Alias: Truth Be Told (1.1)

Alias premiered at the very beginning of post-9/11 existence. The world had changed immeasurably, and my own bubble of childhood naivety had rapidly been exposed to unimaginable horror and destruction. It was a difficult time for me on various levels, and there was suddenly this sense of fear and hostility that permeated every discussion. Everything always came back around to tragedy, and whenever we weren't talking about it, we were thinking about how we weren't talking about it. I'm probably granting it too much importance, but Alias, along with the similarly-themed 24, marked an immediate escape from the terrible realities that we were all pulling through at the time.

Both shows were set in worlds similar to our own, and in universes full of secret organizations and secret agents fighting threats that were definitely familiar but suddenly felt so much more real and tangible in light of recent events. But Alias in particular personified the heroes trying to protect us. It pushed this ordinary-seeming young woman center stage and gave her this incredible strength and importance, and for somebody as innocent as myself at the time, watching Sydney Bristow using personal trauma as the impetus for great change really spoke to me. This was a heroine for a very different world.

Every once in a blue moon, there's this incredible discovery on-screen, somebody who was completely unknown five minutes ago, but who suddenly bursts into your consciousness with this incredible talent and presence. Jennifer Garner appears in every scene of Alias' pilot, and owns every damn frame. While we can discuss the action and the espionage all day long, it's the aching realism of Sydney's emotions that carry the show to glory, and Garner imbues the character with so much warmth that you instantly fall for her.

In the space of an hour, Sydney witnesses every element of her life come crashing down. Her fiancee is murdered, her allegiances are questioned, her drive is tested, and her already fragile relationship with her absent father is irrevocably altered. This is a woman whose life is rapidly changing before our very eyes, and when Sydney faces down her torturer and pledges that she has nothing to lose, you damn well believe her. Through Garner's performance, you feel every single nuance as her mindset changes. Her wail of horror as she finds Danny's body burns into you, and her sense of complete disbelief as she is told the truth about SD-6 is horribly real. But it's that final decision to pursue her own form of vengeance that leaps off the screen. She's suddenly calling the shots, storming through SD-6, demanding respect and later signing up to the real CIA with such force and determination that you instantly know that you're sticking with this show for a long, long time.

Garner has a spectacular face, with its sharp angles and intensity, as well as its ability to completely relax and become so pretty and vulnerable. She exhibits incredible range just within this episode, and regardless of her iffy movie career, Garner absolutely sparkles on Alias -- easily becoming the most instant 'star' I've ever seen on modern television.

As a premise, Alias' story of deception and betrayal is similarly arresting. J.J. Abrams, while at the time notable as a film writer and as creator of the WB's college drama Felicity, was very much stuck in traditional dramatic territory -- and Alias really marks that moment when he steps into genre storytelling and instantly finds himself at home, a position he's stayed in ever since. This is a man who has deftly created a remarkable world of secretive espionage, crafting a story that continues to build within the hour, adding layer upon layer as we fall deeper down the rabbit hole of hidden agendas and grand mission statements. Opening in medias res (something that quickly becomes an Alias staple), pushing through Syd's backstory, expanding her inner circle in her personal life, her SD-6 bubble as well as with her dad, followed by what we believe to be the general story of the series being undermined by that final twist with Michael Vartan's CIA handler, this is something of an elaborate nesting doll of a pilot. It's so fine-tuned in tone to what the show would eventually become, and lays down an immediate rulebook that the series follows from here on out. This is, without a doubt, an absolutely incredible pilot.

The ensemble cast also make strong impressions. Victor Garber's tight-lipped spy daddy is instantly reserved and intriguing, while conveying that true sense of desperation to reunite with his daughter. Bradley Cooper is charm personified as Syd's friend Will, and his look of mild heartbreak as she announces her engagement sets up his future role on the show. Francie is a neat depiction of mundane reality, interrupting Sydney's undercover life at the most unfortunate of times, while SD-6's weapons specialist Marshall Flinkman is adorable, jittery and brings the funny in one desperately-needed scene of comic relief. Arvin Sloane is a character who you can almost understand here, somebody who recognizes the harsh realities of the job and only exercises what needs to be done. But the revelation of his true allegiances grant him additional layers, and leaves you eager to find out where the show will go with his character.

Alias was always a show that, while on a major network, seemed frequently crying out for major buzz. It quickly became this impenetrable, arc-driven puzzle of a Rubik's Cube, but the vigor and energy of this pilot is both accessible and ridiculously rewarding. There's no awkward stumbling and zero misfires, just a story that arrives with its agenda laid out for all to see and anchored by an attention-grabbing and powerful embodiment of female strength. God, this show was fantastic. A+

Credits
Guest stars Edward Atterton (Dr. Danny Hecht); Jay Gerber (Professor Missy); Angus Scrimm (Calvin McCullough); William Wellman Jr. (Priest); Ric Young (Dr. Zhang Lee)
Writer J.J. Abrams Director J.J. Abrams