Alias
Season Five (2005)
Our rating:
4 out of 5
Rated: PG13
reviewed by: Charity Bishop
The fifth and final season of Alias solved most if not all of the
questions fans have had from the dynamic very first episode of one of
the most popular spy dramas on television. The writers had a difficult
task in attempting to work around their leading lady's pregnancy, and
the result is a surprisingly good final season, the finest episodes
being those just before the powerful and shocking conclusion.
Weeks after the car accident that brought about the abduction and
eventual murder of her fiance Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan), agent
Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) is determined to bring down the
organization that has left her child without a father. Pregnant with her
first child and with more questions than answers, her investigation
leads her to Prophet Five, a global terrorist organization determined to
bring about the end times prophecies of a seventeenth century prophet
and alchemist by the name of Milo Rambaldi. Recruiting the assistance of
her formidable father Jack Bristow (Victor Garber), Vaughn's best friend
Eric Weiss (Greg Grunberg), and tech wizard Marshell Flinkman (Kevin
Weisman), Sydney begins to unravel the network of espionage surrounding
the legends of Rambaldi as their enemies work against them to infiltrate
APO.
As Sydney's half sister Nadia (Ma Maestro) lies unconscious in the
hospital, her supervisor Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin) desperately
seeks a cure for his daughter's illness. Reinstated to a position of
authority within the Central Intelligence Agency after his presumed
betrayal of the nation, he is left in the hands of blackmailers, who
desire him to sabotage as many field operations as he can, in exchange
for a cure. In the meantime, Sydney has located and recruited the
intelligent and talented Rachel (Rachel Nichols) from an elite criminal
organization very much like SD-6. As Sydney approaches the birth of her
child, and mourns the loss of the man she loved, her relationship with
her father strengthens, and unexpected faces reenter her life.
Unraveling the tangle of clues, double-identities, and plot twists that
make up
Alias on the whole, much less an explosive final season, is nearly
impossible, as new faces are introduced and the audience says farewell
to others. This could have been a horrific final season with the cast's
limitations, particularly considering Garner's unexpected pregnancy, but
the writers included it with flair and made it one of the high points of
the ongoing story. It is very easy to find her scenes with the baby and
particularly her dad adorable. Jack even cracks a smile or two, which is
virtually unheard of in his grim view of the world. As if that's not
enough, we also get a decent dose of Lena Olin as Sydney's evil mother,
who can be supportive and sweet one moment, and bloodthirsty the next.
There's also the appearance of show favorite Julian Sark (David Anders),
a suave Brit who loves nothing more than to make money, and the presence
of Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper) in the 100th episode. But by far the
best addition is Amy Acker as a delightfully evil villainess in high
heels.
Most of the series has the normal amount of violence. There are numerous
explosions and many losses of lives through terrorist acts and
intentional bombings. Rachel is distraught having to enter the building
where she lost most of her work associates. There are numerous scenes of
various torture methods, the worst being someone's hand being shot at
close range, and a man having his ear sliced off. Many people are shot
and killed and/or wounded, including various main characters. A woman
falls through a glass table, and the impact kills her; another falls
from a great height. Hand to hand combat becomes vicious between
adversaries. There is very little language (maybe a half dozen mild
profanities altogether) and less sensuality than previous seasons.
Rachel does have a one night stand, not realizing that her chosen
playmate is actually the enemy; various revealing costumes are worn, and
more than once female agents approach and lure men into back rooms
through the veiled promise of sex, only to knock them unconscious.
There's also a supernatural aspect. Enemy agents place Sydney under a
mild form of hypnosis in order to manipulate her mind and extract
information from her. The CIA uses a similar tactic on a terrorist held
in custody. Rambaldi's prophecies are gloom and doom, and some of them
come true. A man is granted immortality through his loyalty to the
cause. It is unclear whether visitations from a character who has passed
on are a figment of his fractured mind or a ghost, but the implication
is that it is his conscience giving illusions.
There is much to like about this dynamic conclusion to a show so many of
us tuned in to for five years running, wondering what new twist would be
thrown our way; but on a few fronts, the scripts do seem to falter. We
are never given the answers to minor plotlines that kick off the season,
nor is it clear just when certain knowledge is passed on to the
characters, or allegiances are changed. I guess it is with Alias
as it is in life... you can never know everything that has transpired,
only what you are allowed to see.
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