Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine Alias 2001-2006 (Spoilers)

But that's exactly what bothers me -- it's been done before. This is like the writers splicing together the Lauren-disguised-as-Syd/Syd-disguised-as-Lauren bits from the end of Season Three (which worked because they were over with quickly) and the Francie-impostor plot thread from Season Two (which was one of my least favorite things about that season.)

It all stinks of creative bankruptcy, and it couldn't be at a worse time.

I didn't see it, either. I think the producers and writers have lost track of the plot threads, and forgot to show it in an earlier episode. Very sloppy.

Ah well, just a few episodes to go. And it's somewhat comforting to recall that "Alias"'s ancestor, "Mission: Impossible", fell apart in its fifth season, too.

And who knows, maybe it'll get better before it's over. The previews for the next episode looked promising.

I was talking to a friend and she said that in the birthing ep, Syd ask Jack to do something for her. He agrees and then the very next scene is the horse guy and monk flash to Vaughn. So it could be extablished that they already knew last show wihtout really implying it.

I liked the show. It was a definte setup show for the finale and a chance for Bradley Cooper to have some fun coming back. The train scene I have to say was pretty funny. That moustache was riducously chessey.

Drake, I agree with you. No WAY Will Tippen gets the drop on Anna Espinosa like that. I mean, she's the evil Sydney, for crying out loud.

As far as the Anna-becoming Syd's genetic double, yes, it's been done three times before, yes, it's in danger of becoming as ridiculously cliched as the "72 hours earlier" Alias plot, but there's one small thing you may be forgetting...

There can only be one reason they performed that process on Anna. They want her to fulfill the prophesy from page 47.

And that's kinda cool.

You didn't like Evil Francie? Wow, that's one of my favorite plots from the ehtire 5-year run.

I love Evil Francie!

The whole "we faked Vaughn's death" thing caught me offguard, so thank you, rtvu2, for pointing out the way that worked...

I feel a lot of momentum, the synthesis of a lot of plots (dangling or not) from the entire run, as well as bringing back as many fan faves as possible... I think Alias can go out with a true bang! I really hope they pull it off...

My wife and I just sat through the 2 hour episode and last Wednesday's latest ep last night in one sitting. (Having a second child really cramps the TV timetable, but we're lovin' the extra pair of pattering feet.)

Random thoughts:

At the end of the 2 hour show, upon Vaughn's return (which I never doubted), I said, "and everything is right in the universe again." But the sci-fi transformation of Ana Espinosa into evil Sydney is where this show really jumps the shark for me. I mean, how do you change the height of a person? Not to mention, we lose a great actress. Then again, the previous poster's comment about how The Chosen One will bring destruction makes sense if it's enacted by Ana-cum-Sydney.

Seeing Will was great even if he was kidnapped and tortured again. If his witness protection gig has been compromised and he's asking Syd to be his best man, is there any point of him being in a witness protection program anymore? Having Sydney find the deactivator for the detonator after Ana threw it in the water was also hokey for me.

Best line: "Mommy's got to go to work."

Introducing Rachel and Thomas Grace has done zero for me. Why didn't they continue the show with Nadia as Syd's interim replacement? Why bother with the Rachel character?

On Irina: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE !!! She can do no wrong.

Lastly, I see Jennifer Gardner's cred at the end of some shows as exec producer. What does this entitle her to do exactly?

It's great to see such animated discussion.

KP, the idea of using the Syd-impostor to fulfill the Rambaldi prophecy had occured to me, but I didn't post anything about it, because I want to see where the writers go with this before I comment on it.

Something else else else that bothers me about Ana-turned-Syd-impostor is that now we'll never see a Syd-vs.-Ana-to-the-death scene. Even if they do a Syd-vs.-"Syd" fight scene, IMO it's going to be difficult to pull off without looking ridiculous, even with body doubles and CGI.

I don't like Evil Francie because I didn't like the way Season Two ended with something as mundane as a catfight in Syd's kithcen.

Owl Lad, the reason Nadia's not the interim agent is because Mia Maestro did not want to commit to a full season. And in answer to your other question: I'm not sure EXACTLY what Jennifer Garner's executive producer credit entitles her to, but here's my guess: it allows her to indulge her ego by having Sydney go out in the field when she should be behind a desk; and the Syd-impostor thing also feels like a personal indulgence for Her Majesty, giving her even more screen time than she already had.

I'll come back at 9, with my thoughts on the latest episode.

For the first fifty minutes, it seemed to me like the show was halfway back on course. And then...god, it's just painful. Here's the spoiler box:

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">They bring back Nadia, and kill her in the same episode. I'm sure that won't matter to people who didn't like her, but I did like her.

And what makes it even worse is that her death was a cheap contrivance to turn Sloane evil again. We're just getting one redundant thing after another.

And I don't buy the French lady -- supposedly a skilled mercenary -- getting caught off-guard by Evil Syd long enough to allow Evil Syd to slash her throat and kill her.

I'm glad there's only three episodes to go. This is getting unbearable.</span></span>

Senseless, senseless...

Is there any redemption for this show?

Majorly disappointed, but doomed to see it to the end.

That's the same question I've been asking myself this past week.

Maybe...just maybe...if the Good Syd vs. Evil Syd confrontation ends with Irina having to shoot one of them. She is, by her own admission, a bad mother, but she'll still recognize the real Syd.

And then...Syd and Irina, the avenging angels, slaughtering all the evildoers.

Yeah, that would be okay with me.

I've also been thinking about how That Horrible Scene from last week could have played out differently, but I'll put that in a spoiler box:

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">The struggle between Nadia and Sloane ends with Sloane falling into the fireplace; he beings to burn to death, and soon the house is on fire, too; Nadia grabs the remains of Page 47; with no time to lose, she must choose whether or not to save her father; she chooses to leave him to die in the inferno; now Nadia will have to live with her decision, and all the guilt it implies.

Now that, IMO, would have been shocking in all the right ways. Powerful rather than senseless.</span></span>

My sentiments exactly. Back at 9 with the usual thoughts and spoilers.

ZZZZZ...Huh? Oh, um, yeah, Alias.

God, was that boring. Still, here's the spoiler box with the latest:

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">30-year old computer chips inside Renee and Vaughn. :rolleyes: Individually, worthless; together, they revealed the location of Vaughn's father's underground bunker with all data he accumulated about the evil organization.

Evil Syd intercepted Good Syd and spent most of the episode trying to convince Vaughn she was Good Syd. Once they find the bunker, Evil Syd and Vaughn get into a fight which has all sorts of unintentional, and very queasy, subtext when filtered through the gossip about how much Jen 'n Mike hate each other in real life. In the end, Good Syd sneaks up behind Evil Syd, and shoots Evil Syd in the head. Good Syd is now posing as Evil Syd in order to infiltrate the evil organization.

I found it rather telling that Her Majesty seemed equally bored whether she was playing Good Syd or Evil Syd. She could have at least tried to imitate Ana's accent or something.</span></span>

Two more episodes to go...:yawn:...until then...ZZZZZZZZ

Yeah, the accent thing got to me too. I was really hoping for a big push toward a huge, satisfying series finale, but this week's episode was really flat and doesn't seem to be leading anywhere I particularly want to go... oh well. I'll keep watching... at this point, I can only be nicely surprised if they pull a rabbit out of the hat and make it all work.

The fight betweeen Anna and Vaughn also struck me for all the wrong reasons - as when Vaughn was killed or Syd getting pregnant - real life stuff brought me out of the drama of the actual story.

Still, it must be pretty messed up to get to beat up on your ex on tv like that

Something else else which occured to me recently is that maybe the show's plunge in quality has a lot to do with ABC extending the hiatus. It was originally supposed to come back in early March, and was then put off until mid-April. This has given the writers and producers a lot fewer episodes within which to resolve the series. I wouldn't be surprised if the 2 hour special, the last good episode before the downfall, was the only episode which had been completed before ABC threw a wrench in the original plans. Certainly a lot potentially interesting stuff -- the evil organization's ties to the U.S. government, for example -- has been swept under the carpet, possibly due to the time compression. It could be that some of the writers and producers are just as unhappy with the way the show is going as the viewers are.

Back at 9, etc.

Underwhelming...predictable...humdrum...

There's no need for spoilers this time.

Basically, Syd retrieves an amulet for the evil organization. She escapes with her life (but not before being reduced to a damsel in distress; GRRRRR ), and we have a sticky-sentimental closing scene with Syd, Vaughn, and baby Isabella, which doesn't work because the actress and the actor can't hide how uncomfortable they are being in the same room with each other. Then Sloane interrupts by calling Syd and gloating that now nothing can stop him (yet another familiar Alias trope dusted off and propped up to tedious effect.)

And the plot thread involving Boring New Guy has been needlessly complicated to show that he's actually not a villain, and that he Rachel are meant for each other.

2 hour ending this Monday at 9. A mercy killing of a TV show if there ever was one.

When it's over, I'm starting reviews of the first four seasons, just to remind myself that this was once an exceptional show.

Hm. Well, it's over.

Some very good parts, some ho-hum parts. Aside from the body count it seems like we've seen this all play out before. Maybe the series only had about three seasons worth of stories in it.

Ultimately, as with most finales, there's the sense of needing to wrap things up, of giving us certain things that we knew we'd see. It was still entertaining and I think the show left on a strong, if not sensational, note. I thought the flashback sequences were a nice touch, filling in certain details in a key part of Syd's life. I also really liked Marshall's heroic moment.

So it ends. Here's the final spoiler box:

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">Syd's mother and father both die.

Irina's death is lame (after a catfight with Syd, she falls through a skylight trying to reach the Rambaldi artifact). In fact, the whole way she's used in the episode is a disservice to one of the greatest villainesses in the history of entertainment. She doesn't even appear until the final half hour. The nuclear strike thing was arbitrary and...well...lame.

Jack sacrifices himself so that the shot-to-pieces-by-Syd-yet-mystically-resurrected Sloane (don't ask :rolleyes: ) can spend eternity buried under tons of rock inside Rambaldi's tomb. (I can't believe I just typed that. :rolleyes: )

That final stinger with Isabella, now a grade-schooler, putting together the same puzzle that Syd put together as a little girl was both stupid and creepy, downright unforgivable.

At least Boring New Guy died (another self-sacrifice), and Rachel survived. Other survivors: Vaughn, Dixon, Marshall...and Sark, just in case there's ever an Alias reunion TV movie and they need a familiar villain. Dammit, it should have been Irina!</span></span>

Now then, it is going to give me great pleasure to hit the reset button and start posting reviews of the first four seasons. I'm hoping to post the first few tomorrow night; from there on, I can't say how soon the rest of the reviews will come. Hopefully, in a couple months.

(This past weekend, I "cheated" and watched the first few Season Two episodes. The difference in quality is simply astonishing.)

And I was also thinking, I could put together a good fanfic out of the alternate scenarios that I've posted in this thread. Hopefully before the end of this year.

Alias is dead, long live Alias (but only the first four seasons.)

Agreed.

Disagree! Season Four kicks ass, and I'll defend it to my last breath!

Too little too late.

It all went downhill for me after season 2, which is too bad because when this show was hot, it was SIZZLING! I couldn't get enough of it. Too much effort went into it's "re-inventing itself" season after season to grab new viewers. I just lost interest. I fear we're slowly going down these same avenues in Lost and Battlestar Galactica.

okay !!

as it's almost 2am here in the UK, i don't have time to make a FULL post, but i've just finished watching the FINAL episode of 'ALIAS' season 5 !!

i got the boxset for Christmas, and i started watching it last Sunday !!

first response ..... i LIKED it !! [ from now being able to read these last few posts, you guy's didn't seem to like it too much ] i think it helped that i watched them so closely together ??

anyhow, gotta go to bed [ i'll post more tomorrow ..... ]

Matthew.