Alias: The Complete Third Season (DVD)

I rarely get the chance to watch TV shows anymore, let alone dramatic series such as "Alias", so I am left to the comfort of DVD reviews to get my TV watching in and "Alias" has got to be one of the only television shows that watching the show on television just doesn't do it justice as this is easily the king of cliffhangers.

The "Alias" gang has moved from its original directive as the once dreaded SD-6 threat has been removed yet the evil Sloane (Ron Rifkin) is still on the loose thanks to federal pardons and, as he is now a world-famous humanitarian, it becomes harder to distinguish his words from fact and fiction, since he has now become an integral part in helping the CIA take down the world's most notorious terrorists.

All this is fine and dandy but the major thread to the "Alias" Season 3 cloth is the fact that the past two years of Sydney Bristow's life are unaccounted for, and as the stakes increase she becomes more and more determined to find out who she is and what she has done. It also doesn't help matters as she is reunited with Agent Vaughn (Vartan) and learns that he is married and that Bristow is about to meet his wife (Melissa George) in a way she never expected.

When I said watching the show on television doesn't do the show justice I meant it. "Alias" takes audiences on rollercoaster rides in and out of plotlines and always leaves you hanging, whether it is only a commercial or at the end of an episode and certainly at the end of each season. Waiting through commercials or a week to see what happens woudl be gut-wrenching in some cases.

Although the show is spectacularly entertaining you must watch it with an open mind and not take it too seriously as the plot becomes extremely far-fetched and the fact that no one ever dies, or should I say stays dead may be a little shocking if you take it too seriously. "What's that? Oh you shot me three times, should have made it six."

As askew as the show gets it always remains entertaining as long as you don't think that real CIA agents have really become glorified archaeologists.

Simply put, this six-disc set of the third season of "Alias" is absolutely amazing. I love the fact I can just throw in a disc, hit "Play All" and sit back and enjoy four episodes straight through. The only problem is that once the disc ends and almost four hours have gone by and want to spend another four on the next disc, sooner or later I am left with the cliffhanger taking me into 2005's season.

As for bonus features there are audio commentaries on four episodes and each is unique as the first one includes two fans of the show, the next features Jennifer Garner, Melissa George and director Ken Olin, then Lawrence Trilling (director), Jesse Alexander (writer) and Scott Chambliss (production designer) on the next, ending with show creator J.J. Abrams, Jack Bender (director) and Greg Grunberg.

Just to quickly give you an idea of what else you get I'll make a quick list:

• The Animated "Alias": Tribunal - an animated feature depicting one of the jobs Sydney went on during her lost two years. It really doesn't look that great and doesn't add much to the appeal of the set.
• Burbank to Barcelona - One of the best featurettes showing audiences exactly how the show creators are able to take you from Mexico all the way to Venice while never leaving Los Angeles.
• Deleted Scenes & Blooper Reel - Pretty much self-explanatory, but the Blooper reel is pretty good.
• The "Alias" Diaries - Several featurettes going over everything from guest stars, props, sets, crew and more...
• "Alias" Script Scanner - What is becoming a staple of Buena Vista Home Video offering you the chance to insert your DVD into your computer and watch an episode of "Alias" with the script scrolling right along with you.
• The Museum of Television and Radio: Creating Characters - Pretty much boring but is sure to interest hardcore fans.

Overall this is definitely a show that has taken over, and that is obvious when you get one season with guest appearances from Djimon Hounsou, Vivica A. Fox, Isabella Rossellini, David Carradine, Quentin Tarantino, Justin Theroux and Ricky Gervais.

Plus you have to love how Buena Vista has season three out on DVD before the fourth season starts, which is sure to impress "Alias" fans all around. This is a great TV series to pick up and is sure to bring in additional fans for the upcoming fourth season.