Alias

I loved watching Alias. It was one of the few series where I would freak out if I missed an episode - it was just that good. Season 1 through 3 were the best seasons though and I think it got rather heavy after that - ridiculous plot lines and Sloane's crazy obsession with Rembaldi, clones...

The cast are terrific - Jennifer Garner's such a terrific actress and she's surrounded by a stellar cast - Victor Garber, Michael Vartan, Ron Rifkin..

It really is a great show - if you don't mind the confusion now and again and just watch it with an open mind, take it for what it is - a really great series!

I remember this show debuting when I was a teenager. I was so engrossed in it that I was considering one day becoming a government agent. Looking back at this, it still holds up. Between the clever story telling, and character development, it also shows a bit of the spy cliches that I fell in love with. It's also pretty crazy to see a young Bradley Cooper and where he would go from here. The gadgets and technology that is used in the show may look dated but I think it gave Alias its charm. I would love to see Abrams try to come back to this project and bring it to the modern day audiences.

From the very first episode to the series' final moment, 'Alias' never failed to keep me on the edge of my seat. Dramatic, funny, thrilling, action-packed and smart, it brings you through so many twists and turns that you may have to come up for air once in a while, but will undoubtedly find yourself diving in for more. Three years after its conclusion 'Alias' still remains my favorite show, thanks to a stellar cast, gripping score, intelligent writers and great production values; with the lovely Jennifer Garner being the glue that holds it all together, and of course, the brainchild behind it all, J.J. Abrams. Part James Bond, part Indiana Jones, Garner's Sydney Bristow is a hero for the ages. 'Alias' is at once epic, heart-warming, exciting, and ultimately unforgettable; a true gem in the history of serialized television.

This high budget TV show. It uses lush, dramatic, international sets.

The plot has layers upon layers. It is like the old Saturday afternoon serials, ending each episode with a cliff hanger. I think this show is primarily the work of women. Our heroine, Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, dresses in elaborate high-fashion costumes, makeup and hair barely recognisable each time. There are plenty of handsome charming young men who adore her. The focus is on relationships.

Jennifer Garner runs for miles at top speed in every episode. The stunts are well done. It appears Garner is doing them herself. It is quite an athletic performance.

Garner speaks a number of languages in each episode (without subtitles). I don't speak these languages, but her accent was very convincing.

They did a number of technical things that made me angry they were so inept. Sydney moves back and forth between two groups of warring spy agencies without taking any precautions that she is being followed or that her phone is tapped. She dismantles a nuke and holds up a grey sphere which she proclaimed is the plutonium core. Plutonium is radioactive, and as soon as it is formed into a sphere it explodes. Oddly road flares go off in a bank vault.

She is a double agent, but at times does some bit of daring for both simultaneously. The plot often does not make sense, which amusingly one of the characters points out.

Give or take, Garner was 30 years old when Alias hit the big screen and there was no turning back for her.

Have heard so many different stories about how she was "discovered" in Tinseltown that I do not know which to believe.

What I do know is that, for a period of time, JG was the new "it girl", she could do no wrong, and audiences simply could not get enough of her.

Alias, which ran for 5 years, was simply an OK premise taken to heights of high-camp based solely on the star power of Garner.

She was hot, she could act, she could do stunts, she had great reaction shots, and she made it all seem so easy. Even her film roles in his period are worth a look (which is another section of the IMDb entirely).

Recommended for teenage boys of all ages.