"Alias" A Higher Echelon (2003)

Director:

Guy Norman Bee

Writers:

J.J. Abrams (creator)
John Eisendrath (writer)

TV Series:

"Alias" (2001)

Original Air Date:

5 January 2003 (Season 2, Episode 11)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

When Sydney learns that Marshall has been kidnapped, she struggles against a heartless Sloane to bring...

Plot Keywords:

Heroine | CIA | Double Agent | College | Fight

Cast

Jennifer Garner	...	Sydney Bristow
Ron Rifkin	...	Arvin Sloane
Michael Vartan	...	Michael Vaughn
Bradley Cooper	...	Will Tippin
Merrin Dungey	...	Francie Calfo
Carl Lumbly	...	Marcus Dixon
Kevin Weisman	...	Marshall Flinkman
David Anders	...	Julian Sark (credit only)
Lena Olin	...	Irina Derevko
Victor Garber	...	Jack Bristow
Terry O'Quinn	...	F.B.I. Asst. Director Kendall
James Lesure	...	CIA Agent Craig Blair
Ric Young	...	Dr. Zhang Lee
Faye Dunaway	...	Ariana Kane
Ira Heiden	...	C.I.A. Technician Rick McCarthy

Certification:

Netherlands:12

Company:

Bad Robot

Trivia:

The file you can see Marshall working on in captivity is /usr/include/Linux/joystick.h from the Linux kernel.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Sydney and Dixon are rescuing Marshall, Sydney plugs into the surveillance feed, Dixon links up via his laptop and a sign flashes on Dixon's computer that says "remote modem signal recieved". Received is misspelled.

Quotes:

F.B.I. Asst. Director Kendall: just got off the phone with the director again and he asked me again if I knew we were in the intelligence business.

Soundtrack:

All I Wanna Do

Our prayers are with him

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The CIA is in triple trouble: Cuvee's organization has kidnapped Marshall and they are forcing him to re-create the Echelon program; SD-6 has also acquired the codes that are necessary to hack into the system and will do so in a matter of hours; and Jack Bristow is being thoroughly investigated by the Alliance counter-intelligence officer Ariana Kane, who has ordered the security section to be ready to take him in if she discovers anything wrong. Irina claims that she can help, but she asks for full access to the system, and Kendall has his reservations. One of the least memorable episodes of the series so far, a tad too heavy on the techno-speak, though I have to admit that Sloane's callous indifference for Marshall's predicament makes for some great black comedy! *** out of 4.