The Solution (21 Apr. 2002)

In order to catch Khasinau and get closer to finding her mother, Sydney and Vaughn set up an undercover transaction for a Rambaldi artifact with Khasinau's representative, Mr. Sark. But ... See full summary »

Director:

Daniel Attias

Writers:

J.J. Abrams (creator), John Eisendrath

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
James Handy	...	Arthur Devlin
David Anders	...	Julian Sark
Tony Amendola	...	Tambor Barceló
Kirk B.R. Woller	...	Rat Exterminator
Amy Irving	...	Emily Sloane
Michelle Arthur	...	Abigail
Alec Maray	...	Sial

Storyline

In order to catch Khasinau and get closer to finding her mother, Sydney and Vaughn set up an undercover transaction for a Rambaldi artifact with Khasinau's representative, Mr. Sark. But Sydney's cover may be compromised when a SD-6 agent is sent in to thwart the sale: that being Dixon himself. Meanwhile, Will is enticed by his unseen source to continue his investigation of SD-6 when he learns that Jack Bristow was one of his kidnappers. Also, Sloan's cancer-stricken wife, Emily, tells Sydney that she knows about SD-6, which forces Sloane to make the most difficult decision of his life of whether or not to have her killed for knowing of the existence of the organization.

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Plot Keywords:

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:

21 April 2002 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 4, Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, US

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bad Robot

Technical Specs

Runtime:

44 min

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sydney's fight Sark using a Latajang, a specific Indonesian weapon.

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Quotes

Arthur Devlin: Are you suggesting that I approve the theft of priceless works of art?
Michael Vaughn: You see, sir, we would just be borrowing them.

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Soundtracks

"I'm Gone"
(uncredited)
Written by Alison Krauss & Union Station
Performed by Alison Krauss & Union Station

User Reviews

Works on multiple levels

The "solution" of the title has a double meaning - it could refer to the liquid that enabled CIA to read the blank page 47 from Rambaldi's book, or it could refer to the way Sydney finds a way to draw Khasinau out of his hiding place: she and Vaughn break into an Algerian museum and "borrow" some Rambaldi artifacts; a rumor spreads that among them is another bottle of the same liquid; Khasinau is interested and sends his representative, Mr. Sark, to buy it. But SD-6 also gets informed of that same meeting....Meanwhile, Will realizes that Jack Bristow was his kidnapper a few weeks earlier, Jack realizes that there might be a leak within the CIA feeding Will with information, and Sloane finds himself in the unfortunate position where he has put others in the past, trying to save the life of his hospitalized wife when a recorded conversation with Sydney reveals that she has known that her husband works for SD-6 for years. This is the best "Alias" episode since "Page 47". It works on multiple levels: plot advancement, action, mystery, drama. It also requires a strong memory of past events from the viewer. All the actors, but especially Ron Rifkin, are at the top of their game. *** out of 4.