In the thirteenth episode of the third season of Alias, the mess gets messier. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Alias.Â
Oh, there’s so much to talk about, y’all. LET’S DO THIS.
Unexpected
You know, I told myself long ago that I wasn’t gonna get invested in tormented, angst-filled romances between white heterosexual people, especially when they rarely, if ever, are at risk for actually having the kind of tumultuous, terrifying predicaments that fiction likes to think they have. And what I mean is that sometimes, it’s hard to watch characters like this tell one another that they wish they could be together, their love is so dangerous, if only they weren’t kept apart, etc. Honey, I was in the closet until I was 18. I couldn’t even marry another man until a few years ago. Miscegenation laws, anyone? So yeah, I get that this isn’t what they’re referring to at all, but I still have a part of me that cringes a bit from stories like this.
But guess what? I’m trash. I am absolute TRASH for this relationship, and I can’t believe how invested I’ve become in the idea that Vaughn and Sydney should be together. How did I get to this point? How am I supposed to deal with all these emotions??? Y’all, I felt like I was bursting at the SEAMS as I watched these two goofballs try to navigate the ramifications of their mutual confession in the last episode. They both know they love one another without a doubt, and they both cannot be together without… well, a whole lot of pain. Sydney refuses to be the other woman, despite that Vaughn seems willing to be with Sydney. (Sort of. It’s only hinted at and not directly stated, as far as I remember.)
Of course, there’s an angle to this that the audience knows that affects my perception of it all. Lauren has not been faithful to Vaughn, nor is she who she says she is. So Vaughn and Sydney could be together BUT THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW IT!!! WHY MUST THIS SHOW TORMENT ME LIKE THIS!!!!
I am such trash for this pairing, good god.
The Heist
Whew, this was an expertly designed heist. Though I gotta say that I wish there was more of Vivica Fox’s character! We only got a glimpse of what her organization is like before she’s taken in by the CIA. Perhaps that means she can now make an appearance in a future episode?
Anyway, this heist has all the components to make it exciting and tense. There’s a time limit, first of all, and five minutes is REAL short for what these characters need to do. The obstacles that they have to get past are believably deadly, meaning that even the slightest mistake could end in death. A combination of super cool tech and improvised ingenuity leads to the team’s success. And on top of it all, there’s the layered emotional complexity of Vaughn and Sydney. These aren’t strangers who have just met and have no chemistry with one another. OH, NO, THIS IS VERY MUCH THE EXACT OPPOSITE AND I LOVED IT.
The Double Cross
Meanwhile, Lauren is off making herself even less likable BUT all the more interesting as a character. Exactly when did she become part of the Covenant? Does the Covenant operate with the understanding that you’ll never know who you’re actually working for? Because it seems that nameless obedience is their modus operandi, and initially, that’s what Sark tries to appeal to in order to get Lauren to betray the Covenant and stage a coup. It’s through this that we see Lauren’s skills as an assassin, and she’s truly terrifying when she’s in this mode.
But I’m left wondering the why of it all. And that’s a good thing! I don’t expect the show to give me all the answers upfront, and it’s much more fun that these plots are seeded in earlier episodes and then come to fruition whenever I least expect it. Lauren is captivating enough as a character that, despite disliking what she’s done to these characters, I find myself wanting to know her full story. Is her allegiance to the Covenant foolproof? Or does she have an ulterior motive? Why would she choose to betray Sark in order to serve the Covenant? I feel like there’s still something here that I’m missing! Of course, it could just be that Lauren is a selfish, terrible person, but I suspect that Alias has more complicated notions of her character.
Arvin Sloane
What the FUCK is going on with his storyline!!! What was that green shit he injected into his arm? What’s this terrible secret that’s haunting him, and why couldn’t he tell it even to a CIA therapist??? WHAT THE HELL.
I NEED TO KNOW, Y’ALL.
The video for “After Six†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
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