{"id":6837,"date":"2018-05-18T13:00:01","date_gmt":"2018-05-18T20:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=6837"},"modified":"2018-05-01T18:09:15","modified_gmt":"2018-05-02T01:09:15","slug":"mark-watches-alias-s05e03-the-shed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/05\/mark-watches-alias-s05e03-the-shed\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Alias’: S05E03 – The Shed"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the third episode of the fifth season of Alias<\/i>, Arvin tracks down a cure, and Sydney has a disturbing interaction with a stranger. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Alias<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

WELL, THIS WAS JUST COMPLETELY DEVASTATING.<\/p>\n

Arvin Slone<\/b><\/p>\n

He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s trying<\/i>, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? I suppose that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all I could ask of the show at this point, though I must admit I still distrust everything he does. Yes, he came through last season, and he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t try to escape after things went awry in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Shed.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He is giving the appearance that he wants to make amends for what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done, and that includes his pursuit of a possible cure for Nadia. If there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s anything here that comes across as genuine, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s his interest in his daughter. I do<\/i> believe he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d do pretty much anything to find a cure for her condition.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Which is why the end result of his attempt is just so tragic, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. In the end, Nadia<\/i> is the one who suffers. At the same time, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t blame Alexander for duping Sloane and then threatening to kill him. SLOANE IS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF ALEXANDER\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S DAUGHTER. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s heartbreaking, though, that Nadia exists as collateral damage from all of this. But can I be mad at Alexander for lying? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like he withheld a cure; there simply isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t one. He just wanted to torment Sloane with the possibility, to give him hope just to snatch it away. I do<\/i> need the writers to find a cure for Nadia because I deeply miss her. (Plus, the show\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s getting pretty white this season.)<\/p>\n

Rachel Gibson<\/b><\/p>\n

HI, WHAT THE FUCK, HOW DOES THE SAME STORY AS SEASON ONE STILL DESTROY ME SO COMPLETELY? I mentioned in the video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Shed\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that Alias<\/i> is cyclical in nature, that many of the conflicts and themes repeat frequently within the narrative. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had parallels to Sydney\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dual life before, but this specific<\/i> one hurts in an entirely different way. That is in part due to Jennifer Garner\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s masterful portrayal of Sydney, who recognizes herself and her old fears in Rachel.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike Sydney, though, Rachel is guided through this nightmare by someone who has been through the exact<\/i> same thing. (Which made me think about who guided Sydney through hers\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 oh gods, it was Vaughn, EVERYTHING HURTS ALL OVER AGAIN.) There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that unreal moment when Sydney pieces together Rachel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story and recognizes it as her own. You can actually see the exact moment when Sydney\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s heart breaks for this woman, you know? So Sydney offers Rachel something she needed to survive this scenario: kindness. Respect. Sympathy. Her whole demeanor changes, and all the rough edges of Sydney\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s persona are gone. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so important<\/i>! She has to be this force of stability for Rachel because nothing<\/i> in Rachel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life is stable anymore. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all fallen apart.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rachel Nichols plays off of Garner\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nurturing portrayal by highlighting Gibson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shock and terror. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, I know I say this about the show pretty frequently, but this was STRESSFUL. Her heist mission was already terrifying because Gordon Dean was involved, but SURPRISE. Rachel works with Peyton, the ruthless operative who is one of the only few who knew Dean\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true intentions. The presence of the two of them made this downright unbearable, particularly during the sequence where Rachel had to hand-off the credit card drive to Sydney. I KNEW PEYTON SUSPECTED SOMETHING, EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE.<\/p>\n

Even though Rachel survives this interaction, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s some powerful imagery at the end of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Shed.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Much like the world that had been constructed for her by Gordon Dean, The Shed is nothing but rubble. Dean murdered everyone<\/i> who worked for him in one act because it was better that than risk anyone getting caught. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the most brutal acts on the entire show! That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what Rachel has to deal with in the coming episodes: she was disposable to someone who manipulated her by telling her that she was worthy.<\/p>\n

Seriously, these opening three episodes were INTENSE, friends. Could this season please give me a break??? Also, I tried, I swear, but I just can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i> get into Agent Grace yet. Nothing seems compelling about him! PLEASE BRING BACK NADIA, I MISS HER.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Shed\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":"