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in: Season 4

4.18 Mirage

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Mirage
418
Season
Episode

18

Production code
418
Airdate
April 27 2005
Written by
Steven Kane
Story by
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Teleplay by
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Directed by
Brad Turner



Mirage is the 18th episode of Season 4 of Alias and the 84th episode overall. Jack's illness has caused him to hallucinate about a cure. Sydney must recreate the time when Jack was working for the CIA and hid the only man who might be able to help him now. For this, Sydney must play her own mother. Meanwhile, Sophia moves in with Sydney and Nadia.

Plot Overview[]

Posing as a waitress at a Vienna club, Sydney serves drinks to Kradic's crew, which includes an undercover Dixon. Sydney reports to APO that she overheard Kradic tell Dixon that the Hydrosek will arrive soon. Sloane realizes that Jack did not arrive that morning.

The lurker - call him Coke-Bottle Glasses - has followed Kradic from Amsterdam and begins planting explosives in the club. Vaughn, observing by the bar, sees two suited men carrying a briefcase containing the Hydrosek.

Coke-Bottle Glasses(CBG) puts a glass down on Sydney's tray. Realizing that it's a bomb, she throws it to an empty corner, where it explodes. CBG detonates another bomb and, as the crowd panics, he grabs the briefcase and heads toward the exit. Sydney tackles CBG and they exchange blows as the Hydrosek case skids across the floor. He escapes. Dixon shoots a thug about to kill Vaughn as he goes after the briefcase. Kradic gets to the briefcase first and runs.

Dixon and Vaughn follow Kradic into the basement. Cornered, Kradic threatens to drop the Hydrosek in the filtration grate of the city's drinking water. Dixon pretends to lower his gun, then shoots Kradic.

After learning of CBG's failure to steal the Hydrosek, Sophia invites Nadia and Weiss over for dinner. Upon their arrival, Sophia takes Nadia's belongings - which include a laptop - to a back room. CBG emerges from the shadows and hacks into the laptop, gaining access to APO files.

At APO, Sydney tells Vaughn that she hasn't seen her father in two days. They go to his apartment and find a notebook with recent records of Jack's vitals. Inside the bathroom, they find containers of medication and blood-soaked bandages in the trash can.

Jack visits Dr. Liddell, who says that years ago during an experiment he discovered that a lethal dose of an alkylating agent cured a few genetically mutated rats --but 84 percent died. Despite Dr. Liddell's warnings, Jack acquires the lethal chemical.

Based on the meds she saw at Jack's place, Sydney asks Marshall to research cures for radiation sickness. Marshall reveals that Jack got sick when he removed the fuel rods in a radioactive lab in order to save Sydney. Marshall adds that there is no cure.

Sloane tells the team that Jack needs help and Sydney adds no area hospitals have any record of his admittance. She says Jack's mental capabilities might be impaired at the moment and someone might be preying on him, promising a cure.

Jack returns to Liddell's office. Meanwhile, the APO team locates Jack's car in a seedy neighborhood. Sydney and Vaughn drive to the location and arrive at an abandoned building, where they find Jack on a bed in the middle of a big empty room. He injects himself and begins convulsing.

At the APO office, Vaughn explains to Sloane that Jack thought he had a cure, and unfortunately, Jack's condition is irreversible after 72 hours. Vaughn also mentions that Jack has been suffering from hallucinations and woke up briefly to look for a "Dr. Liddell." Sloane tells the team that 25 years ago, Liddell developed a thesis on the treatment of genetic mutations. He went to the Soviet Union in 1981 to spy for the US. When his cover was blown, Jack's extracted him and gave him a new identity. Only Jack knows where Liddell is.

Jack wakes up and talks to Sydney, referring to her as "Laura," Irina's cover name. Sloane suggests using these hallucinations to convince Jack that he's living in '81 -- specifically, the day he extracted Liddell from Russia. He proposes recreating Jack's surroundings to guide his delusions and make him reveal where the actual Liddell is located.

Looking like Irina, Sydney enters a room built to resemble her old house. As the team observes, Jack responds to the scenario. Vaughn calls, pretending to be Jack's handler, and asks what arrangements he needs to make for Liddell. Jack reveals where Liddell should go -- in code.

Believing that Sydney is his wife, Jack tells her that he needs to leave town and help Liddell get a new identity in Finland. Jack continues on about his deep regret of missing Sydney's birthday and his lack of involvement in her life. Sydney listens, deeply touched.

Marshall asks Nadia why she requested that the Hydrosek be moved. Realizing that someone has hacked into the system, Nadia and Weiss go to the facility where the Hydrosek is stored and find that it's been stolen. CBG lies dead in front of the vault.

Sydney finds Dr. Liddell in Helsinki. He accompanies her back to APO and sees Jack, who asks if he's cured yet. Liddell answers, "Not yet… but I'm going to make you better."

Cast[]

Starring[]

Special Guest Star[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Uncredited[]

Trivia[]

  • Sonia Braga was billed as Special Guest Star in this episode.
  • This episode averaged 9.64 million viewers.
  • Nadia's APO network login is: AGENT_087SANTOS.
  • Goof: Sydney was suprised to find out Jack had told Irina he was a CIA agent. Sydney already knew that from Jack himself since as early as episode 1.3.

Aliases Used[]

Gadgets[]

Music[]

  • "Lebanese Blonde" by Thievery Corporation
  • "Dance U.S.A." by Junke XL

Allusions and References[]

Quotes[]

  • Sydney: Why do men always want what they can’t have?


  • Sydney Bristow: I remember the time. I don’t remember them. My dad. . .was my dad. He was never around when I was a kid. He was always away on business. My mom. . .I don’t know what my dad was like around my mother, or what she was like around him. I don’t know how to do this.
  • Michael Vaughn: Syd, it’s just a job. It’s another alias like all the others. Just trust your training. Follow your dad’s cues. Follow his leads. Besides, I’ve got snipers everywhere if he starts to get inappropriate.


  • Marshall Flinkmann: Oh, hey, did you hear the news, I get to run an initial analysis on the Hydrosek this afternoon, I love Level 4 biohazard toxins!


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