Alias

The Frame

Season 3, Episode 17, Aired 3/28/04

Episode Summary

Sydney and Vaughn must track Kazari Bomani down to get hold of a piece of the Rambaldi puzzle. Meanwhile, Jack reveals his suspicions to Senator Reed about his daughter Lauren's allegiances, and Vaughn decides what to do about his marriage.

9.0

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Cast & Crew

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Greg Grunberg

Eric Weiss
Kevin Weisman

Marshall J. Flinkman
Jennifer Garner

Sydney Anne Bristow

Fan Episode Reviews (3)

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Syd and Vaughn almost. (again!)

7.5

"Good"

By MovieMark, May 03, 2011 Report Abuse

Now that Lauren is full on bad guy, she has been sporting some hot getups and is looking better than ever. While the last 3 or so episodes have been disappointing, Lauren, at least, has upped the eye candy considerably. This only barely scrapes above average, but at least it propels the season forward for the final few laps, as the characters slot back into their uncomfortable comfort zones, awaiting the massive piece of **** that will no doubt destroy the fan, let alone hit it. The idea that Lauren must kill her father in order to regain Vaughn's trust is absurd even for this show, and the idea that Peggy Reed is Covenant is also hard to swallow. Still, Jack's pursuit of Lauren added some much needed momentum, and with Sloane up for the death penalty and Bomani about to retrieve the passenger, the remaining episodes to a hit or miss season should be interestingI hope.moreless

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Sydney to Vaughn:"I guess we won't be getting that cup of coffee."

9.0

"Superb"

By alias004, Sep 14, 2008 Report Abuse

Sydney to Vaughn:"I guess we won't be getting that cup of coffee."

I thought that in this episode Lauren would finally be unmasked and that Jack or...Vaughn would apply the Inferno protocol on her(nah..I guess it's too good to be true).Yet,with Senator Reed's death,not only did she clear herself of any suspicion,but she also won her husband back.This is what we call "two birds one stone".One thing about her:we know that she's completely evil but she couldn't pull the trigger to kill her father and for a second there I thought that she might actually have a heart.But this thought vanished as soon as she barked into the house and gave that fake hug to her mother.Sark's right complimenting on her acting skills...

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree and this is what Lauren and Olivia's case shows.What Olivia did to her husband was anything but shocking to me and this is for two reasons.First of all,I didn't like her comment to Jack about Lauren("the government is lucky to have her").From that moment I was certain that she wasn't who she appeared to be.Secondly,the whole "man married to a duplicitous wife" thing has been used so many times on Alias that I wasn't surprised at all when Olivia did what she did.If we were talking about another show,this would definitely leave me astonished,but on Alias it's in danger of becoming cliche.

The scene in the restaurant was the most interesting one.Lauren,the woman Vaughn isn't in love with,has his father's watch fixed.But she doesn't know that he prefers it broken because it symbolizes his love for Syd.And speaking of which,I really liked the fact that she fought for him and didn't display the usual-on such occasions-"I'm really sorry" face.Unfortunately,she lost the fight.

It's really hard to believe that Sloane will be executed.Firstly,he's one of the greatest tv villains of all time and an inseperable part of the show.His death would signal Alias' downfall,I think.Secondly,we all know what a sly old fox he is and that he certainly has plenty of tricks up his sleeve.Besides,he still knows a lot more about Rambaldi than the others do(did you notice his reaction when he was told the third crystal had been found?),so killing him off before we got all the answers about Il Dire would be very disappointing.

Having Rambaldi back is just wonderful.I loved the whole "hidden disks and underwater caves" stuff and how they add another historic figure to the story apart from Pope Alexander VI.This really provides a lot of depth and mystery to the Rambaldi mythology.

Notable Quotes:

Sloane:"You have such a beautiful smile,Sydney.I miss it."
Sydney:"If you're executed,I'll be a witness.I'll smile then."

Vaughn:"If I need it,can I crash on your couch?"
Weiss:"Yeah..you just have to wipe off the Cheese Nips."

Sark:"Have you been made?"
Lauren:"Of course not.If he knew I was Covenant he would arrest me,not break up with me."

Miscellaneous:

--The "Passenger" plot has returned.We learnt that's inside the "Irina" box and is Irina's legacy,according to Bomani.

--Something pleasantly surprising that I noticed in this episode is that it made references to several previous ones.1)We saw Kishell again,the man with the mangled face and throat from "Snowman".2)Lauren had Vaughn's watch from "The Passage I" fixed,3)Sark told Lauren that after Alice's father had died,Vaughn went back to her,which is something that happened in "The Abduction" and finally 4)the crystal map that Syd and Vaughn retrieved from the Russian consulate looks a lot like Sol D'Oro from "A Broken Heart".

--Although I loved Syd and Vaughn's escape from the Russian consulate,it's been ages since I last saw an action scene.And I don't mean "gunfire" action but "kick-ass" action.

--Sloane's reading the "Iliad"?And in ancient greek?Wow..

--I loved Syd's new hairdo with the bangs.She looks both beautiful and more mature.Of course,Garner looks gorgeous in everything.

--This episode's creepy moment:Lauren's "full of satisfaction" smile at the end.

--This episode's locations:Mexico City,Mexico;Gaborone,Russia(?!?) and Sea of Japan

--This episode's alias:Syd,posing as a Russian couture designer,wears a light-green satin dress and has orange-coloured afros.

--This episode's gadgets:Marshall's choker that contains a microphone,through wich he can reconstruct the phrases used by the Russian consulate general so that Syd can fool his security system.

Alias47moreless

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Review

9.0

"Superb"

By cavanagh15, Aug 14, 2007 Report Abuse

I thought this episode was okay, with a lot focusing on how Lauren was going to get herself out of trouble. The endgame was to kill her father and make it seem like the whole thing was his idea and that he was the mole. The planned worked and I must say I did like the twist that the mom was in on it to. It wasn't as shocking because we really didn't get to know too much about her character before she betrayed the country as well, but either way it was still interesting that Lauren couldn't go through with it and her mother had to intervine. Other then that big twist though the episode wasn't all that exciting. The title lives up to its name, as it was the only real major turning point in the episode. Overall, just middle of the road kind of episode for me though.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- The official cause of Senator Reed's death was suicide. However, judging by the angle of the gun pointed at him, it looks like he was shot either in the forehead (if he was kneeling), or the chest (if he was stood up). In either case, it is pretty obvious that he didn't commit suicide. Edit
- Lauren pointed a gun at Senator Reed and told him to put his hand behind his head is a lot like when Derevko did it to Sydney in the season 2 premiere. In both situation someone ended up dead, but the shooter and the person getting shot is not who we expected. Edit
- Number 47: (hidden) When Marshall monitors the helicopter and the four divers, its frequency shown onscreen is 14375.298. Edit
Notes
ADD NOTES
- Djimon Hounsou was billed as Special Guest Star in this episode. Edit
- Music from this episode includes: "Clarity" by John Mayer "Closing Time" by Bobby Summerfield and Matt McGuire Edit
- Stephen Spinella returns as Kishell, the informant with the scarred visage. He appeared previously in "Snowman." Edit
Quotes
ADD QUOTES
- Jack: All I have is a paper trail. Not definitive proof but the beginning of what Director Dixon and I believe to be a strong case for the existence of a mole. Senator Reed: Other than Sloane? Jack: Or instead of him. At this point, that is unclear. Senator Reed: Is it that hard to identify a traitor? Honestly, sometimes I think you people just get too close. Edit
- Sloane: Ah, you have such a beautiful smile, Sydney. I miss it. Sydney: If you're executed, I'll be a witness. I'll smile then. Edit
- Lauren: My access extends beyond my husband. Sark: Perhaps, but Vaughn is central to the CIA's efforts regarding The Passenger, so you must do everything possible to keep him close. Edit
Allusions
ADD ALLUSIONS
- Kishell: The box you lost has not been opened since the time of Rambaldi. Though there is a legend Joseph Stalin made the greatest effort.
  Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin was the second leader of the Soviet Union and the sole responsible for turning the Soviet Union from a peasant society to a major world industrial power. However, the process cost millions of human lives. Edit