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sarea
So I finished what there is of Alias S3, and here are my lingering thoughts:
1) Vaughn was dating Lauren after nine months. NINE MONTHS. Yeah fucking RIGHT he was in love with Sydney. God, she deserves so much better. Some of the Syd/Vaughn stuff was effective, but it all gets rendered completely INeffective when one considers the fact that he was seriously seeing another woman within nine months of Sydney's (a woman he claimed to desperately be in love with) death. I don't CARE if Lauren's job was to get him. IMHO if he'd truly loved Syd the way he ought to have, he wouldn't have been vulnerable to it; he wouldn't have been the least susceptible. And Lauren is NO Irina Derevko. And Jack wasn't getting over the love of his life when Irina appeared (that we know of).
2) I don't mind saying: I'm disappointed Lauren's a bad guy. Not only is it, like, totally trite and "wow, really? The woman Vaughn married ends up being evil?" obvious, I didn't want THAT to be the reason Syd/Vaughn works out again. I wanted her to be perfectly lovely, and for Vaughn to just love Syd because he DOES. I mean, since they're going there anyway, it should be worthwhile. But nooooo, Lauren has to work for the Covenant, thereby making Vaughn look even more like a traitorous fool. Gawd.
3) Give us more on Sark already. You've got David Anders in the opening credits -- USE HIM MORE. His role is totally the role that Krycek played, wherein he shows up everywhere but doesn't actually do anything ... he's the convenient bad guy they pin everything on. Am sick of this formula. GIVE ME SOMETHING MORE, even if it turns out that he's Syd's brother (which![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
thena tells me was a theory bandied about until recently).
4) WILL. Ohmygod, how great was Will???? Seeing him at that construction site was such a breath of fresh air. I felt all this love just bubbling up inside. I miss Will!!! And his mission w/ Syd was so. fabulous. (My fave part, though, was when they were reaching for the cube and Sark got it on the other side. That wink. *sigh*) I know I said that I didn't like Syd/Will, but after all the Vaughn crap, and how lovely this ep was, I take it back. I'm even glad they slept together, because Syd SO needed it. However, their relationship has always seem more like that of siblings to me ... except that if Will were around, he'd just fall in love w/ Syd all over again. And given her vulnerability, she might allow it to happen, and then would only end up hurting him in the end. What she really needs is meaningless sex with Sark. But I digress.
5) I never knew Isabella Rosselini could be so scary. But she was cool, if shockingly old looking. Her voice is so distinctive.
6) I loved the Julia Thorne montage, although Syd's reasons for wanting to take her memory away make NO sense to me. I mean, other than the obvious question of "What does this really accomplish?" there's also the question of whether she knows herself at all (she seems to, given the way she figured out where the cube was). Surely she had to know that if she woke up not remembering anything, she'd do whatever she could to find out what happened to her? That it would be shocking and painful to find out about Vaughn, without knowing what the hell was going on? I mean, this way, she has to discover/absorb the fact that Vaughn moved on (and so soon) twice. And why did she send the key to her flat to Sloane? HAD she started to trust him at that point, for some reason?
7) I can't decide whether or not to trust Sloane. He's so slippery. He seems sincere, and it does make sense to me that an old man who found himself alone would start to view those he knows well -- like Jack and Syd -- as family. But he's SUCH a tricky devil, and such a consummate liar, and knows SO WELL how to play the game, that I can't fully believe him. Plus, there's the fact that Syd and Jack are unwavering in their dislike of him, and you kind of have to believe them on stuff like that, because they can't have the show's "heroes" going around being wrong. I mean, now Syd gets "vindicated" for being so willing to hit Lauren, since Lauren's evil ... and now, she's not "even" with Sark, who was responsible for Francie, because she didn't really kill his father!
8) The first six episodes were rather blah, but the second six felt like the Alias of old. Yay for that!
9) Why has Weiss been relegated to second fiddle again? Because now Syd and Vaughn are on "good" terms, so they don't need him? I hate the way they do this to their peripheral characters. Why can't he and Syd develop a meaningful friendship? They made them neighbors, for Pete's sake. And now he's back to his role from the first two seasons, that of Vaughn's occasional sounding board and comic relief.
10) I was v. glad to see Terry O'Quinn again. I knew something had to be up with Kendall, w/ the way he had just left the division and how he was still w/ the CIA when Sydney called. Still, he wasn't really FBI, he was SPR (or whatever) the whole time? Okaaaay.
11) I fear Sark/Lauren. You know what that would remind me of? Krycek/Marita. Boring and predictable -- not to mention the fact that I love Sark and dislike Lauren. So yeah, I'd despise that ship.
12) At this point, if I feel a shred of care for Syd/Vaughn (and also why I'm so peeved w/ him), it's because Syd loves him, and I want him to be deserving of her. Which he isn't. It was iffy right from the start, because he's such milquetoast, but now, oh man, now. He doesn't even deserve the memory of her.
Saw The Butterfly Effect. It was about what I expected, which is to say that it didn't blow me away, but didn't let me down like Paycheck did, either. I think my fave part was the scene at the end. It took some searching to find out exactly which Oasis song was playing! Also saw Daredevil, which was only tolerable because of Jennifer Garner and Colin Farrell, both of whom were v. impressive (though in different ways <g>). I love Ben Affleck when he's in a Kevin Smith movie with Matt Damon (yes, all those caveats must apply), but otherwise I have no use for him at all. And what is the POINT of him being blind, when he's SO NOT BLIND???? It's not a handicap at all, yet they try to play that sympathy card! It's so lame. Oh, and I saw Big Fish over the holidays, but I didn't like it as much as I knew I ought to have, if that makes sense. I know it was a really well-done film, but ... I felt v. lukewarm about it.
blink's "I Miss You" video premiered today on TRL, and thanks to advance warning, I was able to tape it. Em's scene wasn't cut!!! I was terribly excited. It's about a minute and a half from the end of the video. She's the gal looking in the mirror, and she runs her hand over it. W00t! You can watch the video here. It's very Tim Burton-esque. Though not Big Fish-esque, more Nightmare Before Christmas-esque. Considering the lyrics, however, it's only appropriate.
The below IM conversation is reposted by permission fromropo. I do not know how you do it.
---
For your amusement, I offer you an unretouched IM with Jack (although I did change Jack’s name to protect the goofy). Jack is a guy from Lavalife... we’ve never met, but have gabbed a few times online, not much at all recently.
Ropo: hi there
Jack: hi, how are you?
Ropo: I'm good. And you?
Jack: not bad ... what are you up to? and are we ever going to get to meet?
Jack: you're so yummy ... seriously ... !
Ropo: lol
Ropo: yes, we can meet.
Jack: really?
Ropo: and you will see that I'm just an average non-yummy girl with a good photo editing program.
Ropo: yes - meet.
Ropo: lol
Jack: hmmm ... I suspect you are quite yummy ...
Jack: will I get to do a taste-test?
Ropo: lol, if you're lucky. not, like, a smutty taste test though
Jack: hmmm .... smutty ... as in?
Ropo: I wasn't sure how smutty you were being there, you see.
Jack: ?
Ropo: Like, if we like each other you can kiss my FACE.
Ropo: lol
Jack: I see .. that's a start ..!
Jack: and perhaps your neck?
Ropo: I didn't want there to be any confusion about which lips I'd let you taste.
Jack: oh ... no chance I'd get to kiss your nether lips?
Ropo: not the first time we met, I'm afraid.
Jack: what about those magnificent breasts?
Ropo: Stuff like that would be saved for, you know... the next time.
Jack: I see ... would you bend the rules if you found me very sexy?
Ropo: oh, I might bend a little but not all the way. Because if we both found each other very sexy, it would be so much more fun the next time after just a little anticipation and after we knew each other a bit.
Ropo: It's a thing that works well for me.
Jack: fair enough .. what if I wanted to take some photos of you ... only kissing, and photography, but nothing smutty ... might you be up for that on a first date?
Jack: (your camera, of course)
Ropo: lol.. no way.
Ropo: I'm camera shy.
Jack: oh well ... so if I require a bit more instant gratification ... sounds like I'm out of luck ..?
Ropo: under the best of circumstances I freak out when there's a camera in someone else's hands.
Ropo: think of it as, like, a date. Just to meet. I'm sure you'll be fine. I won't make you pay for anything expensive.
Ropo: (lol, it's all coming out wrong... I mean like a meal, not like I'm a prostitute.)
Jack: I honestly don't care about money -- that's so unimportant.
Jack: More that I think you're sexy ... and I don't want to come away frustrated .. that's all
Ropo: you'll live. masturbation totally works for that sort of thing.
Ropo: and honestly. not that sexy unless I want to be.
Ropo: and even then, it's debatable!
Ropo: 'cause I'm a big dork.
Jack: oh well ...
Ropo: not interested?
Ropo: see, I don't get how guys (many of 'em) won't invest like 3 hours of their life for the shot at sex.
Ropo: I've argued with many of them for far longer about it online, and it's like, months later and we're still arguing and I'm going, "do you realize that we could have been having sex all this time if you'd just agreed to meet me and not have sex that very day??"
Ropo: I'm just not into one night stands. I don't require a blood test or marriage certificate or even that we "date" after that first time ... I just want to make sure that everyone's where they want to be when sex happens, and that I have a little shred of self respect about it.
Jack: honey, that's fine. that's great. that's what you need. I'm just being honest with you. not interested in arguing
Ropo: lol
Ropo: so... no? you won't meet if there's not big sex that first time?
Ropo: because if not, then there's just... not much more for us to talk about and we shouldn't waste each other's time.
Ropo: I didn't mean that to sound snotty, really. Just that if neither of us is willing to give the other what they need, then it's not going to work out.
Ropo: I guess that's a no. Oh well. Good luck out there to you.
1) Vaughn was dating Lauren after nine months. NINE MONTHS. Yeah fucking RIGHT he was in love with Sydney. God, she deserves so much better. Some of the Syd/Vaughn stuff was effective, but it all gets rendered completely INeffective when one considers the fact that he was seriously seeing another woman within nine months of Sydney's (a woman he claimed to desperately be in love with) death. I don't CARE if Lauren's job was to get him. IMHO if he'd truly loved Syd the way he ought to have, he wouldn't have been vulnerable to it; he wouldn't have been the least susceptible. And Lauren is NO Irina Derevko. And Jack wasn't getting over the love of his life when Irina appeared (that we know of).
2) I don't mind saying: I'm disappointed Lauren's a bad guy. Not only is it, like, totally trite and "wow, really? The woman Vaughn married ends up being evil?" obvious, I didn't want THAT to be the reason Syd/Vaughn works out again. I wanted her to be perfectly lovely, and for Vaughn to just love Syd because he DOES. I mean, since they're going there anyway, it should be worthwhile. But nooooo, Lauren has to work for the Covenant, thereby making Vaughn look even more like a traitorous fool. Gawd.
3) Give us more on Sark already. You've got David Anders in the opening credits -- USE HIM MORE. His role is totally the role that Krycek played, wherein he shows up everywhere but doesn't actually do anything ... he's the convenient bad guy they pin everything on. Am sick of this formula. GIVE ME SOMETHING MORE, even if it turns out that he's Syd's brother (which
thena tells me was a theory bandied about until recently).4) WILL. Ohmygod, how great was Will???? Seeing him at that construction site was such a breath of fresh air. I felt all this love just bubbling up inside. I miss Will!!! And his mission w/ Syd was so. fabulous. (My fave part, though, was when they were reaching for the cube and Sark got it on the other side. That wink. *sigh*) I know I said that I didn't like Syd/Will, but after all the Vaughn crap, and how lovely this ep was, I take it back. I'm even glad they slept together, because Syd SO needed it. However, their relationship has always seem more like that of siblings to me ... except that if Will were around, he'd just fall in love w/ Syd all over again. And given her vulnerability, she might allow it to happen, and then would only end up hurting him in the end. What she really needs is meaningless sex with Sark. But I digress.
5) I never knew Isabella Rosselini could be so scary. But she was cool, if shockingly old looking. Her voice is so distinctive.
6) I loved the Julia Thorne montage, although Syd's reasons for wanting to take her memory away make NO sense to me. I mean, other than the obvious question of "What does this really accomplish?" there's also the question of whether she knows herself at all (she seems to, given the way she figured out where the cube was). Surely she had to know that if she woke up not remembering anything, she'd do whatever she could to find out what happened to her? That it would be shocking and painful to find out about Vaughn, without knowing what the hell was going on? I mean, this way, she has to discover/absorb the fact that Vaughn moved on (and so soon) twice. And why did she send the key to her flat to Sloane? HAD she started to trust him at that point, for some reason?
7) I can't decide whether or not to trust Sloane. He's so slippery. He seems sincere, and it does make sense to me that an old man who found himself alone would start to view those he knows well -- like Jack and Syd -- as family. But he's SUCH a tricky devil, and such a consummate liar, and knows SO WELL how to play the game, that I can't fully believe him. Plus, there's the fact that Syd and Jack are unwavering in their dislike of him, and you kind of have to believe them on stuff like that, because they can't have the show's "heroes" going around being wrong. I mean, now Syd gets "vindicated" for being so willing to hit Lauren, since Lauren's evil ... and now, she's not "even" with Sark, who was responsible for Francie, because she didn't really kill his father!
8) The first six episodes were rather blah, but the second six felt like the Alias of old. Yay for that!
9) Why has Weiss been relegated to second fiddle again? Because now Syd and Vaughn are on "good" terms, so they don't need him? I hate the way they do this to their peripheral characters. Why can't he and Syd develop a meaningful friendship? They made them neighbors, for Pete's sake. And now he's back to his role from the first two seasons, that of Vaughn's occasional sounding board and comic relief.
10) I was v. glad to see Terry O'Quinn again. I knew something had to be up with Kendall, w/ the way he had just left the division and how he was still w/ the CIA when Sydney called. Still, he wasn't really FBI, he was SPR (or whatever) the whole time? Okaaaay.
11) I fear Sark/Lauren. You know what that would remind me of? Krycek/Marita. Boring and predictable -- not to mention the fact that I love Sark and dislike Lauren. So yeah, I'd despise that ship.
12) At this point, if I feel a shred of care for Syd/Vaughn (and also why I'm so peeved w/ him), it's because Syd loves him, and I want him to be deserving of her. Which he isn't. It was iffy right from the start, because he's such milquetoast, but now, oh man, now. He doesn't even deserve the memory of her.
Saw The Butterfly Effect. It was about what I expected, which is to say that it didn't blow me away, but didn't let me down like Paycheck did, either. I think my fave part was the scene at the end. It took some searching to find out exactly which Oasis song was playing! Also saw Daredevil, which was only tolerable because of Jennifer Garner and Colin Farrell, both of whom were v. impressive (though in different ways <g>). I love Ben Affleck when he's in a Kevin Smith movie with Matt Damon (yes, all those caveats must apply), but otherwise I have no use for him at all. And what is the POINT of him being blind, when he's SO NOT BLIND???? It's not a handicap at all, yet they try to play that sympathy card! It's so lame. Oh, and I saw Big Fish over the holidays, but I didn't like it as much as I knew I ought to have, if that makes sense. I know it was a really well-done film, but ... I felt v. lukewarm about it.
blink's "I Miss You" video premiered today on TRL, and thanks to advance warning, I was able to tape it. Em's scene wasn't cut!!! I was terribly excited. It's about a minute and a half from the end of the video. She's the gal looking in the mirror, and she runs her hand over it. W00t! You can watch the video here. It's very Tim Burton-esque. Though not Big Fish-esque, more Nightmare Before Christmas-esque. Considering the lyrics, however, it's only appropriate.
The below IM conversation is reposted by permission from
ropo. I do not know how you do it.---
For your amusement, I offer you an unretouched IM with Jack (although I did change Jack’s name to protect the goofy). Jack is a guy from Lavalife... we’ve never met, but have gabbed a few times online, not much at all recently.
Ropo: hi there
Jack: hi, how are you?
Ropo: I'm good. And you?
Jack: not bad ... what are you up to? and are we ever going to get to meet?
Jack: you're so yummy ... seriously ... !
Ropo: lol
Ropo: yes, we can meet.
Jack: really?
Ropo: and you will see that I'm just an average non-yummy girl with a good photo editing program.
Ropo: yes - meet.
Ropo: lol
Jack: hmmm ... I suspect you are quite yummy ...
Jack: will I get to do a taste-test?
Ropo: lol, if you're lucky. not, like, a smutty taste test though
Jack: hmmm .... smutty ... as in?
Ropo: I wasn't sure how smutty you were being there, you see.
Jack: ?
Ropo: Like, if we like each other you can kiss my FACE.
Ropo: lol
Jack: I see .. that's a start ..!
Jack: and perhaps your neck?
Ropo: I didn't want there to be any confusion about which lips I'd let you taste.
Jack: oh ... no chance I'd get to kiss your nether lips?
Ropo: not the first time we met, I'm afraid.
Jack: what about those magnificent breasts?
Ropo: Stuff like that would be saved for, you know... the next time.
Jack: I see ... would you bend the rules if you found me very sexy?
Ropo: oh, I might bend a little but not all the way. Because if we both found each other very sexy, it would be so much more fun the next time after just a little anticipation and after we knew each other a bit.
Ropo: It's a thing that works well for me.
Jack: fair enough .. what if I wanted to take some photos of you ... only kissing, and photography, but nothing smutty ... might you be up for that on a first date?
Jack: (your camera, of course)
Ropo: lol.. no way.
Ropo: I'm camera shy.
Jack: oh well ... so if I require a bit more instant gratification ... sounds like I'm out of luck ..?
Ropo: under the best of circumstances I freak out when there's a camera in someone else's hands.
Ropo: think of it as, like, a date. Just to meet. I'm sure you'll be fine. I won't make you pay for anything expensive.
Ropo: (lol, it's all coming out wrong... I mean like a meal, not like I'm a prostitute.)
Jack: I honestly don't care about money -- that's so unimportant.
Jack: More that I think you're sexy ... and I don't want to come away frustrated .. that's all
Ropo: you'll live. masturbation totally works for that sort of thing.
Ropo: and honestly. not that sexy unless I want to be.
Ropo: and even then, it's debatable!
Ropo: 'cause I'm a big dork.
Jack: oh well ...
Ropo: not interested?
Ropo: see, I don't get how guys (many of 'em) won't invest like 3 hours of their life for the shot at sex.
Ropo: I've argued with many of them for far longer about it online, and it's like, months later and we're still arguing and I'm going, "do you realize that we could have been having sex all this time if you'd just agreed to meet me and not have sex that very day??"
Ropo: I'm just not into one night stands. I don't require a blood test or marriage certificate or even that we "date" after that first time ... I just want to make sure that everyone's where they want to be when sex happens, and that I have a little shred of self respect about it.
Jack: honey, that's fine. that's great. that's what you need. I'm just being honest with you. not interested in arguing
Ropo: lol
Ropo: so... no? you won't meet if there's not big sex that first time?
Ropo: because if not, then there's just... not much more for us to talk about and we shouldn't waste each other's time.
Ropo: I didn't mean that to sound snotty, really. Just that if neither of us is willing to give the other what they need, then it's not going to work out.
Ropo: I guess that's a no. Oh well. Good luck out there to you.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-01-27 08:23 am (UTC)Heehee. Icon.
Date: 2004-01-27 08:27 am (UTC)Re: Heehee. Icon.
Date: 2004-01-27 08:30 am (UTC)Yes, that is how stupid he was. You deserve better. WE ALL DESERVE BETTER.
*runs away sobbing at the utter hopelessness of it all*
(Yes, I am quite dramatic and emotional this evening.)
Though this makes me want to write T3Ls all the more. Oh, there will be happiness in fiction, my friends.
Re: Heehee. Icon.
Date: 2004-01-27 08:34 am (UTC)Hmmm...
Date: 2004-01-27 08:47 am (UTC)I'll give you a moment to reconsider. Don't forget the Irish accent.
Re: Hmmm...
Date: 2004-01-27 08:50 am (UTC)Well played, Sarea Okelani. Well played.
Re: Hmmm...
Date: 2004-01-27 09:04 am (UTC)Re: Hmmm...
Date: 2004-01-27 11:20 am (UTC)Re: Hmmm...
Date: 2004-01-27 05:57 pm (UTC)Re: Hmmm...
Date: 2004-01-27 09:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-27 07:40 pm (UTC)It's not as evil as you think it is. *g*
Off topic, and so I apologise first in the subject line.
Date: 2004-01-27 05:21 pm (UTC)I don't agree with "blacklisting" anyone for not "locking down" adult content, regardless of location, either on LiveJournal, or on the web. It's up to PARENTS to keep their children away from adult content material, NOT AUTHORS.
Keep writing. And don't let power-trippers tell you how to run your website or your life.
Sincerely,
Feeling put out because she isn't on the list. But then, I don't write fanfic. Just plain old erotica.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-27 10:24 pm (UTC)As for Vaughn/Syd I like them and I don't. Why the hell did they have to add Lauren in the first place? This season has so many questions to answer and there is little time to do it with since the season ends in May. I just want to say WTF to JJ Abrams for this whole season. What was he thinking last year when he started this whole cycle? Why are we given glimpses of good Lauren and then given the bad Lauren stuff we knew HAD to be there? And why did she have to be evil? All very contrived if I do say so.
As for Kendall, I was very much pleased like you to see him back. I wish he could come back cause he just made that epidose so awesome and in turn showing me how unawesome some of the previous episodes have been. Hopefully we'll get some more good stuff as the season progresses. But really, we know it will spill into next season...grrrr.
*stabs then hugs Alias*
P.S.- So glad your'e caught up now! We can talk about it and I won't have to fear about spoiling you! ^_^