| Alias
Dead Drop
original air-date: 10-20-02
Be Kind, Rewind: Will
got hypnotized and provided the CIA with codes that he saw
on Sark's computer, Sloane received a creepy phone call
from the Bed and Breakfast that he and Emily loved when
she was alive, and Sydney got trapped under the ice in Siberia
after a fight with Sark over the Ramboldi music box.
Opening where Cipher
left off, we see Syd trapped under the ice in Siberia looking
for a way out. Since the water freezes over in four seconds
she has a minor problem on her hands. But, miracle of all
miracles, she finds one of Sark's lackeys dead in the water,
takes a puff of O2 from his tank and then uses his machine
gun to break through the ice.
Amazingly enough, Spy Girl
survives without so much as a minor case of frostbite…
Yes, this is a fantasy show,
and, yes, we must suspend reality sometimes in order to
appreciate the show, but come on. You can't throw the girl
under below freezing water and expect us to believe that
she didn't at least get the chills, can you?
Of course, the writer of this
episode writer (Jesse Alexander, for those of you that are
nerds like me and care about these things) obviously thought
that it was enough to show Syd enjoying a nice hot beverage
in Sloane's office. Would you believe that a cup of Swiss
Miss can cure things like hypothermia?
After that disappointing opening,
the episode picks up a bit with Sydney and Jack butting
heads over whether or not the information that Irina is
providing the CIA with should be trusted.
This episode was really a
chance for Victor Garber to shine. Garber's ability to make
us like Jack, even when he's doing things like setting up
Irina so that she's no longer in his daughter's life, is
just amazing. Jack can be the most fantastic bastard sometimes
and yet there is something in the way that Garber plays
this character that makes you want to believe that he is
truly just looking out for his daughter and has no other
intentions. Even when he does.
It's easy to see why Jack
doesn't trust Derevko; the woman betrayed him in one of
the most heinous ways possible, after all. During the session
with the CIA psychologist Garber makes Jack appear vulnerable
without looking pathetic. Unfortunately, the same cannot
be said about Jennifer Garner's work in this episode.
Last we saw Sydney, she wanted
nothing to do with her mother and now she's crying because
Irina betrayed her? Well, I'm sorry but you should have
seen it coming, Sydney, even if it was all really just a
set up planned by your father.
Garner does not evoke any
sympathy from the viewers. One moment she tells us that
she wants to use her mother to get out of being a spy and
the next she whines about how stupid she was to believe
that her mother actually cared about her. Well, all I can
say to that is "duh".
This was also a "let's feel
bad for Will" episode, which really annoyed some fans, but
actually had the opposite effect on me. I really did feel
bad for Will and it's not because Bradley Cooper has these
"woe-is-me" puppy dog eyes. Will isn't sitting around crying
about how awful his life is. He's interested to know if
he was a help to the CIA and he is truly concerned about
Sydney.
Having Will find out about
SD-6 was probably the best thing that the writers could
have done for this character, because, unlike Francie, he
is no longer just Sydney's in-the-dark-friend, but an important
part of the bigger picture.
The best exchange in this
episode happened when Irina gave Vaughn directions about
how to get a trapped Syd out of a building in Russia. Derevko
asks, "How do you say 'thank you' to the woman who killed
your father?" Mr. Boy Scout has one of his better comebacks
when he tells her "You don't."
Personally, I would like to
see more scenes between these two characters in the future
since they have a screwed up sort of past. Maybe we could
learn more about Vaughn's much talked about father in the
process (a storyline that still needs to be fleshed out
if you ask me).
Overall, this episode isn't
really all that extraordinary; though it does set up some
interesting storylines. "Dead Drop" was just not all that
exciting or memorable, nor was it a shining example of why
this show is one of the better dramas on TV.
Best Line: "You're cute, but
I'll pass" - Sydney to Sark after he offers her a chance
to come and work with him.
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