Series creator J.J Abrams promised us many things for the fourth season; the secretive dynamic of the fourth season, a more light-hearted time for Sydney (Jennifer Garner), a personal life for the central characters and a more active role for Marcus Dixon (Carl Lumbly) who was simply Mr. Briefing last season.

For the most part, he’s kept his promises. “Authorised Personnel Only” saw a return to the old ways, both Syd and Vaughn (Michael Vartan) let go of her past and were able to move on together, several of the characters have been seen out of the office and Dixon is in the field on a weekly basis.

But what was the price of all this? Rambaldi? The Covenant? Perhaps. Yes these story lines have been reduced tremendously, but the most notable loss is that of David Anders, known as the insidious Mr. Sark.

Last week Sark put in a small appearance, tagged as a ‘Special Guest Star’. Unfortunately though, his appearance was more of a cameo and served only to set the backdrop for “A Man Of His Word”, with the majority of the time devoted to Anna Espinosa (Gina Torres), who’s screen time was somewhat diminished this time around.

Among J.J’s promises for the fourth season was the guarantee that Anders would return for a few episodes, including some Sark-centric stories. “Echoes” obviously wasn’t one of them, but this episode however let Anders take the lead and show exactly what he has to offer.

The twisted Sark nature was in full swing, even after his epiphany during incarceration, but that ultimately served to let out a side of the actor we have rarely seen. The emotional breakdown at the sight of Lauren Reed (Melissa George) was heart wrenching, as was Vaughn’s disgust over the whole ordeal. Alias is known for its leading ladies – Jennifer Garner is always astounding, season two saw Lena Olin (Irina Derevko) make her mark on small screen entertainment, and this season Mia Maestro (Nadia Santos) has shown she is up to the challenge. So where does that leave the others? Michael Vartan is always under-rated, and as the scene between his character and David Anders’ shows, both actors have the ability to go far.

The warped sense of humour from Breen Fraizer through unusual pairings was evident. We’ve seen it before in “Breaking Point” with Jack (Victor Garber) and Sloane (Ron Rifkin) doing things old school, and now with Sydney and Sark taking point in a mission, with the former posing as Lauren Reed no less, the episode becomes a roller coaster ride for the leading romance of the series.

Just like in “Breaking Point”, Jack and Sloane’s relationship is explored, once again hinting at some larger agenda between the two. Confirmation that a “pact” exists is something that fans have been waiting on since the season premiere – Sloane didn’t just take control of APO for the fun of it. And it wasn’t patriotism. He has a history of scheming, and its about time we found out what those schemes are. However, Rifkin is at his best when we don’t know what his character has planned, and now the knowledge that Jack is involved only serves to heighten the tension…just like during the old SD-6 days.

Even the final mission was like an SD-6 one – Michael Giacchino ‘strademark on the series was always the high pace music with frequent beats. Over the last season, that trademark seems to have been phased out, so its inclusion towards the end of the episode was an incredibly welcome one.

Just like the preceding episode, “A Man Of His Word” was more like a blast from the past – hidden agendas, familiar faces and the mystery of Rambaldi.