Spies (and a request)

[eye_of_a_cat]

I've picked up a nasty variety of Victorian Heroine Flu (you look very pale, have no appetite and sit around coughing weakly and worryingly all day), and one of my friends lent me the first series of Alias to watch while I was recovering. I've been watching episodes back-to-back, and it's all very exciting if a bit confusing in the who-works-for-what-and-who? way. Up to about episode 8, I think.

Amazon(.co.uk) is selling an Alias box set, seasons 1-4 (I gather there's a fifth?), at about a third of its usual price. Special offer, limited time and so on and so on. That works out very much worth it if it's a good series, but not if it goes downhill, and I know quite a few people on my f-list are Alias fans, so... worth it? Yes? No? It's great so far, but I've been burned before.

(Okay, on a more useful level: I like the characters, the suspense, and the idea of whatever Big Underlying Intrigue Drama Thing is behind the existence of the various, um, competing factions. The techno-gadget stuff is fun (okay, Marshall's fun) but isn't really my thing if it starts taking over plotlines. I'm worried about either a 24-style downhill slide into ever more implausible gadgets, shouting, and kidnapping of people you don't care about, or a Lost-style annoying narrative progression in which everything's very mysterious but nothing ever seems to actually happen. It's fun so far - does it keep that up? I'd browse around and read fan stuff about it, but I'm scared of spoilers.)

Comments

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I think I went from liking Alias to loving it around the end of the first season, start of the second. General consensus is that the second season is best; my own favourite is the fourth. I do agree that the third season is the weakest, but otoh it contains some of my favourite episodes, which made me keep up with the show. (The fourth season then rewarded me by being excellent again.)

Well, and it did give me one of my all time favourite tv characters, see icon, so how can I not recommend it?

[miladygrey.livejournal.com]

I'm with Selena. Season 2 is amazing, season 3 is terribly weak in some spots but shiningly amazing in others (and introduces a character that fans either love or HATE), season 4 returns to an amazingness only slightly less than S2. And season 5 is good too--though that's up for debate even yet.

Go for the deal. I imagine you'll get fun extras like bloopers and interviews in with the set, so it'll be worth it. Oh, and I look forward to getting your opinion of the character in my icon as he develops. *grins*

[vampireelf.livejournal.com]

I'll endorse what's said above about S2 being strong and S3 being weak. I'd add, though, that S4 doesn't always grab everyone. The plotting is weak, but the cast of characters is pretty strong--meaning that if the character dynamic doesn't happen to click for you (as it didn't for me personally) the season is disappointing. The trouble with the plot in S4 is that there have been so many twists and new elements added over the course of the series to what is essentially the same set of mysteries and character alignments. The farther along you go, the more confusing, contraditory, and unsuprising everything gets as the Mystery's Answer isn't the whole Answer after all, and someone double-triple-quadruple-agents for the same people.

That said, I watched consistenly enough until the beginning of S5 when I stopped from boredom, so the DVD set might be worth it.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I've picked up a nasty variety of Victorian Heroine Flu (you look very pale, have no appetite and sit around coughing weakly and worryingly all day)

Hah. You make me laugh again.

I love Alias.......

[dracschick.livejournal.com]

I'd but it but sad to say, I live in the US.

*hugs*

feel better and do take care,
Chris

[leila82.livejournal.com]

I have Victorian Heroine Flu. Or had. Except I think mine is turning consumptive now.

[thesecondevil]

I'm pretty much echoing what everyone else has said by this point but I loved the first two seasons and season four. Season three is definitely the weakest though in my opinion it wasn't bad enough to stop watching. As far as season five goes, I haven't finished watching it yet but it seems good so far.

[baader-meinhof.livejournal.com]

I'd definitely recommend getting it. I didn't feel season three was that weak, but it did kinda die in five. I only watched a few episodes from that season before I hated the way it was playing out, but that was mostly Ben Affleck's fault.