Episode Report Card Erin: B- | 107 USERS: C+ YOU GRADE IT Welcome to the Apple Store. Would you like a gun with your iPod?
By Erin | Season 4 | Episode 1 | Aired on 2005.01.05
Dixon pipes up that Nerdy Guy is known for rigging his cases with self-destruct devices, so Syd'll have to get him to open the case for her. Hence the little seduction scene that greeted us at the beginning (or is it the middle?) of the episode. "Do you have any suggestions?" she grits. "I assume you'll come up with something interesting," snides Sloane. Heh. He is LOVING this. "Are there any questions?" he asks, wrapping up. "Besides 'how'd you get this job'?" snarks Syd, not looking at him. Hee. "Sydney?" says Jack in a warning tone. "Syd…" says Dixon in a warning tone. Come on, Vaughn! Where's your Sydney warning tone? Huh? What is this? Why are they trying to shut her up? It's not like she's going to take a PowerBook G4 to his temple or anything. She's just (rightfully) asking today's burning question: what in the HELL is Sloane doing here? We don't get an answer to the question, however, because Sydney quickly moves on to ask what the "APO" on the cover of her briefing notebook stands for. "Apple Production Office," dontchya know? Actually, it's the name of their new organization, says Sloane. And it's right on the door they entered to get in here. In fact, you've already seen it. "Authorized Personnel Only." Aw. Isn't that cute?
Syd abruptly leaves, using mission prep as her excuse. Later, she's sitting at her desk, organizing her paper clips and finding a spot for her hidden stash of Trident, when Dix walks up and they make eye contact. He walks right over to her and states exactly what she's thinking: "If I'd known Sloane was involved? Not a chance." They both agree that the method of recruitment was a bit sneaky, but Dix argues that, while working for the Chief Financial Officer of Ookiness is incredibly distasteful, it does put them in a prime location for watching him and making sure he doesn't step out of line. Dix then exposits that he wanted out of the director job at the CIA; that suit just wasn't him, he's a field man at heart. When Angie offered him the job, he jumped at it.
Sloane slimes up and states that he knows all about their reluctance to work with him and he understands it. Well, that's awfully big of him, considering he's murdered a bunch of people, some of whom they loved and cared about. And then he delivers one of the biggest clunkers of the show: "Despite my former allegiance, my betrayal of you, of this country, you can't deny it. We were a great team. So I'll do this just once and ask you to please…give me a chance." I…what? Despite all that bad shit I did before, including how I killed those people you loved and how I basically worked for the enemy for, oh, I don't know, the majority of my life, didn't we have fun together? Wasn't it great? That's like my ex-boyfriend saying to me, "Yeah, I'm an asshole, but don't I make you laugh?" Like, what kind of trade-off is that? "We're a great team. Please forget about what an evil slug I am!" I don't THINK so. Syd doesn't think so either and, after Sloane scuzzes off, she shoots a sidelong glance at Dix and states that the only thing that makes this entire thing worth it is that she has Dixon as her partner again. They smile at each other and have this cute little handshake moment and sigh…I missed them together like this. We haven't had a Syd and Dix who trust each other and work together since…well, since before Phase One. And the fact that they're together again nudges this season up a notch in my estimation. Don't worry. It'll get knocked down here again in just a second.