My
main criticism about the region 2 set of Alias' first season
was that the packaging wasn't upto the standard of the series itself.
It's immediately apparent that for season 2, Buena Vista have tried to
improve matters. Instead of six trays held together by sellotape we've
got three double-disc cases in a cardboard sleeve.
While
the packaging for season 1 centred around Sydney Bristow, this time it
reflects the family nature of the season, with Lena Olin and Victor Garber
also shown.
As
with season one, I don't see much point in reviewing the 22 episodes included
in this set. Anyone buying it will already be acquainted with the series
as, unlike the first season, there's little point in taking a punt on
this set if you're unfamiliar with the show. That's true of many series,
but it applies doubly to Alias and anyone who hasn't watched
from the start will have no idea what's going on.
That's
because if Sydney's life wasn't complicated before, it certainly is when
her mother, former agent KGB agent Irina Derevko, turns herself into the
CIA.
Season
2 builds on the series' first year, continuing Sloane's obsession with
Rambaldi, Sydney and Jack's attempts to bring down SD-6 and Sydney's relationship
with her CIA handler Michael Vaughn.
As
with season 1, the series balances Sydney's work with the CIA and SD-6
with her private life, including her relationship with her father, friends
Will and Francie and of, course, her mother.
Alias
is one of the best examples of contemporary US television, yet has been
treated shoddily by UK broadcasters. This set therefore provides the ideal
opportunity to watch it, and it's definitely a series that benefits from
subsequent viewing and the ability to rewatch scenes if required. (Something
that's especially handy when they involve Jennifer Garner in lingerie.)
As
well as the episodes in widescreen, the set also has a decent amount of
extras:
Four
well-chosen episodes (Phase One, A Dark Time, Second
Double and The Telling) have commentaries, which are once
again provided by a mix of cast and production team, which gives them
each a different feel. J.J. Abrams unsurprisingly proves to be the most
interesting participant.
The
season one set gave us a look at the making of the pilot, and this time
we get a look at the season finale, The Telling. Along with a
featurette on the series' look, it's the only extra outside of the commentaries
that's really worth bothering with. The rest are deleted scenes, a blooper
real, and a look at the making of the Alias video game - all
are the sort of things you'll look at once and not bother with again.
But
that's not really a major problem. Twenty-two episodes of one of the best
TV series around, a couple of interesting extras and better packaging
that last time around make this a must-have for anyone remotely interested
in the series. And, if you haven't already picked it up, it's available
for less than twenty quid online. back to the top
