Alias Season 5 – Not the greatest season in the Alias series, but still fun!

I remembered watching the final season of Alias and not even making it up to the second half of the season. What happened? I use to revere this show, watch it every Sunday, and not dare miss an episode. Maybe it was a busy year; maybe I had other priorities, but really the hype that was there before, faded. So I watched it again on DVD, feeling a little guilt after all those years of dedication to the show, I thought to myself I should at least finish it.

And surprisingly it turned out to be a good season, despite what I’ve heard or read about from reviews. It wasn’t as great as the first, but I will always say that the first season was the best season.

The 5th season centers on the mysterious organization known as Prophet Five. Like other seasons, the show focuses on (protagonist) Sydney Bristow’s work as a CIA agent mingling with her personal life, and trying to rid yet another of the world’s dangerous terrorist organizations. The show also banks on the various alias and disguises Sydney undergoes as a secret agent while on various missions all around the world.

My initial thinking was that it was much better to watch all the episodes in the season continuously without the week long gap of waiting when it aired on primetime television. The show makes a lot more sense that way since there is a lot of exposition to follow. If you miss an episode then you’ll be totally lost. The pacing is very fast especially when they’re explaining things in the story to get things in motion more quickly; it’s great to have the rewind button in these parts. It wasn’t overly confusing, but you do have to paid attention or you’ll miss vital information. I thought that the story wasn’t really original from the other seasons, but at the same time it sets up as a decent final goodbye after 5 years.





Cast/Characters:


Jennifer Garner – Sydney Bristow – Main protagonist of the series, she is a double agent working for the CIA.

Victor Garber – Jack Bristow – Sydney’s father, who at the beginning is always at odds with his daughter. He also works as a double agent for the CIA.

Michael Vartan – Michael Vaughn – Sydney’s love and contact through her various missions. At the end of season 4 he drops the bomb on her, when he tells her. “My name is not Michael Vaughn.”

Carl Lumbly - Marcus Dixon – He is Sydney’s friend and confident since her beginning years as an agent. He is also a double agent and goes on various missions with them.

Kevin Weisman - Marshall Flinkman – The geeky tech wizard that creates all of the gadgets used to infiltrate on missions.

Ron Rifkin - Arvin Sloan – Once leader of a criminal organization known as SD-6, he has supposedly renounce his evil ways and collaborates with the CIA.

Mia Maestro - Nadia Santos – She is Sydney’s half sister and Arvin Sloan’s daughter. She is also a secret agent, but has been in a coma since season 4.

Amy Acker – Kelly Peyton – A new villain introduced in the series, who works for the Prophet Five. She is shown as ruthless, with no remorse for her actions.

Balthazar Getty – Thomas Grace – A new recruit with a shady past. He is the new muscle in replace with the now pregnant Sydney.

Rachel Nichols – Rachel Gibson – A new recruit for the CIA. She was tricked into working for Prophet Five, but has learned the true nature of her former bosses. She is the mirror image of Sydney, who was also tricked into working for SD-6 at the beginning of the series.


The Story:

It starts where season 4 left off. Sydney and Vaughn had just been through a head on collision, purposefully by another car. They however survived, much to the dismay of those who want to kill them. In the mist of things we are introduced to a new group called Prophet Five. Not knowing what their main goal is, they operate by terrorizing, extorting, and secretly infiltrating government agencies all around the world.

The center plot of the season like the rest of the series involves Milo Rambaldi. If Rambaldi doesn’t ring a bell to you, it’s an ongoing plot since the first season, about a Da Vinci like 1500s character named Milo Rambaldi who was ahead of his time, creating technological advances. All of the major storylines are somehow connected with solving the Rambaldi mystery and ultimately gaining power, whatever power that may be. It is the prime focus of the series. This sort of plot put Alias in a unique sci-fi /spy genre, unlike any other.

Though Sydney Bristow is the main character of the series, this season it does not focus on her as much as the others. That’s because Sydney becomes pregnant with Vaughn’s child, due to actress Jennifer Garner’s real life pregnancy. The writers have decided to write it into the show. It’s common for that to happen on television series, but it can become a good thing for the show or it can make the show fall flat if not done properly. It also gives the typical butt-kicking Sydney very limited things to do. Fortunately it does a surprisingly good job incorporating the pregnancy into the overall story. In fact it gives a realistic personal resolution to Sydney’s never ending fight against evil organizations like Prophet Five. She does it so that the world will be safe for her unborn child.

Many characters from previous episodes return for the final season. Fans like me will relish seeing them again one last time. There are also some new characters introduced though not as developed since they had such a limited time doing it. The characters all get their wrap up with their respective storylines. Many people may not be delighted to see many of their favorite character’s end, though fans would know by now the show is full of surprises and shockers in store. Every episode ends with a dramatic cliffhanger that sucks you in, because you can’t bear to not find out what happens next. It’s that addicting.



17 Episodes in Total:

-Prophet Five
-Գ…
-The Shed
-Mockingbird
-Out of the Box
-Solo
-Fait Accompli
-Bob
-The Horizon
-S.O.S
-Maternal Instinct
-There’s Only One Sydney Bristow
-30 Seconds
-I See Dead People
-No Hard Feelings
-Reprisal
-All the Time in the World



Special Features:

Celebrating 100 - Making the 100th Episode

The Legend of Rambaldi – Parody documentary on the history of Milo Rambaldi/ and creating the Rambaldi story.

Heightening the Drama: The Music of Alias – A look at creating the music for Alias

The New Recruit: On set with Rachel Nichols

The Bloopers of Alias

Commentary on selected episodes