Techtite's TV reviews!

The Show: Not many male TV critics review Alias, I've noticed. Often cynically (and complimentarily) referred to as "The Spy Show From The Folks Who Brought You Felicity," this is an action/drama like no other. Granted, it has the typically unlikely action scenes, where you must shrug off the heroine's ability to beat up a man twice her size, not unlike how you shrug off Batman never being shot. Could such a show be worthy of your Sunday nights? Of course! However, could this action/drama topple The West Wing or The Sopranos as 'Best Drama'...? Not as long as the lead star wears bright red wigs as her "spy disguise," no. However, as an action series, it's one whale of a ride.

Here's a short run-down of the plot, which began around the time college grad student Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) told her fiancée about her secret spy life with the CIA. While this would be a security breach as it is --even if she did work for the CIA-- she is in fact working for a nefarious, faux-CIA called SD-6...who quickly have her fiancée killed. Learning she is working for the very people she thought she was working against, she decides to approach the real CIA for help. Sydney is now a double-agent, assisting the CIA in toppling SD-6, one mission at a time. Aiding her is their senior double-agent within SD-6; Sydney's own father, who as it turns out, she barely knew at all!

Yes, this is a gripping premise; especially when coming from the same TV team that created Felicity! Who'd think such a gripping action show would've come from the guys who gave us Keri Russel's trademark hair perkily bobbing its way through college life? Sure, there are the occasional signs of Felicity flights of fantasy here and there, like when Sydney "hides" behind a bright red wig, a bright blue wig, or some other disguise that would seem to attract attention, not avoid it. However, It's not like I ever asked how James Bond is given the one, single piece of spy gadgetry each mission, which allows him to escape that particular trap for that film. This show's leaps of faith are similar, and all in good fun (I think), so as long as I'm not supposed to take any of this too seriously, I'm happy.

Mind you, this whole show would've tanked if the lead wasn't well chosen. Jennifer Garner is from the rare Hollywood school of beauty otherwise known as Your Girlfriend's Best Friend. She's the girl your wife/spouse/lover loves to death and wants you to love to death too, because, truth be told, she feels totally unthreatened by her. She may not be one of the stars of Baywatch, though that's what women love her for. Don't get me wrong; she's hardly uneasy on the eyes, though on the other hand, she isn't a buxom blonde bombshell either...and for millions of female fans of this show, that's a good thing. Don't argue. One bra size larger and Alias' entire female demographic would be nonexistent. Those who see this as if I'm insulting her aren't reading clearly enough; in truth, Garner was perfectly chosen for the role.

If only other parts were as well cast. Yes, girls, while you think he's just cutie-cute-cute, I'm talking about Agent Vaughn. However, I have nothing against the actor who plays him; my "ish" is with the miscast role he plays, as Sydney's "handler." Don't even get me started on how Sydney lost her beloved fiancée less than one year before giving this guy the googly-eyes. The truth is, the CIA would hardly choose a "handler" that would be a mere 4 years older than Sydney herself. Much like Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, her handler would be a much-older mentor to Sydney, not a love interest. After all, he works for the Central Intelligence Agency, not the Ford Modeling Agency!

Yet this is "The Spy Show From The Folks Who Brought You Felicity," so Agent Vaughn (Michael Vartan) is a total cutie pie --and a mere 4 years Sydney's senior-- dragging a spy love interest into the show, kicking and screaming. Each episode has the latest flirtatious tête-à-tête with Sydney and Vaughn and oh gee do you think they'll kiss, and oh gee, am I supposed to care? What's even more gag-inducing: none of Vaughn's CIA experience can compare to the indomitable Sydney Bristow, who performs each mission with precision, while Vaughn follows her like a little lost puppy. Oh, should I add a paragraph to explain why the teenage female demographic LOVES this show? No, that would waste time. Let's just move on...

Of course, even a minor storyline error can be forgiven, if there's witty dialog to help you forget all that. That said; Buffy the Vampire Slayer-style retorts are rampant, like Sydney's "Write this down. E. M. E. T. I. B. Got it? Now, read it backwards." This is Alias at its best; an amusing cross between the first (best) season of Buffy and the first (best) James Bond years. Yet such blurbs would fall flat, if not for such a strong supporting cast, including Victor Garber as her father Jack, Ron Rifkin as her seedy SD-6 "boss," Carl Lumbly as her SD-6 partner, Agent Dixon (who much like Sydney once did, still thinks he works for the "real" CIA), and yes, Michael Vartan as well. It's times like this when the show succeeds, by remembering what it is; a strikingly well done spy action thriller, with witty action-movie retorts at every turn.

Now that this series has taken flight --even if the cruising altitude is not as high as some fans would've hoped-- this show is now offered on DVD. In the process, I've had to divide my review comments, into alternate seasons; this being all you need to know about Season One. See you later for my thoughts on Season Two (soon to be on DVD)...after you read about this DVD's bonus material, of course:

The DVD: So, you probably want to know about the "deleted scenes" first, right? There are six offered here, which is surprising given how most TV shows are rarely filmed overtime; if anything, they're filmed under-time, to make way for more commercials. The real question here is: are the deletions worth seeing...?

The answer to that question is: Well, sort of. The six deletions aren't bad really; they're just so simple, they're easily described by just the titles that they're given on the discs: "Christopher Threatens Sloane," "Discussing Sydney," "Drowning His Sorrows," "A New Look," and "Shipping Of Kelvin." Let me just jump ahead to my favorite deleted scene: "Remembering Danny," who in case you need a refresher course happens to have been Sydney's fiancée, killed in the pilot episode. No, I don't think Sydney mourned his loss half as much as she should have. Yes, I think this deleted scene should not have been deleted. However, yes; all other deletions are self-explanatory from the above titles given.

On to the other extras. Given how everything "extra" is offered on disc six, you'd think there would be more offered in the way of documentaries and so forth. The "Pilot production Diary," for example, clocks in at just around 19 minutes. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the barrage of one-hour documentaries on DVD sets elsewhere, though 19 minutes is pretty short, right? There's a separate video clip about the stunts done for the series, though that doesn't help my "not enough behind-the-scenes stuff" gripe. It just seems like this disc is a bunch of archival footage scrounged together, instead of footage specially made for the DVD set. Yes, this includes around half a dozen TV commercial spots, which may not matter now though in 20 years when you're telling your kids about the "good ol' days" of TV, you'll love them. Trust me.

There's also a gag reel, which isn't really funny as much as it shows how much fun Jennifer is clearly having playing this role. Much like Julia Roberts, her "beauty" is mostly due to her personality, and her ability to laugh at herself. That's perhaps the biggest difference between a Hollywood diva and someone like Garner; they don't take their job too seriously. That's an important rule of acting, if you ask me.

More extras...though mostly just filler. This includes a preview of season two which doesn't mean much because as of the release of this DVD they're about to begin season three, so what's the deal with a "sneak peek" at season two...? Apparently, they want you to know that season two on DVD is a sure deal; check. There is also --and most enjoyable to this game fan-- a sneak peek at the video game based on the series.

I could go on to other extras I see on the box yet haven't had the time to check out yet --Marshall Finkman's gadget gallery in particular, plus auditions and the typical DVD-ROM web-related features-- though the power of this DVD is inevitably its fans, and their need to have this series preserved on DVD. That said; such people probably already bought this DVD, if not pre-ordered it, weeks ago. So forgive me if I feel the need to move on to the Season Two review, which as of this review's posting, is less likely for people to have bought yet, and therefore, far more worth a "Techtite review." See you there.

	Final Rating : Large Crater. Leave your sense of reality at the door, and you can have one whale of a good time watching this latest high-tech spy series.
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Techtite's TV Reviews!

Alias (Season One)

A Review by Techtite