IRINA DEREVKO
COUNTDOWN – Episode 20
Apocalyptic Event?

Irina does not appear in this episode, but she is mentioned twice in two separate conversations between Sloane and Sark.

The episode is about the grief Dixon has over the murder of his wife, his way of coping, and his redemption. Following the review of the previous week’s episode, we see him at his home being consoled by his fellow co-corkers, especially Jack whom we learn later was the man who had recruited Dixon into SD-6. Vaughn sees Dixon taking pills. He tells Sydney who reminds Vaughn that after Danny’s murder which had been ordered by Sloane, she had the same thing—the need to get on and to find a way to get even by going back to work.

The next scene Sark and Sloane are discussing the finding the man who was the one they were looking for on the disk. He is in Panama City. Sloane asks where Irina is and Sark tells him she’s in Cyprus looking for a facility to take the place of the one in Spain. Cyprus? I would think there were places closer than there. Oh well, they had to send her some place. Sloane gives Sark a phone number. Someone else could take care of the man in Panama.

There is a meeting of the task force, which has now been taken over by the NSA. The man heading the JTF looks like a crook. Sorry, but he does. He has brought along a cute young woman, Carrie Bowman, who is smart too! She and Marshall hit if off. Oh, oh, romance in the air for your technical genius. Marshall proceeds to identify a DNA strand Rambaldi placed in the corner of one of the drawings of the heart. Upshot, there is a man in Panama that has the same DNA sequence. Marshall also goes on to tell the group that he decoded a part of the manuscript he had copied before Irina absconded with it. The DNA was actually a code key that allowed him to decrypt the 94th page of the manuscript. It gave dates and times of apocalyptic events, the most recent of which would take place in 48 hours.

The scene shifts and Mr. Di Regno, the man in Panama, is awakened by a sound. He gets up and wanders into the other room where he sees an open window. Too Late! Yipes, he’s struck over the head. Next, we see him on his bed, sans heart. Eww! Sydney and Dixon are in the room with the Panama police. Sydney finds a piece of latex glove and Marshall identifies a partial print as belonging to a killer, assassin for hire, Emilio Vargas, who lives in Guadalajara.

Syd and Dixon go there and gain entrance to his home, located over a wrestling auditorium. In a fight, Dixon and Sydney finally knock Vargas to the ground. Dixon grabs Vargas’ wrist and keeps after him to tell where Sloane is. Vargas doesn’t know who Sloane is, but tells them where the heart is – on it’s way to Cartagena in Columbia. He was paid by wire-transfer. Dixon’s anger is so great, that he nearly breaks Vargas’ arm and begins hitting him stopping only when Sydney cries out his name.

In the next scene, Dr. Barnett, the CIA’s staff psychiatrist, is interviewing Dixon, questioning him about his ability to be objective and cool under fire so soon after his wife was killed. Dixon tells her he only used necessary force and wants to know if Agent Bristow talked to her.

“Would she tell me something different?”

We know Marcus is going through some tough things. He is in agony over the loss of Diane and the way it happened. He is working with one purpose in mind. Get Sloane!

Marshall, talking to Syd, tells her that Di Regno never had a heart transplant or an artificial heart. He wonders what was keeping Di Regno alive and why did Sloane want the heart so badly. He further tells her that Rambaldi referred to conquering tissue degeneration. Aha! We all know Rambaldi was fascinated by immortality as is Sloane and perhaps even Irina. She was not mentioned here in this context, but she has been after something all those years.

Minutes later Dixon sits down and asks Sydney if she told Dr. Barnett, he wasn’t fit for field duty. Sydney denies it. He leaves and she sees Vaughn, the do-gooder (pardon my description) and wants to know if he was the one who had asked Barnett to see Marcus. He admits he did. He was, after all, concerned with her safety.

“Look,” Vaughn says, “I get that you both have a personal stake in catching Sloane. But it can also cloud your judgment.”
“It makes me insane when you patronize me.” Sydney’s exclaims. She is upset.
“Look, this conversation’s over. I stand by my decision.” He turns and leaves.

Well, he didn’t waffle here. He was being a conscientious agent. He was concerned about Sydney and Dixon. They have been working a long time together and if one is a little “off” it could put them both in danger. He’s in love with Sydney and doesn’t want anything to happen to her. Okay, I’ll give him points on this.

Meanwhile Sloane is off on a journey to Nepal, by himself, after his guide refused to take him to the mysterious north summit where what--lies ahead?

Dixon has switched the results of the drug test and Vaughn tells Sydney he passed, not knowing what he did. Sydney however knows he had been, but no longer, taking Vicodin, which would have showed up on the tests. She confronts Dixon and he tells her the truth. Sydney leaves.

She lies to Dr. Barnett telling her “…and I am confident that despite the agony he’s feeling right now, he will pull through this.”

And Dixon stands on a bridge apparently ready to commit suicide.

Now the op center is preparing Sydney as point and Vaughn as back up with Delta Force to go to Cartagena to get the Di Regno heart. Dixon joins them late and Sydney is told to fill him in on the way.

Meanwhile in Nepal, Sloane has reached the north summit and a mysterious monastery. There he confronts an old monk named Conrad.

At the same time, Sydney and Dixon are trying to locate the truck where the heart is, but when Syd opens the doors, the truck is empty. Dixon and she locate two guards, one of whom leaves. The other they overpower. Dixon demands to know where the case is, and removing a brick of C-4 with a fuse attached and the clock ticking proceeds to flimflam not only the man on the ground, but Sydney, Jack, Brandon and Vaughn. They overhear everything on the COM-link. The guard tells them. Marcus lets the timer go and nothing happens. It was a bluff. They locate the case and open it.

At the same moment, Conrad gives Sloane the scroll he’s been keeping for him for thirty years. Oh oh, so now we know the apocalyptic event was this. Nobody will ever connect the two together. As Sloane reads the scroll, the Sydney-led JTF group locks the case to bring it home.

Sydney and Dixon have a short conversation in which he admits he almost did the unthinkable, but stopped himself when he realized he was going to leave his kids alone. Diane would never forgive him.

Later in LA, Sydney tells Vaughn, “…I knew he changed his results and I didn’t say anything to Barnett…or you. You know this, but my parents were missing while I was growing up. I never had anyone to disappoint. That’s different now. I’m sorry.”

How observant of Sydney. She did disappoint Vaughn, but it’s understandable given all that she’s been through. Mother thought to be killed in an auto accident when she was six; her father left her for six months (he was in prison), then kept leaving her for long periods of time while working for SD-6 and the CIA…it’s a wonder she maintained any sort of relationship with him at all.

Now she’s getting to know her father better. She’s had an incredible six-month, topsy-turvy relationship with the mother who shot her and then tells her she really does love her although probably has not earned it. Sydney still has issues, but she is slowly, I think, getting a better handle on her emotions. At least I hope so.

This sounds awkward...I think it should be '...discussing and finding...' or '...discussing then finding...' Probably the former.

Now I found this kind of funny...especially te look on Sydneys face! Now how priceless is that!

He was practically in a trance the way he was going after Varga...it was actually terrifying to watch a man who is so usually calm and collected act in this manner. It shows what love can do to you.

Sometimes Vaughn really ticks me off! Look at how crazy he went when he was looking for Irina, contacting weird people and everything. This man will drive crazy! I swear it! Let's not mention what a tattle-tale he can be. And I won't excuse your description. I agree with it!

I suppose you can't get made at him for protecting the woman he loves. Pity he didn't love her enough to wait for two years. :angry:

Again with the C-4 :rolleyes: My word though, I seriously thought Marcus had gone over the edge...I would have closed my eyes if I hadn't been so rivetted!

A brilliant finishing paragraph, which is so true. ANd another brilliant column, Well Done!!!

Your #1 fan.

K. Ackles Posted on Sep 2 2003, 04:15 AM

Yep, and I had my editor check this out too! Ah, even the best can miss once in a while.
B)

I wish I had seent his episode again on sunday but alas- my area ABC was braodcasting alternate programming due to the MD telethon on most of their networks

ARGHHH am all for charity but selfishly I really wanted to see this episode agian

Your column was a goosdreminder of waht happened and i got the season 1 dvd set today- so when I have s 2 as well- december- I will always have alias on hand

Lena fan- in the august good houskeeping magazine there is a small article on lena.


Brenda

thanks for summerizing the eppie for us it was kinda weird that irina was in cyprus(or so they said)since as you said they probably could have found a closer place but whatever.anyways thanks for the pm