For a long time, I remained resistant to the charms of the ABC spy series Alias. I watched from afar as it won Golden Globes, gained vast amounts of critical acclaim, and created column inches in any self-respecting entertainment publication. I must admit, I wondered how I'd missed the boat. I am nothing short of a complete TV Geek, and to be so far out of the loop caused me - I'll be honest - not inconsiderable amounts of shame.

I did try. But some daft scheduling by the channel that picked the show up here in the UK, coupled with my annoying need to understand absolutely everything that's going on in a show meant that after the first few episodes, I dropped out. I felt bad about it, but what can you do? Not being male, the many scenes featuring Jennifer Garner running in skimpy outfits weren't reason enough to stick with it.

As the series went into its second and then third seasons, and as it gained more acclaim, and more attention, I decided I had to give it another try. And DVD might just be the medium to help me. Unfortunately, Alias is one of those series which isn't a cheap investment on DVD. Like Star Trek and Buffy, it seems to trade on its cult status - and the knowledge that there are certain die hard fans who will pay almost any price to see the show. Being cheap, I decided I couldn't pay the price.

Until, that is, HMV decided to put it on special offer.

Left with no further excuses, I made the purchase.

I watched the first few episodes - the ones that had made me drop out first off. I was still confused. Who are SD-6? Why are they part of the enemy? And how can Jennifer Garner run so quickly in high heels and ludicrous costumes?

This time, though, I was determined not to drop out (mainly because of the money I'd paid for the series.) So I stuck with it. And, slowly, something very strange happened: I became utterly hooked. I watched five episodes in a row. I was utterly impressed by the acting skills (and looks) of Garner and Michael Vartan. I became fascinated by the performance of Victor Garber, deciding that Jack Bristow was possibly my favourite character. I still didn't understand why SD-6, K-Alliance and the CIA wanted Rambaldi's clock designs but - and this was the major breakthrough - I didn't really care any more. I realised that there was a whole other series hiding behind the missions - a story about friends and family, a story about being a student and juggling a job, a murder mystery story. I marvelled at the way everything intertwined and found myself gasping at each turn of every story.