Alias Season 4

The fourth season of Alias ranks among my favorites, second only to the second season. The action is fast-paced and it never feels like there's a dull moment. I love the addition of Mia Maestro to the cast (we met her character very late in the third season) as Sydney Bristow's half sister Nadia Santos. Nadia is the daughter of Syd's mother, Irina Derevko, and her arch nemesis, Arvin Sloane. The relationship between Sydney and her father Jack Bristow (Victor Garber) is tested once again when Syd learns that her father murdered her mother in cold blood after learning Irina had put a contract out on Syd's life. They actually filmed the scene, which is shown as a flashback. I absolutely love the chemistry between Victor Garber and Lena Olin. This does produce a slight continuity question, however. When the flashback is shown, toward the end of season four, it says "eighteen months earlier" at the bottom of the screen. Eighteen months prior to the end of season four would place this event as sometime during the middle of the third season. Since Lena Olin did not appear in the third season, one has to conclude that Jack carried this out off-screen, which is certainly fine, but it would have to have occurred right after Jack and Irina stopped communicating via IRC instant messaging, which was actually towards the end of season three in an episode called "Blood Ties." So if the murder of Irina Derevko occurred eighteen moths prior to the end of season four, that means some significant time had to pass between seasons three and four. Anyway, I digress ... it turns out Irina Derevko is alive! Alias pulls this off beautifully ... think back to season two and the Francie/Alison fiasco. Season four also sees Greg Grunberg and his character Eric Weiss (Vaughn's best friend)get a lot more screen time as Weiss and Nadia become an item. The always awesome David Anders returns Julian Sark. Fan favorite Gina Torres (Syd's former K-Directorate nemesis, Anna Espinosa) returns as well. Season four reintroduces Katya Derevko, played to perfection by Isabella Rossellini, who was featured in three episodes in the third season) and the third (and deadliest) Derevko of them all ... Elena, played by the wonderful Sonia Braga. This is the only season to feature all three Derevko sisters. Some other highlights from this season include "the Arvin Clone," Sloane (Ron Rifkin) being placed in charge by the CIA legitimately, Vaughn (Michael Vartan) learning more about why his father was killed and what he was really involved in, Sloane's attempts to be a father (which make Jack look like the poster child for fatherhood). We also see much more of Marshall's' life as a father and a husband; he even pulls an interesting deception over on Jack. One final thing to mention ... as much as I enjoy the chemistry between Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan, it is the chemistry between Victor Garber and Ron Rifkin that truly made this series amazing.

Alias: Season 4. Wow. The characters have been through heck in the first three seasons, much of it caused by a man named Arvin Sloane, and afterwards by a group called The Covenant. In a stroke of genius, now the best of both SD-6 and the CIA are combined into APO, and headed up by (guess who?) Arvin Sloane, the guy everybody loves to hate. The usual cast of Jennifer Garner, Michael Vartan, Victor Garber, Ron Rifkin, and etc. are accompanied by the absolutely adorable Mia Maestro, who plays Sydney's half-sister Nadia Santos. Throw in some nice guest stars like Angela Bassett, some Derevko sisters (yes, plural) and a person or two who you probably thought was dead, and you've got a great season, culminating in the ultimate family team-up to take down a terrible Rambaldi device that could trigger the next apocalypse! And of course...The Chosen One must battle The Passenger. And only one...will survive. Unless you want either one to be in the next season, in which case, they might live. But I'm not sayin' if they both survive or not, 'cause that'd be a spoiler. And the big shocker at the very end of the season, wow. Let's just say not everyone is who they claim to be. Now I don't know what happens in Season 5, except that somebody gets a clip or two unloaded in 'em and there's probably a double or a clone or two somewhere in there. (I saw a few moments of the series finale...not knowing how great a show it was at the time.) Whatever the case, while I admit there was a creepy episode or two in there, Season 4 comes on strong and has a well-deserved place amongst the other three seasons, all of which I enjoyed. Trust me, you won't be let down by Season 4 if you enjoyed the other three. I highly recommend it.

Great

As always, the ALIAS writing, effects and stunts are top of the line, especially in this season. All Alias fans should get season 4, if only to watch just once. And see the way the story actually ended, before they knew the show had been renewed for seson 5. Sydney, her mom and sister save the day, & the planet, and it will bring a tear to your eye, EVEN though no one dies. that's all I'll give away! I actually liked it this way, because all the episodes were so good and imaginative. But I also didn't complain when they were renewed and all the ALIAS fans got another season (season 5) kind of like a gift. But WOW! did they take ALIAS in a different direction. Guess they had to after season four. Now, if they'd just get on with making some ALIAS made for tele movies...

After finishing the final disc of this season, i felt a great dissapointment and sadness as i realized that the show is far from what it once was. The storyline remains the most important thing so i'll try not to reveal anything, though when reading most of the other reviews it's hard not to ruin yourself most of the surprises. So here i go: After 3 years of great TV, despite a few mistakes and wrong turns here and there, Alias entered its fourth season wanting to regain the audience lost in the last season. And the new structure of the episodes manged to attract more viewers, at one HUGE, WRONG, DESTRUCTIVE sacrifice, the storyline. You're watching the episode and listening " this new weapon could wipe out an ecosystem....you must get it back and stop the terrorists from using it." And then you think: wasn't this in the last episode? No, last time it was a bomb, and the time before it was a chemical weapon, and before that a new weapon, and before that a new defense technology...etc.etc... Every episode is almost the same! (except for the final ones, but i'll get to them later). However, i'm not saying the episodes are bad, the missions are better than before, longer more realistic, Marshall no longer makes everything happen. Sydney and the gang have use oldschool tricks. Towards the middle of the season, the shows begins to show faint signs of a storyline, despite this, the level of excitement remains as low and you then continue to the ussual "terrorist" episodes. it is until the final episodes that the story takes hold and doesn't let go, but it is not as strong as past seasons for this very reason, it all happens in a short time and you don't understand what happens until the final episodes when everyhting is explained, including what happened to nadia and sloane at the end of the 3rd season. Besides, big plus here, you finally get to know what is the goddamn red ball from season 1 for. So, if the missions are good, and you get some explanation from past misteries, why do i say it is horrible for die hard fans? Well the answer is the lack of a continuing storyline, in past seasons, each episode flowed nicely into the next, however, like lost, the next episode may have nothing to do with the past one. This new way of presenting the storyline creates a whole different Alias, wich fans may not see as a better one, like i did. Secondly, the storyline only answers misteries from the 3rd season, not progressing much, not moving moving forward (this is most obvious when in the final episodes a series of flashbacks from different characters appear to explain the past). Therefore, i see season 4 only as closure for the past season. Finally the season finale, though interesting, was most different from the past ones. It felt more like a superhero movie where the villain is about to destroy the world with his evil creation and the good guy has to stop him before its too late. You'll see for yourselves if you buy it. Also, the twists and turns are getting old and predictable, much like 24's i could see the surprises a mile away! It's getting boring when the bad guy says he is good again blablablabl and we all know how that turns out later. So...yes i recommend it to new viewers, fans may find the final episodes to be the only interesting ones. Nevertheless, i feel i owe it to the show to continue watching the 5th season,and if you are a fan too you may feel you have to watch this season, but don't expect too much. I didn't and i felt dissapointed anyway.

Before you read this, know that I am crazy about Alias. I have watched every episode and can't wait to see how it all ends this Spring. Saying that, here it goes... In my opinion, this particular season is good, but it's not the best yet. I found myself able to second guess things before they actually happened; but, if you've watched the show from the beginning, you'd be able to do the same. I think that goes for any show, really (although Lost still blows my mind). The episodes definitely get better as they progress. I highly suggest watching the entire season from beginning to end so that you have enough of the backstory to see the final episode. It's one ending I did not see coming! My head is still spinning. Oh, and the extras are pretty funny. I always love the blooper reels and anything to do with Marshall 'cause he's hilarious!

If you want Action, suspense, romance, twists, turns, adventure, comady the list goes on, this is the programme for you. Season one was the intro. It gave us the characters, the intrigue and the wit. Season two raised the level. It gave us twist after twist, along with great characters and a fantastic final. Season three gave us the betrayal, the love story and season packed with special guest stars. Season four gives us all of the above and more. A story that will keep you gripped from its great beginning to the blow your mind away final. Sydney Bristow is back, kicking more ass than ever. She now works for a new organisition, Authorised Personal Only(APO) and the whole gang is back together, working under the eye of Sloane. Why you ask. Watch and find out. This season brings us new faces, with a whole host of old, some you may be more happy to see than others. If you want all of the above then watch this season. Although it may start of slow, it certainly is not the worst season.

Fabulous entertainment and the actors are stellar. Romantic and intriguing all the way keeping your interest with many interesting twists and turns. Jennifer Garner is amazingly versatile and gorgeous always! Michael Vartan is incredibly good and compelling as one of the most charismatic and beautiful men I have ever seen on the screen. Why is he not already a MAJOR triple A star as I feel he is far more handsome and wonderful than many other A stars out there. Timing perhaps - needs a new agent maybe! All in all I was so sad to finish all the seasons through 5!

Que lo recibí en pocos días. Lo que no me gustó es que sólo estuviese en inglés.

Ich gehöre zu den Leuten, die ab dem Tag, an dem Pro7 die erste Folge ausstrahlte infiziert waren. Und trotz der unmöglichen Sendepolitik von Pro7 ist es nicht gelungen mich zu vergraulen! Deshalb habe ich die knapp 80 Euro für den UK-Import bezahlt und sehe es keinesfalls als Geldverschwendung an. In der vierten Staffel arbeitet Sydney zusammen mit Jack, Vaughn, Dixon, Weiss, Marshall und ihrer Halbschwester Nadia für eine geheime Unterorganisation der CIA, die ironischerweise von keinem geringeren als Arvin Sloane geleitet wird! Allerding muss ich sagen, dass mir in der vierten Staffel einiges gefehlt hat: 1. Während es in den ersten drei Staffeln von Anfang an mindestens eine Organisation/Person gab, die sozusagen den Bösen darstellte und dessen Bekämpfung über die gesamte Staffel oder wenigstens über mehrere Episoden hinweg im Mittelpunkt stand, verliert man in dieser Staffel meiner Meinung nach etwas des Überblick, da jede Woche neue Namen auftreten!(zur Errinerung in der 1.Staffel hatte man SD-6, sowie das K-Direktorat und The Man, in der 2. Staffel das geniale Trio Sloane, Sark und Irina und in der dritten Staffel dann The Covenant mit Sark und Lauren als diabolisches Pärchen) 2. Und eben dadurch und durch die Tatsache, dass sich das Leben aller Hauptdarsteller nur um APO dreht ( Da Freunde und Familienmitglieder aller Hauptdarsteller in den letzten 3 Staffeln zumeist getötet wurden: Francie, die Ehefrauen der Hauptdarsteller,...) fehlte mir ein bisschen die Mehrdimensinalität. Aber es gibt natürlich auch Lichtblicke: Anna Espinosa kehrt für kurze Zeit zurück, und auch Sark ist nicht für immer in US-Gefangenschaft verschollen. Außerdem erfahren wir mehr über die Derevko-Schwestern und über Nadias Hintergrund. Was mir auch gut gefallen hat, war das es bei den Aufträgen immer neue Paarungen gab: Also nicht immer nur Sydney und Dixon oder Sydney und Vaughn sondern auch mal die beiden Schwestern Sydney und Nadia oder Dixon und Vaughn. Und die letzten Folgen der Staffel begeben sich dann ganz wider auf das Niveau der ersten drei Staffel und halten eine Menge Überraschungen bereit. Und der Cliffhangar am Ende sorgt wie üblich dafür, dass man die nächste Staffel am liebsten sofort sehen will!!! Also: Die 4. Staffel am besten sofort kaufen und nicht auf die deutsche Version warten, wer einigermaßen fit im Englischen ist wird keine großen Verständnis-Probleme haben!!

Alias Was a show that was ahead of its time. Excellent writing and a cliffhanger at the end of every episode.

spoilers, spoilers,spoilers a number of people have complained that season 4 was not one of it's best, i have to disagree it was awesome we got a episode entirely devoted to sydney and vaughn in 'welcome to liberty village' and we had the addition of sydney's have sister nadia which i thought worked really well! and a new base of operations under the subway which basically gives them the idea for their new operations ' APO' meaning 'authorised personnal only' vaughn's marriage proposal to sydney amidst the crisis in the final 2 episodes and irina's surprise return!!! and the shocking cliffhanger at the end of the season which sets us up nicely for season 5! spoilers spoilers spoilers as one of the lucky UK viewers to have watched the season 5 premiere be warned there's more shocks to come that i did'nt even expect!!!

very well done - makes you watch all the seasons again