In the ninth episode of the fourth season of Alias<\/i>, Sydney and Vaughn must work with Sark to track down Anna. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Alias<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Well, that was interesting. VERY STRESSFUL, TOO. I found this to be more of an action piece with some situational character elements, which isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a bad thing or a criticism! \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Man of His Word\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is very much tied to the events in the previous episode, so I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say it necessarily stands on its own. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a reaction to other plots; it is a continuation of other arcs. Yet there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still a lot here that is probably going to be significant in later episodes, so LET\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S CHAT.<\/p>\n
Sark<\/b><\/p>\n
I am perplexed by Sark\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s characterization, though it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s less because of some perceived flaw in the writing. Alias<\/i> rarely, if ever, gives me all the details and the answers up front, and so it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easy for me to assume that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s some grand plan for his character. I say that because I also can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i> believe his insistence that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a reformed man. See, Alias<\/i> is also huge on character parallels, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a constant stream of dual storylines throughout this show. So, while Arvin Sloane just got an entire episode devoted to how unbelievable it is that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s now a good person, Sark\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s return comes with a similar theme, but executed in a different way. Both characters want to seem<\/i> like they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve turned a new leaf, despite that their monstrous pasts make it virtually impossible to conceive of them as moral people. Yet this is the party line that Sark sticks to in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Man of His Word\u00e2\u20ac\u009d right until he escapes from everyone. He is so certain in his behavior that I have to wonder what the hell<\/i> he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s planning!<\/p>\n
Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the point I made in the video: Sark has got<\/i> to know that no one here is going to trust him. He has to realize that people will assume the worst about him and that, after spending a few months in prison, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still going to be the same, right??? And yet he keeps up this\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what it is. A fa\u00c3\u00a7ade? A genuine act? Look, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard for me to look at him positively even within the context of this episode because HE IS SO OPENLY CRUEL TO VAUGHN. He literally requests that Vaughn show him Lauren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s body, and I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see any reason for it other than being vindictive and petty. But okay, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s assume he needed closure, that his love for Lauren was real, and that this was his final act of viciousness. I STILL DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T BELIEVE HIM. I think it is very<\/i> easy to argue that after pairing up with Anna, he only locked her in that mausoleum because it benefitted himself. He wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t trying to be a man of his word; he just wanted to escape! He knew that catching Anna was more important to Sydney than it was for her to catch him.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n All that being said: oh, it was just hilarious<\/i> to watch him interact with Arvin. Twice in this episode, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s faced with the same kind of treatment he is given others, and IT IS DEEPLY SATISFYING TO WATCH THAT. Like, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Arvin realize he has been trying to peddle the same story to people who distrust him just as much as he distrusts Sark?<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n THE IRONY.<\/p>\n Jack<\/b><\/p>\n The other major plotline in this episode concerns the secret that Nadia heard from one of Anna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dying henchman. We learn that this is why Anna shot Nadia and then tried to kill her again<\/i>, despite that she knows that Anna is a part of Rambaldi\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s prophecy. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a little strange because this episode seems to suggest that Anna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attempt to sell this horrible bomb is more<\/i> important than keeping Anna alive. Why is that? The money? How does this usurp that, then? Unfortunately, this is left unexplained, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the only real flaw in the story that I could find. At the very least, though, this episode led to Sydney finally<\/i> capturing Anna, so that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s good, right?<\/p>\n Yet it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Jack\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s role in this plot that carried the most weight. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, this man is a pragmatist through and through, and he will do pretty much anything<\/i> to get what he needs. MAY I REMIND YOU ALL THAT TWICE<\/i> LAST SEASON, HE KILLED SOMEONE AND THEN REVIVED THEM<\/i> IN ORDER TO GET SOMETHING. Twice!!!!!!!!!<\/b> Thus, as soon as this episode even hinted<\/i> at the possibility that Nadia could be drugged to come out of her medically-induced coma, I knew<\/i> that Jack would do it. 100%! Did not doubt it at all! And he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gross for it, since he put Nadia at risk of LITERAL DEATH. But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not his primary concern, and it never will be. I suspect we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to see more of Jack\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dislike\/uncaring nature towards Nadia because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gonna be a problem<\/i>. IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S ALSO DEEPLY UNFAIR, SHE IS HER OWN PERSON, STOP PROJECTING YOUR HATRED OF IRINA ON HER.<\/p>\n But guess what? Arvin Sloane, of all fucking people, had the nerve to tell Jack that he shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t risk Nadia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life in pursuit of his needs, and y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. ARVIN SLOANE SAID THAT. After he just spent ACTUAL YEARS doing the same thing to everyone around him!!! I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want Nadia to be harmed, but there is also a part of me pleased that Arvin is finally getting a taste of his own medicine. Sucks, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it, Arvin? DOESN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T IT???<\/p>\n The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Man of His Word\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":" In the ninth episode of the fourth season of Alias, Sydney and Vaughn must work with Sark to track down Anna. Intrigued? 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