I am really enjoying S4 so far (all 3 eps).
I like the S1 feel it has going. That party for instance, it seemed just a fun happy scene like that hasn't happened in a long time. All of S3 (although i liked it too, in a different way) didn't seem to have one moment of just happy-party.
I am really loving the LOST-ALIAS combo (side note, LOST was great!)
Wednesdays are now the best night of the week!!

I agree, the LOST-ALIAS combo is a one-two punch that I think will benefit both in the ratings.

One main factor to ALIAS' huge rating last week was LOST lead in, but I don't think alot of people gave the small acknoweldgement that ALIAS perhaps also helped LOST.
Personally, I barely saw ANY Lost promos for the new episode, except with Alias. (then again, i was on vacation).

But you don't just go from 18 to 21 million viewers like that! Obviously some old Alias (and non-LOST) fans tuned in for the whole 3 hours hoopla!
I'm just hoping both their ratings hold.

As for this episode.

For me, personally, the family episode will be almost impossible to match, like the second half of both seasons 2 and 3, while some of the initial spy stuff when things started getting really risky (second half of season 1) will also be hard to top.

But tonight I think we saw a SOLID episode. It was a right mix of new and old, not too much info to scare away new fans and just enough action to keep them going (though it didn't have the suspense season 1 did), but I can't complain.

I think abrams did show a bit of the personal life with that party, though I, too, am expecting something better.

One thing I am starting to find that I don't quite like or maybe something that could be improved. It seems that the whole agency acts like a family, breaking protocol or any rules when they want to in order to help each other out and it doesn't feel like something official. Like they're just having fun. In a way this new agency was set up to do exactly that more or less, but I just can't shake the feeling that it would be somehwat better if not everyone was so luvy-dovy and warm to each other.... like there are secrets (not personal, more work-related) that keep things shaky or interesting between all of them (and none of the sydney family stuff till they can really get that together).

1 more thing, repeating from last episodes review post: Vaughn has got to go! and they can't bring Will sooner!

I actually missed the first 5 or so minutes because my Tivo was going a little whacko tonight. What was the party about?

Actually you missed a whole scene. The party I believe very briefly mentioned was for Weiss' birthday.

But it actually started out with Syndey and Vaughn on a mission with Garner providing a more different than usual accent. They basically had to break into a safe and get a code or something. It was short, about 5 minutes, exactly what u missed, but it was good! :wink:

Well, in good news for fans of Alias, it was down substantially from the premiere (that was expected, though), but it still held on to a large portion of Lost's audience.

It looks like ABC has finally found a good home for it.

The rastafarian in the bank scene early on....was that Dixon? I know it didn't look like him at first glance but hey he's an actor, it might have been him?

I just wish they would take the collagen out of JG's lips and I'd like her a lot more, it's so blatant that it's hard to ignore, it's like someone walking around with pursed lips all day.

By the way I liked this episode better than the premiere.

I need to get my hands on that weapon Ice5 or whatever. That would be handy to have in case of emergencies...or boredom. Also Kelly Macdonald was terrific as the nurse/doctor, I really liked her in Gosfard Park and in tonight's episode so it was a shame that she had to die.

The rest of the episode was good. Not great, but good. Also it wasn't memorable. I was left with a so what feeling. I honestly didn't care about what Vaughn was going through regarding killing his wife. I zoned out during that whole conversation and while it seemed wonderfully acted and written I couldn't scrounge up an ounce of caring. Since that was what a large portion of this epsiode was about, it left me with a meh feeling overall.

Also not feeling the dramatic tension between Nadia and Mr. Bristow. Sydney should just come clean and then Nadia could go all renegade and start messing everybody up. That would bring some excitement to APO.

I'm willing to consider this episode an abberation and that lots of spy goodness will be coming my way next week. I guess this would get my first B of the season.

Yeah, that Irish lady was really good. It's just too bad they keep bringing in these cool special guest stars only to kill them . Every one of these episodes is starting to play out the same way and the show is dangerously close to losing my viewership. The whole forming of the new unit, how conveniently it all came together and the personal tensions and relationships that were just thrown aside in service of giving Alias a fresh start, bugs me. They're going to have to throw a curveball pretty soon to keep my interest through the remainder of this season.

I agree with the above post. I think Alias is on the verge of losing alot of viewers if it doesn't do anything soon. Ya, it's back to alot of Season 1 spy cases, but there are two important things to know about that.
1) The ratings weren't as high as they are now and so there is more at risk here
2) all the spy missions were Rambaldi related and even at the time it wasn't too evident, they were all drawing an arc.
These episodes seem to have no real arc and only there for the sake of doing great looking and "cool" missions to hook viewers, while the actual hook of Alias is its ongoing family affair with their missions.

I was actually pleased with this episode as it did alot in both keeping the "coolness" to keep viewers for another week and establish some good emotional and relationship-onal =; threads.

I started finding Garner's acting a bit too over the top as of Season 3 and almost dare I say, bad during the first episode of this season, but the writing and her acting came together in this episode, especially in the last scenes and might I also say she executed my favorite line of the episode very well, soemthing she could have ruined only by a slightly different attitude of talk- when remarking that going legit is the new craze with evil geniuses.

I'm actually liking that they're exploring, even if minimal, some family stuff and using Nadia to do it. It does look very covered up whatever is going on and I do have hope that Abrams will bring it back soon just as he said.

If I were to rate the episodes so far this season, the premiere would get a C+/B-; the second episode would get a B+ based solely on its great execution of the espionage aspect of ALIAS; and thsi episode would also get a B+ for different reasons and not one dominating, but it held it together pretty well. I might also note that I'm completely satisfied with B+/A- episodes in my book as long as they do write some amazing A-quality hours towards the end.

Next week's looks like a make it or break it point for some viewers... they might be stretching this new viewer ordeal a bit with that episode, it looks too out of line with classic 'ALIAS'

whilst not looking around to try and stay spoiler free for its April British Debut, i should just remind everyone that the structure of Season 4 was outline as - first half is mostly non-linear stuff, not hugely linked, just misson based episodes. Which is, lets face it, something that appeals to the wider viewing audience. It means they dont have to tune in every week, and they dont have to stop watching the show after missing an episode. But i think JJ Abrams did mention that the season would begin to integrate episodes more and more as it went on.

When ratings are ailing, Jens bra is a flailing.

Kelly Mcdonald as that nurse was the best acting I've ever seen on Alias and one of the most memorable characters. It's a shame they killed her off when they could have used her again, it was excellent.

Wait till Gina Torres comes back :d She was amazing as Anna Espanosa, its a shame she didnt take a regular anchor as the character because the dynamic between Anna and Syndey was explosive.

I must say i am really startignto liek this show. I have been having season delived in netflix for a while and i must say that there are some huge blanks that i need to fill out but i am loving this show

Maybe I'm reading too much into it but it looked like Sidney was jealous of Vaughn's mini relationship with the nurse, with how he opened up to her and felt comfortable with her.

Which woyld be normal...right? :wink:

Can't wait for this week's episode.

Let' see how ell the ratings hold up without a new Lost episode

Finally an episode of Alias I would choose to watch again. A very entertaining episode, with good Sydney and Vaughn interaction and great Marshall and Bristow banter. People may draw parallels and rightly so with an old episode of The X Files, but that did nothing to hamper my enjoyment of the episode. The sequence in the car dealership was very entertaining and felt like the Alias of old.

While we only got brief mentions of the past (eg. Santa Barbara) we did get them mentioned and I do hope the trend continues, just in further detail, because they can't keep on making great stand alone episodes like this, at least I don't think so.

I enjoyed the episode as well, but I agree that they need to introduce something a little more tangible to tie the episodes together, apart from mysterious exchanges between Jack and Sloane. The next show in two weeks looks promising.

good episode...

I loved the whole scene in the car dealership from Vaughn's monologue to the action sequence... good stuff

Good episode, yep. Thinking about it afterwards, it reminds me of the way TV used to be, in a good sense. Like the Avengers and the Saint, both of which you can catch these days on bbcamerica if you get that channel. There was something well written about it that you don't see a lot lately.

Is it just me or does TV seem much better this season than it has in years? Not all series obviously but enough to make me notice a lot of good things on various shows lately.

I wanted to see Sydney and Vaughan bowl, didn't you?

I missed like the last 20 or 15 minutes

But I REALLY enjoyed what I did see.

And it did excellent even without a new Lost episode (4.9 in 18-49)

This episode was creepy, Tom explains exactly why i am afriad of surburbia and refuse to live outside the city!

Second point, I started watching Alias in Season 2, I saw the episode after the Superbowl that year and I was hooked.

In the past week Ihave watched the first 8 episodes of season 1, and here are my comments:

1. Jack is by far the most interesting character on the show and he always has been.
2. Weiss is a useless character and not funny, we have Marshall, kill off Weiss for some suspense.
3. Vaughn had balls int he beginning of the show, now he's annoying little twit...all his bithcing about Lauren, I don't buy it...its nowhere near the magnitude of Jack and Irina...Vaughn was way more interesting in season 1.
4. I HATE Sydney in season 1, she is whiny, annoying, overly emotional, naive...and most of all stupid. I am suposed to believe she's been doing this for years, when she routinely draws the most obvious and simple conclusions about things. I did enjoy Vaughn puttign her in her place with his SD6 map. But she really htinks she is so much smarter then everyone else through out the show, and she cries everytime someone dies...every single time. She is fuckign spy, people die, I mean at this point if I can get through a season one episode without her crying I do a happy dance.

Had I started watching the show in season 1, I honestly would have stopped watching it, the main character is by far the worst part of the story and I am 8 epsiodes in. I spent msot of my time watchign the episodes wanting to smack Sydney across the face.

I now understand all those people who said, "I tried to watch the show." If they watched a season 1 episode, I could easily see them being turned off by the way Sydney's is written, Her stupid/naive/emotional act owuld have worked better if we had strated from the very beginning and itw asassumed she di not have 2 years experience.
5. Francie is really boring in season 1, and the whoel Charlie story line, please let it end soon.
6. Will has always been agod character, we need him back now.
7. Anna is aweosme, I wish we had a show about her.
8. Season 4 is alot like Season 1, but not as good, though at least Sydney is not dumb as shit anymore and far less annoying in season 4.

I agree with ALOT of the things you have mentioned.
Though I disagree a bit about the entire idea that Season 1 was a turn-off for some who wanted to watch it. IT may have not been their cup of tea, but it wasn't bad all.
the best and by far the one to top will be Season 2.

I agree Sydney's character is a little too naive and repetitive. I see exactly what you mean about the crying thing. She does get annoying and she still is sometimes, though Season 4 seems to be improving.
I agree Vaughn was interesting before but now I just hate his character.
Weiss really is useless, they really should kill him off.
Jack is a great character, but sometimes recently he just looks like an ass, they should give him more to do. They di improve a bit wih a line between him and Sloane suggestign there is something at play with IRina.
Francie actually nwo that I think of it was a bit broing, but it got SOOO much better when she was evil and it's too bad they killed her off that soon. she was GREAT as evil Francie.

Will is one of my favorite characters byfar and I hope they do bring him back as well as Katya from Season 3.


I'm still not sure what to make of Season 4 since we were told the real stuff fans were waiting for will come after half the season, but I think they are making some big mistakes in having these missions have nothing to do with each as was the plan so anyone could jump in and they can hook viewers. They are making it just as easy for viewers to leave as they are for them to come in. they could divert an arch away from the central themes of seasons 1-3 and make it all about spy and spectacle, but don't all out detach each episode from another. Member all those Season 1 and 2 cliff-hangers? Bring those back!!!

and why are we not seeing Alias next week, we were promised a non-stop season.

I jsut meant that having a mean character that is as you said:



Is a bit of a turn off, she is a super spy with zero control over her emotions in season 1. SAhe creis over the death of random agents with the same effect as shecries aover the death of Danny and Dixon nearly dying...she has no distinct. Also working as spy comes with risks and the loss of life, it is part of the job, she seems to think that she can go on missiosn for SD6 always be successful in doing her counte mission, with no casaulties and not get caught as a double agent..which is naive.

After all the close calls she had in epsiodes 5-9 (I think those are the numbers, you woudl think the CIA would back off and not send her int eh field with stuff the SD6 could pick up.

Sydney gets to upset anytiem she fails at a mission,a s if she is going to perfect allt he time, and the epside where she goes to cuba to save her father is dumb and out of character for Jack...it doesn't wash with me that Syd who has needed saving and help at every turn is suddenly this badass. And being sent on a mission alone without Dixon after he's been out in the field also makes no sense.

While I like Alias Season 1, Sydney is not the reason, in fact I liek the show in spite of her character being annoying. She's like a naive teenager, I jsut don't buy alot of what they are saying. I think they shoudl nto have suggesed she was spy for years before, with experience she would have been alto less naive.

The whoel way that Syd and Vaughn fidn out abotu hermother, its jsut so stupid, the two of them always go for the simple thought process...they really though Jack would hand over evidence that he killed a bunchof agents to Syd (givent hat we are supposed to beleive she is uber smart)..c'monthefuckon!

I could see wondering what was going on, but she just seems to think that she is the smartest person int he world and no one else could possible have seen these things.



State of the Union Address