Alias 4.04, Ice

[selenak]

A Vaughn episode. And I wasn't bored, on the contrary, I was interested and, dare I say it, captivated? Huh.



I might be projecting, but the very teaser made the ME writer debut clear, because Mr. Bearded and Doomed? Could have stumbled across Angels Investigations at any point. His dialogue made me all misty-eyed because it was so Jossverse-like. (Sloane's "for motives more pecuniary than patriotic" phrase had that same ME ring, btw.)

However, Jeff Bell wasn't hired to write AtS crossovers. And he duly provided what he was hired for - character. Vaughn struggling with his guilt about Lauren came across believably, and I do appreciate the confesson gender flip - Vaughn confessing to Keira not just the actual killing of Lauren, but the fact that he had wanted her dead, and imagined it in so many ways, and that it he knew that despite all Lauren had done, his own actions were wrong. I I've been nitpicking on Vartan in the past, but in this scene he even convinced me that Vaughn had, as he claimed, loved Lauren, something he never managed in season 3. (Nor did the writers want him to, in all fairness.) The fact that he pretended to sleep in the final scene instead of talking with Sydney about Lauren - or about her not so veiled offer to have some h/c sex - is also appreciated. Ongoing issues, here we come. And realistic ones, not fake angst as on certain earlier occasions.

Meanwhile, back in the House of Atreus, LA style: Nadia presenting the photo to Sloane and Jack respectively was very telling. After last episode's showcasing his dark side, this week highlighted Jack's capacity for deep emotion and the strength of his bond with Irina. "Choose to believe" indeed. Mind you, I'm not convinced Jack didn't also do some manipulation on the side by telling Nadia what he did, but that doesn't mean he wasn't sincere. The truth is the best thing to manipulate with, after all. Meanwhile, the fact that so far Sloane has had very little to do this season irks me somewhat but I get compensated a bit by him being intriguingly enigmatic in his few scenes. It's interesting that he obviously has not presented his involvement with Irina as a long-term love affair to Nadia ("short, as you know"), or as something that included them baring their souls to each other ("private person"). Not that I believe it was - definitely not - but he could have made up such a story for Nadia, either in order to gain her affection or manipulate her. After all, Irina is not around anymore to gainsay him. (Or is she, and he knows more than we do?) Yet he didn't. And still the photo clearly affected him somewhat. Hmmm....

Additional thoughts:

- "I don't know any other men who killed the woman they were married to." I think that settles the "did Vaughn kill Irina?" theory. Which I never thought was likely anyway. If she's dead, Jack did it, full stop.

- so the baby in the photo is Irina's niece. Which begs the question whether her mother is Katya or Elena, the third Derevko sister. I recall the theory of last season that Elena was in fact Olivia Reed, which would make the baby Lauren, which would tie with the A-plot of the episode and additionally explain Katya's actions in last season's finale.

Comments

[themoonbar.livejournal.com]

he fact that he pretended to sleep

My impression of that scene is that he actually fell asleep- finally able to sleep after confessing his sins. Or something.

Which is less interesting than your theory, so I might use that instead. ;)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

It's certainly open to interpretation, but that was my own immediate impression.

*still amazed that I actually liked a Vaughn episode*

[thesecondevil]

See, I'm unsure whether to believe what Jack told Nadia because he has such a long history of covering stuff up. I never know whether to believe him anymore but based on your last comment I guess I'll choose to believe. *g*

I do have one major nitpick with the episode though: why was a Scottish woman a member of the IRA?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I suppose Mr. Bell thought it was Celtic solidarity.*g* That, or they wanted an Irish actress but couldn't get one and didn't want to inflict yet another fake Hollywood Irish accent on us...

[thesecondevil]

To be sure, to be sure. *irish jigs*

I like your explanation better as the only reasoning I could come up with was that the casting department figured no-one would notice either the accent or that the character said she was from Glasgow.

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

q>Mr. Bearded and Doomed? Could have stumbled across Angels Investigations at any point. His dialogue made me all misty-eyed because it was so Jossverse-like. (Sloane's "for motives more pecuniary than patriotic" phrase had that same ME ring, btw.)

First: I miss Wesley so badly.
Second: Yes, absolutely-- once you've seen Liberty Village, you'll stumble across more of these instances, beautiful and shiny and making me miss my Shows even more.

I do appreciate the confesson gender flip - Vaughn confessing to Keira not just the actual killing of Lauren, but the fact that he had wanted her dead, and imagined it in so many ways, and that it he knew that despite all Lauren had done, his own actions were wrong.

What we could finally see was that the past and Vaughn's thoughts and emotions have been complicated but true and deep, at least, and this alone pleased me. The writers could have built up to Vaughn being haunted in the previous episodes, of course.

The fact that he pretended to sleep in the final scene instead of talking with Sydney about Lauren - or about her not so veiled offer to have some h/c sex - is also appreciated. Ongoing issues, here we come. And realistic ones, not fake angst as on certain earlier occasions.

Exactly-- this time around, it's *genuine* and just reflects all the baggage that they finally have to claim. Or stumble over if they don't.

The truth is the best thing to manipulate with, after all.

Irina, I daresay, is a master in this regard, but Jack? Not exactly born yesterday, either.

Meanwhile, the fact that so far Sloane has had very little to do this season irks me somewhat but I get compensated a bit by him being intriguingly enigmatic in his few scenes. It's interesting that he obviously has not presented his involvement with Irina as a long-term love affair to Nadia ("short, as you know"), or as something that included them baring their souls to each other ("private person")Not that I believe it was - definitely not - but he could have made up such a story for Nadia, either in order to gain her affection or manipulate her.

With regards to Jack, his actions make perfect sense: Sloane is is honestly invested in building up their friend- or at least partnership again-- for nefarious purposes to be enacted in the future, sure, but so far, we can see and sense that he is quite happy to be back in the old position, with Jack as his trusted (remember, he trusted him at SD-6 even when he was a double agent) second again.

As for Nadia, this is puzzling me too. He makes a considerable effort to re-connect yet doesn't use the powerful spectre of Irina to lure Nadia closer?

If this was a well-plotted, crafty show, I'd say he doesn't need to deceive Nadia because she already knows about the true nature of the tryst with Irina-- along with many other, if not all pieces of the true plot: she *has* voluntary gone with Sloane, after all, and walked off straight into her Rambaldi destiny with him.

Then again, this would, in effect, re-hash the whole Evil!Lauren storyline, so I'm hoping that this assumption isn't correct. As you know, I'm still hoping that *if* they go Dark!Nadia, they'll take their time and go step by step.

And still the photo clearly affected him somewhat. Hmmm....

It all does come back to the fact this is a Family Show of the twisted sort: another daughter, son, sister, brother?

Of course, maybe Jack was truthful and Irina was as well (fat chance) and this was her niece. If it was Elena's child, yes, it would have been Lauren-- Jesus, you can't throw a stone in this show without hitting some Derevko or Bristow offspring!--, but what if it was Katya's?

If she's dead, Jack did it, full stop.

*g* It would have been a complete construct, anyway, artificial and born from some drug-induced fantasies. I'm not saying a good writer couldn't have written it, just that I can't see the old Alias team pull something like that off.