TiVo Community Forums Archives - Alias "Firebomb" (*untagged spoilers*)

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Alias "Firebomb" (*untagged spoilers*)
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Posted by: bdowell

Warning in advance, spoilers included.

Stop reading if you don't want spoilers.

Hopefully the ones that immediately follow are minor, but you've been warned.

Here goes.

Early in the show, but damn if Marshall hasn't had some great lines already.

Sydney is driving the car, Vaughn is looking for a safe way to block the detonator and is chattering with Marshall. Marshall doing most of the chattering of course.

When the come to the actual car, Marshall chatters on about what color, make, etc. Pure product placement, yes. But Marshall blathering about being interested in such a car is just too funny.

Later, the bug is found, Marshall i.d.'s it as his. How? By the soldered on Superman logo with the M in it! Too damn funny.

Getting more serious, the Rambaldi device = a suitcase Nuetron bomb?!? Rambaldi must have been a total friggin' genius.

Less than 15 minutes into the show, and already it's showing that things could still be very fun on this show if all goes well.

Posted by: bdowell

Wow!

Nice to see Will have such a key role, all from little ol' web searches :)

A microwave type device that literally cooks it's victims from the inside out -- ouch!!

More fun later with Marshall (in the 9:45 time frame on the East Coast), with the comment from Marshall about Schwartzenegger in Predator, then the comment to Sydney about the heat she gives off ("and you're pretty hot" :D )

Too darn funny, but perfect for such a tense episode.

I'm almost as hot inside as the poor victims of the device over having to wait 2 weeks to see this episode, but it's been pretty darn good so far.

Oh, one more comment: I hope that they work things out soon with Dixon, and I expect the last 15 minutes will be related to just that.

And one last comment for now: they need to get rid of evil Francie asap, and I really don't care how.

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

Am I the only one who laughed at the redundancy when Marshall told Sydney her outfit would be "form-fitting"?

And isn't it odd that Dixon would sacrifice the world to make a moral point? I mean, come on, he might have been on the wrong side, but he knew what was/is going on! Grow up, dude! (Oops, Dixon just showed up again...back to the tube.)

[Edit, ten minutes later] And now the opposite complaint...he flipped almost instantly. Oh, well, at least he's where he should have been long ago.

I guess the naysayers who thought the revamped show would suck are going to have to eat crow, huh? In my opinion, it hasn't lost a step!

Posted by: bdowell

Yup, by the end of the show, Dixon is back on the team, and scoring a touchdown for the good guys.

Thankfully, the 'previews' of this week's show didn't give the story away, especially not with all of the twists and turns that were included in the story.

Very, very, very interesting that Sloane was apparently after the artifact all along, and the weapon was only a minor distraction. If that weapon was just a minor distraction, then OMG, what the heck is the main event?!?!

Go go Alias!

And to you idiots at ABC that haven't renewed this show yet - GET IT DONE PEEPS!! Seriously, get it done. Let this not be a show that we're all crying about later in the same manner as Sports Night and/or Firefly.

Posted by: cmontyburns

The Evil Francie device made for a nice shocker at the end of the "Phase I" ep, but it remains the only (or the main, at least) lame thing about the show's revamp. They need to 86 that character, quickly. Either that, or actually do something with her. So far she's been about as boring as Good Francie was.

Assuming the show makes the cut for next season, and seasons beyond, I think we're going to be in for several revampings over its lifespan. JJ has said how tired he was of yet another episode of Sydney almost getting caught by SD-6... I think he's going to get that way before too long of yet another episode of Sloane almost getting caught by the CIA. At least it's still fun right now.

Edit: Just read the zap2it article featuring JJ, referenced in another thread. I can see the future!

Posted by: whitson77

I'm sorry but I think the show has gone way downhill. I don't wait to see the tiny t's and Jennifer Garner doing situps with her nipples poking out. That doesn't draw me in. It is the kind of tripe that Baywatch would do. They need to cut it out fast. The crappy ad-drops Ford Escorts must also go. And it wouldn't hurt for them to go after someone other than Sloan every once and a while. It blows that he is the villian of the week. Every week. Sorry, but the show needs to adapt before ABC pulls the plug for some reality show crap.

Posted by: cmontyburns

quote:
Originally posted by whitson77
I'm sorry but I think the show has gone way downhill. I don't wait to see the tiny t's and Jennifer Garner doing situps with her nipples poking out. That doesn't draw me in. It is the kind of tripe that Baywatch would do. They need to cut it out fast. The crappy ad-drops Ford Escorts must also go. And it wouldn't hurt for them to go after someone other than Sloan every once and a while. It blows that he is the villian of the week. Every week. Sorry, but the show needs to adapt before ABC pulls the plug for some reality show crap.

Ever watch Survivor? Lots of girls in skimpy clothes, and sponsored by a car? In some ways it already is reality show crap!

Posted by: whitson77

No, I don't watch any reality tv shows. They are the worst thing to happen to tv since the Magic Johnson Hour.

Posted by: rickten

while yes I do agree they are using jennifer garners looks a little too much lately and the ford ad placements do suck. I doubt they like putting fords logos in their shots but they have to get sponsers some how and if that is the only way they can get them then I understand. I would much rather watch alias than the crappy "hot or not" or "I'm a celebrity get me out of here". In my opinion tv is taking a major turn for the worse with all the stupid reality crap. Alias may have its drawbacks but its MUCH better than watching a michael jackson interview or joe millionaire. At least alias is entertaining and isn't some kind of court room drama or crime scene investigation show which seem to also be taking over. Among all the bad things on TV right now I find alias to be one of the few shows that I actually will plan to watch every week and doesn't feel like I'm completely wasting my time watching.

Posted by: Crrink

Once again, the Ford product placement went a touch over the line when Marshall asked what the exact model was, etc.

HOWEVER, I for one would prefer that they say something like "she's in a blue Ford Focus" rather than the usual TV line of "a late model blue hatchback." That's not how people speak in the real world, and naming actual products is fine with me.

Dat's my two cents, don't spend it all in one place :)

Posted by: hughvh

I don't mind this new format and I'm happy that Rambalddi (sp?) is back. There is the one thing I have a problem with. Why does Sydney still need a secret identity? If one of the most dangerous men in the world was able bug Sydney's home, why not move her to a safe house? What is the advantage of keeping her identity a secret?

Posted by: WinBear

During the Ford Focus conversation with Marshall, I thought it was great that you knew exactly when Vaughn "hung up" on Marshall, but it took Marshall several more seconds to get it.

Posted by: Mike20878

Wouldn't the bug sweep have caught the receiver in Evil Francie's room? She was watching them fool around through the video bug in Sydney's VCR.

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

quote:
Originally posted by Mike20852
Wouldn't the bug sweep have caught the receiver in Evil Francie's room? She was watching them fool around through the video bug in Sydney's VCR.

I don't think so...a transmitter sends something out that can be detected, but a receiver wouldn't necessarily be distinguishable from a radio or TV.

Posted by: MalachiNY

Also, Marshall said that he may be able to trace the signal to the telephone number it dials to transmit. BUT was encrypted so ... no go!

So Francie didnt have to be in the roomor the house for that matter.

Again, Marshall cracks me up ... hey, nice suit! <hahaha>
I love the fact that Syd actually laughs and seems to enjoy Marshalls lil *quirks* too

This show still rocks ... gotta get them ratings up!!!

Posted by: harvscar

What I don't get about these spy shows, how many people went to the deli that day and ordered the "special without pickles" and got thrown into a windowless van? It seems like the code should be "tongue sandwich hold the grape jelly".

Posted by: LoadStar

Well, yeah, the "trigger phrases" or whatever you want to call them are fairly silly on spy shows. Take the constant wrong numbers for a pizza place that Syd would get to let her know it was time for a drop - anyone listening in on the line would have to eventually figure out that something was up - there's no realistic explanation for getting that many wrong number calls for a pizza place.

At least the pager that SD-6 used made some sense. Lots of people use pagers for work, and has their workplace page you to come in to work - it wouldn't even be thought of since it's so commonplace.

Just out of curiosity - why is Syd's cover story still Credit Dauphine? Is the CIA keeping that building and cover business open? You'd think that when SD-6 went down, it would've attracted lots of attention to the bank in which they were housed. Shouldn't they have given her a new cover?

(I think I need to make a new signature - "Yes, I know it's just a TV show. That's why I'm in the TV Talk forum." I can just see a particular user coming in and trying to let us know that fact.)

Posted by: DanT

quote:
Originally posted by LoadStar
Well, yeah, the "trigger phrases" or whatever you want to call them are fairly silly on spy shows. Take the constant wrong numbers for a pizza place that Syd would get to let her know it was time for a drop - anyone listening in on the line would have to eventually figure out that something was up - there's no realistic explanation for getting that many wrong number calls for a pizza place.

Um, actually, there is. When I lived in Santa Barbara, my phone number was 968-6909, and my favorite pizza place's number was 968-6969. We got several calls a year, usually very late at night, with drunk/stoned college students asking "Is this Woodstock's?" or "Yeah, I'd like to order a pizza."

I always assumed that Syd's home number was one digit off from a pizza joint, so they could explain away the wrong numbers. Of course, they (SD-6 Security Section) should have been able to tie in the phone calls to times she suddenly left the house....

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

quote:
Originally posted by DanT
Of course, they (SD-6 Security Section) should have been able to tie in the phone calls to times she suddenly left the house....

Except if it were a real pizza place, she'd be getting enough real calls to mask it.

Then again, if it were a real pizza place, you'd think she would have changed her number. Didn't you?

(Ah, Woodstock's! I remember TA meetings there...)

Posted by: laria

quote:
Originally posted by Medieval Guy
Then again, if it were a real pizza place, you'd think she would have changed her number. Didn't you?

One of my old apartments, the phone number I had used to be some business fax number, because 10+ times a day I would get calls from fax machines, at all hours of the day and night. It was also fairly close to a number for a local number for a Sears credit card customer service/billing center, because I'd get phone calls on and off from people about their Sears cards.

I never changed the number, that would have been too much work. :)

Posted by: BrettStah

One of my sisters would get calls meant for the local FBI office (number was similar until she moved).

Posted by: BrettStah

When I was a kid, we'd get numbers for a local seafood place. If I answered I would occasionally take orders. :)

Posted by: jlb

quote:
and the weapon was only a minor distraction. If that weapon was just a minor distraction, then OMG, what the heck is the main event?!?!

But i thought the weapon was the "main event"......

If you remember Sark and Sloane's conversation before "detonation", they said they were only using the weapon at 20% power and that any misalignment and things would be "really bad".

I would assume that used at 100% power you would have something terribly catastrophic.

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

The weapon was a decoy. What Sloane wanted was the remaining piece of parchment hidden inside the Buddhist statue, so he set up the whole weapon thing to trick the Afghan guy into giving him the statue. Note that, even without the complete Rimbaldi Manuscript, he was able to build the weapon. We still don't know what he can do now that he has the entire manuscript.

(Why he didn't just steal the statue is another question, I guess.)

Posted by: jlb

oh....that makes sense. Thanks for clearing things up for me.......

And IIRC, that was probably page 47 of the manuscript.......

Posted by: HoosierFan

No, page 47 was the invisible page

Posted by: jlb

ok. I'll just shut up now since I am getting my "facts" confused.

I'll leave it at "can't wait for Sunday".

Posted by: ClutchBrake

quote:
Originally posted by Medieval Guy
(Why he didn't just steal the statue is another question, I guess.)

Because the Kandahar bad guy gave him a starting payment of $40 million wired to the account of his choosing. Why not placate him with a "minor" weapon and collect tens, and eventually hundreds of million dollars?

Posted by: MalachiNY

Not sure it matters or if it is even relevant ...

but during the breifing with Will aon one of the TV monitors they show the "land" where Kandahar Bady Guy was in.

To me <when I saw it> ... the shape of the land <map> looked suprisingly similar to the missing piece in the manuscript that Sloan was holding.

**He was, of course, holding it at then end of the episode but also when Sark walked in to tell him that "Christian Slater" was finished building the device and that he (Sark) had tested it.

Anyone else notice this and/or come to this conclusion?

If so, interesting that the piece was found in this "similarly shaped" land.

Posted by: jlb

Not that there is anything I expected in it, but I decided to brainstorm along the line of the whole "47" thing.

I threw 47.47.47 x 47.47.47 into the latitude/longitude location generator on mapquest. It ends up being some location (not right in a city) on the Russia/Kazakstan (sp?) border.

Proably nothing but it was fun to look....

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.ad...n=47&longsec=47

Posted by: DanT

quote:
Originally posted by jlb
I threw 47.47.47 x 47.47.47 into the latitude/longitude location generator on mapquest. It ends up being some location (not right in a city) on the Russia/Kazakstan (sp?) border.

And the other three (-47/47, 47/-47, -47/-47) are all in the ocean, so they could (in the Aliasverse at least) be islands, shipwrecks, etc.

Posted by: FlashStash

quote:
Originally posted by jlb

Proably nothing but it was fun to look....

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.ad...n=47&longsec=47

Just in case you were wondering, there are no Krispy Kremes close to this location :D

FS

Posted by: sguthrie

Did anyone else notice that Evil Francie seems very *interested* in Sydney? I'm wondering if maybe it's a guy that got morphed.

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

quote:
Originally posted by FlashStash
Just in case you were wondering, there are no Krispy Kremes close to this location :D

But there IS a McDonalds across the street, and a 7-11 down the block...

Posted by: jasoncarr

quote:
Originally posted by Crrink
HOWEVER, I for one would prefer that they say something like "she's in a blue Ford Focus" rather than the usual TV line of "a late model blue hatchback." That's not how people speak in the real world

I'm a big scanner geek, and I'll say that on the systems I've monitored since 1980s phrases like "late model blue hatchback" is right on the money for law enforcement, security, and related comms.

Posted by: BrettStah

Sure, unless they know the exact make and model they'd have to be more generic...