Episode Report Card Manimal: D+ | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Let's do the plot twist AGAIN
By Manimal | Season 1 | Episode 4 | Aired on 10.20.2001
Spy Daddy. Psych evaluation. He's got those biomonitor pads stuck all over his face. He's going down an escalator. It's in black-and-white, so you know it's, like, his mind's eye. He visualizes his wife holding a baby Sydney in her arms, only to have it turn into Sydney holding a baby. Two words: Creep. Y. Dream Sydney tells him that it's only a matter of time before she finds out the truth. Spy Daddy starts. He pulls the pads off and mutters that he needs a minute. He's distraught, which means he looks nauseous.
At The Car Wash. There's a viewing window where Sydney is standing, watching the cars get washed. This seems weird, but I don't know. I haven't owned a car in years, but last time I had a car to get washed, I sent the car in and stood outside and smoked two cigarettes. Ahhh…cigarettes. Vaughn walks up. He looks rumpled. Turns out the CIA have been following Jacqueneau as well, but they don't know why SD-6 is so interested in the UCO. Sydney asks Vaughn if he's okay. He says yes. She asks if he had a fight with his wife. He's all, why the hell do you think I'm married? She all, I saw the photo of you and some woman in your office. He's all, we're are SO not married. She's all, whatever. He's all, this whole time you thought I was married? He admits that he and the girlfriend had a huge fight. Many significant glances are exchanged. Oh, for Christ's sake -- just do it already.
Morocco. Machtar greets Sydney and Dixon. Machtar is very smiley and nice, so we know he's doomed. He tells them that they still don't know the client, and that they'll set up at the local marketplace to spy on them.
Inside the kasbah. Sydney talks to Francie as she puts on her disguise. The disguise consists of a reddish wig with pigtails, tinted glasses, a crocheted green sweater, and a matching green do-rag. She looks like a non-sexy leprechaun. Wouldn't it make more sense for her to be dressed as a nondescript college student/tourist, in which case she'd be wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and a baseball hat? Or even a nice burnoose-y type thing, like she wore in Egypt, so no one could see her face? Also, what's with the call to Francie? Once again, did she call Francie, or did Francie call her -- and how is that possible? Would the CIA even allow her to make personal calls on her phone? Also, we've seen her answer that phone while she's at SD-6. Look -- I'm a huge fan of non-reality entertainment. Escapism? Love it. But why set up this whole "she's a secret agent and can tell no one!" scenario and then drop her in all these situations where you can't figure out how she would even manage to hide her secret life and it's totally jarring to the story, not to mention the eye-rolling has caused me to lodge a contact lens in my cerebellum. When a show can't even bother to try to create any kind of coherent structure or a set of narrative rules for itself, I get angry. And when I get angry, potato chips get eaten, dammit.