In the eighth episode of the first season of Alias, THIS ONE HURT TO WATCH. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Alias.Â
I think I’ve misjudged this show.
WHICH IS NOT A BAD THING, it just means that I’m adjusting my perception of Alias and what it can do, and y’all. Y’ALL. I think this Rambaldi business is way more important than I previously thought, and it’s a bold move for the show to introduce some sort of POSSIBLE speculative fiction element to Alias. See, I can’t actually tell if stuff is going to lead to some otherworldly explanation, or if Rambaldi is evidence of something more ground. I CAN’T TELL. That’s half the fun of this, though, because I feel like the show has added another dynamic to it that—unsurprisingly—I am super into.
It’s not the sole plot here, though, and I want to touch on what else is happening in “Time Will Tell†before I get back to the Rambaldi device. It’s pretty neat that I’m watching this after Person of Interest because this show is accelerating its mythology/story at the same breakneck speed. I can’t believe we’re already dealing with SD-6 suspecting a mole IN THE EIGHTH EPISODE. I figured that was a plot we’d see much further down the line, but nope! It’s already one of the main overarching plots, and the threat of discovery hangs over everything. It’s hard not to worry about it, especially when we’re shown just how difficult Sydney’s lie detector test is going to be. But the logistical threat of the lie detector is only one piece of this complicated puzzle. Up to this point, we’ve been given a very detailed look at the ridiculous balancing act that Sydney has orchestrated to keep her life a secret. And while scenes with her lit professor aren’t a major part of Alias, they’re still significant enough. For a spy, Sydney has elements of her life that are remarkably normal. Her relationship with her best friend and roommate, Francie, is loving and joyous, one of the few things that really feels pure on this show. (And somehow, I believe that if Francie knew the truth about Sydney, she’d still support her.)
But those scenes are still edged in tension because… well, how long can Sydney maintain this dual life? How long can she keep the truth from Francie and Charlie and Will? Will’s journey to publish a story about Daniel Hecht’s murder has been a rollercoaster, and it certainly doesn’t help that he keeps avoiding a conversation with Sydney about what he’s done. I GUARANTEE THIS WILL ONLY GET WORSE IF YOU KEEP WAITING. Of course, his pursuit of the facts has led him from one mystery to the next, and despite Jack’s interference, he’s still close to something. That brooch/bug is another step towards learning about SD-6, but I’m still worried about what this all means for Will. Can the show keep him from the truth for very long?
Thus, this episode is dense as hell, and that’s a good thing. I really got the sense that Sydney’s life is jam-packed at the current moment, and throwing in another Rambaldi puzzle only made it worse. BUT MORE INTRIGUING!!! Because y’all, Donato said HE SPOKE WITH RIMBALDI HIMSELF. That slip of the tongue cannot have just been a mistake. HE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH. And how the fuck did he know exactly when to stand up to block the show meant for Sydney? WHAT SORT OF WITCHCRAFT WAS THAT?
But that’s why I said I can’t tell if this is speculative fiction or not. It seems practically impossible that the clock and that weird polymer disc were made over four hundred years prior, that they combined to make a map for an INCREDIBLY DEEP CAVERN where Rambaldi’s designs were hidden. Yet that’s where we are. There’s basically a cult or a secret society that’s sprung up around Rambaldi, so this man’s work clearly holds meaning for a lot of people. But it’s more than just meaning; that sounds so passive. People are willing to KILL to get their hands on his work. WHY? Why is so important? How was he able to predict things with such accuracy? WHAT THE FUCK.
And how the hell was Sydney able to survive that horrible fall? What happened to Dixon? How did Anna find them if she didn’t have the coordinates? WHY IS EVERYTHING SO TENSE?
The video for “Time Will Tell†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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