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?
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?
6 comments:
Correct me if I'm way out there but another stock situation would be the flip flopping of the main antagonist...Sloane. First he is REALLY bad...then "good" to the point where he gains Sydneys belief. Now that Nadia is in a coma, I think that he is going to ally himself with Curtis because he has the book with all of the decoded DNA and amino acid secrets in it. I think that we are going to see Sloane do some not so nice things to try and wake Nadia from her coma. And how come Jack has been put on the back burner? It is like the writers are trying so hard to make the newbies fit in and us like them that they are forgetting about some integral characters. But then again it is only the third episode of the season. Sidenote: I think that Rambaldi isn't put to rest yet...Any takers??!?!?!?
I agree, Rambaldi is still lurking. He's still in the mix. Can't wait to see what he has in store for Syd next.
Sorry...not curtis....Dean. DUH!
Well...you were right! The parallel between Rachel and Sydney was right on the money. I think that Grace and Rachel are going to hook up. Kinda like the new Vaughn and Sydney. That would be horrible if the new seasons didn't include sydney but started a new relationship with these two to continue Alias.
I have NO idea what to conclude form the address but I myself was Very interested in it. It caught my eye, so when I re-watched the episode I took note to see if there was any significance. It seems that JJ wouldnt show it so closely if there was absolutley No significance. Again, I have No idea what it would be but I would love to hear other people ideas. Sidenote......I loved that she put the magazine back her desk drawer! Hmmmmm?
the cool thing about the magazine is that it very well could have just been something that a grieving person saves because they aren't ready to let go of - while at the same time leaving the door open for hmmmmm...perhaps some future vaughn-reading-hockey-tips to isabella-bristow-vaughn moments....
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