Alias: Firebomb

Sloane: "This is bigger than SD-6, Sydney, than the CIA. Than you being deceived by me, and me being betrayed by you. If things were different..."

There was a lot of plot in this one.

Sloane still cares about Sydney. I actually shuddered when he kissed her on the forehead. And he's even more devious than I gave him credit for. I thought he was trying to build a new alliance, and that he planned to make a partner out of Kabir, but all he really wanted was the manuscript that Kabir had.

The "suitcase neutron bomb designed in the sixteenth century" was extremely freaky, and the scene in the church was hard to watch. I think they did well not sensationalizing it; just showing all those people burning to death was sad enough. Sark was unhappy that Sloane kept him in harm's way. Am I projecting, or was Sark a little freaked by the Doomsday Device as well?

Dixon made his choice; he was unable to let Sydney die, and he's finally forgiven her. I'm glad he's back in the story, but I wonder if he is going to lose his wife because of it.

I loved Sydney's tirade at Kendall. Did you notice that Sydney chose not to incinerate innocent people, but not doing it allowed Sloane to do exactly that? I also really enjoyed Will's big scene briefing Kendall and outshining the suits from Harvard. (Vaughn: "No suit, huh?" Will: "It's been awhile since I tried it on...or worked out, apparently... which makes me overwhelmed, and fat.")

Vaughn, Jack, and Kendall all showed impatience with Marshall in this episode, but Sydney never seems to become impatient with him. Even when he says things to her like: "They read heat signatures, which is kind of a problem, 'cause, well, you're incredibly hot."

Bits and pieces:

-- Sydney and Vaughn found that audio and (gulp) video bugs, originally designed by Marshall, were planted in Syd's apartment. This might put a damper on their extracurricular activities.

-- Alt-Francie is a smart one, going on the offensive and telling Syd that Syd has been acting weird?

-- The Kennedy School is Harvard? Is that a common expression, or CIA weirdness? Speaking of which, is it true that there are 35 people CIA agents are legally allowed to kill on sight?

-- I was a bit taken aback by the Ford Focus commercial written into the plot. Not that anything would make me buy one.

-- Lena Olin wasn't in this episode.

-- Is it me, or does Jennifer Garner look noticeably thinner? I guess that can happen when you're making movies and starring in a one-hour action series at the same time.

-- Caplan (Christian Slater) was referred to in this episode, even though we didn't see him. Do Sloane and Sark plan to keep the guy permanently?

-- This week's itinerary: Switzerland; Kandahar; Mexico City.

-- This week's hot look: Sydney as a little old lady, complete with pearls, a cane, and a hat with a net.

-- This week's cool device: The "cold suit" that was invisible to infrared security cameras. Cool idea, no pun intended.

Complex, moody, and intense episode. Very good.

Three out of four spies,

Billie