This was a beautiful episode. It was character driven and every character had something to do. That’s when Alias is at its best. This time, Alias was at its best. Francie finally broke up with Charlie, Rambaldi is back in the mix, Will is about to pursue the SD-6 story and Sydney wants to quit school. Furthermore, we got one of the best cliffhangers ever. I can’t do this anymore.

          This episode has a lot of meat to it. FTL was destroyed and a new organization has been introduced to the spy world. Sark, “The Man’s” chief of Operations, destroyed their headquarters and acquired an important Rambaldi artifact. Rambaldi seems to have become the intelligence world’s main preoccupation. Then, Sark arranges a meeting with the head of K-Directorate to make a deal: money for a Rambaldi artifact. He then assassinates the boss and threatens the second-in-command. He, of course, accepts the offer. Sloane is really getting impatient because by now, SD-6’s enemies have proven to be smarter and more successful. He is quickly getting aggravated by “The Man” and suddenly, we have a race to see who can acquire the most power. Sloane himself declared his hatred towards this new power and ordered his agents to find the truth. Who is he?

          Sydney is debating whether she wants to finish school. For so long, she has always believed that her mother was a teacher. That was only a cover-up. She was KGB and a murderer. I liked how she tried involving her father in her decision. Naturally, he was unable to give a valuable opinion at first. He then met her at a carousel and recounted a story from his daughter’s past. Sydney was two years old and her parents would meet there and talk about their day. Foolishly, he would even speak of his life at the CIA, he said. This is where Jack surprised me. He told Sydney that if she ever became a teacher, her students would remember her for a long time. I thought that was incredibly sweet. It truly was. He’s learning how to speak to her. She took that into consideration she decided to stay in the class. Her teacher then handed back her paper and she unknowingly received an A. Personally, I think she should stay a teacher and hope for a better life after her career at the CIA. I think the writers should show more of her school life. It would add some great variety.

          Francie has left Charlie. Sydney learnt that he had been cheating on her a couple of months back. Francie, at first, took it hard. You think? She started screaming at Sydney calling her a bad friend. She claims to not even know her anymore. I thought that was a bit harsh considering that Sydney is only looking out for her. I’m glad Francie finally gave up on Charlie. I never trusted him.

          Will got to do some undercover work as he investigated David McNeil’s old workplace. He’s trying to see who accessed McNeil’s encryption program and link them back to SD-6. Will can’t exactly refuse to do the story now. McNeil sent his daughter away so he’s in it now.

Syd’s Tips

-          When needing to access a casino’s forbidden hallways dress up like a waitress and say you forgot your ticket at home. The guard will let you in.

Alias Missions

MAIN OBJECTIVE: Identify the Man.

SD-6 MISSION

ALIAS: Regal Casino cocktail waitress

LOCATION: Las Vegas

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS: None

MARSHALL’S GADGETS:

-          Bugged Ring: It’s designed to look like a fraternity ring. It has a recording device inside.

-          Razor Prism: Cuts into fiber optic cable without disrupting the camera feed.

-          Electromagnetic clamp: It can break through the magnetic seal on a secured door.

OBJECTIVE: Plant a listening device into Brandon Dahlgren.

SD-6 MISSION

ALIAS: None

LOCATION: Moscow, Russia

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS: None

MARSHALL’S GADGETS:

-          Alarm override: A microchip-controlled box that overrides alarm systems.

OBJECTIVE: Record the meeting between K-Directorate and the Man.

CIA-COUNTERMISSION: Double-record the meeting for the CIA.

Quotable Quotes

-          Dixon: “What you’re saying is that FTL no longer exists.” You got that right.

-          Sydney: “I just felt like ripping his finger right off again.”

-          Sydney: “Is that a hickey?”

…

Will: “I feel like I’m fifteen.”

Sydney: “That’s the age of your intern.” Loved this one.

-          Will: “Who lives a double life like that?” He has no idea.

-          Dixon: “I don’t have to lecture you on people’s capacity to keep secrets.”

-          Dixon (as Buchanan): “Americans, them really gamble.”

-          Jack: “I’m out of practice when it comes to personal matters.”

-          Sloane: “I’m tired of referring him as ‘The Man.’ I want to know who he is.” Sloane does not really like this person.

-          Dixon: “How’s it hanging?”

Sydney: “Very funny.” This was great.

Some Final Notes

-          Will was great undercover. Imagine he joins the CIA.

-          Francie is not getting married.

-          Julian Sark is going to be a great villain. He’s deadly.

-          I wonder how this Rambaldi thing will continue. I love it.

-          We caught another sight of 47: The code to get into the room of Server 3 at OT Technologies is 4747.

-          Vaughn didn’t have much in this episode. I liked how he told Sydney that he would love to go out with her and be part of her life. He would really like that. Something’s going to happen between the two.

-          Cliffhanger: “Sydney is stuck on a rope while she’s being shot at.”

Very good. 4 out of 5 stars  

-          Next episode

-          Alias season 1

-          Alias main