The Two

Season 3, Episode 1, Aired

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Sydney tries to piece together the last two years of her life and discovers the fates of her friends and family. She confronts Vaughn about his marriage and learns the shocking fates of Jack and Sloane. Meanwhile, she is granted temporary CIA clearance on a case that may help her regain her memory.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (6)

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  • A new season brings along with a lot of new changes...

    6.0
    "Fair"
    By MovieMark, Sep 12, 2010
    There were plenty of pieces to pick up after the explosive finale of season two, but rather surprisingly, instead of hinting at what happened during those missing 2 years, we're thrown a new set of complications for us deal with.

    As Syd puts it, her world has been torn to pieces and its the gradual decline into madness (kinda) that really sets this episode alight. Her confrontation with Vaughn, where she rips him a new one, is Jen at her best - managing to hit so many emotional beats, she always makes Syd such a compelling lead character no matter the circumstance.

    There's a lot of neat changes to the show's dynamics: Marshall has a girlfriend and even more shockingly, she's pregnant; Pappa Spy has been locked up for a year; Vaughn has a new arm piece; Dixon is head of operations; Sloane is head of a charity organisation and Sydney, seemingly, is a cold blooded murderer.

    All of these additions are interesting sure, but together they make for one serious info-dump. There may be tears galore to be had in this one, but there's no real emotional hook, aside from Syd going rogue in order to release her captive father. What the series had built prior to season 3 was a strong emotional core. This episode serves to disrupt every relationship Syd has and while it's effective in isolating Sydney, it's a bit of a cheat for long-term fans.

    It's also an episode riddled with holes (unusual for this show). That scene where Syd intercepts the meet, dressed to kill, seemed entirely superfluous. How did she know her shot wouldn't have killed everyone in the car, along with destorying the chip? Are we meant to believe that she could easily stroll into CIA HQ the way she did with an Enemy of the State sign over her head and blackmail her senior without consequences? Dixon had an Ariel view of the mission in Paris, Lindsey certainly would have seen two figures standing outside for a few minutes chatting away like two aul ones, surely.

    Regardless, it's a standard episode of Alias, meaning it's pretty good. It plants a lot of future plot developments for the season. Unfortunately it sacrifices a lot of character stuff in order to do this, and so we have a rare episode that feels all about the mission. Pity.moreless

  • Alias returns for a third season with an episode that leaves a lot to be desired.

    7.0
    "Good"
    By Steel_Spider, Jul 26, 2010
    If you thought that this episode would reveal where Sydeny has been for the past two years, you really don't know Alias.

    Sydney learns the fates of her friends and family: Jack is in jail for co-operating with Irina, Dixon is in charge of the CIA, Sloane is also working for the CIA, Marshall and his girlfriend are expecting a child and Weiss has lost a little weight. Oh, I almost forgot: Vaughan is now married to another woman.

    The episode is full of shocks but it reveals nothing about Syd's two year disappearance aside from a recording that Jack shows Sydney. On the whole, the episode is mediocre save for the talk between Vaughan and Sydney near the end of the epiosde. The acting in that scene is fantastic, especially the acting of Jennifer Garner.

    The episode is good but nothing spectacular. There's plenty of ass-kicking by Syd and some charged emotional scenes. Worth a look.moreless

  • She's been missing for two years!! I just expected more tears....:)

    8.0
    "Great"
    By Makiki_89, Jul 26, 2010
    So this episode gave abolutely NO answers. Wich makes it kinda cool :). I didn't expect answers but what I did expect was pain, fear, despair and absolute confusion. I found out, that I wasn't happy with Vaughn reaction, and frankly everyone else's reaction except for Sydney's and Jack's.

    If you've ever read my other reviews you'll know I'm a big Sydney and Vaughn shipper. Obviously not seeing them together hurts. I already knew this would happen though (I'm just spoilerish I can't help it :P) but I expected Vaughn to be broken by seeing Sydney again. It seemed to me like he excepted it way too fast. We haven't seen him that much in this epi and that's probably why I have this feeling, 'cause I know it must have been a hell for him. And he must feel real weird now, but I want to *see* him think about Sydney and what happened to her, instead of leaving it all to my imagination.

    I loved Sydney's speech to Vaughn. I can't imagine how she must feel. The man she loves is married to someone else, everyone has a new life while she is stuck in her old one. How can I describe the brilliant actress that Jennifer Garner is....well, I think you all know ;)

    Jack was in prison for working with Irina. That's just so in character :) Very clever! I didn't like the way how fast Sydney got Jack out of prison though. It's also kinda weird that he's back in the CIA. That doesn't make sense, but they have to keep him in the story.

    I love Weiss and Marshall, they're the best. But once again I seems like they're not surprised enough with Syd's come back. She was dead! You'd just think people would react different. (Okay, I'll stop about it :P) It's great that Marshall is going to have a child. That man deserves all the happiness that he can get.

    I don't like the NSC guy. Gimme Kendall! ( can't believe I just said that :S). I'm not sure I like Dixon as a leader either...

    I loved the thing with the car. Sydney just looked so frickin' cool! Those are the kind of action scenes I want to see. Loved the hair too.

    I read a review a while ago wich said that Alias relies on action too much. After seeing this one I can't disagree. This epi should have been all talk and still Sydney manages to immediatly do a mission for CIA. I'm sorry, but that's not logical.

    Sloane is evil. I have no single doubt about that in my mind. Pure evil, and he should be stopped before he can do something evil again (that is if he isn't already doing it). The thing with 'Peace' doesn't make sense either. You're lying man. Give it up, these people WILL catch you eventually. ( where is Will, btw;) )

    Good episode, but not what I expected. I do adore this shows main character, and it's sad to see her being hurt like that. It now even seems that she has done some things in her two forgotten years. Wonder where this story is going to *-) Catch you all later, too see!


    moreless

  • Review

    9.4
    "Superb"
    By cavanagh15, Jul 26, 2010
    Obviously everything that was shocking to Sydney in this episode was going to be shocking for us, so lets start with some of the things that I loved. I liked how Dixon got bumped up in terms of rank and is now running things over at the CIA. While I liked Terry O' Quinn for his role on the show, the CIA needed to start looking a little more like the magic days of the show when SD-6 was around which is exactly what they did. Feeding off that is Arvin Slone, who I both love and hate to see working with the CIA. I think he will flop to a bad guy sometime, which will make this writing good. If he stays goof for more then 6 episodes I would be a little worried about where the show is going. They didnt answer every question, Irina and Sark didnt make an apperence in this episode, which I think is good for the future of season 3. The action scenes were really well done and I really liked both of Sydneys conversations with Vaughn. I liked how the show picked up from the exact point of "The Telling", almost made it seem like a part two. Overall, fantastic episode and a great way to start off season 3. Though I hear it doesnt stay good for long - I hope your all wrong.moreless

  • Oh, Vaughn, you ******...

    8.8
    "Great"
    By _SemperFidelis_, May 01, 2007
    The 3rd premiere of Alias is pretty decent.

    Not full of shocks and twists like the pilot, or full of development like the 2nd premiere, but, it's something really unique.

    While Syd's mission with Weiss looked like a placeholder, it was nice to see her in action again.

    I'm sad to see that Will is no longer part of the show. Logically, neither is Francie. And where is Kendall...? He was a very strong character. Dixon replacing him might sound like an excellent idea at first, but then, it's not. Dixon is a field agent. The leadership simply doesn't suit him. However, I'm happy to see Weiss regularly. That guy is just so funny and cool. Vaughn has married. So, let's say, Syd dies. It usually takes about a year for a person to regenerate and calmly live with the thought that the woman/man he/she once loved is now dead.
    Another year to start noticing women/men on the streets, at the work too from a sexual point of view.
    And marrying? That's at least 6 months. But before that... dates, proposing... another 6 months.

    So AT BEST, it would've taken Vaughn 3 years to MARRY. But then, Syd didn't come back 1 year after the marriege. So let's say 3 and a half year.

    Yet Vaughn managed to do this within 2 years...

    Of course it might be just a production mistake, but it makes me very sad. Especially, look... Syd is, although only a tv character, someone if I lost, i would probably NEVER be able to recover.

    Jennifer Garner acted the hell outta herself at the end. That one scene alone was worth watching the episode.

    The episode gives us some clues, hints, but ultimately, it was all about Syd's return.

    '-My name is Marshall Flinkman. F-l-i-n-k-m-a-n. I'm a technician guy. I work here.
    -Sydney: Of course I remember you, Marshall(hugs)'

    cute.moreless
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  • TRIVIA (3)

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    • The establishing shot for Paris with the Eiffel Tower shows the tower with a giant, light-up number screen--This screen represents a publicity move in the late 1990s to make a countdown (in days) to the year 2000. In the footage, it's at 821 days. In Season 1 they mention the Patriot Act, dating the show to post 9-11-2001.

    • If Sydney was on the DOJ "Enemy of the State" list, why was it that she was able to walk into the CIA and Dixon's office without any problems?

    • During the operation CIA headquarters had satellite images of the area showing agents and enemies as dots. When Sydney is talking to Eric she says "We never had this conversation, after the gunfight I disappeared". She obviously doesn't want Eric to report the conversation to CIA headquarters telling them they had talked after the gunfight, but wouldn't they have seen all along via the satellite images that they had been standing next to each other for minutes after the gunfight?

  • QUOTES (9)

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    • Sloane: You remember the Rambaldi device? The machine designed 500 years ago by a prophet? All I did was bring all the pieces together and have it assembled. And when I turned it on, it delivered a message, as I suspected it would. I wasn't prepared for what it said. The message was just one word, one simple word: peace. The epiphany I had at that moment... suddenly I saw all the mistakes I'd made, the pain that I had inflicted on the world, the people I loved. So I chose right then and there to give information to the CIA with which they were able to dismantle at least two dozen terrorist cells. Sydney: I don't know how you convinced the CIA that you're trustworthy... Sloane: Why don't you check my files? Sydney: I know you too well. I don't buy any of it.

    • Sydney: They told me you were charged with resisting authority. Dad, I don't understand. Jack: I became obsessed with your death; with finding those responsible. And at a certain point in my pursuit, I needed help. So I contacted the one person I believed I could trust, given the circumstances... your mother. Sydney: You were working with Mom? Jack: At the time, she was number 6 on the CIA's Most Wanted List. The National Security Council, primarily... Robert Lindsey. You met him? Sydney: Yes. Jack: He discovered that I was collaborating with your mother, so he threatened me, questioned my allegiance to this country. He chose to make an example of me - an NSC power play. And here we are.

    • Weiss: You're not gonna like my suggestion: you should go see Arvin Sloane. Sydney: What? Weiss: Sloane negotiated a pardon after your . . . death. He's now a consultant for the CIA. Yeah, he now runs a world health organization in Zurich: OMNIFAM.

    • Sydney: Where's my father? Or . . . or my mom - have you heard from her since Mexico City? Vaughn said Will's alive. If there was a fire in my apartment, if he thought I was dead, then how did Will survive? Where is he? Dixon: Sydney . . . Sydney: And Francie - is she dead? Did they find her body, too? Dixon: I know you have a million questions, but . . . Sydney: I have a lot more than a million questions! I wish I only had a million questions!

    • Vaughn: I chose not to stay with the CIA after your death. Sydney: You're not with the Agency? Vaughn: No. I'm a teacher.

    • Jack: Vaughn what? Sydney: He got married. Jack: Michael Vaughn is just a boy who was never good enough for you.

    • Sydney: You lost weight. Weiss: Oh yeah, thanks, I sorta gave up all the foods I enjoy. I'm miserable but I look really good.

    • Vaughn: I came by to see how you were. Sydney: Are you kidding me? Vaughn: No, I just wanted to make sure that you're... Sydney: You didn't come here to see how I am. You came here to see how you are, because you know in your heart what you did. You wanna make sure you're okay. Vaughn: I buried you. Consider that for one second. Sydney: Don't use rational thought as a defense with me. Not after all you and I have seen. Vaughn, you and I live and breathe madness. Every day on the job there is no rational thought. I can't even pretend to have a conversation about anything else with you. What it comes down to is faith. What I was hoping you would say is, 'Sydney, I gave up on us. I lost faith.' But what you came here for was closure and there is not a chance you are getting that from me. I'm not gonna say, 'I understand,' I'm not gonna sympathize with you and tell you how hard it must be for you. But you want to know how I am? I am horrible! Vaughn, I am ripped apart! And not because I lost you... but because...if it had been me... I would have waited... I would have found the truth...I wouldn't have given up on you! And now I realize... what an absolute waste that would have been!

    • French Contact: Forgive me if I look shocking to you, but I was believing that you were dead. Sydney: I was. But now I'm not. French Contact: This is why I love our business.

  • NOTES (4)

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    • This episode opens with Jennifer Garner voicing the line, "Last season on Alias", as opposed to the usual "Previously on Alias".

    • Music from this episode includes: "Rollin" by Limp Bizkit "I Feel Love" by Blue Man Group "On Saturday Afternoons in 1963" by Rickie Lee Jones

    • As of this episode Melissa George and Greg Grunberg are credited in the opening titles while Bradley Cooper, Merrin Dungey and Lena Olin are no longer credited.

    • Although credited, David Anders and Melissa George both don't appear in this episode.

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