"The Hourglass"

Written by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec
Directed by Ken Olin


In which the identity of “The Passenger” is revealed, as the CIA attempts to use Vaughn’s marriage to Lauren to learn about the Covenant’s plans on the eve of Sloane’s execution...

Status Report - Final Analysis







Status Report

Verifying most of the theories from the past two episodes regarding “The Passenger”, this episode is largely a transitional piece devoted to consequences. Sloane explains his motivations as his execution draws near, and the revelation regarding the identity of “The Passenger” sends just about every character into unexpected directions.

Once again, Sloane’s master plan is at the center of the episode’s meaning. Ultimately, one must decide whether to believe that Sloane only discovered that he was the father of “The Passenger” at the end of the second season, just before acquiring the Di Regno heart. There’s plenty of reason not to believe that version of the story, not the least of which is the elaborate scheme to acquire all 47 pieces of The Telling, initiated long before Sloane’s journey to Tibet.

One must also take into account Irina’s part in these events. Irina is definitely playing her own game, as her sudden dismissal of Jack attests. It remains very likely that Irina has been a partner with Sloane for quite some time, probably since the birth of “The Passenger” following her apparent death. Irina’s ground work for using Jack to eliminate Sloane could have been a precursor to her eventual bid to take control of the Rambaldi endgame.

It now seems clear that the Order of Rambaldi was protecting “The Passenger” until the time of her foretold discovery. For Irina or Sloane to already have “The Passenger” in possession doesn’t quite make sense. This leads to the obvious question: why would Irina and/or Sloane lose their own daughter? Especially if there was some rationale for having a child in the first place, something strongly hinted yet contradicted by Sloane’s story?

Perhaps that explains the need for Sloane’s entire terrorism operation from the very beginning. What if someone abducted “The Passenger”, and both Sloane and Irina were actively seeking the information necessary to identify and locate her? This would fit the personal dedication necessary for each to pursue such a long-term goal, beyond whatever comes after “The Passenger” is found.

Sloane seems to have genuine concerns regarding his lack of control over events. His demeanor suggests that finding and controlling “The Passenger” is a vital part of the Rambaldi endgame, and that he is the only one who knows what’s at stake. This is consistent with the idea that Sloane has specific reasons for wanting to set Sydney against her sister, perhaps because “The Passenger” is the most deadly threat to world peace ever imagined.

When Sloane faces death, he seems to accept that he’s going to die, and yet there’s a feeling that he knew it wouldn’t necessarily be the case. This is a man, after all, who successfully faked the death of his own wife and then revived her as part of a major plot to deceive the Alliance. Note how he quickly drinks the remainder of his wine after Jack slips him the veiled reference to their activities in Vietnam; his blank expression could be contemplation of the possible implication of that reference.

There’s also the fact that Sloane intentionally revealed the information about the affair through Dr. Barnett, as if knowing that it would have a terrifying effect on Jack and Sydney. Telling them directly would be one thing; having it come from a trusted source, even knowing the origin of the information, lends it a certain veracity. Sloane was very likely relying on Jack and Sydney to intervene in some way to save his life.

None of which steals away any of the power of the final act. The execution/shootout montage is a thing of beauty, savage and elegant at the same time. Just the existence of “The Passenger” has stripped away part of Sydney’s civilized veneer, knowing that her world is once again dependent on the whims of others. Add to that the tension of the Lauren situation, and Sydney can’t help but unleash hell on her enemies.

Vaughn finally gets to show some of his edge in this episode, and one has to wonder if the writers are finally going to let him slip into dark territory. Vaughn’s been conflicted this season, but this is a betrayal at the basic level. Sydney sees what that kind of betrayal has made of her father, and rightfully fears the worst for Vaughn. Jack, too, understands what Vaughn must do to survive this, and in a rare moment of respect, believes that Vaughn can make the tough choices.

While she’s certainly more ruthless, Lauren’s mother displays the same level of inattention. Vaughn was given far too much room to maneuver at the estate, considering that he was being watched by two high-level Covenant members! It speaks to a certain sloppiness on the part of the Covenant overall, which might explain why Sloane needed to plan long-term in the first place.

As things stand now, Sloane is back in the shadow world, perhaps even more powerful now that his enemies believe him to be dead. Jack has placed himself in a dire situation by keeping Sloane alive, because if Sloane escapes and becomes a factor again, he will be implicated. Jack has always played fast and loose with the rules of conduct, but this is likely to end his career, unless some other factor is introduced. The idea that Sloane wouldn’t have a contingency plan to aid his own escape is ludicrous.

The real mystery now is how “The Passenger” relates to the open question of Rambaldi’s endgame, and what role Irina might play. It’s almost a given that Irina and/or Katya will call in the markers with Jack, to ensure that Sloane doesn’t get to manipulate him exclusively. And Sydney remains the wild card, since she has a destiny related to “The Passenger” (probably similar to the one theorized in the review for the previous episode).

It becomes more and more clear how Irina’s absence this season has weakened the overall drama. Irina is central to the plot, and yet she cannot actually appear. This has been handled about as well as one could expect, and perhaps even better than that. But the time is swiftly approaching when the plot is going to require more from Irina than the occasional online chat. How this is handled could mean everything for the season finale.


Final Analysis

Overall, this was another strong episode leading into the season finale. Once again, the strong connections to past continuity gave the current situation a great deal of gravitas, without overwhelming the particular drama of each new revelation. The characters are all on the verge of losing everything, and that makes the entire situation worth watching.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4

Final Rating: 9/10




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