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Alias season 2

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Alias
Season 2
Season 2 DVD cover
No. of episodes22
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseSeptember 29, 2002 (2002-09-29) –
May 4, 2003 (2003-05-04)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 1
Next →
Season 3
List of episodes

The second season of Alias premiered September 29, 2002 on ABC and concluded May 4, 2003 and was released on DVD in region 1 on December 2, 2003. Guest stars in season two include David Carradine, Ethan Hawke, Richard Lewis, Faye Dunaway, Rutger Hauer, Christian Slater, and Danny Trejo. The thirteenth episode of the season, "Phase One", aired after Super Bowl XXXVII.

Cast

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Main

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Recurring

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Episodes

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See also: List of Alias episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
231"The Enemy Walks In"Ken OlinJ. J. AbramsSeptember 29, 2002 (2002-09-29)11.31[1]
Sydney finds herself face-to-face with her mother, whose intentions for her daughter are made chillingly clear. Meanwhile, Sydney continues her search for Vaughn, not knowing if he is dead or alive after being swept away by a wall of water in Taipei. Will's life is forever changed when he learns the truth about SD-6 and Sydney's life as a double agent. Marcus Dixon must decide whether or not to inform Sloane of Sydney's suspicious activities.
242"Trust Me"Craig ZiskJohn EisendrathOctober 6, 2002 (2002-10-06)9.73[2]
Sydney must decide whether her mother's goodwill gesture was sincere or an attempt to kill her. Will witnesses Francie discussing her restaurant plans with a man whose affiliations are questionable, and Sloane is made a full partner in the malevolent Alliance of Twelve.
253"Cipher"Dan AttiasAlex Kurtzman & Roberto OrciOctober 13, 2002 (2002-10-13)9.44[3]
Sydney must outwit Sark in order to find a crucial piece of intel. Meanwhile, Jack faces Irina for the first time in almost 20 years. Will finally meets Vaughn and Sloane is haunted by his wife's death. Sloane, who drinks only water is seen drinking whiskey in his office. We are told that Emily's garden is dead but Sloane finds it in full bloom.
264"Dead Drop"Guy BeeJesse AlexanderOctober 20, 2002 (2002-10-20)10.08[4]
Sydney's dealings with her mother lead Jack to take drastic measures to ensure his daughter's safety. Meanwhile Will is confronted by a mysterious woman about resurrecting his story on SD-6.
275"The Indicator"Ken OlinJeff PinknerNovember 3, 2002 (2002-11-03)10.60[5]
Sydney discovers a terrifying secret when she's sent on a case to track down a new generation of weapons. Meanwhile, Vaughn suspects Jack of setting up Irina to take a fall. Sloane tells Jack the truth about Emily's death.
286"Salvation"Perry LangAlex Kurtzman & Roberto OrciNovember 10, 2002 (2002-11-10)9.33[6]
Sydney's trust in her father begins to fade. Meanwhile, Sydney and Vaughn may have been exposed to a deadly virus while in Taipei. Sloane, haunted by Emily's death, begins to unravel. Vaughn enlists Will to help research a case.
297"The Counteragent"Dan AttiasJohn EisendrathNovember 17, 2002 (2002-11-17)9.65[7]
Sydney races to find a cure for Vaughn, but in order to find the antidote, Sydney must make a deal with Sark that could endanger Sloane's life. Meanwhile, Will continues his research for Vaughn and discovers some disturbing inconsistencies involving 20-year-old standardized IQ tests. Sydney finds out that Vaughn has a girlfriend.
308"Passage (Part 1)"Ken OlinDebra J. Fisher & Erica MesserDecember 1, 2002 (2002-12-01)9.10[8]
Sydney, Jack and Irina must put aside their differences and go undercover as a loving family in order to seize six nuclear warheads from an abandoned facility in Kashmir. Meanwhile, Sloane announces to a suspicious staff that Sark will be working with SD-6, and later he is contacted by an unknown group claiming that Emily is still alive.
319"Passage (Part 2)"Ken OlinCrystal Nix-HinesDecember 8, 2002 (2002-12-08)9.21[9]
Sydney and Jack continue on a mission to take control of six nuclear warheads. Irina meets up with Gerard Cuvee and we discover where Irina's loyalties lie. Meanwhile, Sloane informs the Alliance that Emily may still be alive.
3210"The Abduction"Nelson McCormickAlex Kurtzman & Roberto OrciDecember 15, 2002 (2002-12-15)9.59[10]
Jack meets Alliance counterintelligence head Ariana Kane (Faye Dunaway), who is sent in to investigate Emily's disappearance and to discover who is trying to blackmail Sloane. Meanwhile, Marshall is sent on his first mission with Sydney as his partner.Vaughn schedules Will to take a CIA psych test. Francie gets suspicious over Sydney and Will's secretive behavior.
3311"A Higher Echelon"Guy BeeJohn EisendrathJanuary 5, 2003 (2003-01-05)9.66[11]
After completing his first mission with Sydney, Marshall's life is placed in mortal danger. Meanwhile, Ariana Kane suspects Jack as being the prime suspect in the disappearance of Sloane's wife. Vaughn learns the truth about Jack's involvement in the murder of CIA agent Haladki and Sydney confides in Francie about her feelings for a fellow co-worker.
3412"The Getaway"Lawrence TrillingJeff PinknerJanuary 12, 2003 (2003-01-12)9.42[12]
While Alliance counterintelligence head Ariana Kane tracks Sydney in order to catch her fugitive father, Jack elicits Irina's help in finding Sloane's blackmailer. Meanwhile, Sydney and Vaughn risk exposing their covers to SD-6 when they share a romantic dinner together while on a case in France.
3513"Phase One"Jack BenderJ. J. AbramsJanuary 26, 2003 (2003-01-26)17.36[13]
Sydney and Jack are confronted by the new director of SD-6, one Geiger (Rutger Hauer), who replaces Sloane, whose whereabouts and intentions are unknown. Sydney learns of information that could destroy SD-6 and shut down the Alliance. Francie is killed by what looks like her doppelganger.
3614"Double Agent"Ken OlinAlex Kurtzman & Roberto OrciFebruary 2, 2003 (2003-02-02)11.39[14]
Sydney, Vaughn and Jack must determine whether CIA agent Lennox (Ethan Hawke) is who he says he is after his deep cover mission is compromised in Berlin. It is discovered that an agency has built a machine capable of replicating a human being's appearance. In this case, there are two agents Lennox at large and Sydney must discover which one is the real one and which one is fake. It is hinted that the machine has been used before to replicate someone else this way (Francie).
3715"A Free Agent"Alex KurtzmanAlex Kurtzman & Roberto OrciFebruary 9, 2003 (2003-02-09)10.28[15]
Sydney must make a life-defining decision regarding her future with CIA, while Sloane re-emerges and continues his obsessive quest to piece together the mysterious Rambaldi artifacts—with the reluctant aid of a kidnapped scientist named Neil Caplan (Christian Slater). Meanwhile, Dixon's marriage is put to the test after he tells his wife the truth about his occupation.
3816"Firebomb"Craig ZiskJohn EisendrathFebruary 23, 2003 (2003-02-23)8.61[16]
This is the episode in which it is revealed what some of Rambaldi's mysterious artifacts really are: the pieces to build a reusable neutron bomb in the 15th century. Sloane is the one who controls it. Meanwhile, Vaughn begs Dixon to aid the CIA in rescuing Sydney, Will is called upon to participate in a crucial CIA briefing session, and Sydney notices that something with Francie is not quite right.
3917"A Dark Turn"Ken OlinJesse AlexanderMarch 2, 2003 (2003-03-02)10.69[17]
Sydney begins to question where Vaughn's allegiances lie when she learns through CIA Agent Yaeger (Richard Lewis) that he is under investigation. Meanwhile Irina and another crucial Rambaldi manuscript—this one about the secret of eternal life—are used as bait to try to catch Sloane. It turns out Vaughn had only been investigating Irina through his own means because the Agency was slow and he wanted to see if he could catch her in a lie or discover additional information. Sydney also welcomes Dixon to the CIA.
4018"Truth Takes Time"Nelson McCormickJ. R. OrciMarch 16, 2003 (2003-03-16)9.66[18]
Sydney faces off with her mother, while Emily must decide whether to side with her husband or betray him.
4119"Endgame"Perry LangSean GeraceMarch 30, 2003 (2003-03-30)9.89[19]
Sydney defies her father in her attempt to rescue kidnapped scientist Neil Caplan, while Sloane, seeking revenge for the assassination of his wife orders that Dixon's wife be taken out. Meanwhile, Allison in the guise of Francie manipulates an unsuspecting Will for his agency connections.
4220"Countdown"Lawrence TrillingR. P. Gaborno & Jeff PinknerApril 27, 2003 (2003-04-27)8.03[20]
A Rambaldi manuscript prophesizes that an apocalyptic event involving a heart will soon take place. An agent (Danny Trejo) is sent after one man in Panama in order to steal his heart. Dixon's grief leads Vaughn and agency psychologist Dr. Barnett to question his intentions, as his thirst for revenge on Sloane intensifies. Meanwhile Sloane receives a life-changing revelation from a mysterious monk (David Carradine) in Nepal, Sydney and Dixon hunt for the killer who stole the heart from his victim.
4321"Second Double"Ken OlinStory by : Breen Frazier
Teleplay by : Crystal Nix-Hines		May 4, 2003 (2003-05-04)10.10[21]
Sydney begins to question Will's identity when he's arrested for espionage, under suspicion of being a double. Meanwhile Sark and Irina plot to recover the Di Regno heart, and Sloane makes Jack a business proposal.
4422"The Telling"J. J. AbramsJ. J. AbramsMay 4, 2003 (2003-05-04)10.10[21]
Sydney confronts her mother, who reveals her true motivation. Sloane, for his part, begins to execute his new grand plan, Will struggles to figure out who's behind his set-up. Sydney and Allison have a vicious confrontation, which in turn leads to a starling revelation by Vaughn to Sydney!

Reception

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Despite earning critical acclaim from USA Today[22] and attracting the largest audience of the series with 17.4 million viewers,[23] "Phase One" retained just 19 percent[23] of the Super Bowl XXXVII audience and has the dubious distinction of earning the lowest overall ratings for a program airing after a Super Bowl since at least 1987[23] and the lowest rating ever (8.3 rating) in the age 18-49 demographic for a post-Super Bowl program.[23] Much of this can be attributed to the fact that the episode didn't air until 11 p.m. on the East Coast, which also meant it was not eligible for the week's list of top primetime shows ranked by Nielsen Media Research and thus, the episode's viewership numbers were not factored in the series' overall 2002-2003 season average. This late slot was partially due to a decision to include a Bon Jovi performance in the post-game show.[24]

In 2009, TV Guide ranked "Truth Be Told" as #84 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.[25]

Home release

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The 6-DVD box set of Season 2 was released in region 1 format (US) on December 2, 2003, in region 2 format (UK) on June 7, 2004 and in region 4 format (AU) on July 4, 2004. The DVDs contain all episodes of Season 2, plus the following features:

  • Deleted Scenes
  • Gag Reel
  • Audio Commentary with cast & crew
  • The Making of The Telling – An In-Depth Look at the Season Finale
  • The Making of the Video Game
  • Featurette: Undercover: The Look of Alias – A Look at Costume Design, Makeup, and Disguises

(A skit filmed for Monday Night Football was advertised as being in the set, but was removed from the DVD set before release.)

References

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  1. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 22-29)". The Los Angeles Times. October 2, 2002. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  2. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 30-Oct. 6)". The Los Angeles Times. October 9, 2002. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  3. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 7-13)". The Los Angeles Times. October 16, 2002. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  4. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 14-20)". The Los Angeles Times. October 23, 2002. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  5. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 28-Nov. 3)". The Los Angeles Times. November 6, 2002. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  6. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 4-10)". The Los Angeles Times. November 13, 2002. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  7. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 11-17)". The Los Angeles Times. November 20, 2002. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  8. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 25-Dec. 1)". The Los Angeles Times. December 4, 2002. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  9. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 2-8)". The Los Angeles Times. December 11, 2002. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  10. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 9-15)". The Los Angeles Times. December 18, 2002. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  11. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 30-Jan. 5)". The Los Angeles Times. January 8, 2003. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  12. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 6-12)". The Los Angeles Times. January 15, 2003. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  13. ^ "Best & Worst: Post-Super Bowl TV". zap2it.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  14. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 27-Feb. 2)". The Los Angeles Times. February 5, 2003. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  15. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 3-9)". The Los Angeles Times. February 12, 2003. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  16. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 17-23)". The Los Angeles Times. February 26, 2003. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  17. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 24-March 2)". The Los Angeles Times. March 5, 2003. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  18. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 10–16)". The Los Angeles Times. March 19, 2003. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  19. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 24–30)". The Los Angeles Times. April 2, 2003. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  20. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 21–27)". The Los Angeles Times. April 30, 2003. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  21. ^ a b "National Nielsen Viewership (April 28-May 4)". The Los Angeles Times. May 7, 2003. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  22. ^ Bianco, Robert (January 23, 2003). "Super 'Alias' will bowl you over". USA Today.
  23. ^ a b c d Fitzgerald, Toni (January 29, 2003). "How ABC fumbled its Super Bowl edge". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012.
  24. ^ "Super TV: A look at some of the best post-Bowl episodes".
  25. ^ "TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes". Rev/Views. Archived from the original on June 22, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
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