{"id":6720,"date":"2018-01-19T13:00:10","date_gmt":"2018-01-19T21:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=6720"},"modified":"2018-01-08T13:15:27","modified_gmt":"2018-01-08T21:15:27","slug":"mark-watches-alias-s01e10-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/01\/mark-watches-alias-s01e10-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Alias’: S01E10 – Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the tenth episode of the first season of Alias<\/i>, Sydney escapes suspicion, but at high cost to someone else. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Alias<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

This was the first episode of the show that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite<\/i> amazing to me. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s paced a little oddly, namely because the end of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mea Culpa\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is so horrifying, and yet it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s resolved so, so quickly. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily have a problem with the fact that Risik was killed to save Sydney, and I think it was a rather smart choice for the writers to have Jack be behind this. Alias<\/i> has, so far, addressed the complicated nature of complicity and accountability. Characters are frequently forced into situations where they must decide whether or not to be good people or practical people. And sometimes, those two things are not mutually compatible! So, once Jack realizes that Sydney has been taken, that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll likely be tortured and executed by SD-6, he quickly frames Risik. Was Risik a K-Directorate operative? Nope. So.. this is bad, right?<\/p>\n

See, that<\/i> is what I wish the episode explored more than it did. Jack sent someone to their death with very little consideration, which is very much in character with him. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no bigger pragmatist on the show. He can justify anything, as long as the end is what he wants. Thus, Sydney survives and everything\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fine, right?<\/p>\n

But how guilty was<\/i> Risik? We only learn that he was a true SD-6 devotee from a brief conversation that Sydney and Vaughn have about what really happened. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a necessary moment, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so SHORT. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also a bit jarring because just minutes before, Vaughn was confronting Jack about what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d done, and he seemed pretty certain that Jack had done something that deserved a little reflection at the very least. (Well, we also get a chance to see how big of an asshole Jack is again<\/i>. OH MY GOD, HE\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SO RUDE TO VAUGHN.) So it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s weird when suddenly, Vaughn is justifying Risik\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death by explaining to Sydney that Risik knew what he was doing the whole time.<\/p>\n

Look, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not always a big proponent of the whole \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Show, Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Tell\u00e2\u20ac\u009d form of writing. SOMETIMES, YOU DO NEED TO TELL. But here, a character is killed off, and we only learn about their true nature from a couple sentences uttered during an argument after<\/i> they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re dead. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a symptom of an episode that feels like a transitional piece for the larger narrative. Will is here to suggest a bit of resentment that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not dating Sydney. (Which makes me wonder if Jenny will ever get a more significant role.) There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plenty of hinting that Vaughn and Sydney have feelings for one another, too, but that can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t move forward either, at least any time soon. And when the show moves at a pretty breakneck speed most of the time, story choices like this feel like the pacing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been slowed down for no real reason at all, except that the writers are pushing away inevitable plot lines.<\/p>\n

This is not a bad episode by any means. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not trying to suggest that. It was fun to watch, and the entire set-up for the cliffhanger at the end is RIDICULOUS. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also a scene that could<\/i> address the main theme of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Spirit,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d given that Jack is normally so pragmatic. Can he be detached and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153rational\u00e2\u20ac\u009d when it comes to his daughter? Is getting Hassan to hand over his client list more important than saving Sydney? Ugh, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a meaty and heavy topic and IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S NOT GOING TO BE RESOLVED IN THIS EPISODE. Obviously, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m bitter because this is mostly my own fault. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 2018, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, WHY AM I NOT BINGING A SHOW LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD. But sometimes, this whole split-plot narrative isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the best thing for some of these stories. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just my take, though.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Spirit\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now available for pre-order!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"