Alias/Rendezvous

Rendezvous
Season 1, Episode 21
Airdate	May 5, 2002
Production Number	E650
Written by	Erica Messer & Debra J. Fisher
Directed by	Ken Olin
← 1x20 The Solution	1x22 → Almost Thirty Years
Alias — Season One

Rendezvous is the twenty-first episode of the first season of Alias. Will meets with his mysterious informant.

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

and Victor Garber (Jack Bristow)

Guest Starring: David Anders (Sark), Derrick O'Connor (Alexander Khasinau), Joseph Ruskin (Alain Christophe), Wolf Muser (Ramon Veloso), Kamala Lopez Dawson (Dr. Lemon)

and Amy Irving (Emily Sloane)

Co-Starring: Philippe Bergeron (Lucques Trepanier)

Featuring: Christopher Dukes (Alpha Team Leader), Yvans Jourdain (Second Door Guard), Angela Nogaro (Make-Up Artist), Tom Waite (Interrogator)

Uncredited: Greg Grunberg (Eric Weiss)

Plot Overview

Sydney, in disguise, and Sark are held at gunpoint by Dixon as Vaughn drops a smoke grenade into the compound. The confusion and covering fire from a remote CIA agent allow Sark and Sydney to escape in opposite directions. Sark is followed by Vaughn who catches him and handcuffs him to a gate and recovers the real vial of Rambaldi solution. Sydney is followed by Dixon and the two fight. Dixon, unaware that he is fighting Sydney, wounds her arm with a knife before Vaughn doubles back and knocks him out. On return to the gate, Sark is gone.

Sloane has met with several Alliance members who know that he killed his mentor Briault based on false information from former Alliance head Edward Poole. Reversing their former position, the Alliance have decided that covert action against Khasinau is the best course of action. To coerce Sloane and SD-6 into not attempting to kill Khasinau, they offer to allow Sloane's wife to remain alive despite her knowledge of SD-6.

Sark is recovered by SD-6 from the encounter in Denpasar, Indonesia and is held in an interrogation room. Sloane, knowing that Sark's life is forfeit if Khasinau finds he is in SD6's hands, offers to make him a double agent over a glass of Chateau Patrus '82. The very rare wine is laced with a radioactive isotope which will allow tracking of Sark remotely by satellite.

On Jack's suggestion, Will sets up a meeting with his mysterious informant. Using the bait that he has information "about the circumference," the informant agrees to meet Will in Paris. Will travels to Paris with Jack and is given a chemical to help him resist the effects of Sodium Pentathol. Jack arrives at the location and, as expected, is taken at gunpoint for interrogation.

With Sark as a double agent, they find that Khasinau is in possession of a Rambaldi page written in ink requiring the solution in the vial. With details on the security, the operation is to distract Khasinau long enough to gain access to his office in a dinner club in Paris and replace his page with a duplicate. While Sark is offering Khasinau a fake vial of Rambaldi solution, Sydney poses as a sultry French lounge singer and sings in Khasinau's lap long enough to record his heart's biometric reading so that Dixon can duplicate it. This allows Dixon access to Khasinau's office and Dixon is able to make the page exchange and escape.

While Sydney continues to sing, she notices that Will is being led through the club by armed men. Excusing herself from the stage, she follows and surprises the interrogators and Will by defeating all of them and leading Will out of the club through a hail of gunfire. Will, seeing Sydney as a secret agent for the first time, is stunned throughout. Jack brings a car for Sydney and Will out front and the two take Will to a CIA safe house to get Will a new identity for return to America. Sydney, for fear of his life, asks Will not to talk about what he's seen with anyone and Will quickly agrees. Afraid the revelation will destroy their friendship, Sydney is relieved that Will sympathizes with her difficult position.

Sark is tracked by satellite and an SD-6 team is sent in. They find that Sark is not there but that he has had a full blood transfusion to allow his escape. Will is kept in CIA protective custody but his guards are killed and Sark arrives at his door. When Will opens the door, Sark shoots him.

Notes

• Sydney beats five of Khasinau's men and fights to a stalemate with Dixon. Dixon beats one guard. Jack shoots one of Khasinau's men. Sark shoots Will.

• Marshall gives Sydney a ring which allows her to capture the biometric signature of Khasinau's heart and can send the electrocardiogram results to a cellphone.

• Sydney goes undercover as an underdressed French lounge singer.

Music

• Jacintha - "Autumn Leaves"

• Maren Ord - "Just Like You"

Arc Advancement

Characters

• The Alliance allows Emily to live due to the terminal status of her cancer. However, in a cruel twist of irony, she and Sloane learn that she is in remission.

• Will learns the truth about Sydney and due to the danger he's in for what he knows, he is put in protective custody. Sark, who has evaded SD-6, finds him at the safehouse he's been placed in.

• Weiss takes the heat for Vaughn leaving Sark to save Sydney and as a result of their conversation Vaughn acts far more impersonally with Sydney.

• Dixon strongly suspects that Sydney was the person he fought with in Indonesia and recalls overhearing Sydney use the CIA codename "Freelancer".

Trivia

Allusions and References

• A bottle of Chateau Patrus vintage 1961 sells for $5500 and is among the most expensive wines commercially available.

Memorable Moments

• Will, under sedation from the drug he had been given, sobers up when he sees Sydney in disguise and having just fought all the men who had him at gunpoint by letting out a horrified yell.