Sydney thinks about quitting the CIA, when she receives a phone call from Sloane at home, warning her not to come after him. The next day she learns that Sark, apparently still working for Sloane, has kidnapped a geometrist (guest star Christian Slater) and his family. Moreover, the CIA has not located any Rambaldi artifacts in the Alliance facilities, which makes them think that Sloane has moved them to a new location. Sydney feels it is her duty to participate in the hunt for Sloane, and with the help of the CIA's newest asset, Marshall, they all begin tracking Sloane's steps after he disappeared. A well-balanced episode, mixing action (another good Sydney fight, ending with the grisliest death so far, though it's kept mostly off-screen), drama (Dixon's realization that he has been deceived and used all these years makes him bitter and causes problems in his marriage; Carl Lumbly's acting is strong), comedy (Marshall, unlike Dixon, has few problems adjusting to his new environment and soon he is his usual happy-go-lucky self), detecting (sure it's a great coincidence that the tech guy that Sloane shot just happened to be half-blind and had a camera in his left eye (!) - but would you prefer it if they had lost his tracks forever?), and suspense. My only complaint: why use a big name like Christian Slater for such a minor part? Ethan Hawke got a much better deal in the previous episode. *** out of 4.
Review of A Free Agent
