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The Boston Herald
May 4, 2003
Agent may finally find truth as intriguing 'Alias' wraps up
by Amy Amatangelo
Most "Alias" fans probably still are recovering from the shocking episode that followed the Super Bowl in January. In one thrilling hour, the show blew up its entire premise and restarted the series.
Will tonight's two-hour finale (starting at 9 on WCVB, Ch. 5) do the same? ABC refused to make a preview tape available, but we can speculate.
Consider:
Sexy special agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) was a CIA double agent trying to take down the nefarious SD-6, a rogue agency purporting to be a legitimate faction of the CIA. Her whole life was a lie.
But a funny thing happened on the way to becoming a critically acclaimed cult favorite. Halfway through the second season, series creator J.J. Abrams had written himself into a corner.
How many times could SD-6 overlook Sydney's many absences? How many times could Sydney and her CIA handler, Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan), look longingly at each other and not kiss? How many times could best friend Francie (Merrin Dungey) talk about opening her restaurant and not be part of the main story line?
So in short order, Sydney told her SD-6 partner, Dixon (Carl Lumbly), the truth; SD-6 and its entire alliance were obliterated; and Sydney and Vaughn had the kiss of the television season. In the final jaw-dropping scene, Francie was shown with a bullet in her head. Her evil doppelganger survived.
"Alias" remains the perfect fusion of an outrageous fantasy world of undercover agents, crazy costumes (the better to show off Garner's well-toned body) and wicked government plans, mixed with the real emotions of friendship, romance and family. Garner's great gift is that she's the kind of gal both men and women adore. She can defeat an enemy with a swift kick, discover a horrifying secret about her father, flawlessly speak yet another language, comfort a friend and never seem false.
Perhaps the smartest thing the show did was to allow Sydney and Vaughn to have a happy relationship all this time (three months is a television eternity) and not invent another reason to keep them apart. (The onscreen chemistry between Garner and Vartan is so tangible, it has sparked rumors that their relationship exists offscreen.)
But this type of happiness can't last. Surely a reason (or a person?) will materialize in the season finale to keep the sizzling duo apart.
What the revamped premise surprisingly failed to do is give more of a story line to Sydney's friend-turned-CIA researcher, Will (Bradley Cooper), and faux Francie. Dungey, who deserves much praise for switching gears, has had some great scenes, but she and Cooper are still missing from entire episodes.
That should change in tonight's finale. In the first hour, "Second Double," Will is accused of treason. The second hour, "The Telling," written and directed by Abrams, has Sydney confronting her mother, former KGB agent Irina Derevko (Lena Olin), and finally learning the "truth."
Abrams proved last season that he knows how to write a good cliffhanger. There's little doubt that tonight's finale will answer lingering questions (Who is faux Francie?) and offer more well-placed bombshells. But Abrams should remember that he already has used his "get out of jail free" card.
There are only so many restarts a show and its heroine can handle.
© The Boston Herald 2003
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