. He is directed to a children’s copy of Through the Looking Glass and finds a syringe labeled “Inject me.”

The Alice in Wonderland references could also be a nod to ABC, which is owned by Disney. Aside, I love that the writers have injected classic literature into a mainstream, action packed genre. Top hats off to you!

Thanks to Sparknotes.com and www.alias.unfiction.com

The "Be Safe" Theory

A poster (SReneeG) on the ABC message boards caught my eye with a very interesting post. She mentioned making a connection, or picking up on the use of the phrase “be safe.” This has been uttered at least once by each character as their friends and colleagues head out on dangerous, world saving missions, and though it would seem like a completely appropriate send off, I made an interesting connection as well. As I mentioned, I am currently in the middle of re-watching season 3. Last night I watched "The Crossing" episode in which Sydney and Vaughn’s plane crashes in the hostile fields of North Korea. Lauren is fully aware that Vaughn’s plane will crash and that he will die, and as he leaves for Dover to catch his plane, she whispers “be safe.” Aside from finding that extremely creepy, I found it extremely interesting. The line “be safe” is primarily used as a well-wish right before missions where the agent/agents are put in life-threatening danger or feared dead.

-In season 4, Vaughn told Sydney to “be safe” right before her cab was ambushed in Havana and she was buried alive. She was literally dead for several minutes before Marshall saved the day.
-Sydney added a “be safe” as she kissed Vaughn goodbye in this season’s opener. They’ve discussed bringing a child into the world and Vaughn exits the car to meet with Lehman. He walks off to meet his fate and at this point is merely presumed dead.

I am sure there are other instances in which the phrase is used and I am sure one could argue that every mission the agents go on is life-threatening. What are your thoughts? Are SReneeG and I conspiracy theorists, hell bent on finding a connection between any and everything? Or is this possibly another sly clue given to us seasons over in order to determine the fate of the agents?