Jennifer Garner kicks ass -- "Alias" has become a pain in one

I have a list of lines that a TV show can cross indicating the show has jumped the shark. One of those lines is when previews for episodes of the show constantly report that a lead character will face the most important decision of their life.

(We, of course, expect everyone on a show like 24 to undergo such changes every week. I like to joke that 24 will never cross the “a very special episode” line.)

This last season of Alias previews routinely state things like “saving the world might cost Sydney the man she loves”.

Alias creator, J.J. Abrams, had indicated that this season would return to what originally made Alias popular--Ms. Garner kicking serious ass and lots of intrigue. I (and obviously lots of other people) we pulled in by the first few seasons of Alias. Part of the drama of the early episodes was driven by the duality of Sydney's professional life--thinking she was working for good while doing the bidding of evil.

This season has Ron Rifkin reprising his original(very evil and conniving) role of Arvin Sloane, directing the life of our heroine, driven by his own agenda. Good move Abrams. However, Sydney's life is also routinely turned upside down by:

• Her mother (who supposedly died last season)
• Her aunt (who continues to play with Syndney and Nadia's life from prison)
• Her dad (who she has a love/hate relationship with)
• Vaughn (does a girl like Sydney really have time for a love life anyway?)
• Stupid plot twists like two years of amnesia and her eggs being harvested against her will

Not so smooth, Abrams.

I have 6 episodes of this season's Alias stacked up on the TiVo. I'll never get to them--Alias is now off the radar. (And we have a new category for KJR--“Off the Radar.”)

Posted by KillJoy at May 20, 2005 06:55 PM | [Link]