"The Frame"

Written by Crystal Nix Hines
Directed by Max Mayer


In which Lauren is forced to make a difficult decision in order to maintain her cover as Vaughn’s wife, while Sydney attempts to prevent the Covenant from gaining more Rambaldi artifacts...

Status Report - Final Analysis







Status Report

Perhaps seeking to drive the soap opera elements to new heights, the writers take an opportunity in this episode to underscore the apparent familial nature of the intelligence community by introducing yet another layer of similarity between Lauren and Sydney. It turns out that Sydney isn’t the only one with a father playing favorites in his intelligence work and a mother working for the other side.

The process of establishing this rather questionable family dynamic is complicated at best. It makes perfect sense for Sark to demand that Lauren kill her own father, if only to eliminate a potential source of exposure. It fits Sark’s twisted sense of quid pro quo, if nothing else. Certainly Sark isn’t concerned about the death of his own father, despite his claims to the contrary. This is more likely his means of gaining some control over the woman who has been leading him by the collar so well.

It’s interesting that Senator Reed was willing to manufacture evidence that Lauren was working on a secret project at his behest. For one thing, it’s too easy. If Senator Reed had been a part of the season arc prior to recent episodes, then perhaps this revelation would hold more power. But at the same time, it speaks to Lauren’s upbringing, and why she would have such a flexible definition of loyalty. Perhaps that was the difference between Sydney and Lauren: Lauren’s moral weakness left her vulnerable to the tactics of the Covenant.

Of course, the fact that Lauren’s mother is an agent for the Covenant also explains how Lauren would have been exposed. Lauren’s mother could have volunteered her as a suitable subject for the “Julia Thorne” treatment. This would be consistent with the idea that Lauren is Sydney’s dark reflection. Lauren might have been a product of Project: Christmas as well, identified and conditioned to be a spy for the Covenant. This connects Irina’s mission to steal the methodology of Project: Christmas with the revelation that Sloane has been working towards this critical juncture for over thirty years.

The implication, of course, is that Irina was a willing partner with Sloane on the Rambaldi project. Indeed, without Irina’s organization, Sloane would not have succeeded in his master plan to use the Alliance for his own purposes. And if Irina has always been a part of the Covenant, then it ties her secret organization to the “sudden” emergence of the Covenant around the time of Sydney’s disappearance at the end of the second season. Irina could have been running the Covenant in Sloane’s stead, waiting for the right moment to insert herself into Sydney’s life as part of the scheme.

All of which leads to the open question of Irina’s part in Sloane’s plan, and her current loyalties. Has Irina always been working with Sloane to bring about the culmination of Rambaldi’s endgame, or has she been maneuvering to take out Sloane and seize control of the Covenant when the time is right? Whatever the case, Irina is clearly a central piece of the puzzle.

Much of this episode is spent on the scheme to keep Lauren close to Vaughn, a part of the plan that could very well be meant to keep Lauren close to Sydney. As Sloane has made very clear over the course of the season, Jack and Sydney play an important role in his plans. Since Sloane’s plans are completely entwined with Rambaldi’s endgame, the obvious question presents itself: what is that endgame?

“Full Disclosure” suggested that the goal of the Covenant (and therefore Sloane’s goal) has been to use Sydney’s genetics, melded with the preserved genetics of Rambaldi, to bring about the “second coming” of Rambaldi in the form of rebirth. This obviously requires someone to carry that embryo to term. The obvious choice would be Lauren, since she has been presented as Sydney’s opposite number. But that may not be the case.

The plan to bring about Rambaldi’s rebirth is connected to “The Passenger”, according to Lazarey, and in this episode it seems as though “The Passenger” is a person. That person is also “Irina’s legacy”, which sounds an awful lot like a reference to Irina’s genetic legacy: another child. Sydney is obviously not “The Passenger”, so who could it be?

Recall Sloane’s assertion that he and Irina had an affair. Sloane hinted that Sydney could be his daughter, but his specific choice of phrasing left that open to Dr. Barnett’s interpretation. The implication is that Sloane and Irina did have a daughter, but that it wasn’t Sydney at all. In fact, if Sloane and Irina joined forces immediately after Irina’s faked death, they could have planned to independently nurture Irina’s two daughters for the purposes of exploiting both. Sloane would see to Jack and Sydney, to ensure Sydney’s proper development for her role in the Rambaldi endgame, and Irina would prepare the second daughter to bear the “second coming” of Rambaldi.

What’s interesting is that the second daughter, if that is indeed the correct interpretation, would be called “The Passenger”. That implies some kind of movement or travel as a companion to someone else. Was Irina already pregnant with the second child when she left the United States, or is that journey yet to come? And is the restoration of Rambaldi really the goal?

Several factors remain in play. One interesting aspect of the Rambaldi artifacts is the combination of antique and apparent future technology, mated with hidden locations that are in perfect condition in the “present” time period. Several locations of Rambaldi artifacts have been regions which could not have remained untouched by time: the underground location of Rambaldi’s journal, the ice caves with the zero point energy music box, and now the underwater formation holding the keys to the “Irina” box. Indeed, simply the specific reference to Irina seems too direct a reference, even for a psychic.

In fact, it seems odd that Sloane would know so much about the details of artifacts that he has always claimed to be ignorant of, to the point of needing Sydney and others to find and gather those artifacts for him. Surely The Telling could have outlined what was necessary for the Rambaldi endgame, but that doesn’t explain how Sloane could have known so much about Rambaldi over the previous thirty years.

Sloane’s knowledge of Rambaldi’s endgame could have a far more fascinating source. If Sloane has been running an organization dedicated to bringing about Rambaldi’s works, could the Covenant itself have been secretly planting the Rambaldi artifacts in key locations over a much longer timeframe than 30 years? Indeed, could the Covenant be the modern incarnation of the Magnific Order of Rambaldi, more active and militant as the final endgame comes into play?

Note that the Covenant members are unaware of the identity of the person in charge of the entire operation. Could that have also been the case for the Magnific Order of Rambaldi? Sloane began his quest after meeting a monk in the Himalayas before beginning his Rambaldi work, a man who knew exactly what Sloane would ultimately accomplish.

This all suggests that some detailed knowledge of the “present” was known to Rambaldi. How this knowledge might have been acquired is unknown; however, it seems odd that Rambaldi would be able to know such details, even as a prophetic visionary. There is still the open question of the prophecy regarding the woman who is destined to “bring forth Rambaldi’s works”.

Sydney’s sister, born of Irina, would likely have the same genetic characteristics that made Sydney such a perfect match for the woman in the prophecy. That woman could bring about Rambaldi’s rebirth, but at the same time, what if Sydney is the woman depicted…and Sloane has simply been a pawn of a much larger game?

Considering what Rambaldi has created in the past, what possible power could remain to be harnessed? If Rambaldi was obsessed with transcending mortality, would control over the passage of time be something equally valuable? And if Sydney was the woman who aided Rambaldi’s followers in “bringing forth his works”, simply revealing the locations of the key devices necessary to bring about that “greatest power”, could Sydney also be the one to use that power to bring Rambaldi’s plans to “utter desolation”?

The suggestion is that Sydney will bring forth Rambaldi’s endgame, and then be the one to destroy it, unless she is prevented. The endgame seems to be a connection between some future device and the Rambaldi child. Could Rambaldi have been attempting to create a means to transfer his consciousness into a specifically prepared vessel, like a genetically engineered child? Could Sydney have been necessary for that plan, yet also the likely means of its reversal?

It seems difficult to make that theory consistent, unless one remembers that one man knows the full measure of Rambaldi’s endgame: Arvin Sloane. Indeed, Rambaldi understood that Sydney is necessary to bring about the Rambaldi child, and also understood that Sydney could destroy that plan if not prevented “at vulgar cost”. What if Sydney was unable to prevent the creation of the ultimate Rambaldi device, meant to send the consciousness of the past Rambaldi into his future child...but managed to sabotage that device so that the one person with the most complete picture of Rambaldi’s endgame was subsequently transferred to the mind of the original Rambaldi in his youth?

Any number of variations on this theme could result in the same effect. Indeed, it’s very possible that Rambaldi’s endgame and Sloane’s apparent detailed knowledge of it could take a very different direction. But one thing is for certain: there is a connection between the past and the “present” for Rambaldi. Whatever the explanation, Rambaldi’s detailed knowledge of the “present” must be explained.

These theories place Lauren in the role of misdirection, playing the role of Sydney’s opposite number until the Sydney’s true doppelganger can be revealed. It also should force Vaughn into darker territory, which would be a vast improvement over his current lack of intelligence. Vaughn has never been the most savvy man in the world, but his current naïve mentality is incredibly hard to believe. If Sydney weren’t already in love with the man, it’s hard to see her becoming attracted to the man he’s become.

As much as this episode prompted some intriguing theories regarding the connections between Sloane, Irina, and Rambaldi, the attempt to frame Sloane seems rather pointless. Lauren seems intent on doing so, which doesn’t quite mesh with the idea that Lauren intentionally worked to give Sloane credibility and a pardon agreement as part of Sloane’s master plan. Unless, of course, Sloane has intentionally placed himself in this position, something that certainly would explain his distinct lack of reaction to his apparent fate.

It also doesn’t make sense for Senator Reed’s death to be ruled a suicide without any reservation, since it’s incredibly hard to justify. There’s a rather obvious difference between the wound and effect of a gunshot from several feet away and a self-inflicted shot to the head. Perhaps those investigating the death were in the Covenant’s pocket, but why would Jack fail to recognize that something was suspicious?

One thing is very clear: the Rambaldi mystery is still very much the central core of the “Alias” mythology, and everything that happens is a part of that complexity. For every weakness inflicted by the intrigues of the Reed family, the larger Rambaldi mystery makes up for it. It would have been better had the CIA’s interest in “The Passenger” had been fleshed out more in the episodes since “Full Disclosure”, but at this point, there’s only so much to hope for.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode was a mixture of somewhat annoying Reed family intrigue and an excellent return to Rambaldi mythology. More questions than answers are provided, but for now, that’s enough. Something must be done about the characterization of Michael Vaughn, very quickly, or the impending confrontation could easily fizzle. Still, stronger than many of the recent episodes have been!

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10




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