Alias Mythology Guide Season Two

MYTHOLOGY GUIDE

2X13 PHASE ONE

The Run Down:

A large collection of new transfers arrives at the CIA Ops Center in LA. Vaughn confesses his love to Syd and she reciprocates.
The CIA only knows where 7 of the 12 Alliance cells are; SD-4 in Paris France, SD-5 in Tripoli Libya, SD-6 in LA, and SD-7 in Bejing China. Others in Rio de Janeiro Brazil, London England, Berlin Germany, Khartoum Sudan, Addis Ababa Ethiopia, Moscow Russia. Second Map: Santiago Chile, Quito Equator, Abuja Nigeria (NW Africa), Bamako Mali (NW Africa), Tehran Iran. After a 5 day disappearance, The Alliance has replaced Sloane with Andrew Geiger as the Head of SD-6. Geiger is former German Intelligence. Sark tells Syd that Geiger unlocked Sloane's secret files on Server 47, which she didn't know existed. It's a central Alliance computer linking all the SD cells, naming the Alliance partners and the SD cell locations. Server 47 is on an airliner purchased in 1998 that only lands to refuel in England and Barcelona, Spain. Gils Nacor is the man in charge and is provided with women.
Over the Atlantic: Syd boards the plane as a call girl for Nacor and accesses Server 47 on the plane. She transmits the entire Alliance database to the CIA. A gunfight with Nacor depressurizes the plane but Syd escapes with a parachute.
Will quits working at Francie's restaurant to 'write for a travel magazine'. After 6 months, she's already showing a profit. Will and Francie makeout and begin a relationship. Syd is delighted.
Server 47 tells the CIA the weekly security code for every SD cell; if they match the SD-6 code to the Server one, the CIA will move. By raiding all 12 Cells and the Partner offices, the Alliance will be destroyed.
Geiger finds a suspicious e-mail of Sloane's, and gets McCullough to playback the keystrokes. A deleted section reveals that Syd and Jack are double agents! Jack tries to learn the SD-6 security code but is arrested by Geiger. Jack sends a coded warning to Syd that he's been compromised. Geiger personally tortures Jack by electrocution; they met at a dinner in Kanagawa 1987. Jack was with Nagayo. Jack's and Syd's files were filled with red flags. Syd gets Will to take Francie in hiding.
Syd tells Dixon that SD-6 is Alliance and not CIA, and that she's a double agent. Dixon doesn't believe her. She begs him to send him the security code or her father will be killed, so the Alliance can be destroyed. When Dixon accesses the server, he sees that it is part of the Alliance and sends the code to Syd. He calls his wife first. The code is a match.
The CIA, FSB, BAP, MI5, and the Shin Bet conduct simultaneous raids on all SD-6 Officers, Alliance Headquarters, and Partner residences. Most agents are desk trained and won't fight back. Syd, Vaughn, and Weiss lead the CIA team into Credit Dauphine. SD-3 is in the Congo. Syd kills a security agent and Geiger to save Jack from torture. Dixon feels betrayed by Syd. All Alliance facilities are captured. Losses: 2 at SD-4, 3 at SD-8, 3 at SD-2, 4 at SD-9. Syd and Vaughn makeout in Credit Dauphine to celebrate.
Sark calls Sloane: "Syd leaked the intel to the CIA, and the rest played out exactly as you predicted it would. So congratulations, sir. The Alliance is gone." Sloane: "we shouldn't celebrate yet. There is much work yet to be done." Sark: "I just wanted to let you know that Phase One is complete". Sloane: "Good. Move onto Phase Two. And Sark, check in on our new asset. Make sure we're on schedule". Sark confirms their new asset is in position; a Francie doppleganger who just murdered Francie!

Analysis:

Were the new transfers only there for exposition, or are they new moles into the CIA sent by Sloane and/or Irina?
Let's review our SD Cell knowledge: 104 "A Broken Heart", SD-3 sends a team to Greece. 109 "Mea Culpa", SD-4 is in Rome. 116 "The Prophecy", SD-9 is in London. Alliance Partner Briault is in Montreal. 119 "Snowman", SD-4 has surveillance in Cape Town, South Africa. 211 "A Higher Echelon", SD-4 sends a replacement for Marshall. 212 "The Getaway", SD-5 has a mission in Nice, France.
SD Cells: 1, 2, 3-Congo, 4-Paris, 5-Tripoli, 6-LA, 7-Beijing, 8, 9-London, 10, 11, 12. Beyond that, there seems to be contradictions with last season as to which cell is where, but perhaps it's just that those vague references were to their operations not their location.
Sloane has been missing 5 days, which suggests this is 5 days after "The Getaway". But Francie says her restaurant has been open for 6 months, and that only happened in "The Enemy Walks In", which occurred in September/October. That places this episode in late March 2003, two months after "The Getaway". Like "The Solution", there is a large gap in the timeline as the series attempts to catch up with its airdates, as one story ends and another begins. This better explains why Sloane is replaced for an absence, since last episode Jack said Sloane was taking a week off and putting him in charge; a 5 day absence wouldn't be abnormal back. So apparently Sloane has been hanging out with Emily in the Phillipines for two months!
Sark told Syd about Server 47 so that the CIA could destroy the Alliance, following Sloane's orders. So it's official: Sloane knows that Syd and Jack are double agents. This is probably what was in the letter Sark showed to Sloane in "The Counteragent". Sark knew about Sloane's conversation-recording implant ("The Getaway") so he didn't want to say it outloud. It's also possible that Sloane has known since he caught Syd messing with his safe in "Page 47" last year. Geiger never told Sark about finding Server 47.
The more important question is, why did Sloane destroy The Alliance? What is his Master Plan now? Apparently he wants to be the only organization around hunting for Rambaldi artifacts, as part of his alliance with Sark. Will Sloane now assume control of the Sark/Derevko Organization? Cuvee is still controlling large portions of it.
The even more important question is, is this part of Irina's Master Plan? She sent Sark to form an alliance with Sloane, and it tracks that she would manipulate Sloane into destroying The Alliance. To further eliminate her competition ("The Box", "The Coup"). But does Sloane know that Irina is pulling Sark's strings?
Now that the Alliance is destroyed, why doesn't the CIA just execute Irina? What good is she now? The Rambaldi hunt?
The Alliance is a massive conspiracy with a huge international infrastructure. Is it really so easy to just destroy it like this? It must employ thousands of people throughout the world! Did they capture Christophe and Ramon, the leaders of The Alliance? We never really learned the story on those two, will we ever see them again? What about the Rambaldi artifacts that The Alliance has captured? Have they all fallen into the CIA's hands?
Maybe that's why Irina engineered this. This puts all the eggs in one basket, at the CIA. Easier to steal that way.
Since Sloane knew that Jack was a double agent, this explains why he made for such a perfect distraction for Arianna Kane. Sloane used Jack to draw suspicion away from himself, and then lure Kane herself out. Brilliant!
Why didn't Sloane immediately arrest Syd and Jack? Obviously he's never been completely faithful to The Alliance and has different goals and morals than them. He hoped to keep using them.
Obviously Sloane knew that Geiger would have found that deleted paragraph revealing Syd and Jack. He wanted them to get discovered at the same time the CIA went after Server 47, so that Syd and/or Jack's capture would be an incentive for the CIA to move now and destroy the Alliance before the security codes were changed.
Jack encountered Geiger before in 1987. Jack officially quit the CIA in January 1982 (ABC Site), and The Alliance wasn't officially born until 1991, so apparently even before it came into existence, there were aspects of what would become the Alliance in operation.
Syd told Will to take Francie into hiding, yet we find her dead and alone at the restaurant. What the hell happened, Will?!
What will happen to all the duped agents of The Alliance? The vast majority of them, in SD-6 anyway, thought they were working for the good guys. Like they planned to do with Marshall ("The Abduction"), after a loyalty screening many of them will probably come to work for the real CIA. So that our status quo with Syd, Jack, Dixon, and Marshall will be re-established at the CIA.
Presumably Dixon feels Syd betrayed him by never telling him the truth, and not by betraying SD-6. And why didn't she?
Who do the FSB and BAP work for? MI5 is British. Shin Bet is the Israeli counter-intelligence service.
Phase One was get the CIA to destroy The Alliance. What's Phase Two? Sloane hunting for Rambaldi artifacts?
Why did Sloane murder and replace Francie? Most likely to have a spy close to Syd. But why is Syd so important, with The Alliance destroyed? This suggests that Sloane knows that Irina is alive and inside the CIA, possibly even working with her. Because Irina would want someone close to watch Syd. Because Syd isn't the Prophecized One (that's Irina), but she maybe something else...

2X14 DOUBLE AGENT The Run Down:

Berlin: CIA Agent Emma Wallace realizes that Jim Lennox is a duplicate. She attempts to tell the CIA but is discovered. Lennox2 calls Sloane to say he's been compromised; "use her to send a message, make it public". Wallace is dumped in public covered with explosives and forced to sing "Pop Goes the Weasel" before Lennox2 detonates her. Syd knew Wallace.
The CIA is combing over Credit Dauphine. Dixon and Marshall are still in debrief. Sloane is now on Interpol's Most Wanted list. Vaughn just broke up with Alice after his makeout session with Syd; they'd really been over a long time. Christine Phillips, the new Clandestine Services CIA agent, joins the Ops Center for the next few months. Weiss hits on her but she has a boyfriend.
Wallace was undercover for 2 months to gain the trust of Dr. Renzo Markovic, a former R&D scientist developing a new technology called Project Helix. Lennox was her partner and fiancee who was captured in Cayo Concha of the Dominican Republic.
Vaughn finally gets to visit Syd's apartment. Syd introduces Michael "from the Bank" to Evil Francie. Syd is offput by her behavior.
Cayo Concha: Syd and Vaughn use Jezek, the chief of security, to access Markovic's lab. Markovic disappeared 4 weeks ago. Vaughn downloads the Helix files while Syd rescues Lennox from torture by acid eye needles. Lennox risks blindness to save Syd.
Lennox passes psych evaluation; he wasn't brainwashed. Lennox tells them Markovic is working for someone; he was caught trying to break into the lab while Emma was in Berlin. Emma didn't report anything amiss the day of Lennox's capture. Lennox gets drunk out of grief and tries to kiss Syd; she lost Danny "last year". Video surveillance of the bombing shows Lennox pushing the detonator.
Project Helix is next-generation molecular gene therapy that can change the genetic code to reshape the face and body to reassemble another. Terrorists could now change identities at will. The recipient must be under a coma for several days, and only people with a certain genetic disposition can do it. The only difference is an ocular flaw. Lennox was the first to be doubled with Markovic.
Poland: Markovic moved Project Helix to a trainyard. Syd and Lennox break-in and learn one other person was doubled. Lennox2 arrives claiming to be the real one but Lennox kills him as the Helix prototype is destroyed. Lennox has been in the CIA 8 years.
Syd and Vaughn have sex at her apartment, watched by Evil Francie on a hidden camera.

Analysis:

Emma realized that Lennox2 wasn't Lennox when she mentioned going to Fiji, which they never did.
Why did Sloane have Wallace killed in such a public fashion? Was there any significance to the song she was forced to sing? Was it a coded reference to something, possibly Rambaldi related? Or was it just Sloane showing that he really doesn't like the CIA? The more likely explanation is that he did it so that Lennox2 would be revealed to the CIA, in order for them to destroy the Helix technology. This way they won't be able to pin Evil Francie on Sloane. Apparently the technology was created just for Evil Francie!
Syd has only been with the real CIA for a year and a half, so when did she get to meet Emma?
Now that Sloane is a wanted man he can never appear in public again. This also means he won't be interacting with Syd, Jack, Dixon, or Marshall anymore, which is a real shame. Will he always just be a guy on the phone somewhere? What good is all the influence and power in the world if he can't show his face in public? Why didn't Sloane use the Helix technology on himself? The obvious answer is because we would need a different actor then, but what's the in-show reason? Maybe he didn't have that genetic disposition.
Alice's father just died four months ago, and Vaughn drops her like a dead weight for a girl he just committed adultery with! How sweet!
So why is Christine Phillips in the show? Probably a mole for Sloane and/or Irina. Maybe she's the one who breaks out Irina, hmm?
Given Evil Francie's crappy behavior getting weird looks from Syd after one minute, how long can she keep the act up? Not long!
Syd says she lost Danny "last year". This is March 2003. Danny died on June 8, 2001! Almost TWO years ago!
Well if they didn't know already, Sloane and Sark know that Syd is banging her fellow CIA Agent Vaughn.

2X15 A FREE AGENT The Run Down:

Syd is graduating from grad school and intends to quit the CIA now that the Alliance is gone. Kendall refuses, saying they need her, and that she would be forbidden from seeing Irina, who is an illegally detained terrorist. Jack says she's too valuable to the CIA but its her decision. Syd says goodbye to Irina, who refuses to see her again if she stays in the CIA because of her. Syd hasn't seen Irina since it happened, and Irina already knew she graduated. It's been two weeks since the Alliance was destroyed and two years since Syd learned the truth about SD-6. Sloane is wanted in 40 countries. Syd has yet to see Marshall and Dixon, they're still in debrief.
Sark kidnaps workaholic mathematician Neil Caplan, his wife, and son. The CIA knows Sloane and Sark are responsible. Caplan is an expert in knot theory; the study of geometric objects and how they fit together. All Alliance facilities were raided but not a single Rambaldi artifact was recovered; Sloane must have moved them all and is now using Caplan to assemble them. The Artifact will most likely be a weapon based on Rambaldi's predictions. Syd agrees to remain in the CIA.
Sloane calls Syd at home for "our first honest conversation" to congratulate her on graduation. He says he's coping with the pain of learning Jack and Syd were double agents, the two people he trusted the most in the world. "My only hope is that you can learn to forgive me, as hurt as I am, I know I can forgive you too." Sloane reveals he provided her the intel to destroy the Alliance, that's why he disappeared "these last two weeks". "My involvement with the Alliance is merely a means to an end". He warns her not to come after him; he wishes her well but he'll kill her if she threatens his plans.
Switzerland: Sloane threatens Caplan into cooperation through his wife and son. Years ago in the Army Corps of Engineers, Sloane studied a 500 year old Rambaldi manuscript, and for the past 30 years he's been collecting Rambaldi artifacts. Sloane thinks it will unlock the secrets of the universe. Caplan is being kept in a warehouse full of the artifacts. "Each artifact is generating its own unique magnetic field. These fields determine where in the overall design the pieces go. The problem is there's no room for error in the calculations". He needs the super-sensitive magnetometer he just developed, which is kept in a bank vault in Switzerland. Sloane lies to Emily about buying a house in Italy he bought 6 months ago. Sloane will lead the team into the bank; "I'm approaching the finish line of 30 year oddessy, I won't let anyone else take the final steps for me". Sloane's face is altered to fool the security cameras.
Syd meets Dixon; he's been found innocent and has been offered a job at the CIA. Dixon never wants to see her again for lying to him for 2 years, despite the fact that she was ordered not to tell him. Dixon comes home to Diane and tells her the truth; if he joins the CIA she'll leave him. Marshall is already happily working for the CIA. Vaughn meets Marshall. Marshall brags to the CIA techs how he found the tap on the SD-6 network last year.
Marshall examines Sloane's deleted hard drive and finds the last file was on the "Getaway" cybernetist. Jack finds the tech dead but with a glowing red eye. He installed a camera in his bad eye, which records his murder by Sloane, as well as Sloane making a phone call about transporting the Rambaldi artifacts to a Mojave airstrip. Jack realizes Sloane hired the tech to deactivate his Alliance tracking device. Syd and Vaughn learn Sloane shipped the artifacts to Switzerland at the Mojave black market airstrip.
Switzerland: Syd and Vaughn hit up a merc boss and rescue Caplan's wife and son from Sloane's custody. Syd kills a guard. The guard's cellphone leads them to Sloane in the bank. Sloane in disguise enters the vault and steals the magnetometer. Syd and Vaughn arrive and hold Sloane at gunpoint but he has the vault laced with enough C4 to level the entire city block. Sloane knows Vaughn is the man Syd was killing to kill him for ("The Counteragent"). Sloane orders Syd to drive him out.

Analysis:

Chronology fun: Sloane says he's been MIA for 2 weeks as of now. It's been 2 weeks since the Alliance was destroyed. In "Phase One" we heard that Sloane had been MIA for 5 days. So it's more like 3 weeks since Sloane first went missing, he must have estimating. They say it's been 2 years since Syd learned the truth about SD-6, but that didn't happen until September 2001, which is only 1.5 years ago. Keep in mind that while Danny was killed in June 2001, she wasn't told about the Alliance until September.
Well, it only took 1.68 seasons for Vaughn to finally meet Marshall and Sloane!
Did Irina really want Syd to quit the CIA? Doubtless. She obviously knew that Sloane would resurface within days. It was just another attempt at emotional manipulation. On the other hand, maybe Irina really does want Syd out of the game; she is a weakness for her.
So: Sloane had the tech disable his Alliance implant so that they couldn't track his location. It wasn't about masking his conversations, it was about going into hiding while the CIA destroys the Alliance. He did this in order to get his hands on all Rambaldi artifacts in the Alliance's possession. While he acquired most of them, he didn't have them all. Presumably between Sloane stealing all Alliance Rambaldi artifacts and all the ones already in Sark's possession, between the two of them they now possess most or all of the artifacts in the world. And now he will assemble them into one thing to unlock the secrets of the universe.
In "Page 47", one year ago, we learned that the Rambaldi Journal was an instruction manual for the One Hundred Segments. We never learned what that was. Perhaps the Rambaldi Artifact, the ultimate one, is the combination of 100 small artifacts. Presumably the Rambaldi book that Sloane showed to Caplan was the Journal of "Time Will Tell" and "Page 47", which was under Alliance possession the last time we saw it. This would track with the talk of assembling objects with magnetic fields together.
The CIA is assuming that what Sloane wants is a weapon, since most of Rambaldi's prophecies had military uses. But so far we've seen immortality and zero-point energy, both of which can be very peaceful things! Why so cynical? They probably just assume if Sloane wants it then it must be evil. But I think Sloane legitimately wants something good for humanity, and he's just determined to go through any unethical means to achieve it. He probably wants a utopia of free energy and everlasting life!
Why is Sloane interested in Syd's forgiveness? This again points to the fact that he is not an evil man and he wishes to accomplish something good for humanity. In his eyes, this will absolve him of all his past sins of course. And why doesn't Sloane wish revenge on Jack and Syd? Are they really that important to him, as the only family he really had aside from Emily?
Now it sounds like Sloane's goal all his life was to unlock the secrets of Rambaldi, and that his entire career in the Alliance was based on that end. This explains his Rambaldi obsession we briefly saw in "Page 47" and "Dead Drop". It also explains why Sloane has captured more Rambaldi artifacts than the rest of the Alliance combined ("Rendezvous"); he was the only one really obsessed over it!
Was Sloane really in the Army Corps of Engineers 30 years ago? Presumably that is the event that led to his "30 year oddessy". That would place it around 1972, around the time that Irina seduced Jack, 30 years being an approximation of course. But in "Spirit" we know that Sloane was making a Far East briefing at the White House, and that same year he was recruited by Briault in Chile ("The Prophecy"). This sounds like the actions of a CIA agent, not an Army engineer. Does this mean his story to Caplan was a lie? Even if he was lying, he later says to Sark about the 30 year oddessy so that's not a lie anyway.
Prophecizing technology and building vast underground caverns in the icefields of Siberia ("Cipher") is one thing, but how the hell did Rambaldi manage to create incredibly sensitive marked magnetic fields 500 years ago? It's beginning to sound more and more like he's a time traveler from the future...
After telling Emily the truth about his work in "Almost 30 Years" and then chopping off her finger as part of his master plan to save themselves from the Alliance, why in the world would he continue to lie to her now about his Rambaldi quest? Why doesn't he include her in his planning, since she'll live in hiding for the rest of her life anyway?
The CIA tap into the SD-6 computer ran from "Doppleganger" to "Spirit".
Gotta love Sloane copying the Alliance protocol of lacing their headquarters with C4, to detonate them if they're compromised!
Well we finally get confirmation of what Sark's letter to Sloane in "The Counteragent" was. Sloane knew that Syd worked with Sark to allegedly kill him in order to save Vaughn's life.

2X16 FIREBOMB Plot Points:

Switzerland: Sark holds the trigger on satellite. Syd drives Sloane away. Sloane is angry she came after him; "If you knew what I have in here, if you knew what my plans are... if things were different..." Vaughn shields the detonator from the signal; Sark rescues Sloane from Syd's car before the CIA can arrive. The CIA has a hit list of 35 people their agents are allowed to kill; Sloane is one of them.
Syd blames Kendall for letting Sloane go because he didn't task a satellite to follow him. She thinks they aren't doing enough to catch him. The bank refuses to divulge what Sloane stole. Caplan is a day away from completing the Rambaldi Device; Sloane doesn't want him anywhere near it when it's operational. Sark runs the test fire of "a suitcase neutron bomb designed in the 16th century".
Vaughn's cell picks up a burst transmission from a bug in Syd's apartment. Syd's apartment is cleaned of vid and audio bugs; Marshall developed the tech for Sloane to be undetectable by sweepers. Will doesn't talk to Syd about "Francie"; she says they haven't had sex yet. Evil Francie wishes Syd would talk to her more. Evil Francie tells Sark they found the bugs; she kills a plumber to clear herself.
Kandahar: Sloane contacts Pashtun warlord Ahmad Kabir through their friend Mister Dreyfus about joining "an enterprise that will influence an existing world order that I believe to be corrupt". Kabir controls the opium trade along the Silk Road. Sloane gives him a priceless artifact as a gift and admires his 16th century Arhat (destroyer of the enemy) statue. Sloane asks Kabir to name a target.
The CIA learns Sloane is meeting with Kabir in the Helmad Valley. Kabir is in hiding after the war. Last year Dixon located Kabir and stole a shipment of Soviet missiles for Sloane. Dixon refuses to help; he and Diane are trying to move on. Will gives a briefing on Kabir for the CIA since he wrote a research article on him. Will suggests finding Kabir through Alia Gizabi, his ex-wife in Mexico City.
Mexico City: Sloane sends Sark to kill Gizabi with the Rambaldi neutron bomb. It's a small clock-like object that requires 20 million watts, 20% of its capacity, to hit the Vatican Embassy. Sark is concerned that if Caplan is off by a micro-tesla it could go horribly wrong. Syd contacts Gizabi as Weiss gets an Echelon intercept about a Rambaldi Weapon of Mass Destruction in Mexico City. Syd and Vaughn flee the scene with Gizabi. When the device detonates, everyone inside the church is incinerated without any other damage. An intense inferno temporarily appears on satellite. Gizabi agrees to help them when she sees the charred corpses.
Marshall explains it's a high energy pulse weapon that increased the organic temperature by 2,000 degrees. Like a microwave it only excites water and fat molecules into extreme heat; it only attacks organics and can't be blocked. It can also disable computer circuitry; aim it at the sky and all the planes go down.
Kandahar: Sloane gives the device to Kabir; he gets the Arhat statue and Kabir's allegiance. Syd breaks into Kabir's complex but it's been changed since Gizabi was last there; she gets captured. Kendall refuses to send a rescue team since Kabir has the neutron bomb. Kabir interrogates Syd; Sloane tells Syd that he can't protect her here and leaves. Vaughn eventually enlists Dixon's help; together they escape with Syd and the device. Vaughn kills Kabir; Syd kills a guard.
Dixon is now working with the CIA. He doesn't blame Syd for keeping quiet anymore. Diane left him. Sark questions why Sloane left the device in Kabir's hands after talking of "power and control". Sloane breaks open the Arhat statue; it's the missing section of the top page of the Rambaldi Manuscript.

Analysis:

Why would Sloane trust Sark to literally hold his life in his hands with the remote detonation trigger? With one push Sark could have killed Sloane, Syd, and Vaughn right there. Obviously because Sark needed the magnetometer too.
Sloane is convinced that if Syd knew the whole story about what he has planned, she wouldn't be against him. This again shows us that Sloane hopes to use the Rambaldi technology to improve the world, not destroy or rule it. Probably through immortality ("Passage Two") and/or Zero Point Energy ("Cipher"). So why doesn't he just explain what he's doing?
What could possibly be more important than following Sloane with a satellite? What is Kendall's game here? Does he realize that Sloane isn't as bad as Syd and Jack would make him out to be? Is there more significance to his detaining Syd in "Q&A" when he suspected her of being the Prophecized One?
Why the hell don't we actually see Caplan? What happened to him? Did Sloane let him go? Keep him prisoner? Kill him? What?
Obviously Sloane didn't want Caplan anywhere near the device because he could use it to kill them all in revenge.
Maybe Evil Francie is still with Will because he's another target for her to infiltrate, especially since he's becoming more of a contributor to the CIA now. But why isn't Will talking to Syd about it?
Whatever happened to Vaughn and Will investigating KGB-Christmas? We haven't heard about it since "Passage One"! Devlin ordered them to stop and handed it to the FBI, but Will was going to keep on it anyway.
Who is Mister Dreyfus? Could it be Leonard Dreyfus, the Alliance bankroller from "So It Begins"? Surely he was captured along with the rest of the Alliance in "Phase One". He ran a division in Geneva after all!
Does Sloane really think the existing global order is corrupt? This would fit in with his disgust at the corruption of the CIA which led to him joining the Alliance. But what Sloane did in the Alliance was worse than anything the CIA has done! Perhaps he's justified the whole thing with his Rambaldi technology quest. It's going to be the one thing that redeems everything he's ever done. He probably refers to American political, cultural, and economic domination over the rest of the world, how the corporations run everything for their own profit. He could solve this with Zero Point Energy; everyone would be bountiful and independent then!
So the only reason Sloane made an alliance with Kabir was to get the Rambaldi page in the Arhat statue. He was even willing to hand over the neutron bomb to an Afghan warlord! Why not just send in a team to steal the statue? Was his security that good? Dixon and Vaughn seemed to have an easy enough time getting in and out. Perhaps he needed Kabir's money after all.
Syd's got all her (still living) friends working with her in the CIA now! Vaughn, Weiss, Dixon, Marshall, Will...
The neutron bomb was allegedly targeted at the administrative wing of the church, yet everyone inside the church was incinerated. This suggests, along with the satellite image, that the bomb can't be aimed, but the circular field of effect can be controlled by power output. Therefore, the entire city block was irradiated. If the bomb was running at full capacity, it could have irradiated five times that area; approximately 9 blocks by 9 blocks. 81 city blocks in total. That's pretty big, but the bomb is slightly limited in that it has to be physically delivered to its target and requires up to 200,000 million watts, a fair bit of electricity. Perhaps that's why Sloane was willing to part with it; he knew that Kabir couldn't use it very effectively. Furthermore, using the device to defend your headquarters would be suicide for everyone inside the area as well as the invaders.
It's likely that Sloane intentionally let slip a message about the device so that Echelon would pick it up, so that Syd could safely rescue Gizabi, so that Syd would find Kabir and steal the device before he could use it himself. Sloane left Syd to Kabir's mercy, but probably knew that the CIA would be coming to rescue her soon anyway. That, or he just didn't care.
So after 36 episodes Vaughn and Dixon finally meet! They even get to go on a mission together, naturally we don't get to see it though... Just how the hell did the two of them sneak in undetected and get their hands on the device and Syd without being discovered? Perhaps it was the combination of Dixon's knowledge of the base layout and the thermal camouflage.

2X17 A DARK TURN The Run Down:

Sark murders Karpachev, a Russian Mafia arms dealer that worked for Derevko. Sloane dealt with him at SD-6. Kendall has Jack question Irina on him. Irina asks why Jack hasn't tried to convince Syd to quit the CIA; he tells her its to catch Sloane. In 1993 Karpachev bought a Rambaldi manuscript but sold it to Ilya Stuka, another Derevko operative in Bangkok. It's "Rambaldi's study of the human heart... immortality was one of Rambaldi's obsessions". Irina claims she can catch Sloane for them if she can meet Stuka and get the manuscript. Jack agrees but Kendall is concerned in spite of her cooperation in Kashmir ("Passage Two"). Jack swears he'll know if she ever lies to him again. Marshall injects a tracking device into Irina.
Vaughn refuses to talk to Syd about Derevko; he refuses to forgive her. Syd hasn't skated since she was 5 when her mom took her.
Syd is questioned by Mitchell Yeager of Counter-Intelligence on Vaughn. If she tells anyone about this its a felony. He's been in contact with foreign operatives over the past 3 months and is trying to meet with Pograski, an ex KGB assassin. Last month Syd and Vaughn were in France. Since October, 6 months ago, Vaughn has bought 4 cell phones. Vaughn has stolen the Xenon decryption program; Yeager asks Syd to copy his hard drive for them but she refuses. Yeager once met Irina at a CIA diner.
Bangkok: Irina meets Stuka for the Rambaldi manuscript; he says "I heard you were dead, we all did". He says he sold it to Chang in Hong Kong; she murders Stuka and is saved by Jack from a gunman. She claims she didn't see him. She first met Sloane at a diner when he and Sloane were still in the CIA; "we shared a similar unsentimental patriotism... but Sloane changed, and it was Rambaldi that did it... he never told me, but Sloane has a personal connection to Rambaldi". Irina says "I lived for years with the same obsession, to find a higher meaning in Rambaldi's work". Jack never got obsessed with it because of Syd. She thanks him for raising her.
Will tells Vaughn he's dreaming about telling his secrets to Francie; Vaughn dismisses it as anxiety. Will is analyzing KH-11 sat images from the Panama Canal for drug trafficking. Evil Francie has been hypnotizing Will in his sleep for information on his work at the CIA, and gets the codes for the KH-11 satellite.
Jack and Irina steal the Rambaldi manuscript from Hong Kong. Sark contacts Irina through an email account for a meeting. Jack calls for the meet to be in Panama. Irina says goodbye to Syd in case she doesn't come back and says she loves her.
Vaughn is upset that he and Syd weren't consulted on letting Irina out. Syd checks his computer and asks if he's keeping secrets. Vaughn gets angry when people question his loyalty. He meets with Barnett. Syd refuses to aid Yeager and confesses she loves Vaughn. Weiss tells Syd he's about to be arrested and helps her track down Vaughn as he meets with Pograski for information. Vaughn has been secretly researching Derevko ever since her surrender 6 months ago. He's been meeting with FSB and former KGB in Istanbul, Prague, and Krakow for 4 months. He's investigated her operatives and her public appearances in Kashmir ("Passage Two") and use of the Echelon system ("A Higher Echelon"), and stole Xenon to read KGB files. Like Jack he's convinced she has an agenda, but his investigation has turned up nothing.
Panama: Irina convinces Jack to remove the tracer since it would expose her loyalties to Sloane. Jack and Irina have sex. Jack lays in wait with a commando team while Irina meets with Sark. KH-11 provides sat surveillance; Irina looks up before getting in the car with Sark. The satellite signal is hacked by Sloane. Jack tells Kendall he removed the tracer. Jack and the commandos pursue the car but they escape. Kendall finds Irina swapped out the Rambaldi manuscript. Sark takes Irina to meet Sloane; she gives him the manuscript. Sloane says "it's good to see you again, Irina". She says "thank you for extracting me".

Analysis:

Chronology fun, confirming my guesses: It was October when Irina surrendered herself to the FBI, and this is 6 months later, in April 2003. Remember this season is airing all of their episodes at once for some reason, so the series chronology is ahead of ours slightly. One oddity, Yeager mentions Syd and Vaughn being in France last month, which would be in March. But the last time we saw them in France on-screen was 5 episodes ago in "The Getaway", which took place in January not March. So this must have been a visit to France that we just never heard about, taking place between "Phase One" and "Firebomb".
The entire episode it's clear that Irina knows she's about to be busted out of custody; she says her goodbyes with Jack and Syd. She tells Syd she loves her and she has one final screw with Jack. In fact it's surprising nobody grows suspicious of all this, most especially Jack when she starts praising him and putting the moves on him. She fooled him and he just said he could see through her!
What does the human heart have to do with immortality? Perhaps the immortality that Rambaldi discovered was not any sense of true invincibility, just a way for cells to regenerate without degradation over time, and the secret to this lies in the heart. The self-sustaining cell regeneration discovered in "Passage Two".
Irina knew ahead of time that she would be allowed free to meet with Sloane for the manuscript, which confirms that she has some means of communicating with Sark. The earrings she got returned to her perhaps, in spite of the security checks? The real question is whether or not she's been working with Sloane the entire time. It's possible that Sark told Sloane he was still working with Irina when they formed their alliance in "The Counteragent". When they finally meet in person he certainly speaks like they've met recently.
Apparently Vaughn managed to go around meeting foreign contacts for a month before the CIA caught on.
Like Cuvee in "Passage Two", Stuka was told that Irina was dead. Apparently practically her entire organization was told that she was killed with the exception of Sark of course. What makes Sark the only one to be trusted?
Why did Irina murder Stuka? He wasn't threatening her at the time, clearly he knew something she didn't want the CIA to know.
We learned in "A Free Agent" that Sloane has been hunting Rambaldi for some 30 years, now we learn even Jack knew of it. It's particularly interesting that Jack thinks it was this obsession that turned Sloane into the corrupt monster he is today. Perhaps it was the thought of immortality that drove him to extremes, just as it corrupted so many when Irina used that lure ("Almost 30 Years"). But is there some greater significance to Sloane having a personal connection to Rambaldi beyond investigating the first manuscript while in the Army Corps of Engineers. Could it be a desire to cure Emily of her cancer? Don't tell me Sloane is a relative of Rambaldi...
So why did Vaughn have to steal a decryption program to read KGB files? Obviously none of these files are recent, so how important could they be to what Irina is doing now? And why take the risk just to avoid being known?
Should we suspect Yeager's loyalties given that he knew Irina briefly back in the day? Is this part of the Irina Master Plan? Clearly the fact that Vaughn turned up nothing proves that she's been playing it straight since her capture to gain everyone's trust. The revelation to Syd that Vaughn investigated her will validate her even more. Of course this assumes that Irina will eventually be returning to the CIA after her time with Sloane, claiming herself to be an unwilling hostage. Otherwise why would she care?
Irina confesses she is similarly obsessed with Rambaldi, looking for a higher meaning. This proves that Sloane AND Irina do indeed have a higher purpose in their quest for Rambaldi.
Wow, Evil Francie is hypnotizing Will for CIA information! Cool! But how often is he going to develop anything useful? Or is it more about what Syd will tell him than his actual work?
Was it really a coincidence that Will was assigned to work on the same satellite that would later be used to cover the meet between Irina and Sloane? After all it was Jack who picked the location! So Sloane and Irina had no choice over it presumably...
Whatever happened to Barnett, anyway? She was in every episode for the first half of the season then she just disappeared!
Was Irina really on perfect behavior during Kashmir and her Echelon use, or just too clever to get caught by Vaughn? I think she acted on her best behavior just to be sure. But she must have some alternate way to contact Sark...
Was Jack really so stupid to remove the tracer and have sex with her before sending her into Sloane's arms? If he allowed himself to be seduced by her a second time, he's really going to want to kill himself...
I'm sorry but how horrifically lax was CIA security that Irina managed to smuggle out an entire book without them noticing?
Irina looked up at the satellite just before getting in the car with Sark! She knew the entire plan! Ha!
When Sloane greets Irina, is he referring to the last time they saw each other in the 1970s, or have they met in secret in the past year? While Sark is assuredly manipulating Sloane on the part of Irina, does Sloane he's been working with Irina all that time? Probably not. He definitely didn't know before "The Counteragent" when Sark formed his alliance with Sloane, and since then Irina has only been out in public for the Kashmir operation, so it's doubtful they met.

2X18 TRUTH TAKES TIME The Run Down:

5 days before the Tuscany confrontation, the day after Irina's extraction: Jack tells Syd of Irina's betrayal. Syd takes Irina's earrings ("Dead Drop"). Langely puts Jack in charge of the Task Force over Kendall because of Irina's escape. Kendall thinks Jack set him up by fighting for letting Irina free, but Jack will step aside once Irina is caught. Jack secretly injected Irina with a second passive tracker into her bloodstream that is invisible until it transmits. Jack doesn't answer how he managed to inject her without her noticing. In 12 hours it will activate and betray her position. Yeager debriefs Vaughn. His security cleared is downgraded until Counter-Intelligence clears him, but Jack keeps him field-rated. Vaughn says she shouldn't be involved in the hunt, she could hesitate to kill her mother.
Irina tells Sloane she still has loyal operatives in St. Petersburg, Madrid, and Moscow. They're happy to see each other again but when Sloane mentions his parental feelings for Syd she orders Sark out and chews him out, saying he doesn't fool her.
Stuttgart, Zurich: Irina and Sark break into Bruker Biotech mapping the human genome for a genetic database. It took 15 years of analysis to create a high resolution DNA map. Irina's passive transmitter leads Syd and Vaughn there. Sark IDs them and warns Irina; they find the bug in her chest. Sark kills the bug with a defibrillator. Sark beats Vaughn in a fight and shoots him but Syd saves him. Irina and Sark escape with the database, and Irina lures Syd out of the building before their bomb goes off.
Tuscany: Sloane shows Emily their new house. She says these past few months have been hard. Irina tells Sloane she was tracked and Sloane makes Emily go into hiding with him against her protests. Emily demands answers; Sloane re-introduces her to Irina. Sloane tells her he's known she's been alive for a couple months. He had to wait before telling her. "What I'm pursuing is truth, what I'm looking for, among other things, will let you live cancer-free. Forever."
Will reports that Bruker officially sponsored genetic research of the human chromosome, but unofficially they've been cataloging the DNA of millions of private citizens. Will meets Marshall. Marshall says with that with that information Sloane could create a virus to kill a single person and just dump it in the water supply. Jack will put genetic keywords on the NSA Echelon watchlist. Jack thinks that Irina saved Syd's life at Stuttgart but Syd doesn't think so.
Syd is suspicious when Evil Francie can't remember about a high school boyfriend. Evil Francie gives Vaughn a gift; a tie.
Florence: Last night Emily checked herself into the US Councillate, demanding to speak with Syd about Sloane. Syd meets Emily, who mentions Irina. She explains she faked her death to escape the Alliance. When she learned she had cancer, Sloane was the only hope she had; she had to trust him after she learned the truth and he asked for forgiveness. They've been together 30 years. She won't be the excuse for his crimes, his rationalization. She agrees to help capture Sloane but only if he is kept alive. The Justice Dept agrees.
Irina is about to get 6 hours on a Cray supercomputer to decrypt the genetic database. Sloane asks Irina to buy him out, all his assets and Rambaldi artifacts. He wants out for Emily. He'll bring the database to her in Tuscany.
Tuscany: Syd, Vaughn, and Dixon lead a CIA team to the Sloane house. Sloane and Irina arrive for the database. Sloane tells Emily that he's quitting if she's not with him, and he'll never leave her again. Emily breaks down and shows him the wire, and agrees to flee with him. The CIA team moves in. Sloane, Irina, and Emily go through a secret tunnel. Syd and Irina have a shootout in the tunnel; Syd hesitates and only shoots Irina in the shoulder. The database is left behind. Sark arrives in a copter and rescues Irina and Sloane. Dixon fires a sniper rifle at Sloane but misses and kills Emily instead.
Syd and Vaughn are in bed when Irina's earrings begin beeping morse code. The encrypted message says "truth takes time".

Analysis:

Onscreen text says that the episode takes place over 5 days, but I don't see how. Day One: aftermath of Irina's extraction. Stuttgart. Day Two: Sloane tells Emily the truth and she defects. Day Three: Syd meets Emily. Emily killed at Tuscany.
So we have a Joint Intelligence Task Force, initially concerned with Irina, now Irina and Sloane, initially lead by an FBI Assistant Director, now lead by a CIA officer. Weird. Nice to see Kendall get his though, and this gives Jack a new function in the show.
How brilliant is Jack? Last episode we were left positive that Irina completely manipulated him, but it was the other way around! He knew she was about to be extracted, so he slept with her to provide the distraction to give her a second passive tracker! Brilliant! The real question here is how did Jack manage to inject her with something without her noticing? Did he do it at the same time as cutting out the first one, to explain away the pain. They imply that it was during sex, but wouldn't she notice him injecting her with a syringe even mid coitus? Or are they implying that he, ah, injected her with the serum with his own syringe, if you get my drift... Or maybe a condom laced with the tracker?
Okay so we've seen this 'invisible to detection until transmitting' technology developed by Marshall now used by Sloane and Evil Francie, and then Jack used it on his own on Irina. Obviously this is ALSO what was in Irina's earrings since they were invisible to detection. But surely the earrings were disassembled and checked and everything!
From the way they interact, this seems to be the first that Sloane and Irina have seen of each other since her "death".
What did Sloane and Irina want with the genetic database? Was it for an individual-killer virus like Marshall said? But that doesn't have anything to do with Rambaldi. More likely it's connected to Rambaldi's study of the human heart and immortality.
Why was the tracker located in her chest? Presumably since its in her bloodstream, it just has the largest collection in the heart. And using a defibrillator on her would deliver such an electronic shock that it kills/disables the tracer.
Clearly Irina saved Syd's life in Stuttgart. Combine this with her refusal to hear Sloane's affection for Syd and that final message, it looks like Irina really does care about Syd after all. In fact that might even be the reason she turned herself into the CIA; to get a chance to connect with her lost daughter. But the conspiracy theorist in me is confident that is some more nefarious reason for her "defection" and for her concern for Syd. Perhaps Syd has some prophetic role to play in Rambaldi in addition to Irina.
Speaking of which, how come nobody is mentioning the Prophecy now that Irina is out in the open again?
Emily says these past few months have been hard. This is taking place in April, and "The Getaway" happened in January. That's three months. Of course she could be referring to her "death" all the way back in September.
Sloane tells Emily he's known Irina has been alive for a couple months. That puts it in February, in the middle of the time gap between "The Getaway" and "Phase One". But Sloane knew that Irina was alive and working for Khasinau all the way back in Season One's "Masquerade", which took place a year ago in April 2002. So once again he's lying to Emily.
Well we finally get it concerned; Sloane is after immortality, for his wife and himself. He has other objectives of course, but I think that's the main one. This makes sense, since we learn in this episode that he's been with Emily as long as he's been hunting Rambaldi.
Given that Bruker Biotech is based in Germany, its DNA info on millions of citizens is applicable only to Germany. Thus, Sloane and Irina were definitely after the human genome information, and not the citizen catalog as the CIA suspects. When are they going to realize that Sloane and Irina are after a lofty goal that is good for humanity?
I think it's safe to assume that Vaughn's new tie from Evil Francie has a passive-bug in it.
It's truly touching that Sloane was willing to give up his Rambaldi quest for Emily, and even more tragic that Emily was taken away from him by the CIA in that moment of salvation. He stood on the brink of redemption, and they snatching his chance away. Now he'll become a monster, and I'll be rooting for him all the way. It's incredibly ironic, because the reason Sloane joined the Alliance in the first place was because he was betrayed by the CIA in a way as yet unrevealed.
Obviously the Irina ear rings were made of the same passive-sending type that Evil Francie's bugs were made of, but even so it's astonishing that they passed the CIA inspection. Were there no signs of technology in it all? Ceramic pieces? What? In any case it seems that the ear rings could only send and not receive. So while Sark has been in communication with Irina all along, as I always said, I don't think she was able to communicate back.
Here's my latest Irina theory: Irina sends the message to Syd that she told her in "The Enemy Walks In" to show that she is still on her side in secret. Irina will cozy up to Sloane and then betray him at the last minute to the CIA. She will join the CIA as a regular officer, working alongside Syd. It is then that her evil master plan will come into full fruition.

2X19 ENDGAME The Run Down:

Syd questions Elsa Caplan ("A Free Agent") looking for new leads. Elsa refuses to undergo regression therapy ("The Indicator"). Caplan was kidnapped 2 months ago. Over the past year, 3 calls were made to the Caplan house exactly 4 months apart. The caller was Ivanov, a reporter working undercover for the Russian SVR (intelligence service) who handles intelligence agents. He just got an unknown fax saying "endgame". Elsa confesses to being a Russian spy sent to seduce Caplan 7 years ago, in order to keep tabs on his work. But she fell in love with him. She implanted a tracking device in his arm that can also kill him. The fax reported its activation; Caplan will be dead in 48 hours.
Irina worries that their plan won't hold up since the CIA knows about the genetic database; "we're so close to knowing what Rambaldi knew". Sloane is only concerned with getting revenge on his wife's killer, and wishes he'd never heard of Rambaldi. Irina has Caplan decrypt the genetic database. Out of 10 million people they're looking for one man. Caplan refuses to help; he hasn't heard a word from his family in 2 months. Irina tells him they released his family and lets him call his wife at home. When Caplan attacks Irina, Sloane shoots him in the leg and nearly kills him.
Director Jack refuses to believe Elsa or let Syd go after Caplan based on Elsa's information, fearing a second Irina or a Sloane agent. Marshall can't reverse-engineer the locator in time. Jack fears repeating the mistake of letting Irina go, even if it means Caplan's death. Marshall still can't figure out how Irina's ear rings receive messages. Syd gets the locator code from Elsa in secret. Jack puts Syd under surveillance but she ditches them and buys the bootleg SVR locator in Moscow. Syd claims her and Elsa's parents were in Kholokov's class ("The Indicator"). Jack chews out Vaughn for his complicity and threatens him over future collaboration. "Everything I do is in the service of protecting Sydney". Jack questions Elsa and believes her love for her family; Elsa knows all about Irina.
Spain: Sark babysits Caplan, who asks why he's working for Sloane. He was sent to school in England at a young age, where he became self-reliant and ambitious; "what I want is that which I never had". Syd and Vaughn storm the place; Sark escapes with the database but they rescue Caplan. Syd removes the implant just before it can kill Caplan. Caplan knows Elsa is SVR; 6 years ago the NSA recruited him, let him know he'd be a target. He knew she was a spy since the day they met. Jack is treating Elsa as a defector. Caplan decrypted the genetic database and the CIA has a copy now. Jack threatens to transfer her if she defies him again.
Sloane gets Evil Francie to use Will's cell phone to remote-access the CIA mainframe and download the satellite coverage of Tuscany. He sees it was Dixon who killed Emily. Dixon thinks about transferring to Intelligence over killing Emily and apologizes to Syd. He would become a desk analyst for Diane but she doesn't let him. Marshall discovers that someone inside the CIA stole the Tuscany sat coverage. Sloane has Evil Francie kill Diane with a car bomb before Dixon's eyes.

Analysis:

So was it a big flaming coincidence that Caplan's death switch was flipped at the same time Syd decided to meet with Elsa out of the blue, or did the SVR do it because Syd investigated Elsa? Because the fax was sent before Syd ever actually met with Elsa. He's been the captive of Sloane for 2 months, why didn't they do anything before now?
So how did Elsa manage to implant a device in Caplan's wrist without him being aware of it? The same Jack injected a tracer serum into Irina without her knowing?
Ah HA! So the genetic database was stolen to locate a single person in Germany based on his DNA. And it will let them know what Rambaldi knew. There's only possible explanation: Sloane and Irina are chasing after the immortal and still living Milo Rambaldi himself! And he's living in Germany! How did they find out where he was hiding? If his DNA was taken in a medical project, then he must be living under the guise of a normal civilian, and not in some secret lair or anything. Trying to eek out a normal life, no doubt!
DIRECTOR Jack Bristow! Sweet! I guess this means Kendall is out of the show now.
Where the heck did Irina manage to get technology that stumps even Marshall? Is it Rambaldi technology?
Syd mentions Kholokov, the KGB Psych Ops mastermind from "The Indicator". Why would he be involved with seducer spies though?
How the hell does Elsa know so much about Irina, and why does noone question this? Were they colleagues?
Sark is from Ireland ("Page 47") and went to school in England, interesting. What he wants that he never had must be parents, hence his relationship with Irina and Sloane, considering them his parents.
Did Sark get away with a completely decrypted version of the database?
Sloane is ingenious; it's not enough to kill Dixon, he must make him suffer the same way he suffered, by killing his wife!

2X20 COUNTDOWN The Run Down:

72 Hours Before Dixon's Bluff: Vaughn sees Dixon taking drugs at Diane's funeral. Vaughn voices his concerns to Jack; he's been working with Dixon for over a month, Jack recruited him into SD-6 12 years ago. Vaughn tells Barnett, who questions Dixon. Dixon swaps his drug results because he's been taking Vicodin and tells Syd. Dixon has Syd lie for him, and almost commits suicide.
Sark found their man in Panama City but Sloane knows the CIA will get there before Sark, and tells Sark to hire a merc instead. Irina is in Cyprus inspecting a new base to replace the Spain facility. Sloane has decided he's murdered the wrong person in revenge and leaves for Nepal. "I want you to continue without me... I hope you both succeed where I couldn't".
NSA Deputy Director Frederick Brandon is put in charge of an Inter-Agency Taskforce to study Rambaldi. His aide is Carrie Bowman, Special Projects. Marshall decoded the code on Rambaldi's human heart study ("A Dark Turn"); the DNA code of Proteo Di Regno, an art restorer in Panama City. This code decrypted Page 94 of the Rambaldi Manuscript, marking the times and dates of apocalyptic events in history. Sept 7 1812, Napoleon's bloodiest battle with the Russians. June 28 1914, Archduke Ferdinand's assassination. Aug 6 1945, atomic bombing of Hiroshima. There's a future date, 48 hours from now. Brandon is in charge until the deadline. Bowman is scared of the Rambaldi prophecies and asks out Marshall on a date.
Panama City: Di Regno is murdered by Vargas, his heart cut out. Syd finds the Magnific Order of Rambaldi on his hand. They get Vargas' print; he's a freelance assassin for the Russian Mafia, Yakuza, and Triad.
Guadalajara: Syd and Dixon capture Vargas and interrogate him; Dixon seems to loose it. Vargas says it wasn't Di Regno's heart but a machine, and its on its way to Columbia. He doesn't know who Sloane is. According to the records, Di Regno never had a transplant or an artificial heart, but it was keeping him alive. Rambaldi's heart study "refers to conquering tissue regeneration", ie immortality. Marshall wonders if Di Regno's job as an art restorer was important; Hitler was a painter...
Nepal: Sloane scales a remote mountain to a Buddhist temple. The locals say "people that go there do not return the same". Sloane confronts Conrad, intending to kill him. "Arvin Sloane. Your search for Rambaldi... has frustrated you. Your wife has been killed." Sloane questions how Conrad knows that. Conrad is the one who sent Sloane on his Rambaldi Quest 30 years ago, which made him abandon the CIA and betray everyone he loved. Conrad says "there is something I must show you". Conrad shows him Rambaldi pages from a box with a Magnific Order on the top. "30 years ago, I could only tell you so much. Information had to come to you over time, or you would not have understood. Certain events needed to unfold, according to Rambaldi's writings. Your wife's death, though unfortunate, was a necessary step on your journey". Conrad knew his wife would die when they first met and didn't warn him. "If I had, I could not have given you this". Conrad gives him a manuscript; "you can always choose to ignore it". Sloane reads it as the Rambaldi Apocalypse deadline goes off. Sloane is shocked. "Now you understand. Your journey has just begun".
Cartagena: The heart is headed for a boat; if Syd, Vaughn, and Dixon don't find the heart before the deadline, they'll bomb the entire shipyard. They suspect a weapon of mass destruction. Dixon threatens to use a faux suicide bomb to get the heart's location. They find a pumping artificial heart as the Rambaldi Apocalypse deadline goes off.

Analysis:

How come we didn't get a single mention of Marshall discovering the CIA's information leak from last episode?
Jack says Vaughn and Dixon have been working together over a month; this takes place around early May, and "Firebomb" took place around late March, so that's pushing it...
Jack says he recruited Dixon into SD-6 12 years ago, which would be 1991 when the Alliance was created. However the ABC Site has always said that Dixon was recruited in January 1989, which was before the existence of the Alliance, so this makes more sense. It's interesting to learn that Jack was recruiting agents with CIA consent...
Finally, after over a year and a half, the Magnific Order of Rambaldi returns! We haven't seen these guys since 108 "Time Will Tell", which was Anna Espinosa's final appearance, she had the tatoo, not to mention Donato the immortal clockmaker. Apparently Di Regno was in charge of keeping the Rambaldi Heart. I suspect that Di Regno was an immortal, and that the Rambaldi Heart gives you immortality when you get it implanted. Is this the secret to Rambaldi's immortality? A fake heart?
Rambaldi picked his apocalypses well; Napoleon's defeat in Russia marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars and a new violent status quo between the European powers. Ferdinand's assassination started WWI, which destroyed the fragile peace between the European powers and lead to World War Two. And the first atomic bombing lead to a 60 year Cold War threatening the world with armageddon.
Apparently Sloane is the figure of Rambaldi's new Apocalypse. Is he to become the next Hitler? More likely he will introduce Rambaldi's immortality to the world, which would have two possible effects. One, he sells it to the highest bidder, sparking a vicious world war over the technology. Two, he gives it to everyone, leading to global overpopulation and starvation and war since you have to kill the excess population off somehow.
What was Marshall about to say about Hitler being a painter and Di Regno being an art restorer?
Aging is basically tissue degeneration over time; the body regenerates decaying cells but looses the information quality over time. So Rambaldi's conquering tissue regeneration just means that the information will not become corrupted time and will always replenish.
So Sloane first learned of Rambaldi when the Army Corps of Engineers found a Journal, and that lead him to Conrad in Nepal, who somehow started him on the obsessive quest. But how did he find Conrad? And does the CIA know about him?
So apparently a Rambaldi Prophecy told Conrad about Sloane coming to him, about his wife dying 30 years later, about him becoming the figure of an Apocalypse. But where does this leave Irina, prophecized to "bring the greatest power unto utter desolation"? It sounds like they're being stuck with the same duty, which detracts from the threat of Irina!
Is Conrad another Rambaldi Immortal? Probably not, since Sloane didn't seem suprized by his appearance, which presumably means he's aged appropriately in the past 30 years.
Why did the Rambaldi Quest make Sloane betray the CIA? He's always said it was they who betrayed him!
So the Rambaldi Heart had nothing to do with the apocalypse? Or will Sloane have the Heart implanted into him, thus making himself an immortal? Or perhaps the Heart generates the immortality serum found in the Mueller Device ("Truth Be Told", "Almost 30 Years") which might also be a virus ("The Counteragent"). Perhaps Sloane is the next Hitler because he's going to release this virus?

2X21 SECOND DOUBLE (part 1 of 2) The Run Down:

Vaughn is leading the investigation of the CIA leak. Evil Francie hears this from Vaughn's tie-bug and reports to Sark. The CIA's regression therapy could prove Will's manipulations. Irina doesn't want Will killed and orders him framed. Evil Francie hypnotizes Will to forget personal details and scars his retinas with a lazer. Will passed the upper level analyst test with high marks and is up for a Senior Analyst spot. The FBI arrests Will on Jack's orders. Will's account downloaded the Tuscany sat footage. They suspect Project Helix ("Double Agent") made their Second Double of Will. They found provacillium in his car, a needed drug, along with spy footage of Syd and Vaughn having sex in her apartment. The lazer eye test implicates him and he can't remember where he kissed her ("Parity").
Evil Francie tells Syd that Will has been distant lately. She tells Evil Francie that she's CIA, and assigns protection to her. Will was researching Markovic and learned Hans Jurgens developed the imaging technology. Kendall doesn't trust the info and wants Will sent off for interrogation. Will has also been framed for Diane's murder; Dixon nearly kills him. Kendall goes behind Jack's back to DOJ to get Tippin transferred. Evil Francie tells Sark; he orders her to have a team intercept and kill him. The troops intercept Will's transport. Dixon sees Will kill two commandos and escape. Will calls Syd, asking to exonerate him, and says he can't trust her anymore.
Berlin: Syd and Vaughn blackmail Jurgens into helping them. Markovic needed to rent a computer server farm for the imaging, which should still have the DNA record of the Second Double. Will's research points to Marseilles. The frame evidence is proven to be planted. Jack sends Syd and Vaughn to Marseilles without DOJ approval, getting himself demoted from Director. Kendall becomes Director again, because he's been protecting Syd.
Irina meets a supplier to steal back the Di Regno Heart. He sells her the blueprints to the NSA facility, but without government access codes she can't get in. The access codes she stole from Echelon won't work anymore ("A Higher Echelon"). Sark suggests blackmailing Syd for it by stealing the Marseilles info before she can, and tells Irina he tried to kill Will against her orders.
Sloane visits Jack for lunch with sniper protection. Sloane says he forgives him for betraying SD-6, and asks when their friendship ended. Jack says when he recruited Syd over his objection. "If I had known that decision would have cost me our friendship, and my relationship with Syd, I would have done things differently... I'm here to make you an offer. I don't expect an answer now. Come back to our partnership, Jack. I will tell you everything I've learned about Rambaldi. Now's the time to sign up. For years, I collected his artifacts, as if that was the point. I thought Rambaldi's work was the window to the past. Today, I am one move away from proving to you that it is so much more than that. This time, Syd won't be a pawn in our venture". Jack refuses but Sloane is confident. "The thing of it is, you are going to work with me. Sooner than you think."
Marseilles: Syd and Vaughn break into the server farm. Irina got there first, and destroys the records. But she made a copy of her own first, and will give it to Syd in return for a favor.

Analysis:

So how could Evil Francie plant a bug on Vaughn's tie that is undetectable to CIA security? Presumably using the same technology used for Irina's ear rings, which remains unexplained...
Why doesn't Irina want Will killed? Presumably because he's Syd's friend.
It's surprising that the CIA never for a second suspects Francie, when they've seen lovers frame their men so many times before.
Why does Sark decide to kill Will over Irina's orders? Is his apparently love for Allison/Francie clouding his judgment?
Ah ha! When Irina was let on the Echelon computer system she stole files! This means the entire plot of Cuvee getting his hands on Echelon and then selling it to the Alliance was crafted by Irina just to get on that computer, just like I said!
Why does Sloane want Jack to work with him? Is it a mere desire to regain their friendship, or does Jack play some role in Sloane's prophecized role? Apparently Sloane read his future last episode...
Sloane says collecting Rambaldi artifacts wasn't the point. But it was collecting the artifacts that enabled him to build The Telling, which was his grand apocalyptic purpose, so isn't this a contradiction?
Sloane says Rambaldi is much more than a window to the past; does he mean a gateway to the future? Are we really going to take the time travel route here? I hope not!
Why won't Syd be a pawn in their venture? Does he just mean that he won't be trying to recruit Syd into it as well? Because obviously Syd would play some role. Unless Sloane used The Telling to send Syd two years into the future so that she couldn't interfere with his plans, but that just sounds asinine all over.

2X22 THE TELLING (part 2 of 2) The Run Down:

Irina sends the CIA the Second Double DNA profile. Evil Francie is about to kill Will when they get caught. Will is cleared; the Second Double is A.G. Doren. Sark meets Evil Francie to give her provacillium, and tells "Allison" they may not be able to restore her appearance since the technology was destroyed. They're lovers. Will and Weiss hit it off. Will learns Allison Doren was one of the 20 Project Christmas test subjects, who allegedly died in a car crash ("The Indicator").
Irina meets Syd to collect on her favor. She gives Syd the location of Sloane's Rambaldi artifact collection in Zurich. "I knew from the beginning when I turned myself in that I would betray the CIA, but not you. I had to be careful, I needed you to trust me, but I also couldn't tell you my plan. Sloane had 23 Rambaldi artifacts, the CIA had 24. In order to assemble the device they all had to be brought together. Those are the pieces in Sloane's warehouse." She stole the CIA's by winning their trust, then delivered a proposal to Sloane, "that we work together, to take down the Alliance and raid the CIA all at once. I came up with a scenario where the CIA needed to let me use their computers. I used the opportunity to learn where the US government kept its stash of Rambaldi artifacts. They were being held at a secret NSA lab in Nevada. One month later, Sloane had a team raid the lab". Her escape was painful; "my love for you, for your father, was not a contrivance".
Kendall chews out NSA A.D. Brandon ("Countdown") for not telling them about the NSA raid. Jack suspects the guilt may have gotten to her. Sloane still needs the Di Regno Heart; Kendall sends Jack to keep an eye on it while the NSA moves it. Jack sends Marshall and Carrie Bowman ("Countdown") to Zurich to examine the artifacts. While the CIA finds worthless appliances in the Zurich warehouse, a team intercepts the NSA convoy, taking the Di Regno Heart and Jack. Brandon is killed.
Jack wakes up with Sloane, with something being constructed, "a machine. he called it Il Dire, The Telling. The construction consisted of 47 pieces... it took me a long time, longer than I thought, but I've acquired them all... I've seen things recently. I've seen what's possible. There's a change coming, Jack. Something even I couldn't imagine". Jack tells him he pitied him for his Rambaldi obsession. "I didn't expect you to understand". Sloane is keeping him alive because they're friends.
Irina calls Syd; she didn't know Sloane would switch the crates. "He must have known I was going to double cross him, somehow, he knew". She says Sark is going to Stockholm. "Ultimately, you will do whatever you want. That's what free will is all about".
Stockholm: Syd and Vaughn capture Sark. Sark says "my loyalties are flexible" and tells them Sloane and Jack are in Mexico City.
Mexico City: Sark tells Syd and Vaughn how to bypass Sloane's security. Sloane tells Jack "it's been assembled" just as the CIA team arrives. He tells his men to "pack everything and go. we'll see each other again, Jack". Irina kills Sloane's bodyguards and tells Syd and Vaughn to go after Sloane. Syd chases Irina. Irina stands on the roof's edge. "Sloane believes he's been chosen to realize the Word of Rambaldi. but you too have been chosen. it's you in the Prophecy, Syd, not me. only you can stop him. good luck, sweetheart. I love you". She jumps and shoots her way into a window, escaping.
Will finds Allison/Francie's provacillium as she finds Will's records of her true identity. Will leaves a message on Syd's phone. Allison/Francie attacks Will and stabs him in the gut with a kitchen knife, grief-stricken. Syd comes home and hears her message. Syd and Allison/Francie fight. Syd shoots her dead and passes out...
...Syd wakes up in Hong Kong, wearing the same outfit she wore at the insane asylum in "Color Blind". Kendall sends her to a CIA safe house. She has a scar on her right abdomen. Vaughn meets her there. Will's alive. Vaughn is no longer in the CIA and he's married. She disappeared almost two years ago.

Analysis:

Irina was supposed to blackmail Syd, using the Second Double DNA code to get the access codes to steal the Di Regno Heart. Yet she just sends the codes for nothing and then tells Syd where Sloane's Rambaldi collection is. But then the collection isn't there and at the same moment she steals the Di Regno Heart as it's being transferred. She's obviously still lying and plotting against Syd, but why not just get the access codes from Syd? This was an easier way to steal it, that must have been it.
How long have Sark and Allison/Francie known each other? And what a lame twist!
Well it's the end of the season, and while we got a return to the Christmas plotline, we never went away with the KGB-Christmas story that Will was pursuing for several episodes!
It was all the way back in "A Free Agent" that the CIA came blocks away from finding Sloane's Rambaldi warehouse. Did they really find it plausible that he would still have everything there, about two months later? No way was Irina telling the truth!
So every single Rambaldi artifact ever made all fits together into The Telling? The little clock that pointed to Argentina last season? The Circumference from "Almost Thirty Years"? The nuclear-bomb-opened-egg that held the flower of immortality in "Passage Two"? But Syd destroyed the Circumference, so it couldn't have been used, but then what was the "point" of it?
So, Irina turns herself into the CIA in order to gain their trust, then has Sark form an alliance with Sloane. Then she has Cuvee craft the necessity for the CIA to let them on the Echelon system, where she finds the codes necessary to steal the US's Rambaldi collection from an NSA facility. It's pretty lame we were never told about this before! Then she could safely be extracted to finalize the plan. She says the NSA raid was one month after she found the codes on Echelon, which would place it around Febuary, taking place between "The Getaway" and "Phase One".
I believe that Irina truly loves Syd and Jack, but I also believe it is irrelevant to her evil plot and her manipulations of them. She lied to Syd about giving away the Rambaldi collection, to ensure that she could steal the Di Regno Heart. Then she lets Sark get captured so they can find Sloane and Jack in Mexico City.
What change does Sloane see coming? Immortality for all? Time travel? Or is The Telling merely a device that will allow him to know the future, like Rambaldi did? It can't be the same device that Rambaldi used, or else how would he know how to build it in the first place. Unless it's a time loop, where Rambaldi at the end of his life sent the machine to his younger self for the first time, so he builds it because he already built it.
If Irina is telling the truth and Sloane predicted her double-cross, then this would support the 'The Telling shows the future' theory. But she reveals herself when she says Syd will do whatever she wants because that's what free will is. If we really are dealing with seeing the future, then there is no free will, because all the choices have already been made.
What does it mean to realize the Word of Rambaldi? Is it just constructing The Telling? Or does Rambaldi have some kind of vision of the future that his followers are supposed to realize?
Once again Irina proves herself a liar. Syd can't be the Prophecized One because she's seen Mount Sebacio! Of course, it's entirely possible that Irina never learned this. Which would mean she still is the Prophecized One, and she just doesn't realize it, because she doesn't think it's possible. It's interesting that Irina thinks the Prophecized One is a good thing. Let's review the Prophecy. "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." But Syd isn't bringing forth Rambaldi's works, Sloane and Irina are. Sloane is the one binding them with fury and burning anger. However rendering the greatest power unto utter desolation could now refer to defeating Sloane and his newfound power.
If Irina is really trying to help Syd defeat Sloane, why does she keep running away? Does she want to remain close to Sloane's side for the final betrayal? No, she is evil, dammit, evil!
So why did Irina want to lead Syd to Mexico City? Just to rescue Jack? Or to deliver the message about being the Prophecized One?
No way in hell did Will survive a kitchen knife to his gut and then a couple hours laying in a bathtub. He and Allison/Francie are dead. Therefore, Syd's predicament is not real. It's a fake reality, probably in her head after she had a nervous breakdown on seeing her two best friends brutally murdered before her eyes. And I'm pretty sure she's wearing the exact same sweater she wore when she was in the insane aslyum in "Color Blind", which is a subconscious clue towards her breakdown.
The other option is that Syd was sent into the future by The Telling which is in fact a time machine. Or Sloane plugged her into The Telling, which is a vision of the future machine.
Why does Syd have a scar on her right abdomen? She wasn't cut there or anything in this episode. If this is a real future, then someone surgically removed some organ from her, probably her ovaries. But why?

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