Alias 5.5: "Out of the Box"

Written by Jesse Alexander
Directed by Jay Torres

In which Sydney discovers that Renee is hiding something, but when she discovers what is being hidden, the discovery reveals more about Prophet 5 than she expects…


Status Report

So much for the theory that the man in the box was Vaughn! The writers are tossing out some surprises along with the usual retreads, and that’s a good thing. In a season where plot twists and character returns are all over the press, taking away much of the suspense, it’s good to know that some mysteries endure.

This episode certainly complicates “Prophet 5”, and also gives that movement a little more history. So along with the 30+ year project, which happens to coincide with the whole Rambaldi plot without actually mentioning it at all, there’s something that happened 20 years earlier involving a rather disturbing version of the oft-used doubling technology. There’s a mad doctor running around using these prophetic genetic experiment guides to either transplant brains, or perhaps even worse, replace one person with another from the inside.

Beyond the obvious resonance with this season’s “Invasion”, there are some intriguing possibilities. The writers have already used doubling technology to physically change a person’s appearance and, even worse, convince someone that they were, in fact, Arvin Sloane. The logical progression is the complete takeover of one person by another from within.

Where does this impact the plot as it stands? Two possibilities come to mind. Both are related to the larger mythology, which of course means Rambaldi. The history of the Rambaldi endgame has always been tied to his immortality and eventual return, the “second coming” suggested in “Full Disclosure” during the third season. (If this is a five-season series, as it seems to be, consider how that episode sits squarely at the mid-point of the series arc.)

Dr. DeSantis’ technology, on the face of it, seems designed to take one person’s personality or intelligence and transfer it, through genetic re-engineering, to a new body. The connection to the Rambaldi endgame should be obvious. Everything that Sloane did within that context was designed to pacify the mass population. Presumably, some enlightened soul was supposed to come along and rule the sheep. Who better than Rambaldi himself, like a New Age immortal Pharaoh?

So, back to the two possibilities. The Rambaldi serum from the early third season, used by Alison Doran to survive being shot up and nearly killed, could have been used to restore Vaughn. He could then be the unwilling new test subject for DeSantis. Take the tissue sample of Rambaldi from the third season as well, mix it up with some of the other devices and plot elements over the years, and it’s not hard to imagine that Vaughn comes back as someone other than himself!

But therein lies the second possibility. Not every element of the original Rambaldi prophecy has come to pass, and it was already revealed in the third season that Sydney was supposed to be the genetic mother of a reborn Rambaldi. Could Sydney’s child become a target in this endgame as well, directly or indirectly?

This is all assuming that Rambaldi and his grand design will ever be referenced or advanced again, which is not necessarily the case. However, it’s hard not to believe that the writers are trying to dance around the network mandates and still tell the same story they intended. Even if the old plot elements are never referenced directly, there’s no reason to believe that this season’s arc isn’t connected to the past, especially given how important Sloane seems to be for Gordon Dean and his plans.

Speaking of Sloane, his actions in this episode were somewhat disappointing. Sloane is always fun when he’s stomping on every possible moral consideration with relish, but it’s far better when his manipulations and schemes are subtle. As much as the scenes in this episode were enjoyable, the old Sloane would have been reinstated using far more subtle means.

Rachel’s slow but steady introduction to field work takes another step in this episode. She seems a lot more confident playing support for Dixon than she would have been in the previous episode, and while it might have been better to take it slowly with Rachel, getting her into action quickly is probably a practical solution to Garner’s growing immobility. Besides, Rachel is a hottie, so they should take advantage of that!

Thomas Grace is still something of a cipher, so the writers should try to focus on him in the future. He has a past, obviously, and it’s shady at best. That ought to be explored, and if it means less “Sydney as Mommy” time in future episodes, all the better. There also seems to be something brewing with Dixon. Clearly, Sloane’s return to APO is going to be interesting, because Jack has been letting his guard down this season, and that’s never a good sign.

Renee isn’t quite the interesting character that the writers seem to think she is, but now that the new characters are getting fleshed out more, the effect isn’t so worrisome. Once upon a time, Sydney’s diminished presence felt like the kiss of death, but time is proving that to be partly incorrect. How well things progress will depend greatly upon the skill of the writing staff.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode maintains the quality of the previous episode, all while managing to incorporate the new characters into the overall plot structure more than ever. Sloane’s character thread should make things a bit more complex again, and the plot has an interesting possible connection to Rambaldi. Is it possible that “Alias” is back on track again?

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 1/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10

(Season 5 Average: 6..4)