Alias/Q & A

Q & A
Season 1, Episode 17
Airdate	March 17, 2002
Production Number	E646
Written by	J.J. Abrams
Directed by	Ken Olin
← 1x16 The Prophecy	1x18 → Masquerade
Alias — Season One

Q & A is the seventeenth episode of the first season of Alias. Sydney is questioned by an FBI team about her past.

Starring: Jennifer Garner (Sydney Bristow), Ron Rifkin (Arvin Sloane) (archive footage), Michael Vartan (Michael Vaughn), Bradley Cooper (Will Tippin), Merrin Dungey (Francie Calfo), Carl Lumbly (Marcus Dixon) (archive footage), Kevin Weisman (Marshall Flinkman) (archive footage)

and Victor Garber (Jack Bristow)

Special Guest Star: Terry O'Quinn (FBI Special Officer Kendall)

Guest Starring: Joey Slotnick (CIA Agent Steven Haladki)

Featuring: John Simmons (FBI Officer), Andrew A. Rolfes (Guard), Lisa Dinkins (FBI Agent Baker), Frank Hoyt Taylor (FBI Agent Dunn)

Uncredited: Greg Grunberg (Eric Weiss)

Plot Overview

Sydney, confined under NSA Directive 81A that allows her to be held without charge or trial indefinitely, is questioned by an FBI team led by Officer Kendall. Recounting details about her initial recruitment, training, operations, and her revelation of SD-6's true nature, Sydney is also questioned about her father's intentions and how she is involved with SD-6's quest for Rambaldi artifacts.

Vaughn, in an effort to clear Sydney of suspicion, pores over the decoded Rambaldi prophecy and comes across the passage, "This woman, without pretense, will have had her effect never having seen the beauty of my sky behind Mount Subasio. Perhaps a single glance would have quelled her fire." Knowing of the literal interpretation that Dept. of Special Research has taken with Rambaldi, Vaughn, Weiss, and Jack plan to break Sydney out of FBI custody and take her to Rambaldi's home on Mount Subasio so that she can't fulfil the Prophecy.

Jack threatens Sydney's location from Haladki, who was formerly of the FBI and knows their procedures, and grab Sydney as she is about to be transported to a safe house. Giving her a nondescript car and disguise, Sydney has tickets to go to Italy, but is spotted by police on the way. In an extended car chase, Sydney is cornered on a pier and drives her car into the ocean. Faking her death by breathing from the car's tire, she arranges to meet her father one more time. While underwater, she had the revelation that the characteristic anomalies specified by Rambaldi would be shared by her mother and her mother was very capable of faking her death in a similar fashion. Sydney is now convinced both that her mother is the figure of the Prophecy and that she is actually alive.

Notes

• The "SD" of SD-6 is Section Disparue which means disappeared section or hidden section in French.

47

• Haladki says that they have decoded 47 distinct verifiable Rambaldi predictions.

Music

• Smash Mouth - "Diggin' Your Scene"

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Sydney comes to the conclusion that her mother faked her death and therefore maybe the woman described in Rambaldi's prediction.

Trivia

The Show

• This episode omits the recap prelude of Sydney's narration.

• This episode functions in part as a clip show.

Behind the Scenes

• This episode was nominated for three Emmy Awards in 2002 for "Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series", "Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic)" and "Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Series".

Goofs

• In the flashback to Sydney at the phone booth there is a flyer for the film Requiem for a Dream, which came out in 2000. However, based on all that's been established, this flashback takes place years before the film was released.

Quotes

• Sydney: (relating the SD-6 charter) The retrieval and study of intelligence, both military and industrial, throughout the world that is critical to the superiority and survival of the United States of America. It's the company line.

• Jack: (threatening Haladki) If you report this conversation, you will never wear a hat again.