In the sixth episode of the third season of Alias, WHAT IS THIS SHOW DOING TO ME. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Alias.Â
I just want to keep repeating this so that it’s clear as possible, and because I want to stay as prepared as possible: I DON’T TRUST ARVIN SLOANE. And at the very least, Sark now knows definitively that he can’t trust him either, right? Which is only interesting in as much as it leads to Sloane suffering, because I am right in line with Sydney in “The Nemesis.†It’s pretty much the only thing I want from his character because I HATE HIM SO MUCH.
Let me back up, though, because “The Nemesis†is less about the importance of Sloane as it is about the return of Allison Doren, Francie’s double.
And holy shit, y’all, this is a vicious can of worms that’s opened with her appearance. First of all: I can’t believe her surviving the season two finale is actually part of another mystery on the show. The writers didn’t just wave their hands over her character and bullshit their way through an explanation of how she survived being shot by Sydney. Now, do I understand what Allison tells us? Oh, absolutely not! But there’s a thread of a new story here. The Covenant took Allison under their wing, and she was apparently healed by a formula in a Rambaldi journal? Look, I was surprised by the mention of Rambaldi because I wasn’t sure there was much the show could do with it at this point. After Arvin assembled that device and was given the most anticlimactic end of all time, I figured we were done with that plot. But… what the hell does this mean? What does that ending mean? Is Allison even further from our understanding of what it means to be human than we thought? If so, and it’s because of something in a Rambaldi journal, then what the fuck is going on?
While I am once more complete trash for serialized mystery plots (is anyone at all surprised I loved LOST), “The Nemesis†is as strong as it is because this mystery is so deeply emotional for these characters. Allison’s re-appearance is a painful reminder of what transpired just before Sydney disappeared from the world. It is a thread left to unspool, a loop that is unclosed. And it’s so upsetting. That being said… not sure I needed to actually see Francie die on the screen. I’m good, y’all! I could have inferred what happened from context clues, you know?
Knowing that Allison didn’t die, though, means that I had a new sense for what closure needed to happen. We get that from both Syndey and Dixon, whose lives were absolutely ruined by this person. How do you find resolution after that kind of trauma? In the case of these characters, death is the only real answer. If Allison remains alive, she can still harm others. She can still bring about chaos. And in Dixon’s case, specifically, she can still ruin lives.
So why was Sydney unable to kill her? I think the truth is in her words: this was what Dixon wanted. He wanted Allison dead for the murder of his wife, and in the end, Sydney didn’t feel like she was the one who should deliver the killing blow. (And shit, if anyone deserves that, we’d have to include Will, but he’s… gone? Somewhere else?) I do wish they’d all been way more vigilant in keeping track of her after she’d been shot because SHE LITERALLY ESCAPED LAST TIME, Y’ALL. BE BETTER AT THIS.
So: Lauren is close to the truth about Sydney’s involvement in the death of Lazarey. Allison just re-opened the Rambaldi mystery. Arvin Sloane is the worst. I STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING NEXT. Help???
The video for “The Nemesis†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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