Alias (TV Series) The Descent (2005) User Reviews

Has Sloane turned bad yet again?

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 21 September 2010]

As this episode opens a group raids a CIA facility, kills the guards and makes off with a variety of Rambaldi artefacts. This leads to CIA personnel temporarily closing down APO and searching Sydney and Nadia's house. At first Nadia is suspected because her pass codes were used to access the facility but soon they realise that she had been used by Elena Derevko, the woman she knew as Sophia. Sloane believes that Elena will want to meet Lazlo Drake as he is the one man who knows how to assemble the various parts of the Rambaldi device. In a flash back we see that he and Nadia have met him before although at the time they were still missing a key component so he wouldn't hand over the plans. Sydney locates Drake and accompanies Sloane there. When they get there he is dead but it looks like they will find the information needed from his security system. That is until Sloane knocks out Sydney and vanishes with the information. There is only one person who might know where Elena would be; this means that Jack must pay a visit to Katya Derevko. With the information she gives they are able to track down Sloane and Elena but the operation does not go well and they escape after Elena shoots Dixon in the back. Luckily he survives and has some shocking news for Sydney regarding somebody he saw before he was shot.

This was an exciting episode with some great surprises; it looks as if Sloane has shown his true colours and joined Elena although he is still claiming to be working for APO so perhaps he is just trying to get close to Elena so he can stop her plans. Although it was only one small scene I liked the interaction between Katya and Jack; Isabella Rossellini is great as Katya, it is a shame her character wasn't used more. The biggest surprise came in the final scene although I won't spoil it here!

A little underwhelming compared to the previous few episodes

[gridoon2024 · 7/10 · 22 January 2010]

Using Nadia's laptop, "Sophia Vargas" AKA Elena Derevko and her team deactivate the alarms of the DSR facility, break into it and steal many Rambaldi artifacts. Sloane knows that Elena's next move will be to contact the man who has in his possession the documents that explain how the pieces must be assembled to complete Rambaldi's endgame. He wants to go find that man on his own, but Sydney does not trust him and insists on coming along. When it seems like that investigation reaches a dead end, Jack has no option left but to seek the assistance of the imprisoned Katya Derevko. After a string of strong episodes, "The Descent" feels a bit weaker in comparison, and I think the biggest reason is the rushed way in which everyone discovers "Sophia"'s real identity: after so much build-up, I was expecting a more shocking moment of realization, especially for Nadia. It seems that the main purpose of "The Descent" is simply to set up the two final episodes of the season, and an upcoming unexpected cast member return. Not that it doesn't have its good points: Katya Derevko's "interrogation", where she more than holds her own against Jack, the Tomb Raider-like flashback with Sloane and Nadia, the coupling of Dixon with Director Chase (I felt their chemistry from "The Index"), and last but not least, Jennifer Garner's legs (in the Cannes assignment). *** out of 4.