Alias 5/4/03 - 2 Hour Season Finale (1 Viewer)

[MikeEn]

No, but she's really pissed.

 

[Joel C]

Oh, and it's Irina. Urina sounds like an unpleasant burning sensation.

 

[Jeff Kohn]

Well, I can't say I was happy with the finale. First I think the big surprise ending is stupid. I mean I knew they'd have to do something to break the two of them up or put some confict in their relationship, but this is getting a bit absurd.

But that's not really what bothered me about the show. See, I can suspend disbelief to a certain extent, as long as a show creates a set of rules for the reality it's based in and pretty much sticks to them. That's why I can enjoy shows like The Dead Zone, Buffy/Angel, etc. But when shows can't even be consistent with themselves it can be hard to take, especially when said show is set in a reality very similar to our own.

But still, if it's a fun ride I'm OK with that even if the plot/characterization isn't perfect. If thinking back on a show/movie after I've watched it I realize there were some plot holes, that's no big deal. The problem is when I think "WTF, that's stupid" while I'm actually watching the show, to the point where it starts to ruin my enjoyment of the show. That is when stupid writing becomes a problem. And there were tons of such moments in the finale:

1) Why on earth would the CIA need approval from the Department of Justice to carry out a mission in France? I know they threw something in there about the FBI wanting oversight with regards to handling Will on "homeland security" issues, but that doesn't mean the CIA would have to answer to them about what missions they choose to run on foreign soil.

2) Just because they got a tip about Sloan's stash of artifacts, why does that mean the CIA had to move the one they had? And couldn't they have done so in a more secure way? One thing I absolutely hate is when the evil mastermind's plan hinges on being able to predict the (often stupid and unpredictable) actions of the good guys. It's a lame plot device.

3) Why is security so lax in the CIA? You have Sydney telling people stuff left and right that they have no business knowing, you have people carrying on extremely sensitive conversations on cel-phones, top-secret information is discussed in open office areas where people could overhear.

4) Come on, are we really supposed to believe that Fake Francie had genuine feelings for Will? Give me a break, they've done nothing to establish that fact before the finale. On the contrary, FF has always been acting suspicious and giving those evil glances into the camera when nobody is looking. Her breaking down and crying at the end didn't ring true at all.

5) The fight at the end was way over the top. You can't take that kind of damage to the head and keep going. I mean, after about the 40th time they broke something during their struggle or kicked the other person square in the head, it got a bit excessive.

All in all, I just think the show has been dumbed down too much since the January reboot, and the writers are just lazy, lazy, lazy. They know where they want to go, but can't be bothered to do the work of getting there with some semblance of credibility. I honestly don't have much desire to watch the next season, but probably will since my wife is more forgiving than me and loves the show.

 

[BobV]

1) Why on earth would the CIA need approval from the Department of Justice to carry out a mission in France?

Huh? This is what I mean... who rightly CARES if the CIA needs, or doesn't need, the approval from the DOJ or the FBI or Grampa Simpson, they key is the MISSION. Stop overthinking it. Ooo... they didn't have a Senate Oversight Committee meeting before they did went on the mission and it clearly says in the CIA Rulebook section B) subsection i) that "no secret CIA missions to France, or any of its properties, may be undertaken without the express permission of the Senator in charge of said agency and forthwith and notwithstanding the Director of such department shall be reprimanded by... blah blah blah" (except that there is obviously some who care or the questions would not be asked... I suggest that group watch 'The Agency')

Well anyways...

 

[Dave Morton]

And why did Irina have to knock out Sidney in the ice arena? It's not as if she would have been able to chase her with ice skates on.

 

[Jeff Kohn]

Huh? This is what I mean... who rightly CARES if the CIA needs, or doesn't need, the approval from the DOJ or the FBI or Grampa Simpson, they key is the MISSION.

I care because it's sloppy writing that serves no purpose. The writers could have come up with a better excuse for de-moting him.

Oh, 2 other "WTF?" moments during the show that I forgot to mention:

1) With her track record, the CIA is just going to blindly believe that the DNA information from Irina is valid, and not only set Will loose but let him get back on the case?

2) Sydney also mentioned about him not having that drug in his blood as corroborating evidence. But couldn't they have tested for that earlier and saved themselves a whole lot of trouble?

 

[KerryK]

1) With her track record, the CIA is just going to blindly believe that the DNA information from Irina is valid, and not only set Will loose but let him get back on the case?

2) Sydney also mentioned about him not having that drug in his blood as corroborating evidence. But couldn't they have tested for that earlier and saved themselves a whole lot of trouble?

Those really bothered me as well, and I can usually suspend my disbelief further than most people.

Also, fair is fair - you guys get Jennifer Garner in lingerie/bikinis pretty much at least once a week - why couldn't we have had Vaughn instead of Syd in the leather?! Just this once? COME ON!!

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Also, fair is fair - you guys get Jennifer Garner in lingerie/bikinis pretty much at least once a week - why couldn't we have had Vaughn instead of Syd in the leather?! Just this once? COME ON!!

It is funny how Syd has to disguise herself to retrieve Sark, while Vaughn (who Sark would also recognize) sits right next to her in his normal clothes.

 

[John_VI]

Michael - I don't think that's funny at all. I think it's NECESSARY!!! LOL!!

Sorry KerryK!!

Jeff Kohn -



Because they didn't know to check for that drug until they got the DNA evidence provided by Irina's intel?

I guess I'm like your wife. I'm much more forgiving.

 

[KerryK]

It is funny how Syd has to disguise herself to retrieve Sark, while Vaughn (who Sark would also recognize) sits right next to her in his normal clothes.

Plus Sark would have recognized her anyway, the "disguise" was purely gratuitous. (Which is fine, I understand that's what the show's all about, I'm just asking for a little reciprocity!)

John, maybe I'm confused, but I think they knew all along that the gene therapy patients took the drug, so they should have tested him right away.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Plus Sark would have recognized her anyway, the "disguise" was purely gratuitous. (Which is fine, I understand that's what the show's all about, I'm just asking for a little reciprocity!)

I was half expecting some sort of comment from Syd or Vaughn when the source mentioned that Sark was meeting this guy "in a nearby sex club."

::sigh:: "Of course he is."

 

[Nelson Au]

If anyone cares, I thought a Matt Roush review of this season ender summed up how I felt about it. It's on the TV Guide website mainpage.

He liked it.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

http://www.tvguide.com/tv/roush/dispatches/index.asp#A

 

[RossTerry]

her scar looked exactly like my appendectomy scar...in the same place too


doubt thats what it really was though

 

[Steve Felix]

What about the labeled prescription in the bathroom?

This sort of thing doesn't really bother me, though. What bothers me is that rather than getting a story that unravels naturally we are constantly misled and deceived; and not just by characters, but by the people behind the camera. The "72 hours earlier" gimmick that was used a few times puts a spotlight on the problem.

Another example: when Sloane stands there at the temple reading whatever he was reading last week, why is the camera not giving us the over the shoulder shot? If the camera can float up into space, it can look at the paper. The camera should be on our side in all this.

In other words, the transparency of how plot points are carefully fed to the audience is what gets me. If I wasn't so bothered by this, I could easily see enjoying it for it's better attributes.

For all of you who can't suspend disbelief and are not pleased there's always a ton of mindless Reality shows out there you can watch.

I think even Alias is more realistic than the shows to which you refer.

 

[John_VI]

Kerry - I'm going to have to recheck the episode (I have it saved on TIVO) to see which drug they were referring to in Will's blood. If it is the anti-rejection drug that I think you're referring to, then yes, they should have been able to check for it before. I thought it was some other compound that developed in the bloodstream as a result of the procedure, that they didn't know to check for until AFTER they got Irina's intel. I'll check and report back.

And I don't think Syd's costume in the nightclub was a disguise, per se. It was just an outfit that an extremely hot female would wear to such a club (not that I'm complaining, mind you). Now, the sex club costume was a different matter entirely!! You DID see the look that Vaughn shot to Syd when they found out that they would be going into a sex club, didn't you? Classic! What would have been an interesting twist is if the exchange with their German contact (in the elevator) went something like this:

***************

Contact: "You can find Dr. xxxxx in the [fill in the blank] Sex Club."

Vaughn [smiling and giving Syd a "Great, you get to dress up in a sexy outfit again!" look]: "Hmmmm."

Syd [sighs and returns Vaughn's look, resigning herself to dressing up as a super-hot dominatrix in black and red leather]: "Oh well. All in the line of duty. I'll need to get changed."

Contact [look of confusion]: Actually, it's a GAY sex club."

Vaughn [anticipatory smile is replaced by a look of stunned amazement, eyes grow to the size of saucers]: "DOH!"

Syd [look of professional resignation is replaced by an expression of unbridled glee. She pumps her fist and yells...]: "YYYYYYEEESSSSSSS!!"

****************

Kerry - I leave it to you to write the script for the scene where Vaughn and Syd enter the club!!

 

[KerryK]

LOL! I actually had a similar thought!

I would love to see Syd's reaction after all the oggling she's been put through.

 

[Jason Quillen]

For all of you who cant suspend disbelife and are not pleased theres always a ton of mindless Reality shows out there you can watch.

That sounded like a shot with the jugular in mind.

I have no problems suspending belief. I watch Buffy to this day, and when I was a kid I read X-Men and Spider-Man. Thats not the issue.

The issue is rules - grounding. Alias won't establish any rules, just so it can jump all over the place as it wants. If they want Vaughn to get pregnant, they'll do it, just 'because'. Doesn't seem like a real big problem, does it?

The problem comes into play when the show tries to be so serious. Like I said earlier, if this was the Marshal show - all goofy and funny - there wouldn't be a problem. Its meant to be funny and not really reflect real life.

But Alias is pretty heavy on the drama - we're supposed to be concerned for the characters, among other things. But without grounding the show can't possibly be taken serious. Is anyone actually concerned for the characters, at all? I'm not. Because I know they'll just come up with some bullshit to explain it. It'll make sense on the surface, but the moment you examine it - at all - it'll begin to fall apart.

The show is written completely out of convenience. Abrams wants a big ending? Well, he can do whatever he wants because his show has no rules or grounding. Not exactly "good" writing in my book. The end product is...stupid. Time traveling 2 years as a last ditch cliffhanger is pretty stupid in my book. Not to mention a pretty cheap, lame ending.

Alias is trying to be the James Bond of TV. Thats fine. Trouble is, without any rules, it comes off more like Austin Powers - except Austin Powers is trying to be stupid - Alias isn't. It just does what it wants, when it wants with NO attempt to write in any kind of boundary and it comes off pretty silly.

I'm all for entertainment. Would I like to watch something with some depth over something superficial? Absolutely. But I'm all for a little mindless action now and then - Alias just needs to stop trying to be serious. If it wants to be serious, establish some rules to ground the characters, if it doesn't then quit trying to be so dramatic. Shows CAN have their cake and eat it too, but Alias hasn't figured out how...yet.


JQ

 

[Bob-N]

Jason,

You must have been reading my mind. I was thinking "James Bond" once a week. Every few years it's good to see a Bond flick and look at it as pure entertainment. Having to see Bond-like story lines once a week gets a bit stale after a while. Each week or so, it seems that the writers want to top themselves.

Not to say I don't enjoy the show currently. It just seems to be heading over new boundries they set the previous week. If it goes much further, it may become bothersome for me.

Bob

 

[Michael Hughes]

I finally got a chance to watch this Tivo'd ep, and agree with the comments above that James Bond definitely comes to mind, "Sydney, Syndey Bristow" is this the new catchphrase?

I though the ep was very uneven, but still entertaining.

What does Camp Harris refer to, is that supposed to be sort of like Guantanamo Bay?

The Francie storyline was getting to be very strained and I cannot believe Will escaped death again, but I am glad he is still alive becuase they actually have made his character pretty interesting unlike the first year when he was a distraction, he has become a potentially prodigious analyst.

I think the big quesiton is did Marhsall finally get any action over the past 2 years?

I think the creators have tried once again to reset the storyline as the previous arc has been played out. A risky but potentially rewarding move.