Alias 5.07

[selenak]

Today is Serenity day in Germany, finally. I'll see it late tonight with thalia_seawood.

Meanwhile, I saw Alias 5.07, a week late as usual, and hence am already in squee mode.



NADIA!!!! I mean, I knew they wouldn't let her be awake and cured for long, this was an obvious ploy to play ping pong with Sloane's heart and demonstrate to him that Unnamed Bad Guys actually do have something to offer in regards to help for Nadia, but still. She woke up, and she spoke, and her father was with her those precious few moments.

Gordon Dean was killed sooner than I expected, but that's good. I like the prospect of Peyton as the year-long-opponent. Especially since they don't burden Amy with the hideous amount of mascara poor Lauren had to wear to demonstrate she was evil (tm). Also, Dean, even LSD torture is not an excuse for being so stupid to assume Arvin Sloane is entering the room to HELP you. Even if they hadn't blackmailed him, remember that fish and hook speech? You were so dead from that point onwards.

Sloane telling Jack the moment he has no hope for Nadia and giving in (for now) the moment there is hope again makes sense. Also, I think we just heard the way this season will end as far as my darling Arvin is concerned. Because this is the last season, and hence they can kill him off. When he tells Sydney that if he couldn't save his daughter, he at least hopes he'll be able to save Sydney's? That's what's going to happen. There will be one more point where we think Nadia finally makes, where he thinks he has found the whatever was used to bring her out of the zombie state for short, but it won't work, or if it does, Sloane won't find out it did and will die believing Nadia is doomed. He will, however, be able to save the SpyBaby from whatever danger awaits, die in the process, and much like Sloane shooting Nadia was the emotional climax of the season 4 finale, that will be the emotional climax of the season 5 finale. Sydney starts the show wanting to see Sloane dead after the pilot. Come season 2, she for the first time believes he is, and it doesn't give her peace, it makes her feel lousy, until she discovers Sark's ploy. Come season 3, she again thinks he's dead, and again there is no resolution, and she hates the way he seemingly died. Come season 4, end of same, she moved to the stage where she doesn't want him dead anymore and shows him kindness for the first time because of what they shared with Nadia. Season 5, the end? She'll be fine with him dead, but not for the reason a younger Sydney once has assumed she would be.

In other news, Jack said "Arvin" a couple of times. That always makes me happy.

And: bad guys in every secret service, including the CIA. By all means. It might be what makes Sydney et al. finally quit by the end of the season, because it's not the Alliance repeated - the Alliance offered the convenient idea they were just posing as the CIA etc. This would be the genuine rotten apple.

Sydney and Jack at the end: I saw that coming, but it was very cute nonetheless. And you just know Irina did all the building way back when. Because she's practical that way.

Comments

[bimo.livejournal.com]

Today is Serenity day in Germany, finally. I'll see it late tonight with thalia_seawood.

Have fun and let the LJ community know how you liked it!
(I'm still a bit undecided whether I really want to see it or if I'd rather want to keep my impressions of Firefly exactly as they were)

But now it's really back to bed for me. I've been nothing but sneezing and coughing the whole day...

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

Re. Serenity: Shall we meet at the CINEMA at 10 pm?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Deal!

[kathyh]

Enjoy Serenity! And I hope you managed to remain unspoiled though it will have been a Herculean feat after this length of time. I'm looking forward to reading what you thought of it.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I was spoiled for one thing, due to someone's title for their fanfic, but not for the rest. And am glad! (See lj entry.)

[merrymaia.livejournal.com]

Today is Serenity day in Germany, finally. I'll see it late tonight

Hurray!!! We finally get to hear what you think of it!!!!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Go ahead, have a look.*g*

[gelliaclodiana]

Sydney starts the show wanting to see Sloane dead after the pilot. Come season 2, she for the first time believes he is, and it doesn't give her peace, it makes her feel lousy, until she discovers Sark's ploy. Come season 3, she again thinks he's dead, and again there is no resolution, and she hates the way he seemingly died. Come season 4, end of same, she moved to the stage where she doesn't want him dead anymore and shows him kindness for the first time because of what they shared with Nadia. Season 5, the end? She'll be fine with him dead, but not for the reason a younger Sydney once has assumed she would be.

Although I feel sorrow whenever a character I like dies, I think you may not be wrong about this, and I would be as happy as is possible with this kind of character development -- to see Sydney able to mourn honestly for Sloane would be a wonderful thing, not just in terms of his character arc but also for her own. (It would also be interesting if Arvin's death were to be the thing that releases her from the need to live as a spy -- if indeed she still wants release from that life, which I'm not wholly sure of.)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure Sydney still wants - or can - return to civilian life, either, but if they indeed choose to present the CIA itself as corrupt this season, she can't continue there, and she can't lead her mother's life as an independent contractor (read: Evil Overlady), either. Come to think of it, given that she'll have a baby to care for, the only spy mission she could take the next two years would be the one her mother had - spy undercover on one's husband - in terms of sheer practicality.

So, given that the show is nearing its end, they could indeed go for the option of letting Sydney leave the spy life behind at the end, and Sloane's death could be a catalyzing event, yes.

In terms of her own arc: for the longest time, I didn't think so, but then last season she had the "I will never forgive you" scene with him in Detente, and I suddenly had the inkling of a suspicion that this might be something of her last challenge. (Plus, when Sydney tells a middle-aged ambiguous gentleman who could her father these words? I'm just saying the show set a precedent there.) By the end of season 4, she certainly had reached the point where she didn't hate him anymore, which is already very much, given their backstory. (And the fact Sydney, like her father, isn't really good at the forgiving business.) And I think if he saved her child it could be the final push.

[pjferret.livejournal.com]

(Allison here. *waves*)

Just a quick drive-by, as the family has started to arrive and now I must go out and be all sociable, but I wanted to pop in and say hi. :)

I adored the end of that episode. I always like to see Syd and her father acting like family rather than co-workers, and watching them struggle to build that crib was adorable!

Sadly, I just heard the bad news that this is going to be the last season of the show. No one's saying why, but I suspect Jennifer Garner isn't going to renew her contract now that she's got the baby coming. So sad.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

That, and I also think five seasons, much like seven, is one of those watermarks where the network and writers have to decide whether they want to continue. Though I'll miss the show, I can see it drawing to a natural close, too - Sydney started out as nearly completely cut off emotionally from her father and believing her mother to be dead, and with a vendetta against Sloane, and as the young daughter figure. By now, she has made her peace with her mother and father, she will have a child of her own, and she might even make her peace with Sloane.

Mind you, the other characters have of course stories yet to be told, but who knows, maybe there'll be a spin-off?

[pjferret.livejournal.com]

When the season started, I wondered if maybe they were grooming Rachel to take Sydney's place in case Jen left the show. But I guess they decided instead to end it with her exit. Maybe they'll spin her off if she seems popular enough, but considering how her last leading role venture did (The Inside, which was on cable here over the summer and tanked), probably not.

I'll miss the gang, though. But maybe it was time. They had sort of gotten away from the original point of the show - Sydney being a double agent.

[leia-naberrie.livejournal.com]

Yah!

Now that they're finally airing Alias episodes in my region, I can go back and read your reviews.

I like the prospect of Peyton as the year-long-opponent. Especially since they don't burden Amy with the hideous amount of mascara poor Lauren had to wear to demonstrate she was evil (tm).

Good call. *laughs*

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Well, it's true. *g* And Amy was really excellent as Peyton.