In the tenth episode of the first season of Alias, Sydney escapes suspicion, but at high cost to someone else. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Alias.Â
This was the first episode of the show that wasn’t quite amazing to me. It’s paced a little oddly, namely because the end of “Mea Culpa†is so horrifying, and yet it’s resolved so, so quickly. I don’t necessarily have a problem with the fact that Risik was killed to save Sydney, and I think it was a rather smart choice for the writers to have Jack be behind this. Alias has, so far, addressed the complicated nature of complicity and accountability. Characters are frequently forced into situations where they must decide whether or not to be good people or practical people. And sometimes, those two things are not mutually compatible! So, once Jack realizes that Sydney has been taken, that she’ll likely be tortured and executed by SD-6, he quickly frames Risik. Was Risik a K-Directorate operative? Nope. So.. this is bad, right?
See, that is what I wish the episode explored more than it did. Jack sent someone to their death with very little consideration, which is very much in character with him. There’s no bigger pragmatist on the show. He can justify anything, as long as the end is what he wants. Thus, Sydney survives and everything’s fine, right?
But how guilty was Risik? We only learn that he was a true SD-6 devotee from a brief conversation that Sydney and Vaughn have about what really happened. It’s a necessary moment, but it’s so SHORT. It’s also a bit jarring because just minutes before, Vaughn was confronting Jack about what he’d done, and he seemed pretty certain that Jack had done something that deserved a little reflection at the very least. (Well, we also get a chance to see how big of an asshole Jack is again. OH MY GOD, HE’S SO RUDE TO VAUGHN.) So it’s weird when suddenly, Vaughn is justifying Risik’s death by explaining to Sydney that Risik knew what he was doing the whole time.
Look, I’m not always a big proponent of the whole “Show, Don’t Tell†form of writing. SOMETIMES, YOU DO NEED TO TELL. But here, a character is killed off, and we only learn about their true nature from a couple sentences uttered during an argument after they’re dead. It’s a symptom of an episode that feels like a transitional piece for the larger narrative. Will is here to suggest a bit of resentment that he’s not dating Sydney. (Which makes me wonder if Jenny will ever get a more significant role.) There’s plenty of hinting that Vaughn and Sydney have feelings for one another, too, but that can’t move forward either, at least any time soon. And when the show moves at a pretty breakneck speed most of the time, story choices like this feel like the pacing’s been slowed down for no real reason at all, except that the writers are pushing away inevitable plot lines.
This is not a bad episode by any means. I’m not trying to suggest that. It was fun to watch, and the entire set-up for the cliffhanger at the end is RIDICULOUS. It’s also a scene that could address the main theme of “Spirit,†given that Jack is normally so pragmatic. Can he be detached and “rational†when it comes to his daughter? Is getting Hassan to hand over his client list more important than saving Sydney? Ugh, that’s such a meaty and heavy topic and IT’S NOT GOING TO BE RESOLVED IN THIS EPISODE. Obviously, I’m bitter because this is mostly my own fault. It’s 2018, y’all, WHY AM I NOT BINGING A SHOW LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD. But sometimes, this whole split-plot narrative isn’t the best thing for some of these stories. That’s just my take, though.
The video for “Spirit†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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