Wigs, Frocks and Glocks - rewatching 'Alias'

This post contains a fair amount of British self-deprecation. I'm surprised, in all the time I've had this blog, I've never done a post on this show.

The $1.3 billion grossing Deadpool & Wolverine has a number of great cameos in it. These includes the return of Jennifer Garner as Elektra Natchios after 20 years, getting her sais and causing some millennials to sigh. I didn't do that, but I must admit that one of my thoughts as this woman stood there in a leather outfit that showed off a fair bit of cleavage was "Yup, Jennifer Garner's still got it".

Another later thought was a decision to rewatch Alias, the show that made her famous in the first place. It is available on Disney+ and Channel 4's on-demand service in the UK, the latter which originally aired it here, where I discovered it. I was in my late teens at the time, so I probably enjoyed it for more than one reason. Ahem.

For the benefit of the uninitiate, in this ABC spy show that ran from 2001 to 2006, Ms Garner plays Sydney Bristow, a grad student who has a double life as a CIA agent, working for a covert branch called SD-6. Or so she thinks. When she tells her fiancé that she is a spy, he is then murdered and she soon finds out the awful truth from her estranged father. SD-6 is not the CIA; she's been working for a criminal organisation all along! So, she decides to become a double agent - continuing to work for SD-6 but also working with her hunky CIA handler to damage the organisation. Not to mention having to deal with a domestic life too.

Also - and this is the feature that the show is most remembered for - she does the spying part in a bewildering array of disguises. Wigs of every shape and colour, a slew of fake accents and foreign languages, outfits that frequently verge on the ridiculous while still looking fantastic in them. Then beating up a bunch of bad guys in said outfits in fight scenes that got five Emmy nominations for Stunt Coordination, winning for the second season.

I'd say more, but we're getting into spoiler territory.

I've watched five episodes so far and was starting on the sixth when my Disney+ app decided to stop working due to lack of an internet connection - it's mainly something I have been watching on my commute.

Anyway, here's some of my thoughts so far, which can be broadly summarised with the statement "It stands up very well".

• This is a show that was arguably fifteen years too early. It would work very well in the streaming age; it is great for binge-watching, it has great cliff hangers (even if Sydney is rather prone to failing a listen check) and you've got a load of great characters.
• You might need a diagram to keep track of everyone's allegiances.
• Michael Giacchino's score alone is worth the price of admission - this is the first live-action work he did, having previously done video games. It's a pulse-pounding mix of electronica and orchestra; when it kicks in, it's time to strap in for some action.
• Jennifer Garner is far more than just a sexy woman. The show definitely uses that a lot but she demonstrates a massive range that got her a Golden Globe and four Emmy nominations, maintaining a high-level role as a TV leading lady even if A-list status eluded her due to the misfire of Elektra. Sydney gets put through emotional (and physical) torture, with Garner's expressive face making you feel every moment.
• I personally find the domestic stuff a bit boring, that's me.
• Victor Garber as Jack Bristow (aka SpyDaddy) is great in this. You'll also love to hate Arvin Sloane, the head of SD-6.
• There is an impressive array of recognisable actors in this - Gina Torres and Sarah Shahi in the first season play significant roles. Most of the cast have had impressive careers after this.
• This is a show also very much of its time - pagers, no real social media use and 2000s fashion. One plot device today would be resolved with a smartphone.
• This is a globe-trotting spy show that left Southern California to film precisely once - the set dressing looks great if you don't look too hard. Or have actually been to the RL places in question - there's a lot more English on the signs!

I might make some posts on this.