Review of Episode 21: Search & Rescue
5/18/2005
Marshall: "So what you're saying is, a large red
ball plus contaminated
water equals a city full of homicidal maniacs."
The whole "Rescue Irina" sequence and the scenes
in the plane were just terrific, as well as touching. I especially
loved the parallel of Irina
being buried, as Sydney was earlier this season, and Irina
realizing with a shock who Nadia was without being told. It
sure looked like Jack killed her in that opening scene, which
was confusing. I'm not sure why I didn't think of what happened
to Francie.
For me, the big shocker in this episode was what Irina said
offhand when Jack was praising Nadia, "I wonder who she
gets that from." That is something a mother says to a
father; it is NOT something you say to your ex about another
man's child. Did you see Jack's subtle reaction to what Irina
said? Nadia has to be Jack's daughter! Yes, they didn't tell
us directly, but it has to be. Jack had a DNA test done to
find out for certain if
Sydney was his, which she was, but what about Nadia? Have
we ever had more than Sloane's word? Irina would be the absolute
authority on the subject, after all.
And if Nadia is indeed Jack's daughter, what is that going
to do to Sloane? Nadia quite literally means the world to
him. If he's still trying to
redeem himself by stopping Yelena, will discovering that Nadia
isn't his
child after all push him over to the Dark Side, to Rambaldi
and world
domination? (I have Star Wars on the brain this week.)
<o> We were told many episodes ago that the brackets
represent Sydney and Nadia, and that the circle in the middle
is what they will fight for, to the death. Is the circle the
big red golf ball that will cause the apocalyptic flood? Has
everyone else figured that out already, and am I extremely
slow?
The scene in the bar with Sydney and Vaughn trying to entice
what's-his-face into a threesome was quite possibly the sexiest
in the entire series.
Sydney likes it rough? Vaughn likes it when Sydney is rough
with him? Bite me? It reminded me of that bar scene with Sydney
and Sark and the tequila, but more so, and having Jack and
Marshall inadvertently eavesdropping was such a hoot.
They left us with a cliffhanger, or more technically, a plane
hanger. Stay
tuned.
Bits and pieces:
-- The red golf ball floating over the buildings reminded
me of "Independence Day." It's the end of the world
as we know it. Just like Vaughn's proposal, the Mueller device
is a return to the pilot. Except it was a lot smaller then.
-- Nadia finally found out that Jack killed Irina, and it
was almost immediately irrelevant.
-- "Irina's" watery death was a precursor of the
watery apocalypse. Jack:
"Why? I need a reason." Irina: "Because it
had to be done." Irina's double
basically confessed to the hit on Sydney. No wonder Jack killed
her.
-- Speaking of which, when did this happen? If it was eighteen
months ago, was it in the middle of season three?
-- Santa Barbara again, like the night Sydney disappeared
for two years.
She still didn't say yes; she said, "Ask me on the beach."
This really looks bad for Vaughn.
-- When they rescued her, Irina was not only underground,
like Sydney was in "Tuesday," she was also wearing
the same type of rope around her wrists.
-- With all of them finally in the same room, I could see
that Mia Maestro
looks even more like Lena Olin than Jennifer Garner does.
-- We still haven't seen the three Derevko sisters in the
same room, though. Did you know that Lena Olin is Swedish,
Isabella Rossellini is Italian (with a Swedish mother, Ingrid
Bergman), and Sonia Braga is Brazilian? Not one Russian in
the group. :)
-- If they hadn't gotten Lena Olin, would they have re-cast
Irina and done a plastic surgery plot? It would have been
more believable than the helix
protocol. Don't get me wrong, though; I'd still rather have
Lena Olin.
-- People who work for Yelena commit suicide way too quickly.
Although I
guess the answer to that is in the way I phrased it.
-- There were a few things about this episode that reminded
me of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer": the Apocalyse,
Irina returning from the dead, Nadia's super fight scene with
the sticks, and the Sydney/Vaughn roughness biting Buffy/Spike
sex thing.
-- Swirlies are a treat? He was just being tough, wasn't
he?
-- Have you noticed that whenever Sydney and Nadia go on
a mission together, they dress alike?
-- Irina double: "Jack, this is cryptic. Even for you."
-- Vaughn: "Hey, I'm not complaining." Sydney:
"If I'm rough, it's because
you like it when... (pause) are we on comms?" Jack: "Yes,
you're both on
comms, right now."
-- Sydney: "He's French. I like the French. They're...
tender." Like a
steak? She was biting him, after all.
-- Weiss: "I'd go with world domination, but that's
always my go-to."
-- This week's itinerary: Ibiza, Tikal, Sevogda, and a flashback
in Vienna.
-- This week's hot look: Oh, my, the bar scene, Sydney's
blonde wig and
brief dress. And Jack and "Irina" in evening clothes.
I'd almost forgotten
how beautiful Lena Olin is; she even looks good in rags and
bruises.
Five out of five spies, of course,
Billie
http://www.billiedoux.com/
- Review by Billie Doux
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