In the first episode of the third season of Alias, EVERYTHING IS WRONG AND MESSED UP. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Alias.
Trigger Warning: For discussion of memory loss, consent
As difficult as it was to watch this episode (THE VAUGHN CONFRONTATION HAS DESTROYED ME), I found “The Two†to be as compelling as it was because the writers committed to this premise. It was bizarre enough to be dealt the massive twist that Sydney had disappeared for two years. Yet this episode is an experience, on that disarms and disorients the audience as if they are Sydney herself. We are placed into her shoes and shown a world that’s been tipped upside-down, and none of it makes any sense. And by delivering one shock after another, Alias manages to immerse into a new direction for season three.
Which is a real tough thing to do after what we’ve already gone through. But y’all: Y’ALL. I THINK THIS SHOWS A LOT OF PROMISE. There’s a new antagonist in both The Covenant and Robert Lindsey. The Rambaldi artifacts are practically retired and have given way to an apparent redemption for Arvin Sloane. (I DON’T BELIEVE IT EITHER.) And then there’s the massive mystery of Sydney’s disappearance, which MIGHT PROVE ONE OF MY PREDICTIONS RIGHT. It’s a solid framework for a season worth of stories, and I AM READY.
Just kidding, I’m not.
Waking Up
Seriously, though, this episode is a lot. Not only is the audience asked to accept a new reality, but NOTHING MAKES THIS EASIER FOR SYDNEY OR THE AUDIENCE. She didn’t just disappear; somehow, her own remains were found in her burnt out apartment. I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW THAT’S POSSIBLE, BUT OKAY, HERE WE GO. It gives some context to the reaction of… well, everyone. Syndey wasn’t just missing; they all believed she was dead. And in the wake of her death, Vaughn quit the CIA; her father became obsessed and crossed Lindsey, which got him thrown in prison; Marshall and Carrie are having a child; Kendall is apparently gone, and Dixon is now in charge. (Which is about the only positive change in this whole damn episode, y’all.) Will SURVIVED. Allison is… actually, I don’t know. Where did she go? Did she survive? Did they ever locate Francine’s body?
WHO FUCKING KNOWS. But that sense of the unknown permeates this episode as Sydney navigates a world that has, unfortunately, moved on. That’s perhaps the most devastating aspect of this, and I don’t just mean that in the context of Vaughn. The world moved on without Sydney in it. (Well, more on that at the end of this review.) Now, she’s got to catch up to everyone else. Even that dynamic is strange. How is Sydney the only one behind the world?
Trust
Thus, Sydney has to work overtime, and I loved that throughout the middle portion of “The Two,†everything just felt off. Dixon, Vaughn, and Jack were not on a mission; only Weiss and Sydney were. We’d been treated to a confusing and electrifying scene where Sydney visited her father in prison. The attempt to find the members of the Covenant was complicated by Sydney falsifying possible intel. That odd sensation only made this more tense. Were the Covenant responsible for Sydney’s disappearance? Was this a dead end? Was Sydney too desperate to find the truth? I COULDN’T TELL. And when she decided to go after that Covenant hitman, I didn’t know if she’d found the leader of the organization or just a random member of it. (I still don’t, for the record. I got the sense that he was important, but nothing concrete.) Sydney might be confused and bewildered and afraid and betrayed, but y’all, SHE STILL GETS SHIT DONE.
Unfortunately, getting shit “done†requires her to have THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE MEETING IMAGINABLE with Arvin Sloane. I can still barely fathom the idea that he’s actually redeemed himself, and like Sydney, I also think he’s lying. Or faking it. In a real world sense, it’s not exactly out of the realm of possibility that a white dude would be able to repair his reputation as Arvin has done here. But lord, I just find it so absurd that he’s CEO of a company that has done demonstrable good in the world. It seems so antithetical to his entire being! I REFUSE TO TRUST HIM, Y’ALL.
Faith
“The Two†leaves us in a deeply uncomfortable place. Even though Sydney successfully gets her father out of prison and earns her standing back with the CIA, Robert Lindsey clearly still despises her. That’s probably going to continue to play out over season three, since he doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. So, with the threat of Lindsey hanging over her head, Sydney has to unravel the mystery of her abduction and cope with her feelings towards Vaughn. WHICH ARE JUSTIFIABLY MESSED UP. Y’all, she destroys him when he comes to see her, and I am not sure I have yet healed from that scene. I JUST??? Jennifer Garner is so talented, and that exchange felt so brutal and raw and real? I felt like I shouldn’t have watched it because it was so intimate.
I don’t see an immediate solution to Sydney’s relationship with Vaughn. I mean, they’re in an even worse place than when they had to worry about Vaughn’s wife and the Alliance. THIS IS CLEARLY THE DARKEST TIMELINE. So, I’m guessing she’s going to ignore it all and pursue the disturbing evidence her father found:
Someone turned her into an assassin.
Y’ALL, MY BODY IS NOT READY FOR THIS.
The video for “The Two†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT, is now available for pre-order! If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter! DO IT.
