Review of
Episode 2: Authorized Personnel Only, Part 2
1/5/2005
Marshall: "You are hot, and I mean that in many ways."
Part one Hitchcock, part two "Mission Impossible."
There was even a flavor of "Mission Impossible"
in the music.
The Sydney/Jack father daughter conflict (one of the best
things about this series) is back in a big way. Is Jack capable
of killing Irina in order to
save Sydney's life? Absolutely. Was Irina capable of putting
out a hit on
Sydney? This I have a hard time accepting. Irina gave herself
up and spent months in solitary confinement in order to be
with Sydney; I truly believed Irina loved Sydney deeply. Is
Irina really dead? I think she is. Did she put out the hit
on Sydney? I just don't believe it.
This whole Wittenberg vault thing just doesn't make sense,
either. Sydney said the secret materials were mostly about
Irina and her history with the KGB, but I thought, from what
we could see last season, that it was more about Sydney and
Jack and Project Christmas.
On to APO, and the sword mission. Nice twist that Tamazaki
was Vadik, and was hired to kill Sydney; their interaction
was almost sexy -- at least
until he started to torture her. Drowning torture. Not quite
as ooky as
the dental torture they're so fond of here.
Nadia to the rescue! I do like Nadia; she's interesting and
complex as well as gorgeous, a much better choice for younger
sister than on "Buffy," and a more likeable character
than Lauren Reed. And of course, there's the fun aspect that
she has vowed to avenge herself on Irina's killer, which is
Jack.
We have new code names:
Sydney: Phoenix
Marshall: Merlin
Jack: Raptor (how appropriate)
Vaughn: Shotgun
Dixon: Outrigger
Dixon's isn't as cool as the other names; I think Carl Lumbly
should
complain. What about code names for Sloane and Nadia? I'm
blanking out on Nadia, but:
Sloane: Voldemort
So we have a working group consisting of close family members,
some of whom barely know each other; mortal enemies who despise
each other; and a couple who are sleeping together. How delightfully
dysfunctional; it's almost incestuous. I have high hopes for
season four.
Bits and pieces:
-- I'm not surprised that Irina Derevko is dead, since Lena
Olin refused to
return to the series. Irina's absence last season was jarring,
and had to
be addressed.
-- "Am I dead?" I just had a huge grin on my face
when they brought
Marshall in and we got our comic relief back.
-- We learned that Sark is in custody, and Marshall even
went to visit him.
("We had eggs.") Please, bring Sark back! Couldn't
he join APO, too?
-- Weiss returned at the end, filling in as Sydney's friend
and panting over
Nadia. Weiss is not a stupid man; I just can't fathom him
believing that
Sydney really works for a bank.
-- Irina's dates of birth and death were given as 1950-2004.
Which would
have made her 52 during the second season.
-- Speaking of family members, I wonder: could it have been
Irina's devious sister, Katya, who put out the hit on Sydney?
-- Thug: "You don't frighten me." Jack: "Then
clearly you're an idiot."
-- Jack: "Get in now. You can be stubborn later."
and "You know what else
typically works in a situation like this? A simple thank you."
I loved
that little homage to the pilot, with Jack driving up and
rescuing Sydney
*again.*
-- "Hello, I'm Eric Weiss. Thirty-eight, single."
I do love Weiss.
-- This week's itinerary, part two: London, Brussels, somewhere
in
Argentina, Rio de Janeiro, and Moscow. What is that, three
continents and two hemispheres?
-- This week's hot look, part two: Nadia in the slaughterhouse
with the
tight white skirt, black top, red heels, and tranquilizer
lips.
-- Marshall looks good, too. Did they let him get a better
haircut or
something?
This was a fast, fun episode; I watched a lot of it with
a big smile on my
face. I'm a little worried about "Alias" getting
simpler instead of more
complex, but for now I'll go along for the ride.
Four out of five stars,
Billie
- Review by Billie Doux
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