Alias 5.8: "Bob"
Written by Monica Breen and Alison Schapker
Directed by Don Thorin
In which Rachel, while undercover, meets a man named Bob and has an impulsive fling, leading to some uncomfortable moments when her new friend turns out to be Sydney’s old enemy…
Status Report
Since the previous episode aired, a great deal of information has come forward regarding the “cancellation” of the series and the plans for the final 10 episodes or so. In terms of timing, it sounds like the decision was made after a few more episodes were already in the can or at least written. What that means for the season arc is unclear, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that the writers were already on the path towards a likely series finale. The current news only makes it more imperative that the writers develop a strong exit strategy.
The inclusion of Sark in this week’s episode was another good move towards weaving this season’s plot arc into existing series mythology. While very little was mentioned regarding his past activities, and how exactly his involvement with Yelena in the fourth season and subsequent escape translated into this episode’s gambit, there’s every reason to believe that this is a step in the right direction.
Another big step is taken in terms of the shift in character focus. Sydney was firmly in the background for the majority of the episode, with the lion’s share of the plot revolving around Rachel and her growing comfort with field work. Rachel Nichols continues to do a great job as the naïve yet resourceful young agent, though it’s clear that enjoyment of this episode will hinge greatly upon enjoyment of Rachel’s performance.
From that point of view, there are good and bad points. Jennifer Garner was always able to toss out accents in a convincing manner, even if purists would cringe and point out mistakes. The point is, the vast majority of viewers were able to suspend disbelief. Rachel, at least with a British accent, does a good job, but now and then, her accent slips. The same is true for David Anders, though, so as usual, it comes down to personal preference.
Was the audience ready for a Rachel-heavy episode, right down to a love scene between her and Sark? Were they ready for the possibility that Sark would, in fact, want to step outside of his typical role and, even for a little while, find comfort in the arms of a stranger? The odd part is not that this happened, but that the writers were willing to show that side of Sark this late in the game. (No doubt, it will appeal to those with the “he’s not really that evil!” philosophy.)
A lot of emphasis will be on Sark’s appearance in this episode, and not only because it betrays a certain lack of background training for Rachel. Wouldn’t it be expected that the new agent would be briefed on the activities of the past several years, and wouldn’t that include Sark? Whatever the case, the emphasis is also based on his popularity with women and his presence as a character and the fact that this series can have no excess of morally questionable support characters.
The other side of the episode had the potential to be quite interesting. Jack’s background has always been one of the better aspects of the series, even if it was radically changed between the end of the third season and the beginning of the fourth, when that third season finale threatened to overturn too big a cart. In this case, it makes sense; Jack’s old contacts would be a logical source of information regarding the infiltration of intelligence agencies by Prophet Five.
It was even interesting to see Jack and his old friend in a situation that would usually involve someone like Sydney and Vaughn in previous seasons. But it was a bit too easy for the Prophet Five personnel to discover Jack’s plan and counter it. It suggests that those intelligence agencies are not just infiltrated, but rather, that they are overwhelmingly staffed by Prophet Five personnel. It just doesn’t come together as well as it could (or it just wasn’t clear enough this time around).
Of course, it would be easy to dismiss this episode, and the next few after it, as filler. After all, the real fun will come when the writers finally stop avoiding the Rambaldi references and fully embrace the series mythology, now that there’s little point in simplifying the story for new viewers. But is that the case? For those episodes to work within the structure of the series as a whole, Rachel and the other newer characters will need to be “up and running” by the time the endgame comes down.
This episode is another step in that process, and while it had its weaker moments (sometimes the “witty” dialogue can be annoying, for instance), it also continued the process of integrating past plot and character elements into the fifth season arc. No doubt, that process will continue with the next episode, which promises to focus more strongly on the season arc and its larger implications. It may be a few episodes until the audience gets to see how the writers step up to the plate for the final swing, but in the meantime, the groundwork should not be overlooked.
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode continues to incorporate elements from previous seasons into the fifth season arc while taking Rachel that much farther down the road towards competent field work. In light of the cancellation news, the pacing may seem hard to justify, but this is important groundwork for the final arc. At the same time, some plot elements fell flat, and the writers are still trying too hard to be witty, leading to groan-worthy moments.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
Directed by Don Thorin
In which Rachel, while undercover, meets a man named Bob and has an impulsive fling, leading to some uncomfortable moments when her new friend turns out to be Sydney’s old enemy…
Status Report
Since the previous episode aired, a great deal of information has come forward regarding the “cancellation” of the series and the plans for the final 10 episodes or so. In terms of timing, it sounds like the decision was made after a few more episodes were already in the can or at least written. What that means for the season arc is unclear, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that the writers were already on the path towards a likely series finale. The current news only makes it more imperative that the writers develop a strong exit strategy.
The inclusion of Sark in this week’s episode was another good move towards weaving this season’s plot arc into existing series mythology. While very little was mentioned regarding his past activities, and how exactly his involvement with Yelena in the fourth season and subsequent escape translated into this episode’s gambit, there’s every reason to believe that this is a step in the right direction.
Another big step is taken in terms of the shift in character focus. Sydney was firmly in the background for the majority of the episode, with the lion’s share of the plot revolving around Rachel and her growing comfort with field work. Rachel Nichols continues to do a great job as the naïve yet resourceful young agent, though it’s clear that enjoyment of this episode will hinge greatly upon enjoyment of Rachel’s performance.
From that point of view, there are good and bad points. Jennifer Garner was always able to toss out accents in a convincing manner, even if purists would cringe and point out mistakes. The point is, the vast majority of viewers were able to suspend disbelief. Rachel, at least with a British accent, does a good job, but now and then, her accent slips. The same is true for David Anders, though, so as usual, it comes down to personal preference.
Was the audience ready for a Rachel-heavy episode, right down to a love scene between her and Sark? Were they ready for the possibility that Sark would, in fact, want to step outside of his typical role and, even for a little while, find comfort in the arms of a stranger? The odd part is not that this happened, but that the writers were willing to show that side of Sark this late in the game. (No doubt, it will appeal to those with the “he’s not really that evil!” philosophy.)
A lot of emphasis will be on Sark’s appearance in this episode, and not only because it betrays a certain lack of background training for Rachel. Wouldn’t it be expected that the new agent would be briefed on the activities of the past several years, and wouldn’t that include Sark? Whatever the case, the emphasis is also based on his popularity with women and his presence as a character and the fact that this series can have no excess of morally questionable support characters.
The other side of the episode had the potential to be quite interesting. Jack’s background has always been one of the better aspects of the series, even if it was radically changed between the end of the third season and the beginning of the fourth, when that third season finale threatened to overturn too big a cart. In this case, it makes sense; Jack’s old contacts would be a logical source of information regarding the infiltration of intelligence agencies by Prophet Five.
It was even interesting to see Jack and his old friend in a situation that would usually involve someone like Sydney and Vaughn in previous seasons. But it was a bit too easy for the Prophet Five personnel to discover Jack’s plan and counter it. It suggests that those intelligence agencies are not just infiltrated, but rather, that they are overwhelmingly staffed by Prophet Five personnel. It just doesn’t come together as well as it could (or it just wasn’t clear enough this time around).
Of course, it would be easy to dismiss this episode, and the next few after it, as filler. After all, the real fun will come when the writers finally stop avoiding the Rambaldi references and fully embrace the series mythology, now that there’s little point in simplifying the story for new viewers. But is that the case? For those episodes to work within the structure of the series as a whole, Rachel and the other newer characters will need to be “up and running” by the time the endgame comes down.
This episode is another step in that process, and while it had its weaker moments (sometimes the “witty” dialogue can be annoying, for instance), it also continued the process of integrating past plot and character elements into the fifth season arc. No doubt, that process will continue with the next episode, which promises to focus more strongly on the season arc and its larger implications. It may be a few episodes until the audience gets to see how the writers step up to the plate for the final swing, but in the meantime, the groundwork should not be overlooked.
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode continues to incorporate elements from previous seasons into the fifth season arc while taking Rachel that much farther down the road towards competent field work. In light of the cancellation news, the pacing may seem hard to justify, but this is important groundwork for the final arc. At the same time, some plot elements fell flat, and the writers are still trying too hard to be witty, leading to groan-worthy moments.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
posted by John Keegan | 16:44
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