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On TV Today's Date:

Alias
Prelude
original air-date: 11-09-03

Be Kind. Rewind: Allison resurfaced in the previous episode and, curiously, she is neither seen nor mentioned this week.

It's amazing the way network television works. After suffering through a string of mediocre episodes for the past six weeks, loyal fans finally get a standout hour and what does ABC do? Forces us to wait two weeks to find out what happens next so they can air a lame music awards show in an attempt for ratings gold. The world is not a fair place, fanboys and girls, so we will have to take what we can get. Lucky for us, what we got this week was the best episode of our beloved spy drama so far this season.

The creepy beginning was not only great foreshadowing, it was one of the coolest, scariest sequences this show has ever had. The flashes, the blood and the tubing Spy girl pulled out of that gash all added up to a scene that not only left Sydney gasping for breath, but one that is sure to haunt the dreams of Alias fans.

With the Covenant intent on using Sloane to get their hands on a weapon that can fry a person's insides from space, Syd gets forced into going with Arvin on a mission to some uppity social function in China. Watching Syd roll her eyes and turn her nose up in disgust when Arvin asked her to dance was priceless. As usual, Ron Rifkin made Sloane such a terrific bastard in these scenes that whether you love him or hate him, you can't help having fun watching him torture and annoy Sydney with his niceties.

Thankfully, Marshall was used sparingly this week. His scenes were brief yet amusing, allowing Kevin Weissman screen time without seeming like a needless attempt at comic relief. Also, his little destructo-Matchbox car was hands down the neatest spy-gadget yet and proved that all those hours young people spend playing video games really can pay off in the long run.

Jack Bristow was the man of the hour with his fantastically extreme attempts at keeping Lauren from learning the truth about Lazarey's murder. Having Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn taken hostage while he kills the man who could expose the truth about Sydney was just business as usual for Jack and I'd be willing to bet that he told that rebel to smack Vaughn around a bit just for some added fun. Victor Garber is always a joy to watch and his comment about moral compromises to an enraged Vaughn was the best line in the entire episode.

Speaking of Boy Scout, Michael Vartan really stepped up in this episode. Instead of looking like a lost little puppy, Vartan displayed a full range of emotions, often with just a look, making the usually flat Vaughn appear multidimensional. The anger he exhibits in his scenes with Jack is actually believable and well done. If playing off Mr. Garber can have this effect on Vartan, I say give them a scene or two together every week, because this performance was impressive and proved that Vaughn can be so much more than mere eye candy for female viewers.

Amazingly enough, the only semi-mushy scene between Sydney and Vaughn was actually well placed and not just some lame excuse for the two of them to stare longingly into each other's eyes. Of course, it did hint that Vaughn may still be in love with his former flame, but that's not exactly an earth-shattering revelation. Besides, the obvious love and affection that Vaughn displayed for his wife in this episode, coupled with the fact that he's already in the dog house with her, will most likely keep the golden boy from acting on these feelings for Spy Girl any time soon.

Those wondering why Lauren isn't a field rated agent got their answer while watching "Prelude." You'd think that someone who works in intelligence would be a tad cleverer than Mrs. Vaughn was in this episode. You don't have to be a spy to realize that seeing a piece of your engine just sitting there disconnected probably means that danger is lurking close by. Of course, it might have been the writers' intention to make her look helpless and inept, in which case they did a very good job.

All in all, this episode was wonderful. It was scary, funny, emotional and ended with the first genuine cliffhanger of the season. Everything just gelled this week. The directing, the dialogue, and the acting all came together to make this the best hour of Alias we've seen in a long time. Because of all this, I'm willing to overlook them throwing the sais into the fight scene for no good reason at all.


Rebecca Sparling

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