Wow! One hundred episodes!

It only seems like yesterday that the relatively unknown Jennifer Garner graced our screens as Sydney Bristow, but in reality its been almost five long years. That is certainly an accomplishment to be proud of.

There Is Only One Sydney Bristow was supposed to be a BIG episode in celebration of the series milestone, promising to be bigger and better than before. Boasting the return of both Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper) and Anna Espinosa (Serenitys Gina Torres), the episode was set to join the exclusive ranks of A-list episodes.

Unfortunately that wasnt how it panned out, and instead what the episode brought was a very weak one-line resolution to a season-long issue, several over-used plot lines and yet another foray into the comic book world of international espionage.

It was quite a surprise to be honest, as usually I celebrate any episode written by Drew Goddard. As a huge fan of his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, I found the Alias episodes he penned last year were among the strongest of the season. So, as you can imagine, I had high hopes for There Is Only One Sydney Bristow.

All season I have been defending the series. The Profit Five mystery and the death of Michael Vaughn revitalized the series and brought fresh ideas to the table. Yes, the death of Vaughn removed Michael Vartan from the equation. I understand that many Alias fans feel betrayed by the way he was cast aside. He was a joy to watch and he was an integral part of the series. However, his death opened the door to the personal goal that was missing in the fourth season. It allowed Jennifer Garner to get back to the emotional flurry that made the series so enjoyable in its infancy and made way for the personal stories that often get forgotten in the spy-filled antics of the writers. As far as Im concerned, the risky decision to eject him from the series was a sound one.

But to have that move quickly cast aside in a single sentence was nothing less than a slap in the face to the fans who have stuck with the series since the beginning. Not only that, it undermines the very fabric of the series. With Sydney and Jack suddenly armed with the knowledge that Vaughn wasnt killed kind of begs the question of why weve experienced Sydneys heartache from the season premiere.

The re-tooling of the series at the start of the season sent the show back to the basics, giving each of the characters their own stories, much like SciFi Channels current re-tooling of Stargate SG-1 has done for its cast.

Watching the dark machinations of Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin) as he bargained for the life of his daughter was truly addictive viewing and have brought me back to the screen each week. Because lets face it, the man is one of televisions greatest villains. In the early episodes of season five, Rifkin stole the show and made it his own.

But now that his dark quest has been fulfilled, what else is there for the character? Will he descend into the role of international terrorist, allowing the writers to tell the flat textureless stories that were common place in the latter half of the third season? With the mysterious Rambaldi prophecy once again looming over us like a dark rain cloud, it certainly looks like it. All of that remains to be seen, but with Mia Maestros imminent return to the series, there is certainly a turning point on the horizon for the all of the characters.

The only real silver lining in the episode was the guest star line up -- Bradley Cooper and Gina Torres worked wonders and helped keep the episode afloat. I still dont understand why Cooper was bumped off the show as his investigation into SD-6 in the first season tied the season together nicely. Even later in the second season when he entered a double life, he was the much-needed face of innocence on the series. Without him, the Alias world was just that little bit darker. So it was a joy to have him back: even if it was only for one episode.

Alan Stanley Blair is a staff writer and columnist for Airlock Alpha, and is also the webmaster of the Alias website A Free Agent where he reviews the series regularly. Contributing from his home country of Scotland, he can be reached at ablair@airlockalpha.com