Season 5 That's how I define fun

V

verdantheart

Guest
“Reprisal” begins with the team collecting photos of the Twelve. Sydney, down under, poses as a waitress and must jump off a roof and take pics mid-flight. Dixon, posing as a taxi driver, chases off a potential fare to take his photo. Marshall, in a Bangkok sauna, takes his photo with a watch camera. In Siberia, Tom scans an ID photo at a border crossing. In London, Vaughn's view is blocked by a van, so he runs around, hiding his large camera under his coat. Jack asks a tourist to take his photo with a monument, taking in a target in the view.

Back at APO, they discuss the global reach of the Twelve and strategize how they might arrest them simultaneously. They assume that Sloane is working for Prophet 5.

Sloane, meanwhile, suggests to Peyton that she can assume that the Twelve will dispose of her when they have concluded their work with her. Peyton is naturally less than fully confident about switching allegiances, but Sark assures her that she would be well-compensated. She asks whether Sark comes with the package.

Vaughn and Sydney stay up late with their Prophet 5 information. Sydney worries over the clues that “the Rose” provided, such as the warning that Rambaldi's gift was “the end of nature.” Vaughn tells her, “Consider the source.” After all, he says, you've done all right combating things so far.

At Marshall's house, Marshall leaves Carrie to check on Mitchell—but doesn't return. Meanwhile, Tom shows up at Rachel's house for a chat, but ends up kissing her. She goes to get coffee, but he makes a quick exit. When Rachel answers a knock at the door, it's Sark.

Sloane tells Marshall that he needs him to access the NOAA system to locate an underground cavern. Sloane tasks Peyton to persuade Marshall to help them. Sark, in another room, tells Rachel in his mind, they would have met again under much different circumstances.

Carrie calls Sydney and Jack for help—upon which they admit that Marshall is, in fact, not the game designer she thought he was. Tom calls in and lets them know that he stopped back by Rachel's and found her missing. Carrie begs to help, seeing that they're short on tech help, and Jack accepts.

Jack and Dixon discuss Sloane's motives in taking Marshall and Rachel. Dixon suggests that he might want to distract or disable APO. Jack thinks that Sloane might want to use them for a specific purpose, after which he might kill them. He muses that even after he knew what Sloane was, he still named Sloane as a potential guardian for Sydney in the belief that some part of him was the friend he once trusted with his daughter. Carrie breaks into Marshall's system using a literary allusion. “He's re-reading all his favorite books” in preparation for reading to Mitchell, she says.

Back in Sloane's dungeon, the torture continues. He tells Marshall not to “be difficult” because he's “not cut out for this.” Marshall tells Sloane that he never liked him and that he'll never help him. Nadia appears to Sloane, saying “They'll never help you” because they have love, family, honor. Sloane decides he needs to find another way to convince Marshall and calls Sydney. She tells Marshall to do what he says, “your life is more important.”

Rachel is dragged in next to Marshall and told he needs her help. Marshall tells her that they are going to “leapfrog.” Carrie is given Marshall's message about “The Littlest Fish,” which includes a character named Noah. This leads her to realize that they must be hacking into NOAA, which is coming alive with security alerts. They track them down to Italy.

Sloane is given the location, to which he says, “I should have known,” and orders the prisoners' elimination. He, Peyton, and Sark leave. Rachel takes an underwire from her bra and removes her handcuffs just in time to handle the goon dispatched to shoot them. She relieves him of his gun and kills him. They enter the hall, shooting at guards, and meet Sydney and Tom—Dixon joining them soon after.

Marshall's program to track the Twelve sends an alarm: they are gathering in Zurich. Meanwhile, Sydney and Vaughn are heading to the location on Mt Subasio.

Sydney enters an ice cavern at the peak of the mountain and finds Sloane there. He tells her about how she came to stay with him and Emily when she was little and “rescued” the stuffed animals they put in her room. “You can't save everyone,” he tells her.

Sark is setting a charge—they are targeting APO. The team realizes this and sends a team into the subway. Marshall calls a bomb threat in to clear the subway. Tom locates the charge and determines that he can't disarm it; he can only slow it down by freezing the quartz oscillator. They get everyone out, but time has run out for Tom, who sits down, letting the last few seconds run out as he says goodbye to Rachel.

In Zurich, Peyton meets with Prophet 5 in Sloane's place. They ask her if she's brought the amulet and she says, “Of course,” pulls out two machine guns, and mows them down.

Sloane tells Sydney that the only one she can rescue is herself. The sun rises and Sloane raises the amulet. He tells Sydney that she's not allowed to see this and shoots the snow beneath her feet, collapsing it.

We move into “All the Time in the World” with a memory. Sydney is in school, and the kids are asked what they want to be when they grow up. Sydney's unsure what she wants to be, and the teacher asks, “Are you having trouble getting started?” She wakes up in the snow of Mount Subasio. As Vaughn administers CPR and Sydney remembers the news of her mother's death and awakens, Rachel is told she must mourn later because they must get going.

Sloane commends Sark on his good job (I'm not sure “good” is the word for it). Meanwhile, Peyton has made arrangements with their connection in Hong Kong. The deal is set. Sloane asks Sark whether he is having second thoughts. Sark says no, but he's not involved in global genocide every day.

News comes in of stolen ICBMs as Sydney and Vaughn call in. Jack passes along the news that their home base has been compromised. Sydney flashes back to the time after her mother's “death,” when she put together her father's puzzle and her father was impressed—it made her special. As Vaughn sews up Sydney's would they puzzle over why he would steal the missiles.

Meanwhile, Marshall traces the payoffs to phone records, which Dixon follows to . . . Peyton, whom Vaughn and Dixon capture. She's resistant to torture, but her former best friend Rachel knows one or two things about her . . . like she's deathly afraid of snakes.

Sydney flashes back to college, where she is looking forward to a job fair. Francie says, why not be a teacher, but that's Sydney's idea of a safety net.

Peyton's information leads to Sloane's location at a tomb in Mongolia. Sark gripes, “If Rambaldi could prophesy the future, he could advise me not to wear $500 shoes.” As Sloane descends into the lower chamber, Nadia appears and asks him, “Is it everything you imagined?” Sloane places an orb (I'm guessing, the Horizon) into a space between familiar Rambaldi angle brackets, upon which, it begins to spin and glow. Gunfire is heard above as Sydney and her team arrive. Sydney rushes into the tomb as guns are pulled all around and Sark observes, “It appears we have a predicament.” As Sydney joins Sloane, a red ball has appeared suspended over the orb. She grabs the orb and the red ball drops, splashing red liquid below. Sloane gives Sydney two good reasons why she should return the orb—Vaughn and Jack, who have been brought below.

Marshall, Rachel, and Dixon note that the defense satellites have been taken out—the virus has been uploaded from Hong Kong. They go back to Peyton to get information about Sloane's partner upon threat of snake.

Sloane demands the sphere from Sydney, and when he does not get it, shoots Jack twice. Sydney goes ballistic, shooting Sloane numerous times, including in the head.

Sydney recalls proudly handing her father a check to help pay for college. But when she tells him that she has started working for a bank, Credit Dauphin, the mood changes and her father tells her “it's not too late to quit.” Things go from bad to worse when what would happen “if [her] mother was here” is brought up.

They carry Jack out and Vaughn goes for help. Jack tells her that he never wanted this life for her, but that she was “a very difficult little girl.” He stands to see them off . . . then collapses.

In Hong Kong, Sark delivers the news that the tomb is lost, but he has the orb. He's ordered to launch the missiles. Targets: London, Washington. Meanwhile, Marshall detects that the satellites have begun hitting the atmosphere . . . and that they've started the launch sequence.

Sydney arrives in Hong Kong for the face-off with her mother. Irina tells her that she's learned that the only currency worth anything is power. Sydney's dismissed Rambaldi as a madman, but he is life. With his invention, you can live forever. As if to illustrate Irina's point, Sloane, who has fallen into a pool that the red liquid has drained into, rises. “I am through being disappointed by you,” she says.

Sydney flashes back to a time when Sloane challenges her to take the next step as an agent: moving from dead-drops to dangerous assignments. Sydney is ready, thinking that she's been searching for what she's supposed to be, and this is it.

Sydney fights her mother.

In Mongolia, Sloane assures Jack, “We have all the time in the world.”

Back in Hong Kong, Vaughn gets the drop on Sark, bashing him against a table and pulling a gun on him. Sark assures Vaughn that he just wanted to be on the winning end . . . and gives up the launch codes. Marshall aborts the launch just in time.

In Mongolia, Jack apologizes to Sloane; he really didn't think he'd take it that far. Sloane reminds Jack that he's dying, but says he can help. Plus, he says, “You can't hurt me any more, Jack.” “But I can keep you down here with me,” says Jack, producing an impressive belt of explosives, which he sets off.

The fight in Hong Kong winds up with Irina thrown onto a skylight alongside the Horizon. “You can make it,” Sydney prompts. “Give me your hand.” But the Horizon is on the other side. The glass cracks and Irina falls through.

In Mongolia, Sloane is trapped. Nadia appears and reminds him that he has all the time in the world before she departs.

We fast-forward to a remote beach where Sydney and Vaughn are raising Isabelle and Jack, their son. Dixon joins them. He is now Deputy Director at Langley. Marshall is awaiting the birth of his fourth son, and Rachel is deep undercover. Sark, of course, is on the loose . . . that's why Dixon is here. He wants Sydney's help.


Comments . . .

Heh, I thought they'd wimp out, especially after last season. Maybe they want to forget that too. Irina is this season . . . so who was that last season? . . . OK. Letting last season go . . . I promise!

I'm going to mention Sark in passing, since I have a comment. Again, with the softer side. I can see him not being pro-apocalypse; after all, there isn't any up-side to it. Not good for business. But what's this with the ladies? What happened to cold-hearted assassin Sark we knew of old?

As we come full circle, Sydney is taken down memory lane. What did she want to be when she grew up? She didn't know, but she was special. After her mother “died,” she put together a puzzle even her father couldn't solve. She is still looking for her path in college, when something unusual comes her way. Her father tries to dissuade her, but they are, by now, estranged. She cannot know that he speaks from a position of knowledge: he knows that she is working under false assumptions—and that he cannot set her straight. This allows Arvin Sloane (apparently now forgotten as the friend who took her in for that year) to step in as a second father and show her the encouragement and guidance that she missed from her father. We know what came after: along with the confidence, Sydney found disillusionment, disappointment, and a growing desire to cast all the secrets and responsibilities aside and become a mother.

Sloane strips himself of all concerns but his desire to achieve his ultimate Rambaldi dream: immortality. Per the usual Rambaldi protocol, putting the gizmo together is basically a world-wide scavenger hunt. Find something that takes you to the next location, collect pieces, put them all together, and—voila!—you're immortal. No easy fountain of youth for Milo, though there is the dunk in the water o' life, although it is rather, uh, bloody-looking. Can we say “Yuck”? However, doing this required Sloane to go back to basics—that is, he's back to his ruthless self. At last! Too long he's been pretending—to himself as well as the world—that he's a nice guy. The real Sloane has his “helpers” eliminated and then lies to his beloved wife that he's a sweetie . . . and probably thinks that because his wife thinks he's a sweetie, he still is—somehow. (Maybe this is the problem, not enough of this Sloane . . . too much of him lying to himself and/or Nadia seeing right through him.)

So . . . eventually, Arvin squares off with Jack and Irina squares off with Sydney . . . the two old friends and the mother and daughter, as if it was meant to be. Sloane and Jack have been at it, friends and enemies, from the early days . . . it makes sense. Even as enemies . . . in SD-6, when Jack would visit Sloane at Omnifam . . . they kept very close. Jack, always tough on his enemies, is brutal on Sloane in the end. Sydney, not so much. She would forgive her mother anything. The truth, apparently, that has waited so long is that, for Irina, love has always taken second place to power. She realizes that if she has all the time in the world, she can gather the power that she needs—then she can worry about love or family or all those other pesky little things that get in the way . . . if they're still around, that is. Maybe not, since Sydney's increasingly becoming “an inconvenience.” Looks like the “one thing” that Irina finally convinced Jack that he could supposedly count on—that she would never kill Sydney—well, that flew out the window . . . if Sydney gets between Irina and the Horizon, anyway. That's the choice that is her undoing, too. Irina can save herself by reaching for Sydney's hand, but she wants to save Rambaldi's prize . . . and so falls with it.

Rambaldi's page 47 prophecy is a total non-starter. After all, Sydney has seen the sky over Mt Subasio . . . so, no rage. Well, there was her anger against Sloane, but since she's seen the Subasio sky, it doesn't count.

As people have periodically pointed out over the years, Rambaldi granted immortality—or, at least, extremely long life—to a number of people over the years, yet he seems to have died himself. It seems to have been his tomb, anyway, that Sloane winds up at. He was able to prophesy all these things, yet he wasn't able to get out of the way of the inquisition? But perhaps, unlike Arvin and Irina, he realized that immortality ain't quite all it's cracked up to be. But if so—why did he put so much effort into creating the machinery for it . . . and all the other doom & gloom gizmos . . . and hiding them away . . . so that all these crackpots could find them and wreak havoc with them? Guy musta had a real sense o' humor, that one.

Am I surprised by how Alias wrapped? Yes, a little. Alias has listened to its fans well over the years—sometimes too well—and I thought the “good-Irina” contingent was strong enough that the producers would listen to them in the end. Unfortunately, this story has been made much less compelling by a series of less-than-convincing plot and character developments starting with (and partially made necessary by) Irina's absence in season 3. I will have to check the reaction to see whether fans are happy with it or not.


Quibbles . . .

Hm,would Irina really trust Sloane with the Horizon and all the Rambaldi goods in Mongolia by himself? I mean, his track record in reliability isn't exactly pristine. I mean, Sark's going to help the person who pays him.

Marshall claims that he never liked Sloane. Well, yeah, he was always afraid of the guy, but even when Sloane was the betrayer on the run, Marshall was the only guy who seemed to miss the evil little runt. Heck, he had breakfast with Sark. Does Marshall really dislike anyone? I'm sure the torture puts a pall on their friendship, but . . . it is Marshall after all.

Speaking of people's goofy tendency to forgive Sloane . . . Jack's by far the worst offender. After Irina, he of all people should know better (but, then, they had him forgive her as well in the “lost” seasons of Alias . . .). His belief that he could have changed—why? Just because he has a daughter?—makes very little sense.

Mortally injured, Jack manages to stand to see Sydney off, then collapses! Oh, and then manages to get explosives and walk back down and confront Sloane. Not bad! OK, not complaining, but still! (The collapse was overkill, though . . .)

Tom zeroed in and located the Cardinal . . . who turned out to be—ta da!—no one of any importance whatsoever. What a tremendous waste of time that was. At least Tom got to go out in a blaze of glory. Better luck with your next show.

That puzzle can't be solved by anyone but geniuses. Uh, right. My question? How'd they say that with a straight face?


Random Thoughts . . .

If I were Jack, I wouldn't have just set off the explosives. I would have given Sloane a good ol' hug to boot. Y'know, this immortality thing? Let's test that theory. Does it work when you're a bunch of little bitty scraps of flesh, bone, and blood? Heh heh heh . . . . Yeah, yeah, I finally watched Saw recently. Damn, that was good.

Hm, why did the sight of Irina on the glass with the immortality gizmo bring to mind Cronos?
Yes, both have an immortality gizmo, but in Cronos it worked quite differently, and it was destroyed by one who was using it.
Perhaps it's the daughter factor.

Peyton does have a weakness after all. Show her a snake and she coughs up all the answers you want. I'm going to invite her to see Snakes on a Plane.

Sark . . . not really into the genocide business. Well, it is sort of bad for business, after all. There's less money to go around, fewer employers, and fewer high-end goods to buy in a post-apocalyptic world. Yay for the winning side? Sort of a hollow victory, but if that's the only winning side there is, best to be on it. Sark is, after all, a realist. Gotta love him.

“Jumping over canals in 6-inch heels while napalm explodes around me” is “how [you] define fun”—if you're Dixon, anyway. Sadly, Sydney hasn't exactly defined this as fun often enough . . . You know, for once, I'd like one of these heroes to enjoy his or her work instead of grousing about it all the time. Hell, if you can do fantastic things, can't you just revel in it—just once? Maybe that's why I like Sark so much. He, at least, is a terrific agent, knows it, and doesn't mind having fun while he's at it. In the beginning Sydney seemed to like her job—but recently it's been, well, a job. And she's groused about it. A lot. I'm tired of saving the world! Do I have to?! Not no more, Syd. Take a well-earned vacation. But I'm beginning to wonder if heroes can't have a little fun every now and then. (Well, I can't blame Jack Bauer, we only catch him on his worst days, like, ever! And his bad days really suck.) Will had the right idea and slapped Sydney right down when she got on her apologetic, self-castigating jag. Like Dixon says, this is fun, so have some, darn it.


Discuss . . .

So . . . mercurial Sloane got his Rambaldi reward. Does he deserve his fate? (Do I need to ask?)

Rambaldi. Satisfied with all the Rambaldi gizmos over the years? What is his deal anyway? Explain.

Sydney transformed from young girl with no idea what she should be, to idealistic young agent, to jaded but capable super-spy . . . to semi-retired mother/spy. Tell me what you think of Sydney's transformation. Do you approve of how things turned out for her? Explain.

Marshall never liked Sloane? Agree or disagree?

Does it make sense to you that Jack would be so willing to trust Sloane at this point? Why or why not? On a related subject, do you believe that Jack ever came back around to trusting Irina (or should have been allowed to, storywise)? Explain.

Have you found the fluctuations of Sloane over the years hard to follow? That is, I'm bad; I'm good; I'm bad, but I'm pretending to be good; I think I'm good, but I'm just fooling myself--is this confusing? Do you think it makes sense for this character? Explain.

Did the right people sacrifice all and the right people survive to fight on? Explain.

How do you feel about how the story with Irina turned out and why?

Do you have a favorite character? If so, who would it be and why?

Any last thoughts about Alias in general?


Final thought:
Guys, it's been great. Thanks for all your support.
 
So . . . mercurial Sloane got his Rambaldi reward. Does he deserve his fate? (Do I need to ask?)

HELL YES he does - perfect poetic justice. He's been obsessing over rambaldi since he heard that mans name. What did it take from him? His wife, his daughter, his humanity... everything basically. He wanted rambaldi's endgame so bad that he let nothing stand in his way, not even caring about the wake of destruction he left behind. He got what he wanted - an eternity with nothing but rambaldi (litterally, since we assume that was rambaldi's grave) so... there we are perfect.

Rambaldi. Satisfied with all the Rambaldi gizmos over the years? What is his deal anyway? Explain.

personally, i found it a little anti-climatic... like, rambaldi had all these crazy complicated pieces (whatever that was in the telling comes to mind) and all this weird running across the globe to find all these artifacts for what? Immortality?
i mean, yeah that's a big deal but... i dunno, just after all that i would have hoped rambaldi resurrected himself and cured some world diseases - at the very least the black plague
or, heck, like sark said - told him not to wear those shoes!! honestly, where was his sense of fashion?



Sydney transformed from young girl with no idea what she should be, to idealistic young agent, to jaded but capable super-spy . . . to semi-retired mother/spy. Tell me what you think of Sydney's transformation. Do you approve of how things turned out for her? Explain.

absolutely. well, 98%
in the end, sydney got what she always wanted - a real family.
would it have been better with spy!grampie holding little jack? of course (that's why it only got 98 ;) )
in the beginning, sydney was lost and, by the end of the run, she found herself, and picked up a family and really hot husband along the way
all in all, it seems as though the 10(ish) years of spying and hell she went through were worth it for her paradise (litterally) in the end




Does it make sense to you that Jack would be so willing to trust Sloane at this point? Why or why not? On a related subject, do you believe that Jack ever came back around to trusting Irina (or should have been allowed to, storywise)? Explain.

i dont think jack should have story wise or could have been able to trust irina fully again - he was just too destoryed by her
and, as it turns out, that was probably a good thing since... well, we wont get into that
anyone trusting sloane is just a stupid idea - and i'm surprise that ANYONE trusted him especially with anything rambaldi looming around... really that's just a catostrophic combination (slaone + rambaldi, that is)



Have you found the fluctuations of Sloane over the years hard to follow? That is, I'm bad; I'm good; I'm bad, but I'm pretending to be good; I think I'm good, but I'm just fooling myself--is this confusing? Do you think it makes sense for this character? Explain.

while Sloane seems to be self conflicted to a point… it was too much fluxuation… however, I never believed he was good
at the same time, though, he wasn’t ‘bad’ all the time, per say… just misguided in his ways of achieving his goals


Did the right people sacrifice all and the right people survive to fight on? Explain.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! JACKY DIED!!!!!
Seriously, I’m never gonna get over that
Sloane ended the right way…. Sydney and vaughn did…. I would have liked Dixon to die but really that’s just because I don’t like him… marshall/carrie = perfect… I’m glad grace died (but again, I didn’t like him)… irina… well I was glad she died after these past few eps she was in
So, I’d say with the exception of jack, who should have survived (although I can see the writers point in why he died – I still don’t like it though) all the right people sacrificed/survived


How do you feel about how the story with Irina turned out and why?

I don’t think I can even begin to express my sadness and disappointment for it
I just feel like how Irina was in the earlier seasons was **SOO** polar opposite to how she was in the last 2 episodes (maternal instinct, AtTitW) it was ridiculous and hard to believe
In earlier seasons, true, she had her own plans and her own endgame and her own designs – and, yes, she was a master manipulator – but she loved Sydney - and jack! It made you believe that she truly wouldn’t hurt Sydney, at least not on purpose aside from a gunshot wound here and there… but, seriously, she seemed to be a mother even if it was in a slightly twisted way
Then we get to the end and like – WOAH… at least how she acted in maternal instinct (by saying how she choose to be an agent over a mother) went along with how she acted, and died, in the end
It seemed to me that irina’s rambaldi obsession wasn’t NEAR the high of sloanes… it was more a passing hobby in comparison … maybe it was the scent of immortality so near that made her go crazy but seriously – world domination? Slightly out of character if you ask me
All in all I’m disappointed with it and I will pretend that the Irina in ‘all the time in the world’ was an evil clone *crawls back into denial bubble and locks it*


Do you have a favorite character? If so, who would it be and why?

well before these past few eps I’d have sad Irina but <_< see above rant for why I have to change
fav character ohh so tough…. Marshall has always been but that’s because he’s such comic relief… sark I’ve liked more and more, especially in these last few episodes… I think I’d have to say Jack, especially since he REALLY really pulled his weight in season 5. Jack has always had sydney’s best interest at heart – he was never the ideal father, but the blame isn’t entirely his fault – Irina most definitely had a hand in that
he tried to patch things up with Sydney the best he could and by the end he did win her back and they were on the best terms they had ever been on. Jack = :love:


Any last thoughts about Alias in general?

still in denial that it’s really over…
little jack is the most adorable baby ever in the world…
Nadia is jack’s daughter… :lol:
Best five years of my life, I’m so sad to see it end.



thank you so much V for all your wonderful colums!!! :hug:
 
Sloane got his Rambaldi reward. Does he deserve his fate?
Yeah, he does. He mortgaged his whole life searching for Rambaldi's ultimate "gift", and he got it. Now he has to live with his visions and nightmares for eternity. The ultimate example of be careful what you wish for.

Rambaldi. Satisfied with all the Rambaldi gizmos over the years? What is his deal anyway?
Yes, I was. I love a good globe-hopping scavenger hunt in which the sum of the pieces adds up to something big. And immortality is pretty big. I'm happy though that Rambaldi was not found to be alive in some cave or chamber somewhere. I understand this is part science-fiction, but that would've been too much. So I enjoyed the fact that he left his clues throughout the world for someone else to discover & obsess over.

Sydney transformed from young girl with no idea what she should be to... semi-retired mother/spy. Do you approve of how things turned out for her?
I do. She seems to have gotten the things she wanted. To end the Rambaldi threat, stop Sloane, find a somewhat normal life, a husband & family. Unfortunately, her father isn't there for all of it. It's a shame that Jack's not there anymore. I think she is going to miss him more and more as the years go by.

Does it make sense to you that Jack would be so willing to trust Sloane at this point? Do you believe Jack ever came back around to trusting Irina?
No it doesn't. After all he's seen with Sloane's Rambaldi obsession, for Jack to believe Sloane's left that all behind kind of makes his character look less intuitive than he really is. Jack is a very smart man, so it doesn't fit that he would be so willing to overlook Sloane's past.

Now as for Irina, I think he wanted to for Sydney's sake, but he's seen her come, get what she wants and go too many times. So my answer is no, I don't think he came back around to her, nor should he have.

Have you found the fluctuations of Sloane over the years hard to follow? Do you think it makes sense for this character?
I personally haven't because I never believed him to be a good character. As much as maybe he thought he was or as much as was trying to be, or as much as the writers were trying to make us think he was, I never bought it. I always thought this was a man who's obsession would take him to the point of no return at some time. It just so happened that there was a lot of time spent and dances done to get there.

Did the right people sacrifice all and the right people survive to fight on? Explain.
In the case of Tom, I would say yes because let's face it, his character was expendable. He got to be the hero by buying time for all the civilians to get out. I think it was right that Sloane and Irina ended up the way they did. Their Rambaldi obsessions led to their demises. Just as it should have been. I am having a harder time with Jack, and that's because he has been one of my favorite characters. But he died certainly thinking of his daughter. Making sure she would never be haunted by Sloane again. Basically helping to give her the life she wanted. It was appropriate that Sydney and Vaughn ended up together. She needs to have happiness in her life, and that's what was going to make her happiest.

How do you feel about how the story with Irina turned out and why?
I was satisfied with it, and surprised as well because I never thought the writers would have her ultimately turn on her daughter. I thought it was the best ending for Irina possible because that's how I saw her character. I saw her as someone who put her Rambaldi quest ahead of everything and everyone in her life, including Sydney. It spoke volumes when Irina had the chance to choose life with Sydney or choose life with Rambaldi, and she chose the life Rambaldi was supposed to give, in turn ending hers. It's probably not going to be popular with the majority of the fans, but I thought it was a great & appropriate ending for a great character.

Do you have a favorite character? If so, who would it be and why?
Jack, because most everything he did, seemed to be for his daughter. Sark as well, because he was always a straight-shooter, and was good for a laugh. I could say positive things about most of the characters. They were just two that came to mind first.

Any last thoughts about Alias in general?
It's been a great series. Certainly more better than worse. I didn't think I would feel as sad as I do now that it's over. It would have been very interesting to see (or to know) in what direction the show would have gone had Lena Olin signed on for season 3 and beyond. I guess it's something we'll probably never know. It would also be interesting to interview J.J. and see what he would have done differently, now looking back on everything. All I can say is that even with the flaws, I enjoyed it immensely. There will probably never be another show like it. I do feel fortunate that I was able to see it and enjoy it.

And V, thanks for taking the time to write all the columns you did. As has been said before, your insights to the show have made it a more enjoyable experience for myself, and I'm sure for many, many others. I hope you won't be a stranger to this site.
 
So . . . mercurial Sloane got his Rambaldi reward. Does he deserve his fate? (Do I need to ask?)

Sloane didn't deserve to gain immortality in the first place.... so if it's immortality trapped under a tombstone -- then deservedly so...

Rambaldi. Satisfied with all the Rambaldi gizmos over the years? What is his deal anyway? Explain.

It certainly captivated all of us from ep. to ep. and year to year.... but knowing what the endgame was, I'm not sure I understand how they all served that purpose.... :blink:

Marshall never liked Sloane? Agree or disagree?

I would disagree.... I would say he was more fearful than anything... And I think Sloane stating that Marshall "didn't have it in him" prob. struck a cord with Marshall -- so he was just letting Sloane know he wasn't going to live in fear of him any more by doing and saying what he did...

Does it make sense to you that Jack would be so willing to trust Sloane at this point? Why or why not? On a related subject, do you believe that Jack ever came back around to trusting Irina (or should have been allowed to, storywise)? Explain.

Sloane was his friend -- he entrusted his daughter with him... and for that reason he prob. wanted to trust and believe in Sloane -- maybe if only to make himself feel better.... as far as Irina -- I think Jack trusted that woman toooo many times and was burnt along the way. I believe that his trust given freely to Irina was because of his love for Sydney and the fact that Irina is her mother -- and that would be the only reason he would come back around to trusting her again....

Have you found the fluctuations of Sloane over the years hard to follow? That is, I'm bad; I'm good; I'm bad, but I'm pretending to be good; I think I'm good, but I'm just fooling myself--is this confusing? Do you think it makes sense for this character? Explain.

I think I've always believed him to be bad... and that's how it should have been left.... Why change a character that works that way.....

Did the right people sacrifice all and the right people survive to fight on? Explain.

I've been sitting here staring at this question and the shipper in me can't believe what I'm about to type.... :lol: But Vaughn surviving his umpteen gunshots and Jack does not???? ..... It's puzzling.... If I could have it the other way around, I would.... but in the end, Jack taking care of Sloane was perfect and I couldn't imagine Vaughn going out in that fashion....

How do you feel about how the story with Irina turned out and why?

I'm confused.... especially given the whole "my love was not a contrivence".... COME ON.... I guess I wanted to believe that she would chose her family over her obsession but in the end I guess it was fitting that she along with sloane got exactly what they deserved...

Do you have a favorite character? If so, who would it be and why?
lemme sleep on this one.... :lol: I have several for several different reasons....

Any last thoughts about Alias in general?

As far as the finale itself, I was somewhat disappointed. Could it have been because I had it built up in my head for so many weeks that when it finally aired I was left a little let down? Maybe.... But, in the end, it was an amazing "up and down" five years.... I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- I was HOOKED on this show from the start because it was unlike anything I had ever seen (it's what brought me to AllAlias - even after I SWORE I would never join a board EVER... :lol: ). It's hard to believe it's over and won't be back next year....

Final thought:
Guys, it's been great. Thanks for all your support.
:blink:

And thanks to you for writing these columns every week.... I might not have responded as much as I wanted to but it was fun reading them none-the-less... Just when you think you'd have it figured out in your head as to what was going on, you'd throw some ideas up on the screen to make us re-evaluate :lol:.... Thanks V....
 
Sloane got his Rambaldi reward. Does he deserve his fate?

I believe so. He had been so obsessed with Rambaldi that anything and everyone was put in danger so that he could realize RAmbaldi's works. so yep he got what was coming to him.

Rambaldi. Satisfied with all the Rambaldi gizmos over the years? What is his deal anyway?

Well, i was mostly satisfied...i would have really liked a time machine instead of eternal life....you know sydney being able to go back and erase things, but choosing to say that her life is better because of the things that happened in the past. yea that would have great...but i'm okay with how it all turned out.

Sydney transformed from young girl with no idea what she should be to... semi-retired mother/spy. Do you approve of how things turned out for her?

I loved how things turned out for her....it seemed to fit right that she would still go out into the field sometimes. I felt good about her ending.

Does it make sense to you that Jack would be so willing to trust Sloane at this point? Do you believe Jack ever came back around to trusting Irina?

The Jack trusting Sloane was a little far fetched. But maybe Jack needed somebody besides Sydney that he trusted. And Sloane was the only one he had known long enough to be comfortable with.
As far as trusting Irina.....I don't think Jack ever fully trusted her. I think he wanted to believe good of her, but he always knew that she was who she was.

Have you found the fluctuations of Sloane over the years hard to follow? Do you think it makes sense for this character?

I don't think they were hard to follow. and they did make sense to me. I mean in Sloane's mind he was a good guy, that just had to do some bad things.


Did the right people sacrifice all and the right people survive to fight on? Explain.

This is my whole issue with the finale. Jack should have lived. Tom, I thought was a good sacrifice. Irina, deserved to die, I mean she killed multiple CIA members. Sloane, deserved what he received. But Jack deserved to live. AFter all he had been through with his daughter, he deserved to see her happy and he deserved to spend time with his grandchildren. This almost ruined the finale for me.
Another irritation...don't you think Sydney would have looked for Jack's body???? I mean he was above ground when she left him. For his body to not be there??? In her world, she would have located the body. Of that I'm sure...It was a dumb plot line and the writers stole a happy ending from me because of it.


How do you feel about how the story with Irina turned out and why?

Well, I was a little confused by her complete character turn from last season....but this Irina made much more sense, than the loving Irina. I mean she left Sydney and Jack behind. And done countless awful things. She's a bad person. And this was the character I really thought Irina was.


Do you have a favorite character? If so, who would it be and why?

For so long my favorite character was Sloane. But when I lost Jack, I realized that Sloane I could live without. Jack is what made this show a great show. the dynamic between him and Sydney was always captivating. The way they both fought to get along in the beginning and the way they loved each other in the end. It was great. Sydney deserved to have her dad at that beach house with her and her children.


Any last thoughts about Alias in general?

This is the most amazing show I've ever watched. I can't imagine enjoying another show this much. This show was such a huge part of my life the past five years. I mean the night a cop showed up on my door step and told me my dad had died in a house fire, I watched my Alias dvd's to make it through the night. This show has been a comfort, a joy, an irritation at times, but always special to me. I've made friends all over the world because of Alias. It will always hold a special place in my heart. I sobbed Monday when it was over. For fifteen minutes it was so difficult to even breath. And I know some people may think I'm crazy because of that. But Alias is important to me.

And on that note, i plan on never gettig attached to another show like I was to this one, because it being over is to emotional!!!! Really, i can't imagine another show affecting me so emotionally as this one did. So long live Alias, in my dvd world, and my fanfic world.

Oh, and thanks so much for these columns...i've enjoyed them!!!!
 
It would have been very interesting to see (or to know) in what direction the show would have gone had Lena Olin signed on for season 3 and beyond. I guess it's something we'll probably never know. It would also be interesting to interview J.J. and see what he would have done differently, now looking back on everything.
True and true. ;)

This is the most amazing show I've ever watched. I can't imagine enjoying another show this much. This show was such a huge part of my life the past five years. I mean the night a cop showed up on my door step and told me my dad had died in a house fire, I watched my Alias dvd's to make it through the night. This show has been a comfort, a joy, an irritation at times, but always special to me. I've made friends all over the world because of Alias. It will always hold a special place in my heart. I sobbed Monday when it was over. For fifteen minutes it was so difficult to even breath. And I know some people may think I'm crazy because of that. But Alias is important to me.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I'm sure that some of my friends think I'm a little "touched" in the head for my enthusiasm over fictional creations, but I treasure the sense of childlike wonder that stories maintain in my life. And while, as you know, Alias has disappointed me, it disappointed me as only something that one truly loves could. To paraphrase, it is better to be disappointed by love than never to have loved at all. ;) Have I loved other shows? Yes, probably--even as much as I loved the first two years, albeit in a different way--and I have to admit that there are other shows that gave me a stronger sense of overall series satisfaction. But Alias finished on an uptick in quality, an achievement which few series can claim (although The West Wing also managed that feat this season).

One thing that is unique for Alias is that I volunteered to write a column for it, and through that experience enriched my own enjoyment of the series and came to know some terrific people whom I otherwise never would have met. I will probably be dropping by from time to time. How often I do so depends on how active the TV and entertainment area stays, probably.

In the next week or so I'll probably be posting a series commentary, so if you're interested, take a look. ;) Meanwhile, I hope others will respond to this column.
✌️
 
How do you feel about how the story with Irina turned out and why?

It was terrible to make her all evil, becaue the Irina we know isn't that evil she would never hurt Sydney. And after all Irina has done, this was her endgame? I'm deffently gonna stick with the Irina we saw in Meternal Instinct ;)
 
So . . . mercurial Sloane got his Rambaldi reward. Does he deserve his fate? (Do I need to ask?)

HELL YES! At first, I thought he was going to get away, and I was extremely pissed. When Jack made the ultimate sacrifice, trapping him away for ever, I let out tears of sadness and happiness. And when Nadia left him there, I was like “You go girl! Let that piece of s**t rot where he belongs!” I still wished it could have been Sydney who killed him, though. I guess, in a way, technically, she did.

Rambaldi. Satisfied with all the Rambaldi gizmos over the years? What is his deal anyway? Explain.

Eh. Can’t really complain. It started off as an amazing plotline, and had the potential to be one of the best plots, but the writers screwed themselves over in Season 3, and wrote themselves into a hole. So, Seasons 1 and 2 were amazing with Rambaldi, Season 3 was too farfetched, Season 4 didn’t have much Rambaldi, but what it did have was f****d up, to say the least. Season 5, I believe, had a good balance of Rambaldi. My only problem was that some of his things were left unsolved. The prophecy was solved, but the Sydney-Nadia fight wasn’t, and what the hell was the point with that flower from the Passage? As I said, amazing plot, but the writers f****d it over.

Sydney transformed from young girl with no idea what she should be, to idealistic young agent, to jaded but capable super-spy . . . to semi-retired mother/spy. Tell me what you think of Sydney's transformation. Do you approve of how things turned out for her? Explain.

I totally approve. I couldn’t have asked for a better Sydney. She turned out just as I’d imagined her. She transformed from a naïve, scared, little girl, full of rage and fuelled by revenge. Her transformation in the finale alone was stunning, but over the years was incredible. She finally understood the truth about her mother, her father, who she was, and how the world really worked. She accepted what she did, she choices she made, and moved on. She truly did transform, and grow into one of my favourite TV characters of all time.

Marshall never liked Sloane? Agree or disagree?

Agree. Sloane is a dick. Even Marshall could see it. He was always so mean to Marshall, but Marshall said nothing, because Sloane was the boss, Marshall was intimidated by him, and because he knew, in the end, he was serving his country, so he sucked it up and lived with it. Once Sloane went evil again, he no longer had to hide his feelings.

Does it make sense to you that Jack would be so willing to trust Sloane at this point? Why or why not? On a related subject, do you believe that Jack ever came back around to trusting Irina (or should have been allowed to, storywise)? Explain.

I don’t understand how Jack could ever trust Sloane, period. He knew, possibly more than Sydney, how twisted Sloane really was, and I can understand why he felt responsible for letting Sloane get away with his crimes. He made up for that by taking Sloane out of the picture.

As for Irina, I don’t think Jack ever really trusted her, only when it came to the subject of their daughter. It took him a while to realize it, but he knew that Irina was really trying to protect Sydney, so, he didn’t really care if he trusted her on anything else; Sydney was all that mattered. Even then, it was more of a undying love then trust. He hated to love her. He loved her so much, and couldn’t get over the fact that she betrayed him the first time, but he just had to forgive her. Its hard when the person you’re in love with is a duplicitous, back-stabbing, two-timing, murdering, bitch, but you’re still in love with that person, so you’re willing to follow them.

Have you found the fluctuations of Sloane over the years hard to follow? That is, I'm bad; I'm good; I'm bad, but I'm pretending to be good; I think I'm good, but I'm just fooling myself--is this confusing? Do you think it makes sense for this character? Explain.

I didn’t really find it hard to follow. I knew from the very beginning that he was bad, and no matter what he did or who he tried to fool, he would always be bad. I think it makes sense for his character in a way, because Sloane is complex, and driven by obsession, confused at his priorities and what it is he should be doing. I’m just glad we finally saw his true colours.

Did the right people sacrifice all and the right people survive to fight on? Explain.

Hmm… I can’t really say. I mean, I’m upset at who died, and I wish that Jack, Irina, and Nadia were still alive, but it seemed necessary to me. As much as I hate to admit it, Irina had to die, there was no other way. Sydney could never live in peace with her in the world. Nadia’s death, I guess, was appropriate as well, because if it wasn’t for her death, Sloane wouldn’t have gone insane, and Rambaldi’s endgame would have never been discovered. I’m still saddened by her death, especially since she died in a really stupid way, and if they had made her death better, I would have at least been okay with it. Jack’s death was tragic, I cried my eyes out, possibly the saddest death on the series, but again, I think it was appropriate. He gave to Sydney his final gift, and the only real gift he could offer to make up for her dysfunctional childhood. I loved Renee too, was sad to see her go, but if she didn’t, they would have never have found Vaughn, so it was probably the right choice. Although I was sad with his death, Tom’s death was retarded. He probably could have gotten out of the subway station before the bomb detonated, but he decided to be an idiot and wallow in his own self pity, so I guess he deserved to die.

How do you feel about how the story with Irina turned out and why?

I must say, this was the only disappointing factor of the finale for me. I knew Irina would die, because there was no way that Sydney would be able to live in peace with her alive, but the way they did it… it could have been much better. I didn’t really care that she was evil, or how she died, but I was upset with the sudden character change. I guess she always was the master manipulator, the one behind it all, but she was completely psycho in the finale. Had she had a chance to explain herself to Sydney, I think I would have liked her death much better. Then again, I can’t really blame her for going crazy and wanting to kill Sydney; she was so close to true power, everything she ever wanted, and Sydney was the only thing standing in her way. People will do crazy things for power, especially Rambaldi.

Do you have a favorite character? If so, who would it be and why?

My all time favorite characters are Sydney and Irina. I love them both, so I couldn’t really choose.

I love Sydney because she’s such a great character; she’s stubborn, courageous, and deals with the darkness everyday, and still manages to be herself. She's grown so much, into a strong, smart, independent woman, who I think, was the wisest of all characters. She’s a true hero, and I respect her.

I love Irina because she’s probably the most enigmatic character on television (or was.) She was dark, yet gentle, and she always kept you guessing. You never knew what was going on in that head of hers, but you hoped it was something good. She could kick anybody's ass, which added another factor; you knew she was a crazy fighter, but you never actually saw her in action, which drove me crazy.

Any last thoughts about Alias in general?

An AMAZING show. By far, my favourite TV show ever, and my biggest obsession ever. Alias is to me as Rambaldi is to Sloane. I stuck with it all the way through, cried with it, yelled at it, and loved it. It truly has been a wild ride, but the best one I’ve ever been on. I’m still crying, still haven’t gotten over it, and I don’t think I really will. I don’t care what anybody says, the finale was amazing, along with the series. Thank you, JJ, and the cast and crew, for brightening my life beyond belief.
 
So . . . mercurial Sloane got his Rambaldi reward. Does he deserve his fate? (Do I need to ask?)

Only if he stays trapped, miserable & lonely FOREVER!

Rambaldi. Satisfied with all the Rambaldi gizmos over the years? What is his deal anyway? Explain.

I'm not sure why I even am trying to address this one, because I have no clue!! The storyline definitely had it's ups and downs and made things interesting, if not preposterous at times.


Sydney transformed from young girl with no idea what she should be, to idealistic young agent, to jaded but capable super-spy . . . to semi-retired mother/spy. Tell me what you think of Sydney's transformation. Do you approve of how things turned out for her? Explain.

I love Sydney and her transformation was definitely believable. I love the Syd we met and fell in love with in S 1&2. It was sad to see her change in S3 but understandable. In the end it seemed as though she came full circle.


Does it make sense to you that Jack would be so willing to trust Sloane at this point? Why or why not? On a related subject, do you believe that Jack ever came back around to trusting Irina (or should have been allowed to, storywise)? Explain.


Not really, I was kind of disappointed at how clueless the writers made Jack the last couple of seasons. I can understand why he wanted to trust Sloane...it must be hard to admit that someone you entrusted your child to would ever intend harm to come to you or your family. However, he did see Sloane's devotion to Nadia while she was in a coma. And if anyone can understand how a daughter can touch and change your heart, it would be Jack. :smiley: So perhaps he truly believed that a daughters love changed the man.

On the Irina note, I am not sure Jack ever fully trusted her....sure he wanted to, but he also shot her when he thought she put a hit out on Sydney....and who's to say it was not the real Irina at this point??? He always kept a close eye on her, never completely trusting her, yet undeniably attracted to her and wishing she could be different.


Have you found the fluctuations of Sloane over the years hard to follow? That is, I'm bad; I'm good; I'm bad, but I'm pretending to be good; I think I'm good, but I'm just fooling myself--is this confusing? Do you think it makes sense for this character? Explain.

For the most part I found it believable and enjoyable. Sloane battling his inner demons was great to watch. Certainly there were those he, at the very least, was extremely fond of. And everyone Sloane was fond of fell into the group we call the good guys. On some level he wanted to be a good guy too, but just could never surrender his obsession, power, whatever, to make that transformation.


Did the right people sacrifice all and the right people survive to fight on? Explain.

Here's my chance to lament, rant and rave....Jack is gone!!! (n) (n) :( :( Was it appropriate that he sacrafice his life for Syd's well being and happiness. Yes it was. Though I found the scenario of the nuclear reactor and him rushing in to turn it off w/o thought of risk to himself much more satisfying, touching...just better. Sloane coming back to life in red goo(preposterous) and Jack blowing himself up and dooming Sloane to a life in a pit. Ok if he truly is trapped and miserable forever...that is kind of fun, but still why couldn't Jack just throw the dynamite down there? I was holding out hope to the very end that Grampy Jack would show up at the beach house. Alack! Other than that, I thought everything else was great. Tom's move was cool and touching. I was glad Marshall made it and loved the way his wife came in and helped to save the day. That was fun!

How do you feel about how the story with Irina turned out and why?

To me this was sloppy. They went from a conflicted character much like Sloane, to an all out selfish, evil witch. I didn't like it. I loved the Irina we met in S2. It was sloppy in S4 as well b/c the pendelum swung WAY too far to the good side and I felt like in the finale the opposite was true. Of course cutting the season 4 or 5 episodes short required a bit of a rush job I guess. (n)

Do you have a favorite character? If so, who would it be and why?

If not obvious from above with my lamenting over his death....it was Jack. Spydaddy was my absolute favorite, and thank you so much for creating a place to say it, shout it!!! Jack was so cool, his transformation was one of the best TV has ever done. Remembering how I almost hated him in S1 and grew to love him over the next 4. Brilliant!!! :D The dynamic b/t him & Syd was my favorite aspect of the show and one that gave it great depth!

For so long my favorite character was Sloane. But when I lost Jack, I realized that Sloane I could live without. Jack is what made this show a great show. the dynamic between him and Sydney was always captivating. The way they both fought to get along in the beginning and the way they loved each other in the end. It was great. Sydney deserved to have her dad at that beach house with her and her children.

Riamber said it well right here...could not agree more!!! (y)


Final thought:
Guys, it's been great. Thanks for all your support.

And Thank You V for all the great columns and for perservering even when the writers and show disappointed you! I am really glad you stuck it out and wrote on until the end!!! :smiley:
 
So . . . mercurial Sloane got his Rambaldi reward. Does he deserve his fate? (Do I need to ask?)

Oh god yes!! For all I care, he can stay there and reflect on his pathetic life. That’s karma for you there! He had to die someway, and having him down there alive because he choose to do that makes it even better. I’ll kind of always wonder, “hmmm…what could Sloane be doing today?” Have fun with Rambaldi, Sloane, ‘cause it’s going to be long visit!

Rambaldi. Satisfied with all the Rambaldi gizmos over the years? What is his deal anyway? Explain.

Ya, I guess. The only thing that kind of bothers me is there are still things that I will kind of always wonder about. Artifacts that never really had a big role in Rambaldi’s endgame that I think should have. The things that you will be left to think about. There were so many artifacts that all linked together, and the writers- I think- could have done some really interesting things with what they had …Altogether, though, partly satisfied

Sydney transformed from young girl with no idea what she should be, to idealistic young agent, to jaded but capable super-spy . . . to semi-retired mother/spy. Tell me what you think of Sydney's transformation. Do you approve of how things turned out for her? Explain.

The way Sydney turned out was probably my favourite part of the finale. I’m a huge Sydney fan, and her getting everything that she ever wanted is the perfect way for her character to end. With everything she has gone through it’s hard to believe that the girl can even function, let alone be an amazing spy, and then raise a family. You’ve seen her through some of the worst years of her life, but then she always picked herself up again, and that’s what I find so amazing about Sydney. Perfect!!!

Marshall never liked Sloane? Agree or disagree?

Like most people at SD-6 Marshall was probably just intimidated by Sloane. Marshall one of those guys who just follows the rules, and takes orders without question. He’s defiantly not about to go up to his scary boss and tell him that he doesn’t like him :lol:. I would defiantly agree that Marshall never liked Sloane. I don’t think there is anyone on this earth who actually liked Sloane (well, except Emily, but I think she might have had some severe head trauma when she was a kid. That’s the only explanation for loving a man like Arvin Sloane, eww)

Does it make sense to you that Jack would be so willing to trust Sloane at this point? Why or why not? On a related subject, do you believe that Jack ever came back around to trusting Irina (or should have been allowed to, storywise)? Explain.

Like I said, I don’t think anyone should ever trust Sloane. He’s evil, end of story. Jack knew that, so I don’t know why he was willing to trust him. He did keep Sloane down there to keep Sydney from enduring anymore pain, so he did redeem himself for protecting his daughter one last time.
Jack and Irina is one interesting and complicated couple. I think Jack always loved her, but he never trusted her, which I guess doesn’t really make sense considering you should trust the people you love. Jack knew Irina too well, though. I think he knew that Irina was a power crazy woman who would stop at nothing to see her plan put into affect, and therefore never trusted her when it came to Rambaldi. There was too many lies and deceit for Jack to ever really fully trust Irina again. He had good reason not to, though (obvisouly).

Have you found the fluctuations of Sloane over the years hard to follow? That is, I'm bad; I'm good; I'm bad, but I'm pretending to be good; I think I'm good, but I'm just fooling myself--is this confusing? Do you think it makes sense for this character? Explain.

Nope, he was evil. That’s all there is to it. It didn’t matter what he said or did, in the back of his mind was Rambaldi. You don’t just get over something like that. You just look at him and you can tell he’s evil. I don’t think he knew what he was because I really do think he wanted to be good for Nadia. His feelings for Nadia were always true, but like we saw in 30 Seconds Rambaldi came first with him.

Did the right people sacrifice all and the right people survive to fight on? Explain.

I think so. I think Jack’s death was the saddest to see because he one of the oldest (in terms of how long he’s been on the show) and probably closest to Sydney. I thought it was kind of stupid how Sloane just shot him all of a sudden. I think it would have been better if he would have liked jumped in front of a bullet to protect Sydney, but you can’t change that now. But I still do think his death was appropriate, and the way Sydney and Jack said good-bye to each other was probably one of the saddest scenes of Alias.
Irina had to die, in my opinion. It would have drove Sydney crazy to know that out there is her insane mother roaming around waiting for something crazy-Irina-like to do. Her death could have been better explained, but they obviously didn’t have the time to explain everything.
Nadia death sucked!! Falling through a glass table? I’m never going to get over that, but the way they had her ghost haunting Sloane was defiantly interesting, and I liked it. Her purpose for dying could have been better, but I’m not going to complain because the rest of the finale was awesome. I would have been nice for Sydney to have some family still around. Oo wait she’s got Katya out there somewhere, lol :lol:.

How do you feel about how the story with Irina turned out and why?

It didn’t really make sense. I mean it did, but then it didn’t. It just seemed to me that she would always be there for Sydney and always had her best interests at heart. In the end though I guess she decided that Rambaldi was more important than her own daughter. Irina did say before she fell on the glass that she did love Sydney, so I guess that was the line that was supposed to show us that Irina did love Sydney no matter what. I just wish it would have been written better. It was too rushed. .

Do you have a favorite character? If so, who would it be and why?

Sydney. Irina would be a close second, but for me, it’s always been Sydney. She’s just so strong and independent that it’s hard not to love her. Just the way she transformed herself. Thinking of all of she’s been through and all she’s had to endure makes you love her more. She had to raise herself since she was 6 years old, and seeing what she’s become just leaves you in awe.

Any last thoughts about Alias in general?

Just that it was and is an amazing show. The best show that has ever been written, or ever will be written! Just thinking about the fact that I didn’t watch it since season 1 makes me want to hit myself. I caught up fairly fast, though (kind of freakishly fast, actually :P). This is going to sound really stupid, but it’s true, Alias has made my life 10 times better and has given me so many great moments that I can’t even begin to describe, so thanks Alias!!!!

~Andrea :angelic:
 
and what the hell was the point with that flower from the Passage?
The flower from "The Passage" was Rambaldi's proof of immortality. No doubt all the fuss over getting the thing is to study it to see if they can learn how the effect is achieved by examining the result. But note that the plant is "unnatural" because it was still green although it had been out of sunlight and unwatered (although that "egg" seemed to be hermetically sealed) for hundreds of years.

Although I was sad with his death, Tom’s death was retarded. He probably could have gotten out of the subway station before the bomb detonated, but he decided to be an idiot and wallow in his own self pity, so I guess he deserved to die.
As I recall, he had less than a minute, only 30 or 25 seconds left when he got the all-clear, so he didn't have time to escape. He was going to die anyway, so he chose to say goodbye to Rachel. I thought that wasn't bad, actually. It was the pointlessness of the Cardinal red herring that bothered me. While it's nice that it's not all about Sydney, choosing to make that statement when you have precious little time left to say anything at all is a strange decision. But I guess they wanted a nice "what might have been" for Rachel and Tom for the last few eps. But the bomb . . . that Sark is an expert in demolitions . . .

Oh god yes!! For all I care, he can stay there and reflect on his pathetic life. That’s karma for you there! He had to die someway, and having him down there alive because he choose to do that makes it even better. I’ll kind of always wonder, “hmmm…what could Sloane be doing today?” Have fun with Rambaldi, Sloane, ‘cause it’s going to be long visit!
I couldn't have said it better: Oh, so you choose Rambaldi, Sloane? Enjoy! (evil cackle)

Ya, I guess. The only thing that kind of bothers me is there are still things that I will kind of always wonder about. Artifacts that never really had a big role in Rambaldi’s endgame that I think should have. The things that you will be left to think about. There were so many artifacts that all linked together, and the writers- I think- could have done some really interesting things with what they had …Altogether, though, partly satisfied
What I want to know: What was originally in that "Irina" box?!?!?! :lol:

Speaking of the "Irina" box, I should note that I had to laugh when they played "Runaway Train" in Sydney's college flashback in the finale. It would be fun to think that they were tipping the hat to my Irina-chooses-to-chase-immortality fanfic (which prominently featured that song), but I'll bet that it's simply a reference to the fact that Sydney is stepping onto a "runaway train" by choosing to become an agent. ;) Nevertheless, I got a good chuckle out of the coincidence. And in the finale, too! :P Maybe I should add this as a random thought . . . :angelic:

Finally, an added thought to the Irina concerns . . . yeah, I figured that many fans would find her unnecessarily harsh in the finale. I suppose that because I like her better on the dark side, I am much more sanguine about this denouement, even though I would have been reasonably happy the other way around because of fan sentiment--and, let's face it, I had already been disappointed by how they'd handled the character, so I had no problem with how they finished up. And that's probably the difference here. Other people could stretch their vision of Irina to accept the character presented in season 4 and I couldn't; therefore, other people can't square this Irina with the one in season 4. Personally, the Irina of season 4 is an incomprehensible anomaly, so I tend to discount it entirely and attempt to square this Irina with the one I know from seasons 1 and 2 . . . which makes a lot more sense. There have been so many changes to the writing team on this series-- and maybe they listened to fans a little too much--that I think that the vision and ideas for the characters and arcs has been inconsistent, which has been too bad--particularly when the series started out seeming so strong and sure of its characters and path. I agree that it probably would have helped if they had been allowed more time to spin her story out to a more satisfying conclusion. It seems to have been told in a kind of shorthand, which is not satisfactory for a character who is so central to the core of the story--even if she is a recurring character. Yes, a finale should speak to the main characters of the series--but this series demands that this particular character receive her due.
✌️
 
How do you feel about how the story with Irina turned out and why?

It was terrible to make her all evil, becaue the Irina we know isn't that evil she would never hurt Sydney. And after all Irina has done, this was her endgame? I'm deffently gonna stick with the Irina we saw in Meternal Instinct ;)


it was a disaster , I think Irina was good (s4) , they shouldn't let her die in this way :angry: :angry: :( :(
also we wanted Syd to have a loving mother and father
 
Only if he stays trapped, miserable & lonely FOREVER!
I'm not sure why I even am trying to address this one, because I have no clue!! The storyline definitely had it's ups and downs and made things interesting, if not preposterous at times.
I love Sydney and her transformation was definitely believable. I love the Syd we met and fell in love with in S 1&2. It was sad to see her change in S3 but understandable. In the end it seemed as though she came full circle.
Not really, I was kind of disappointed at how clueless the writers made Jack the last couple of seasons. I can understand why he wanted to trust Sloane...it must be hard to admit that someone you entrusted your child to would ever intend harm to come to you or your family. However, he did see Sloane's devotion to Nadia while she was in a coma. And if anyone can understand how a daughter can touch and change your heart, it would be Jack. :smiley: So perhaps he truly believed that a daughters love changed the man.

On the Irina note, I am not sure Jack ever fully trusted her....sure he wanted to, but he also shot her when he thought she put a hit out on Sydney....and who's to say it was not the real Irina at this point??? He always kept a close eye on her, never completely trusting her, yet undeniably attracted to her and wishing she could be different.
For the most part I found it believable and enjoyable. Sloane battling his inner demons was great to watch. Certainly there were those he, at the very least, was extremely fond of. And everyone Sloane was fond of fell into the group we call the good guys. On some level he wanted to be a good guy too, but just could never surrender his obsession, power, whatever, to make that transformation.
Here's my chance to lament, rant and rave....Jack is gone!!! (n) (n) :( :( Was it appropriate that he sacrafice his life for Syd's well being and happiness. Yes it was. Though I found the scenario of the nuclear reactor and him rushing in to turn it off w/o thought of risk to himself much more satisfying, touching...just better. Sloane coming back to life in red goo(preposterous) and Jack blowing himself up and dooming Sloane to a life in a pit. Ok if he truly is trapped and miserable forever...that is kind of fun, but still why couldn't Jack just throw the dynamite down there? I was holding out hope to the very end that Grampy Jack would show up at the beach house. Alack! Other than that, I thought everything else was great. Tom's move was cool and touching. I was glad Marshall made it and loved the way his wife came in and helped to save the day. That was fun!
To me this was sloppy. They went from a conflicted character much like Sloane, to an all out selfish, evil witch. I didn't like it. I loved the Irina we met in S2. It was sloppy in S4 as well b/c the pendelum swung WAY too far to the good side and I felt like in the finale the opposite was true. Of course cutting the season 4 or 5 episodes short required a bit of a rush job I guess. (n)
If not obvious from above with my lamenting over his death....it was Jack. Spydaddy was my absolute favorite, and thank you so much for creating a place to say it, shout it!!! Jack was so cool, his transformation was one of the best TV has ever done. Remembering how I almost hated him in S1 and grew to love him over the next 4. Brilliant!!! :D The dynamic b/t him & Syd was my favorite aspect of the show and one that gave it great depth!
Riamber said it well right here...could not agree more!!! (y)
And Thank You V for all the great columns and for perservering even when the writers and show disappointed you! I am really glad you stuck it out and wrote on until the end!!! :smiley:
Why thet killed Jack ??? he is the only person who deserve to live ? I cried and i am stellllll . he was good . He loved his daughter . also Irina . I wish if they let them back to each others and having a happy life to gother or they could let them dance one and die togother . if Irina just admits her love to Jack :thinking: :confused: :( :rolleyes:
 
Truth takes time? Well sh%t, if that's the truth why bother?

If we take what Irina said at face value in Season 2, it is only natural that we're inclined to think she had some kind of noble agenda. To find out later that it was all about power means that I have to totally reevaluate my perception of her. Throughout the series there was this underlying theme of there being more to Irina than was being let on. In the end though, she was just another baddie who lied her way through to her objective. To be sure, Irina's appeal was her ambiguity but still it brings into question some of her actions. It just seems ridiculous that she would go to such lengths attempting to reassure Sydney that she had some higher purpose that justified her means. Why bother?
 
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