Review of Episode 12: There is Only One Sydney Bristow
04/26/06
Rachel: "Uh, guys. Who's Rambaldi?"
I am so enjoying the way they are revisiting the old "Alias,"
with the return of my favorite characters as well as some
extreme and familiar plot twists.
Will has always been a favorite of mine, and it was especially
lovely to see him undercover with Sydney again, bad French
accents and all. Although I did spend most of the episode
worried that his head would indeed explode. (I wouldn't put
it past them to kill him off, especially now that we're nearing
The End.) Note that Will rescued Sydney not once, but twice.
What an agent he would have made. Tell me again why they dropped
him from the cast?
And Anna Espinosa, of course. Gina Torres is another favorite
of mine; she manages to show up in nearly every one of my
favorite shows. She even did the lipstick on the glass thing
again. It was just like going back in time.
There were finally some developments with Sloane, who was
inadvertently responsible for Sydney's unfortunate DNA bath.
We got to see the twelve leaders of Prophet Five; I was mildly
disappointed that there were no familiar faces. Did Sloane
indeed get the cure for Nadia? Will Nadia soon return to consciousness
and help Sydney fight Sydney Two?
Since it's a fine "Alias" tradition, Dan and I
both figured out that they were doubling Sydney about halfway
through the episode. (Coincidentally, I remember back in season
two when Francie was doubled that I thought at first it might
be Anna Espinosa.) I'm less happy about them revisiting the
doubling thing than I am with the rest of the episode, because,
hey, been there, done that. They did it very well, but still.
At least Rambaldi is back, and that's a good. I've never
been certain if I loved the Rambaldi plotlines or just put
up with them, but let's face it: it wouldn't be the end of
"Alias" without Rambaldi. Was the return of Page
47 a red herring? It can't be a coincidence that the writers
reminded us about it. Could it be a picture of the new and
improved Anna Espinosa?
Bits and pieces:
-- Sydney named her daughter "Isabelle," the name
she and Vaughn chose together in the fifth season opener.
And it was confirmed that Sydney and Jack knew all along that
Vaughn was alive.
-- Sydney told the guy who tried to pick her up in the club
that she was breast-feeding. Is she?
-- How about Agents Rance and Dalton, babysitters extraordinaire?
Even though I could see the jokes coming, you gotta love two
deadpan secret agents in sharp suits with a briefcase full
of high tech equipment, rattles, and pacifiers.
-- "Long term deep cover" for Anna, but this is
probably the last we'll see of Gina Torres.
-- How the heck did Anna breathe during the transformation?
Isn't it hard to hold your breath and writhe in agony at the
same time? I know, petty details, pick pick pick.
-- The black/white fight scene that ended in red was probably
intended to remind us that Sydney and Anna have similar builds.
-- When Joseph wasn't allowed in the top level Prophet Five
meeting, Sloane handed him his coat. :) So much for Joseph.
-- Will is engaged, and wants Sydney to be his best man.
-- Amy Acker and Gina Torres worked together before in season
four of "Angel."
-- Will was held in room 147.
-- This week's itinerary: Minsk, Moscow, Lisbon.
-- As soon as I heard that Sydney would infiltrate a club,
I thought, Whoopee! After all the maternity clothes, are we
finally going to get an Outfit? Well, not really, but at least
she was wearing a red wig. Dixon let his braids go free. And
Rachel looked hot in her little black dress and little black
hair.
-- Jack: "Sydney, you do not leave edged weapons within
the reach of children." Sydney: "She's four weeks
old, Dad." Jack: "Particularly young Bristow women."
Sydney: "She can't even hold her head up. I think we're
safe."
-- Agent Rance: (deadpan) "With your permission, ma'am,
we'd like to go through the house, babyproof it from top to
bottom. Socket protectors, safety latches, gates for the stairs,
spread-spectrum RF detectors, perimeter sensors, explosive
sniffers... all the usual stuff."
-- Sydney: "Delicate porcelain lily?" Will: "Leave
me alone. I was on a roll."
A solid three out of four spies,
Billie
- Review by Billie Doux
| 
