There’s only one Sydney Bristow August 17, 2006
Posted by jackal in : TV , trackback
Like the Chairman once sang: “It was a very good year”. It’s a bittersweet day indeed for me: I just got through watching the fifth and final season of my favourite TV show ever: that utterly implausible, frequently daft, and hugely entertaining beast that is Alias.
JJ Abrams’ innovative spy series was a whirlwind combination of spectacular action and outlandish plots with frequent twists, revelations and cliffhanger endings. And at the centre of it all: the personal and family conflicts of young, intelligent, and drop dead gorgeous (why not?) CIA agent Sydney Bristow.
Seasons one and two remain THE most fun television I’ve ever seen. Sydney (Jennifer Garner), unwittingly working for bad guy Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin), becomes a double agent for the real CIA, and discovers that not only is her father also an agent, but her mother was a KGB spy. With its season-long story arcs involving 500 year old “Rambaldi” prophecies, weekly exotic missions, action galore, appealing characters and strong cast, nothing matched Alias for sheer entertainment value.
It couldn’t last forever, though, and in season three the show jumped the shark, with an ill-advised shake-up in which Sydney wakes up with amnesia after being missing for two years. The action and stunts were still there, but the show’s central dynamic had been fundamentally altered.
In season four, another shake-up attempted to recapture the show’s original setup and dynamics. It was a bold move that could have worked, but for the lack of a compelling, extended story-arc. Instead, each episode became just a mindless series of covert missions, shootouts and near-misses. Things improved with an epic season finale that brought back key guest stars from previous seasons, but it was too little, too late.
Which brings us to the fifth and final season. The end of the line. I had my doubts as to how it would turn out, not least when Jen Garner’s pregnancy was announced last year. After all, what’s Alias without Syd going on an undercover mission in a figure-hugging disguise? Then ABC, after falling ratings, announced that the season would be cut to 17 episodes, complicating the writers’ plans as they attempted not only to go out with a bang, but also to tie up once and for all the myriad unresolved plotlines and character arcs.
I needn’t have worried; after a bad start, season five caught fire and never looked back. If I may switch into surf-dude mode for a moment, Alias ROCKED again! Plotlines not touched upon in years were reopened and pursued with vigour now that the end was in sight; familiar old characters, long forgotten, returned for one last appearance; halfway through the season, Jen got her figure back and started kicking ass again; but most importantly, the Rambaldi storyline that had driven the show since day one was finally and ultimately resolved in the series finale.
Alias’ success was due to many things: the inventiveness of creator JJ Abrams, the quality of writing, and the cast. The contribution of Jennifer Garner can’t be overstated - one of the brightest new stars of recent years, 
Alias caught her on the rise. Garner’s genuine, believable performance as Sydney gave the show the emotional core it needed to anchor the far-fetched plots, and also won her a Golden Globe for Best Actress. Garner’s natural beauty and physical fitness also made her perfect for a role in which eye-catching outfits and demanding stunt work were the norm. Equally as impressive were the supporting cast, in particular Ron Rifkin - superb as the tormented, Rambaldi-obsessed villain, Arvin Sloane - and Victor Garber, who to my mind never got the credit he deserved for his role as Jack Bristow, Sydney’s father. Garber took a cold and frequently ruthless character and made him human.
I’m tremendously sad to see the end of Alias, but also damn proud that my favourite TV show went out the way it started IMO: at the top of its game. How many other shows ever recovered their top form after jumping the shark? Exactly. There’s only one Sydney Bristow.
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