This is a long one
Feedback is welcomed B)

IRINA DEREVKO
A Dark Turn – Episode 17
Agenda, Love and Betrayal

Given all that goes on with our spy family, A Dark Turn was the best episode to date in my opinion. Naturally, it was because it featured Jack and Irina, together in the bulk of the storyline and a great scene between mother and daughter. Now we learn more about Irina and why she really turned herself into the CIA…or do we?

It starts with the death of a Russian mob boss in a crashing elevator. Sark appears and removes some sort of card from the dead man’s wallet. At CIA headquarters, Jack asks Irina about the Russian who died.

However, Irina doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, she asks, “Why haven’t you tried to persuade Sydney to leave the CIA?” In regards to her daughter, besides connecting with her again after twenty years, Irina wants her daughter out of the spy game. “You and I know better than anyone—she should leave this life while she has a chance.” I believe this was a part of her agenda for turning herself into the CIA. Jack knows she’s right in one way, but if she goes, he’ll lose the contact he’s built so hard to re-establish with Sydney. It would be agony for him.

Therefore, he persists and Irina tells him what he wants to know. She offers to help obtain what the Russian Karpachev had – a Rambaldi manuscript. She says a former contact of hers Ilya Stuka had it and now lives in Bangkok. If they can find the manuscript, they can use it to trap Sloane. “And give Sydney her reason to get out.” Jack doesn’t think Kendall will give his permission.

Meanwhile Vaughn and Sydney are together at an ice rink. He’s showing her the game. She manages to get the puck past him and he finds out that when she was five, her mother had taken her to an ice rink to learn to skate. She remembered enough to be able to skate now. Vaughn doesn’t want to talk about her mother. Well, in my opinion, it would be nice to hear him not only talk to Sydney, but also to confront Irina more than he has (Counteragent). I would imagine he’d be a lot angrier than he has shown. However, then we, the audience, would like to know more also.

Sydney is called into the headquarters to meet with a Michael Yeager who is a counter –intelligence threat analyst (big title and scary). She learns that Vaughn is being investigated because of certain unauthorized visits to European cities and his unapproved meetings with KGB and SVR agents. Sydney is frightened, but doesn’t show it. She defends Vaughn, saying there’s a reason. She is further told he doesn’t even know this investigation is taking place. He asks, “Are you and Mr. Vaughn intimate?”

Meanwhile Jack and Kendall are talking about Irina’s leaving the cell again on a mission, this time, with Jack alone. As Kendall is suspicious about Derevko, a known terrorist, Jack tells him “I’ve had twenty years to reflect on that woman’s ability to deceive. Trust me. If she lies to me again, I’ll know it.”

Well there’s those words again, Trust Me! They run trippingly over the tongues in almost every episode. As we will see, Jack’s right about this although saddened by the result. Kendall calls Irina a known terrorist again. Oh, well…those writers…

The scene shifts to Irina’s cell where Jack tells her the op was approved. Marshall appears carrying a box. He injects a sub-dermal tracking device into her shoulder. She doesn’t flinch which impresses Marshall who has told her how much he likes Sydney, who “is awesome.” I wonder what Irina thought when she heard him. Was there a bit of pride in her when she heard Marshall? I can’t help but think there was. I think even Jack was filled with some also.

Meanwhile in the briefing room where Sydney is listening and answering questions put to her by Yeager, it is becoming more evident that he wants her to do something. Eventually he gives her a disk, which she is to use to download his laptop.

“There is not a chance he is collaborating with the enemy.” Sydney says.
Then Yeager, “You know, I knew your mother. About twenty years ago, met her with your father…. very disarming woman…who wasn’t what she seemed.” Now that might have stung Sydney. She wants to know her mother more than she has and the fact that this man knew her while married to her father is not welcomed information.

In Bangkok, Irina dressed as a “floozy,” approaches a guard in a doorway. Jack is behind her at the bar. Speaking a few words of Thai, she is given permission after the guard uses a wand to check her for weapons. Ilya Stuka is playing games with a young terrified woman. Irina tells him to let her go “Play with me instead.”

Now we see Irina Derevko at her best in the “game” she knows all too well. She gets the information, cuts Ilya’s throat, stabs the closest guard in the chest and throws the knife into the door guard’s chest. Three guys eliminated with one weapon. Wow! We had heard about her having killed twelve CIA agents, but up to now it was hard to believe. Watching her was Jack, who when she comes out of the room, shoots the fourth man who was going to shoot her in the back. He saves Irina’s life. He could have eliminated her from his life at that point. He could have ended his own agony, but maybe it would have only created another. Could he have lived with himself, knowing Sydney would have been devastated by Irina’s death? Still, this is Alias, and our plot must go on its intricate way.

Now they are on the plane and Irina tells Jack she never saw the fourth man.
“If you hadn’t fired…” It was an offhand way of thanking him, I think.

They talk about Sloane and when she met him. “Yes. We shared a similar unsentimental patriotism…and a devotion to our wives…” This catches her and I’m sure she felt something. He continued stating that Rambaldi was the reason Sloane changed…and says, “Sloane has a personal connection to Rambaldi.”

That was news. Interestingly enough, neither he or Irina touches on that again nor we are left hanging. Those writers…”

Irina confesses her own obsession and wonders why Jack never got caught up in it. Jack answers “I had something neither of you did.”
“Sydney.” She says, then, as he gets up, she grabs his hand. “I never thanked you for everything…for raising our daughter.”
“We land in four hours. Get some rest.”
Irina turns her face from him, looking extremely pensive or sorrowful. You could see that she was thinking about…what?

Meanwhile Sydney decides not to download Vaughn’s laptop.
Will is giving Francie information that Sydney never told her.
Vaughn and Will discuss dreams and working for the CIA. He is not suspicious at all when Will tells him his dream.

In Hong Kong, Jack and Irina, posing as UN officials, gain access to a Chinese official who must be “Chang?” the man who purchased the Rambaldi manuscript from Stuka. He is gassed. Irina and Jack take the key card and proceed to an inner room where the manuscript is kept. Jack breaks into the glass case. With a reverent look on her face, Irina takes it. Jack watches her carefully.

Sydney returns to the briefing room and gives the disk to Yeager, who believes she did what he asked her. However, she tells him she didn’t. “Ask yourself, would you betray someone you love?”

Oh, my what those words mean to everyone in the episode. It’s obvious that Sydney could not do this to Vaughn and now is putting herself under suspicion that could lead to her own arrest as an accessory.

In the meantime, Irina is back in her cell. She seems to be writing something while inspecting the Rambaldi manuscript. What in the world was the CIA thinking of when they allowed a “known terrorist” access? Irina Derevko was a prisoner! I would have thought Jack would have taken extra precautions himself. He knows now she is obsessed by the manuscript—how could he help not see it when she picked it up?

Sydney comes to the window. Irina turns, sees her, and comes to the window a smile on her face, obviously happy to see her daughter.

“Dad tells me you are going to Panama. Do you think there’s a chance you’ll get Sloane?”
Irina ignores this, “I wanted to see you because…it’s going to be dangerous, setting this trap. I hope it goes well, but there’s no guarantee. So whatever happens I need you to know, Sydney, I love you.”
“Mom…”
“You don’t need to say anything. I’m pretty sure I haven’t earned very much, and that’s okay. This was just something I needed to say.”
“Mom, you’re coming back.”
“I hope so.” Then Irina places her hand on the glass and Sydney places her hand against Irina’s. They smile. Irina drops her hand.

This was a powerfully poignant scene. I knew then that was not going to happen—coming back. I had a desire to see them touch, to hug again. That would have made us cry for sure. However, maybe Sydney would have suspected there was more to the meeting than she did.

Then Jack and Irina are in a hotel room having a glass of wine and finalizing the operation. Irina asks him to remove the tracker because if she is discovered tagged, it’s over. He removes the tracker with a scalpel, stating, “Kendall would have me court-martialed for this.”
She says, “Kendall is not as smart as you.” I pondered over this, and I finally thought it meant the director would not have thought about the possibility she was in extreme danger if Sloane swept her for a bug. Then the operation would not be successful and she might be killed.
Then they look at each other. “We should go to bed.” Irina says softly.
Jack answers, “Yeah, we should.”
They move closer together, passionately kiss and Irina draws Jack back, probably onto the bed. Hooray! At last! All of the Jack and Irina fans get what they wanted: Mom and Dad in a love scene and it was too short. Was this impulse on her part, or did she really plan this? I’d like to believe that she did it impulsively, because she does love him and unfortunately, she wanted to lull him into believing her.

In the morning, in L. A. Sydney and Weiss are trying to find Vaughn who’s GPS on his car gives them the location. Weiss warns Sydney not to call or she’d be breaking a half dozen laws. Sydney drives to where Vaughn is: a somewhat disreputable bar somewhere in Santa Monica. There, she sees him with the same man in the picture that Yeager had shown, an ex-KGB assassin. He gives the man an envelope with money in it. In turn, the ex-KGB agent gives him a large envelope.

Irina is driven to the location that Sloane as told her to go to. She steps out of the van with her two Delta Force men, supposedly from her organization, and she smiles at Jack, who gives her the briefest one back. He is driven away, watching the screen on his laptop that is the feed from the K-11 satellite. It’s the same one Kendall is watching in L. A. The limousine that Sark is driving stops in front of her. She looks inside and sees that it is empty. Sark says Sloane was being careful. First, she says she won’t deal unless he comes to her. Then as Sark turns to leave, she says, “I believe there’s room for all of us.”
Irina looks up at the sky, knowing the satellite is still photographing her. What is she thinking? Then it goes dark in L. A. and on Jack’s laptop. No one can follow her except the helicopter with the other Delta Force men. The limo heads for an overpass and the ‘copter follows as it come out again. (The oldest trick in the world in a chase scene.) However, this is Alias!

Jack tells Kendall to get the manuscript. When the case is brought and opened, the manuscript is gone.

Back in LA, Sydney finally convinces Vaughn he has to tell her everything and why. He told her he was not disloyal, but that he had to find out if Jack was right, that her mother had another agenda.
“And did you?” she asks.
“No, she’s clean.”

In Panama, Sark pulls up into a structure, turns in his seat and kills the two Delta Force agents. He orders her out of the limo as a Police van arrives. The door opens and Sloane is seen.
“It ’s good to see you again, Irina.”
“Thanks for extracting me.” She hands him the Rambaldi manuscript.

Jack seems devastated as he walks away, gun in his hand, shoulders slumping. He had wanted to believe her, but once again, she betrayed him and Sydney. This was a terrible blow—and not to just Jack, but also to those of us who believed she was “good” instead of “evil.” I kept thinking as I watched the episode unfold that Jack said he would know if she lied. I was hoping he did and that he had done something to Irina during their last contact.

I was going to have to wait along with the millions of other viewers.

There still is a somewhat underlying suspicion that we do not know everything there is to know about Irina Derevko and her obsession with Rambaldi. I don’t think it’s quite the same as it is with Sloane. Jack said Sloane had a “connection with Rambaldi” and it’s obvious Irina would not have the same connection. So, what is she after and why? Power? Greed? We know she ran a crime cartel or syndicate that made her a lot of money. Although she turned herself into the CIA, there was nothing to indicate she had given up her assets, which were probably well hidden. I have always believed that Irina did not turn her money over to Sark as the CIA believed. She reportedly has very high IQ. So, was it Knowledge she was after? What? Any other suggestions?

Alias, where nothing is as it seems.

I know the coulmn is about Irina, but I think that maybe Sydney fears that Vaughn is doing to her exactly what Irina did to her father, and she is blinded by her love for him, understandably so. She cannot bear to have someone she loves in this way hurt. Perhaps she even parallels Irina and Vaughn in her mind, and doesn't want to turn away from him like her father did to Irina.

Oh well, just the ramblings of an Irina-loving ALIAS fan! Another brilliant article! I hope she returns for longer scenes in the 3rd series!