The action explodes in ALIAS' phenomenal fourth season. When Sydney leaves the CIA to join a powerful new Black Ops unit, she has no idea of the reunion in store for her. Family secrets are revealed and old adversaries come together for a year of betrayal, suspense, and breathtaking surprises. It's nonstop excitement -- from the spectacular two-hour first episode to the stunning impact of the season's final seconds. Experience all 22 heart-stopping episodes of season four in a sensational six-disc set. ALIAS features "the best acting and most addictive plot lines on television," raves CNN.com. Now with exclusive bonus features, including a conversation with Jennifer Garner, bloopers, deleted scenes, and more, this spectacular set makes TV's most exciting show even better.
True to form, at the beginning of its fourth season J.J. Abrams' Alias proceeded to reinvent itself yet again--and the results looked quite a bit like the first season, but with a decided twist. Super agent Sydney Bristow (Emmy nominee Jennifer Garner) found herself once more working for a covert secret-ops group that was "off the books" and headed up by Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin) as she was partnered with... Hey, wait, wasn't Sloane a bad guy before? Well, yes, he was, but having been "rehabilitated" from his evil ways, he's now Sydney's new boss--nevermind the fact that he's trampled all over her life in more ways than one--and head of the CIA's new super-secret division, APO (for Authorized Personnel Only), which also includes all of Sydney's old friends, as well as her dad (Victor Garber) and love interest Vaughn (Michael Vartan). But as Sydney and Vaughn struggle with their budding relationship in the wake of his wife's death, and Syd also comes to realize her father may have had quite a bit to do with her mother's abrupt disappearance, a few monkey wrenches are thrown into the works. There's the emergence of South American agent Nadia (Mia Maestro), who's Syd's half sister--and the daughter of Sloane; the reappearance of Syd's nasty nemesis, Anna Espinosa (Gina Torres); a Sloane doppelganger (Joel Grey); and a mysterious cabal intent on harnessing the power of the legendary Rambaldi device.
Alias was definitely all over the map during its fourth season, and a few off-screen factors managed to take their toll onscreen as well. The end of a real-life relationship between Garner and Vartan gave Sydney and Vaughn's scenes a lack of romantic spark, but at the same time a decided tension, as the two warily circled each other and deepened their relationship; they clicked best in the episode "Welcome to Liberty Village," in which the duo infiltrates a Stepford-like suburb as a picture-perfect couple. And the absence of Lena Olin, as Syd's mother, was definitely felt, as her character became a looming presence despite little screen time. Where Alias succeeded this year was in the dramatic impact individual episodes had: "Nocturne" was a captivating tale of Sydney in the throes of deadly hallucinations; "The Orphan" affectingly fleshed out the enigmatic Nadia's background; "In Dreams" (directed by Garner) probed the subconscious of bad guy Sloane, who wasn't as evil as you might think; and "Mirage" forced Sydney to impersonate her mother in her father's fevered dreams. Don't worry, there was plenty of action--especially in the season's final episodes, which prominently featured a deadly Sonia Braga--and despite its ups and downs, Alias remained one of the most intelligent, compelling dramas on television. --Mark Englehart
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Lack of characterization:
This season was a disappointment for me. All I can think about is how much potential there was within the story and characters and these things were seemingly abandoned. The season as a whole lacks in the strong characterization the series had in its first three seasons. Sydney, who was a such a great character is very flat in this season and the same goes for the rest of the characters. I think maybe there were too many characters this season and so not a lot of attention could be paid to any of them... more info
Losing steam:
Alias is gradually losing momentum in the fourth season. There are still some good moments, but Rambaldi stories become more and more painstaking. The end is just laughing stock. After this series, I stopped watching Alias.
The demise of a decent show:
Have no fear, this review contains NO spoilers. Obviously whether or not you like a television show depends heavily on your taste, but for fans who have seen the first three seasons and are considering buying the fourth I have this to say... While I found the first three season of Alias to be exciting and fun to watch, I had to wonder what happened to season 4. Somewhere during this season, the show crossed the line from an intriguing spy drama with lots of fantastic plot twists to a cheap thrills... more info
We love Alias season 4!:
Our entire family enjoys watching Alias. We have 3 teenagers and it is great fun to have something to watch on family night that we all enjoy. The Complete Fourth Season was brand new and absolutely perfect.
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