Alias Mythology Guide Season One

MYTHOLOGY GUIDE

1X12 THE BOX PART ONE

The Run Down:

Jack tells Syd that Laura was sent to the US to seduce Jack and steal CIA secrets from him, and that her love was an act. Syd decides to quit, confident that Sloane will spare her. Syd leaves to tell Sloane she's quitting; Jack tells her that Sloane answers to the Alliance who will not hesitate to kill her, Sloane, and all her friends if they think she's abandoned them. Haladki tells Vaughn he has to see Judy Barnett the counselor because of the Laura revelation. Vaughn tells her his father died almost 20 years ago and it's not a big deal. She questions his relationship to Syd; someone has been reporting him. Vaughn confronts Haladki over it.
An armed squad led by McKenas Cole and hacker Tchen breaks into the Credit Dauphine parking garage and disables the SD-6 security. Syd and Jack enter just before shutdown. Sloane recognizes Cole on surveillance and activates lockdown just before Cole gases the entire complex. They hold the 50 agents hostage. Jack knows K-Directorate would never attack SD-6 since they would return the favor; it must be a new organization. Jack taps into the SD-6 surveillance.
Last year McNeil's lawyer filed an appeal. Will decides to quit the case if it means hurting McNeil's daughter. The Source gives Will something that will make McNeil talk, but he refuses. Kelly McNeil meets Will and tells him she's willing to leave the country thanks to Stoller and go into hiding if it will bring justice for her dad. Will takes The Source's package; a key.
Cole was with SD-6 5 years ago when he was left for dead in Grozny after destroying a pipeline. In 1996 Sloane sent a team to destroy a Chechnya pipeline but the team was captured by the Russians. The CIA denied any knowledge of Cole so he was tourtured with "The Box". Now Cole is working for "The Man" and he wants something in the Vault. In lockdown, the Vault room is sealed. Cole threatens Sloane with "The Box" to get the Vault code; "needles of fire".
If the Vault is opened, the building will detonate C4 charges and erase any existance of the L.A. cell of SD-6. Syd and Jack must scramble the vault lock before the team drills through. Syd steals the code scrambler and changes it just before Cole arrives with the combination from Sloane. Syd is discovered by Cole and hides in the airducts.

Analysis:

Vaughn says his father died almost 20 years ago... but in "Reckoning" he said he was 8 when he died, and the ABC Site says he was born in '68 which would make the death in '76 when Laura originally receieved the orders. This all makes perfect sense, so was Vaughn just make a wildly inaccurate estimation in this episode? Besides, Laura "died" 20 years ago!
What is Haladki's role in the CIA, and why is he so concerned with what Vaughn and Syd are doing?
There's only 50 agents in the entire SD-6 complex?! Guess that one big room of agents is basically the whole complex then!
Jack's confidence that K-Directorate would never directly attack them again speaks to the detente ideology of the intelligence world. But why does The Man not follow this? Is he just that ruthless and confident? (Well, his goal of acquiring Rambaldi artifacts by any means necessary dictates direct attacks on intelligence organizations holding them.)
The fact that The Source knew Will was in the bathroom suggests he's under constant and direct surveillance.
What was Sloane doing destroying a pipeline in Chechnya? Since the Russians captured and interrogated him, asking where Russian POWs were, it must have been a Russian pipeline. Perhaps K-Directorate was involved, but also keep in mind that half of the Alliance is made up of Russian interests as well.
Why did The Man send the clearly unstable Cole to attack Credit Dauphine? Presumably because he knew how to break in.
The way Jack talks, the Credit Dauphine office is just the L.A. branch of SD-6. But each SD cell seems to correspond to a single nation or area. Perhaps this means that SD-6 covers all of the US, so they would have many offices across the nation.

1X12 THE BOX PART ONE The Run Down:

Jack tells Syd her mother was sent to the US by the KGB to seduce him and steal CIA secrets from him; her love was an act. Syd's entire life and imagining of her mother is called into question; she decides to openly quit SD-6, thinking Sloane won't harm her, and expresses interest in Vaughn. Jack tells Syd that Sloane answers to people who will not hesitate to have them all killed. The Alliance will kill Sloane, Syd, and all her friends if they think she's abandoned them. Vaughn has to see Barnett the CIA counselor, who questions his emotional attachment to Syd; Haladki reported him.
A small armed team led by McKenas Cole breaks into Credit Dauphine and bypasses SD-6 security, knocking out the fifty agents with their own gas. Syd and Jack enter the parking garage just as the attack happens, and tap into the system surveillance in the basement. The attackers can't be K Directorate since SD-6 would return the favor. The agents are being held hostage. Cole was an SD-6 agent left for dead in '96 Chechnya after blowing a pipeline and being captured and tortured by the Russians. Now he's working for "The Man" who wants something in the SD-6 vault. Sloane refuses to give the vault combo.
Will decides to quit the SD-6 story if it means hurting McNeil and Kelly. The mystery man gives Will a locker key to get McNeil to talk. Kelly meets Will and tells him to do the story; she'll leave the country and go into hiding so he doesn't have to worry.
Cole takes Sloane to the interrogation room; he told his Russian captors he was CIA but the CIA had no knowledge of him, and so he was tortured with "the box"; now it's Sloane's turn. If the vault is opened the complex will self-destruct; Syd and Jack must scramble the vault codes. Syd grabs a code scrambler from Marshall's office and changes the combo but is discovered by the troops.

Analysis:

Why was Jack chosen to be the KGB's target? Is it related to why he was part of SD-6? Did the CIA kill his wife when her cover was exposed, and was this the reason that Sloane thought Jack would be susceptible to turning against the US?
Syd is clearly thinking irrationally from her grief when she considers just quitting SD-6, regardless of Sloane's affection towards her.
Interesting to learn that most in the Alliance don't know anything about Syd or care anything about her life.
How exactly did Cole's team know exactly how to bypass all the Credit Dauphine security? Obviously Cole's knowledge was vital, but he hasn't been there in 6-7 years, surely the security has changed since then. Does The Man have agents within SD-6?
There's only fifty odd personnel inside Credit Dauphine at any given moment? Was this an off day or something?
What is the exact nature of this détente between SD-6 and K-Directorate? Is it just a general avoidance of all out war?
Why did SD-6 blow an oil pipeline in Chechnya? Sounds like it was to help the Chechnian rebels and hurt Russia (aka K Directorate).
Cole obviously doesn't know that SD-6 isn't CIA, despite the fact that the CIA had no knowledge of him. He must have assumed they just disowned him when he was captured. And The Man obviously never told him the truth. If he knew, he would have mentioned it to Sloane, or more likely told the entire group of captured agents.

1X13 THE BOX PART TWO The Run Down:

Jack turns himself in to let Syd escape. Syd must disable the three explosive charges before the vault door opens. Dixon secretly emails the CIA asking for help over Jack's objections. Sloane taunts Cole with the fact that they were captured because he went back for a lost man. Vaughn has been suspended as Syd's handler. Vaughn gets Dixon's email and goes in alone without confirmation, killing the lookout man, and alerting Haladki. Weiss later learns about the call without Haladki's help.
Will gets the files from the locker key; the autopsy report on McNeil's wife proving she was murdered. Will gives Kelly the report to give to McNeill and tells her to leave the country.
Vaughn finds Syd and they deactivate the first charge. They capture Cole's code splicer, who claims to be working for British SIS to infiltrate Cole's intelligence network for the past year. SIS has been trying to ID The Man for 3 years, and it involves Rambaldi. She tells her team that there's only one saboteur. Vaughn deactivates the second charge. Cole announces he will execute Jack unless the saboteur turns himself in; Syd surrenders herself.
Weiss moves in; Vaughn doesn't know where the third charge is. Cole met Syd once 5 years ago and hit on her. Sloane taunts Cole that he was broken, and Cole kills the code splicer in a rage. Syd, Jack and the men overcome the troops. Jack cuts off Sloane's finger to deactivate the charge. Cole beats Dixon and Syd, and removes a small vial of liquid from the vault. Syd and the CIA team capture Cole and the vial, and escape. Sloane's finger can be reattached. He vows vengeance and says everything has changed now. Dixon assumes his email to CIA didn't get through. Syd decides to remain working inside SD-6.

Analysis:

Why has Vaughn been suspended as Syd's handler? Because of the fears of his emotional attachment to her?
Is Haladki an evil mole in the CIA, or just an asshole? He can't be working for SD-6 because then they would know Syd's cover.
If The Man has been around for three years, why hasn't SD-6 ever heard of him? Has he just been quietly setting up shop, waiting for his big initial move against SD-6, FTL, and K Directorate? How did British SIS learn of him and manage to get an infiltrator in? What role does the British SIS play in this shadow world? We haven't heard anything from them yet.
Gee that sure was bad luck that Cole kills his lover in a mad rage, just when SIS is about to learn the identity of The Man...
So what was the nature of the little vial of Rambaldi liquid? And will The Man come after the CIA now to retrieve it and Cole, since it was so vital to retrieve from SD-6? When Cole doesn't report back, will The Man just assume he was lost to SD-6? And won't he just send a second attack if it's that important?
When the CIA tells Cole the truth about SD-6, will he be willing to cooperate with them?

1X14 THE COUP The Run Down:

A young Mister Sark working for The Man assassinates Quan Li, the head of FTL in Hong Kong. Last week, at the same time as the Credit Dauphine attack, they attacked the FTL headquarters to steal Rambaldi artifacts, and exposed their entire agent network. FTL is dead. The Man now has the largest Rambaldi collection in the world and may uncover Rambaldi's work before they do. Now The Man has contacted K Directorate through Dahlgren, offering an exchange of Rambaldi technology.
Sloane offers Syd consolations over learning the truth about her mother and throws a congratulatory party for her. Haladki reported Vaughn's actions to Devlin, but neither he nor Haladki were punished. Syd tells Jack she's decided to leave grad school since she went because her mother was a literature professor, but has now learned it was just an act, but Jack doesn't react. Syd learns that Charlie cheated on Grace two months ago.
Will meets McNeill; Kelly is out of the country. McNeill sends Will to a shell tech company where he copies a hidden file recording all users of his encryption software.
Vegas: Syd almost runs into Gracie and Charlie while undercover. Dixon, undercover as a Jamaican delegate, plants a bug on Dahlgren in a card game. Syd nearly gets him killed running off to confront Charlie when he almost marries Gracie when Dixon's cover is shot.
Syd tells Gracie that Charlie is cheating on her; Gracie tells her she's become distant and uncaring and storms off. Jack takes Syd to a park where he and her mother took her as a child; she was two and he was just transferred to the LA Field Office, he would foolishly tell her secrets. He's out of practice with personal matters, and tells her to stay in school as it was her own decision, she'd make a good teacher. Gracie makes up with Syd after Charlie tells her the truth. Syd decides to stay in school.
SD-6 traces Dahlgren's call; a meeting between The Man and K Directorate is set in Moscow. Syd surveys the meeting outside the window between Sark, Director of Operations for The Man, and Ivankov, Head of K Directorate. Sark offers $100 million for the priceless Rambaldi manuscript from Argentina and any other Rambaldi artifacts and analysis. When Ivankov refuses, Sark kills him, and Kessar is left in charge of K Directorate to accept the offer. Syd is discovered by the K Directorate guards.

Analysis:

Damn! The Man is indeed powerful! In the space of a single week he became the owner of the largest Rambaldi collection in the world, brutally attacked SD-6, outright destroyed FTL, and assassinated the head of K Directorate to suborn them into cooperation. Sounds like he's been using these past three years to prepare for the big coming out party. Not to mention spectacular intelligence and power.
So apparently FTL was the third largest intelligence network in the shadow world, after K Directorate (allegedly indestructible) and SD-6, and apparently it was China based.
Why is The Man so focused on Rambaldi artifacts? The obvious answer is that The Man is Milos Rambaldi, immortal genius, but why would he need his own artifacts, since all they do is lead to Rambaldi's secret? Surely Rambaldi knows his own secrets, and the artifacts apparently only lead to the next clue and are worthless in themselves. The young appearance of Sark suggests he's immortal. Perhaps The Man (probably Sark himself!) has access to some Rambaldi technology (like immortality) and is looking for more.
Haladki's ignoring Vaughn's message last episode almost got everyone at Credit Dauphine killed; how the hell did he escape punishment for that? What kind of connections does he have? Is Director Devlin compromised in some way?
Well Vaughn is apparently Syd's handler again, even though no mention is made of him being taken off. Was his heroism at Credit Dauphine enough to get him reinstated? Doesn't it prove he lost his objectivity with his agent?
Syd deciding to leave grad school is just part two of her grieving over the revelation of her mother. Part one was leaving SD-6, and this is the same feeling aimed in a different direction. Has she finally come to cope with the loss now?
Syd running off from her surveillance with Dixon in Vegas to deal with a trivial personal matter is absolutely inexcusable. Dixon could have been killed! Yet no mention is made of this very heinous mistake. She really should know better.
Looks like Jack has been living in the shadowy intelligence world for so long, he's lost his humanity. And now that Syd is slowly reawakening it, he's having trouble dealing with it. As a counterpoint, Gracie points out that this is exactly what Syd is starting to become, and in a way Vaughn is like this as well.
Jack Bristow spilling CIA secrets to his wife? Was he really that idealistic and naive back then? The betrayal of his wife must have really broken his spirit.
How The Man manage to set up a personal meeting with the Head of K Directorate? Based on the threat of their attacks on SD-6 and FTL perhaps? The Man did take credit for the attacks after all; to get the credibility in the field.
And just how gullible was Ivankov to go to meet this mysterious Man with such light security that he could be assassinated? Was it overconfidence, or was he just given no choice given the threat of The Man's power?
With FTL gone, K Directorate beheaded, and SD-6 wounded, where does this leave the world of shadow intelligence? With the new threat of The Man, will this force an alliance between SD-6 and K Directorate? They've grudgingly worked together before. Perhaps even the CIA will get in on it. I'm really starting to wonder if SD-6 is all that bad now; maybe they just use deplorable methods for a good purpose. Maybe they're working to stop the threat of Rambaldi's power.

1X15 PAGE 47 The Run Down:

Syd and Dixon escape the guards. Ivankov's body was delivered to K-Directorate HQ in St. Petersburg; Kessar is being held hostage by The Man until K-Directorate hands over the Manuscript. Analysis of Sark's speech shows he spends considerable time in Ireland. K-Directorate is handing over the manuscript to Sark in Tunisia. Syd and Dixon are sent to steal it; she will take pictures of the book for Vaughn. The previous pictures Syd took for the CIA refer to an instruction manual for "the 100 Segments".
Sloane shows Jack surveillance footage of Will meeting with McNeil in prison. He wants to kill Will but Jack convinces him to find out what he knows first. A bug is planted on Will for his next meeting with McNeil. 42 companies are using his software; of the 16 he looked at, 6 have a common Board member, Alain Christophe, who retired from the CIA 12 years ago. From '82 to '89 he ran Counter Intelligence at Langely. Will is waylaid by men in black who threaten to kill friends and family if he continues the story; this is his only warning. The leader is Jack, using the same distorted voice from before. Will tells McNeil he's off the case, saving his life from SD-6.
Tunisia: Syd boards the K Directorate yacht and gases the crew. She photographs the Manuscript for the CIA and flees in the boat just as Sark and his detail arrives for the swap. SD-6 interrogates the captured agents and kills the civilian captain.
Will wins the Kaplan Award for an inspirational article about workers overcoming a slave driver. Abby is a sarcastic unsuccessful British writer who works with Will. Will breaks up with Jenny and she quits as his assistant. Syd and Gracie both remove their engagement rings for the first time.
Vaughn wants Syd to use her old friend, Emily, Sloane's wife dying of cancer, to get a bug in Sloane's house. SD-6 can't be bugged because of the counter surveillance sweeps. Syd hasn't seen her since she learned the truth about SD-6; Emily thinks her husband is COO of a bank. Sloane brought the Manuscript home to show to Syd; Vaughn wants her to swap Page 47 with a fake. The Manuscript is headed to Germany for advanced analysis. Emily invites Syd and a friend to dinner; she takes Will, Jack goes too. Syd plants a paper clip bug in Sloane's office. Sloane says the book is headed for England; most of the book is written in code they haven't broken yet. Sloane has become obsessed with the mystery of Rambaldi even though he wasn't a believer at first. Syd breaks into Sloane's vault and swaps the page; but Sloane seems to walk in on her at the end. Sloane asks Will what he's working on.
CIA has found that the 47th page of Rambaldi documents are always significant; the Journal's Page 47 is blank. The CIA uses the liquid that Cole stole from the Credit Dauphine vault to expose the ink on the page, showing a drawing of Syd's face.

Analysis:

Since the K Directorate guards surely told their superiors about Syd, isn't K Directorate (and The Man by proxy) now aware that their meeting was surveiled? Do they care?
Once again Syd never kills anyone, but everyone around her does (Dixon, Vaughn). Are the writers just trying to keep her a moral and heroic character by never having her kill? Isn't that a tad unrealistic though?
The Man sure is desperate to retrieve the Manuscript! And now we learn his theft of the Credit Dauphine vault was connected; the vial is needed to decode Page 47. Of course The Man also raided FTL for Rambaldi artifacts; did those figure into this situation any? Did The Man know what the vial was for? Is The Man searching for the identity of the figure Rambaldi prophecized about in the 16th Century, which as we learn is actually Syd?
It seems surprising that K-Directorate would cave into terrorism so easily and hand over a priceless artifact. Was Kessar ordering them to do it, or did the acting leaders just fear for their own lives as well?
What are the Hundred Segments? Are they components of some kind of paranormal machine? Or are they events in time?
Just how important is Alain Christophe in the Alliance? Is he a high ranking member, maybe even their leader? He's a former high ranking CIA officer like Sloane and Jack, but apparently he continued to work with the CIA until 1989; was he a double agent all that time or was that when he was recruited by SD-6?
Apparently it was Jack who was supplying Will with SD-6 information all this time. He must have been hoping to use Will to expose SD-6, obviously ready to sacrifice him if need be. This explains why the voice told Will to shut up when he started blabbing into the SD-6 bug; Jack was part of the surveillance on that.
That knockout gas that Syd used is extremely useful! She should bring that stuff on every mission!
The symbolism of Will's article contrasted with Syd and Sloane was a little thick there...
What was the point of establishing the Abby character? A future friend/paramor for Will? The next reporter to work on SD-6?
How did Syd become friends with Emily Sloane? She must have spent extracurricular time with Sloane in order to meet his wife, which is strange because their relationship seemed very distant and even strained until recently.
Isn't it extremely risky pulling operations inside Sloane's house? The suspects list will be incredibly short! If Sloane finds that bug and learns the page was swapped at all, the few house guests they've had will be immediate suspects. Of course, they would suspect Will over Syd, so there's a good scapegoat.
How can Emily not even know that Sloane was a CIA officer, yet alone a SD-6 officer?! We know he used to be in the CIA unlike most of the unenlightened SD-6 officers like Marshall and Dixon. How many lies are there in that relationship? And why in the world would Emily want Syd to bring a guest? Does she know or suspect or something? Did she want a stranger in the house for a reason? Could she be a double agent like Jack's wife, working for the CIA against her husband, and letting Syd get an accomplice? Is that the reason Syd hasn't seen Emily once since learning the truth about SD-6?
So what's up with the CIA saying the Manuscript is headed to Germany for analysis, but Sloane tells Syd England? Was the CIA wrong, or was Sloane lying to Syd for some reason? Does he still distrust her? Or is it common policy?
If most of the Manuscript is written in code, how long will it take to break it and unlock the secrets? Page 47 was probably written in Italian since there was no word of the CIA cracking the code, only finding how to illumine the ink.
So did Sloane see Syd going in his vault or not?! His reaction was pretty ambiguous. But if he did see her doing it, why in the world would he let her leave the house? Sure he feels for her, but that's too much. The Manuscript is too important. So he probably didn't see anything, and it's just a false alarm.
So Rambaldi in the 16th Century drew a picture of Syd. This proves that he's not just brilliantly capable at guessing future technology, but that he could actually see into the future. And why is Syd important enough to appear in Page 47? Is she the messiah? Will she play some pivotal role in the Rambaldi Saga? No doubt, but how many shows make their lead a messianic figure? Yeesh.

1X16 THE PROPHECY The Run Down:

Brazil: Syd takes surveillance photos of The Man and escapes his security.
Dr. Carson Evans (Department of Special Research for the NSA) testifies to the Senate Select Committee for Intelligence on Syd and the Prophesy and is given full autonomy. All of Vaughn's files were confiscated over Devlin's objections, and Vaughn is out of the loop. DSR investigates fringe science after its origin hunting Nazi occult interests in WWII. The DSR questions Syd, giving her a large barrage of psych tests. Haladki is coordinating between the CIA and DSR.
SD-6 has IDed The Man as Alexander Khasinau, a former Lt. Col. in the KGB who went underground to power broker for the Russia Mafia and Rogue States in the international arms market. The Russian Mafia may fund him, but he's a cut above. Once identified he moved his operation to an undisclosed location.
Sloane asks Syd to visit Emily again to raise her spirits. Emily cryptically mentions "it must be hard, doing what you do" and says she won't be alive next Christmas. She ignored the pain for four months; she could have survived the cancer if she sought help sooner, but she was too afraid. This convinces Syd to turn herself in to the DSR for medical tests.
The Alliance is voting in London on whether to kill Khasinau or form a détente with him. 5 of the 12 votes are former Soviet Bloc who favor détente with enemies. Sloane is determined to go to war with Khasinau by any means. Only 4 will definitely vote for aggressive action; 3 are swing votes. One is SD-9's Edward Poole, who Sloane calls. Poole promises to vote for war, leaving Oscar Dunst and Jean Briault. Sloane recruits Poole to ensure the war declaration by any means necessary. Briault is the man who recruited Sloane in Chile while working with Allende. Poole shows Sloane proof that Briault is allied with Khasinau, photos and bank records going back three months. Briault's paranoia means only a close friend could pull off a hit. Sloane refuses to believe it.
Evans chews out Devlin for not giving them complete access. The Directive gives Evans the authority to take Syd into custody. Haladki (Domestic Resources Division) tells Evans that Syd's file has certain discrepancies, like when Syd met a Rambaldi disciple moments before his prophecized death. The Prophecy mentions physical anomalies she is being tested for (blood, spinal tap, MRI).
The DSR cracked the second half of the Journal. Syd and Jack fear their code is wrong. The original code key is in the Vatican so the CIA will not go after it. Devlin refuses Jack's request. In Sloane's absence, Jack is in charge of SD-6, a great intelligence opportunity.
Sloane decides to kill Briault and tells Poole to keep it secret from everyone else. Kleinhoff in Munich reports that Page 47 of the Manuscript is a dupe. Sloane angrily demands where Syd is and says her school work is a liability. Sloane assassinates his old friend Briault in Montreal.
Rome: Syd and Vaughn break into the Vatican vault through an adjacent school. The code is on a portrait of the Pope. They escape.
London: The eleven surviving members of the Alliance meet to vote. Alain Christophe is their leader. The vote is for détente, 6-5. Sloane realizes Poole is the one working for Khasinau; Briault was innocent. Poole feigns ignorance and gets in a car with Khasinau.
Syd goes partying with Will and Gracie, where DSR agents quietly escort her out. She is arrested by Evans with Vaughn there. The CIA successfully broke the code. She has the 3 physical anomalies Rambaldi spoke of; DNA sequencing, platelet levels, and enlarged heart. The Prophecy says: "This woman here depicted will possess unseen marks, signs that she will be the one to bring forth my works, bind them with fury, a burning anger, unless prevented, at vulgar cost this woman will render the greatest power unto utter desolation."

Analysis:

After all these episodes of hunting after The Man, we finally catch him and we don't even get to see how it happened?!
It seems pretty implausible that the Senate would put so much faith in the Prophesy, even given 9-11 paranoia of attacks on the US.
Just what was the point of all those psych tests on Syd? Were they supposed to psycho analyze her and prove if she was conspiring against the US government or something?
Once again Haladki is put in a very suspicious position, on the inside track to screw over Syd and Vaughn.
K-Directorate appears to be the current day KGB, yet there is a substantial Soviet presence in the Alliance and in The Man's forces. Just where does Russia as a whole stand in the intelligence world, or is it just splintered all around?
The elusive and invincible Man is just some old KGB dude? Very disappointing. I bet he's a front for the real mastermind.
Emily's statement just screams that she knows the truth about her husband and Syd. Given that she's dying, I bet she's working against Sloane in secret and hopes to recruit Syd as well. But she can't be working with the CIA or Syd would have been told.
If the Alliance is nearly half Soviet Bloc, why do they so regularly tussle with K-Directorate? Of course they do seem to have a pretty good détente going on with them. The rationale for this is that Russians enjoy the policy of détente.
Jean Briault is (or was) apparently the head of a SD section in Canada. Each of the 12 Alliance board members apparently represent their own little intelligence agency in their country. Does this mean twelve nations are involved? Is SD-6 the only operation in the US?
Sloane was not one of the founders of the Alliance. He didn't start until the 1970s, if he was recruited while working with Allende.
Sloane must have trusted Poole a great deal to be duped into assassinating his mentor. How did he earn such trust, and how long has he been working for Khansinau? More importantly, will we ever see him again?
So what did Jack manage to get when he was temporarily in charge of SD-6? Is this the first time this has ever happened?
When Sloane learns Page 47 of the Manuscript is a dupe, he immediately and angrily demands to speak with Syd. This suggests that he did see her messing with his office vault at his home. But surely he would have said or done something immediately if this were true?
Christophe is the leader of the Alliance. In "Page 47" we learned he sits on the board of a large number of Alliance shell corporations, and retired from the CIA 12 years ago after heading Counter Intelligence from '82 to '89. If Sloane was recruited in the 70s, then Christophe remained in the CIA for several years after forming the Alliance.
The Prophesy says the woman will "bring forth my works, bind them with fury, a burning anger, unless prevented, at vulgar cost this woman will render the greatest power unto utter desolation." This sounds like the woman will discover the Rambaldi artifacts, be angry about it, and destroy "the greatest power" at great cost. The US government obviously assumes the greatest power to be the US, but it's much more likely it refers to the Artifact itself, or possibly Rambaldi and his organization. If Syd is the woman, then she will bring together the Artifact, learn its a bad thing, and destroy it to save the world.

1X17 Q & A

The Run Down:

Kendall of the FBI questions Syd on her past; they can indefinitely detain her based on current evidence. Kendall suspects Syd always knew the truth about SD-6, and suspects Jack as well.
Syd was recruited by SD-6 her first year in college and began as an office secretary for Credit Dauphine bank for six months. Then she trained for eight months to become a spy, and was told SD-6 was a black ops division of the CIA. Only then was she taken to the SD-6 offices in the Dauphine basement. Within the first year she began reconnaissance missions. Only six officers in SD-6 know the truth. She was with Danny two years when he was killed. Sloane was a friend of Jack and Syd's mother before they were married. He recruited Syd and didn't tell Jack until after she was active. Syd doesn't know why Sloane recruited her. Syd's mother was a literature professor at UCLA. She was being pursued by an FBI counter intelligence officer and drove into the water.
SD stands for Section Desparu, named by Alliance founder Alain Christophe. The Alliance of Twelve is mainly former intelligence officers and private sector, trading in black market intelligence. Most disasters in the world are signs of the battle in the intelligence world.
Haladki is the Inter Office Liason between the CIA and DSR. He knows where Syd is but refuses to tell Vaughn. Jack's FBI contacts can't learn where Syd is. If Syd disappears too long her cover will be blown. Vaughn learns Haladki is former FBI. The US has decoded 47 Rambaldi prophecies and all turned out true.
The Prophesy says the woman will have never seen Mount Sebacio in Italy where he was born. Vaughn and Jack plot to kidnap Syd and take her to Mt. Sebacio, thus defeating the Prophesy. Jack interrogates Haladki for Syd's transfer time and threatens to kill him if he talks. Jack and Vaughn kidnap Syd from the FBI. Syd is chased by the FBI and drives her car off into the sea. She survives by breathing the air in the tires and escapes. She then realizes that her mother did the same thing to fake her death, and is the woman in the Prophesy. Syd's mother would have the physical characteristics in the Prophesy.

Analysis:

The FBI's suspicion makes a lot of sense, given the dubious nature of Syd and Jack being double agents, post 9-11 paranoia, and all the previous Rambaldi prophesies coming true to the letter. So once Syd proves she's not the woman, or that the Prophesy is a good thing, she should be fine.
In "The Box Part Two" Cole said he met Syd 5 years ago at Credit Dauphine. Does this synch up with this new timeline?
If Sloane was friends with Jack and Syd's mother before they were married, was he involved with the KGB conspiracy in any way? If the Alliance is half Russian, it's more than likely. If Syd's mother is alive, she's probably working for SD-6 now.
Why DID Sloane recruit Syd? Merely because he was friends with her parents? Unlikely. Given his obsession with Rambaldi, it's possible he had some inkling that Syd or her mother would be an important figure in the Rambaldi prophecies. And he wanted them both working with him.
If Jack is such a high ranking officer in SD-6, how did Sloane keep Syd's recruitment from him secret for over a year? If they're friends, wouldn't Jack see that as a betrayal.
Christophe sounds like he's French. Does this mean SD-1 based in France?
What exactly does it mean that Haladki is former FBI? How does this figure into his suspicious actions with Vaughn and Sid?
What were the 47 other Rambaldi prophecies that the US decoded? Where did they get them? What did they say?
Will Syd being taken to Mt. Sebacio really clear her name with the FBI?

1X18 MASQUERADE The Run Down:

Syd reaches Mount Sebacio and calls the FBI. She is cleared of all charges and the FBI is now searching for Laura. Jack violated the CIA's trust for the first time to steal the file on Laura. A Commission was headed under Sloane to investigate Laura after her supposed death. Jack was kept in the dark on it, and they never found her. Jack confronts Sloane on it. Syd is determined to locate Laura despite Jack's insistence. All information on Laura has been classified Omega 17 with the Rambaldi Prophecy, out of Vaughn's reach.
Syd meets Sloane; her absence was because she learned Laura was alive. Sloane tells her that Jack spend 6 months in solitary in a federal prison after Laura's disappearance, and even after he was cleared of suspicion he became a self-destructive alcoholic. He wasn't told by the DCI about Laura surviving because he had finally returned. She demands Sloane's help to find Laura; Sloane agrees.
Khasinau is now more powerful than the Russian Mafia and has the influence of a government. SD-6 has had two deep cover agents in the Russian Embassy at Vienna; Wexler reported that Khasinau just converted $250m of assets in cash. Syd and Dixon are sent to collect the evidence at a costumed ball. Sloane tells Syd that Khasinau was Laura's superior in the KGB. Jack is enraged that Syd would indebt herself to Sloane. Jack confronts Sloane for helping Syd find Laura, and Sloane alleges he had to father Syd.
Vienna: Syd and Dixon meet Noah Hicks; Wexler is dead and his cover will soon be blown. Noah is Syd's old flame from 5 years ago. Khasinau has the Embassy infiltrated. Syd and Noah retrieve the chip from Wexler's frozen body. Dixon is attacked by security but they escape.
Dixon warns Syd not to get close to Noah until he's debriefed. Noah sent her a coded message to tell her he was being transferred, but she never got it and assumed he dumped her. Noah is questioned by McCollough. He worked undercover in the Russian Diplomatic Corps and jokingly claims to be working for K-Directorate. He left for an undercover assignment because of Syd. Noah is cleared by McCullough. Syd and Noah work on decoding the Khasinau files.
Will and Francie have been spending more time with each other lately. They find a plane ticket of Syd's that doesn't fit her coverstory.
Syd tells the CIA about Jack's reaction to Laura and he is ordered by Devlin to see a counselor. Jack sees the counselor Dr. Barnett and gives her telegraphed answers to avoid coming again. She tells him he's deceiving himself and he has to come in every week.
Khasinau purchased a pair of super computers to extrapolate the missing pieces of the Rambaldi Design. Syd and Noah are sent to steal the computer core from Khasinanu's underground complex at Arkhangelsk. Information on Laura will also be there.
Arkhangelsk: Syd and Noah are captured as lost tourists and taken to the security center. They disable the guards and breach the underground complex. No files are found for Laura, but several for "Irina Derevko". They steal the computer core but Syd is exposed to frigid temperature. Syd and Noah have sex at the safehouse.

Analysis:

So are there any hard feelings between the FBI and Syd now? Is she still trusted by the government after her escape from their custody, regardless of the fact that it cleared her? Are Vaughn and Jack still trusted?
So how did Jack and Syd explain to Sloane that they learned Laura is alive?
So what cleared Jack of suspicion of being in cahoots with Laura?
So Khasinau and Laura worked together in the KBG... another coincidence? Or did Khasinau even then know that Laura was the woman in Rambaldi's Prophecy?
They're really heaping on the Mulder-Father-Cancer Man angle with Syd-Jack-Sloane now... yeesh...
So the entire ball was a trap by Khasinau to capture Noah, Syd, and Dixon. How in the world did they escape?!
Noah states under a lie detector test that he's working for K-Directorate, but McCullough takes it to be a joke. But isn't that the perfect ruse? He really could be working for K-D and got away with it by openly admitting to it but as a joke!
Looks like they're setting up Will and Francie to be a couple now...
Okay, Rambaldi is using super computers to bystep the missing Rambaldi pieces, but does he still need the vial from the SD-6 vault?
Once again, mighty Khasinau turns out to have incredibly lame security. Is this all a ruse? Is he letting Syd survive or something?

1X19 SNOWMAN The Run Down:

Syd and Noah are discovered by Khasinau's guards and escape by being "skyhooked" by an airplane.
Vaughn tells Syd that K-Directorate has hired The Snowman, an ace assassin presumed dead in 1997, to kill Khasinau in revenge. They can follow the Snowman to find Khasinau. Vaughn goes to Bogota to meet Kishell, who helped the Snowman but was left for dead by him 8 years ago when he thought he betrayed him. Kishell agrees to help Vaughn find the Snowman.
Noah asks Syd to run away with him and live in exile, but she's too concerned with Laura and Khasinau. Sloane learns something about Noah. McCullough again questions Noah about hidden accounts and $47 million missing. He's suspected of being with K-Directorate. The recovered Khasinau computer core was worthless with no useful files at all. The only thing recovered was an archival video of Khasinau questioning Laura after her "death". In 1970 Laura was recruited into the KGB by Khasinau to seduce Jack for information on Project Christmas, to which he was assigned. Jack refuses to watch it but Syd does. She recognizes the 2nd KGB agent as the FBI spy hunter who "killed" Laura, Calder / Igor Valenko and was "killed" himself. 6 months ago Calder was spotted money laundering by SD-4 in Cape Town, South Africa. Noah spent years undercover in South Africa.
Jack tells Sloane to keep Noah in action, that Calder has been with the KGB since 1973. Syd and Noah can find Calder, and they'll be one step from Khasinau. Sloane agrees despite suspecting that Noah has been turned. Vaughn is pissed at Syd for not telling them about Calder first, but the information would have been classified by the FBI and taken away from them.
Cape Town: Syd and Noah break into the financial office's records. Syd is lowered into the chamber to copy the files and Noah slices his arm up to save her. No data was recovered though, apparently the server had an EM pulse. Marshall analyzed the ruined data and located Calder in Mackay Australia. Noah tells Syd he's going AWOL to the Pacific, but she refuses to come.
Jack watches the Laura video and agrees to meet with Dr. Barnett. Will and Gracie confront Syd on the plane ticket; she explains she's had a new job as a confidential bank courier for the past 6 months.
Australia: Sid and Dixon break into Calder's mansion but the guards are already dead. The Snowman has killed Calder. Syd fights and kills the Snowman, and takes his mask off to reveal Noah.

Analysis:

For once we get a plausible use of Khasinau security and Syd escape! Woo hoo!
K-Directorate shows a surprising amount of testicular fortitude in hiring an assassin to hit Khasinau. Given that the last head was assassinated, and the second was kidnapped, aren't they a little concerned about repercussions?
Noah disappears to Vienna for a deep undercover assignment in 1997, the same time that the Snowman disappears and is presumed dead. So apparently the entire time he was an SD-6 operative, he freelanced as the Snowman. But he wanted to get out of it and run off with Syd, too bad she didn't respond. So he goes for a five year undercover assignment and doesn't do hits anymore. Then he returns, and he immediately takes up another one? Why? Perhaps he was directly working for K-Directorate the whole time and wasn't freelance, and they forced him into it. But how in the world could Noah ditch SD-6 security long enough to be doing all this?!
Obviously Noah sabotaged the recovered Khasinau computer core and African bank account since he was directly involved on both operations, but Marshall's expertise at data recovery was greater than he expected. He never intended Syd and Dixon to find Calder at the same time as he did, or to get into a fight with them. This was probably going to be his last killing before retirement.
It seems more likely that Noah was working for Khasinau. This would explain how they so easily breached Khasinau's security, how they escaped, why the only recovered information would be a clue leading Syd to her mother (which is obviously something Khasinau wants!), and why Noah killed Calder, the greatest lead to locating Khasinau.
So what is Project Christmas, and what was Jack's involvement in it? The CIA's investigation of Rambaldi perhaps?
Apparently SD-4 is based in South Africa.
If Khasinau/the KGB infiltrated an agent into the FBI to hunt after Laura and allow her to escape, what else have they accomplished? Just how is Khasinau infiltrating all these intelligence organizations with such ease? Is it because he's offering them immortality from the Rambaldi Design? We already know Rambaldi can bestow immorality to others!
Syd is increasingly working for SD-6 and not the CIA in order to find Laura and Khasinau. In fact, the series as a whole continues to be showing that Khasinau is a much greater threat than the Alliance, which is a delicious moral ambiguity.

1X20 THE SOLUTION The Run Down:

Working to find Laura and Khasinau, Syd is beginning to feel she's on the side of SD-6. Vaughn shows her how much progress they've made in rolling back SD-6 in the past year.
The Source calls Will again to get him back on the SD-6 story. He tells him that Jack Bristow is the man who threatened him. Exterminators set traps in Syd's apartment. Will gives the article to Abby, to be published if anything happens to him. Will confronts Jack about kidnapping him and reveals The Source. He tells Jack to convince him he's on the right side, and in return he'll help him find The Source. Jack tells Devlin there's a leak in the CIA talking to Will with Omega 17 access, and suspects Haladki. Devlin knows Jack was behind Syd's breakout and tells him if he breaks the rules one more time he's done. Jack meets Will; he admits to working in intelligence, only Jack can set up meetings, they're going after the Source. Jack says Syd isn't a part of it. Jack planted the bug on Eloise Kurtz. Jack instructs Will to tell the Source that he's back on the story.
Syd decides to lure out Khasinau into a trap by using the Rambaldi vial from "The Box". Last year Sloane sent a failed mission to steal Rambaldi artifacts from an Algiers museum. They break into the museum and announce a second vial was stolen, then sell it on the black market, using the actual vial as bait. Syd takes the week off from SD-6. She and Vaughn successfully break into the Algiers museum.
Syd visits Emily in the hospital. Emily reveals she knows that she and Sloane work for SD-6 while under surveillance. She figured it out over the years and is proud of him. Jack tells Syd the Alliance now knows and may kill Emily, depending on what Sloane tells the head of Alliance Security. The Head tells Sloane she will be killed, and mentions Briault being his friend. Sloane refuses to sit for it, and is under suspicion by the Alliance for going after Khasinau against orders. But Emily's death would allay their suspicions. Sloane visits Emily at the hospital, and she tells him how proud of him she is.
Sloane asks Marshall to find the last bio scan for Edward Poole. Poole is former MI-6. He carried a second phone unknown to them. They set a wiretap on Poole's phone and learned Khasinau's number. SD-6 learns of the second vial sale and sends Dixon.
Vaughn arranged the sale, claiming to be with the Raslak Jihad. Jack prevented the SD-6 sat network from learning of it. Khasinau is sending Sark for the exchange. They will test the vial and then switch it for a dupe that can be tracked by satellite.
Denpasar, Indonesia: Syd makes the exchange with Sark, proving her identity with a sword fight. They are interrupted by Dixon, who shoots all the guards and holds Syd and Sark at gunpoint. Sark has the true vial.

Analysis:

Yes, SD-6 continues to be more of a white hat as the threat of Khasinau grows. Is it really a good idea to be weakening SD-6 so much? Shouldn't they be kept strong in order to counter Khasinau?
Why did it take The Source so long to finally get back to Will? Is there anything of note in this long absence?
How much you wanna bet those exterminators were planting bugs behind Syd's fridge.
If Abbey is with SD-6 as I suspect, Will just handed away his lifeline.
Why in the world does Will assume that Jack is a good guy? He's the guy who kidnapped him and murdered all those people! This Source risks all to let Will know the truth, and Will automatically turns to the bad guys to help rat out the good guy?!
Why does Jack assume the Source is with the CIA and not with SD-6? When did the Source ever reveal knowledge of Omega 17 level knowledge? He's never talked about Rambaldi or Syd before! Is Jack just using this as an excuse to enact revenge on Haladki?
How stupid is Jack to trust his secrets to Will? He's an idiotic reporter! He can't keep his mouth shut!
So in this week that Syd took for vacation, she's never once followed by SD-6 intelligence? I doubt it!
Emily is becoming a strange counter-image to Laura. She's the long-time wife to a high ranking SD-6 officer, and knows more about SD-6 than she is supposed to. Presumably she doesn't know SD-6 is "evil", but just another division of the CIA.
Seems pretty obvious that the Head knows that Sloane murdered Briault, and he's enacting his revenge on him by killing his wife. The question is, does Sloane have the pair to let his own wife die to continue the fight against Khasinau?
Why in the world did Sloane wait all this time to investigate Poole?! Is it out of desperation because of his wife?
If Sloane tapped Khasinau's phone, doesn't this mean he knows his current location now?
Even if Syd manages to knock out Dixon without getting her identity revealed, Sark is going to get away with the real vial!

1X21 RENDEZVOUS The Run Down:

Denpasar: Vaughn distracts Dixon. Sark runs away but Vaughn knocks him out and steals the vial back. Dixon fights Syd in disguise and cuts her arm. Vaughn leaves Sark unsecured to save Syd from Dixon, knocking him out. Sark escaped.
Following Jack's orders, Will requests a meeting with The Source, by claiming knowledge of "The Circumference". Jack gives Will a bugged jacket to wear. The meet is in Paris.
London: Sloane attends an Alliance meeting. Ramon is the spokesperson. Poole is absent. Founder Alain Christophe attends. They will vote on letting Emily live. Sloane threatens to resign if they kill her. In Sloane's 12 years at SD-6, he's made $400m in arms sales and $300m more from Hassan, and acquired more Rambaldi artifacts than all other SD cells combined. They know he assassinated Briault, that Poole is working for Khasinau. Now they are ready to go to war with Khasinau. But they can't kill or abduct him; they would never learn what he is after, how he works, and with whom. If Sloane produces substantial intel on Khasinau, they will spare his wife.
Weiss lies to cover Vaughn breaking orders to save Syd, letting Sark go. Vaughn agrees to be less personal with Syd.
When Dixon learns Syd has an arm injury, he realizes she was the figure he fought in Denpasar. He notices Syd's interest in Khasainu. He remembers her call sign "Freelancer" from Argentina. He asks her how she hurt her arm, but she lies.
Syd and Jack discuss matters in her apartment. Sloane still hasn't put Jack back on active duty and is kept out of meetings.
Dixon apprehended Sark in Denpasar, but no vial. Sloane questions Sark, who agrees to work with them to catch Khasinau. Sark knows that SD-6 is not the CIA and drinks some of Sloane's wine. He claims Khasinau tells him little. Sark says Khasinau needs the vial to read a Rambaldi page. They are to meet at Khasinau's Paris restaurant. The CIA counter mission is to swap the Rambaldi page.
Paris: Sark meets with Khasinau. Syd poses as a lounge singer at Khasinau's club, caressing him to copy his pulse which is the key for his vault. Khasinau suffers from atria fibrillation. Dixon breaks into Khasinau's office and steals the page. Jack gives Will a drug to counter the truth serum and sends him in where he is given the serum. They ask who he learned of the Circumference from. Syd notices Will and rescues him. They fight their way free and drive away with Jack. Will is returned by the CIA. Syd and Jack realize The Source was Khasinau, attempting to publicly expose SD-6, specifically Syd and Jack personally.
Sark got away, but Sloane laced his wine with a radioactive isotope. They track him on a Transatlantic flight that lands at Geneva. Sloane sends a team in to apprehend him but they find his blood was removed in a transfusion.
Christophe tells Sloane that Emily will be spared but kept in an SD-6 hospital. Sloane tells Syd he knows Emily revealed knowledge of SD-6, and that she kept quiet. He thanks her, for doing what he didn't with Danny. He tells her Emily has been spared. Emily's latest tests show a remission of the cancer; she's going to live.
The CIA didn't get the Rambaldi page. The CIA is planning to put Will into witness protection or recruit him. Will promises Syd that he will never ask questions or reveal the knowledge. Sark attacks the CIA safe house and shoots Will.

Analysis:

What is "The Circumference"? Is there any meaning beyond the length around an object? The circumference of the Rambaldi Design as a physical object? Obviously Khasinau is greatly concerned that Will knew of it.
Why isn't Christophe the main speaker at the Alliance meetings? Is Ramon the second in command or something?
Sloane has spent 12 years as the leader of SD-6, beginning in 1990.
Why does SD-6 get more Rambaldi artifacts than all the others? Is it just because Sloane is the most interested in it? Or is Syd really that spectacular a special agent?
How did the Alliance learn that Poole was working for Khasinau? And is he dead yet?
So the Alliance is not going to punish Sloane in anyway for assassinating an SD leader?! Even given the fact that he was manipulated into it by Poole? The Security Head from last episode sure seemed to be angry with Sloane over it!
So the Alliance is now officially interested in Khasinau, Rambaldi artifacts, how Khasinau is so knowledgeable of this, and 'by whom he's working with' probably Laura Bristow as well. Do they know that Laura is the Prophceized One?
Now I understand the purpose of those two episodes with Noah/The Snowman. In Dixon's eyes, Syd is the same thing that Noah was. A SD-6 officer who has her agenda on the side. With Noah it was assassinating people. With Syd, it's getting Khasinau. If he takes his suspicions to SD-6, Syd is screwed. Her only hope is to immediately tell him the truth about SD-6, because he's a good guy and would definitely work with the CIA. I can't wait to see Syd AND Dixon working for the CIA! He can finally show some character then!
We saw repairmen behind the fridge in Syd's apartment last episode, undoubtedly placing a bug. In this episode, Syd and Jack reveal their double identity right next to the fridge. If SD-6 put those bugs in, they're screwed. I'm gonna say Khasinau did it.
How could Sloane possibly trust Sark in the slightest bit no matter who cooperative he seemed...
Last episode Jack said The Source has access to Omega 17 information. This makes perfect sense since Khasinau is an expert on Rambaldi information, and he has Laura in his steerage. But how in the world did Khasinau learn about Syd and Jack's double identity? Was it in one of their various missions where they were under surveillance?
So what does Khasinau's Rambaldi page say? SD-6 won't know since they don't have the vial anymore. Khasinau doesn't know since he never had the vial. The CIA doesn't know since they never had the page. This is probably big for next episode!
There is no fricking way that Khasinau doesn't know what Syd looks like. She's broken into his strongholds several times under video surveillance, not to mention that her mother works for him. Therefore, he knew who she was when she was singing, and he let them steal the page. Why? Was this an elaborate trap of misinformation to lure in Syd for the season finale?
Just how serious is this atrial fibrillation that Khasinau suffers from? If it's life-threatening it could explain his Rambaldi obsession.
Why is Khasinau seeking to expose the public identities of Syd and Jack? Is it related to Laura and the Prophesy?
Boy Sloane just can't win! What will he do now? Emily is living but SD-6 is ready to kill her. Will she kept under house arrest for the rest of her life? Recruited to work at SD-6 as a secretary or something?
First of all, how did Sark find out where the CIA safehouse was? Second, why did he go after Will? Because he revealed knowledge of the Circumference? Because he was rescued by Syd? My first instinct said he was shot with a tranquilizer, but we heard a shell drop to the ground, which means a gun. Is Will dead?! Or has he abducted Will to lure Syd into a trap?

1X22 ALMOST THIRTY YEARS The Run Down:

Taipei: Will is held prisoner by Sark, and questioned by the FTL interrogator from "Truth Be Told" about The Circumference. He drills out a cavity and then tears out a tooth. He then injects him with a truth serum which paralyzes 1 in 5. Will later manages to attack the interrogator, stabbing him with the serum.
Francie is about to graduate from business school and has decided to open up a restaurant in Silver Lake.
Sark calls Syd for a deal; Will's life for the stolen Rambaldi page and the vial. She must arrive at Taipei in 48 hours for the swap. Syd goes to Jack for help, but its too important to hand this over to Khasinau. They have to steal the page and get the vial from the CIA to learn what the page says first. Syd must infiltrate an SD-6 offshore lab to steal the page, using Sloane's voice ID and fingerprints. The strike at the safehouse proves Khasinau has a mole in the CIA; Vaughn can't be trusted. Sark's team only tranquilized the CIA safehouse agents. Syd doesn't tell Vaughn but he suspects something. Vaughn tells Weiss, who tells Devlin and Haladki.
Sloane takes Emily out to a beach house and tells her the truth about SD-6. She reacts violently. Ramon tells Sloane that Emily must be killed. Sloane proposes recruiting her, she spent 8 years in the State Dept. Sloane threatens to secede if Emily is killed. The Alliance is crumbling from corruption and fear; they need new leadership. Sloane demands a partner chair with Briault and Poole gone. The Alliance already voted him in as full partner, conditional on his wife's death. Sloane poisons Emily's drink as she forgives him.
Dixon learns from Marshall that Syd's codename in the Argentina operation was not "Freelancer". Syd asks Sloane about her mother and Emily to get his voice and fingerprints while Jack hacks his computer by remote. Emily's been diagnosed with cancer for 3 years. Sloane didn't want to have a child he'd have to lie to, so Syd is his pseudo daughter. Syd breaks into the SD-6 lab, while being observed by Dixon. She retrieves the page and is confronted by Dixon. Dixon asks who she's working for. Syd promises that she would never hurt him or betray the country, and asks him to accept that she can't tell him what she's doing. It's classified. Dixon leaves.
Jack takes the vial from a CIA vault minutes before Devlin orders his arrest. Devlin thinks Jack is the CIA mole since he knows about the Circumference. Jack tells him they're friends, and he'll return them afterwards. Syd and Jack use the vial on the page; it's the Mueller Device from "Truth Be Told". Two weeks ago Jack heard a CIA report that Khasinau is looking for "The Circumference", instructions on how to apply the Rambaldi technology. The Mueller Device is The Circumference.
After a six day absence of Will's, Will's friend has his SD-6 article published.
Jack captures and tortures Haladki because he knew of The Circumference. Jack knows he's working for Khasinau since he isn't cleared to know about The Circumference. Haladki admits working for him for 2 years. The Circumference is the key to what he's built, a battery of unknown purpose. He tells where it is in Taipei, Room 47. He says "Khasinau is the future, he can save you, you should be with him, Look at yourself, Come with me, I can save you." Haladki was the one who exposed Syd; Jack executes him.
Vaughn locates Syd and offers his help regardless of the consequences, because his father always followed the CIA orders unquestioningly, and it ruined him. He refused to participate in operations, including his final one. Jack tells Vaughn he respects him.
Taipei: Jack meets Sark for the exchange. He hands over the exposed page for Will. Will thanks him. Syd and Vaughn break into the warehouse. Syd enters Room 47 to find a massive version of the Mueller Device with a huge turning red ball. Syd destroys the Device. The ball disintegrates, unleashing a tidal wave of liquid. Syd escapes but Vaughn is trapped behind a door and drowns. Syd is captured. Khasinau visits her and tells her to ask her questions to his boss, The Man. Laura Bristow enters. "I have waited almost thirty years for this."

Analysis:

What is the FTL interrogator from "Truth Be Told" doing working for The Man? In the pilot he was working for FTL, the Chinese intelligence network, which was destroyed by The Man in "The Coup". We never heard from them after that. Did The Man recruit the surviving members of the organization into her own? Most likely.
So did Will manage to paralyze the interrogator with the truth serum? At least this establishes that Syd was in fact given a truth serum by him in "Truth Be Told". How did she avoid spilling her guts then? Did she take an anti-serum before going in, like the one that Jack gave to Will in "Rendezvous"?
If Gracie is going to open a restaurant somewhere, sounds like she's moving out and Syd will be on her own. In fact, maybe Gracie is leaving the series altogether. Guess Syd's getting a new apartment next season!
Why did Sark's team only subdue the CIA agents and not kill them? Is The Man afraid of picking a fight with a legitimate government intelligence organization? I guess this means K-Directorate isn't an official wing of the Russian government after all.
Why wasn't Sloane a full partner all ready? He's the head of one of the twelve SD cells, isn't that important enough? There were only twelve votes to be had in "The Prophecy". Or are most of the votes done by financial backers, and only some of them also happen to head SD cells like Poole and Briault? And now that Sloane is one of the ruling twelve (technically eleven), does this satisfy his demand for "new leadership"? Last episode the Alliance did seem more willing to go to war with The Man now.
Sloane sure is in an ugly position. Either he keeps his wife alive working for SD-6, or he gets the power he needs to do what must be done and fight The Man. He chose the greater good over his own personal needs.
Emily has had cancer since 1999. If her 8 years in the State Dept were immediately before, then she started in 1991.
Why didn't Syd just tell Dixon the entire truth about SD-6 and turn him in to the CIA? He's a good man, surely he would agree to work as a double agent in SD-6. Maybe it's just because she didn't have the time, with only 48 hours to save Will. Hopefully once she gets back from Taipei she'll take the time with him. Hopefully Dixon won't reveal her in the meantime. I'm sure he won't, even given his mistrust from the Noah/Snowman situation. Syd's claim to him is basically that she's doing classified SD-6 work. But did he know that there was an SD-6 lab a few miles away of where she parked? Would he be able to write that off?
Okay so Jack and Devlin know about the Circumference CIA report. Haladki knows but he wasn't cleared for it. But Devlin seems alarmed that Jack knew it, so he obviously wasn't cleared for it. How did Jack find out then? Was he breaking CIA rules once again? And since Haladki was cleared for Omega 17 knowledge during the FBI's witch hunt for Syd, why wouldn't he be cleared to know about this now? Was his clearance revoked after Syd was cleared?
So the Mueller Device, and that ball of liquid within, is the culmination of The Man's work. We already know that Rambaldi could grant immortality to people. Haladki seemed to be offering immortality to Jack if he joined The Man. He said "look at you", i.e. look at your aging, your approaching death. "He could save you", from death. Suddenly Rambaldi's Prophecy makes more sense. "She will be the one to bring forth my works, bind them with fury, a burning anger, unless prevented, at vulgar cost this woman will render the greatest power unto utter desolation." What is the Greatest Power? Death. She will render death unto utter desolation by discovering the secret of immorality and offering it to her people. Boo yah!
Will Jack get in trouble for executing Haladki? Sure he was a mole for The Man, but the CIA could have learned much by questioning him. He let his anger get the best of him! At least know we know how Khasinau knew about Syd and Jack's secret identity.
Obviously Haladki was recruited by The Man with the promise of immorality. But this immorality only means the end of aging, not the prevention death. You can still be killed, you just won't age. Anit-agapic solution. This is undoubtedly how Poole was recruited as well. Given the offer of immortality, anyone is susceptible to corruption. How many people would refuse the chance to escape death? With this gift at her hands, The Man could tear the intelligence world apart. All would flock to her.
Presumably the purpose of the Mueller Device is to create the immortality serum. The magnetic fields or whatever create it from the base ingredients, and that red ball holds the liquid levitating in the field. The Device we saw in "Truth Be Told" was just a tiny test model of it. This suggests that FTL was always working for The Man, and that when she destroyed FTL, she was only destroying the unloyal elements and sending the rest into her arms. That's a hell of a lot of immortality serum!
If the Circumference liquid was indeed an immortality serum, then Vaughn as he drowned would swallow it and become immortal himself. We know the serum will not save you from gunshots; will it save you from drowning? Probably. Either that or The Man's guards rescued him. I sincerely doubt he's dead.
Did destroying the Circumference do any real good? Can't The Man just rebuild it again? And the liquid wasn't destroyed, just knocked loose. Of course, if the liquid wasn't finished yet, it might be useless (which doesn't bode well for Vaughn!). Perhaps they've been using it to regularly manufacture the serum. Perhaps that's not the only one they have.
However! The Man needed that Rambaldi page to know how the Circumference works. Syd struck the warehouse at the same time that Jack gave Sark the page. So this serum was being produced prior to that knowledge. Does that mean they had it built and ready but not working yet? In which case, they don't have any serum yet, and Vaughn's chances are slim.
Wow! So Laura Bristow was the boss all along! Khasinau was just a henchman! What a brilliant misdirection! All this time, the CIA and SD-6 thought they were so close to catching their enemy, but Khasinau was just a visible misdirection to lure them away from the truth! Brilliant! But in "Snowman" we saw Khasinau interviewing Laura on her undercover work in America, suggesting she is an underling. At what point she achieve dominance? When they learned that she is the Prophecized One? Did Khasinau willingly give up the leadership? Does he chafe at her power?
Looks like the entire situation with Will, luring him into SD-6 with The Source, was all set up to bring Syd to Laura. Of course, she could have captured her anytime she wanted, but they also wanted to expose her. Obviously Laura is going to ask Syd to join her, and offer her immorality. Was this part of the reason behind the Source plot? By publicly exposing Syd to SD-6, she would drive her into her own arms and to her side.

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