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HOME...REVIEWS...TV
Alias
Season Two Recap
By Malin Huffman
9.28.2003
Just in time for the third season, here's your rundown on the Alias
universe in Season Two -- what happened, who survived, and the mess they
have to get themselves out of in Season Three.
Season Two focused largely on the family dynamic between Sydney, Jack, and
Irina. Was Irina genuine in trying to repent for her actions and restore
relations with her family? (Yes... and no.) Could Sydney overcome her
abandonment, and Jack her betrayal? (Again, yes... and no.) This led to
some intense personal stories and tight continuity, but in the bigger
picture, they could only pull the "Sydney sends the CIA the real data and
fakes SD-6 out without anyone suspecting" plot so many times, and so...
Season Two pulled not one, but two massive plot turns. The first, halfway
through the season, eliminated the status quo of Sydney Bristow as a
double agent. They accomplished this by eliminating SD-6, the
phony-branch-of-the-CIA/actually-branch-of-the-terrorist-Alliance. The main
characters, after debriefing, moved over to the real CIA, where they
focused on hunting down Sloane and Sark and continued to investigate the
Rambaldi artifacts.
The second twist came at the very end of the season, where Sydney woke up
(with a scar on her abdomen) in Hong Kong, apparently after two years of
which she had no memories. To make things more confusing, Vaughn was
apparently now married, and not to her...
"Smaller" twists during the season included Irina's ambiguous agenda and
loyalties, Sloane faking his wife's death to join and then set up the
Alliance, Francie's murder and replacement by an evil double, Will joining
the CIA as an analyst and being set up by the Evil Francie, and the
continuing quest for the Rambaldi artifacts and the mystery of the
Rambaldi prophecy.
Character Snapshots
Sydney Bristow:
Sydney probably changed the least of anyone in Season Two. She began to
trust her mother, Irina, again, (thought that trust would ultimately be
betrayed.) She helped take down SD-6 and the Alliance once and for all, and
apparently killed Evil Francie. However, following that fight, she blacked
out and woke up in Hong Kong two years later, with no memories of the time
in between, during which she was presumed dead.
Jack Bristow:
Despite his distrust of her, Jack and Irina had a romantic liaison while on
a field mission. After Irina escaped custody, Jack temporarily assumed
control of operations at the CIA to hunt her down. Sloane attempted to
convince him to partner with him again, to pursue the Rambaldi artifacts,
but Jack refused.
Michael Vaughn:
Vaughn's exposure to the liquid from the giant Rambaldi device caused him to
contract a fatal disease. Fortunately, a counteragent was recovered in time.
His relationship with Sydney deepened. The CIA suspected he was a spy due
to suspicious behavior, but it turned out he was just investigating Irina
in secret. After Sydney woke up in Hong Kong, he was sent to meet her,
however, he revealed that he had gotten married in the two years she was
missing....
Marcus Dixon:
Dixon reluctantly helped Sydney take down SD-6, but harbored resentment
towards her for not telling him the truth sooner. After debriefing by the
real CIA, he eventually returned to active duty, only to have his wife
murdered after accidentally shooting Sloane's wife, Emily, while trying to
prevent his escape. Depressed, Dixon acted recklessly and contemplated
suicide, but ultimately returned to his reliable state.
Marshall Flinkman:
Along with providing gadgetry and comic relief, Marshall got to go on his
first field mission for SD-6; unfortunately, things went awry and he was
captured and tortured. After the fall of SD-6, he was debriefed and joined
the operations team for the CIA. A young female agent, Kerry Bowman,
appeared to be a possible love interest.
Will Tippen:
After learning the truth about Sydney and SD-6 and being tortured, Will was
debriefed by the CIA and was forced to discredit himself publicly. He
drifted for a while but Vaughn eventually arranged for him to actually
work for the CIA as an analyst. He became involved with Evil Francie, who
set him up to appear to be a leak at the CIA. He was eventually cleared,
but was badly injured by Evil Francie shortly before her final fight with
Sydney.
Francie Califo:
After such mundane plots as opening her own restaurant and kissing Will,
Francie was killed and replaced by an evil double. Evil Francie spied on
Sydney, provided intelligence to Sark and Sloane, and framed Will as being
the spy. Evil Francie was revealed to have been Sark's lover prior to the
genetic therapy that made her resemble Francie. She was apparently killed
in a final fight with Sydney.
Eric Weiss:
After recovering from injuries early in the season, Weiss returned more
perky and jovial than ever. He continued to inject comic relief and act as
a confidant for Vaughn and Sydney.
Arvin Sloane:
Sloane faked the death of his wife, Emily, and set up the fall of the
Alliance, to allow him to pursue his true agenda unhindered, the quest
for the secret of the Rambaldi artifacts (which he had apparently been
pursuing for 30 years.) He continued to cross paths with Sydney and the
CIA, and formed a new alliance with Irina.
Irina Derevko:
After being revealed as the unseen big bad from season one,"The Man," Irina
(AKA Laura Bristow) revealed to Sydney that she was still alive and let her
escape from her custody. She then turned herself in to the CIA, apparently
to atone for her crimes. Despite intense distrust from both Sydney and Jack,
she eventually won them over and was even allowed to go on a field mission
with them. However, in the end she escaped from custody and revealed her
actions as a set up. She joined forces with Sloane and Sark.
Sark:
Sark continued to serve mainly as a second tier villain and errand boy for
Sloane or Irina. Ended the season in CIA custody, having given up Sloane's
location.
Got all that? Good. I'll see you at 9 pm on ABC for the season premiere.
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