Episode Report Card Manimal: B | 3 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Truth be told -- over and over again
By Manimal | Season 1 | Episode 1 | Aired on 09.29.2001
Anyway, Sydney's a loner in college and gets approached by a guy for a government job as a freshman because she "fits a profile"; she advances quickly, because she enjoys the work and needs the money. Cut to the present. Sydney and Danny are standing at a construction site as she tells him this story. She explains to him that it's a covert branch -- SD6. Montage of her doing agent-type stuff. Cat Stevens keeps singing.
You know, I really love The Cat, but the music selection here is jarring as hell. It's like the bastard schizophrenic child of Fatboy Slim and Sarah McLachlan was hired to be the music editor. I think they're trying to play up the whole sad contrast between normal grad-student life vs. Sydney's super-secret spy life with the complaint rock vs. electronica, but it just makes the show seem unfocused. I mean, we've all seen this before on Buffy and La Femme Nikita, but this show doesn't have Buffy's heart. Besides, in the Buffy mythology, one of the most poignant things is that Buffy has no choice, but she rises to her destiny with such courage. Ditto for LFN, where she has no other choice but to become an assassin. Whereas here...I mean, yeah, it sucks being a poor grad student, but couldn't Sydney have sucked it up and gotten a job schlepping chicken at a Boston Market or something? Hell, I worked in a bakery for four years serving pastries to cranky senior citizens. I mean, I guess Sydney's supposed to be "destined" for it, but we haven't really seen that yet.
Danny says, "This isn't real." Sydney then says one of the dumber lines of dialogue I've heard, ever: "Danny, since my mother died, I've always hoped that I'd find someone to give my life meaning. That person is you...I just met the agency first. I can't quit."
BGCF: What the hell does that mean?
Manimal (monotone): "Danny, since my mother died, I've always hoped that I'd find someone to give my life meaning. That person is you...I just met the agency first. I can't quit." What do you mean 'what does it mean'? It means exactly what she says. There's not a whole lot of subtext there. That dialogue has its bra straps hangin' out all the way.
BGCF: I know that, I ain't deaf, but what I mean is why the hell would she say it in that dumb-ass way? If I was a man -- I mean, a straight man -- I would take off screaming just hearin' that shit, let alone the secret agent stuff. At least the secret agent stuff is kind of sexy.
Danny tells her he loves her, but that her job is freakin' him. Sydney tells him he really, really, REALLY can't tell anyone about this. Danny says he understands, and that he needs to get away, but he'll call her tonight. Sydney says that she's got her trip, but she'll call him when he gets back.