Review of Episode 13: Tuesday
3/30/2005
Jack: "Marshall, what's your status?"
Marshall: "Well, it's really hot here and everyone keeps
calling me Chango."
See, I knew being late to work wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
I confess that I was dreading this episode because I really
hate the buried alive thing. So I was surprised by how good
it was, and how much I loved it. The writing was excellent;
the fun Marshall-as-super-agent half of the episode was a
perfect counterbalance to the horrifying Sydney-in-a-coffin
half.
Jennifer Garner was terrific. She made us see how close Sydney
was to panicking without actually losing control. The part
where she was crying while tugging open the ropes binding
her wrists with her teeth was extremely effective, as was
the scene where she slowly forced herself to close her cell
phone to conserve its battery. She sublimated her fear by
remaining focused on her work, on saving APO from the nerve
agent and finding the guy who buried her. I sure couldn't
have done that, which may be why I'm a librarian and not an
action hero.
The lockdown was just a plot device intended to keep nearly
everyone in Sydney's support group from being able to save
her. The one thing about it that didn't work for me was the
artificiality of not being able to tell anyone in Havana how
to rescue Sydney. Wasn't there *anyone* they could contact,
even outside the CIA? Couldn't they lie about who was in the
grave and why?
Leaving aside that one flaw, I love Marshall to pieces and
he just made this episode fly by. Even though Marshall is
mostly comic relief, he's brilliant and such a good person
that we knew he would carry out the mission. I was also pleased
that we didn't get an entire episode with Sydney in the grave;
I really wanted Sydney to capture Ulrich and beat the crap
out of him before killing him slowly. Having Marshall kill
him by accident (and then spork him) was just perfect. I also
loved his "Bristow. Jack Bristow." I even liked
the chickens.
Sloane showed some emotion, to my surprise: he appeared furious
by what happened to Sydney. Everyone else looked quietly upset,
but Jack's lack of emotion was the most moving; he conveyed
his feelings perfectly while just sitting silently in front
of the monitor watching thermal images. The Sydney and Vaughn
moments also worked well: they communicated, they flirted,
they angsted, and then they danced. And good continuity with
the train station thing; I remember the episode when he found
her there.
Putting the lead of the show in mortal jeopardy has its problems,
basically because the audience knows Sydney is going to live
because Garner is the star. But this particular episode was
so effective that I was on the edge of my seat, not even thinking
about that at all. And that's good television.
Bits and pieces:
-- We finally saw Carrie and Mitchell in a big way. Why is
Marshall lying to her and pretending Sloane is "Mr. Heatherington"?
And with her CIA background, how come she doesn't suspect
he's lying?
-- The opening scenes had such a fifties feel, with the old
cars, shiny suits, and swirly dresses. Is it really like that
in Cuba?
-- I got upset when I saw Dixon go down.
-- Loved the role reversal of Sydney explaining op tech to
Marshall.
-- Was Marshall singing the periodic table of elements to
Mitchell over the phone? Very cute!
-- Sydney didn't get to kill Ulrich, but she sure beat the
crap out of his guards. A little suppressed rage, there?
-- It's too bad they wasted the lockdown plot, because it
would have been fun to see the entire cast in makeshift pajamas
camped out on the floor.
-- Sydney: "Do you have any idea how hard it is to maintain
cover while dancing a salsa in three inch heels?" Vaughn:
"Yes, actually, I do, but let's keep it between us."
They've mentioned Vaughn in drag more than once; I remember
a conversation in which Sydney told him he'd look cute in
a teddy.
-- Vaughn: "Marshall, stop! Turn around. Your *other*
north!"
-- Marshall: "This guy, he buried you alive." Sydney:
"Yeah, but he cheated. He hit me with a car first."
-- Sydney: "What do you see?" Marshall: "A
lot of people who are into spanking, apparently."
-- This week's Jack and Marshall show: Jack had to talk Marshall
through his sporking. "Approach the second one gently,
like a soft boiled egg."
-- This week's itinerary: Pretty much Havana, pretty much
a coffin. Oh, and Berlin. What is it with these guys and nightclubs?
-- This week's hot look: Sydney's salsa outfit, of course.
-- This week's grossout moment: At least we didn't actually
see the eye getting sporked. And hey, couldn't happen to a
nicer guy. At least he was dead at the time, which was more
than he did for Sydney.
-- For posterity, I thought it was pretty funny that in the
states, this particular episode was followed by the premiere
of a new series called "Eyes."
Five out of five spies,
Billie
- Review by Billie Doux
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