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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Alias?

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01:17 / 22.04.02

Is anybody else watching this? Its a great show! It has everything that makes a spy show great; hot chicks, nifty gadgets, and cliffhanger endings.

If you're not watching, why not?

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

03:23 / 22.04.02

I watch it...and I can't say why I like it other than it feels like a comic book.

Nothing too deep here, just action and melodrama to the highest degree, and very well done melodrama.

07:21 / 22.04.02

Nothing too deep here, just action and melodrama to the highest degree, and very well done melodrama.

[cough]24[/cough]

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

13:08 / 22.04.02

24 is a show I wasn't able to watch the first 5 or so episodes of, so I'll catch it in re-runs on cable when they start from the beginning.

I think the problem with a lot of the new serialized approach to TV shows is that if you miss an episode, it's hard ot figure out hat is going on for a while...and the re-runs on network are generally spread between new episodes, so it's hard to get into them until they are stripped in syndication or cable.

18:00 / 22.04.02

If you're not watching, why not?

Because it's on at the same time as "The X-Files". I suppose I could tape it and watch it later, but he show doesn't interest me all that much. Also, the actress really rubs me the wrong way somehow. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I somehow keep thinking she was the 6th member of "Party of Five", which is not a good thing. I also think she'd make a horrible Elektra, but that's just because I think she suck at anything that wasn't, say, "Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion". I know, "I'm a cruel bastard", blah, blah, blah....

16:38 / 23.04.02

my girlfriend and my roommate both love it, so needless to say I've seen every episode whether I wanted to or not.

I find this show odd. On one hand, the ideas are juvenile, never thought through, and so much of it is impossible, contradictory, or just hugely depends on coincidence. On the other hand, it's flawed ideas are executed absolutely flawlessly. I always enjoy it, even though I have to waste tons of breath saying "But if Rimbauldi knew that, then why...." and such.

16:58 / 23.04.02

I like to think of it as a live-action comic book. No, most of the stuff doesn't make sense, its plot isn't exactly what one would call deep, but its really damn entertaining.

18:54 / 23.04.02

I like Alias too, apart from anything that girl kicks ass! There have been some intriguing twists and turns in it too, which are quite good. Though I do agree there are some l a r g e credibility gaps in the story. I mean, the CIA as some kind of kind-hearted government body? Seriously guys...

Oh, and did anyone see Quentin Tarantino's performance in Alias? The only reason he kind of gets away with it is that you don't need to act to play the psycho bad guy. Stick to making movies Quentin... (and have you heard about his latest project, Kill Bill?)

19:27 / 23.04.02

oh, don't worry. Kill Bill will be discussed in due time...

Our Lady of The Two Towers

15:40 / 24.04.02

Wyrd- Yeah, because it's a legal requirement that the secret services MUST be portrayed as evil immoral scummfucks 24-7... ;-)

14:31 / 26.04.02

I have to say that I did think it was odd that the FBI were played as such evil conspiratorial bastards, while the CIA was noble and true. I realize distinction was just necessary because of the way the show is set up, but it seemed like a fairly inept analysis of those actual organizations....

of course, I also thought it was funny that Sidney's name was cleared simply by her going to Italy and looking up....

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

16:15 / 26.04.02

my problems with the shows first episode, the only one i watched
The bright red hair, looked bad ass, and at the end of the episode she ditches it, lame
The boyfriends/fiance--OF COURSE THEY ARE GOING TO KILL HIM YOU STUPID TWAT, YOU TOLD HIM YOU WERE A SECRET AGENT!!

so, i dont watch it anymore

08:58 / 05.12.02

So is anyone still watching this apart from me? I just love my cheesy TV.

When it first started I watched just because there was nothing else on but now I'm starting to enjoy it, as mentioned before its quite like 24 at least in the edited to add suspense method.

Quentin Tarintito first part was on last Saturday which I really liked, very Die Hard.

They could do with stopping with the twists now, I think they've done as many as they should!

How's it doing in America? Can I expect it to just stopped suddenly in the middle of an episode with a message telling me that this show has been cancelled?

"You don't want me to open the box

19:44 / 10.12.02

it's actually been pretty high calibre this season.

-------
slight spoilers
-------

Lena Olin is fantastic as Sydney's mom.

I like the way the characters are all developing, but like most characters in tv dramas, they have conveniently short memories ("What do you mean you trust him? He almost got you killed two episodes ago with that childishly inept plan!?!?!?")

Rumors abound regarding more guest stars. Apparently, Faye Dunaway will be in as agent for baddies, and noted novelist Ethan Hawke will be dazzling Sydney soon as a possible double agent.

20:22 / 10.12.02

Great casting with the Faye Dunaway...but Ethan Hawke? The guy from Singles? I loathe him. How the hell did they ever come up with that guy?
If its a different Ethan Hawke I will wait to judge him.

18:09 / 11.12.02

ummm.... Ethan Hawke wasn't in Singles. I think maybe you're thinking of Reality Bites. If so, yup, he's your man. Mr. Uma himself....

21:44 / 11.12.02

That's the guy. I hates him forever!!

14:41 / 25.02.03

Aw Sidney. bless you.

Not having sky, I only get to watch this on C4 on Sunday arvos. I really like it in an odd sort of way. The fact that all of the characters are good-looking and cool as fuck (even little will, bless him) makes it especially easy on the eye.

It's just come to the end of Series One where Sid finds out that her ma is "the man".... gulp! I just love it.... so funny.

Anyway - if any of you care, there is quite a good website on this with cross referancing links.
Alias

18:09 / 01.03.03

I started watching it this year, and the show's been growing on me as it's been going along. Action movies have become bloated and awful, but Alias and 24 are keeping good action stories alive. I'm looking forward to the season one DVD to catch up on what I missed.

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

19:28 / 01.03.03

i started watching it again, because it was on FX when nothing else was on and TiVo thought i would like it, and ones Syd stopped whining about her fiance i started getting into it

00:20 / 06.05.03

Anyone watch the second season finale yesterday? They've apparently completely reinvented the series with the ending, and it feels very PKD. They've opened up an incredible array of potential plots. Abrams seems to be one of the few people who has no problems with completely destroying the status quo of his show, and altering everything a couple of times a season.

00:50 / 06.05.03

Yeah I saw it and still not sure what I think....
either its going to end up being some type of mindgame being played on Sydney or they just picked a plot twist out of a hat and went with it.
My gut reation was:" Nooooo! What are they doing! This is sooo lame!", which was immeadiatly followed by "Well, they've pulled off lame concepts before in quite the interesting ways...hmmm..Damn you all to hell for making me wait until next season before I can judge if and how much you suck or don't."

00:55 / 06.05.03

I think if done right, it has the potential for a lot of amazing stories. Assuming that Sydney really is two years in the future, just updating her on the world's status quo is going to be entertaining, and her attempts to reintergrate herself into the new world, and find out her memories is enough for half a season of stories right there. And, the four month wait is defenitely uncalled for. At least the season one DVD will be out pretty soon.

07:50 / 26.08.03

The first season has premiered a couple of months ago here, but it is just now I have really grown affectionate to the charms and hooks of Alias. Which, unfortunately, also means I have missed a handful of episodes.

As concepts go, it is very much in the comic book serial vein of my youth, detailed descriptions of the cast and what has happened so far, a rapidly involving storyline served in installments with cliffhangers. What's not to like, especially given that Sydney is essentially a human superhero: She's a normal, struggling student by day, a secret spy by afternoon, and after she found out the truth about SD-6, a supersecret spy by night who has sworn to bring down the organization she once put her soul into.

I am actually a bit annoyed that I have found out what happens in later episodes; last night's installment ended with Anna from the K Directive succeeding in sending Sydney to her possible (yeah yeah) death inside the Rimbaldi underground place, and now that I know she will somehow be transported to the future, the speculative element of trying to figure out What Happens Next is somehow not as pervasive as I would like. This is a big part of the appeal, I find.

07:52 / 26.08.03

Oh, and does anyone else's TV set crackle during the title sequnce and the addition of each letter?

02:00 / 12.01.04

Gah! Anybody else watch this? Tonight's episode was a mindblower of exposition.

14:32 / 12.01.04

I missed a bunch of it - had to take a phone call, and couldn't find a blank tape for the vcr. So now I have to wait for a rerun.... and I'm really confused.

15:02 / 12.01.04

Last night's episode was some of the most convoluted storytelling I've ever seen. I hate to sound like an old fuddy duddy, but is there any reason why they had to tell the story that way instead of just doing it linearly?

15:37 / 17.01.04

The last episode was pretty good, but did anyone catch the lucid dreaming episode from a couple of weeks ago. That was some amazing storytelling, with some really cool dream stuff, best episode of the series since the Superbowl episode.

16:32 / 17.01.04

IMHO, its one of the better shows on right now. Great Sunday night kick back and have some popcorn and a few cold ones-kind of show. Its best not to try and take it TOO seriously as far as all the plot twists and turns go. Just appreciate it for what it is and enjoy.

BTW, PatrickMM: That lucid dreaming episode was great indeed. The scientist/psychologist guy was David Cronenberg...I'm surprised no one mentioned this yet! The way they had him die in the follow-up episode, where Sark has him hooked up to a morphine IV feed and turns it all the way up to give him a lethal overdose, and then he dies with the lab camera on him so we see him "die" in a frame-within-a-frame...pure genius and obvious reference to Videodrome.

Also, I rather like the introduction of Melissa George to the cast. Having her be not only Vaughn's wife, but also part of the NSC AND a mole/assassin for the Covenant was a nice little plot-twist. One of the reasons I love the show.

21:31 / 19.01.04

I don't have much more to add that's not already been said but thought I'd throw my hat into the ring with a big Yay! for Alias. Love this show, it's the highlight of my week.

Sarah Michelle who?

23:12 / 19.01.04

I became an enormous fan of this show when I rented the entire first season on DVD and watched the whole thing over the course of four or five days. For anyone who's not already into the show, this is how I'd recommend experiencing it for the first time--it really, really works for a show as convoluted as this one. With the entire season in hand, it's like watching a video novel. After seeing the first season, I've carefully avoided catching any further episodes on television (and also avoided reading spoilers on the web), preferring instead to wait for the DVD release of each subsequent season as it appears. I was excited to see season 2 appear on the shelves of my local video store just last week, and I'll be snagging it as soon as I have a few free evenings in a row...

I've started to do this with other shows too, at least those that are sure to get DVD'd. No need to look for reruns of 24, Smallville gets the same treatment, etc. It occurs to me that this is perhaps the video version of "waiting for the trade" [cue some angry TV fanboy telling me I'm destroying the television industry].

12:58 / 15.03.04

On last nights north american broadcast, Ricky Gervais from "the Office" guest starred as a terrorist. He has a pretty big role, onscreen quite a bit, playing "against type" as they say. He did a pretty good job for someone who insists he's not an actor, though, to be fair, he wasnt called upon to show much range. Not sure when you guys on that side of the Atlantic will see it.

13:07 / 15.03.04

Not sure when you guys on that side of the Atlantic will see it.

if at all... they've moved it from C4 afternoons to Channel 5 nights.

13:09 / 15.03.04

You know, Alias is a show I really want to get into but find dull most of the time. I only really watch it when my girlfriend's watching it but sorta forget about it right after.

I think maybe if they upped the craziness. The kung-fu, ninja action and took the Covenant to a The Da Vinci Code (or Wolfram&Heart) level of conspiracy. I'd enjoy it. But as it is, it's kinda bland.

Am I alone is this? (Well, seeing as how there's been only a few posts in two years I guess not.)

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