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The Age (Melbourne)
July 24, 2003
Move Over, Angels. Sydney Bristow's Back
by Debi Enker
Alias (season premiere) MONDAY, CHANNEL SEVEN, 8.30PM
In case you missed the first season of Alias, or its cliff-hanger finale, here's what you need to know about the story so far. Glamorous and extremely athletic double-agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner), who works for the CIA and is secretly trying to bring down the nefarious SD-6 espionage organisation, ended up in a bit of pickle.
She had disarmed a wild-looking device that she stumbled upon beneath the dance floor of a club in Taipei. But she had to run for her life to avoid being captured by Alexander Khasinau (Derrick O'Connor), an assassin who works for a shadowy figure known as The Man. On that dash to freedom, she outpaced her rather dishy CIA handler, Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan), who might well have drowned when the corridor he was running through was flooded.
Syd's father, Jack (Victor Garber), who is also a double agent and who permanently wears the expression of someone who's smelled something distasteful, and her best pal, wide-eyed journalist Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper), who's only recently learned of her double life, are anxiously waiting for her to reach safety.
The first season ended with a final, disbelieving word uttered by Syd as The Man's identity was revealed: "Mom?" Yes, The Man is A Woman, and none other than Syd's long-presumed-dead double agent of a mother, Irina/Laura (Lena Olin). Which demonstrates yet again that the Bristows are a seriously messed-up family and that being a double agent is not conducive to a well-balanced life.
The second season kicks off with "The Enemy Walks In": time to meet mummy. Meanwhile, Syd's SD-6 partner, the stalwart Dixon (Carl Lumbly), is about to reveal his suspicions about Syd to her rodent-like SD-6 boss, Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin).
Confused? Overloaded with information? Unsure of who's who? Or where allegiances truly lie? Don't worry. All you really need to understand to know and love Alias is that, in every episode, Garner gets to wear at least one wild wig and a cool, curve-hugging costume that displays her fab figure. She will fly off to somewhere in the world to find, steal, photograph or destroy something that's supposed to be very valuable and she'll escape capture by the skin of her perfect white teeth. (You think that Charlie's Angels can run fast and kick butt in high heels? Hah! Syd has no trouble sprinting her way to safety in stilettos, a blue wig, a rubber dress and a spiky choker round her neck.) Meanwhile, she's trying to sort out her strange relationship with her dad, conceal her real job from her pals, and find a way, in this crazy mixed-up world, to get together with Vaughn. Like James Bond, Syd gets around a lot, deploys an arsenal of gadgets to get her job done, and always outruns the baddies. Unlike him, she has a personal life and it's a mess.
Now you're ready for season two. Run, Sydney, run.
© The Age Company Limited
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