Action hour smackdown

So I was all set to write a cutesy (and hopefully at least slightly insightful) post about how Alias and 24 both close out their fifth seasons tonight, and the differences and similarities the two shows have had over their runs. But then I saw this Canadian website has already done a pretty good job of exactly that.

The relevant points I wanted to make are that both shows were introduced to audiences shortly after 9/11 (24's pilot, which featured an airplane explosion, was even re-edited in the aftermath of that tragedy), both were warmly received by critics and Emmy voters (although neither was an instant ratings smash), both have helped prove the value of TV-on-DVD releases and both have had their share of creative highs and lows.

But the important differences are underlined by the fact that Alias is ending its series run with cellar-dwelling ratings and the general sense that its best days are long gone, while 24 is ending its season with enviable viewership and possibly its most buzzed-about season yet.

If anyone ever considered these two shows to be at odds then it's fair to say Alias won an important battle (it's doubtful that 24 will ever have a season with the depth and complexity of human behavior present in Alias' second season, which incorporated near HBO-level character drama into its spy game storylines) but 24 has long since won the war. Firmly establishing itself in season one as a show where no character is safe (or trustworthy), 24 is genuinely thrilling in a way that series TV almost never is. It's been frequently remarked, and impossible to deny, that a season of 24 is better than most action movies.

While each season of 24 pressed the reset button and set up new challenges, fresh characters and legitimate mortal peril for any series regular not named Kiefer, Alias struggled and floundered as the years wore on, unable to build satisfying arcs and at a loss for what to do with much of its ensemble (including Emmy-worthy talents like Jennifer Garner, Michael Vartan, Victor Garber and Ron Rifkin).

And so I'm anxious—and only a bit apprehensive—to see how Jack Bauer's most brilliant/insane (brilliantly insane? insanely brilliant?) day yet will come to a close.

But I'll have to wait a bit longer to see how Sydney Bristow says goodbye to audiences for good (I'm still a few episodes behind on the current season), hoping that things will be wrapped up in a way that this once-great series deserves, but secure in the belief that a bit more risk-taking would've done the show a world of good.

Season Finales: Alias

Maybe this was their strategy all along.

The extremely erratic fourth season of Alias finished with a bang (literally, but don't worry about Vaughn - no one ever seems to actually die on this show). The finale, along with the two episodes that aired the previous week, represented the very best this show can be and were easily the best hours of Alias since the second season. For the first time this year the show fully lived up to the promise of creator J.J. Abrams that things would be creatively back on track after a disappointing third season.

I don't think it's a coincidence that this sudden creative resurgence happened to coincide with the return of Lena Olin, reprising her role as Irina Derevko for the season's final two episodes. They might have been able to pull it off without her but it's impossible to deny Irina brought with her an emotional weight that has been greatly missed since she left. Olin is a fantastic performer, possibly the best to ever appear on the show, but more importantly her character seems to genuinely inspire the writers in a way no one else does.

Human drama was back in full force in the final hours, and the action was kickass. That perfect balance that made season two so exceptional was restored for a finale that brought together elements from the entire fourth season (and several prior seasons) for an exhilarating, surprising and entirely satisfying conclusion (are you listening 24 and Lost?).

In the finale, after a virus brings a Russian city to its knees, Sydney, Jack, Irina, Vaughn and Nadia race against time to stop the situation from occurring all over the globe. On the other side were Elena (Irina's sister and the woman who raised Nadia) and Sloane (Nadia's father, acting as a double agent but with murky intentions).

And that's the beauty of Alias at its best. The fact that all these characters were related upped the stakes significantly. Every betrayal, every showdown, every potential loss of life takes on greater emotional relevance.

And it didn't hurt that the finale was also just plain cool. It played out a little like a zombie movie but set against certain concepts that are deeply ingrained in the show (the Rambaldi prophecy, the Derevko sisters, Sloane's uncertain loyalties).

All this plus Vaughn proposed to Sydney. Alias fans couldn't ask for more.

If I have one complaint it would be about the lame way in which Dixon was sidelined. I love the character and Carl Lumbly, the actor who portrays him, but the writers really need to figure out a way to truly integrate him into the show. Come on, most people think there's one season left, think of something!

As for the new mysteries proposed (just who is Vaughn really?) we'll have to wait until next season to see if this is the start of something exciting or just another Sydney-wakes-up-two-years-in-the-future-because-we-don't-know-what-else-to-do style twist.

But I don't want to think about that now. Instead I'll just thank the TV gods that Alias, finally, lived up to its potential.

Finale Grade: A
Season Grade: B+