Where Did Arvin Clone Go?

Just when Alias had grabbed maybe a hint of traction with the "Arvin Clone" plot, they completely abandon it to instead go this week with a largely stand-alone story about another random terrorist organization we've never heard of. Grumble. Maybe something will come of the "third Derevko sister" they've now introduced. Or maybe she'll vanish completely like Arvin Clone did.

The cross-pollenation between 24 and Alias continues this week. After getting killed off on 24 about a third of the way into the season, Nestor Serrano showed up for a one shot on Alias tonight.

I am sort of interested in the "dying Jack" plot, but not because I believe they'll actually kill him off. (There could be a miracle Rambaldi cure in store for him, for example.) It sort of made me think of President Roslin on Battlestar Galactica, with her terminal cancer. And that's where the interest comes in. How long can you sustain having a main character on a TV show with a terminal disease? At some point, don't you have to make good on killing the person? If you sweep in with a miracle cure, is that a cop-out?

BSG helps themselves a bit with this problem by their relatively tight passage of time. Season 1, for example, unfolded over a period of just over a month. We've been told Roslin can expect about 6 months to live. So at that pace, she could live for several more seasons before we'd be pushing credibility. Jack on Alias, on the other hand, is already "molting." It makes me question if Alias is even going to get much dramatic mileage out of his sacrifice before they go wrapping it up.

I was sort of disappointed in both Alias and 24 last week. Then 24 rolled out what I thought was an incredible episode this week. I guess I was hoping that Alias would have a similar resurgence. I'm feeling like I have to wait another week now, though.