In the fourth episode of the second season of Alias, I fucked up. I FUCKED UP REAL BAD. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Alias.Â
Trigger Warning: For talk of gaslighting, manipulation.
I have never so continuously and loudly tried to be prepared, only to be completely steamrolled by a show LIKE I HAVE TODAY. Goddamn it, I tried! So hard!
Will
I’m only now realizing how much of “Dead Drop†deals with the disturbing ramifications of deception. Indeed, much of Alias does anyway. This is a world in which lying is a natural part of these characters’ lives, and we consistently watch how the constant deception can tear people apart or make people paranoid. Will is largely collateral damage, since he tried to peel back the curtain, only to discover that Sydney’s life was not what he thought it was. After paying a terrible price to be “inducted†into the world of CIA espionage, he’s left doing community service, helping Francie at her restaurant, and faking an addiction to maintain a cover story. Indeed, it’s very surreal, and that’s readily apparent as we watch Will in his group therapy sessions! He has to craft this entire story just to live his life in peace, which is why it was so upsetting that Rebecca Martinez seemed ready to derail everything that Will had been through. HE HAD SUFFERED SO MUCH FOR PURSUING THE SD-6 STORY AND NOW SHE WANTED HIM TO REVISIT IT FOR HER CONSPIRACY THEORY SITE.
Of course, there’s another layer of meaning on top of all of this, given that Rebecca was actually a SD-6 plant, and THERE ARE SO MANY LEVELS OF DECEPTION IN THIS SHOW, I SWEAR. I suppose it’s quietly comforting to know that SD-6 doesn’t view Will as a threat??? Yet I can’t help but feel disturbed by it all. Will isn’t ever gonna be left alone, is he? PROTECT WILL FROM SD-6.
Emily
WHAT THE FUCK. Okay, lemme list these three options out because what the fuck.
There are, as I see it, three possible explanations for Emily’s name being on the check-in sheet at the bed & breakfast that she stayed at before Arvin killed her.
- She isn’t dead and she fucked up. She went back to a place that meant a lot to her and couldn’t resist calling her husband.
- She is dead and this show is now going to deal with the supernatural. HER GHOST CALLED HIM.
- Arvin thought he killed his wife, but she somehow survived.
ALL THREE OF THESE WOULD BE RIDICULOUS PLOT TWISTS AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE ANY OF THEM.
Irina vs Jack
Well, I was bound to embarrass myself on video because I hadn’t done so in a while, but also because Alias is too much. Despite that I might have wanted Sydney and Irina to approach something close to closure, I believed Jack. I do not trust Irina at all! Thus, throughout this episode, even as she provided Sydney with crucial intel that proved to be true, even after she seemed to work against her own interests in order to help the CIA, I believed it was all part of a long con. She was manipulating the CIA and Sydney to get what she wanted. Have I figured out a potential endgame? Oh, no, I’m not even close. I am certain I don’t have enough pieces to even begin to hazard a guess. Yet I’m firm in my assessment: Irina Derevko is going to screw everyone over, and this is all a scam. IT IS.
My awareness of how twisty and unpredictable Alias is certainly played a part in that. I have no problem admitting that. I was trying to keep myself ready for her inevitable betrayal! That was why I was utterly ignorant to what was unfolding right in front of me: Jack’s betrayal. We have watched him become increasingly upset by Sydney’s continued conversations with her mother; we watched him try to get his therapist to help him manipulate Sydney; and then we watched him argue with Vaughn and Sydney in front of Director Kendall. He was utterly committed to this position, and I still didn’t see what he was plotting.
He got his revenge against Irina, sure, but at what cost? Her operations bible was destroyed along with Sark’s men. Sydney was devastated by the betrayal. And in the horrible event that Irina was genuinely helping them, they all just lost a necessary asset. Y’all, JACK IS SO FUCKED UP! And after getting so much closer to his daughter, he’s now a million miles away. Rather, he will be, because I don’t think this will stay a secret long. Sydney is gonna figure out, and oh my god, THIS IS ALL GOING TO HELL.
I’m so messed up by this, y’all.
The video for “Dead Drop†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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