"Conscious"

Written by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec
Directed by Ken Olin


In which Sydney agrees to undergo an experimental form of memory reclamation, as Lindsey continues to tighten the noose...

Status Report - 60 Minute Drill - Final Analysis







Status Report

Having firmly established that conventional methods will not work to retrieve Sydney’s memories, this episode takes a left turn by offering a possible solution through a form of dream therapy. Using a perfect performance by David Cronenberg as a doctor with a highly controversial method of blurring the edges between memory and dream, this episode provides an unusual look into the subconscious mind of Sydney Bristow.

All of which comes as the world begins to fall in around Sydney and her compatriots. The psychological attack inflicted on Dixon by arresting him in front of his family is only the beginning. Lindsey pulls out all of the usual tricks in this episode, revealing just how slimy he can be. His casual dismissal of Lauren, immediately discounting her obvious discomfort and distaste, speaks volumes.

The writers quickly resolve one of the open questions from the previous episode, making sure that Lauren is somewhat protected from her involvement in Sydney’s rescue, while also seeing to the needs of their own cover. It seems a little too staged when Lauren invites Sydney to provide the necessary beating to make the story about the Covenant convincing, but it does have a certain rationale to it. It would have been far more uncomfortable for one of the men to beat on her.

Throughout, there is a clear display of power by Lindsey, even down to his conversation with Sloane. That conversation is easily the most telling, as it seems to put to rest any possibility that Lindsey is Sloane’s puppet. At least, Lindsey is not openly and knowingly working for Sloane. It undermines the possibility that Sloane is controlling Lindsey and others within the government.

However, that does nothing to back Sloane’s claim regarding his attempted redemption. Apparently Lindsey is aware that Sloane is working towards some kind of goal. Perhaps trading the Rambaldi device for a pardon was a critical step in that overall plan. Whatever that plan might be, it might speak to the hints at the end of the second season regarding Sloane’s reasons for wanting to pull together the Rambaldi artifacts.

Rambaldi is at the heart of this episode. From the recovery of Lazarey’s hand, marked with the symbol of Rambaldi’s followers, to the connections to Rambaldi within Sydney’s dream state, this episode establishes that Rambaldi is clearly still a large part of the series mythology. Indeed, the mysterious “47” reference is back with a vengeance.

The revelations about Lazarey force all assumptions about the season into a completely different direction, which of course is the point. If the first act of the season set up the central mysteries and conflicts, then the second act is all about revelations and hidden truths. Something connects Lazarey and Rambaldi, but perhaps more importantly, there is the mysterious St. Aiden. Whatever St. Aiden refers to, it is at the heart of Sydney’s missing time.

The dream scene in which Sydney celebrates her birthday suggests connections to her inclusion in Project: Christmas, which in turn relates to the past association between Irina and Sloane, almost 30 years earlier. This suggests many things, most interestingly the possibility of a connection between Sloane’s ultimate goals and Syndey’s unusual upbringing.

Oddly, “St. Aiden” is an underlying motif within the dreamscape, suggesting that the events are founded or based within the boundaries set by St. Aiden. If Sydney was acting under someone’s orders when Lazarey’s murder was faked, ostensibly to lure the Covenant into their current activities, perhaps St. Aiden was the one working with Sydney and Lazarey to make it happen. It would also seem that Lazarey and/or St. Aiden are connected with Sydney’s reappearance, based on the connection between the coded coordinates and the code leading Sydney to Rome, which means that Irina is also connected.

If Sloane secretly runs the Covenant, then it makes sense that this would be his chance to retrieve the Rambaldi device. In terms of the attempt on Sydney’s life, he could easily work with Jack and the others to ensure that Sydney appears to be dead. At any rate, it seems as though Sloane is using Jack and Sydney to attain his end goal, whatever it might be.

Which means that Sydney might have been restored in order to serve as a kind of sleeper agent within Sloane’s influence. One could guess that St. Aiden would have been the one behind that decision. So, who is St. Aiden, and what is that person’s motivation? There is one answer that could ultimately begin to resolve some of the lingering questions within the series mythology.

What if St. Aiden is none other than the immortal Rambaldi? What if the truth that Irina was keeping to herself, in terms of her own motivations, was that she was following Rambaldi in a concerted effort against Sloane? Irina’s decisions in the past were directly opposed to Sloane and the Alliance, which Sloane was using for his own purposes.

How else would Irina know for certain that Sydney was the woman in the prophecy on Rambaldi’s all-important page 47? And for that matter, could Irina have been posing as “The Man”, when it was really Rambaldi all along? Perhaps Sydney’s disappearance has something to do with Rambaldi’s plan to use Sydney to bring down Sloane, who could be considered “the greatest power”, since he has been manipulating the world. Hence, the truth being held behind Door 47.

The other intriguing aspect of Sydney’s dream is her doppelganger. The fact that she first appears as Lauren could be telling, since the second appearance of the doppelganger seems to suggest that it’s a kind of personal mental block, keeping her from remembering the truth about Room 47. The fact that the doppelganger appeared as Lauren underscores the latent feeling of competition between them, but also could be a hint that Lauren was somehow involved in the circumstances that brought about the mental block.

This is meaningful because Lauren’s role in Sloane’s plan has been so heavily suggested that it’s almost impossible to believe that she was simply that naïve. At the same time, it looks like Lauren is unaware that she was being used. That contradiction is only one of many that would arise if it is revealed that the characters are all acting of their own volition. Too many decisions have been against character this season.

No review of this episode could possibly be complete without giving praise to the performance of David Cronenberg. With his odd speaking cadence and shifts in topic, Cronenberg takes what is a truly inspired character and gives it life. It’s clear that the regular cast members fed off of that strange energy, especial Victor, who produced some of the most comic expressions possible while staying in character.

As the latest step in the unfolding explanation of Sydney’s missing time, this episode provides enough material to run through the second act of the season arc and beyond. If the season structure rings true, the truth will likely be revealed within two or three episodes. Hopefully, at that point, this season will be firmly rooted in the mythology of the first two seasons, as this episode suggests.


60 Minute Drill

03:05 – I’m not so sure that Sloane’s answer to Sydney’s question is entirely honest. I still think he was holding out about the alternative memory restoration method for a reason...

03:53 – OK, this has to be one of the funniest moments of the season! Love the expression on the guy walking out of the liquor store!

04:15 – Was I the only one thinking that Sydney decoded the coordinates for the shapeship from “Roswell”? Or maybe she was being sent to fight the Gorn! (Tell me someone else recognized the oft-used location...)

04:36 – “Then we’re screwed. Not an unfamiliar situation...”

06:16 – Ah...Rambaldi’s back with a vengeance!

10:38 – I can only imagine the sensation of deep satisfaction that millions of people felt when Sydney connected that punch...

12:11 – Sydney did a capable enough job...

13:02 – I can’t wait for Lindsey to get his in the end...he is such a scum!

14:30 – Gotta love that little discussion about Vaughn’s spine...and Jack’s sense of humor...

15:08 – Now that’s what I call a quality lab assistant!

16:20 – Jack’s expression speaks volumes...has he ever been so stunned?

16:42 – “Facon”?

16:57 – I swear, Kaya looks like she wants to do more than hug everyone in the room...and I don’t see how that would be a bad thing...

21:58 – Nice use of the countdown and the commercial spot!

26:43 – Interesting that Sloane appears just as external information begins filtering into Sydney’s dream world...suggestive that Sloane was possibly involved in manipulating her mind in the past. Could this professor have been involved?

28:57 – You have to wonder at someone who counts his BBQ chips on the same level as theoretical memory reclamation therapy...

31:10 – I love it when they use that camera trick!

31:27 – “How nice for you...”

34:42 – The fact that Sydney’s brain is doing something irregular supports the idea that something was intentionally implanted in her memory to block her from a specific event...

39:43 – I wasn’t at all fooled by this scene, which made Sydney’s confusion all the more cringe-inducing!

39:48 – I also had to wonder how quickly a person can actually recover from having an adrenaline shot like that...regardless of the state of her vitals...

46:00 – Now this is interesting. What does Lindsey know, or think he knows, that would make him want to ensure Sydney’s death? Could this be a lingering fear on the part of certain sectors of the intelligence community regarding the prophecy?

50:48 – Now that’s a different look for Dixon...I think I like it!

51:31 – Having Weiss and Marshall use one of the first Rambaldi devices uncovered on the show as an ashtray is a great way to continually tie her memories into the larger context of the mythology...

52:52 – So is that Sydney keeping herself away from that memory...or was it Julia?

54:20 – What could Door 47 possibly have been holding that would leave Sydney so stunned?

54:25 – This is the second episode this season to not have any opening credits. Do they really need the extra commercial time that badly?


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode was one of the best of the season. The dream sequences were well done, and the performance of David Cronenberg stole the show. Enough hints about Sydney’s missing time were given to fuel endless speculation, and some scenes suggest that former assumptions about the season might be proven false.

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

Final Rating: 9/10




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