The State of the Alias Address

During the week of Jan. 16, I was stabbed through the heart twice by men named JJ. First, JJ Redick, a.k.a. the most annoying (and probably gay) basketball player in the world, three-pointed UVA to death in an otherwise decent Wahoo showing Sunday at Duke. Fine, I could deal with that, just as I had the six previous times. The more tragic of the two emotional assaults came from a rather unlikely double J -- JJ Abrams, the creator and producer of Alias.

My spirits fell as I watched the Jan. 19 broacast of "Ice," the first Alias episode in four seasons of existence to completely lose my interest before its conclusion (even the season 1 clip show had been quality television). Not only was the episode boring, but it confirmed my suspicions that ABC was willing to sell out Alias' longstanding fan base in order to dumb-down the show enough to make it accessible to new viewers. Gone was the concept of providing the series with a consistent and long-term enemy, and missing were any references to the mysteries that had developed over the past three years.

It's true that a full understanding of a new Alias episode once required having previously viewed each of the previous installments. A rich continuity had developed since the season premiere, and an individual episode served only as a small piece of a much larger and more complex storyline featuring the ancient prophecies of Milo Rambaldi and their ties to Sydney Bristow and her family. But just as this aspect of the show constituted a barrier to new viewership, it was also the glue that held the existing audience firmly to their couches every week. Complete stand-alone episodes like "Ice" compel little dedication to their viewing, as they feature villains and supporting characters who have no history with the show and are unlikely to play a role in its future.

Abrams now seems content to transform Alias into a CSI or Law and Order, easily digestible shows that can be seen on an ocassional basis or out-of-order without suffering a loss to their dramatic effect. While I'm sure the fans of these shows like watching them, the potential enjoyment one can obtain from a single, self-contained CSI cannot match the intrigue generated by the realization of a plotline that has been steadily brewing in Alias for years. A better solution for improving Alias' ratings would be to follow the pattern set by 24, wherein each season begins with a new story arc, but dangling plot threads from previous years are still addressed. With the advent of television on DVD, it isn't difficult for interested viewers to catch up with what they missed.

As troubling as the series current direction is, all hope is not lost. The Jan. 26 episode, while still self-contained, at least offered longstanding fans a few token references to events from seasons one and two, and it hinted at the development of a conspiracy brewing between Jack and Sloane.