Synopses & Reviews
First aired in 2001,
Alias is a spy drama with a central action heroine, a complex narrative of moral twists, turns, lies and double-crosses, and an imaginative array of gadgets, gizmos and glamorous costumes. It has become a leading cult television series with a loyal fan following. In the wake of 9/11,
Alias' themes of doubles and duplicity have been perfectly placed to comment on global relations and the personal paranoias of post 9/11 citizens. But as much as
Alias reflects contemporary global politics, at its core are themes of family and relationships. The series is ending with a bang in 2006 and this is the first book to give a detailed examination of the series in its entirety, with a complete episode guide.
Placing the series within the wider context of American Quality Television and the spy genre, contributors consider the central role of family, race, gender and moral ambiguity in Alias. They also focus on the creator, JJ Abrams, and discuss the development and influence of the fan world beyond the series with in-depth studies of DVD releases, tie-in, fan and slash fiction. Designed for fans, lovers of spies on screen, students and scholars, Investigating Alias uncovers the secrets of a fantastic show
Synopsis
First aired in 2001,
Alias is a spy drama with a central action heroine, a complex narrative of moral twists, turns, lies and double-crosses, and an imaginative array of gadgets, gizmos and glamorous costumes. It has become a leading cult television series with a loyal fan following. In the wake of 9/11,
Alias themes of doubles and duplicity have been perfectly placed to comment on global relations and the personal paranoias of post 9/11 citizens. But as much as
Alias reflects contemporary global politics, at its core are themes of family and relationships. The series ended with a bang in 2006 and this book gives a detailed examination of the series in its entirety, with a complete episode guide.
About the Author
Stacey Abbott is a Senior Lecturer in Film and Television Studies at Roehampton University and is the editor of Reading Angel: The TV Spin-Off with a Soul (I.B.Tauris, 2005). She is General Editor of I.B. Tauris' Investigating Cult TV Series. Simon Brown is a Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at Kingston University.
Table of Contents
Introduction -- Stacey Abbott and Simon Brown * 'Left of Real': J.J. Abrams, Alias, and Television Creativity -- David Lavery * The Show Must Go On...And On: Narrative and Seriality in Alias -- Henrik Ornebring * Endoscopic Spies: Mapping the Internal Landscape of Alias -- Sergio Angelini * Sydney Bristow's Full Disclosure: Mythic Structure and the Fear of Motherhood -- Paul Zinder * Aliases, Alienation and Agency: The Physical Integrity of Sydney Bristow -- Deborah Finding and Alice MacLachlan * Women, Humanism and Violence in Alias and Buffy the Vampire Slayer * The Multicultural Cast of Spies on Alias -- Jennifer Young * You Can't Live With Them...You CAN Shoot Them: The (Thermo)nuclear Family in Alias -- Stacey Abbott and Simon Brown * The Reflections of Deleuze: An Alias-ed Critique of Truth -- Dyrk Ashton * The Good, the Bad and the Justified: Moral Ambiguity in Alias -- Sharon Sutherland and Sarah Swan * The Spy Genre in a post 9/11 Era -- Roz Kaveney * The Evolution and Dissolution of the Alias Fandom: A Narrative History * Hillary Robson-Reeder * A Comparative Look at Alias Fan-Fiction and Media Tie-In Fiction -- Tricia Jenkins * Slashing Alias: Viewer Appropriation of Lauren Reed as Commentary on Female/Female Desire -- Linda Baughman and Michaela D.E. Meyer * Alias DVD: RE-packaging American Quality Television -- Denzell Richards * Complete Episode Guide for 'Alias' * Bibliography * Index *