oyceter | Alias 3x14 Blowback

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Alias 3x14 Blowback

I only saw about half of it because we were out eating dinner with my grandparents' friends. And I didn't hear a lot of the half I saw, because my aunt is very loud when she talks.

That said:

Lauren is hot. Really, really hot. Not that I didn't like Lauren or think Melissa George was hot to begin with, but the scene in the car? GUH.

I care less and less about Sydney and Vaughn every minute. I'm sorry. Vaughn pisses me off to no end, and it's rubbing off on Sydney because she still likes him! Also, I am still pissed off at JJ Abrams because he brings in another could be strong female character and what does he do? He makes her and Sydney fight over this stupid guy! *growls* And now there's that giant bitch fest of "Stay away from my man!" from them, and I know everyone probably hates Lauren for saying that, plus, she's evil to boot, but I still like her and always did, so there.

Besides, I feel there was absolutely no way she would have won. If she had been good and said that, people would have just been annoyed because of her possessiveness. Now that she is evil, she gets to say that not because she has moral authority, but because obviously she is playing a role (but people complain about the hypocrisy anyway). But I still think it's completely stupid of JJ Abrams to give Sydney and Vaughn a moral thumbs up, it's ok, she was evil anyway even though neither of you know it yet and are still cheating kind of! Stupid Vaughn. So what? The fact that I know Lauren's evil but Vaughn doesn't is supposed to make him kissing Sydney ok by me?

Sorry. And from what the boy tells me, the whole perspective switching thing was just stupid and had no point.

The problem is I have imprinted hard on Lauren because I do that when they bring in characters people are supposed to hate because I feel sorry for them (the character, not the writers). And she was a cool blonde, and I already didn't like Vaughn to begin with. So this entire she might love Vaughn underneath it all pisses me off too. Stick with Sark. That's also the problem with all the Lauren femslash. It's all Lauren lusting after Sydney, and frankly, I do not care at all about the Lauren/Sydney relationship because Sydney's the good girl, Lauren's the evil other woman, despite being the wife (although evil now). I think that's what disappoints me the most about this show. They skirted with grey morality in S2 with Irina and Jack, and now we're getting this black and white stuff, and it pisses me off. I am also disappointed because I don't think JJ Abrams will ever portray Vaughn as an emotional wimp or Sydney as having a legitimate dark side, or let any of their actions have consequences. It's like the Jossverse immunity of the Scoobies times three thousand.

The plot twists might still surprise, but there is no character growth that interests me right now because Jack is not doing anything, Irina is gone, and Sloane is talking to the psychologist who annoys the hell out of me. Right now, Lauren's the only wild factor really, and I'm pissed off because Abrams is making her less and less of a wild factor. She's not working for the good side with bad methods ala Wesley. She's not compromised evil. She's just the femme fatale who seduced Vaughn out of mourning for the ever-virtuous Sydney, who has villain sex (right out of a freaking romance novel! Next thing you know, she and Sark are going to do bondage, because that means they're evil *rolls eyes*). And I'm mad that they did this to my character (I know, I imprint so randomly).

It's just... entertaining if one doesn't think too hard about the cliches and the supposed feminism which is actually not, except I do think about that and get mad. And they cancelled Angel on top of it and this is the show getting all sorts of kudos!

Yet I watch because the boy likes it.

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I am also disappointed because I don't think JJ Abrams will ever portray Vaughn as an emotional wimp...

Well, not that he ever *means* to do at any rate...*snerk*

I have completely given up on this show. It was smart and engaging when it first showed up, but now it just...euw. What was good, vicarious fun is now angsty soap opera complete with long, long, long (did I mention long?) tortured looks between Sydney and Vaughn and OTT plotting with the Evil People (yeah, it should be in caps :P). I liked this show for its ambiguity and attempts to show the internal conflicts of its characters. I did *not* want to watch "Felicity Becomes a Spy".

I did catch part of the preview and I just groaned when I heard Sydney say something about how the "man she loved" was on some...doomed plane or something? Gag. It reminded me of when I was trying to see if I could get into Voyager and it was some episode with this supposed conflict between Janeway and Chakotay. At the end, she's supposedly called him into the doghouse. But *instead* of reading the righteous riot act, her eyes tear up and her voice gets all quivery as she says:

"I thought we were friends."

Never watched that show again.

*giggles*

I actually gave up on the show in S1, about ten episodes in, because the writing style annoyed me so much (you know, the emotional exposition thing? "I feel blah blah" instead of showing them feeling whatever. Besides, who talks like that?). Picked it up again because the boy was interested, got caught up in the SpyDaddy/SpyMommy drama.

Already was very pissed off at Vaughn with the UST and the stupid longing gazes when he HAD A GIRLFRIEND! Grrrrr.

Tee hee. Right now am just watching for Lauren, although I am quite sure I am going to be sorely disappointed and pissed off at the resolution of that.

My mother was visiting me while I watched that episode, she got bored and called my father during it so I had to lower the volume and close caption. Not that it was necessary...could pretty much figure it out at the off-set. So ended up doing the same thing you did - watched half of it, with loud family voices in the background.

I realized halfway through that I'm rooting for the wrong people. I was happier when I was in Lauren and Sark's pov. And I was rooting for Sark to kill Vaughn. Incredibly happy when Sark triggered the bomb.
Also rooting for Sark to win over Lauren. Yes, I spend every episode now yelling at the screen for Vaughn to die and in every episode his life is put in jeopardy but they *just won't kill* the bleeding nit.
You know you should probably give up on a tv show when you start rooting for the villains and become intrigued with their plot-lines over the heros.

I adore Lauren. I'm also beginning to like Sark. These two are interesting. And unpredictable. I have no idea if they going to die next week, get the upper hand, or end up together. Vaugh and Sydney - well I can give you a play-by-play plot outline on what JJ Abrahams will do with them. Boring. George reminds me a bit of Peta Wilson's Nikita.

On Sloan? He's interesting, because of Rifkin. The psychiatrist annoying - also the executive producer, Ken Olin's wife...which means you'll be seeing more of her. Personally I'd rather see more of Isabella Rosselini and Victor Garber, but that's just me.
Methinks I may skip Alias this Sunday and watch ABC Family's Celeste in The City with Nick Brendon.

At any rate - I completely understand your annoyance.
Ugh. You're not alone. ;-)

Someone's have a Laurenficathon! I'd very much participate, except I can't write ;). But, whoo! Lauren fic centered on Lauren!

I'm very much like you and totally rooting for the wrong people ^_^. I was thinking Sark forced the issue with Vaughn loving Sydney in front of Lauren because he wanted Lauren for himself (etc. etc.). And felt quite bad for Lauren. I love how I have no idea what they're going to do, plus, I also like the spy-ish double-crossing type stuff. George does remind me of Nikita, and I just love the icy blonde sophitication-ness of her. Hee... that explains the several dozen icons ;).

I really want to kick Vaughn most of the time.

I like Sloane a lot too, because of the wild card factor, and mostly want to strangle the psychiatrist, argh. And I feel like they're just wasting Victor Garber right now, which is a total pity.

What hit me about the Lauren/Sark sequence was how fun and interesting it was. They could create an innovative and risky show around that couple. Both have interesting yet still vague backgrounds.

Lauren - her father is a big-wig in British Security and won't permit her to be a field agent. Sloan teased her about it in one of the season's earlier episodes. The best her father will allow is desk work or liaison.

Sark - his father denied him, although he left him everything money wise, he pretended Sark didn't exist apparently. Sark as a result as become a sociopathic killer whose mentor was Irina, Sydney's mother. Not sure what the writer plans to do with Sark or what his role is. I think Abrhams may see him as a shadow self to Syd or Vaughn, just as he sees Lauren as shadow self to Syd. Problem is the actors playing Lauren and Sark are better actors than the ones playing Vaughn and Sydney, and their characters are also much more interesting and if written right could be very complex. Not mention the fact that we have no idea what is going to happen to Sark and Lauren, my guess is they'll probably be killed a la Alison Dorn, but Sloan survived as have other villians, so it's more than possible they will. Vaughn and Syde? We know they'll live - they've both come back from the dead twice already. Which is another problem with the show - they keep putting Vaughn in jeopardy every week and well, we know he isn't going to die, so where's the suspense? There was more suspense this week - when I worried that Lauren's double agent act would be exposed, I wasn't worried about Syd or Vaughn. But I was worried about Lauren and Sark - who I want to keep watching. If Abrahms is smart he'll play with those two more - their chemistry is electric and a gift. If he drops them. I'm finished with the show. I could care less what happens with Vaughn at this point or Sydney.

Ooo, I didn't even think about their backgrounds! I desperately want to write some sort of Lauren fic, except I can't write.

I have a problem with Lauren as shadow self to Syd -- mainly like you, I think Lauren's much more interesting! Hee, I don't want a character I like to be just a shadow figure ;). I'm desperately hoping that they don't just kill off Lauren like Allison, but I'm betting she's going to be revealed as evil soon so Sydney and Vaughn's Twu Wuv can continue.

Sigh. I wish they'd even through Weiss in more. Or Dixon, both of whom I find interesting.

And to be completely shallow, Lauren and Sark sizzle with chemistry. Desperately hoping they're there this Sunday.

I agree - I want Abrhams to build Lauren and Sark more and not just use them as shadows or contrasts for the leads (or as a means to make his bland vanilla leads more interesting). The problem Alias has is the writer is afraid of giving his lead a dark side, he pulls back like lots of TV shows do. He also pulls back from giving Vauhn that complexity or edge.
As a result both Syd and Vaughn have become somewhat two-dimensional and very predictable. What made ME and Whedon such interesting writers for television was they explored the dark side of their characters, they did not reduce Faith or Spike or even Angel to shadow selves. Even though you could analyze those characters as that - they also acted separate from it.
Whedon was even willing to do spin-offs with at least two of them. Vaughn isn't an Angel or Spike character, he's more like Riley, yet even Riley had more depth to him, more complexity than Vaughn. The only depth I've seen to Vaughn is a)he can't make up his mind about women (so he's wishy-washy, passive)
b) he mopes about his dad's death at the hands of Syd's mother. Niether of these really make me that interested. Sark on the other hand? Whoa. Apprenticed and betrayed by Irina, who he may have had a thing for and saw as a type of surrogate mother. A father who was wealthy and a diplomat who ignored him and denied him. Falling in love with women who play double agents and pretend to love other men, whom he can't stand. This guy is a writer's dream come true.
And yes, villains can be more interesting...but they don't have to be. There's so much they can do with Sydney regarding her fathers and family which they've been ignoring this year to play with Vaughn. It's a shame. Personally, I think the best thing Abrhams could do is kill Vaughn off - it opens up characters and allows him to explore a wider group of relationships, instead of constantly letting Vaughn play damsel every week - it would also jolt the audience. But he'll never do it - too many fans seem to like Vaughn and the sappy romance. (sigh).

Why don't you try writing a Lauren fic? You don't have to show it to anyone.

I know! That's what frustrates me the most! The show has got all this great potential, and yet, not used. There's all this hope in dark sides in S2, with Irina and Jack and Sark and Sloane, and in the beginning of this season, with Julia and the Covenant. Sigh. I even wanted some sort of thing in which Lauren would be a sort of Dixon-like character, which would make Sydney's conflict even worse.

Plus, I dislike the fact that Sydney very often acts on her whims and emotions (the rescue of Will in S1, etc) like Buffy did, even when something very much larger is at stake. I was more ok with it in Buffy, but Alias is supposed to be set in this world, so yeah, it annoys me when CIA operatives routinely bend the rules or outright break them and don't get anything more than a little wrist-slap.

I wish I could blend the paranoia and moral ambiguity of La Femme Nikita with Alias' production values.

to say a huge WORD.

I wrote a mini-rant/essay (http://www.livejournal.com/users/crushw_eyeliner/229643.html) on that very failing of JJ's to make Lauren more than just Evil, and Syd's rut as the Good Girl Gone Yawn.....

and you're welcome. I love Lauren as well, and I too, am tired of reading really bad fic where she's either pushed aside, killed, or just badly written. Then there's really badly written Sark/Lauren fic which makes not only the Baby Jesus cry...but - me - cry.

Word to you too!!

Seriously! Another thing I hate about Lauren/Sydney fic (most of what I've read is that) is that it's Lauren going after Sydney and Lauren envying Sydney. And while I'm sure that could be quite accurate from a character viewpoint, it's not what I want to be reading, because really, there's not that much about Sydney I envy or admire or want to be. Sydney's pretty boring now that she's defined by this so-called epic love of her life (esp. since it's with Vaughn!). I want to beat her over the head and remind her that it's not Lauren's fault he's wimpy -- he was doing the entire stringing two girls along thing with Alice as well.

Spoiling myself here because I'm losing interest in actually watching the show, but Irina's gone in S3? She was the best, even if she made no sense.

Is Dickson gone, too, or just not important?

Irina is very much gone is S3... I think there were issues with getting the actress back, unfortunately. I have no idea if she shows up or not in S4, but I did hear rumors.

Dixon is... there, but not so important, alas. At least in the beginning. I stopped watching about halfway through S3 because irritation levels rose so high and I was screaming too much at the TV.

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Alias 3x14 Blowback

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Ah Alias

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hey....just stopping on by....

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