I recently charted my television schedule and realized that I was watching 14.5 hours of television each week, not counting any times I might sit down and watch "whatever's on." I hastily slashed the schedule down to three hours, and I've since added one more since the premiere of HBO's Deadwood. There four hours represent "must see tee-vee" for me, though one of them (Survivor: All-Stars) is on the list only because it seems pointless to abandon something 75% of the way in, and I won't continue with it next season.
The other three hours each week can accurately be described as my favorite current television shows. They are: The Sopranos, Deadwood, and Alias. Deadwood takes place in 1876, The Sopranos in our current time, maybe a year behind, and Alias is at least two years ahead of us because of a plot twist at the end of the second season (contrasted with occasional references to the USA Patriot Act). Of the three, Alias is easily the least-plausible. When you consider the plotlines of the other two shows, that's saying something. In fact, Alias can twist and turn so often that sometimes I need a reminder of what exactly has happened to bring us to this point at which we are now. Hey, there are nine major characters right now!
I've summarized the essential plot points of Season One already, and now here are the key elements of Season Two. Obviously, spoilers follow.
When last we left our intrepid double-agent super-spy, she had watched her CIA handler and potential love interest drown, then been confronted by the arch-enemy of both the CIA and SD-6, "The Man," her mother. This confrontation served as proof both that her mother was alive (having faked her own death many years before), and that she was evil (having worked as a KGB agent in the past, killing CIA agents, including Sydney's CIA handler's father). Sydney's mother, Irina Derevko, says that she should have killed Sydney at birth, shoots her in the shoulder, and leaves. In the meantime, Sydney's reporter friend Will Tippin has continued to investigate SD-6 at great risk to himself, and things have now come to a head, so Sydney and her father (also a double-agent super-spy, remember) spill the beans to Will and set him up to lose his career and his reputation but keep his life. On another operation, Sydney finds Vaughn alive after all (he escaped through a grate) and rescues him. Then Sydney's mother walks into CIA headquarters and surrenders.
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Article comments
1 - Jim Carruthers
One of the things which has made me giggle uncontrollably while watching "Alias" is the notation recently in the paper that Victor Garber starred as Jesus in the film version of "Godspell", so whenever I see him as Jack Bristow, I just start giggling.
And I think "Alias" exists in part to present "mommy issues" to balance the "daddy issues" in the Buffyverse.
2 - Phillip Winn
I had a hard time watching the televised production of Annie because they cast Victor Garber as Daddy Warbucks. My kids kept wondering why I was laughing, but I was trying to imagine each line coming from Jack Bristow!
3 - Sandra Smallson
Alias is a fantastic show. Sadly, season 3 is on a channel called Bravo here in the UK. It used to be on Sky one. There's nothing wrong with bravo other than you forget the channel actually exists and so you forget to watch Alias sunday nights. I used to watch it like Clockwork. Now, I have watched just about 3 episodes from the current season. I await the DVD. Will have to buy American as the British release won't come out till I am with child, I'm guessing.
4 - Phillip Winn
I should probably avoid summarizing Season Three to date until it's over then, eh?
5 - Sandra Smallson
Phillip, I beg you to summarise season three:) Please. I m not one of those worried that I will lose interest. I don't mind knowing what has happened before I watch it in programs such as Alias. The actual acting out of what you may summarise is what I look forward to. I visit TV tome everyday to get updates on my shows. I know exactly what will happen at the end of the O.C and we are just like 7 episodes in:)
6 - Jim Carruthers
There is a piece in this week's Eye about Alias and it centres about Spy Daddy. However, while, yes, there is an unwholesome relationship among the Bristows, what the article avoids is how the show portrays only evil mommys. Great Peggy Lipton (read with a Jamaican accent like Hermes), she did what what her daughter wouldn't do.
As for how the series will wrap up this season, I don't even what to attempt a guess, because it will be wrong.
7 - Jim Carruthers
Oh, if I can indulge in some taunting, Sandra, "Alias" airs two hours earlier in Canada, so we get to watch it, go WFT? and think about possible twists before it even starts airing in The States.
8 - Phillip Winn
7pm Eastern? That is pretty early. I'm happy to watch it at 8pm Central, myself.
9 - Jim Carruthers
erm, I meant WTF, and the CTV site is here. And what do we see but Jack and Sydney.
10 - Jim Carruthers
Both CTV and Global (the two commercial national networks) license shows from all the nets in The States, but can't necessarily air them at the same time. Though recently, they've been more linked -- I think there were riots in Buffalo or something.