Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Entering a pivotal third year, the creative team behind Alias had a lot to account for after the stunning, bizarre cliffhanger at the conclusion of season two. Viewers were thrown a sizeable curveball when CIA agent Sydney Bristow awakens to discover she had been missing for two years, only to turn up in Hong Kong with no memories of that time. The third season is basically divided in two: the first half dealing with Sydney’s attempts to find out where she’d been for such a long time. The second half focuses once more on the relentless pursuit of the sacred Milo Rambaldi artifacts, which may hold the answers to Sydney’s destiny.

One of the most readily apparent dilemmas with this year is the fact that the producers were unable to re-sign Lena Olin to a contract, and taking away such a formidable piece of the show from last season leaves an obvious hole to fill. Olin, who played Sydney’s mother, is badly missed, as she contributed greatly to the story arc of season two. Equally puzzling is the vanishing act of another strong supporting character, agent Kendall, played by Terry O’Quinn. While his character makes an important appearance halfway through, his vaguely explained absence was another sore spot. Moreover, Will Tippin also made just one measly guest spot. It’s remarkable that with all the casting changes, the show was still kept alive and kicking with the stars that did return.

When Sydney comes back to the CIA office in Los Angeles, she is shocked to find out what’s happened in those two crucial years. Her father, Jack (Victor Garber) is being unlawfully held in prison due to his questionable methods of trying to track down his missing daughter. Her arch-nemesis, the shifty monster Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin) has been granted a full pardon by the government for his role in bringing down over a dozen terrorist cells. Once her partner, agent Marcus Dixon (Carl Lumbly) is now head of the unit. Lastly, her former lover, agent Vaughn is teaching school and is happily married to the National Security Council’s CIA liaison Lauren Reed (Melissa George).

For those unfamiliar with the show, it essentially plays out like a forty-five minute episode of James Bond, with plenty of high-tech gadgets, flamboyant action sequences, and rapid-fire dialogue. The new evil enterprise this year is the Covenant, for which the slippery Mr. Sark owes his allegiance after his escape from the CIA in a botched exchange. This terrorist outfit is determined to collect the Rambaldi artifacts, which are extraordinarily powerful devices that hold the key to Sydney’s fate, and the fate of the world. The CIA must stop the Covenant from solving the equation of Rambaldi’s endgame, so Sydney and her team attempt to capture these priceless gems and figure out their true meaning before the Covenant can get their hands on them. Revealing any more of the plot would spoil the fun, so I’ll leave it at that.

With Alias, you can always rely on the fact that the acting is some of the highest quality on television, and season three is no exception. The spicy Jennifer Garner is magnificent as usual, perfectly portraying an iron-willed woman on the outside with a tender, emotional center. The role requires more than just a tough, gritty performance week in and week out. Sydney is a very caring person who feels the weight of the world on her shoulders, as she struggles with her life, which has been turned upside down. Rifkin tries to inject the Sloane character with a gentler side, a man who insists he’s changed for the better. However, his dark attributes still linger behind his eyes, and his insatiable thirst for the Rambaldi artifacts remains unquenched.

Elsewhere, Michael Vartan is effective as Vaughn, who now faces the problem every man who like to have: having two women who are absolutely crazy for him and who are more than willing to butt heads over him. I always thought Vaughn was a big wimp, but near the end of the season he grows a much more sinister edge that washed away many of my doubts. The sultry Melissa George is far from the average dumb blonde, though she can be a real battle-axe at times. Garber’s Jack Bristow hasn’t changed one bit since year one; he’s cold, ruthless, but cares deeply for his daughter’s safety, and would die trying to save her. Kevin Weisman turns in an immensely enjoyable performance as Marshall Flinkman, now a father and husband, but still the perennial computer geek who tends to talk too much, but he delivers some great laughs. Overall, the acting is still the meat and potatoes of the show.

*** Spoil Warning ***

If you’re interested in seeing how the third season unfolds, with all surprises and twists, stop reading now. In order for me to fully review this set, I have to pick apart a few plot points and characters, which would also be spoiling the surprise. First off, when the Melissa Reed character is exposed as a Covenant agent, I just had a tremendously hard time buying it. Then, in an almost incomprehensible twist, it turns out her mother is also an agent of evil, which had me laughing until the cows came home. Equally brutal was Francie’s resurrection from the dead, after she was shot three times by Sydney at the season two finale. She finally meets her end, eventually, with about two dozen bullet holes being enough to put her down. These are minor complaints, but there surely could have been better ways to handle these characters.

*** End Spoiler Warning ***

The DVD set is hit and miss. There are quite a bundle of features, but it’s all style and little substance. The commentaries are the most noteworthy inclusion, featuring Garner, creator J.J. Abrams, and others from the cast and crew as they share their experiences and insights in three separate tracks. The fourth, and stupidest of them all, is two of the show’s fans that won some kind of contest and babble incessantly without saying anything of any consequence to the viewer. There’s a host of behind-the-scenes featurettes; the majority are dry but watchable. One really cool segment showed how they created the series’ biggest action sequence, a thrilling car chase in a parking garage. The deleted scenes were cut for obvious reasons, as they add little to the plot. One huge gaffe was the omission of scene selection for individual episodes, a mistake that is simply inexcusable. As a whole, the commentaries were a blast, but the rest is largely forgettable.

To sum up, despite a few issues of wonky character developments and plots that are often times hard to swallow, Alias: The Complete Third Season is highly engaging TV fare. Propelled by gripping performances, the third year continues to expand on the plot threads established in the earlier seasons, all the while keeping the tension running high as Sydney fights to find her memories and stop the Covenant. The show on it’s own is definitely worth coughing up the cash. Fans of intelligent action shows like 24 and CSI will find a lot to love about Alias, and the terrific third season only serves to reinforce this contention.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD