TV Flashback: Alias Comes to Netflix

For today’s TV Flashback installment, we’re looking back at Alias, which has just hit Netflix for full instant viewing. People who haven’t seen the show probably don’t know much beyond “spy show with Jennifer Garner and that bright red clown hair.” But there’s plenty beyond the veil of the iconic hair—a severely underrated (though cult favorite) show that’s definitely worth the watch.

Premiering on ABC in 2001 and created by J.J. Abrams, then only somewhat known for Felicity, Alias was Abrams’ first foray into the more fantastical and science fiction genre work he’s become known for. Jennifer Garner plays Sydney Bristow, a young field agent working for what she’s been told is a Black Ops division of the CIA, while simultaneously studying in grad school and planning a family with her fiancé. Of course, things quickly unravel as she discovers the truth about her employers, her family, and her involvement in a mythology stretching back hundreds of years, all the while trying to balance her secret double life.

Though Alias wasn’t exactly a phenomenon, its moderate success is no doubt responsible for Abrams being allowed to helm and co-create the likes of Lost, Fringe and Star Trek, which have made him a big name now. It marched into the fray in the same WB-esque vein as young adult shows of the time like Smallville, Roswell and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, taking a hard look at the toll a double life could have on a person who has their whole life ahead of them, while mixing in the slightest bit of supernatural fantasy. The human element is a great hook for anyone not into the spy genre; right from episode one, Sydney’s emotional story is surprisingly relatable despite the hi-tech gadgets and colorful costumes that surround it.

The show is notoriously addictive to any type of viewer, as fans will testify, thanks in part to its affinity for cliffhangers. Episodes of the first season were extremely unique, carrying the action of the final act into the beginning of the following episode, and the opening credits wouldn’t appear until around 15 minutes in. As the show went on, it settled into a more traditional episode structure, but never lost its constant forward momentum. The addictiveness is only amped up by the inclusion of numerous secret messages and images interspersed throughout the show, such as brief flashes of the Rambaldi symbol or number 47 in random places (even the opening credits), or highlighting certain letters in the location titles to spell out coded messages for attentive fans. It was also the first in a long series of collaborations between Abrams and music composer Michael Giacchino, who provided upbeat electronic music to the unique score.

Something that took the show beyond being just another James Bond or Mission: Impossible was the Rambaldi element—a mythology that revolved around the 400-year-old prophecies of a Leonardo da Vinci/Nostradamus-esque inventor. Though it wasn’t always at the forefront, whenever it popped up it gave a sense that the world was always bigger than what we were seeing. Oddly enough, the idea of an Alias reboot was thrown around a few years ago that wouldn’t contain any Rambaldi elements, though it thankfully never got off the ground. While some viewers might claim that side of the show got a little too big and weird for it to handle, it simply wouldn’t be the same show without the mythology.

Of course, Alias had a hard time catching on because of that dense mythology and continuity (as evidenced by its long recaps, clipshows and introductions to try to keep viewers from being confused.) Audiences are more used to heavy continuity these days, but the advent of shows like Heroes and Lost that told can’t-miss-a-week serialized stories didn’t happen until Alias reached its end. So really, Alias was just a few years ahead of its time, and helped pave the way for the prevalence of shows where fans have to pay obsessive attention to every detail to fully grasp it.

Don’t let that sway you away, though—even if the narrative whirlwind goes over your head, the show’s fantastic showcase of the trials and tribulations of Sydney Bristow can keep you emotionally invested.  The heart of the show revolves around Sydney’s relationship with her estranged father (Victor Garber) and what’s basically the most dysfunctional family you’ll ever see. Sydney’s love story with Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan) is also a highlight of the show that’s handled reasonably well, as is her relationship with her non-spy friends and the impact her spy life has on her normal life. As the show went on, it reinvented itself no less than three different times, shifting its premise and goals completely while still keeping the core focus squarely on Sydney’s journey. Episodes like “Truth Be Told”, “Almost 30 Years”, “Phase One”, and “The Telling” are quite simply some of the best episodes of television ever.

Unfortunately, most Alias fans will agree that the show goes off the rails about midway through, becoming strangled by its own mythology (Russian zombies, anyone?) and losing sense of its own narrative after around season 3. But even at its lowest points, it still packs in plenty of action, imagination and strong performances from its cast members.

While Jennifer Garner has had a solid film career since the show’s end in 2006 (Elektra notwithstanding) she’s yet to do a portrayal better than that of Sydney, having enough presence and range to keep the character fresh for five years. The supporting cast is full of recognizable faces aside from Garner herself, too. “Sexiest Man Alive” Bradley Cooper, for example, actually started off as the less-attractive, likeable underdog before his movie career as the smarmy hot guy. Accomplished actors like Ron Rifken, Victor Garber and Lena Olin brought a fantastic theatrical presence to the show, while popular genre actors like Greg Grunberg, David Anders, Carl Lumbly, Kevin Weisman and Gina Torres made their big breaks here.

The adept way Alias handled the balancing act of Sydney’s normal life against her spy missions, plus a pinch of a fantastical mythology—especially in the first two seasons—blended to create an incredibly  fulfilling experience, and a show that honestly should have been much bigger than it was. Not only have recent spy shows like Chuck and Nikita borrowed a great deal from Alias, but also genre TV as a whole has a lot to thank for it because of its willingness to trust the audience and go for crazy, complicated stories while still keeping the human element intact.

Even if this still doesn’t have you convinced, it’s worth at least watching the first episode; it’s one of the best pilots out there, and has a cinematic quality that makes it feel like its own standalone film. And if you watched it back in 2001, it’s definitely rewatchable. But be careful—even if you had no previous interest in the spy genre, you might have to put your life on hold after becoming completely obsessed with the Bristow family and the CIA.