Thanks, persimmon! You do make a good point about the "family" theme adding to the success of the show.
:)
I don't wan't a spoiler, but I did a search of the actors of Alias in IMDB.com to see which actors would be back in seasons 4 & 5. Now I'll have to patiently watch the rest of season 4...
I just started season 4, and I must admit the death of Irina has me thrown off. In season 3 Jack was corresponding to Irina via laptop until Jack asks Irina about "The Passenger". We get to meet Irina's sister Katya, but at no point do we see Lena Olin. Jump ahead to season 4 and we find out...