You can usually tell a lot about a series from its second episode. Premiere’s are often overloaded with special effects, overburdened with complex action sequences and overlade with dramatic atmospheres that will never be revisited.

So you might say on the second episode the façade is over, and this is really what the series is about. As far as second episodes go, “The Awful Truth” was a bit of a let down. Comparing it to “Authorised Personnel Only” won’t help matters much, as it contained all of the previously mentioned features aimed at nabbing new viewers. And it was written by J.J. Abrams. How can you gauge the success of a second episode? It should have as many of the qualities introduced in the premier episode, but still remaining just distant enough not to become tangled in the arcs developed.

Starting with a mission in the Bahamas, “The Awful Truth” goes straight for the jugular, showing just how this team fits together. During the classic SD-6 days, Sydney and Dixon would be on point, with Vaughn on comms relaying counter-missions. After the destruction of SD-6 however, the team grew that little bit larger – Sydney, Vaughn, Dixon, Marshall, Weiss and Jack participating in the same mission made the possibilities endless, but also ran the risk of having the twists become a little too complicated. The formula was seldom explored, as after a few episodes of this dynamic, the season ended with the two-year void arc kicking into gear.

By having the team on a mission during the opening scenes it is clear just how simple these missions can be, and how well these people can work together – both as undercover agents and as actors. Michael Vartan’s accent was a good effort, and both Jennifer Garner and Kevin Weissman’s cover was a comical one. Its good to see that with all the retooling, Weisman’s character has managed to retain his trademark humour for the series – there would be a definite void should that ever be lost.

Unfortunately, after the Bahama’s mission, the episode is faced with a bit of a cold start with very little of interest occurring until the team embark on their second mission. The standard Alias dialogue and dramatic tension was nowhere to be seen until Jack and Nadia commenced the psych-profiling, and very little was done to advance the characters themselves.

Although the concept of having Sydney once again in deep cover is an interesting one. Her longest undercover operation was in the third season - “A Missing Link” - which proved to be an extremely entertaining fiasco with all the thrills and twirls you come to expect from Alias. But what was even more interesting was the idea that her extended cover on this mission was not of her choosing, but an improvisation to fix a glitch in the mission was a ingenious idea. But with the rest of the team not too far away, it was obvious how it was all going to end. Regardless of the predictability, the chase scene was very well produced, and it seems as if the high-beat music which was so dominant in the first two seasons had made a comeback.

But it wasn’t all high profile twists and beats. Having Weiss discover that Sydney was really part of a black-ops team was a huge let down. What could have been a naturally drawn-out, intense CIA investigation (similar to the investigation launched by Will Tippin in the first season) was resolved in a matter of moments. Although the reason behind Weiss’ discovery was a satisfying one, it lacked the impact it could have had if the revelation had been left for say, half a season.

Almost as disappointing as his discovery of the APO unit was how that unit chose to deal with the information haemorrhage – Weiss was drafted into APO. His character was leading an inter-agency task force in the field using intel gathered from various branches of the CIA. The idea of having that taskforce operate without any knowledge of the source would have been rather interesting, and would soon lead to a clash should anything go wrong with the intel gathered. Given that Sloane was the leader of the APO team, the ramifications could potentially be huge.

So Weiss is now part of the team – how is this any different from the third season? They have a new office, their old boss is no longer their boss, and their new boss is actually their old old boss. And a new character has been introduced. As complicated as ever, but still very very similar to what has gone before.

As for Mia Maestro, there is a chemistry between her and Grunberg which is very similar to that of Garner and Vartan in the first season. But with Weiss becoming part of APO, the relational conflicts which could ensue as a result of their assignments were all avoided. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing – with all the “restoration” which has taken place, it could seem as if the series is becoming a complete re-hash of the season one.

Either way, Alias has a reputation for not lingering on a story any longer than necessary as a way of keeping the series alive and fresh. The only problem is, sometimes the show moves on a little too soon, missing out on the opportunities that story provides and limiting the adoration fans can come to have for the series. Let’s hope that this episode hasn’t jumped the gun.