Alias (2001-2006), also known as “Jennifer Garner wears a lot of wigs and push-up bras”

It’s like if this:

Had a baby with this:

I’ve only seen the first few episodes so I’ll have to update this if anything changes.  (Update after season 1: no changes)  I actually started with the season 5 episode that purportedly features Kryptos (it doesn’t actually, what they do is a little strange) but instead of just reflexively and harshly judging the whole show by one episode, I’ve gone back to the beginning and am working my way through.  It’s a CIA show after all!  (Nah, this book can be judged by the cover)

I liked how they put the “recruitment from college” bit in which only started happening during the Vietnam War which ties in to the “covert paramilitary arm of the CIA” chronologically.  I think JJ Abrams will start with a great idea and then hamstring it with unnecessary bullshit thereby obfuscating bad writing and direction with the air of mystery and awesomeness that it won’t actually merit.  (Update after season 1: sounds about right)

I liked the episodic nod to the ubiquitous Roosevelt Island view often found in these types of shows.

As for Jennifer Garner, she seems like a nice person but she has 3 modes: “I’m Jennifer Garner and I’m cute!”, “I’m a serious office bitch!” and “I’m a cheeky superhero and I kick ass, woo!”  That’s about all there is so far anyways.  The setup is nice for a formulaic serial show that may have been fun to wait for every week but doesn’t play so well without downtime or commercials.

Off to watch the rest!

I’m done with season 1 and probably won’t watch the rest unless someone says “oh my God, you have to!  It gets so much betterer!”  Fuck you Abrams, this show should have been awesome.  I can see your dirty little fingers in the storyline and it made Lost a piece of shit as well.  Might as well have had M. Night Shyamalan help out.

Best moment of the whole season?  When Will hugs Jack in the season finale and says thank you.  But I had to watch 22 episodes to get why that was a great moment.  With Po and Tigress, it only took 2 movies to reach the same significance.

–Kryptosfan