V
verdantheart
Guest
[No, I didn't forget you! I've just had a pile o' work like you wouldn't believe!!! Plus, getting through Christmas cards and gifts and the like over the weekend, well . . . I'm surprised I got this out before this week's Alias aired, and I just barely made it!]
At the outset of “Bob” we find ourselves traveling by train through Siberia. A man passes chess players, suggests a move, and surreptitiously places a package beneath a seat before moving on to another car. Flash! He returns for his package, the occupants of the car incinerated, nothing else the worse for wear.
Back at APO, Dixon, Marshall, Rachel, and Tom discuss the occurrence: it must have been a micropulse bomb (MPB), which fries living things, but leaves hardware, buildings and such untouched. Nice, eh? And treaty-breaking too.
Sydney and Jack are at a Yorkshire garden party following up a lead with MI-6 on a possible link to a demo-and-trade deal with one of their agents. Jack meets with an old friend and MI-6 contact, Elizabeth Powell as Sydney shakes off a boring lady who suggests Rupert as a stalwart name for a baby—and runs interference with the French ambassador, Elizabeth's husband. Jack noodles on the piano as Elizabeth enters and they catch up (Do you still play the piano? No. Does your husband know you're MI-6? No.) Jack fills Elizabeth in on the MPB and the link to MI-6—and therefore the probable international intelligence organization breach a la the Alliance—as well as Prophet 5. Elizabeth is concerned that investigating her own organization may be treasonous . . . but what's a little treason between friends?
Back at APO, they've discovered the likely designer of the MPB: Lukas Basarov. As luck would have it, he's headed to sunny Sao Paulo for a conference. To Marshall's chagrin, they send Rachel.
At the hotel, Rachel, posing as Lydia Sand, bumps into a pushy “American”: none other than Sark, who non-coincidentally, has the room across from hers. Both watch Basarov. Rachel picks up a print from him by posing as a fellow conference-goer and admirer. When Basarov heads for a shower, she enters—at the same time that Sark orders room service. Sark interrupts Rachel, sending her out of the window onto a ledge as he poses as room service and downloads the encryption key for the transmission. Rachel returns and just completes her mission before Basarov re-enters the room.
Tom tells her she has the night off until the PDA alerts her that the transmission is coming through, so she heads down for a drink . . . which she could use at that point. She meets Sark, doing much the same, who introduces himself as Bob Brown. They speak in general terms about their work and end up in bed in Sark's room. As Sark goes for drinks and Rachel looks over Sark's “Bob Brown” papers, including an airline ticket, Rachel's PDA goes off, alerting her to Basarov's transmission, and she has to make an excuse to leave to call Marshall.
Back at APO, Rachel confesses what happened to Sydney and they bemoan the fact that such false-identity relationships can't be pursued. Jack and Elizabeth go to surveille the transaction to catch the MI-6 double-agent, but instead arms dealer Benjamin Masari shows up to steal the MPB ahead of time. The video is jammed and Jack and Elizabeth are captured.
As APO searches for the team, Sloane comes to the rescue (in slo mo, of course!). Sydney brings him up to speed and he quickly realizes that Masari could have had someone on Basarov just as easily as APO. Soon they have footage of Sark—and Rachel realizes whom she's dealing with. And she realizes that they can catch up with him in Nassau, thanks to her nosiness.
In Nassau, Rachel meets Sark at the airport—and so does Sydney. Since Sark is paid to protect his clients, they offer to pay him to help them get Jack and Elizabeth back.
We find the captives in Tunisia. Masari wants to know where they were transmitting the video feed, and are willing to shoot holes in Elizabeth's hands to get the answers.
Luckily for Elizabeth's right hand (and Jack's tough-guy rep), Sark's call comes in with some answers and an offer. Masari can sell the agents for a tidy profit. Masari resists—sales are so complicated and all—but Sark implies a threat and he agrees to the sale.
Sydney wants to go on the mission, but Dixon reminds her that it's a tactical mission and Jack wouldn't want her to go and risk the baby. As they travel, Rachel give Sark a locator watch and he chats her up, telling her not to feel guilty. As Tom switches with her, she says “thank God.”
They arrive, Dixon playing driver, Rachel and Tom hanging to the bottom of the truck. Sark hands over the payment and has a gun pulled on him. Dixon chooses his moment to attack the door guard and Rachel and Tom appear, guns ready. Dixon and Tom rescue Jack and Elizabeth as Rachel discovers Sark handcuffed to the MPB.
Marshall talks Rachel through the disarming as Rachel and Sark continue to bicker. Sark waives his fee. Sydney and Jack make breakfast plans and Jack decides life's to short not to play the piano every now and then.
Comments . . .
First, what about “Bob”? Is our Sark getting soft on us? Waiving his fee? Are we to believe that Sark's just a soft ol' teddy bear at heart, or is it that he jes' has a thing about sexy lil' blonds? We have so little information about this character that it's difficult for me to follow or resolve what they've done with him over the years. (Hm, perhaps this should be in the “quibble” category?) He had no trouble killing his own father for the job, for the money, but waiving his fee? Why? To make a “point”? To look “noble” to some girl he just met? This just doesn't seem like the Sark of old . . . who is this guy, anyway? Need more info.
Head-scratchers aside, it was good to see Sark again, even if we didn't get to see him at his super-agent best.
MI-6 Elizabeth and French ambassador husband Joseph: we always have to approach these new characters with caution, don't we? Can we trust either of them? Elizabeth seemed likable enough, didn't she, and Jack trusted her (he's usually a decent judge), but he's made a few mistakes. There is an agent in MI-6, and who knows, it could be her! She could have been biding her time at the meet, waiting to take Jack out. I really hope not, but . . . never trust anything, huh? On the other hand, her hubby seemed awfully curious, didn't he? She might think that he suspects nothing, but somehow I suspect he thinks something's going on—or else he's slightly jealous over his wife's “old friends” . . . (And, yet another French connection . . .)
Quibbles . . .
Masari decides to blow up his very valuable MPB?! I guess if he has to bug out and he's going to lose it anyway, maybe . . . I'm going to chalk it up to that. Otherwise, there are much cheaper and more efficient ways to take out Sark. (But then, we wouldn't have Sark to kick around anymore, and that would be too bad!)
First, Sark's a bomb expert, right? I know he was in no position to defuse the bomb, but it seemed to me he could have helped. Their remembering that precedent would have been satisfying.
Just a little more about the “softening of Sark.” I wonder, are all of the major “beloved” bad guys of Alias going to end up on the good-guy side of the fence? Irina, Sloane, now Sark? That leaves just cardboard bogeymen like Lauren and Elena on the dark side. So, if you love them, they have to be good at heart? It's impossible to love someone that screws up in the end? I'm sorry, but I find that rather sad. Perhaps the producers think they're rewarding us, but I feel like I'm being underestimated as a fan and served a simplified fairy tale instead of the saga I was led to expect in the beginning. Oh well.
Random thoughts . . .
The softer side of Sark . . . personally, I like the snarkier side of Sark. Let's see him toughen up again, please. More evil!Sark. We need more evil in our lives! And not by B players! By A players! Like Ron Rifkin!!! I'm sick of good baddies!!! One, maybe, but everybody?!?! OK, rant over.
Seems like the writers' knack for writing meaningful layered hidden-message dialog is waning. The Lydia/Bob dialog wasn't nearly as riveting as some of the first-season I'm-saying-more-than-I'm-saying dialog. Yes, I fast-forwarded through some of it the second time around.
Discuss . . .
What is your initial impression of Elizabeth? Of her husband?
Rachel really liked Sark when she thought he was just Bob. Do you think that she can come to terms with who he really is?
Why do you think Sark waived his fee?
Do you think the characterization of Sark has been consistent? Do you prefer Sark as “good at heart” or more of a bad guy?
Next:
Sydney gets what she wants . . . but she has to be kidnapped to get it.
At the outset of “Bob” we find ourselves traveling by train through Siberia. A man passes chess players, suggests a move, and surreptitiously places a package beneath a seat before moving on to another car. Flash! He returns for his package, the occupants of the car incinerated, nothing else the worse for wear.
Back at APO, Dixon, Marshall, Rachel, and Tom discuss the occurrence: it must have been a micropulse bomb (MPB), which fries living things, but leaves hardware, buildings and such untouched. Nice, eh? And treaty-breaking too.
Sydney and Jack are at a Yorkshire garden party following up a lead with MI-6 on a possible link to a demo-and-trade deal with one of their agents. Jack meets with an old friend and MI-6 contact, Elizabeth Powell as Sydney shakes off a boring lady who suggests Rupert as a stalwart name for a baby—and runs interference with the French ambassador, Elizabeth's husband. Jack noodles on the piano as Elizabeth enters and they catch up (Do you still play the piano? No. Does your husband know you're MI-6? No.) Jack fills Elizabeth in on the MPB and the link to MI-6—and therefore the probable international intelligence organization breach a la the Alliance—as well as Prophet 5. Elizabeth is concerned that investigating her own organization may be treasonous . . . but what's a little treason between friends?
Back at APO, they've discovered the likely designer of the MPB: Lukas Basarov. As luck would have it, he's headed to sunny Sao Paulo for a conference. To Marshall's chagrin, they send Rachel.
At the hotel, Rachel, posing as Lydia Sand, bumps into a pushy “American”: none other than Sark, who non-coincidentally, has the room across from hers. Both watch Basarov. Rachel picks up a print from him by posing as a fellow conference-goer and admirer. When Basarov heads for a shower, she enters—at the same time that Sark orders room service. Sark interrupts Rachel, sending her out of the window onto a ledge as he poses as room service and downloads the encryption key for the transmission. Rachel returns and just completes her mission before Basarov re-enters the room.
Tom tells her she has the night off until the PDA alerts her that the transmission is coming through, so she heads down for a drink . . . which she could use at that point. She meets Sark, doing much the same, who introduces himself as Bob Brown. They speak in general terms about their work and end up in bed in Sark's room. As Sark goes for drinks and Rachel looks over Sark's “Bob Brown” papers, including an airline ticket, Rachel's PDA goes off, alerting her to Basarov's transmission, and she has to make an excuse to leave to call Marshall.
Back at APO, Rachel confesses what happened to Sydney and they bemoan the fact that such false-identity relationships can't be pursued. Jack and Elizabeth go to surveille the transaction to catch the MI-6 double-agent, but instead arms dealer Benjamin Masari shows up to steal the MPB ahead of time. The video is jammed and Jack and Elizabeth are captured.
As APO searches for the team, Sloane comes to the rescue (in slo mo, of course!). Sydney brings him up to speed and he quickly realizes that Masari could have had someone on Basarov just as easily as APO. Soon they have footage of Sark—and Rachel realizes whom she's dealing with. And she realizes that they can catch up with him in Nassau, thanks to her nosiness.
In Nassau, Rachel meets Sark at the airport—and so does Sydney. Since Sark is paid to protect his clients, they offer to pay him to help them get Jack and Elizabeth back.
We find the captives in Tunisia. Masari wants to know where they were transmitting the video feed, and are willing to shoot holes in Elizabeth's hands to get the answers.
Luckily for Elizabeth's right hand (and Jack's tough-guy rep), Sark's call comes in with some answers and an offer. Masari can sell the agents for a tidy profit. Masari resists—sales are so complicated and all—but Sark implies a threat and he agrees to the sale.
Sydney wants to go on the mission, but Dixon reminds her that it's a tactical mission and Jack wouldn't want her to go and risk the baby. As they travel, Rachel give Sark a locator watch and he chats her up, telling her not to feel guilty. As Tom switches with her, she says “thank God.”
They arrive, Dixon playing driver, Rachel and Tom hanging to the bottom of the truck. Sark hands over the payment and has a gun pulled on him. Dixon chooses his moment to attack the door guard and Rachel and Tom appear, guns ready. Dixon and Tom rescue Jack and Elizabeth as Rachel discovers Sark handcuffed to the MPB.
Marshall talks Rachel through the disarming as Rachel and Sark continue to bicker. Sark waives his fee. Sydney and Jack make breakfast plans and Jack decides life's to short not to play the piano every now and then.
Comments . . .
First, what about “Bob”? Is our Sark getting soft on us? Waiving his fee? Are we to believe that Sark's just a soft ol' teddy bear at heart, or is it that he jes' has a thing about sexy lil' blonds? We have so little information about this character that it's difficult for me to follow or resolve what they've done with him over the years. (Hm, perhaps this should be in the “quibble” category?) He had no trouble killing his own father for the job, for the money, but waiving his fee? Why? To make a “point”? To look “noble” to some girl he just met? This just doesn't seem like the Sark of old . . . who is this guy, anyway? Need more info.
Head-scratchers aside, it was good to see Sark again, even if we didn't get to see him at his super-agent best.
MI-6 Elizabeth and French ambassador husband Joseph: we always have to approach these new characters with caution, don't we? Can we trust either of them? Elizabeth seemed likable enough, didn't she, and Jack trusted her (he's usually a decent judge), but he's made a few mistakes. There is an agent in MI-6, and who knows, it could be her! She could have been biding her time at the meet, waiting to take Jack out. I really hope not, but . . . never trust anything, huh? On the other hand, her hubby seemed awfully curious, didn't he? She might think that he suspects nothing, but somehow I suspect he thinks something's going on—or else he's slightly jealous over his wife's “old friends” . . . (And, yet another French connection . . .)
Quibbles . . .
Masari decides to blow up his very valuable MPB?! I guess if he has to bug out and he's going to lose it anyway, maybe . . . I'm going to chalk it up to that. Otherwise, there are much cheaper and more efficient ways to take out Sark. (But then, we wouldn't have Sark to kick around anymore, and that would be too bad!)
First, Sark's a bomb expert, right? I know he was in no position to defuse the bomb, but it seemed to me he could have helped. Their remembering that precedent would have been satisfying.
Just a little more about the “softening of Sark.” I wonder, are all of the major “beloved” bad guys of Alias going to end up on the good-guy side of the fence? Irina, Sloane, now Sark? That leaves just cardboard bogeymen like Lauren and Elena on the dark side. So, if you love them, they have to be good at heart? It's impossible to love someone that screws up in the end? I'm sorry, but I find that rather sad. Perhaps the producers think they're rewarding us, but I feel like I'm being underestimated as a fan and served a simplified fairy tale instead of the saga I was led to expect in the beginning. Oh well.
Random thoughts . . .
The softer side of Sark . . . personally, I like the snarkier side of Sark. Let's see him toughen up again, please. More evil!Sark. We need more evil in our lives! And not by B players! By A players! Like Ron Rifkin!!! I'm sick of good baddies!!! One, maybe, but everybody?!?! OK, rant over.
Seems like the writers' knack for writing meaningful layered hidden-message dialog is waning. The Lydia/Bob dialog wasn't nearly as riveting as some of the first-season I'm-saying-more-than-I'm-saying dialog. Yes, I fast-forwarded through some of it the second time around.
Discuss . . .
What is your initial impression of Elizabeth? Of her husband?
Rachel really liked Sark when she thought he was just Bob. Do you think that she can come to terms with who he really is?
Why do you think Sark waived his fee?
Do you think the characterization of Sark has been consistent? Do you prefer Sark as “good at heart” or more of a bad guy?
Next:
Sydney gets what she wants . . . but she has to be kidnapped to get it.
