Alias 5.17: "All the Time in the World"

Written by Jeff Pinkner and Drew Goddard
Directed by Tucker Gates

In which Sydney races against time to stop Sloane from achieving Rambaldi’s most powerful goal, with allies and enemies in jeopardy along the way…


Status Report

As soon as the word came down that the season was being severely shortened, it was clear that the storytelling would be compromised. It started once Vaughn’s mode of survival was changed so that the writers could simplify Irina’s motivations, ostensibly for the purposes of the season finale. Yet the episodes leading into the finale seemed to be designed to make things easier for this last stand, with plot elements glossed over to keep things moving.

Ultimately, with the series ending and opportunities for resolution quickly fading, the writers had to cover a few basic aspects to bring the mythology to a relatively solid conclusion. First, the Rambaldi endgame had to be clearly explained, right down to the purpose of every major artifact and how the whole shebang was supposed to work together. Not the little pieces that served as McGuffins from episode to episode, but the major pieces: the prophecy of “Page 47”, the device constructed at the end of the second season, the Mueller device and its applications in the fourth season, the Covenant’s goals for Sydney, and finally, the various references to Rambaldi’s resurrection and attempts to achieve immortality.

Second, the writers needed to cover the relationship between the various groups vying for control of Rambaldi’s legacy. Sloane’s history is hardly a question, and the links between the Covenant and Yelena were firmly established. However, Prophet Five was shown as a very powerful, long-term organization independent of Irina’s own faction. So how did all this fit together and explain the Rambaldi-related activities over the years? And how does the oft-mentioned Magnific Order of Rambaldi play into it all?

Third, in a related item, Sloane and Irina both needed to have their complex motivations clarified and placed into context. Sloane was the easy part; Irina’s motivations, however, have always been hard to pin down. The writers had to make sense of Irina’s goals and decisions, especially since many of them placed her in a positive light, despite her malevolent actions. This, above all else, might have been the greatest challenge.

Finally, there had to be some kind of closure for Sydney, a way to bring everything full circle. This has been her story from the beginning, and there had to be a sense that her trials were over, at least in terms of the people ruling over her life. This would logically include a resolution of her relationship with Vaughn and everyone else in her life.

The point is that it seems like a lot, but in reality, it’s the kind of wide scope that other shows have managed to handle. More importantly, previous episodes of “Alias” have managed to cover at least as much information and action in a single hour with barely a noticeable drop in quality. The trick is to package the massive amounts of exposition in a palatable presentation, and to ensure that the revelations are satisfying.

It is unfortunate, then, that the writers failed to address nearly every single area that the finale desperately needed to cover. More than that, elements were introduced that didn’t make much sense in terms of the big picture and appeared to be little more than transparent attempts at generating dramatic tension. All this, when this series could have ended in a manner far more appropriate to the complexity of the series as a whole.

Since Rambaldi was at the center of everything and the first item on the list, that’s the best place to start. To be fair, the Rambaldi endgame comes down to the right element: immortality. It’s where the mythology began in the first season, and in many respects, the rest of the complexity was tacked on from season to season. Whether or not that was the right decision, it was structured that way, and so the other aspects of the mythology should have been placed in context with the all-important immortality serum.

As an aside…why are so many people shocked by that plot point? It’s like the people who complained that the introduction of super-soldiers in the latter seasons of “X-Files” was a bad idea, even though the series’ mythology was bathed in super-soldiers through the first three seasons! Rambaldi and immortality were always entwined; remember “The Package”?

While the writers never explain it in the finale, it’s not hard to work out how everything was supposed to come together. Rambaldi generated an immortality serum, and he and his followers ensured that it would eventually be re-discovered in future generations, despite his impending execution. The plan was for the Chosen One to bring him back (ala “Full Disclosure”), use the serum from the Horizon/Circumference combination to render the new Rambaldi immortal, and use the serum from “The Telling” device to pacify the rest of the population, controlled by the effect of the Mueller device when they got out of line.

It all hangs together well enough, but the writers never address it. Not once do they attempt to bring five seasons of mythology into a cohesive whole. It’s left to the audience to work it out, with the resolution instead being a glass ball with red liquid in it. Contrast this to the visual elements at the end of the fourth season, which were far more impressive. How hard would it have been for Sloane to think back on the journey to this point, with quick flashbacks to earlier episodes, showing how it all fit together? For that matter, he could have explained it all to Nadia, as if justifying his faith to the part of his conscience that reviles his methods.

At least the goals of the Rambaldi mythology were addressed, even in a lackluster and minimized fashion. The second element that should have been covered was never even discussed. For all that Prophet Five was built up as a huge threat, they never meshed into the rest of the series very well. More to the point, “Maternal Instincts” brought up the fact that Irina still had her own organization and agenda, in contest with Prophet Five. Other than pointing out that Irina was allied with Sloane, those distinctions are never addressed, leaving all the Rambaldi-related terrorist organizations (and for that matter, the Magnific Order of Rambaldi) completely unexplained. What had become a tangled mess is left a tangled mess.

This leads into the main complaint: the fact that all shading for Irina’s character is completely abandoned. Sloane’s complexity had been more or less addressed over the course of the recent episodes. The writers could always point to the madness brought on by his Rambaldi obsessions. But Irina was given a far more mysterious and interesting set of motivations. The fourth season alone served to answer most of the questions and set up Irina as a fairly compelling persona. The end of the fourth season essentially answered the big questions about Irina’s comment that “truth takes time”.

All of that is tossed aside in this finale. Irina is reduced to a power-hungry fool, her love for Sydney an inconvenient plot tangle to be quickly and efficiently eliminated. Gone is the almost sympathetic character from the end of the fourth season, leaving Jack and Sydney with obvious affection. Gone is the mystery developed in the second season, where her alliances were clearly predicated on a larger goal, and one that was not necessarily evil. Even in “Maternal Instincts”, the implication was that her activities were more benign than those of Prophet Five. Why would the same woman who risked everything to stop Yelena from using a Rambaldi device to destroy the world turn around and help Sloane achieve a similar goal?

If it had been a choice between explaining Rambaldi or clarifying Irina’s motivations in a consistent fashion, it would have been far more preferable to focus on Irina. Oddly, the writers focused on neither. Instead, they focused on their combined plan to commit “global genocide”, which made no sense at all. Not once did anyone explain how two nuclear missiles would result in the destruction of humanity. Granted, it would effectively open the door for Sloane to fulfill that side of the Rambaldi vision, but the entire “end of the world” plot element didn’t work and seemed tacked on for those still hung up on the prophecy supposedly foretelling Sydney’s role in the end of the world (which it most emphatically did not!).

So, three out of four elements, thus far, were effectively botched, leaving only the fourth one as a possible saving grace. And in that respect, the finale fulfilled a nice thematic function. From the beginning, Sydney’s world was ruled by those seeking to complete Rambaldi’s vision and reap the rewards of his work. Since she was at the center of it all, it only makes sense that once the prophecy is fulfilled and death is conquered by at least one person (thus “rendering the greatest power unto utter desolation”), Sydney would have the chance to take control of her own destiny.

The flashbacks made for a nice touch, even if the time might have been better spent. Interestingly, the flashbacks are generally consistent with the “Alias” prequel novels, even if a few items are covered in a slightly different fashion. Given all the other continuity problems, it was a rare case of consistency. But it was good to see how Jack came upon the idea of putting her through the Project: Christmas regiment, and how her ability was inherent at the end of the day. Once Isabelle started showing the same aptitude, memories of Joss Whedon and the “Buffy” finale were easy to conjure.

It makes perfect sense that Sydney and Vaughn would hide away somewhere. One could quibble over the idea that they would remain in the CIA and carry out missions, running into old enemies as if they were old friends, but that does leave open future options for a film franchise. In terms of character arc, Sydney and Vaughn both get to a good place, despite all the loss.

Even if the plot missed the mark, there were some strong moments. Jack’s final scene with Sydney was the high mark of the story, and it probably left the entire audience an emotional wreck. Jack’s final scene with Sloane, and Sloane’s fate, were equally priceless. Unfortunately, these moments were few and far between. The final act was terrible, and there’s absolutely no reason why Sark should have survived, beyond the chance at pulling him into a future film.

In terms of the finale as an episode and a conclusion, it barely managed to bring the story to a close, and in the process, it effectively violated some of the best aspects of the previous seasons. More to the point, in many of the basic elements, it failed to provide closure or context. As a result, the series ends on something of a disappointing note, with much left unanswered and other aspects forever spoiled.

The blame, of course, must fall on the network. By imposing a ban on Rambaldi for most of the season, the writers were unable to stretch out the explanations over a longer period of time. More to the point, the writers had far less time to work out the final arc than anticipated. Because they had to spend time wrapping up the fifth season plot threads as well as the series’ mythology, it was nearly impossible to focus on the elements that were important.

This is the part where the series finale review would usually launch into a discussion about the season/series as a whole, but things will be done differently moving forward. The “Alias” post-mortem (so to speak) will be the main focus of an episode of “Dispatches from Tuzenor”, a new podcast started as an expansion to the written reviews conducted every season. That episode should be up within the next few weeks, so anyone interested is invited to drop by the archive site (www.entil2001.com) and click on the link. (It’s also available on iTunes.)


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode was an imperfect season and series finale, failing to address several of the main concerns for “Alias” fans and barely delivering on the items that were covered. Some of the plot elements made no sense at all, given the context, and there’s at least one example of pure character assassination. Most of the blame falls on the network, but there’s still the feeling that the writers could have worked more magic.

Writing: 0/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 5/10

(Season 5 Final Average: 7.0)