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.)
19 comments:
First of all, LOVED the opening scene. Syd as a mama gambler! She was so awesome. Love to see her have fun in the show and kick butt, even when she's so very pregnant. Second, loved the humor in the episode! Between Syd & Rachel, Rachel & Grace, and Dixon & Grace. "I'm not in the mood for blindfolds today." Funny stuff.
And I have to admit, I like the newbies. Like so many of us, I was very unsure and almost was trying really hard to dislike them. But... they kick butt. It's cool to see Sydney in the role of teacher and role model, taking Rachel under her wing and encouraging her.
As for who is in the box... Bill Vaughn is my guess. Which would really make us need Irina to explain some things. Can't wait for her return! And can't wait for next week!
Hi Birdie, I love the newbies too! And to have Irina back would take the cake. I also think it's Bill Vaughn in the box. hmmm.
I was thinking that Sloane represented the 1 and the 12 had to do with the Alliance.
First, I'm so happy to see thoughtful discussion about my favorite show. I too love Arvin as baddie!! One of my favorite shots was the expression on Jack's face during Arvin's sentancing. I wish we could get back to Jack when he was somewhat questionable, i.e. doing bad things but its okay because its for love. I enjoyed questioning his motivations.
Arvin as baddie brings us back to the things we can count on, and the things that make a character ring true. If a character is good, like Syd, she will always be good.
I was thinking about the protocol quotes. I get a sense of some religious undertones with some of the references on the show. Which is logical thinking of the focus on Rambaldi, having been closely tied to the Pope in his day. Looking at things from that time period, classic art, architecture, and literature, its more a case of religious OVERtones.
One and twelve, disciples; select blood, chosen one; Roque equals rock; profeta cinque, Peter was called the fifth Prophet and the rock of the church; Lazarey connotates Lazarus and raising from the dead, clearly a theme in Alias; St Aidan; and well, just the whole religious zealot part of Rambaldi followers. I don't think the writers are trying to be specifically Christian in any of the references or storylines, but sacrifice, redemption, and salvation, are common literary and movie and television themes. Especially in sci-fi which JJ once said he wanted his show to be known in that genre... Okay those were random thoughts. Just trying to stir up some wild ideas.
Who is in the box? Could be anyone. Could be Lazarey. Could be Conrad. Could be a completely new character. Bill Vaughn is a guess that seems to make sense, and the one I'm leaning to lately, but what does that mean for the storyline and where does it go from there?
Welcome KLG! Nice to have you! Thanks for the background on some of the quotes. I was a t a loss, for once.
hello girlscout/hellosark! Sorry, I've actually had work to do today...can you imagine! Hoping to get my more detailed thoughts to you later, but just wanted to pop in and give well deserved kudos for your exceptional rundown of the eppy. I'm also not sure about Tom and Rachel...I think the idea that she might be gay could be possible...the way she talked to Syd at the end stuck out in my mind. She said something like "how long will I be here with you?" and then stumbled over her words and said "I mean, in custody" or something like that. I liked her scene w/ Tom though when she was like "you wanna do the intense math? then shut yer trap!"
I like all the analysis over the bank quotes, very thought provoking. The mirror one especially Steph!
I'm glad I'm not alone in some of what I saw. Here's what I noticed in last night's episode:
First, for those who watch the numbers- I assume it was the transaction # when they got access to Dean's account- 00124577. Then the balance on the account- $541,378,284.88. And, the key code for the casino vault- 97326347.
"If there was never a one there was ever the twelve." I would love to know if these questions are historical quotes. This question stands out to me because it is a statement that Rachel said she heard Dean make more than once. I think this question may be a clue as to how many "powerful people" there are in this new group.
The guy Dean used to set up the deal with Sloane for his freedom works for the powerful people who arranged his release, not for Dean. Dean had to reassure the guy that he had money to pay for the service. I wonder if the $300,000 Sloane gave Alexander was to set up Dean's getting him sprung?
The Justice guy who Sloane sat befor indicated that Sloane may have fooled those who worked with him, but that he, as an objective observer, was not fooled.
Sloane asked Jack to help Nadia, "...as if she were your own daughter."
Jack seemed awfully surprised that Sloane got his pardon. Is that because Jack thought he had arranged for him to not get it?
I loved that episode, too.
So many things were going through my mind. They're definitely setting us up for Nadia being Jack's daughter. As for Syd, didn't Jack say, "our relationship is clear" or something to that effect when he got the paternity test? I don't want Syd's paternity changed, but it's still out there as a possibility.
I really enjoyed seeing Tom and Dixon interact. When they were trying to get the last protocol, it was funny when he said, "you had the ones that rhymed."
I think it's cool how we're seeing how Sydney became an agent by watching Rachel gain experience. We're learning how Syd deals with the stuff she has to see everyday, and how she has to become someone else when she's in a tough mission.
I can't wait for next week. I saw some pictures on Alias-media that show who I assume to be the guy that was in the box. He is played by Patrick Bauchau (Sydney from The Pretender). I'm leaning towards it being Renee's father.
Here's a link to the pics of the guy in the box:
http://www.alias-media.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=thumbnails&album=265
The mention of Arivn standing before the prosecutor reminds me of some other thoughts.
Why didn't Sydney's and Dixon's afidavits hold any weight to the proceedings? If anyone would be resistant to Sloan's deceptions, it would be those two, yet they volunteered testimony to exonerate him. I was suspicious of this prosecutor from that point on, though his threats ended up being hollow, and the question is now irrelevant.
The one-liners are usually pretty good and there were some funny ones this week, but we all know that once in a while there are some bad ones. (I.e. Elliana - "Bring Nadia back" Sloan - "I was going to." wow, snappy come back, Arvin.)Anyway, some people probably liked it, but I thought the "I'm not like other Moms" was over the cheese-line.
I got a kick out of Rachel's innocence showing through in her lines.
Syd: I've been in worse situations
Rachel: You have?!?
Rachel: How can you people sleep after that??
I laughed out loud with the Marshall dice scene, that was great, when they told him he had it backwards, the look on his face was priceless!
Did I miss something? SRG said something about the possibility of Rachel being gay? Was that a typo or...?? I don't see that at all. I thought when she was talking to Syd at the end she was just trying to get it all straight in her head. Syd thought she was just going to be a part of the CIA until they brought Sloane to justice. Perhaps Rachel was just wondering how long she would be with them and is under the impression that it will only be until they bring Dean to justice. That's what I got from that conversation.
Also, yeah, I said "Hmmm..." when Sloane said, "...as if she were your own daughter."
Nope that wasn't a typo. There's been some speculation over on the ABC boards as to if Rachel's gay from the comments that were made by Peyton; what she said about Tom "not being her type" and "that's what I love about our friendship, no competition". I originally took those comments to mean that Rachel just likes different guys than Peyton, but that would also fit if she was gay. It would be an interesting character twist, but either way I'm down w/ her, last night's episode convinced me that she's cool. :)
Hmm, I don't know. I didn't pick up on the Rachel lesbian thing. Maybe, maybe not. But I think she and Tom have some chemistry. I would love to see them together.
yeah, I think it would be cute to see the chemistry between them grow too. :)
I'm trying to remain obkective as I consider the "gay" theory, and I really don't think the statements were intended to imply this.
We do not know what sort of relationship Rach and Payton had. I get the idea that Payton sensed that something was wrong and was "fishing" for what might be Rachel's normal reaction. Maybe Rachel was always chastizing Payton for her flirty and promiscuous lifestyle and the lack of "competition" between them was more sarcasm than a statement of belief. I dunno.
The whole "how long will I be here with you" question was more likely coming from a place of insecurity. Syd understands what she is going through and has protected her several times already. Its no wonder she would want to stay near her. (Yet, here is another reason I still have a tickle of a suspicion about this young woman.)
I hope the character is NOT homosexual, because it is totally unnecessary to the story to insert that sort of controversy. Its bad enough that they insert anyone's sexuality, but TV characters will tend to be identified by such things rather than what they bring to the story. People should want others to identify them by their good qualities, not their sexualities (no mater what their preferences are). That is my pragmatic analysis.
-R.
I don't really care either way whether they make her character gay, it doesn't bother me at all. I guess I hope they don't just because it would be fun to see something develop between her and Grace. We shall see!
My vote? Not gay. Either way, I don't think it will effect the story. It's not like Rachel doesn't understand that Sydney's not gay.
Aside, I want to know who is the box. 4 days!
about syd and rachel....i like the way they are showing the progression of rachel...BUT i think that comparing her to how syd must have learned is not exactly on target....from day one we see syd as this extraordinary person who is so naturally gifted at many aspects of agent-hood. "they said she was a natural" she advanced quickly - she has no fear, fights creatively....i can't imagine a time when syd was like rachel - scared, afraid, and tentative. not that i don't like rachel...i think it was the only way the writers could have gone with her and i think its really endearing. if she was some super kick*** spy we would have felt competition between her and syd and been annoyed...but the contrast is perfect and gives a great storyline.
definitely do not think rachel is gay (even though i have the benefit of knowing her relationship with sark) i just don't think the writers would go that route -doesn't seem like a hot-button issue that ALIAS would concentrate on.....
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