Alias (TV Series) Welcome to Liberty Village (2005) User Reviews

Everything is better with an exploding helicopter

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 1 September 2010]

When a group of Russian ultra-nationalists known as the October Contingent gets its hands on an electromagnetic pulse weapon Sydney and Vaughn are sent to Moscow to infiltrate them by posing as two real Russians who are in German custody. When they get there they soon make contact with 'Tom' who is keen to hear that they can speak English without a Russian accent. Since they can obviously pass that test they are moved to the group's base of operations, a mock up of an American suburb that they have dubbed Liberty Village. When they arrive they are taken to their new house and introduced to their new 'neighbours'. The look and sound American but something isn't quite right; perhaps they are just a little too stereotypically American. After the house warming party Sydney goes jogging to get an idea of their new surroundings and Vaughn practices assembling the new pistol Tom gave him. The next day they are taken to buy a new car, the price isn't exactly usual though; they must fight two of their neighbours to the death to see who gets it! Whey they are getting to know the group the team back at APO have identified everybody there and Jack is working with a Russian contact to find a way to extract them should something go wrong… and it doers; the Germans broadcast that they are moving the two Russians Sydney and Vaughn were impersonating.

This was a fun episode but just because it contained a few laughs doesn't mean it wasn't action packed; it featured shoot-outs, fights and even an exploding helicopter! While the main story was wrapped up within the episode while Jack was dealing with his contact he came into information suggesting that the Russians are looking for Irina… perhaps she isn't dead after all and if she isn't I'm sure we'll be in for some interesting episodes in future.

"We will have to move up our timetable"

[gridoon2024 · 7/10 · 1 January 2010]

The Sloane line above is one of the few things in this episode that gave me hope for the future of "Alias". It seems that he and Jack have formed an alliance about something regarding Irina Derevko. Cool! I want to know what it is. The series itself needs to move up its timetable; the trivial-mission-of-the-week format is a dead end. In the early phases of season 1, we had Sydney trying to avoid being exposed as a double agent. In season 2, we had her conflicted relationship with her mother. In season 3, we had her effort to find out where she had been in the last 2 years, and how she could have killed a stranger in cold blood. And now we have her simply going on missions that are quickly forgotten, while Sloane is mostly around to give orders and congratulations, Nadia is underused, Sark is nowhere to be seen, Rambaldi is put aside, the Covenant is never mentioned, etc. To be honest, I feel that Sydney & Vaughn are getting too much screen time in the last few episodes; "Alias" has a great roster of characters and actors, and it should let them contribute more. I did appreciate the surreality of "Liberty Village" (evil hidden under the placid surface of suburban "American" life as it is acted out by a Russian extremist organization), but I still think the series is a bit stuck at the moment. Also, what's up with the shaky camera and the constant zoom-ins and -outs during the briefing sequence? "Alias" has ALWAYS had steady camera work in the dialogue scenes. Not surprisingly, director Kevin Hooks was a first-timer in the series. *** out of 4.

OH.. I Like it Like This !

[elshikh4 · 12 February 2008]

A community of lethal Rock Hudson & Doris Day kind of couples, and in the same atmosphere of the American ideal suburbs from the 1950s' image yet acted and directed by Russian killers as a project to graduate more of them! That was nice idea for that episode of Alias, especially at this very phase when the makers of the show were ready to anything whereas the whole first half of season 4 was just a bunch of separate episodes.

..Then at the second half, you'll have - suddenly! - a connected storyline with a lot of the same old nonsense which literally destroyed everything wonderful about such a show: The long, very long, Rambaldi's device enigma odyssey, the too many gone too far twists in one character, the boring must succeed mission in every episode.. etc!

However, everything here seemed cool. It got fair action and compact drama in short time. As for the main idea, 6 years earlier, in the 15th episode of (The X Files)'s sixth season, entitled (Arcadia), there was another strange "perfect community", in one suburb, with no mistakes. Here, it's the vivid violent parody of it, as a funny anti-Utopian one. The details weren't that many, but I loved the part of "Kill me to win my car!" as crazily sarcastic and very dynamic too.

You'll wish if only they made it all like this, as unattached adventures, to be like any other spying show, however with a family of spies, for the sake of the fans who would live some unforgettable moments of anger because a lot of silliness at the rest of season 4, and season 5 also. That came basically from that desire to be a connected series, with a cliffhanger in the end of every episode. Actually the bitter truth is that the hypothetical age of Alias' continuation was over at the end of season 2, when the incompetence became the fate, and the dotage hit it early.

(Welcome to Liberty Village) is enjoyable episode, like all of those separate ones. So enjoy all of them, because it's surly and regrettably the last fine days of Alias.

Great plot, Bad Script

[jannik_met · 4/10 · 27 February 2009]

First off, I think this episode has a really cool story, and Jim Pirri is great as the leader of the compound. The episode also adds to the general 'feel' of the ALIAS universe by including Alexei, and discussing Irina Derevko & Jack Bristow's relationship.

But...

Sydney & Vaughn are both veteran agents (although Sydney has more field time), but they fail so horribly in this episode. They stumble through the initial introduction, and seem bland & emotionless for the first minute in the Car Dealer. Agents with their experience should be able to snap into an unexpected role near-instantly, not fumble around and look bewildered.

So, I would have given this episode an 8, but whoever wrote the dialog gets it turned down to a 4.