Heard that too, and I too think it's kinda good news.

Kinda hoping the show airing after Lost fails and they consider bringing Alias back WEdnesdays at 10.

Season 4, done! (Finally made it through all the Tivo'd episodes)

I'll give more thoughts tomorrow (it's 4 in the morning, holy crap), but I've got to say that Alias has once again reclaimed its title as my favorite show.

Maybe not having to wait a week to watch episodes just strengthened the show's continuity, but I thought this season was absolutely fantastic. I read through this whole thread and, yes, I agreed with some of your qualms, but guys... this is still some of the best stuff on TV.

And I'd also like to congratulate the show on being the first TV program to actually make me jump out of my seat.

Im so pissed someone spoiled it for me.

11 weeks to go till the big finale and i know whats going to be the massive cliffhanger Oh well i guess it will be interesting to see what happens to get to there.

Well, if some of you didn't know... I missed the ALIAS finale as I did LOST's because I left for my senior trip to Armenia for two weeks on the morning of the finale.

I finally watched the finale today or yesterday since it's 2:14am now.

I was rather disappointed on the whole but the last scene was almsot enough to make up for it.

There are seceral points to make...

1) I wanted to see all 3 sisters, where was Katya (obviously in jail, but why didn't they write her in?)
2) Is Elena dead?
3) Are we actually going to see more of Irina or was it just a 2 episode stint she returned for?

Now on to the story or finale...

1) I thought this was the most un-ALIAS episode yet. I didn't like the zombies and I think the Angel writer is having too much impact on classic ALIAS.
2) What bothered me more than the quality of the episode and the zombies was that they might have ended the Rambaldi storyline and the manner in which they went about it was very poor.

I always loved Rambaldi and alot of viewers didn't. I wouldn't mind if they had finally put a rest to his plot on the show (though it was the very core plotline running through the entire series) if they had done with an amazing finale, I'm talking one of the best ever episodes. Instead, we got one of ALIAS worst. It wasn't all bad, but I was disappointed.

Now onto the final scene.
It has become more than obvious that the writers are just inventing as they go on. None of this was obviously pre-concieved originally more less maybe a season before. And by this I mean every new revelation that they turn into a remolding of the show. I'm a bit bothered by that fact; basically that Vaughn not being who he is was just thought up as a possible route to cintinue the series rather than a long thought out storyline. I'm sure they'll incorporate it well into the story as they did Nadia (I don't think while writing the pilot they had an idea for a half-sister).

But aside from that, which will inevitably be ALIAS now, inventing to reinvent the show, what they decided to add on and how they did it was pretty good. Vaughn is NOT going to die, but they better make the cliffhanger stick and not just take care of it like they did Season 3's in 1 episode. I hope it sets the tone for Season 5 and I am actually hoping the show gets a completely new makeover to try and find its new identity.

I also am pleadin that Nadia HAS TO GO. She has to die. Her character is pointless if Rambaldi is over. she is annoying. and they keep adding on characters without killing others off. Bring back Francie, Will, Sark, Anna instead of adding pointless and useless characters. And yes, the writers need to get rid of the idea that nobody dies. Vaugh has gone to the hospital more than 5 times with serious injuries and he walks out days later, fine.

Best line in the episode: Jack- This last year, I've been trying to have fun!


I know alot of fans still think ALIAS is at the top of its game, but I'm sorry I'm not on the bandwagon. I will always watch ALIAS. the first 2-3 season captivated me like VERY VERY few shows have and I was obsessed. But truth be told and admitted, I personally think ALIAS will never be as good as it was; not only not as good, but never the same, LITERALLY. They might have great arcs and stand-alone episodes and they might ingeniously and successfully reinvent it, but what it comes down to is this: it will never be the ALIAS I fell in love with and that's my problem. I'm not fully supportive of its changes (like true fans of musicians are when they change their music). I still love it, but I doubt I will ever like or love it as much as I used to.

So that's it. I hope it gets a real good make-over this time. I hope it morphs into a better show, but I can't see past the brilliance of the first 2 seasons!

Seee, this is the stuff that does bother me when people pick on it. :razz:

what show has writers that decide the exact direction a show's gonna take 5 seasons in advance?

I know that alot of people have that argument as well. Most shows don't ahve it all planned out. But it's different with ALIAS. From the start it was deinftely the kind of shows that had a large concept and after it played out, the direction of the show changed. My problem is that it shows almost blatantly in the writing and focus that they have no idea what to do and that they are adding on alot of things that deal with the past ALIAS series that just wasn't part of it originally.

Basically, for ALIAS, it bothers me that the writers don't have a large scheme and concept for the show anymore and write as they go along. That's not the kind of show I fell in love with originally.

That's me personally. I know I'm in the minority and I sound like I'm bitching all the time to alot of people. Sorry, I'm just too caught up in what made me obsessed with ALIAS and bitter that I probably won't get the same sensation from it anymore.

I agree that it's a little disheartening that it seems as though the producers are making it up as though go and just hoping for the best, but even with that, this show still sustains more interesting plotlines than any other drama I watch, and that's why I still love it. We may never see a season as good as season 2, but hey, after the fall of SD-6, Lena Olin leaving, and J.J. Abrams having to devote time to two shows (plus whatever else he's doing with Mission Impossible, other pilots, etc.), it's expected.

I think it's time that I use the pizza reference once again: even bad Alias is still pretty good.

Don't get all Ripper on me, Raffiki. :wink:

I don't think I'll ever get there. No offense Ripper.

I also forgot to stress that although I have problems with how they're dealing with the show and the revelations and the direction, I thought the cliffhnager was awesome. Basically, given all I said, the Vaughn twist was about the best that we could ask for. I just hope it reshapes the series and doesn't just get solved in like 1 or 2 episodes.

However, the whole scene was a little too reminiscent of Dharma and Greg. I mean, it was shocking, but was I the only one who was anxious because I knew something was going to happen on the road? Did no one else sense that tension while they were watching?

hey :wink:

I don;t have a problem with making it up as you go, that what happens when you write tv, but it has to sustain my interest, and Nadia was never anything but dull to me. She was like Syd redux, without any of the compelling story.

The simple fact is, in my mind, sure season 3 was up and down, but at least I was interested, in season 4, if something else came up while Alias was on, then so be it. I no longer really cared about what was happening, or thought I would miss anything but not seeing the show that day. It went from bbeing something I had to watch to something I;d catch of I could, to something I just decided wasn't worth my time, seeing as I have so little free time right now.

I don;t like this idea that I should someone be condemmned for finding Nadia boring, she's not boring b/c the writers thought of herlater, she's boring becaseu I find her ripoff of Le Femme Nikitta backsotry dull, and her character to be such a derivative of Syd why bother..oh she has mother and father issues...gee, where have we seen that before

I have no idea what happened in the season post Marshall in Cuba episode, which I did not even see. So if other interesting stuff happened, then well, great for the show, for me it was to little to late. I don't really watch tv that much, and so I am going to stick to watching my Alias's DVD's when I have time, seasons 1-3.

I can totally see where you're coming from and I too, stopped just a little after you did, but got sucked back in when everyone was saying how the episode I stopped watching was really good and so the next one was. then I downloaded the two eps and continued watching. It did get better, though still not as good as I hoped.

But, won't you at least catch Season 4 on DVD?

Eventually I will, but I need to watch Sopranos Season 5 on DVD, plus the 7 seasons I bought of Buffy and the two season I bought of 24. At some point I will wnat to see how the shows ends, but the ned to to se eit now is gone for me.

You know the more I think about, I REALLY REALLY like the cliffhanger for ALIAS.

Here is how I would rate the 4 cliffhangers ALIAS has had.

1. Season 1 (Mom??)
2. Season 4 (don't wanna spoil it for those who haven't seen it)
3. Season 2 (2 years?)
4. Season 3 (oh daddy how could you?)


Here is also how I would rate the finale episodes of all four seasons since all the cliffhangers in ALIAS have NOTHING to do with their finales or season's end story-arcs.

1. Season 2
2. Season 1
3. Season 3 (actually all the first 3 seasons had almost equally amazing finales)
4. Season 4 (the 4th finale was really a downer)

While we're at it, why don't I do premiers too....

1. Season 1
2. Season 2
3. Season 4 (only the first two missions, followed right after another made the episode for me, the rest wasn't as good. Even that first moment, " At laaaassst...." was worth this rank above the rest.)
4. Season 3


And overall, best seasons to date....

1. Season 2 (the Golden year for ALIAS)
2. Season 1 (one of the freshest new dramas in a long time)
3. Season 3 (the second hald more than made up for the absolutely irrelevant first half)
4. Season 4 (though the first half wasn't that bad, the second hald wasn't that great either, but overall I will admit it wasn't as bad as I had been saying all season long.)

I can't believe you rated the season 3 finale above the season 4 one.
Infact, for me, season 4 was the best finale of the bunch.

The cliffhanger was perfect, there was action non stop and it was edge of the seat excitement with the best cast possible and fantastic acting.

http://www.the-deli.org/item/359

i have some new images of some forthcoming episodes. Spoilerish...kinda.

remember, its episodes 99 and 100 when alias returns in the two hour spesh!

There's another Alias thread besides this one, Michael. I don't know where it's at, but this is the Season 4 thread.

So, I'm like 1 1/2 years late to this party, but I don't care. It's like that Jim Gaffigan joke where he watches a movie 10 years after the release, but wants to talk about it now...

Anyhow, I just finished the season 4 DVDs, and I thought that S4 was very good. It almost made me forget the crapfest that was season 3 (which was solely to blame for me initially being so apathetic to watch season 4). There were some great stand-alone episodes (ICE, Welcome to Liberty Village, Tuesday) in the first half of the season, and then they wove Rimbaldi and the deeper plotlines back into the loop perfectly at the end. The last 8 (or so) episodes had me on the edge of my seat and I polished them off in less than a week. The cliff hanger was very cool and totally unexpected. I also enjoyed all of the Derevko sisters in the mix, as well as the 2nd Mr. Sloane. I felt like I was watching S1 and S2 all over again...

The only downers of season 4 was that Syd's undercover costumes were utter crap, and it seemed like they ran out of ideas. What made that worse was the opening for season 4 showed every cool costume she was ever in, only to lead to the show in which half the time she never changed into one, and the other half they were just stupid. Also, it did get a little old that everybody was on the verge of death - or dead - one minute, and then perfectly fine the next. Took away from some of the suspense.

I've decided that watching TV shows on DVD is FAR better and FAR more engrossing than doing it week after week spread out over 30+ weeks with repeats and special events stuck in between. The only downer is trying to discuss it 2 years later when nobody cares anymore.

I care, Tony! I'll always care.

I, too, actually liked season four of Alias. I think it's really underrated.

Thanks! I take back all those things I said about you and/or wrote about you on various bathroom walls.

I believe Season 5 is coming to DVD pretty soon, I'm pretty primed for it now. I've kept myself spoiler free... without giving anything up, should I be looking forward to season 5 or should I just quit watching now and pretend the show ended at season 4?

And, I read this entire thread as I was watching the show... I was really surprised by the number of people not liking the show about halfway through, but most of the people here seemed to like it a lot more when the deeper plotlines picked up.

That's how I got into Alias, by watching the DVD's! I started renting the first season and got hooked on the show, so I bought the rest. And it was so much easier to follow the story lines and much more interesting when I could watch all at once.

hmmm... I may have to rewatch season 4 on my dvd's or when the series set comes out as I will probably sell my dvds.

When it was giving, I didn't enjoy season four all that much. Looking back, the first half of season 3 was UTTERLY useless. I loved the second half of seaosn 3... it was up to par with seasons 1 and 2 almost.

Season 4 I found to be so far from what I loved about Alias. It had a few standout episodes, but I guess I'll have to rewatch it.

I loathed the first half of season 5. It just turned into a different show. But the second half was incredibly well done. I wasn' completely satisfied with the finale but it was good.

Season 3 is one I'll have to go back and watch someday... it just didn't connect with me at all and really turned me off to the show. The one prevailing feeling I came away with, was that it didn't feel fun at all... it made the show a chore to watch. But, I believe it was the only season that I watched solely on the TV (not DVD), and that really does seem to effect my enjoyment of the show more than it probably should.

Thanks for the heads up on season 5... I'll have to remember to stick with it if I don't like the first half.

That's funny what you said about season 3... because I felt season 4 was a chore to watch. In fact, I gave up on it halfway and decided to catch it on DVD and literally, the episode after I decided to stop watching I heard that LEna Olin would return for the finale so I had to keep watching

I rewatched the second half of season 3 on DVD and REALLLY enjoyed it.