Nicols' First Solo Alias! An original review of "Solo". You’ve gotta love this one. This episode is nothing less than a gem! Action, betrayal, Rachel Nicols in a very slinky outfit, Sloane at his best…and of course, a small appearance by the wonderful Mia Maestro. And all of this is done by showrunner Jeffery Bell (known for his success on Angel). As the title “Solo” might suggest, the episode centres around Rachel Gibson’s first mission without Syd’s assistance (although it could also be a joke as Jeffery Bell, who not only wrote the episode but directed it as well). Working hard to establish a bond between Gibson and Thomas Grace in a fashion which isn’t so dis-similar from what we saw in season one with Sydney and Vaughn, "Solo" see's the two work together more than before whilst allowing Grace to give some advice for field work...advice which seems very un Sydney. I have to say though, Thomas Grace is brilliant, as is Balthazar Getty. I’m slowly coming around to Gibson, and perhaps even Renee Rienne (who is still severely underused in this episode), but Grace is a very welcome addition to Alias. Fighting dirty, inflicting as much pain as possible and the use of a barrier post are just a few of the talents he brings to the show. He’s so much rougher than the agents we’re used to. Vaughn was the poster child for the CIA, Syd was the reluctant spy and Dixon was the professional going places. But until now, we’ve never seen the guy who takes out all his frustrations by hunting bad guys and shooting up terrorists. Well, we have now. The mission in Bombay was of a slightly slower pace than usual, but with the comedy value of Dixon proclaiming his forbidden love to a complete stranger it is well worth it. I miss Carl Lumbly in the spot light. Since the destruction of SD-6 he’s kinda been sitting in the back seat a little. But with promises this season to give him a shocking storyline (apparently hints have already been dropped…and I think I know what they are) I look forward to seeing more of Lumbly…and a much darker Dixon. But for now, comedy Dixon is just as good. In the last few reviews, I’ve basically proclaimed Sloane as the greatest character in the entire show, and Ron Rifkin as one of the most entertaining actors on television. That assessment hasn’t changed – his head-to-head rivalries with Gordon Dean were a pleasure to watch in this episode (his double agent status makes him seem like the anti-Syd), but he was almost out-done by Rachel Gibson…and not just because of the slinky dress. Nicols is obviously being treated as a Sydney in training, and the mission to the oil rig in the china sea is a little reminiscent to the server 47 operation of “Phase One”. Luckily, Nicols brings fresh life to the concept and makes sure the mission doesn’t become a rehash of the sky-high adventure of the second season, but rather an entertaining and thrilling instalment of the fifth season. Throw into the mix the lovely and talented Amy Acker and you have a recipe for heart stopping action and unmissable viewing. Acker, known for the role of Winifred Burkle in the cancelled series Angel, has continually reached new levels as a villain in Alias and is not unlike the Insidious Mr Sark – evil and completely uncatchable (except from season finale’s of course). But the big shocker with her Peyton character is that after her fight with Gibson on the helipad, she admits she misses her friendship. To put it simply, Sark-like as she is, Peyton is more of an Arvin Sloane than Gordon Dean is. Cold, uncaring with a sentimental attachment to our heroine. As I said at the beginning, part of what I loved about “Solo” is Mia Maestro. I was a huge fan of the sexy spy sisters kicking butt each week during the fourth season, and even thought she was completely unconscious in this episode, Maestro once again brought out the best in Rifkin. Rifkin is at his best as he works off of other actors. In the early days, his commitment and cold-hearted dedication to Emily was so touching and so compelling and made him more human than any other villain. That was what made him such a scary bad guy. And now, with the single goal of saving Nadia’s life, the possibilities are endless for what we can expect to see in the man. Although the unfortunate consequence of this is that Nadia will have to remain in the background forcing Sloane’s hand. Maybe one day we’ll get to see Nadia wake-up. This review was written by the webmaster of A Free Agent, Alan Stanley Blair. In addition to running this site, he is also a writer for SyFy Portal.com where he regularly reviews other genre-based shows. Please submit any feedback on these reviews to cia_handler@yahoo.co.uk. For other reviews from the fifth season, please visit Season 5 Deciphered.
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