After about 6 months, my roommate and I have finished the entire series of Alias. To say it was an emotional roller coaster would be an understatement. The friend who introduced it to our lives by leaving us season 1 before she departed to California was berated over e-mail and text for leaving us this new crack. She was fittingly present as we made it through the final 6 episodes last night. Despite a weak start to season 4, I would say that it took until we figured out who had been "the Man" all along for that season to really get us back, I was not nearly as disappointed at the end as everyone told me I would be. We cheered for Syd to succeed as we had for our other favorite heroines, Buffy and Veronica Mars. And we fell for Vaughn with her, just like we loved Angel and Duncan, and Spike (more on him later) and of course, Logan. It's been 5 years since the series ended, so I don't mind including spoilers here. I was elated that she got her happy ending on the beach, but with a hint that she still occasionally was involved in making the world a better place. The first three seasons were superior to the last two, but I think they made some excellent choices in the final season. Bringing in Rachel by introducing an organization similar to SD-6 was very smart and made her an instantly relatable character. We cheered for her to succeed at APO and she had my favorite line of the season when she made it quite clear to Sark (more on him later) that it was he who had wanted to cuddle. I would guess that some people would question bringing in Tom, but I think it was effective to see what could happen to someone who lost their loved one because of their high-risk job and dealt with it in a completely different way than Sydney. We see Jack continue to protect his daughter at every turn, and to die knowing that she will be able to take care of herself. Vaughn's fake death was very well done as I was sure that he was really gone. And yes, the Rembaldi stuff got a little out there, but hadn't it always been there. That red ball just kept coming back (still does, did you see the red matter in the new Star Trek? oh, JJ) until finally it lead Irena to her death and Sloan to an eternal life trapped in a cave, a brilliant end for this sick, twisted man. I am confident now that I can stick with Lost as per the agreement I have with the same friend mentioned above where she is reading Harry Potter and I am watching Lost. She's almost done with Goblet of Fire, so I better get on that.
But as for my favorite character and his flexible loyalties? Julian Sark remains at large, involving himself in whatever helps him to achieve his own success. It's a little hard to pinpoint exactly what it is I love about Sark. Is it how adorable actor David Anders is? Well, that certainly helps. Is it that British accents are just charming? Again, not going to say that isn't a factor. But mostly, what I love about Sark as a nemesis is what I love about Spike on Buffy. I still love Spike in late Buffy when he's all in love with her and gets a soul, but I really love Spike as the nemesis. They love their lives, who they are, what they do, and they appreciate a worthy adversary. They kill people when necessary to achieve their goals (or eat in Spike's case), yes, and if this were real life that would be horrid, but it's fiction so I'd like to move on. I love a bad guy who is charming, witty, funny, and respects his place in the game of good vs evil that he is playing. knowing that it just isn't the same with that adversary. Sark's respect for Syd as his nemesis is clear. His actions wouldn't be as fun for him if she wasn't around to muck it up from time to time. He needs a challenge. During the finale, I saw Sark as similar to Spike at the end of Buffy season 2. Stuck with these two crazy people who are out for destruction far larger than he feels is necessary he is more than willing to change up those flexible loyalties in order to survive, or as Sark notes, come out on the winning side. I think Alias ended well and I don't know where they really could have kept going after the choices they made in season 4 and 5, but I do wish for another couple seasons of Mr. Sark and his exploits. I just love seeing where his flexible loyalties take him. Plus, he likes to cuddle.
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