addicted... and lovin' it

So in the last week I polished of Alias Season 3. I did this in the days following Econ cuz i figured that if i got it outta my system, then i would be able to study for CHM and MSE, which are pure memorization courses. I mean seriously, with CHM this Monday and MSE this Wednesday, right after Econ was waaaaaaay too early to start studying. I can't study unless there's pressure. So, i must induce pressure by procrastinating. None of this 'being prepared days in advance' shit. It just isn't me.

After i finished Season 3, i told myself that i wouldn't get Season 4. After all, i'd have to hunt for all the separate episodes. You'd think that my laziness would deter me, and that i would start studying. You'd be wrong.

ALIAS is the BEST show i've ever seen. It's got hot chicks and hot guys. It's got spies and spy gadgets and uber-cool weapons of mass destruction. I thought 24 was cool, and when they had the EMP, that was exciting (*wink* moe). BUT THEN i just watched an episode of Alias, Season 4, which was aired BEFORE 24 aired its EMP episode, and ALIAS had an EMP too. It wasn't all fancy and glowing and throbbing with a sound like the machine was breathing, oh no. It was just a device, nothing very fancy. And yet, it also had a scene where a helicopter was downed and it crashed into a house and KA-BOOM. Sweet.

Jack may be 'the man', but Sydney could kick his ass any day.

Reasons Alias takes over as my new favourite show of all time:

1. The character development is amazing in Alias. The only character that kind of upsets me is Weiss, cuz he's really just a 'cardboard cut-out' character on the show; i haven't watched Season 1 yet but i haven't seen much done with him; he's just a crutch to Vaughn and Sydney. I like Weiss though, cuz he's from Felicity... well ok a lot of the ppl are from Felicity but that makes it more likeable to me cuz i liked that show.
   
   
2. It's a chick that kicks ass.
   
   
3. Throughout every episode, there's always the feeling of a bigger, more sinister plot brewing. No matter how many secrets (*gasp*) are uncovered, the real thing is always wilder than you could ever imagine. 24 is kind of like this, but it's limited by its scope - terrorists vs. Jack, blah blah blah. There's only so many scenarios, or variations on those scenarios, and i think they've gone through most of them: bio-attack, nuclear attack, kidnapping high ranking officials, kidnapping the families of the main characters, bombs, etc. Alias has all this... and more. It's international. That's much cooler already - i love all the locations, i love hearing everyone speak in different languages. (Most of all i love when Vaughn speaks in French - Vartan is actually Parisian... that's super hot.) The enemies in Alias are also more constant, so you know there is a bigger picture as a backdrop to all of the smaller missions. All seasons of Alias are tied together by the whole Rambaldi thing, and that is really what makes it superior to 24. Continuity, bringing back old forgotten questions, the whole scope is huge. And that is what keeps it so engaging.
   
   
4. I like my entertainment to be well rounded. Alias oozes drama, action, wit, humour, and love stories (often tragic). It seriously explores the archetypes of betrayal, trust, and duty through its characters, and isn't one-dimensional in that regard. It's all about the grey area. Nothing is clear cut. It's not about one man, one mission, one duty, through hell and high water. It goes past that, to the real issues plaguing the characters - it moves the audience through the emotion of characters, and not just by the circumstances. Sometimes 24 succeeds in this regard; the most recent episode was really well done, particularly the husband and wife who stumbled across the football thing - you don't know the characters well, but their story captivates you through their reactions.
   
   
5. It's got imagination. It blends elements of sci-fi and fantasy with the whole CIA spy thing, and it's actually successful, in my opinion. You don't come away with feeling like the whole thing is cheap and unbelievable, you come away with the satisfaction of good story telling. That's probably the most important thing to me.
   
   
6. It's a nerd's dream come true. All those gadgets and the crazy technology makes me drool. I love Marshall. I can see how maybe some ppl would think he's annoying, but I think he comes off perfectly as the 'adorable genius without social skills'. Yes, that does sound like a 1-D character, but the actor is amazing and he pulls it off really well.
   

All in all... i (heart) Alias. Watch it. You won't regret it.

posted by starfire @ 11:35 AM