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
Positano. Sydney's pursing her lips. Thank God I'm not wearing 3-D glasses. Mr. Donato is babbling. It's filler. This gist of it is that the original Giovanni Donato was offered lots of lolly by various richies to build them clocks, but he refused. (No mention of why, and that seems pretty dumb, since he was a clockmaker.) But he did make an exception for Milo Rambaldi, who promised him an exceptionally long life. Sydney asks if he was right. Old Donato says, "Of course." Sydney asks about the symbol on the clock, which looks like this: < 0 >. Donato says it's a symbol of the Magnific Order of Rambaldi, his most loyal followers who were trusted with his creations. He says that sadly, like most pure things, it has been infiltrated by criminals who use the symbol to their own ends. As he's talking, the camera cuts to Ana and her henchmen entering the same building. Ana takes the elevator while the thugs take other entrances.
The henchmen go up the stairs and across the way; in another building a sniper sets up and gets Sydney in his gun's sights. Back in the apartment, Sydney asks about the date on the clock. Mr. Donato says that it must've meant something to Rambaldi, since the clock was built from one of his designs, but that he never did tell him what he meant by it. Sydney starts and asks what did he just say. Mr. Donato tries to backtrack, and corrects himself that his mother never told him. Sydney lets it go. Donato hands the clock over to her and tells her that there's one piece missing, so it won't work -- but it will tell time, if that's what Sydney wants. The clock starts to run. Mr. Donato and Sydney look at each other. The sniper VOs that the clock is finished, and he has Sydney in his sights. Ana tells him to take the shot when it's clear.
Sydney asks Donato what Rambaldi was working on. Donato shakes his head and says that the clock is fixed, and now it is over. Just as the sniper takes his shot, Donato stands up, and Sydney's enormous forehead gets splattered with blood, most of which is conveniently gone by the time she hits the floor.
Sydney grabs the clock and runs. The Alias disco mega-mix starts playing -- it's a little bit John Williams, it's a little bit techno, and it always plays during chase scenes -- as she heads for the elevator, only to see Ana rising up to meet her. Sydney turns before the elevator stops and runs up the stairwell. Ana stops the elevator and heads up, too. Ana looks implacable. The henchmen chase Sydney.