Giving “Alias” a chance to follow the 2003 Super Bowl telecast on ABC-TV was all the proof anyone needed that, despite still coming behind in the ratings on Sunday nights (NBC’s “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” usually wins the 9:00PM time slot), the network believes in the show and will stand by it while it (hopefully) grows in popularity. Even more important than the visibility boost afforded by the 2003 Super Bowl though, the second season (2002-2003) of “Alias” will be remembered by its fans for not dropping the ball from its breakthrough rookie season with unnecessary cast changes or far-out gimmicks. True, the addition of Sydney Bristow’s mother Laura (played with unflinching believability by Lena Olin) as a recurring character could have upset the delicate balance of alliances between Sydney, her father Jonathan (Victor Garber, still the show’s best asset by far) and her friend & secret ally Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan). Instead the cast addition added further layers of humanity and vulnerability to Sydney’s quest to destroy SD-6 from the inside, since her mother’s life was also put at stake by her capture.
As portrayed by the fetching Jennifer Garner (“13 Going on 30,” “Daredevil,” etc.) Sydney Bristow’s covert missions are the stuff that would make even James Bond roll his eyes in disbelief. Yet I buy the bullshit-heaped-upon-bullshit stories the writers in “Alias” keep dreaming up because Garner and her fellow cast members play their roles with as straight and unflinching a conviction as I’ve seen actors tackle material that borders on laughable. Take for instance the two-part episode ‘Passage’ in which the Bristows (patriarch Jack, matriarch Laura and conflicted offspring Sydney) have to go undercover as a happy family into a rogue nation in order to steal six nuclear warheads. When the theft and action scenes come they’re as well put together as you’d expect, but the down time in-between these scenes force these characters to confront each other emotionally in a way that leads to loads of pathos. You wouldn’t expect these much refrained emotion in what is essentially a one-hour action/fantasy drama, but “Alias” pulls this feat over and over in Season Two (and ten times better than in Season One).
I won’t even attempt to go into details about the sub-plots and backstabbing sons of bitches that surround the Bristow clan at all times throughout SD-6. Sufficient to say that, if you enjoy your action scenes with a little more depth and character development than your average Jean Claude Van Damme or Chuck Norris fan, “Alias” is the TV show for you. It is to Network TV what movies like “Master & Commander” or “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” are to Hollywood: reminders that a well-told and exciting story doesn’t have to be dumbed down to appeal to the lowest common denominator of the American masses. Would I be saying that if Sydney Bristow didn’t change outfits in every episode with all the panache of a Revlon supermodel in a rush to snort more cocaine before going back to the ramp? Of course not, but at least I’m honest enough to admit it!
For a complete episode-by-episode blow of all the plot twists and cliffhangers (which we urge you NOT to read until after you’re done watching all 22 episodes in this Box Set) just go to: http://www.tvtome.com/Alias/season2.html.
The Disc:
Disc Six once again houses most of the bonus goodies. Commentary Tracks on ‘Second Double’ and ‘The Telling (by two different sets of actors and/or producers) yield very little information but are at least breezy fly-on-the-wall fun. ’The Making of The Telling’ Documentary (approx. 45 min.) is a look at the hard work that went into putting together Season Two’s last episode. Here you’ll also find Seven Deleted Scenes introduced by J.J. Abrams (none worth getting excited about), a 12 min. ’The Look of Alias’ Featurette (for those fellows that dig seeing where Sydney Bristow’s wigs come from), a 4 min. Blooper Reel (much funnier than the ‘Gag Reel’ in Season One), Eight Alias TV Spots, a ’The Making of the Videogame’ promotional video and DVD-ROM Content. There are also audio-only Radio Interviews by several cast & crew members (including Garner and J.J. Abrams) with DJ’s from a radio station (KROQ) that seem a little to much in love with the show. Oh well, you don’t have to listen to it if you don’t want to!
There are also Commentary Tracks on Episodes ‘Phase One’ and ‘A Dark Turn’ (Discs 4 & 5, respectively) with the former being a lot more entertaining and informative than the latter. Disc 1 comes with no bonus features but with lame advertisements instead: Theatrical Trailers (for “Hidalgo” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”) and Commercials for Alias: Season Three & Alias: The Videogame. I should also mention that the artwork and design of Season Two’s Digipak Box Set is very cool, utilizing the ‘Rambaldi’ theme from the show’s last couple of seasons to great effect. Last but not least, the second season of “Alias” on DVD looks and sounds even better than the first season (released only three months prior). The Widescreen Anamorphic (1:78:1) Video Transfer is sharp and consistent, with only infrequent grain in some of the darker scenes (which in a show like “Alias” are frequent and numerous) betraying the newness of the print. English and Spanish Subtitles are available, along with a spunky English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Audio Track that gets real intense when the actions calls for but is, for the most part, confined to a select few speakers and not the whole set. Too bad this time the Spanish audio track from the Season One Box Set didn’t make the cut, but that’s the life of a super secret spy for you (??!!).
bottom line:
The second season of “Alias” builds strongly on the momentum of its previous season, introduces new characters (mainly Lena Olin’s Laura, an enemy spy that ‘just happens’ to be Sydney Bristow’s mother), fleshes out returning one’s and continues to suspend the disbelief of its viewers from one unbelievable cliffhanger to the next. This is feat Fox-TV’s “The X-Files” used to pull remarkably well in its heyday, and “Alias” continues that Sunday night tradition with style to burn. The bonus features are decent by TV-on-DVD standards and the audio/video specs (particularly the razor-sharp widescreen anamorphic transfer) improve over Season One’s discs. Bring on Season Three Buena Vista!
By - J.M. Vargas
