Review of Episode 4: Mockingbird
10/20/2005
Rachel: "A week ago, I had a good job working for
the CIA. Now I have the truth."
Just another day at the office. But I'm liking Rachel a little
more now.
The Sydney/Rachel parallels continue, with Rachel determined
to completely debrief without stopping for rest or food, just
as Sydney did in the pilot episode. We also had some Alias
101, with Sydney lecturing Rachel on becoming someone else.
The whole casino heist/car-in-the-air thing felt a lot like
old Alias in its best "Mission: Impossible" tradition,
but with new players. Rachel may not have kept her cool in
Prague (and who could blame her, seeing pieces of her workmates
all over the debris), but she was satisfyingly professional
in the end.
Yes, I'm an evil, maniacal mastermind, but I'm much better
now? Sloane's trial raised more questions than it answered
when he made a crooked deal to get out of life in prison.
Does he plan to keep whatever bargain he made with Dean? Or
did he do it just to keep himself free to look for a cure
for Nadia?
Sloane says that knowing he had a daughter was what changed
him. I'm still convinced, after what Irina said offhand to
Jack in "Search and Rescue" that Nadia is Jack's
daughter, not Sloane's. If I'm right and Sloane discovers
the truth, will he revert to type? I'm imagining Jack and
Sloane once more on opposite sides, and you know what? It
sounds pretty good.
"The select blood runs through... Rouquet's heart."
"The future's history is written in... the ink of the
past."
"What the mirror reflects... lives eternal."
"If there was ever a one, there was ever... the twelve."
Didn't these verification phrases sound Rambaldi-like? The
only one I can't place is the last one. Any suggestions?
Bits and pieces:
-- During the teaser, they very carefully did not show that
Rachel was there, too.
-- Rachel's new call sign is "Sidewinder." At first,
we're meant to think it's Tom's. What is Tom's? Did I miss
it?
-- 10/17 is Rachel's birthday. She just had a birthday.
-- Amy Acker was back as Dean's partner. Yay. But she didn't
do much. Boo.
-- The First Cayman Trust. Not big with the trust.
-- The vault code was 97326347. Had to get a 47 in there
somewhere.
-- This week's itinerary: Monte Carlo, Prague again, and
the Cayman Islands, which sure look like Malibu to me.
-- This week's hot look: I gotta say, Jennifer looked pretty
good in blue and black casino maternity wear.
-- Undercover Dixon: "You're pregnant. You should not
be in a casino. You should be at home." Well, no, but
yes. Jennifer really should get off her feet soon, huh?
-- A little character development for Rachel: "There's
a reason I wanted to work at a desk. I don't like pressure.
Or death, for that matter."
-- A little more character development for Tom, too. "If
he tries to blindfold us, he may have a problem. I'm not in
the mood for blindfolds today."
-- Sydney: "What can I say, sir? I'm not like other
moms."
-- Marshall: "I'm kind of like a Comanche Indian...
a Comanche Indian who tracks data."
-- Sydney: "Rachel, hang on a sec." That was actually
pretty funny, along with: Sydney: "Don't worry, I've
been in much worse situations than this." Rachel (weakly,
from the trunk of the car): "You have?"
-- Rachel: "How can you people sleep after something
like this?" I'm with Rachel here. I'd probably be throwing
up in the airplane john, or something.
I liked this one. Three out of four spies,
Billie
- Review by Billie Doux
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