Unfortunately
that wasn’t how it panned out, and instead
what the episode brought was a very weak one-line resolution
to a season-long issue, several over-used plot lines and yet
another foray into the comic book world of international espionage.
The only saving grace: the return of Will Tippin!
It was quite a surprise to be honest, as usually
I celebrate any episode written by Drew Goddard. As a huge
fan of his work
on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel”,
I found the Alias episodes he penned last year were among the
strongest of the season. So, as you can imagine, I had high hopes
for “There Is Only One Sydney Bristow”.
All season I have been defending the series. The Prophet Five
mystery and the death of Michael Vaughn revitalised the series
and brought fresh ideas to the table. Yes, the death of Vaughn
removed Michael Vartan from the equation. I understand that many
Alias fans feel betrayed by the way he was cast aside. He was
a joy to watch and he was an integral part of the series.
However, his death opened the door to the personal
goal that was missing in the fourth season. It allowed Jennifer
Garner
to get back to the emotional flurry that made the series so enjoyable
in its infancy and made way for the personal stories that often
get forgotten in the spy-filled antics of the writers. As far
as I’m concerned, the risky decision to eject him from
the series was a sound one. But to have that move quickly cast
aside in a single sentence was nothing less than a slap in the
face to the fans that’ve stuck with the series since the
beginning. Not only that, it undermines the very fabric of the
series. With Sydney and Jack suddenly armed with the knowledge
that Vaughn wasn’t killed kind of begs the question of
why we’ve experienced Sydney’s heartache from the
season premiere.
The re-tooling of the series at the start of
the season sent the show back to the basics, giving each of
the characters their
own stories, much like SciFi’s current re-tooling of “Stargate
SG-1” has done for it’s cast.
Watching the dark machinations of Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin)
as he bargained for the life of his daughter was truly addictive
viewing and have brought me back to the screen each week. Because
lets face it, the man is one of televisions greatest villains.
In the early episodes of season five, Rifkin stole the show and
made it his own.
But now that his dark quest has been fulfilled,
what else is there for the character? Will he descend into
the role of international
terrorist, allowing the writers to tell the flat textureless
stories that were common place in the latter half of the third
season? With the mysterious Rambaldi prophecy once again looming
over us like a dark rain cloud, it certainly looks like it. All
of that remains to be seen, but with Mia Maestro’s imminent
return to the series, there is certainly a turning point on the
horizon for the all of the characters.
Gina Torres worked
wonders and helped
keep the episode afloat. I still don’t understand why Cooper
was bumped off the show as his investigation into SD-6 in the
first season tied the season together nicely. Even later in the
second season when he entered a double life, he was the much-needed
face of innocence on the series. Without him, the Alias world
was just that little bit darker. So it was a joy to have him
back…even if it was only for one episode!
