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& Credit go out to Leoff Online for the great recap.
Wildfeed Summary for Alias
"The Coup"
Episode Number: E#643
Running Time: 45:10
Summary written by Leoff and a ladyfriend who shall remain nameless until she thinks up a cool name.
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Opening Monologue: Nothing new.
Previously on Alias: Charlie proposes to Francie, Kelly pleads with Will to help her father, McKenas steals vial, Michael thanks Sydney for recovering vial.
Hong Kong: In front of Tio-Chem Engineering, a Chinese man is executed by a Caucasian man in broad daylight. Watching the same scene on a tape from surveillance cameras are Sydney, Sloane, Dixon, Jack, and Marshall. They are seated at a conference table at SD-6 headquarters. The Chinese man is identified by Sloane as Quan Lee, head of FTL, another "unknown" rival organization. The assassin is unknown but not camera shy. Sloane, sporting a bandaged right index finger, continues to tell that the assassin led an attack on FTL headquarters at the same time that SD-6 was attacked. The unknown organization was also after another Rambaldi artifact at FTL headquarters. It is learned that in the FTL attack, their agent list was compromised and the entire network fell within hours.
Marshall asks why they're not celebrating with the demise of FTL, but Jack says that the new unknown organization is powerful enough to bring them down... a new threat! In addition, Sloane tells that this new group now has a collection of Rambaldi artifacts that may rival SD-6's and they're closer to discovering what Rambaldi was hiding. Marshall responds "Yeah, that does suck..."
SD-6 has also learned through surveillance that unknown group has contacted K-Directorate to negotiate the sharing of Rambaldi technology. Sydney and Dixon are then told of their next assignment: They are to plant a bug on a K-Directorate operative who will later receive a phone call giving the time and location of the meeting between the new group and K-Directorate. The assignment has Dixon posing as a Jamaican Delegate who is to be invited to a back room poker game and plant a surveillance "ring" on the K-Directorate operative.
As the meeting ends, Sloane pulls Sydney aside and thanks her for her help with the recent attack on SD-6, also briefly consoling her about the new knowledge concerning her mom's past KGB affiliation. The two walk out of the office to find a group of employees giving Sydney a round of applause in thanks for her help. In a voice-over, Sydney feels sorry for the employees who don't truly understand who they are working for or what kind of man Sloane is.
On a train, Sydney talks with Michael about her CIA counter-assignment, which is to simply allow the SD-6 assignment to continue until more information is gathered. Sydney asks if Michael if he got in trouble for going to SD-6 headquarters without permission during the attack. Michael says he basically got a slap on the wrist.
Jack talks to Sydney at SD-6 headquarters, giving her final information on her mission, then makes an attempt to act "fatherly" by asking her how her school is going. Sydney simply responds "good," but then opens up a bit more to her father, saying that she's questioning her choice to become a teacher, given what she now knows about her mother, who used the classes as simply a cover. She's wondering if she should quit classes. She is turning to Jack for his advice, but he can simply answer "I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask."
Opening Credits: Nothing new.
At Sydney's place, Will stops by, looking to pick up a tape recorder. He sports a MASSIVE hickey on his neck which Sydney jokes about and then helps him conceal with cover up. A hint of flirtation takes place. In walk Charlie and Francie, who complain about the future in-laws first meeting and how "well" it went. Francie spot's a packed bag and asks Sydney where she's off to. Sydney responds Vegas. Francie hints that that would be a fun trip for she and Charlie, but Sydney tells them that it's purely a business trip. Embarrassed that she can't spend more time with her friends, Sydney says she has to go, and Will starts to exit with her. Charlie asks Sydney on her way out to post some fliers on campus for upcoming performance at a local club, to which she agrees.
In a prison, Will talks with David McNeil through a phone/glass partition. David tells Will that Kelly came to him, told him the story and asked him to talk to the reporter. Will asks David if Kelly is safe, to which her father says yes, she's safely away in another country. David then says he'll tell Will about SD-6, but first wants Will to do something for him, an assignment to get some needed information from "OT Technology."
A voice-over by David explains what Will is doing, going into OT technology and requesting an interview with the company's CEO. While asking to go to the washroom, Will really sneaks into a server room (using David's security code at a door) and, using a backdoor "hack" supplied by David, is there to download a tag list of individuals who have accessed David's encryption program. It is a list of anyone who accessed this program. Will downloads "Daulphin", which David says is their roadmap.
In a university professor's office, Sydney is there to inform the professor of her intention to drop the class, stating that her work is eating too much of her time. The instructor asks her to reconsider, saying that she's one of the best students he's had.
Later, putting up one of Charlie's fliers, a woman sees the flier and approaches Sydney, saying she didn't know Charlie was a singer. The two gals talk, but the woman is not exactly happy to be talking about Charlie, saying she had a bad relationship with him as little as two months ago. Sydney tells of Francie's engagement to Charlie, and the woman calls Charlie a pig. Sydney suddenly looks very hurt and concerned.
Las Vegas: Sydney and a nappy-hared Dixon are walking down the nighttime strip while Sydney talks to Will on a cell phone, telling him about Charlie's infidelity. Sydney hangs up, distracted. Dixon asks her if she can focus, to which she answers that if she was trained to spot signs and tells of trouble in people, why she couldn't spot Charlie's secret? But now down to business: Sydney hands Dixon a copy of the ring the K-Directorate operative wears. The ring contains surveillance equipment.
Sydney walks up to a back entrance and gets stopped by a security guard, but after showing some identification, she is let in the back of the casino and is instantly changed into a slinky hostess outfit.
Commercial Break: Come to Las Vegas and let us drain your bank account!
Walking through the casino towards another employees only area, Sydney has to duck and cover to avoid being seen by... Charlie and Francie! She tells Dixon about them over a hidden earpiece/mic.
Entering the employee's only area, she runs down a back hallway and, almost getting spotted by a security guard, slips into a side closet which contains connections for the casino's security system. Using a nice new "toy" of Marshal's, She taps into the casino's id system and changes the profile picture of the Jamaican delegate to that of Dixon's disguise, then taps into the closed circuit camera system and is able to see Dixon walking into the casino. Casino security cameras pick him up, he is identified as the Jamaican delegate, and getting escorted by casino employees to the "private gambling suite."
Playing Roulette and winning, Francie spots an ad on the wall for a Las Vegas wedding chapel and hints to Charlie about tying the knot there and then. He starts to think it over...
On her portable system, Sydney finds the camera that shows Dixon entering the private gambling room and points out to him which man seated at a table is the K-Directorate operative. Dixon greets them in a Jamaican accent and sits to play poker with them, winning the first hand with an obvious bluff (and with some help from Sydney, who's camera is able to read the K-Directorate operative's cards).
Glancing over at another camera on her monitor, Sydney spots Charlie and Francie at the wedding chapel and panics! Wanting to know if she can go "radio silent" for two minutes, she asks Dixon's permission. With a "grunt" he gives her the ok.
Charlie and Francie are just getting ready to sign the registry as Sydney walks in (in an overcoat concealing the prior outfit) and asks them what they're doing here, at the chapel? Francie excitingly says they're getting married, but Sydney asks to talk with Charlie in private for a moment and they walk off uncomfortably.
Sydney says that she met a female "friend" of Charlie's and that she knows the truth about his relationship with the woman. Upset and concerned, she offer's Charlie an ultimatum: If he marries Francie without knowing about the other woman, Sydney will kill him. He WILL tell her about the other woman before they get married, or Sydney will tell her. Charlie says that he understands.
Back to the poker game and it looks like Dixon is cleaning house. The K-Directorate operative is almost bust and ready to give up after this hand. Dixon shows concern that he hasn't heard from Sydney, nor has he switched the rings yet.
Sydney rushes through the casino on her way back to the surveillance closet and she passes a man who receives a call on his cell phone. "sir, we have a problem..."
Briefly, Charlie walks up nervously to Francie and says that they can't get married like this, it wouldn't be right to rush things. Francie looks disappointed.
The K-Directorate operative pushes all his chips towards the center of the table, raising everything he's got on this one hand. Dixon sees the raise and sweetens the pot with a jewel studded gift from the king of Saudi Arabia. The K-Directorate operative things for a while, offers his watch (which Dixon refuses, as he's "already got a watch), and requests something more personal, eyeing his ring.
Sydney streaks into the closet and reports into Dixon, saying she's back. She quickly reads the K-Directorate operative's cards and sees he has a flush! Enough to beat Dixon's three kings.
Knowing he lost, Dixon pretends like he won the hand, lays down his cards in triumph, and starts to collect his winnings (palming the ring and switching it with the fake, surveillance ring). But the K-Directorate operative stops him, reveals his flush, and Dixon pulls back.
Just then, Sydney notices casino security on one of her camera monitors and reports that something is wrong. The three men come into the private gambling room and request that the "Jamaican delegate" accompany them outside. Out in the hall, the three men confront him, saying they just received a call from "his" attaché, saying that he was stuck in Jamaica.
Panicked, Sydney runs down the hallway (Yelling "Dixon!", which this writer and his colleague believes to be a very boneheadded move for a stealthy, sneaky spy-gal), picks a food tray, and whaps one of the three men aside. The other two men are taken down quickly and Dixon and Sydney run down the hall to freedom.
Los Angeles: Back at her home, Francie is talking about their Las Vegas adventure, the two-thousand bucks they won, and shows off the new diamond bracelet. Sydney sits by her, looking very uneasy, as Francie thanks her for stopping her spontaneous decision to get married, but does not hint that Charlie told her anything else. Sydney is now forced to tell her about the woman that Charlie had an affair with two months ago. Francie gets angry at her, refusing to believe such a story, claiming that Sydney never liked Charlie and she's doing this simply to keep them from getting married. Sydney tries to explain herself, but Francie won't hear it and leaves hurt and angry.
Commercial Break: Crayola Crayons: Non toxic, but still bad tasting.
At Will's work, Sydney talks to Will about her conversation with Francie and Will consoles her. Sydney's phone goes off. It's her dad, saying that the mission was successful and they got the location of the meeting to be held later on. He then requests her to meet him for some secret reason.
The father and daughter walk up to a carousel that they used to visit when she was a child. He talks of family time together, years ago, talking with his wife about his CIA work, which he now reflects as a mistake on his part, not knowing at the time she was KGB. He then tells Sydney that he has thought about her decision to leave school, and thinks that her mother's earlier deceptive cover as a professor shouldn't influence her decision. He tries to be caring and parental, saying that she should continue her schooling, as she'd make a great teacher. It is a very subtle bonding moment for the two as they turn to watch the carousel.
At the SD-6 headquarters, Sloane talks of being disgusted by not knowing who "the Man" is and that introduces Sydney and Dixon's next mission, to spy on the meeting between the K-Directorate and "the Man" concerning the Rambaldi artifact information exchange. The meeting will take place in Moscow.
Meeting with Michael for her counter assignment, Sydney receives the needed information, then Michael talks to her, clarifying his reasons for refusing to go with her to a hockey game, saying that he would have loved to have gone with her and be seen in public with her. He then awkwardly wishes her luck on her mission in Moscow.
Commercial Break: Windex makes it SHINE!
Sydney sit in her apartment, sipping wine and sadly looks at the class drop list. Francie walks in and the two exchange awkward pleasantries before Francie says that Charlie told her everything and Francie then breaks down, saying Sydney was right. Francie apologizes to her for doubting her as Francie notices the class drop slip and questions it. Sydney says she's not dropping it and tosses the slip into the fireplace.
Moscow: In a back alley, Sydney repels between buildings on a rope, lowering herself to a window where she places surveillance equipment. Nearby, Dixon gets a video and audio feed into the room where Sydney hangs outside. Inside are a small delegation of K-Directorate operatives and representatives of "the Man". Dixon focuses the camera on the members of this secret meeting, focusing on the K-directive operative. He suddenly realizes that it's not just an operative, but instead the HEAD of K-Directorate!
Inside, a representative of "the Man" (the assassin from the beginning of the episode) talks to the K-Directorate delegation. The K-Directorate head demands to talk to "the Man" himself, not one of his subordinates, but the representative gives his boss's apologies and insists that they have to deal with him. The representative then gives the terms of the deal: One hundred million dollars in exchange for the Rambaldi manuscript recently acquired in Argentina. Sydney witnesses this while hanging outside the window, but she is unsteady and starts looking for a foothold.
The representative gives the K-Directorate head 60 seconds to decide on the deal, but the Head says that it's priceless and not for sale. He gets up to leave in disgust when some of "the Man"s" people whip out guns and open fire, shooting and killing the K-Directorate head and another guard. Two men are left standing, begging not to be shot. The representative of "The man" now informs one of the K-Directorate gentlemen that he is now the new head of the organization and he has 20 seconds to make the decision. Looking around at the results of the former head's decision, he goes along with the deal.
Sydney still hangs outside the building, watching the deal transpire, when she suddenly goes for a better foothold. But she knocks a piece of masonry from the building and it falls to the ground, alerting a gun-toting guard below, who starts to fire his AK-47 wildly into the air at Sydney! Dixon yells out "Sydney!" in concern as she tries to avoid the gunfire!
BAD ROBOT!
