In the twelfth episode of the third season of Alias, THIS IS SO STRESSFUL. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Alias.Â
WHAT THE FUCK WHY CAN’T THIS SHOW JUST CUT ME SOME SLACK, I SWEAR.
Lauren
So, duplicity and deception is part of the Alias experience; it’s built into the mythology through Jack’s history, through the story of Francie/Allison, through Irina’s return to Sydney’s life, through Sydney’s role at SD-6. And now, we’re getting a front row seat to the next iteration of this thematic story: Lauren’s ongoing deception as a double agent for the Covenant.
Admittedly, it’s hard to feel any sort of sympathy for her throughout “Crossings.†Without any context to her actions, I’m only left with assumptions and hypotheses. Is she being forced to be a double agent? Is there some extenuating circumstance I’m not aware of? Or is she just as despicable as she seems? Y’all, she’s been the mole for the Covenant THE ENTIRE FUCKING TIME. Which means that her outrage over Vaughn not telling her about Sydney’s complicity was entirely faked, and this is just scratching the surface. It would require a whole re-watch of her episodes for me to truly unravel the levels of deception that she pulled off.
So, how could I feel sorry for her after watching what she does in this episode? She betrays Vaughn, Sydney, and the CIA, identifying the airbase they’re leaving out of so that the Covenant can poison the pilots and crash their plane. Some of her distress in reaction to the news of Vaughn seems like it might be real, but y’all. SHE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT ALL. How you gonna feel bad about contributing to the assassination of your husband when you willingly gave up the information that could have led to it? How does that level of guilt actually function within the same person? Hell, I’m not even sure I believe it. So what gives? DID SHE DEVELOP FEELINGS FOR VAUGHN?
Oh, I’ve become petty about this, y’all. There’s hope. THERE’S HOPE THAT VAUGHN AND SYDNEY CAN END UP TOGETHER.
Last Words
AHHHHHH IT’S ONE OF THE ROMANCE TROPES I HAVE COME TO LOVE. Y’all, Vaughn thought he and Sydney were about to die, and they PROFESSED THEIR LOVE TO ONE ANOTHER, only to discover that JUST KIDDING! THEY’RE NOT DYING! It’s such a painful journey to that point, of course, especially since Vaughn was fool enough to take Jack’s horrific advice and push Sydney away. Seriously, has Jack ever given good romantic advice? EVER??? And in this case, his advice was particularly bad. It’s not that he’s necessarily wrong about the fact that Vaughn’s presence and kindness hurt Sydney. But this notion that cruelty was the proper response to it is just ludicrous. Vaughn made it seem like he hated Sydney for no reason whatsoever, or that he was punishing her for something she couldn’t control. Was that really the best option here??? That was supposed to solve this complicated situation?
I’m not trying to ignore what an unfair mess this whole thing is, but this felt like the worst possible solution, one that made matters infinitely more complicated than they needed to me. Sydney recognized it, y’all. So what happens now that they both know the truth about one another? How do you navigate this nightmare??? Obviously, I’m holding out hope that while Lauren’s true identity will surely break Vaughn’s heart, this means that Sydney and Vaughn can find a way to be with one another. ONE HOPES, THAT IS.
Katya Derevko
I DON’T REMEMBER IRINA MENTIONING THAT SHE HAD SISTERS. I’m not complaining, though, because Katya’s appearance on this show was ELECTRIFYING. It helps that Isabella Rossellini played Katya because she’s such an incredible actress. She also acts as an agent of chaos, a variable that’s impossible to predict because we know so little about her. Well, it’s not just that. She is a MASTER manipulator, and watching her play both Arvin and Jack was an experience. Look, I have no idea what her endgame is at all, and that’s partially because she’s allied with her sister, Irina, who is also a queen at hiding her intentions. I have no theory whatsoever as to what they’re planning, though I suspect that they both want to take out Sloane. Do they know his secrets? Do they know what he’s planning? Are they opposed to the Covenant? My guess is that they are; it makes no sense for them to do what they do here if they’re a part of the Covenant themselves. Plus, they’re powerful enough on their own that they don’t need an existing organization to get what they want.
I JUST LOVE THAT THERE ARE NEW VARIABLES TO CONSIDER.
The video for “Crossings†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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