Episode Report Card Manimal: C+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Devices and desires
By Manimal | Season 1 | Episode 8 | Aired on 12.01.2001
Argentina. Dixon and Sydney are hiking. It looks thoroughly unpleasant. Dixon complains, "What the hell are we doing here?" Sydney agrees that it does feel like a wild goose chase. Dixon complains that he can't get a read on his satellite. Sydney's little electronic dowsing rod or whatever starts going nuts, and she and Dixon start digging, only to uncover what looks like a big cistern cover. They open the lid, and it looks dark and endless and scary. Sydney says she's going in. I keep expecting lots of snakes and Steven Spielberg to pop up with his lawyer, but nothing yet. Also, I mistyped "Spielberg" and Microsoft Word corrected it. Call me crazy, but that spooks me. Dixon says he's going to search for a satellite signal so he can call for support.
Sydney crawls down a series of rickety-looking cane ladders. Her arm definition is incredible, by the way. She finally makes it to the bottom. There's darkness, and flashlights, and Sydney feeling her way along the tunnel. It's enthralling, if "enthralling" to you means "tedious and boring."
Finally, Sydney finds a rock with a metal cover embedded in it, much like the cover of the cistern. After a lot of effort, she yanks it up and discovers a big hidey-hole with lots of gauze. It looks like the ladies at Nordstrom wrapped Rambaldi's little gift. She uncovers a leather satchel containing Rambaldi's journal. She tells Dixon she found it via the walkie-talkie, and starts taking photos with the CIA camera. Suddenly Dixon's voice tells her that K-Directorate has found them, and that she has to get out of there, now, all while gunshots are going off in the background. Sydney looks horrified. The line goes dead. I experience my first real moment of anxiety while watching this show. Sydney scrambles to get all her stuff together.
SD-6. Drums Of Doom, but some of them must've gone out for coffee, because it's only a couple. Sloane asks after Sydney's results. Carl says that they've found their mole.
Argentina. Sydney runs back to the ladders, only to find Ana holding a gun. She asks what Ana did to Dixon. Ana tells her to put the book down. They start fighting, but Ana recovers her gun and shoots Sydney point-blank. A few times, in fact. Sydney goes down, and Ana takes her satchel and starts climbing.
Sydney rolls over, obviously in extreme pain, and covered in dirt. She opens her shirt to reveal a bullet-proof vest, which accounts for why she looked oddly boxy during these scenes. She does a good job of struggling to her feet and chasing -- er, climbing -- after Ana. Also, I'm glad for the vest and all, but doesn't it seem like cheating? Why, on this mission, out of all of them, would she take special care to wear a bullet-proof vest? She never has before, even when she was trudging through the woods in Badenweiler.