By Kate Coli

J.J Abrams is a familiar name in the entertainment industry, known for blockbusters such as 2009’s Star Trek and Mission Impossible: Fallout. But what project came before those ventures that gave him a push into the spotlight? Enter Alias: An early 2000’s exploration of espionage, conspiracy, and brightly colored wigs.

Photo credit: ABC.

The Emmy-winning tv show Alias aired for five seasons on ABC, between 2001 and 2006, and tells the ever-changing story of agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner). Sydney allegedly works for a covert branch of the CIA titled SD-6. However, she soon learns that SD-6 is not part of the CIA, and she is instead working for the very enemy she was thought she was fighting against. 

Sydney, a lonely student, was offered to join SD-6 during her freshman year at UCLA. Sydney lost her mother (Lena Olin) in a car crash at the age of six and was left with her uncommitted father, Jack Bristow (Victor Garber). After an unfulfilling childhood, she was longing for someplace to call home and for a group of people to call her family. SD-6 filled that void for a lengthy seven years thanks to her co-workers and new father figure: Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin). Sloane, who is secretly a family-friend of the Bristows, is the head of SD-6 and the epitome of a criminal mastermind. When he finds out that Sydney has told her fiancé, Danny (Edward Atterton), that she works for SD-6, Sloane orders a hitman to kill Danny, since he is considered a “breach of security.” 

Sydney later finds out the truth about both Sloane and SD-6 and transforms into her first alias. Complete with endearing synth music, one of the first scenes of the show pictures Sydney strutting into LAX looking to purchase a ticket to Taipei in order to steal a nuclear weapon that Sloane has his eye on. Wearing the bright red wig pictured on the first season’s poster, Sydney embodies a girl far from herself. The only thing uniting Sydney and her alias is their newfound vendetta against Sloane. The first episode’s burst of conflict immediately draws viewers in, persuading them to buckle up for a five season-long ride of exhilarating missions and glamorous aliases. 

Throughout the five seasons of Alias, Abrams successfully creates a distinct atmosphere with each episode. I spent the whole summer fawning over small details of the show, such as the colorful wardrobes and the plots that teeter on the line between fiction and science fiction. 

The base of the plot sets its focus on the fictional fifteenth-century Italian philosopher, Milo Rambaldi. Rambaldi, who is comparable to Leonardo DaVinci, is described throughout Alias as the main motivator of the story and one of the many aspects of the show that sets it apart from similar projects such as National Treasure and NCIS. The fifteenth-century philosopher’s manuscripts depict Sydney’s face and DNA sequence, making me wonder upon my first viewing of the show if it was going to become supernatural. However, Abrams and the other writers manage to keep the show in the realm of realism by limiting the supernatural narrative as the show progresses. 

While viewers usually emphasize that it is the plotline that makes Alias so memorable, I disagree. Alias initially seemed like another all-action spy show about the CIA. However, after seeing the diverse range of characters and friendships in the show, I was quickly persuaded into changing my mind. While there are serious characters who never dare to crack a smile, such as Sydney’s father and double agent Jack Bristow, the writers somehow create a balance of personalities. They achieve this by weaving lighthearted characters into the show like SD-6 head of technology Marshall Flinkman (Kevin Weisman), and field agent Eric Weiss (Greg Grunberg). The two constantly joke about their involvement in the traumatic work they do, creating a newfound satirical atmosphere. Frazier Tharpe at the pop-culture website Complex says that the addition of these characters “willingly [embraces] the fun side of the genre.” Abrams also provides endearing villains, such as Sydney’s mother, Irena Derevko, and the young, cocky Mr. Julian Sark (David Anders) who is always quick to note that his “loyalties are flexible.” The show’s range of personalities, from comical agents to terrorists whose voices exude intimidation, not only add to Alias’s range in content but also allows the show to reach a larger audience. 

Wigs. Pink, red, blonde, black, blue. You name it, Sydney has worn it. In the show’s companion book, Alias: Declassified, the show’s head of wardrobe and costume design, Laura Goldsmith, says that Sydney’s plethora of aliases (and wigs) was “an integral part of the show’s style and sense of fun”. The addition of theatrical costumes and 2000’s fashion created a new sense of entertainment, showcasing Sydney’s ability to quickly shift between both styles and characters. One of the most iconic and recognizable pictures related to Alias is a promotional shoot of Garner posing in a short red wig against a dark, looming background. The photoshoot (among various wig-bearing episodes) show that while the material of the show is dark and disturbing at times, the fashion and amusing aliases that Sydney comes up with compensate for the seemingly intimidating topics of the episodes. 

After watching the whole show twice over the summer, I came to a conclusion: This show needs to be brought back into the public eye. While the show has been recognized in the past (it jump-started Bradley Cooper’s career and earned Garner a Golden Globe award for Best Actress after only one season), it deserves the spotlight for a second time. Amazon has taken a step in the right direction by making all five seasons free to view for Amazon Prime members. Luckily for Alias fans like myself, Garner says that “there’s an Alias reboot happening” after nearly fifteen years. With Amazon providing the show for casual viewing and the rumors of a reboot, Alias is set to make a possible comeback with the newer generations.