Alias Season 2

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2000's, Alias, Alias Season 2, Bradley Cooper, Carl Lumbly, David Anders, Greg Grunberg, J. J. Abrams, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Weisman, Lena Olin, Merrin Dungey, Michael Vartan, Ron Rifkin, Victor Garber

Continuing from that jaw-dropping mother of a cliffhanger that Season 1 provided, Season 2 of Alias is a stellar follow on that is even better than the debut season. Introducing new dynamics plus one hell of a game changer in the middle, its compulsive television. Be warned, big spoilers will follow in this jam-packed review of the enthralling Season 2.

We open where we left off as Sydney(Jennifer Garner) comes face to face with her mother Irina Derevko(Lena Olin), who she first believed was dead but later discovered the deception of how she was a KGB agent. Things get more complex when her mother turns herself into the CIA. Sydney’s father and fellow double agent Jack(Victor Garber) is not so convinced that Irina will co-operate in bringing down SD-6, like she claims she will and sets out to prove this. But Sydney despite her better judgement, grows a little closer to her mother and Irina does provide some valuable information. Yet what does she get in the long run? That is the question on everyone’s lips. Sydney and Jack are forced to confront Irina and at times work with her, which makes events complex and challenging as no one knows what her motives are. Meanwhile, Vaughn(Michael Vartan) survived after he seemed to have drowned and returns to the CIA. He finds that his feelings for Sydney have gotten a lot more personal, but are restricted due to company protocol. Ruthless Sloane(Ron Rifkin) has now been given a seat in the Alliance, but is haunted by the fact that his wife who he supposedly killed may still be alive and used as leverage against him in an attempt to undermine him. Everything Sloane has worked for starts to fall away as the intrigue grows. The malevolent and slimy criminal Sark(David Anders) arrive back on the scene and offers his services to SD-6, who accept due to his knowledge. Yet this underscores a level of suspicion as Sydney is reticent of getting close to Sark because of how slippery he is and curious about what his true nature is. The role of Will(Bradley Cooper) changes as he stops being a reporter under duress and now aware of Sydney’s double life, is employed as an analyst for the CIA, which helps with matters pertaining to espionage without leading to jeopardy once more. Although Will now knows, she still has to keep her spy work concealed from best friend Francie and other colleagues at SD-6. Loyal Dixon(Carl Lumbly) begins to question whether Sydney is really a worker for SD-6 or a double agent, causing more conflict. As the roles of her friends change and she must face her own problems, it’s another eventful day for Sydney Bristow in the game of espionage, procuring objects of the mysterious Rambaldi and sabotaging SD-6 until it completely obliterates.

Right off the bat, we are thrust back into the perilous world of Alias, where fun can be had in equal measure. J.J. Abrams, and his team of writers and directors, fashion more crazy but hugely engaging stories for us to savor as Sydney does battle with enemies and even those closest. One of the reasons Alias is a good show is that it can juggle the balls of genres with relative ease. The package is one where you don’t have to suspend belief at various points but you are that fully immersed in the depth of most of it, that you can’t look away. The show has familiar elements like the cliffhanger structure, but this season shifts gears and occasionally takes another route which in turn makes it more intriguing and watchable. The expansion of greatness makes sure this season doesn’t suffer from a slump, instead being the opposite.

The introduction of Irina is a key example of upping the ante and giving more dynamics to a show that prides itself on its shifts in tone. The drama neatly goes hand in hand with the intrigue, allowing emotional interludes and Sydney’s globe-trotting missions where she dresses up in yet more colourful costumes, to be equally as riveting. Some may find the convoluted nature of Alias confusing, but once you get in its hard to resist. On the technical front, the editing and array of camera techniques keep Alias going along as quick as a speeding bullet with style to boot. The electronic beats of the score are twinned with emotive strings and distorted voices for a peculiar but haunting effect.

And here comes the big one that makes this season special. About midway through, the show does a ballsy move by having SD-6 destroyed in a real standout episode entitled ‘Phase One’. Seriously I can’t remember the last time an episode of television thrilled me as much as this one. Through discovering specific files and a computer server, Sydney and other CIA agents finally take down the corrupt organisation, though not without danger. If you want an eventful hour of television this is it. You have Sydney and Vaughn finally kissing, a sexy opener and the shocking killing of Francie, who is subsequently impersonated by a double. It is a work of television art that does everything right and more than delivers shocks in it. The impact of this is felt throughout the later half of the season and cements Alias as a show willing to take risk. More episodes of note are plentiful. A killer opening of revelations is just the right thing to hit the sweet spot and put us right back into this crazy world. The twisting ‘The Counteragent’ features Sydney making a deal with the devil to save Vaughn from a painful death after it is confirmed that he could be infected with a fatal disease, which shows just how much she cares about him. ‘The Abduction’ was a notable and fun episode where talkative gadget geek Marshall(Kevin Weisman) was put in the field for the first time and his mission was hilarious. And the finale ‘The Telling’ is a kick ass piece of television, featuring a shocking twist I never saw coming and a savage fight scene between Sydney and the Francie double in which the whole apartment is destroyed through the use of objects as weapons.

And where Alias score some of its biggest points and victories is with the well assembled cast it has. We have the lovely Jennifer Garner portraying Sydney once more and owning every minute. Sydney finds herself with more than her fair share of things to confront here, and the believable and natural acting from Garner highlights both the fighter and the woman she is. One thing that is hard to miss is how assertive Sydney has become now, she has her demons for sure but her resolve is significantly strengthened and this makes her grow even more. Jennifer Garner is just breathtaking in the amount of emotion she can project with the smallest gesture and the physical side of events that she is more than adept at. She is simply a force to reckoned with and one of immense power. The diminutive but immensely menacing work from Ron Rifkin as Sloane hits a high point here. He imbues Sloane with an insidious nastiness that comes to the front when it becomes apparent he foresaw the collapse of SD-6 and made his moves to go underground. Sloane, thanks to the good work of Rifkin, showcases a sense of vulnerability underneath it all but it’s the viciousness you remember. Victor Garber is on hand once more with his subtle performance as Jack, who will do just about anything to protect his daughter. Jack is one intriguing character who at times appears like he’s doing underhand and dirty things, but knows exactly what his long-term results will be.

By the far  the most interesting character this season is the enigmatic Irina. As played by the remarkable Lena Olin, we are never sure where her true loyalties lie. Essaying the complex character, Olin injects sly and ruthless tendencies, yet manages to show what can be seen as concern for her daughter. But is it all just a show of cunning lies? That’s where the excellence of her performance lies and how dynamic she makes the season. Then we have Michael Vartan returning as Sydney’s handler Vaughn and the two finally making a go of a relationship. More depth is given to Vaughn here, witnessed in his love for Sydney and his smart personality as well as patriotism. And its nice to finally see a relationship of romance develop between him and Sydney. Carl Lumbly and Kevin Weisman are great actors in their roles of Dixon and awkwardly funny Marshall, who are shocked to learn of betrayal but then recruited to the CIA. Carl Lumbly especially brings deep sympathy to Dixon and we feel his pain of being lied to and used. Bradley Cooper’s earnest relatability is very well used as Will, who finds himself back in the spy game but hopefully on the side where he won’t get hurt like in the past due to his snooping. David Anders is given a lot more to do this season after appearing sporadically throughout the first year as the slime ball Sark. He just exudes this smug, silver-tongued villainy that creates a character you love to hate. And partnering him with Sloane as the two go underground and continue to be a thorn in the side looking for Rambaldi works was a very good move. Greg Grunberg is also given an expanded role playing CIA agent and Vaughn’s friend Weiss. His humour and respect is a good asset to the show and it was good to see him being more prominent. And finally Merrin Dungey gets a more fleshed out challenging part to do as Francie and her murderous replacement. Francie was always the character who wasn’t involved in the spying game, so having her killed and replaced adds a whole other dimension to it that Dungey plays well as the evil of the double plays out.

1. The Enemy Walks In – A+
2. Trust Me – B+
3. Cipher – A
4. Dead Drop – B+
5. The Indicator – B+
6. Salvation – C
7. The Counteragent – A
8. Passage Part 1 – B
9. Passage Part 2 – B-
10. The Abduction – A
11. A Higher Echelon – B+
12. The Getaway – B
13. Phase One – A+
14. Double Agent – B-
15. A Free Agent – B
16. Firebomb – C
17. A Dark Turn – A
18. Truth Takes Time – B
19. Endgame – C+
20. Countdown – B+
21. Second Double – A
22. The Telling – A+

An unpredictable, action-packed sophomore season, Alias Season 2 is addictive television that is far from predictable as it constantly challenges and reshapes what we thought we know.

Alias Season 1

Tags

2000's, Alias, Alias Season 1, Bradley Cooper, Carl Lumbly, J. J. Abrams, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Weisman, Merrin Dungey, Michael Vartan, Ron Rifkin, Victor Garber

I wanted to get back into the swing of things by writing about television again. This time I decided to find a show that I’d never watched prior to this. I settled on Alias, a spy/ action series that I’d heard of but never saw before. Anyone who regularly frequents my blog will know of my love for the spy genre and a strong female character. These are both provided in Alias, as well as pulse pounding action, cool missions, deepening mysterious twists and some excellent character development. So here is my review of the first season of Alias. Caution, spoilers will follow.

Sydney Bristow(Jennifer Garner) to everyone else around her appears to be just an average young woman; a grad student taking English as a subject while leading a seemingly reasonable and uneventful life. Yet she has a very big secret, she works for SD-6, a covert part of the CIA where she is a well trained and immensely capable spy. Naturally keeping her identities from mingling is difficult for Sydney, yet it gets a lot more complicated and dramatic when her unsuspecting boyfriend Danny proposes. Feeling that she has to be honest with someone she plans on being with for a long time, Sydney reveals the truth about her spy work. Yet by telling Danny of her true nature, danger and tragedy soon follow. Her revelation is overheard by her superiors, in particular the cold and calculating Arvin Sloane(Ron Rifkin), and as a result Danny is killed for what he knows about the organisation. Devastated by this, Sydney does not know which way to turn. Her estranged father Jack(Victor Garber) arrives on the scene and drops a massive bombshell. SD-6 is not a branch of the CIA at all, but the very enemy Sydney believed she was fighting against, as well as the fact that he’s a double agent. Reeling from this, Sydney goes to the real CIA with her information and is quickly recruited to act as a double agent due to her skills. She is assigned a handler in Michael Vaughn(Michael Vartan), who she at first clashes with but then comes to an understanding with. Sydney is determined to bring down SD-6, even though being a double agent is an extremely risky move. So off she goes on double missions: which consist of recovering specific objects pertaining to a historical figure called Milo Rambaldi(who Sloane has an obsession with) or information for SD-6 and at the same time bringing knowledge and more evidence to bring down the organisation for the CIA with similar counter missions. This danger plays out as Sydney attempts to keep her identity hidden from her friends and SD-6, even as one of her closest friends, reporter Will Tippin(Bradley Cooper) begins to conduct his own investigation into Danny’s death not realising what he’s getting himself into. Her main colleagues at SD-6; Marcus Dixon(Carl Lumbly) and gadget man Marshall Flinkman( Kevin Weisman) are also in the dark about the nefarious organization’s true purpose, which poses another challenge for Sydney as she cares about them both but can’t reveal herself. Knowing her own mortality is one the line, Sydney suits up in a rash of disguises as she executes her work and begins to slowly destroy SD-6 from the inside. There’s also the matter of her stained relationship with her father to contend with, as well as things from the past like the “death” of Sydney’s mother that remain mysterious, before slowly coming to light.

From the very first moments Season 1, I knew that Alias was going to be something I’d enjoy. It’s hard to put my finger on why, but I’ll give it a good try. From the talented imagination of J. J. Abrams, Alias flourishes into a show of many layers to it, from action to mystery and even touches of drama. Alias employs some very good cliffhangers, that have you wanting to know what’s going to happen next as Sydney’s globetrotting missions get more thrilling as they continue. Taking influence from the Bond movies, Alias has the title sequence play as one mission finishes and another begins which is generally in the middle of an episode, quickening the impact and continuing the trend of having us biting our nails by the end of each episode. These techniques help the episodes flow into each other, craft nifty cliffhangers and are on point with keeping things very interesting in the long run.

Alias thankfully doesn’t dumb things down in the way that some action films or television can, instead showing off more personal and unexpected parts to compliment the thrills of which there are a lot. The quick pace of the show(perfectly blended with a whole host of electronic and techno music) is efficiently offset with the quieter moments when we see Sydney growing as a person and attempting to keep her secret protected. Not enough spy series or movies develop the characters in my book; the people are usually super strong and largely impervious to threat. Yet the character of Sydney is refreshingly different, because while she is very strong physically and emotionally, at the end of the day she’s got a vulnerability and depth to her that sets her apart from the pack. There is fun to be had with Alias watching as Sydney is each episode dressed up in an array of unusual costumes and brightly coloured wigs in order to carry out her missions. Some of the get-ups are pretty outrageous but this adds to the fun to be had as the scripts stop it from falling into completely ridiculous or inane territory with witty lines, references to parts of possible fantasy and action never far from view. Season 1 reveals itself as a strong and twisting starting point for a show that officially has me hooked. Standout episodes are a plenty, particularly the opening episode ‘Truth Be Told’ that unravels in the middle of the action and fills in the gaps in a non linear structure. The action packed ‘Doppelgänger’ is a real treat that is almost cinematic in execution and should be applauded for the balance between thrills and emotional drama. Creepiness is brought in among the many tonal differences of the show in ‘Reckoning’ and ‘Color Blind’, where Sydney has to go undercover as a mental patient in a horrifying asylum in Romania that is shot with the atmosphere of an old horror movie. ‘The Prophecy’ is one of the most eventful and entertaining episodes, as well as having Roger Moore feature in a guest role. And you can’t ask for a better season finale than the one provided, which answers some questions yet leaves us with questions for Season 2 Not every episode is stellar( then again what show has a season of constantly amazing episodes?), but the vast majority are extremely well orchestrated and executed. It would be impossible for me to write about every great episode as I would be here all day.

The excellent work of Jennifer Garner in the part of Sydney is what really makes the show tick. She is the beating heart of Alias and the one who most requirements fall upon as it’s primarily her story. And let me say that Jennifer Garner doesn’t miss a beat. Garner displays how Sydney’s world and what she thinks she knows is crumbled away and she is left to fight to get some semblance of it back. Her anger, intelligence, sadness and fear are all very palpable from the beginning of the show. Sydney clearly is anything but an uninteresting character and emerges as a well-developed, strong and resourceful woman having to juggle each side to her life that threatens to overflow if she isn’t careful. As much as Sydney is the mistress of concealment, Jennifer Garner brings out an emotional honesty to her that displays how Sydney may be a kick ass spy but she’s still a human being of genuine emotion. I simply cannot imagine anyone else playing the fighter that is Sydney both in the physical and emotional ways that Jennifer Garner brings to the table. Michael Vartan has the required smarts, eagerness and good looks that are great in the part of CIA officer Vaughn, who grows to be more attached to Sydney than he expected. The two have sparks but the show hints at them rather than just immediately make them an item, letting them grow closer over time. Victor Garber portrays Sydney’s enigmatic father Jack, whose fractured relationship with his estranged daughter plays in heavily throughout the narrative. Garber excellently gets across the reticence of Jack to reveal specific information which at first makes him seem uncaring, when in actual fact it is his way of shielding his daughter from even more danger than she often finds herself in. He is revealed to be a deeply compassionate man not afraid to take violent action to ensure the safety of Sydney. The dynamic of the two has the required awkwardness and unease to it that makes that part of the series mysterious yet with a growing near trust. Ron Rifkin is on hand for the creepy villainy and dedicated to the job tendencies of the corrupt Sloane, who slowly becomes suspicious that there is a mole in his organization. Just with a simple look, Rifkin gets across the darkness of this man and also a strange depth. Carl Lumbly and Kevin Weisman are solid as two of those working at SD-6: the loyal and well-meaning Dixon and geeky gadget master Marshall. Lumbly plays his performance as subtle and understated, while Weisman revels in the amusing tics of the awkward Marshall who comes up with some baffling but useful gadgets. Bradley Copper excels as the determined reporter Will, who out of unrequited love for Sydney, investigates the mysterious events around her and finds a lot more than he bargained for. Merrin Dungey stars as Francie, Sydney’s best friend and has the right chemistry with Jennifer Garner to create a convincing bond between these two. It helps the way the show balances Sydney’s dangerous double life with a sense of normality when she’s seen with Francie. She has probably the most ordinary role in the scope of the series, but it’s meant to be like that.

1. Truth Be Told – A+
2. So It Begins – A
3. Parity – B+
4. A Broken Heart – B
5. Doppelgänger – A+
6. Reckoning – A
7. Color Blind – A
8. Time Will Tell – B-
9. Mea Culpa – B+
10. Spirit – A
11. The Confession – B
12. The Box Part 1 – A
13. The Box Part 2 – A-
14. The Coup – C
15. Page 47 – B+
16. The Prophecy – A+
17. Q & A – C+
18. Masquerade – C-
19. Snowman – B+
20. The Solution – B+
21. Rendezvous – A
22. Almost Thirty Years – A+

An excitingly intricate show that keeps you on the edge of your seat, Alias has now become a fast favourite of mine as Season 1 draws you into it so effectively and fills it with mystery, espionage and a remarkable heroine. This has me super stoked for Season 2 and what it may have to offer in the way of twisting narrative and thrills.