Alias - should I buy complete set blindly?

Jay_B! · 08-17-2006, 05:26 PM

I have seen a few Alias episodes here and there on TNT and on ABC and kinda liked it, but of course, I was lost since I know it's a Buffy/Angel/Lost (another show I am going to blindly check out in a few weeks when season 2 comes out, I'll get 1 and 2 together) vein series where it's a serial where you'll be lost if you don't see every episode bookending it.

I figure if I check the show out, this would be the best bet, and since it's limited edition, I need to get it asap. What do other Alias fans here think?

David Allen · 08-17-2006, 05:29 PM

Netflix seasons 1-3, don't watch anything from season 4 & 5 unless you like jumping over sharks.

Greg_S_H · 08-17-2006, 05:38 PM

Can't say. Some people only like one and two. Others like one and two, hate three, and think it came back in the last two seasons. And, some don't like three and four. As for me, to paraphrase Red Steagall: "What do I like about Alias one through five? Every damn thing, hoss, I like 'em all!"

CherylJ · 08-17-2006, 05:47 PM

I'm a huge Alias fan, watched since the Pilot, but I think only seasons one and two are worth owning on DVD. I wouldn't pay for the whole set, but of course that's a matter of personal preference.

TNT is airing it in reruns. Check your TiVo/TV Guide, wait for the pilot ("Truth Be Told"), and start watching from the beginning. You will know pretty quickly whether this is the show for you. And seasons one and two are absolutely fantastic imho. The pilot is one of the best pilots I can remember.

Jay_B! · 08-17-2006, 05:59 PM

TNT no longer airs it in daily runs tho, do they? Which is sick because they air Charmed twice in the afternoons and nearly half of that series is unwatchable IMO

**HTF Ads**

Jonny P · 08-17-2006, 06:20 PM

Loved the show.

I think it is the sort of show made to own on DVD.

And while some didn't enjoy seasons 4 and 5, I actually enjoyed those seasons quite a lot.

CherylJ · 08-17-2006, 06:24 PM

I have no idea of the schedule, but TiVo seems to find a lot of episodes very quickly. I always have a bunch of Alias eps piling up in my suggestion list. It airs on TNT and it's also syndicated on a local station twice a week, iirc. So one of your local stations may be airing reruns also. It shouldn't be a long wait for the pilot to come around again.

Ollie · 08-17-2006, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Allen

Netflix seasons 1-3, don't watch anything from season 4 & 5 unless you like jumping over sharks.

I'm inclined to "ditto" this sentiment. I loved 1 & 2, liked 3, and gave up on Season 4 after halfway through disk 2. I never watched it on TV, I discovered it on DVD which was a great way to watch it...no commercials, no waiting for the next week. I rented them from Netflix. i would by no means pay money to own 4 & 5.

MatthewLouwrens · 08-17-2006, 09:07 PM

Seasons 1 and 2 are great, and I enjoy the rest (although I haven't seen 5 yet - we've almost finished season 4 here in NZ).

Yes, there is a real decline in quality after season 3, and it is really rather dumb and blatantly obvious that they're just making it all up. But it's still a lot of fun, they still have some great action scenes, and in my view is still worth watching simply because it's got an astonishingly great cast. Garner and Vartan do good work in the lead roles, but the supporting stars (I'm thinking of Rifkin and Garber in particular, as well as Lumbly) are so great that I will forgive a million faults in a show just to watch them work.

Jay_B! · 08-17-2006, 09:37 PM

when people say 3-5 of Alias are weak. Weak in the sense that season 6 and 7 of Buffy are weaker than the earlier seasons, but still good. Or weak as in the Rose McGowan seasons of Charmed that are unwatchable compared to the Shannen Doherty episodes?

Greg_S_H · 08-17-2006, 11:02 PM

I think they're very watchable and enjoyable. Many people hate three because they hate a new character, but we're *supposed* to hate her. She starts out as an annoyance to Sydney, and the audience relates to that. Also, things were pretty shaken up, but change is good. I think the bottom line is there's no way to gauge how you will react to the show. You'll either need to take the risk or rent.

ElijahS · 08-17-2006, 11:04 PM

I suggest watching all five seasons. While most of season three, the majority of season four, and the first part of season five are weaker than the phenomenally strong first two seasons, they're still better than most of what aired on television during their respective seasons.