Alias - Television show review
By Maria Pascucci
(Originally published on Blue Jean Online)
She's cute. She's sexy. She'll flash a guy her college-girl smile
and knock him to his knees. Glimpse her at home in L.A., where
she jokes with roommates, writes grad school papers, and takes
early morning jogs through the park in her sports bra. Just your
average girl-next-door-the perfect damsel for an aspiring male
hero, right? Think again.
CIA agent Sydney Bristow of ABC's hit series Alias is tough and
buff, and able to rescue herself or anyone who happens to cross
her path. Played by rising actress Jennifer Garner, Sydney poses
as a double agent to aid the CIA in their efforts to smash SD-6,
a lethal enemy of the United States that has murdered Sydney's
fiancé.
The CIA recently dismantled SD-6, but Arvin Sloan,the mastermind
behind the murder of Sydney's fiancé, is still about. Sydney
wants out of the CIA for a chance to lead a normal life, but not
before making Sloan pay.
Not crazy enough for you? Enter Jack Bristow, Sydney's estranged
father who also happens to be a double agent for the CIA, and
Irina Derevko, Sydney's mother who was presumed dead after betrayingthe
U.S. government and being captured by the CIA. Throw in Michael
Vaughn, Sydney's CIA handler and love interest, and you have a
cross between General Hospital and the latest Terminator flick.
Behind all this action-packed melodrama, there is one twist that
breathes fresh air into an otherwise redundant tale: a woman plays
the superhero, and she guides the action of the show. Young female
viewers watch a strong woman fight her own battles and win. Even
though Sydney reinforces popular feminine notions-she often uses
her sexuality to distract men on her CIA missions-she treads rarely
charted territory by proving that ingenuity, guts, and physical
stamina are a woman's most powerful assets.
Unfortunately, the producers momentarily lost sight of these assets
in the episode that followed the Super Bowl. The episode used
blatant sexual imagery to hook new viewers. Big surprise, huh?
It opens as Sydney struts toward the camera in stiletto heels
and a negligee-with whip in hand--while posing as a call girl
for a CIA mission. Sex sells, but Alias and Jennifer Garner offer
viewers so much more than cheap thrills.
Want to catch a male superhero in action? Change the channel.
But for those of you who crave suspense, danger, love, and betrayal
crammed into one-hour cliffhangers, what are you waiting for?
Tune in and enjoy. Check out Alias Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.
