In the third episode of the third season of Alias, everyone’s fighting! Make it stop! If you’re intrigued, then it’s time for Mark to watch Alias.Â
I am glad that the writers are having these characters deal with the GIGANTIC elephant in the room rather than delay the inevitable. And really, the confrontation and subsequent conversations that occur in “Reunion†are all necessary. Eventually, Lauren and Sydney were going to clash. They were going to resent one another! And the tragedy of it all is that it’s not like either of them are wrong in this scenario. There’s nothing immoral about Lauren’s presence in Vaughn’s life, and Vaughn made it very clear in “Succession†that he doesn’t regret moving on with his life. At the same time, Sydney has to adjust to a timeline that makes no sense. Just over a week prior (relative to her), she was dating Vaughn. She was in love! And that man is now in love with someone else, and there’s nothing that she can do about it. It’s a dreadful and shitty situation, and the best thing that these characters can do is accept reality.
Except “Reunion†teases us, and there’s a ridiculous amount of dramatic and emotional tension because SYDNEY AND VAUGHN ARE BACK TOGETHER AGAIN ON A MISSION. It’s clear that Lauren recognizes that they’re a good team in the context of their jobs. She gave Vaughn a few knowing looks in this episode while she watched Vaughn direct Sydney. But then the OTHER looks happened, and I wasn’t ready??? Jesus, y’all, it hurt. This is literally that whole trope of people destined to be together , but torn apart my circumstances, and I THOUGHT WE HAD ALREADY GONE THROUGH THIS ONE. You’re really gonna make me suffer again?
It’s going to be interesting to see how Lauren will fit into the greater narrative of Alias from this point on. I could see her getting pushed out at some later time, but I could also see the writers subverting my expectations and taking Alias in a surprising direction. Granted, I’ve got nearly three full seasons to watch, and right now, Lauren exists as an obstacle. She might have a larger part to play in the Covenant plot, but I can’t see what that is. Maybe she’ll be a necessary force against Robert Lindsey, aka The Worst?
I DON’T KNOW! And I see that as a positive of season three. I have no fucking clue where this is going. Sark’s alliance with the Convenant confuses me, for one. They just took $800 million from him! WHY IS HE WORKING WITH THEM? What benefit could they possibly provide to him? That mystery must be related to their ultimate goal in exploiting Sydney, if that’s truly what happened to her. It’s such an engaging plot that I wasn’t really surprised that Marshall was unable to identify her in that surveillance image. While Alias escalates far quicker than most shows of this nature, that wasn’t a probable escalation. It would have been ridiculous and entertaining, but I think Sydney’s time as an alleged assassin must remain a secret so that the writers can build tension for the inevitable reveal of what happened to her. So while the plot with Jack and Marshall had a predictable ending, I actually enjoyed it because it had another effect on the story: it moved Sydney and Jack closer in a believable way. The affection and love that we now see between the two of them is absolutely earned, and that’s a big, big deal. I honestly thought back to season one while I watched those two interact, and THEY HAVE COME SO FAR, Y’ALL. I can’t wait for Jack to bury Arvin Sloane CAN IT PLEASE HAPPEN.
The video for “Reunion†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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