Alias, and other stuff
Sep. 30th, 2004 08:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakSo, I finally managed to get my hands on the first season of Alias, and am up to the episode which ends with Sydney seeing her face sketched by Rambaldi.
Initial impressions: not quite at the level of a Joss Whedon show, but worth watching nonetheless. Clearly, this is James Bond spying, not John Le Carré spying, meaning there are great spytech toys and lots of prettiness, not middle-aged disillusion and disgust for one's cause. Or rather, of course Sydney is disgusted with SD6 but because it's not the real CIA; she does not question that the real CIA (tm) are the good guys. Though that conversation between Sloane and Jack in which Sloane brings up his first time at the White House and how he felt that day has that Le Carréian flair.
I like the way the backstory of Sydney's parents is used as a running red thread; even if I hadn't been spoiled about the existence of SpyMommy, I would have guessed that accident story couldn't have been the real thing. Meanwhile, the relationship between Jack and Sydney interests me far more than the one between her and Vaughn. Actually, about every relationship Sydney has interests me more than the one with Vaughn - Sloane doing that "I see you as my daughter" thing is fascinating (she hates him, he gives the open approval Jack withholds for a long time, and then she's flabbergasted to find out he would have left her go in that "find the mole" scenario). I like her partner Dixon, but fear for his life as he doesn't get mentioned in random lj entries. Will is obviously her Xander, and likeable with the ability of being a jerk at times (to his assistant Jenny - I'd have kicked him out of that car, too).
I'm not really sure I buy the premise of every secret service being obsessed with good old Rambaldi's visions, but hey. I's no more far-fetched than the thousands of prophecies that creep up on BTVS and AtS.
***
I also watched another episode of Scrubs. I think I can guess now whom![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sabine101 slashed, but wonder whether I should read the story now or wait a few more episodes.
***
Speaking of slash: judging by the comments I got for that little silliness a couple of days ago, there is a market for Quark/Brunt. You shouldn't encourage me like that, people...
***
On a more serious level: I remain impressed by the quality of the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
ship_manifesto essays. Well, most of them. No bashing one 'ship to set up another, and no demonization of characters to promote one 'ship, which are two of the more annoying traits that creep up among fervent 'shippers of any calibre (het, gen, whatever) in any fandom. Though I was amused to see one objections, in the comments, to Vimes/Vetinari on the grounds of them being "old". Made me want to found a community celebrating relationships between middle-aged and old folk (which tend to be more interesting because of all the history anyway): Xavier and Magneto, Londo and G'Kar, Londo and Timov, Winn and Dukat, Giles and Ethan, and I'm sure that once I've watched more Alias I'll include Jack & KGB wife, and Jack and Sloane. And yes, why not Vimes and Sybil, and Vimes and Vetinari.
Initial impressions: not quite at the level of a Joss Whedon show, but worth watching nonetheless. Clearly, this is James Bond spying, not John Le Carré spying, meaning there are great spytech toys and lots of prettiness, not middle-aged disillusion and disgust for one's cause. Or rather, of course Sydney is disgusted with SD6 but because it's not the real CIA; she does not question that the real CIA (tm) are the good guys. Though that conversation between Sloane and Jack in which Sloane brings up his first time at the White House and how he felt that day has that Le Carréian flair.
I like the way the backstory of Sydney's parents is used as a running red thread; even if I hadn't been spoiled about the existence of SpyMommy, I would have guessed that accident story couldn't have been the real thing. Meanwhile, the relationship between Jack and Sydney interests me far more than the one between her and Vaughn. Actually, about every relationship Sydney has interests me more than the one with Vaughn - Sloane doing that "I see you as my daughter" thing is fascinating (she hates him, he gives the open approval Jack withholds for a long time, and then she's flabbergasted to find out he would have left her go in that "find the mole" scenario). I like her partner Dixon, but fear for his life as he doesn't get mentioned in random lj entries. Will is obviously her Xander, and likeable with the ability of being a jerk at times (to his assistant Jenny - I'd have kicked him out of that car, too).
I'm not really sure I buy the premise of every secret service being obsessed with good old Rambaldi's visions, but hey. I's no more far-fetched than the thousands of prophecies that creep up on BTVS and AtS.
***
I also watched another episode of Scrubs. I think I can guess now whom
sabine101 slashed, but wonder whether I should read the story now or wait a few more episodes. ***
Speaking of slash: judging by the comments I got for that little silliness a couple of days ago, there is a market for Quark/Brunt. You shouldn't encourage me like that, people...
***
On a more serious level: I remain impressed by the quality of the
ship_manifesto essays. Well, most of them. No bashing one 'ship to set up another, and no demonization of characters to promote one 'ship, which are two of the more annoying traits that creep up among fervent 'shippers of any calibre (het, gen, whatever) in any fandom. Though I was amused to see one objections, in the comments, to Vimes/Vetinari on the grounds of them being "old". Made me want to found a community celebrating relationships between middle-aged and old folk (which tend to be more interesting because of all the history anyway): Xavier and Magneto, Londo and G'Kar, Londo and Timov, Winn and Dukat, Giles and Ethan, and I'm sure that once I've watched more Alias I'll include Jack & KGB wife, and Jack and Sloane. And yes, why not Vimes and Sybil, and Vimes and Vetinari.
