{"id":6768,"date":"2018-03-08T13:00:47","date_gmt":"2018-03-08T21:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=6768"},"modified":"2018-02-27T15:54:01","modified_gmt":"2018-02-27T23:54:01","slug":"mark-watches-alias-s02e21-second-double","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/03\/mark-watches-alias-s02e21-second-double\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Alias’: S02E21 – Second Double"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the second season of Alias<\/i>, I AM FULL OF YELLING! Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Alias<\/i>.<\/p>\n

I know this is meant to be frustrating, but it is also frustrating for an unintended reason.<\/p>\n

For the most part, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d say that these characters are smart. They are affected by their own personal biases, of course, and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen them make emotional decisions that did not fare well in the short-term or in the long run. I like flawed, complicated characters, and I think if everyone had superhuman intelligence and perception and strength, this show would be very, very boring.<\/p>\n

So I want to say that before I go into the next thing because I want to make it clear that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want these people to be perfect. I want them to make mistakes, and I find the show far more compelling when they grapple with complicated scenarios with no easy hours. This is all to say:<\/p>\n

SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE VETTED FRANCIE BY NOW.<\/p>\n

Look, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, there is a GLARING mistake in the midst of this, something that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ignored FOR NO REASON AT ALL. Why is it that the CIA learns that someone planted a camera in Sydney\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bedroom, and then LITERALLY NO ONE interviews the only other person who has constant access to that home. Why does the CIA implicitly trust Francie? Why don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t they bring her in? Hell, wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t that<\/i> have been a scene to exploit for dramatic tension? What if Francie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s double had to submit to the scrutiny of the CIA? I feel like had her double succeeded, the character would have earned<\/i> the right to be as deceitful as they are.<\/p>\n

At the same time, I recognize this is all supposed to be deeply frustrating. Francie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s double frames Will in such a compelling manner that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easy to see why everyone initially<\/i> falls for it. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the key thing here, though: initially<\/i>, it makes a lot of sense that Will is suddenly suspected as the mole in the CIA. I mean, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not wrong<\/i>. It is because of him that Sloane, Sark, and Irina know as much as they do. But their examination of Will is thorough and brutal. Their examination of the one person who is in contact with him every day? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s laughable<\/i>. And it makes no sense, given how efficient the CIA has been in past episodes.<\/p>\n

My issue here is that I would have bought the fiction this episode tried to sell me if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d not ignored such an obvious clue. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s obvious enough that Sydney speaks to Francie, and the team knows a double can appear to be identical to anyone\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 yet they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t question that someone other<\/i> than Will might be a double? Someone close to them who could best exploit these people? Look, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like Francie is a deep and vital part of Alias<\/i> anymore. We were close to approaching something like that when she was killed off in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Phase One,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d but now? She only exists for one purpose, and we barely see her anyway<\/i>. So it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not entirely believable that she is so vital anymore that everyone would just ignore her and not consider her a suspect.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Second Double\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is not a bad episode of the show by any means. In many other respects, it does<\/i> work as a devastating set-up to this upcoming finale. These characters are working against forces that are difficult to predict and anticipate; Sydney is brought face-to-face with her mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s betrayal after Irina hurts her again<\/i>; the power dynamics between Kendall and Jack continue to be compelling; ARVIN THREATENS JACK BY SAYING THEY\u00e2\u20ac\u2122RE GOING TO WORK<\/i> TOGETHER??? And throughout it all, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the kind of episode where the audience sees the truth plainly on display, and we get to shout at the screen as everyone falls into a trap. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s great entertainment; I just wished Alias<\/i> earned it a bit more by paying better attention to Francie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s place within the narrative.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Second Double\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":"