Alias 5.16: "Reprisal"

Written by Monica Breen and Alison Schapker
Directed by Frederick Toye

In which Sloane makes his move to take control of the Rambaldi endgame out of the hands of Prophet Five, placing everyone Sydney holds dear in the line of fire…


Status Report

As usual, when “Alias” airs more than one episode in a given night, the two installments are blended together. This review, however, covers only the first hour of the finale; this preserves the format for those who will ultimately see this episode on its own in the DVD set or in syndication. Besides, it actually works better on its own, because it doesn’t fell like the network is rushing the series out the door when viewed at the proper pace!

As much as Prophet Five was an annoyance more than a boon, there is a nice symmetry with the first season and the original Alliance of 12. In a way, it could be argued that the Alliance was Sloane’s attempt to recreate this particular organization. Either way, Sydney and APO get to do something they never really could with the Alliance: identify and locate every single one of the P5 leadership.

It certainly moves the plot right along, which was a necessity under the circumstances. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to realize that the real threat is likely to come from Sloane, and he’s been using P5 since he turned. This episode, then, is logically the mission to take down Prophet Five and force Sloane to make the final stretch on his own.

Like the previous episode, the initial scenes with Tom Grace and Rachel feel like a complete waste of time. And it certainly doesn’t help that the two of them have their little moment, since it’s the most predictable outcome imaginable. With so little time, what else were the writers go to accomplish? Thankfully, the moment is brief, and Rachel and Marshall are tossed into the main plot thread.

Leaving aside for a moment the faulty logic of messing with the hands of the man who holds the key to the Big Plan in his computer-savvy fingertips, the plot for the episode feels suspiciously like a delaying action. Why not jump right to the point of the matter? The answer is simple: there must be a situation during which Sloane’s actions on his own exact consequences, especially this close to the end.

With so little time, it’s great to see characters get some strong moments for themselves. Marshall shows a lot of backbone, and in a way, that’s a nice end for his character arc. Marshall is certainly not the same man from the first season, who never would have stood up to Sloane so completely as he does in this episode. And in a nice touch, Marshall’s defiance plays into Sloane’s own insecurities, channeling Nadia’s ghost as his conscience.

The codes tossed back and forth between Marshall and Rachel are a little obvious, and if there was more time to play out the plot threads, the writers probably wouldn’t have Sark be so blind. However, any such disappointments are quickly wiped clean by the realization that the writers pulled off a very clever twist. Tying this last key to Rambaldi’s plan to the most problematic aspect of the “Page 47” prophecy (the reference to Mt. Subasio), thus explaining why Sydney’s trip there in the first season didn’t violate Rambaldi’s prediction, is a stroke of genius.

As fake as the scenes on “Mt. Subasio” looked, it was a minor distraction from the fact that the endgame was finally being revealed. Given how many restrictions were placed on the mythology by the network, it was a moment few fans had any right to expect. The “exotic” location was old school Rambaldi to the core, as was Sloane’s masterful manipulation.

Sloane and Sydney have always had an odd relationship, and evoking Emily’s name was the perfect touch. Even if the end isn’t all it might have been, there’s still so much that works. What’s best is the slow but undeniable build towards Sloane’s apparent victory. The final act of this episode is about as close to the excellence of the first two seasons as one could expect under the restrictions.

Tom’s sacrifice was perhaps a bit too obvious, and it eliminates any chance that his Cardinal plot thread will have relevance to the Rambaldi endgame. And that renders the character and his inclusion in the fifth season all but worthless. Had the series continued, he would have effectively replaced Vaughn, but almost from the beginning, he had all the hallmarks of a character without a future or any lasting impact. Thomas Grace will go down as one of the true missteps (and missed opportunities) of the series.

By the end of the episode, the Prophet Five mishap is likewise cut down, leaving only the most potent and impressive element of that organization in its wake: Kelly Peyton. Peyton is the kind of character that could have thrived into future seasons, and it’s no surprise that Amy Acker played the role. After all, one of the most missed characters from the final season of “Angel” was Illyria. Acker’s beauty works for characters with deadly purpose.

With the end of this episode, the stage is set, and there’s only the final endgame.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode continued to escalate the stakes, setting the stage for a potentially satisfying resolution in the series finale. The quick and dirty plotting is still evident, but at this point, it’s more a question of how well the story flows. In this case, it works very well, and while one glaring plot thread never pays off, the episode as a whole is quite good.

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

Final Rating: 8/10

(Season 5 Average: 7.1)