Ken Olin Movies
A glance at Ken Olin's filmography as an actor alone shows a driven and tireless performer, but take an even closer look and you'll see that not only did Olin appear on-camera in some of the most memorable series of the 1980s and '90s, but he somehow managed to find the time to step into the director/producer chair as well. A Chicago native who attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Olin got his start in the industry in the late '70s. A few years after making his small-screen debut in the made-for-television feature Women at West Point (1979), Olin graduated to feature work with a minor role in the 1981 chiller Ghost Story. Throughout the '80s, the burgeoning actor could be spotted in such television fare as Hill Street Blues and Falcon Crest, and, in 1987, Olin steeped up his responsibilities by not only appearing on thirtysomething, but serving as director as well (for which he won two Humanitas Prizes). Olin would continue to pull double duty on such series as EZ Streets and L.A. Doctors, and in the late '90s he found work behind the camera for such popular shows as Felicity, Judging Amy, The West Wing, Alias, and Freaks and Geeks. Olin's 1992 television drama Doing Time on Maple Drive was nominated for three Emmys. Continuing to acquire at least two credits a year on average as an actor, audiences could rest assured that not only would they be seeing more of Olin onscreen, but they would also bear witness as he refined his skills as a director. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi- 2008
This quasi-fantasy offering from ABC starred Jonny Lee Miller as Eli Stone, a successful corporate lawyer who at the outset of the series cared only about the "holy trinity" of America: "Amani, Accessories and Ambition." All this changed when Eli suddenly began experiencing weird MTV-style visions of his late, ne'er-do-well father (Tom Cavanagh)--and, weirder still, of singer George Michael (playing himself). He was also subjected to bizarre hallucinations, notably a huge fighter plane which "buzzed" him in the middle of downtown New York. Interpreting these phenomena as a Sign from Heaven, Eli told off his imperious boss Jordan Wethersby (Victor Garber) and abandoned his lucrative practice in order to got to bat for "underdog" clients, usually those victimized by society in general and corporate fat cats in particular. While Eli's former associates thought that he'd gone crazy, his neurologist Nathan (Matt Letscher) had a grimmer explanation for his radical personality change, insisting that Eli was suffering from the same sort of brain aneuryism that had killed his father. But laid-back acupuncturist Dr. Chen (James Saito) wasn't as willing to write off Eli's new condition in so coldly logical a manner, and offered to help the protagonist interpret his visions in order to best serve humanity. Others in the cast included Loretta Devine as Eli's bemused assistant Patty, Julie Gonzalo as his dewey-eyed protegee Maggie, and Natasha Henstridge as Jordan Wethersby's daughter--and Eli's fiancee--Taylor. Blithely fluctuating between the real and surreal world, Eli Stone evoked memories of such earlier cult favorites as Ally McBeal and Joan of Arcadia, which was undoubtedly the intention of co-creator Marc Guggenheim (who, like Eli, has been a lawyer before turning to scriptwriting). The series first aired on January 31, 2008. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2006
Oscar-winner Sally Field and popular Ally McBeal star Calista Flockhart made their highly touted joint return to series television in this hour-long serialized drama set in California. Field was cast as Nora Walker, matriarch of a prosperous and sizeable family and mistress of an impressive estate. Nora's comfortable, well-ordered lifestyle was shattered upon the death of her husband, William (played in the opener by Tom Skerritt), whereupon things also unraveled for Nora's grown children, with dark secrets and unhappy relationships coming to the forefront in rapid and disturbing fashion. Flockhart was seen as Nora's daughter Kitty, a New York-based conservative talk-show host who was in town at the time of her father's death to consider a job as a political commentator on a national TV show. Rachel Griffiths played Kitty's sister Sarah, who had remained in California to help run the family business with her brother Thomas (Balthazar Getty) and Thomas' wife, Julia (Sarah Jane Morris). Other members of the Walker brood included Justin (David Annable), a disturbed veteran of the Afghan war, and Kevin (Matthew Rhys), a gay lawyer, as well as Sarah's stay-at-home-dad husband, Joe (John Pyper-Ferguson), and their children and Saul Holden (Ron Rifkin), family uncle and brother to Nora. Looming ominously over the proceedings was a "mystery woman" (later identified as Holly Harper), who had some sort of connection with the late William Walker, and who was portrayed by Patricia Wettig, real-life wife of series co-producer/co-creator Ken Olin. Brothers & Sisters premiered September 24, 2006, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Despite its late start in January of 2005 after a hiatus of eight months, the fourth season of Alias more than made up for lost time with a plethora of trials, tribulations, jaw-dropping revelations, big-time betrayals, and near-death experiences for the series' secret-agent heroine, Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner). Reeling from the disillusionment and embarrassment of her demotion, Sydney quits the CIA flat; however, it turns out that this is part of a master plan hatched by new CIA director Hayden Chase (Angela Bassett) to arrange Sydney's membership in Authorized Personnel Only (APO), a top-top secret black-ops organization. Sydney's co-workers at APO include several longtime associates: her father, Jack (Victor Garber); her partner and sometime lover, Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan); her steadfast previous partner Dixon (Carl Lumbly) -- and, much to our heroine's surprise, her duplicitous ex-chief, Sloane (Ron Rifkin), who has proven time and again that he can't be trusted. For her first APO assignment, Sydney is sent to Rio, where she has a fateful encounter with her latest adversary, Tamasaki (Rick Yune), a self-styled 21st century samurai. Previously a recurring character, Sydney's half-sister, Nadia Santos (Mía Maestro), becomes a full regular this season, the better to throw a monkey wrench into Sydney's volatile relationship with her father, Jack -- and to share with Jack a startling secret about Sydney's supposedly dead, supposedly traitorous mother. At the same time, Vaughn has a great deal of difficulty overcoming the treachery of his former wife, Lauren, and an equal amount of difficulty assimilating new and disturbing information about his own father. Major developments this season include a huge revival of interest in the Rambaldi code, which when broken may spell the doom of humankind; the surprising temporary recruitment of another of Sydney's longtime enemies, Julian Sark (David Anders), for a special APO mission; a grim prognostication that Sydney and Nadia are destined to duke it out to the death; and the resurrection of a long-presumed-dead central character, who will reveal anew to Sydney that she can never completely rely upon anyone or believe in anything, not even the evidence of her own eyes. Though the season ends with the good news that Sydney and Vaughn are engaged, any hopes for lasting happiness are dashed by still another shocking revelation -- and a spectacular car crash. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jennifer Garner, Victor Garber, (more)
As season three of the ABC espionage series gets under way, secret agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) has still not entirely adjusted to the startling revelation that she has somehow lost track of two years in her life -- and that her partner and erstwhile lover Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan) is now married to Lauren Reed (Melissa George). Also, she is informed that her double-agent father, Jack (Victor Garber), who thought Sydney was dead, has been jailed -- in solitary confinement -- for a year, and her duplicitous boss, Sloane (Ron Rifkin), has disavowed his evil ways and "gone straight." But just as in previous seasons, what seems true on the surface is a different story as Sydney digs deeper into the mystery of her missing years. Placed back on active duty, Sydney tortuously tries to put the pieces back together, with Vaughn at her side and Lauren agonizing over the likelihood that her marriage is doomed. Various links to Sydney's past include her old nemesis Julian Sark (David Anders), who has hatched a scheme to cripple the nation's satellite system; and freelance thief Simon Walker (Justin Theroux), whose team is involved in stealing a dirty weapon. There are also unexpected encounters with Sydney's old friend Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper), newly dragged from the bowels of the Witness Protection Program, and the redoubtable Allison Doren (Merrin Dungey), the evil doppelganger of Sydney's murdered roommate, Francie. Throughout, there is a concerted effort to prevent Sydney's memory from coming back -- an effort engineered not only by her enemies, but by those who know that she is harboring a terrible secret that will destroy her once she knows all. In the mid-season episode "Full Disclosure," Sydney finally receives the whole shocking story about those lost two years, and her complicity in the murder of a Russian diplomat. Thereafter, we're back to the basics, with Sydney and Vaughn collaborating on a variety of top-secret missions, several tied in with the ubiquitous Rambaldi code, which when broken will lead to a super-weapon capable of wiping out all of humankind. And in the time remaining in season three, the scorned Lauren is at the center of a startling betrayal -- and, ultimately, Sydney is slapped with a bitter disillusionment that makes all past disillusionments in her life pale in comparison. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jennifer Garner, Victor Garber, (more)
- 2003
In the first episode of a two-part story, Francie's evil double (Merrin Dungey) implants Will (Bradley Cooper) with phony retinal DNA, thereby framing him as a traitor. Worried about the fugitive Will's fate, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) blows her cover in the presence of the phony Francie -- meaning that now she, too, will have to be eliminated. And a "new" Sloane (Ron Rifkin) tries to strike a deal with Jack (Victor Garber). This is the one in which star Jennifer Garner dons a skimpy dominatrix outfit -- all in the line of duty, of course. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2003
Made for television, Phenomenon II is not so much as sequel to the theatrical feature Phenomenon as it is a remake--and as such, it is rather obvious that the film is the pilot for a proposed TV series. Christopher Shyer stars as California mechanic George Malley, who after being literally struck down by a bolt from the sky develops hyper-intelligence, mental telepathy, the ability to foretell the future, and a skill not covered in the first Phenomenon: the power to heal. Unfortunately, George also suffers from terrible headaches, suggesting that his "gift" is more bogy than blessing. Plus, try though he might to use his heightened senses to do good for others, he succeeds only in driving everyone away--including his own mother (Jill Clayburgh). Eventually, it is discovered that George's superhuman brilliance is the freakish result of a brain tumor that will eventually kill him. To best use the time he has left on earth, George hits the road, seeking out people in need of his peculiar talents. . .and, it is hoped, a cure for his fatal affliction. When Phenomenon II initially aired over ABC on November 1, 2003, it was introduced by the star of the original Phenomenon, John Travolta. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2003
Evidence found on a victim in an elevator accident leads to the elusive Sloane (Ron Rifkin), who is poised to steal yet another precious Rambaldi manuscript. Irina (Lena Olin) suggests that a sting operation be set up to capture Sloane, thereby enabling her daughter, Sydney (Jennifer Garner), to finally quit the spy business. Meanwhile, circumstantial evidence leads Syd to suspect that Vaughn (Michael Vartan) has stolen Xenon, a forbidden description program, and is prepared to sell it to the highest bidder; after much soul-searching, Dixon (Carl Lumbly) elects to join the CIA; and Francie's evil lookalike (Merrin Dungey) attempts to extract valuable information from Will (Bradley Cooper). Comedian Richard Lewis guest stars in a dramatic role as the CIA counterintelligence analyst, Mitchell Yager, who is investigating Vaughn for possible disloyalty. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2003
After CIA agent Emma Wallace (Olivia D'Abo) is killed in full view of a nationwide TV audience, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) and Vaughn (Michael Vartan) are assigned to take over Emma's mission. They must determine if a new gene-splicing technology called Helix is actually some sort of weapon -- and they must also locate Emma's CIA partner, Jim Lennox (Ethan Hawke). What they do not know (but the viewer does) is that the man calling himself Lennox is a double agent. Meanwhile, the evil lookalike of the murdered Francie (Merrin Dungey) -- one of the earliest "customers" of the Helix -- makes her first move. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Cunningly presaged by the cliffhanger at the end of season one, the first episode of Alias' second season confirmed what heroine Sydney A. Bristow (Jennifer Garner) -- college student by day, counterespionage agent the rest of the time -- had feared most: that "The Man," the evil leader of a vast criminal cartel, was no man at all, but instead Sydney's supposedly dead mother, former KGB agent Irina Derevko (played by new series regular Lena Olin). Though Irina would eventually claim to have reformed and insisted that she was looking out for Sydney's best interests, her actions -- which included innumerable double-crosses, sellouts, and betrayals -- would seem to indicate otherwise. Even so, nothing that was ever "indicated" on Alias was ever quite what it appeared on the surface. Meanwhile, both of the spy organizations for which Sydney worked, the CIA and the more sinister SD-6, were dedicated to destroying the cartel formerly run by Irina and now in the hands of her mercurial lieutenant, Sark (played by another new series regular, David Anders). The two rival agencies also continued their search for the missing Rambaldi fragments, which when assembled would become a terrifying weapon of mass destruction, as well as "The Bible," the operations manual used by Irina's old criminal empire.
Still embittered by the knowledge that she had been used all her life by SD-6, Syd persisted in covertly working against the organization by throwing in with the CIA, under the supervision of agent Michael C. Vaughn (Michael Vartan), who by the time season two rolled around, was making no secret of his love for Syd. Two other SD-6 operatives, computer genius Marshall Flinkman (Kevin Weisman) and agent Marcus Dixon (Carl Lumbly), likewise crossed over to the CIA, with tragic results for at least one of them. Syd was given even more reason to despise the espionage business when she learned that, as a child, she had been a guinea pig for a program designed to indoctrinate spies at an early age -- a program developed by her own father, Jack Bristow (Victor Garber). There was another "father figure" in Syd's life in the form of her SD-6 boss, Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin), who despite his cruel cunning and ruthlessness was genuinely fond of both Bristows. Sloane would launch a second career as a solo villain when, disillusioned by the SD-6, he bolted the organization and set about to harness the awesome power of the Rambaldi device for his own purposes. His replacement at SD-6 was the no-nonsense Geiger (Rutger Hauer), who, shall we say, harbored no great love for either Syd or Jack. In addition to Rutger Hauer, season two of Alias would feature guest-star turns by Faye Dunaway as the duplicitous head of SD-6 counterintelligence; Richard Lewis as a CIA counterintelligence analyst investigating Vaughn; and Christian Slater as a scientist who was kidnapped by the renegade Sloane -- and whose past life experiences bore striking resemblances to those of the Bristow family.
Elsewhere, it was business as usual for crusading journalist Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper), who doggedly continued his crusade to expose and destroy SD-6 and all the other agencies in the Alliance of Twelve. The basic through line of Alias took off on a radical and wholly unanticipated new direction with its January 26, 2003, episode "Phase One." In this truly shocking entry, Syd's roommate, Francie (Merrin Dungey), was murdered and replaced by an exact double, thereby further blurring the series' distinction between its heroes and its villains. Also in that episode, the CIA put an end to SD-6, thus freeing Sydney from her double-agent balancing act and allowing her and Vaughn to finally express their feelings for each other. But even those developments paled in comparison with Alias' second-season cliffhanger finale, in which after being rendered unconscious in a fight with the "bad" Francie, Syd awoke to discover that two whole years had passed -- and her erstwhile lover Michael Vaughn was now beyond her reach! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Still embittered by the knowledge that she had been used all her life by SD-6, Syd persisted in covertly working against the organization by throwing in with the CIA, under the supervision of agent Michael C. Vaughn (Michael Vartan), who by the time season two rolled around, was making no secret of his love for Syd. Two other SD-6 operatives, computer genius Marshall Flinkman (Kevin Weisman) and agent Marcus Dixon (Carl Lumbly), likewise crossed over to the CIA, with tragic results for at least one of them. Syd was given even more reason to despise the espionage business when she learned that, as a child, she had been a guinea pig for a program designed to indoctrinate spies at an early age -- a program developed by her own father, Jack Bristow (Victor Garber). There was another "father figure" in Syd's life in the form of her SD-6 boss, Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin), who despite his cruel cunning and ruthlessness was genuinely fond of both Bristows. Sloane would launch a second career as a solo villain when, disillusioned by the SD-6, he bolted the organization and set about to harness the awesome power of the Rambaldi device for his own purposes. His replacement at SD-6 was the no-nonsense Geiger (Rutger Hauer), who, shall we say, harbored no great love for either Syd or Jack. In addition to Rutger Hauer, season two of Alias would feature guest-star turns by Faye Dunaway as the duplicitous head of SD-6 counterintelligence; Richard Lewis as a CIA counterintelligence analyst investigating Vaughn; and Christian Slater as a scientist who was kidnapped by the renegade Sloane -- and whose past life experiences bore striking resemblances to those of the Bristow family.
Elsewhere, it was business as usual for crusading journalist Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper), who doggedly continued his crusade to expose and destroy SD-6 and all the other agencies in the Alliance of Twelve. The basic through line of Alias took off on a radical and wholly unanticipated new direction with its January 26, 2003, episode "Phase One." In this truly shocking entry, Syd's roommate, Francie (Merrin Dungey), was murdered and replaced by an exact double, thereby further blurring the series' distinction between its heroes and its villains. Also in that episode, the CIA put an end to SD-6, thus freeing Sydney from her double-agent balancing act and allowing her and Vaughn to finally express their feelings for each other. But even those developments paled in comparison with Alias' second-season cliffhanger finale, in which after being rendered unconscious in a fight with the "bad" Francie, Syd awoke to discover that two whole years had passed -- and her erstwhile lover Michael Vaughn was now beyond her reach! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jennifer Garner, Victor Garber, (more)
- 2002
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Sydney (Jennifer Garner), her father, Jack (Victor Garber), and her mother, Irina (Lena Olin), are still in Pakistan, still searching for the code that will enable a group of rebels to activate half a dozen nuclear warheads. Despite Irina's protestations of good intentions, Syd and Jack still doubt her sincerity. Sure enough, Irina reverts to type by handing her family over to her villainous former ally Gerard Cuvee (Derek de Lint) -- but is this betrayal all that it appears to be? And back in the U.S., Sloane (Ron Rifkin) is blackmailed by an unknown party regarding his role in the attempted assassination of his wife, Emily. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2002
In the first episode of a two-part story, Sydney's perennial nemesis Sark (David Anders) has ostensibly mended his ways and joined the staff of SD-6. Sark's former confederate Irina (Lena Olin) suspects that he is up to no good -- and she turns out to be right on target when Sark delivers the highly volatile Uzbek communication codes into the hands of insurgents. Inasmuch as these codes have the capability of activating half a dozen nuclear warheads, Irina is in a position to negotiate a 48-hour release from CIA custody so that she, her daughter, Sydney (Jennifer Garner), and her ex-husband, Jack (Victor Garber), can head to Pakistan in the guise of vacation tourists. Upon arrival, this "happy family" begins to track down the codes, their efforts compromised by Syd and Jack's inability to thoroughly trust Irina. Meanwhile back in the U.S.A., Will (Bradley Cooper) is astonished by the CIA's indifference to his findings concerning Project Christmas. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2002
Resolving the cliffhanger established at the end of season one, season two of Alias begins with college student-cum-secret agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) coming face to face with her presumed-dead mother, KGB agent Irina Derevko (Lena Olin, making her first appearance as a series regular). But the reunion is far from a happy one: Exposed as the master criminal whom Sydney has been tracking for months, the surly Irina displays decidedly non-maternal instincts by shooting her daughter in the arm and dashing off to parts unknown. Meanwhile, Syd's friend Will has published his exposé of the covert espionage agency SD-6, making him a marked man -- but not if Syd's father, Jack (Victor Garber), can protect Will from any and all assailants. And can it be that Syd's CIA contact, Vaughn (Michael Vartan), is really dead? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2002
In the first episode of a two-part story, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) is in Paris, poised to foil the sinister schemes of Khasinau (Derrick O'Connor). Also in the City of Light is Will (Bradley Cooper), who has teamed with Jack (Victor Garber) to locate "Deep Throat." Meanwhile, Sloane (Ron Rifkin) is forced to sit in on the discussions to eliminate his wife, Emily (Amy Irving). And as things come to a boil, both Vaughn (Michael Vartan) and Dixon (Carl Lumbly) are forced to into difficult decisions regarding Sydney. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2002
Now convinced that Jack (Victor Garber) was telling the truth about her mother Irina's treachery, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) is warned by Vaughn (Michael Vartan) that even Jack can't be trusted. With this in mind, the rest of the episode -- involving Sydney's efforts to stop the activities of a vice cartel called the Triad in Budapest -- takes on several extra layers of significance. Upon discovering that the Triad is training children to be enemy sleeper agents, Sydney is shocked to learn the identity of the person who thought up this insidious method of indoctrination in the first place. "The Indicator" was originally scheduled to air on October 26, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2002
Hoping to get his hands on a vital missing page of the Rambaldi document -- and to beat the evil Mr. Sark (David Anders) and his confederates to the punch -- Vaughn (Michael Vartan) prevails upon Sydney (Jennifer Garner) to insinuate her way into the home of sinister SD-6 chieftain Sloane (Ron Rifkin). But Syd is none too keen on this assignment, since it will force her to take cruel advantage of her friendship with Sloane's terminally ill wife, Emily (Amy Irving, in her first series appearance). Meanwhile, Will continues his efforts to expose SD-6 to the public -- and must pay a terrible price in the process. Series producer/director Ken Olin appears unbilled as David McNeil. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2002
Created by actor Ken Olin and Rhonda L. Moore, Breaking News was set within the walls of I-24, a round-the-clock TV news network. Dedicated to both getting the truth and scooping the competition, the network is the fiefdom of superaggressive news division president Peter Kozyck (Clancy Brown). Other I-24 employees include charismatic senior anchorman Bill Dunne (Tim Matheson), ambitious rookie reporter Jamie Templeton (Rowena King), frustrated "human interest" commentator Janet LeClaire (Myndy Crist), cutthroat executive producer Rachel Glass (Lisa Ann Walter), overworked network CEO Jack Barnes (James Handy), and Jack's son, news producer Ethan Barnes (Scott Bairstow). Patricia Wettig, wife of co-creator Ken Olin, was seen as feature reporter Alison Dunne. Originally produced for and financed by the TNT cable network, the 13-episode Breaking News lay on the shelf for several months before its was picked up by the Bravo channel beginning July 17, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2002
Taken into custody by the FBI, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) is relentlessly grilled about her own espionage activities and her involvement in the Rambaldi prophecies. What follows is essentially the "backstory" of Sydney's entire life, complete with painful memories of Daniel's murder, SD-6's duplicity, and the horrible truth about her double-agent mother. Meanwhile, Jack (Victor Garber) and Vaughn (Michael Vartan) race against time to rescue Sydney before she becomes completely expendable in the eyes of the SD-6 higher-ups. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Viewers who tuned into the premiere episode of ABC's espionage series Alias did so already knowing the basic premise: Heroine Sydney A. Bristow (Jennifer Garner) lived a double life, as a "typical" college undergraduate and as an uncover agent for a government organization which she assumed to be the CIA. Sydney never told either her fiancé, Danny Hecht (Edward Atterton), or her roommate, Francie Calfo (Merrin Dungey), about her covert off-campus activities, not out of any great fear of blowing her cover, but merely because she assumed no one would believe her. Then came the fateful day that Sydney let slip her secret to Danny -- who turned up murdered not long afterward. It was then that Sydney began to suspect that her CIA bosses were not all they seemed to be -- and indeed, the truth came out that she wasn't working for the CIA at all, but for a rival agency, SD-6, one of several such organizations gathered together in a rather sinister group known as the Alliance of Twelve. The cruel ruthlessness with which SD-6 went about its business was personified by Sydney's boss, Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin), an enigmatic character who was obviously very fond of Syd and the other agents, but who would not hesitate to sell anyone out who got in his way. Sloane was particularly nasty when dealing with those who would dare prevent him to carry out his obsessive, lifelong search for the fragments of the Rambaldi device, a doomsday weapon concocted some 500 years before by a Renaissance artist who happened to possess a Nostradamus-like gift of prophecy. Other perplexing facets of Sloane's personality were revealed in his curious relationship with Sydney's father, veteran SD-6 operative Jack Bristow (Victor Garber), as well as in an ongoing subplot involving Sloane's terminally ill wife, Emily (Amy Irving) -- who happened to be very close to Syd.
Upon realizing that she'd been a dupe of sorts, the embittered Syd allowed herself to be enlisted as a counterspy by the real CIA; thereafter, whenever she went on a mission for SD-6, she was given a countermission by her new bosses. Her contact at the CIA was Michael C. Vaughn (Michael Vartan), a man with quite a history of his own. As for Syd's father, Jack, he spent much of season one trying to make amends for so perilously misleading his daughter -- all the while trying to shield her from the truth about her supposedly long-dead mother, Laura, who in keeping with the title of this series was actually Irina Derevko, a KGB agent who'd been assigned to seduce Jack nearly a quarter of a century before. Other recurring characters included Francie's chronically faithless fiancé, Charlie (Evan Dexter Parke); Syd's fellow SD-6 employees, agent Marcus R. Dixon (Carl Lumbly) and computer expert Marshall J. Finkman (Kevin Weisman), who was blessed with a photographic memory; and Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper), investigative journalist for the Los Angeles Chronicle, whose determination to find out the facts behind the death of Danny Hecht and expose the activities of SD-6 rendered him a marked man. Getting back to Syd, she spent most of season one chasing and being chased, never quite knowing her friends from her enemies. A mid-season brush with a dangerous rogue agent (played by filmmaker Quentin Tarantino) put Syd on the trail of a vast criminal cartel, whose leader was known only as "The Man." The season's cliffhanger ending revealed that "The Man" was actually a woman -- none other than Syd's "late" mother. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Upon realizing that she'd been a dupe of sorts, the embittered Syd allowed herself to be enlisted as a counterspy by the real CIA; thereafter, whenever she went on a mission for SD-6, she was given a countermission by her new bosses. Her contact at the CIA was Michael C. Vaughn (Michael Vartan), a man with quite a history of his own. As for Syd's father, Jack, he spent much of season one trying to make amends for so perilously misleading his daughter -- all the while trying to shield her from the truth about her supposedly long-dead mother, Laura, who in keeping with the title of this series was actually Irina Derevko, a KGB agent who'd been assigned to seduce Jack nearly a quarter of a century before. Other recurring characters included Francie's chronically faithless fiancé, Charlie (Evan Dexter Parke); Syd's fellow SD-6 employees, agent Marcus R. Dixon (Carl Lumbly) and computer expert Marshall J. Finkman (Kevin Weisman), who was blessed with a photographic memory; and Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper), investigative journalist for the Los Angeles Chronicle, whose determination to find out the facts behind the death of Danny Hecht and expose the activities of SD-6 rendered him a marked man. Getting back to Syd, she spent most of season one chasing and being chased, never quite knowing her friends from her enemies. A mid-season brush with a dangerous rogue agent (played by filmmaker Quentin Tarantino) put Syd on the trail of a vast criminal cartel, whose leader was known only as "The Man." The season's cliffhanger ending revealed that "The Man" was actually a woman -- none other than Syd's "late" mother. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jennifer Garner, Victor Garber, (more)
- 2001
After foiling a plot to blow up an international seminar with a human bomb, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) is assigned by SD-6 to kidnap a German biotech engineer. CIA agent Vaughn (Michael Vartan) offers to help Syd double-cross SD-6 without their knowing it, using a CIA computer expert named Paul Kelvin (Tom Everett) as a decoy. Elsewhere, Sydney's father, Jack (Victor Garber), is driven to desperate measures to protect his daughter, and Will (Bradley Cooper) comes closer to solving the mystery of Danny's death. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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