Will is arrested under suspicion of treason when it is discovered that the leaks of satellite information that led to Irina Derevko's escape and Diane Dixon's death came from his computer account. Having been hypnotized by "Francie" into forgetting important details of his recent past, and shot with a laser beam into his eye that makes him fail the ocular scan, Will is suspected of not being Will, but the second, unidentified so far double from Dr. Markovic's genetic experiment. To clear her friend's name, Sydney must find the man who designed the equipment used in the experiment and oversaw the process. Meanwhile, Irina and Sark want to retrieve the mechanical heart of the previous episode that is now kept by NSA, and devise a plan that requires Sydney's involvement to succeed. This is a great "Alias" episode, in my opinion the best since the two-part "Passage". There is not a wasted moment here, even the smallest scenes contribute something. The "double" plot works extremely well, maybe because we're allowed to view the situation from both perspectives: Will is thrown into a nightmare where his loyalty, his memory and even his identity are questioned, when we know he is innocent; at the same time, the possibility that this man is a stranger and the real Will may even be dead is a shock for Sydney, Dixon, Jack, etc. And I have to admit, "Francie"'s frame-up plan was nearly flawless. This is my chance to praise, once again, Merrin Dungey, who almost steals the show from everyone else here. Almost. Because the best scene of "Second Double", with honorable mentions to the gripping large-scale action sequence in the middle (though Dixon's shooting expertise here makes the fact that he missed a perfectly good shot at Sloane and killed his wife instead in "Truth Takes Time" even more ludicrous) and to Irina's "Hello Sydney" near the end, is the "reunion" of Jack and Sloane at a restaurant table. Terrifically written ("I forgive you!") and acted, this scene confirms, once again, that "Alias" is above all a character-driven show. ***1/2 out of 4.
Review of Second Double
