Azalea said:
I thought it was a little "off" as well. I'm not sure why, other than the whole Lauren-suckage (but that's nothing new.)
I think the problem is that the missions aren't fun lately. They're too short, the disguises aren't as good, the music isn't as good. Well, really it was just this episode, I shouldn't say "lately" because the last few episodes they've been okay. They just don't seem to be having as much fun with that aspect of the show - It's like they're hurrying through the missions and just throwing them in as a nod to the earlier days of Alias.
I was just thinking the exact same thing. It seems as though that the missions are just in there for filler now a days. I may be wrong, but most of the best missions were when Dixon and Sydney went on them working for SD-6. Those missions weren't as predictable. We didn't know if SD-6 would catch them in the act, or if anyone knew/found out she was a double agent (ie. Dixon, Sloane, etc). Now it's just will they get the Rambaldi artifact or not. If they don't, oh well, the'll retrieve it later. If they do, good for them! The disguises aren't as funny or exciting, and all in all the missions are lacking something.
Now I'm a S/V shipper, but as someone else said, there is just no more chemistry. Usually when people are dating in real life, there is no chemistry in their acting. Last year, before Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan started dating (Phase One - The Telling) the chemistry was all there, and Sydney and Vaughn were dating on the show. They start going out in real life and bang - no more chemistry. I find that almost no one on the show is having chemistry anymore.
A lot of the characters we love aren't in it as much, or have lost their appeal. Dixon's become almost boring (except for last week), Marshall's hardly in them with his Op-Tech divices (hence the missions lacking stuff), and so on and so forth.
On an up-side, I find that Jack's character is improving lately. With him discovering Lauren, and investigating, he's just getting better and better.
Last night's episode wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't horrible either. Hopefully the next episodes will be great, and make up for earlier episodes in the season.
:blowakiss: