So It Begins (7 Oct. 2001)

Now working as a double agent for both the CIA and the evil SD-6, Sydney meets her CIA handler, Michael Vaughn, who instructs her on her missions, while her father, Jack, also gives her ... See full summary »

Director:

Ken Olin

Writers:

J.J. Abrams (creator), J.J. Abrams

Stars:

Jennifer Garner, Ron Rifkin, Michael Vartan

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
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
Victor Garber	...	Jack Bristow
Evan Parke	...	Charlie Bernard (as Evan Dexter Parke)
Aharon Ipalé	...	Ineni Hassan (as Aharon Ipale)
Aleksandr Kuznetsov	...	Kazimir Shcherbakov (as Alex Kuz)
Ravil Isyanov	...	Luri Karpachev
Sarah Shahi	...	Jenny
Ammar Daraiseh	...	Supplier
Azdine Melliti	...	Bodyguard #1

Storyline

Now working as a double agent for both the CIA and the evil SD-6, Sydney meets her CIA handler, Michael Vaughn, who instructs her on her missions, while her father, Jack, also gives her words of wisdom on the inside of SD-6. In her next mission, Sloan sends Sydney and Marcus out to find clues to a missing nuclear bomb hidden somewhere, in which a member of the Russian Mafia knows the secret. Meanwhile, Will continues to grow obsessed with Danny's murder and begins his own investigation behind Sydney's back who told him to leave the matter alone.

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Plot Keywords:

slusho | heroine

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 2001 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Indoor Pool, Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bad Robot

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Soviet-era bomb Sydney finds in the cemetery has garbled Cyrillic transliteration of the English words "RUSSIAN WARHEAD" on its side, with transliteration of the words "ARM" and "DISARM" appearing on a keyboard attached to the warhead.

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Goofs

When Marshall Flinkman welcomes Sydney Bristow back to SD-6 he turns his head and shows the tape holding his lapel mic behind his right ear running on his neck to the back of his head (@ 12:49)

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Quotes

Sydney Bristow: You said you wanted to talk about the plan. I'm giving you the plan
Michael Vaughn: It's not your job to give me the plan. I'm giving you the plan. Tomorrow's your first day back at SD-6. Now, nothing should change. When you get your assignment, you'll detail your mission on a paper bag.
[picks one up, showing her]
Michael Vaughn: Bag. Then you'll call this number.
[gives her card]
Michael Vaughn: Memorize it. After three tones, press the appropriate digit - one through six. Each corresponds to a trash can in a specific location. Now we'll ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Star Trek (2009)

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Soundtracks

"This Woman's Work"
(uncredited)
Kate Bush
Sony

User Reviews

More thrills from J.J. Abrams

J.J. Abrams and director Ken Olin deliver a strong episode set a week later than the first, with the action based in the US and Moscow. This is real escapist fun and every penny of the high budget shines on screen.

The cast of "Alias" is excellent and a pleasure to watch. Garner is a great lead, ably supported by the good and bad guys.

It has to be said, Kevin Weisman is superb as SD-6's equivalent of "Q", the highly amusing and super-intelligent Marshall Flinkman. Flinkman is a genuinely likable character, a good guy in the murky world of SD-6.

The soundtrack contains tracks from Roland Gift and the one-and-only Kate Bush.

9 out of 10.