topaz: (Morgan - sneer)
Tim Pierce ([personal profile] topaz) wrote2008-01-05 02:03 am
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Alias, seasons 1-5

Last summer, my father-in-law sent me the DVD set of the first season of Alias.  Last fall, I started watching it.

My family will be grateful that, as of tonight, I have eliminated this particular video addiction.

In the end I was underwhelmed.  Geez, guys, you had five years and a half-dozen opportunities to do the natural thing and produce MILO RAMBALDI!  All of that nonsense about immortality and the end of the world, and the best you could do was bring back Irina Derevko and make her the big bad villain with Arvin Sloane as her patsy?  Weak.  Sad and weak.

This was a riotously implausible show, the kind that's best enjoyed with large quantities of liquor and a generous sense of humor.  The proper way to wrap up such a show is to take it even more over the top than the viewers expect.  You had the opportunity to present, in the flesh, the 500-year-old lunatic prophet whose absurd predictions guided the characters' every action, and you DROPPED IT.  Listen to me.  We would TOTALLY HAVE BOUGHT IT.  But you WIMPED OUT.  You SUCK.

I am guessing that the show was cancelled on short notice, and required a frantic last-minute wrap-up rather than a decent resolution to the story arc.  At least, that's what I hope, 'cause I'd like Cloverfield and the next Star Trek movie not to completely suck.

[identity profile] sweetmmeblue.livejournal.com 2008-01-05 09:50 am (UTC)(link)
I'm still in season 1. The person that got me hooked told me to stop watching after season 2 cause it goes downhill. After your review I think I'll stop after season 2. I also have some of the books written if you want to try those and see if they are any better.

[identity profile] creidylad.livejournal.com 2008-01-05 09:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Various things that made the whole show go horribly wrong:

1 - They lost Lena Olin after Season 2 and had to beg and plead to get her back for seasons 4 and 5 in drips and drabs

2 - Sidney/Jennifer getting pregnant

3 - Michael whatiss leaving the show, and then ALSO ditching Weicz (sp?)

I always thought it was going to be about eternal life, but I thought they'd write the end a lot better, and I agree Rimbaldi should have come back to life.
Edited 2008-01-05 21:33 (UTC)
ext_86356: (grinnybike)

[identity profile] qwrrty.livejournal.com 2008-01-06 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
I'm sure I'm in the minority on this, but I actually think their greatest misstep was losing Will Tippin, who was far and away my favorite character in season 1. His down-to-earth attitude was a really helpful contrast to the outlandish situations the main characters kept getting themselves involved in, and the actor was able to deliver that really persuasively.

[identity profile] creidylad.livejournal.com 2008-01-06 03:51 am (UTC)(link)
No, I loved Will! I loved everything he represented on the show. The day before yesterday in fact, I thought I SAW the actor (it wasn't him) but was fully prepared to run up to him and tell him how great he was and how much they should have never ever dropped him from the show.

Also, he was cute.