The "Alias" Finale: Getting Them in the End

So since I jumped to a wrong conclusion about the “Lost” finale, I thought I would watch the entire series finale of “Alias,” since I only saw the last half hour of it.

And just like “Lost,” seeing the whole thing did improve my opinion of the episode. But I still can’t say that I actually liked it.

The first hour was pretty strong with all of the globe-hopping action we’ve come to know. But the second hour lagged with the meaningless flashbacks to Sydney as a child. If they wanted to use childhood flashbacks, I think they should have shown her memories of living with Sloane while her dad was in custody. That could have been a nice contrast to her trying to stop him.

I enjoyed that Jack finally got Sloane in the end, but I hated that he had to die to do it since I love Victor Garber; but what a great way to go. “You beat death. But you couldn’t beat me.” I know that final scene with Garber had to be difficult for Jennifer Garner since she and Garber were so close. They both handled it beautifully.

And poor Balthazar Getty. His character, Tom, was pretty much pointless from the get-go, and then he got blown up before he got to go out with Rachel. You have to admit. His exit was better than anything else he got on the show.

Since I’ve never been an “Alias” fan, I’ll let those of you who are decide whether it was a good way to end the show. It did tie up all of the loose ends—sort of. I’m still not sure why Sydney was so important to Rambaldi. I’m still not sure what page 47, or the Horizon, or the amulet did, or who Rambaldi was, or…Okay, I’m pretty much lost on that entire Rambaldi thing altogether. And I think the show’s writers were as well.

It’s probably best to remember “Alias” in its prime. When a fresh-faced Jennifer Garner was wowing us with wigs and doing her own stunts. When a confused college student learned that the organization she worked for was actually the bad guys and vowed to help the good guys bring them down.

She did that in the end. There was just a lot of confusion before she got there.