Also Known As A Cliffhanger

In last year's Alias season finale, we though Vaughn had drowned after the destruction of the ginormous Rambaldi device and we found that "The Man" was none other than Sydney's presumed-dead KGB mama. That was intense, sure. But last night, Sydney wakes up in Hong Kong, with her last memory being shooting the Francie double after finding Will gutted in the bathtub. She's sent to the safe house, where Vaughn arrives to explain/find out what has happened. It seems that he no longer works for the CIA, is married, and thought Sydney was dead because she has been missing for two years. Two freaking years! What happened to "el dire"? What about Sloane and Derevko and Sark? Was Sydney drugged? Conditioned? What's that white scar on her belly? How come her hair is the same length as it was two years ago? Has she been a double agent, unknowingly? Did the prophecy come true? Now, that's a cliffhanger!

Speaking of things you watch, I saw Spellbound this weekend, which is a documentary about eight students preparing for and competing in the National Spelling Bee. It was awesome. The direction and editing really made for a suspenseful film. After the introductions of the students themselves, I had my favorites, and one I particularly did not want to win, because of my irrational class bias. I was surprised, however, that some people in the sold-out audience didn't seem to be there for the same reasons I was. It was almost as if they were treating it like a Christopher Guest mockumentary, laughing at the unfortunate speech impediment of one speller, and the obvious geekiness of others. What I related to, they found unusual and deridable. That was pretty weird, but in the end, I was able to spell the winning word, so I still felt superior, which is what really matters, right? Recommended, but don't be surprised if you find yourself spelling out loud along with the contestants.