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Alias Assumed: Sex, Lies and SD-6
The hit television show Alias has developed a devoted, cult-like following of viewers with an appetite for adrenaline-fueled plots. This entertaining collection of essays offers new and clever observations on Alias's spies, gadgets, plot twists, and character motivations. From the multicolored wigs of Sidney Bristow to the undercover office romances and family angst, this tongue-in-cheek study offers interesting new theories and insightful pop culture impressions of one of television's most beloved new series.
234 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 16, 2020
This would be four stars, because most of these essays were a complete joy to read -- from the humorous write ups of episodes to the more academic ones. The ones about which of Marshall's gadgets would work and which ones wouldn't were fascinating, as were the ones about Arvin Sloane as a Type 6 villain (not like, Enneagram Types or anything...you'd have to read the essay) and the essays about how Alias can be read to correspond to Alice in Wonderland and many classic Greek narratives. However, the essays I didn't like in this collection were ones I absolutely HATED. Not only did I disagree with the analysis on them (which, depending on the essay could either be up through 3x22 "Resurrection" or through 4x22 "Before the Flood"), but they also tended to have a very derisive tone to them. I mean, I'm all for being critical (one of the essays that made me laugh the hardest was "They Scanned Our Brainwaves From Orbit..." which pointed out all of the ridiculousness that was 3x20 "Blood Ties"), but the tone of the essays I disliked made me wonder why these "fans" bothered to watch the show in the first place. It sounded like they legitimately HATED everything about it because the show wasn't realistic enough in their eyes.
And, I mean, that's their prerogative. They don't have to like everything about Alias, and Lord knows, there are plots of season 3 that even JJ Abrams admitted later were a HUGE mistake. But... they didn't talk about anything they found redeeming in the show, and why would you still watch a series you're not getting any entertainment from? Even during Moffat era of DW, which for me is one of the worst, I still found things I enjoyed in it every week.
Special mention must be given to an essay in which a psychologist tried to psychoanalyze JJ Abrams using only the show Alias and Abrams' public interviews as evidence. Thankfully, Weisman's intro noted that, while the essay was obviously meant to be a joke, he wanted to confirm that none of what was written about JJ Abrams' emotional instability by the essayist was true. If that note didn't exist at the top, I do shudder to think how many people would have believed that Abrams had massive issues simply because someone who never spoke to him one-on-one believed so because of the complicated emotions he writes about in his various series. Please note, reading public, that one should never ascribe a person's creative ideas to be the actual views and beliefs of the creator themselves. People have this great gift called imagination and can, in fact, write people having problems that they themselves do not have. I.e., just because Abrams writes about family problems does not mean that he came from a completely dysfunctional family. (Probably, like most of us, only slightly dysfunctional.)
But, altogether, this had some really entertaining bits and some well-thought out arguments for where fans and experts in their fields thought the show could have eventually gone. (When this book was published, the final season of the show had not yet aired). And the foreword, as well as a brief intro to each chapter, is written by Kevin Weisman (better known to Alias diehards as Marshall J. Flinkman). And you just know that's hilarious without even having to open the book first.
And, I mean, that's their prerogative. They don't have to like everything about Alias, and Lord knows, there are plots of season 3 that even JJ Abrams admitted later were a HUGE mistake. But... they didn't talk about anything they found redeeming in the show, and why would you still watch a series you're not getting any entertainment from? Even during Moffat era of DW, which for me is one of the worst, I still found things I enjoyed in it every week.
Special mention must be given to an essay in which a psychologist tried to psychoanalyze JJ Abrams using only the show Alias and Abrams' public interviews as evidence. Thankfully, Weisman's intro noted that, while the essay was obviously meant to be a joke, he wanted to confirm that none of what was written about JJ Abrams' emotional instability by the essayist was true. If that note didn't exist at the top, I do shudder to think how many people would have believed that Abrams had massive issues simply because someone who never spoke to him one-on-one believed so because of the complicated emotions he writes about in his various series. Please note, reading public, that one should never ascribe a person's creative ideas to be the actual views and beliefs of the creator themselves. People have this great gift called imagination and can, in fact, write people having problems that they themselves do not have. I.e., just because Abrams writes about family problems does not mean that he came from a completely dysfunctional family. (Probably, like most of us, only slightly dysfunctional.)
But, altogether, this had some really entertaining bits and some well-thought out arguments for where fans and experts in their fields thought the show could have eventually gone. (When this book was published, the final season of the show had not yet aired). And the foreword, as well as a brief intro to each chapter, is written by Kevin Weisman (better known to Alias diehards as Marshall J. Flinkman). And you just know that's hilarious without even having to open the book first.
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October 14, 2018Good
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews