Alias 101
» Spoiler Warning: details on this page could spoil any surprise(s) in the story if you have not seen this complete TV series.

When super-spy Sydney Bristow discovers that she has been unknowingly working for the bad guys, she joins forces with the CIA to bring them down. While hiding her true occupation from her friends, Will and Francie, the only person she can trust is her CIA contact, Michael Vaughn. Her estranged father, Jack Bristow, reappears in her life when she learns that he, too, is a double agent.

As the show progresses, the rules - and the players - in this web of intrigue change, but the action, Bond-like spy gadgets, and wigs are never in short supply.

» See our Alias fan site - alias.fannesite - for more show facts and fun.

Alias: Recap and Review
What makes it so notable? thrilling action and complex, interesting characters presented by a fantastically skilled cast
What are its weak points? Some of the storylines felt tediously drawn out, and at times it seemed the writers got lost in their own mysteries, leaving many questions unanswered. Plus, I *hated* the plot twist at the end of season two.
Verdict: Casual Fan or Big-Time Fangirl? former Big-Time Fangirl, now somewhere above Casual Fan
Comments: The show started out strong, and they weren't afraid to reinvent themselves along the way. I admit that I didn't like every turn the stories took, but I'm glad I saw it through to the end.

Man: Who are you working for? I'll not ask you again.
Sydney: Okay. Get a pen. ... Write this down. E-M-E-T-I-B. You got that?
Man: Yes.
Sydney: Okay. Now reverse it.

Sydney: Did you study bomb diffusion at Langley?
Vaughn: Just seminars, though. Nothing field-specific.
Sydney: Does anyone ever learn anything in seminars?
Vaughn: Let's just take this one step at a time. This is a charge of C-4. I can tell, 'cause it says "C-4" everywhere.

Sydney: Did you close your eyes at all?
Vaughn: On and off. You talk in your sleep.
Sydney: No! What did I say?
Vaughn: "Don't frost the pie!" It seemed really important.

Weiss: There's no way that guy smells as good as you.
Vaughn: It's aftershave. I got a new aftershave.
Weiss: Yeah, well, I'd lighten up on it.
Vaughn: Yeah?
Weiss: Oh, yeah. To the point of non-use.

Sloane: Marshall Flinkman, technical operations officer.
Marshall (to Sark): Hi. Welcome. Don't kill me.

Irina: Tell me, Sydney . . . Who sent you here? You must tell me.
Sydney: Or what? I'm grounded?

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.
Contact: This is why I love our business.

Foster: At 7:22 this evening, you were logged in at the safe-house where Nadia Santos is being held. Is that accurate?
Sydney: It was around dinner. I brought her a sandwich.
Foster: Where were you before that?
Sydney: Buying her the sandwich.

Jack: It must have been lost in the mail.
Sydney: Your invitation?
Jack: Unless it was an e-vite. I don't read...e-vites.

Jack: Irina Derevko collected 19th century literature. There was a small bookstore in Prague that stocked rare first editions. Whenever I was in town, I'd buy one for her as a gift.
Marshall: Aww, that's sweet.
Jack: The KGB encoded assassination orders in these pages.
Marshall: Oh. Well that's...not as...sweet.

Marshall: I've got a spork.
Jack: What's a spork?

Sydney: Six years ago, when I walked into that CIA office, why was Vaughn assigned to my case?
Weiss: I don't know; he asked to be. You came in, you were all screwed up, you had that freaky red hair, he likes a challenge ...

Sydney: I understand why you're reluctant. You're number eight on the CIA's most wanted list, I get it. But you have to understand: these people killed my fiancé, the father of my child. I'm going to enlist every resource available to immobilize them, and if that means that this is the last time you and I see each other, that is fine by me. Just tell me how you want to do it.
Renee: Number eight?
Sydney: Yes.
Renee: I'm slipping. Used to be number six.

Rachel: There's this one woman; she's amazing and she's about to have a baby. I'm not sure I could manage work and a goldfish.
Sark: Well, aquariums are overrated. Remember that.

Jack: You do not leave edged weapons within the reach of children.
Sydney: She's four weeks old, Dad.
Jack: Particularly young Bristow women!

* Some people can get their wigs to stay on really well.
* Know your employer.
* Sometimes the truth hurts. A lot.
* A tight dress is really all a girl needs to crash some very "swank" parties.
* Only an American would come to someone's door without telephoning.
* You don't need a gun to be deadly.
* If you find a high-tech listening device, telling it your name and phone number is not a good idea.
* College can be more painful than torture.
* Sometimes "I'm sorry" just isn't enough.
* You never know when you'll need the services of a technical genius.
* When in doubt: smile and fake it.
* For clandestine spy meetings, you can't beat a bloodmobile.
* She who fights and runs away lives to fight another day.
* Never underestimate your enemy.
* Even cool super-spies get jealous.
* Luck is often worth more than skill.
* Never break up with someone while you are a passenger in their car.
* Try not to take your work home with you.
* Look closely: that televised car chase could involve your roommate.
* Under no circumstances should you swallow a biological weapon.
* Before knocking someone out, secure their bottle of Coca Cola.
* Tranquilizers should be considered essential for every mission.
* Never hug a spy who's cracking up.
* Spiders can be good luck - if they're really there.
* You don't always know what you think you know.

[From the episode Time Will Tell]
Vaughn: Are you romantically interested in anyone?
[Sydney gives him a look.]
Vaughn: Could be a question.
Sydney: No, I'm not.
[The lie detector indicates a lie.]
Vaughn: Interesting.

In the episode Trust Me, Jack stops by the apartment to pick up Syd. Trying to get his opinion, Francie starts to give him a hypothetical situation, "Say you're hanging out with your friends ..." She pauses and he has a strange expression, since he pretty much has no friends. Francie continues, "Or whatever. What color are the walls?" and fans out color swatches for him to see. He looks uncomfortable and states, "I'm not really into interior decorating."

Also in Trust Me, Marshall is describing his latest gadget for Sydney and Dixon, and he's rambling - like he does. He offhandedly mentions a device that outlaws used in the old days and remarks that he's "a bit of an outlaw myself." We see Dixon try not to laugh.

From Season Three, Sydney and Will were looking for information, and Sydney hacked into a hotel's computer. She said that they needed a floor plan, and Will was skeptical, asking something like, "What if it's not on-line?" Sydney replied optimistically, "What if it is?" She barely finishes speaking before the floor plan pops up on the screen. (May not be the exact scene, but it's close. It may sound corny, but that scene has actually encouraged me in several real-life situations.)

* Find more quotes, favorite scenes and lessons learned along with fanart, fanfiction, links to related sites, and much more at my Alias fan site: alias.fannesite.

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