Alias

[Ralph]

I completed the final season this week and I must say I really enjoyed the whole 5 seasons and 105 episodes. Some of the twists and turns in the storyline push the boundaries a bit far but as pure entertainment I was rarely disappointed. This show was created by J J Abrams who went onto to create Lost where most of his time was dedicated as Alias reached it's final seasons perhaps to it's detriment. As usual with these shows a lot of the creative development gets interfered with by commercial concerns. The final season for example was supposed to be 22 eps but was cut short to 17 so storylines were altered to suit.

Jennifer Garner's performances are excellent, she really makes you care about her character and binds the whole show together very well.

My favourite actor leaving the obvious eye candy aside was Victor Garber who previously I'd only ever seen in Titanic. He certainly deserved the award he recieved as a supporting actor. Kevin Weisman is also great to watch - he adds considerable humour to the show with his inept people skills.

I think overall what made this show work so well is the good team of actors and many good scripts. It's evident from the extras on the DVDs that they had a lot of fun on the set.

The bloopers on this show are some of the funniest I've seen as well. Victor Garber plays his part so dead pan serious on the show it's really funny seeing him crack up.

Has anyone else actually watched this from start to finish? I got the impression only a few people had seen some of it but not all of it.

[Wayne]

I've never seen it at all. Is this the one that's something to do with Chris Carter?
Talking of which. I'd forgotten all about those Lone Gunmen discs i've got. I'm getting as bad as James Lindsay.

[Ralph]

Nothing to do with Chris Carter but when I finished the X files back in June 2005 l picked up on this one because of the favourable reviews it was getting.

From wikipedia:

Alias was an American "Spy-fi" television series created by J. J. Abrams that aired on ABC from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006. It starred Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, a CIA agent, who was usually seen wearing a colorful new disguise while undercover in some part of the world.

A major plotline of the series was the search for and recovery of artifacts created by Milo Rambaldi, a fictional Leonardo da Vinci-like inventor and Nostradamus-like prophet from the Renaissance period. This plot and some technologies used in the series pushed Alias into the genre of science fiction.

lots of info on here too: http://www.alias-tv.com/

Some of the cast from the show:

[Wayne]

Thanks for that. (I might've been getting mixed up with 'Millenium')
I can see one obvious attraction.

[stuartdg]

Although ive yet to see series 5 Alias constantly remains as one of my guilty pleasures.It mixes drama,comedy and action together to great effect and even when its underperferorming its still very watchable

[Ralph]

I have to agree it has a great mix of the ingredients you mention. In contrast I did watch series 1 of Millennium which Wayne got this one confused with, but by the end of that series I felt like slashing my wrists

Hope you enjoy the rest of it

[Wayne]

Thanks to Ralph, i made a start on this series this afternoon, & watched the pilot episode on disc 1 of the first season.
Somehow, i wasn't expecting that much of it, but actually it was quite good. I like the emtional sub-plot concerning the main characters boyfriend being murdered by the people she's working for. And the people she's working for was an interesting journey of twists, in itself. Fancy calling her 'Sydney' though.
It'll probably take me a while to get into it & all the characters, but i think this will do nicely at an episode a day for a while. As usual, i'll report back as i complete each disc.
Ralph's gonna have a lot of threads to catch up on when he gets back off holiday!

[MacNimon]

Alias is another of those series which I started watching, but once I started missing episodes I gave up on it. It certainly had an interesting premise from what I remember of it, and it was entertaining enough. I just never got round to catching up with the series again, somehow. The further behind that I fell, the less notion I had of trying to catch up. That's the downside of on-going storylines though, isn't it? On tv, at least. They can be excellent when you can dedicate the time to watch a series week in, week out. But once you start missing episodes on a regular basis, there's not much point in continuing to watch.

[Wayne]

They can be excellent when you can dedicate the time to watch a series week in, week out. But once you start missing episodes on a regular basis, there's not much point in continuing to watch.

That's all very true. Apart from Who*, i hardly ever try to watch regular series on tv these days, because you can guarantee i'll have a gig or something, & i'll have failed to set my timer properly or some such thing.
I prefer to watch stuff at my own convenience, then i can take it at whatever pace i want. An episode a day, or 2 series' in 2 days like i did with 'Life on Mars'.

*The only other exceptions i can think of are 'Torchwood' & 'Primeval'.

[Captain Tancredi]

Having tonight reached 3.8, I'd say that I go through phases of watching an episode a night for a fortnight or so, and then nothing for a week or so. It's probably best watched in fairly close succession, though, so you can pick up all the links from one episode to the next and remember where each character was left last time.

[Wayne]

It'll take me a while to catch you up then, Ian.

i made a start on this series this afternoon, & watched the pilot episode on disc 1 of the first season.

As usual, i'll report back as i complete each disc.

Well, there were only 2 more eps on Disc 1 after the pilot. I found 'So it Begins' a slightly disappointing follow up, which didn't engage me as much. It wasn't terrible, it just seemed like a bit of an average runaround. But the 3rd episode: 'Parity' was better, because apart from some fairly good action sequences, there was also a bit more character background, & more of a glimpse into the relationship between Sydney & her father. This is good, because to enjoy a series fully i really need to feel that i can get into the characters, so the interpersonal continuity threads are good. I prefer character based story arcs rather than action/standalone eps, & this one succeeded in getting me interested. So Sydney's father is still lying to her. I wonder what the big secret over her mother's death is? I'll find out soon enough, i guess.
Ratings for the episodes on Disc 1:
Truth Be Told - 7.5/10
So It Begins - 5/10
Parity - 6/10

[Ralph]

Great to see you've started Alias Wayne, I'm sure you'll enjoy it as there's plenty of character development and ongoing story lines plus you have the bonus of Roger Moore in Season 1 ...just for one episode though!

I think it's a kind of up to date mission impossible and as I said earlier in this thread it filled a gap where I'd been watching X files. It's not a substitute for that show but it certainly made for good alternative viewing! As with all shows there's some hit or miss but overall I found it an enjoyable watch.

[Wayne]

Well i've done Disc 2 now, & much as i hate to say this, as you've gone to a lot of trouble on my behalf, but i'm finding it a bit 'so so' up to yet.......
I's not bad, but it's not exciting me hugely. I'm finding most of the acting a bit bog standard, especially that annoying 'Q' type character that comes up with all the gadgets, He just doesn't work for me at all. The only character that i've really stands out is Sydney herself.
Also, the incidental music isn't helping much.... There's just no light & shade. It's just constant dance beat, that doesn't emphasize any of the dramatic bits, It's just on the same level all the time. I feel like i'm watching it in a nightclub!
Still, it's early days yet, & i intend to carry on regardless, but i think an end of season report will suffice, because so far none of the eps apart from the pilot, have had any real sense of individuality.......
If you like this kind of stuff Ralph, I'd recommend '24'. In all honesty, it's miles better than this. So far at least....... I'm still hopeful that i will've got into it more by the end of the season.

[Ralph]

If I recall correctly Wayne I was uncertain at first but started to get into it more episodes in - I hope it picks up for you! I liked the nerdyness of the Q character - I hope you cope with the Roger Moore episode!

Anyway no worries if it isn't for you!

[Wayne]

Thanks Ralph, but i think it's good not to judge to early with these things. I was a bit up & down with X-Files during S1 for instance, but by the end of S2 i was hooked! So we'll see. I'm prepared to give it time.

[Alex]

I quite liked Alias at the start, I think it'll grow on you a bit Wayne, though like you say, it's no 24. The bizarre thing is that I've got most of series 5 still to watch and I've just lost interest in it, even though the final episodes will (hopefully) wrap everything up. I should probably give it another go, but it is tempting to just jump to the final few episodes to see how it all ends...

[stuartdg]

The biggest problem with regards to season 5 of Alias is simply that JJ Abrams was devoting more time to Lost;season 1 of Alias does get better,and while the series(for me) peaks in series 2 it is still eminently watchable(particularly for Jack Bristow and Lena Olin`s character)-comparing it to 24 is not really fair mind,as they're two very different shows...

And as for Roger Moore's cameo,the guest stars are a highlight of Alias,with Christian Slater,Quentin Tarantino and surprisingly Ricky Gervais doin great turns...

[Captain Tancredi]

About 4 or 5 episodes from the end of S3 now- the Ricky Gervais episode was well done and a change to see somebody who has a justified grudge against Sydney. I'm not totally convinced by Jennifer Garner as an actress, though- there's only so much mileage you can get out of a constant look of mild surprise. In my book the acting honours go to Victor Garber as Jack, consistently underplaying a multi-layered character (see his reaction when Dixon tells him about Sloane's affair with Irina) who can show tenderness to Sydney one minute and shoot somebody in cold blood the next, with Ron Rifkin as Sloane coming a close second. Sloane is the perfect anti-hero- he's urbane and charming, yet equally driven and ruthless- and you could probably come up with a variant reading where the series is as much about him as it is about Sydney.

[Ralph]

Well this series went down like a lead balloon for the Waynester.... I guess he must have got to the Roger episode after all!

[Wayne]

Well i'm sorry to say this, but i watched another discs worth, & it did just seemed to get less engaging with each episode. When the time came to do my disc 3 write up, i realized that i could hardly remember anything that had happened. I felt it had promise intially. I liked the pilot, but in all honesty it all just seems so ordinary after that. So i've temporarily rested it until i've got nothing else left to watch.

[Wayne]

I've been gradually persevering, & have just finished S1.
My feelings on it so far, & a still a bit up & down. Generally i have to say that i still find it a bit generic but watchable at best, & bland & ordinary at worst. I think what doesn't help is that none of the characters are bar Sydney have made any real impact on me. The likes of Syndey's Dad, & Sloane are frankly just so dour, uninteresting & uninspiring, & lacking in any sort of charisma. A lot of the acting i find average to wooden. I think Roger Moore was in good company in his ep.
I thought the double episode 'The Box' was definitely the strongest, most memorable story of S1, & i also quite liked 'The Prophecy' and 'Q & A'. I thought for a while there that it was going to start going into more paranormal territory with the whole 'Rambaldi Page', which piqued my interest, but it stayed on the more mainstream course for the end of the season.
So far, it doesn't hold a candle to the likes of 'Buffy' & '24' for me, But the last episode was quite good, & i'm curious to see Syndey's mother when i start S2, next.

[Ralph]

I must admit I'd kind of expect Buffy to be how you've described Alias so far. I haven't made an attempt on The Lone Gunmen as I expect that to be really bland. It'll be intersting to see how you get on with S2.

[stuartdg]

The Lone Gunmen is great fun;I definitely recommend it

As for Alias season 2 its considered by many to be the best larely thanks to Lena Olin as Sydney's mother

[Ralph]

The Lone Gunmen is great fun;I definitely recommend it

As for Alias season 2 its considered by many to be the best largely thanks to Lena Olin as Sydney's mother

On the first count - OK I'll give it a try... and on the second count, agreed!

[Wayne]

'The Lone Gumen' is just terrible, if you ask me. But everyone has their own opinion.