Cast

Jennifer Garner....Agent Sydney A. Bristow
Ron Rifkin....Arvin Sloane
Michael Vartan....Michael C. Vaughn
Carl Lumbly....Director Marcus R. Dixon
Kevin Weisman....Agent Marshall J. Flinkman
Victor Garber....Agent Jonathan 'Jack' Donahue Bristow

Original Airdate

September 28, 2003

Synopsis

Continuing from the moment last season's finale wrapped up, they explain (some of) what the hell is really going on. A lot of moments echo previous seasons, in particular the series premiere. Turns out she really HAS been missing for two years, Vaughn really did get married, and she's really pissed about it all. Her father's in jail (and they're going to be keeping him, they say). She fakes some intel to gain their trust and gets sent on a mission - the mission goes horribly wrong, she's panicked and leaves to go get help from Sloane. Sloane has a full pardon from the U.S. and just happens to know she's coming and what she wants to know. He swears he's reformed and she doesn't believe him - neither do we. She gets the McGuffin back from the bad guys and threatens to destroy it if they don't release her dad. They do (what amazes me is that they give him his job back as well). End of show. There are other things going on, but I've got to give you a reason to watch it in re-runs or on TiVo, right?

High Point

Even though it felt almost exactly like the end of the premiere, the point where Syd holds a blowtorch to the chip they want. Actually - the high point was Dixon's line halfway through that standoff "She will destroy that chip."

Low Point

Victor Garber going from Enemy of the State to Trusted CIA Agent in three days. I know they did it for plot reasons, but they handle this sort of thing well enough that they could have made him an independent force convincingly.

The Review

The originality was pretty high for a plot like this. They took a lot of unexpected returns. When Syd was convinced that something was wrong and she was being lied to about her absence, I was sure she was right. It's just how these shows normally work. I *hate* that, but it's true. So I was pleased (and surprised) when it didn't. On the other hand, it's the same plotline of "people you're working for don't trust you, go do something big for them so they'll have to" coupled with clearing the slate of bad guys and bringing in another interchangeable bad guy conglomerate - the "Covenant". These guys seem really dangerous, but then so do everyone else when they're first introduced. All in all, originality gets a 4/6.

Alias effects tend to be inconsistent, but the ones on this ep. were pretty good. Granted, they weren't spectacular, but the script didn't call for that. The effects are a solid 5/6.

The story was engrossing as always. They give you *just* enough information to keep you hooked. On the other hand, the stories are becoming more and more unbelievable. I don't really have a problem with that, but I do hope they reign it back in. Since, however, there's no flow category for TV shows, and the flow is one of the best parts of the show - I nearly scream in frustration at the end of every episode, wanting to see what comes next - I'll have to give story a 6/6.

The acting is, as always, excellent. Victor Garber is an amazing actor, and Sloane genuinely scares the hell out of me. I'd absolutely watch this show even if Jennifer Garner's character were killed off. And you HAVE to love Marshall. He's the best Geek on television. And this season he gets to be a daddy! Acting gets a 5/6.

My emotional response is really high - I can't even begin to describe how I feel at the end of the show - this is the ONLY show I sit and wait for the "scenes from next week's episode" spot. I get so engrossed and so frustrated when they cut you off at a critical moment. This episode was pretty much par for the course. Emotional Response gets a 5/6.

The production values are good. It's nice to see that their budget hasn't been cut - or if it has, they've done well with working around it. I don't think it was, though, considering how popular this show became over the last season. The production gets a 4/6.

Overall this episode was a good example of the series, which is a great series in general. I give it a 5/6.

In Total, "The Two" gets a 34/42. I love this show.