In the seventeenth episode of the third season of Alias, I continually am upstaged by this show. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Alias.Â
Every time I think I’m saying something insightful or smart about this show, the writers laugh at me from the past because I CANNOT CATCH A BREAK FROM THIS SHOW. Oh, you think you have Lauren figured out? Well, then we’ll just casually reveal that her mother is also in the Covenant and????????? WHAT THE FUCK, I DON’T KNOW SHIT ABOUT LAUREN REED.
Okay, I’m being dramatic, but despite still believing that Lauren has contributed to some truly evil shit, even I have to admit that I don’t have the full picture. How the hell did these two get involved with The Covenant? How can they possibly believe in the aims of this group? What endgame justifies so much terror and suffering and cruelty? I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT, Y’ALL. And through it all, Lauren still refuses to give up on her loyalty to the Covenant. If anything, even without all the information I need, this still felt like a damning character study of Lauren. After she figures out that Jack suspects her—and that her husband has asked for a separation—she goes into panic mode, wherein Sark comes up with yet another fucked up plan:
Assassinate her father to both clear up suspicion and bring Vaughn closer to her.
“The Frame†manages to go to some darker places than I anticipated, despite that “assassinate your father for personal gain†is pretty fucked up to begin with. But Lauren’s actions don’t happen in a vacuum, and there are horrible ramifications beyond the murder. At the start of this episode, Vaughn finally tells Lauren that he’s ready to be done, and the writers allow us to see hope. Which, as Sydney later says, is terrifying. In this specific context, it’s been so long since these two were allowed to feel hope about their possible relationship. And then, in an instant, that hope blooms. It becomes possible to ignore. If Lauren and Vaughn really do split up, could this be it? COULD THIS BE THE MOMENT WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR?
Oh, no, it’s certainly the opposite of that. The manipulation that Lauren and her mother pull off is heartbreaking, especially since it’s the first time we have ACTUALLY seen genuine regret in Lauren. I always got the sense from prior episodes that she didn’t really like her father, but after “The Frame,†I have a different theory. What if she kept him at arm’s length because she never wanted to entangle her life in his? What if she did love and respect him, and thus, she compartmentalized him in this manner? I suspect this is the case because when Sark told her to assassinate Senator Reed, she vehemently denied it. Then, when she entered her father’s room, she already looked upset. Sark was right; she was going to have a problem with this mission.
So maybe her grief is real. Maybe she is legitimately torn up over the murder of her father. Maybe it’s genuine, y’all. But she certainly is pleased that her manipulation of Vaughn worked. That final scene was a bit cheesy and on-the-nose, and it’s a trope we’ve probably all seen before. The manipulator shares a knowing smile in the direction of the camera, as if they’re so pleased with themselves that they’d smile at absolutely no one. Corny, yes, but still chilling, given the lengths that Lauren has gone to make this happen.
What’s next, then? Apparently, Arvin Sloane is gonna be executed in two weeks, which is such a bizarre twist that I don’t know how to accept it. (I suspect it won’t happen, but I’ll say that the scene where Dixon revealed it was worth it just for the vengeful glee on Dixon’s face.) Vaughn and Sydney are back to pining from afar, and the Covenant has the Irina Box and the keys. Did Rambaldi really design a biological weapon that he hid in that box? WHY IS IRINA SO IMPORTANT TO THIS? What is her legacy? How could Rambaldi possibly know this shit so far in the past? I need to know, y’all. AND I HOPE JACK DOESN’T STOP SUSPECTING LAUREN.
The video for “The Frame†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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