Alias/A Broken Heart

A Broken Heart
Season 1, Episode 4
Airdate	October 21, 2001
Production Number	E633
Written by	Vanessa Taylor
Directed by	Harry Winer
← 1x03 Parity	1x05 → Doppelgänger
Alias — Season One

A Broken Heart is the fourth episode of the first season of Alias. Sydney must deal with the loss of a respected colleague while trying to connect with her estranged father.

Starring: Jennifer Garner (Sydney Bristow), Ron Rifkin (Arvin Sloane), Michael Vartan (Michael Vaughn), Bradley Cooper (Will Tippin), Merrin Dungey (Francie Calfo), Carl Lumbly (Marcus Dixon), Kevin Weisman (Marshall Flinkman)

and Victor Garber (Jack Bristow)

Guest Starring: Miguel Sandoval (SD-6 Agent Anthony Russek), Gina Torres (Anna Espinosa), Evan Dexter Parke (Charlie), Faran Tahir (Bak Ibrahim), Maurice Chasse (Jacqnoud), Bernard White (Sawari), Angus Scrimm (SD-6 Agent McCullough), Sarah Shahi (Jenny)

Co-Starring: Arabella Holzbog (Sydney's Mom)

Featuring: Hector Aristizabal (Waiter), Sayed Badreya (Vendor), Jeff Chase (Bodyguard), Haley Gilbert (Rachel), Soren Hellerup (Doctor), Subash Kundanmal (Dhiren Patel), Tony Sears (German SD-6 Agent), Alex Veadow (K-Directorate Officer)

Plot Overview

Sydney and Anna, meeting under cover of snipers in a Colosseum in Germany, get a glimpse of the second half of Rambaldi's code before a self destruct mechanism disintegrates the code. Sydney and Anna memorize it and race back to document the sequence. The sequence is initially mistaken for a location in Athens when it was instead aiming towards a church in Malaga, Spain. Using the cryptic phrase 'Golden Sun', Sydney finds a removable disc in a stained glass window. Anna surprises her there and they fight for the disc. Handcuffing Anna, Sydney is able to make off with the disk-shaped glass. It is later identified as a synthetic polymer constructed several centuries before polymers were invented.

Sydney's inclination to pass along a false version of Rambaldi's code is countered by Vaughn, who tells her not to in order to protect her. Additionally, the CIA apparently has K-Directorate ranked higher than SD-6 and are willing to help SD-6 do what it can to beat them.

In an unrelated operation, Sydney is called in to investigate a bomb designer named Jacqnoud who is contracted to build a device to attack the United Commerce Organization. She and Dixon are to monitor the meeting with the buyer covertly, with the help of a trusted colleague and friend, Bak Ibrahim. Sydney is spotted observing by the bodyguard, who had broken her arm the last time they ran into each other, but not before identifying the buyer as a man named Sawari. She beats the bodyguard, but unfortunately Bak is killed.

Jacqnoud is determined to bomb the conference by using an unwitting carrier, peace prize winner and UN delegate Dhiren Patel. Assuming he is going to plant an explosive on Patel, Sydney and Dixon go to San Paolo to protect Patel and recover the bomb. Patel is seem falling unconscious during a party. Suspecting something he drank, Sydney steals his drinking glass and has it identified as having been tampered. Following the ambulance, Sydney finds they have taken Patel to an industrial park and are surgically implanting something into him.

Francie's suspicions about Charlie draw Sydney in, where they stakeout his house and find him meeting another woman. She confronts Charlie and ends up walking away.

Will, continuing to probe into the death of Danny, finds that Danny's reservations to Switzerland were booked with another passenger named Kate Jones. In addition, he tries to kiss Sydney again with similarly awkward results.

Sydney, trying to connect with her father, sets up a dinner date. He calls in to cancel while sitting outside the restaurant, citing work reasons, but Sydney sees through this. Her father may possibly have canceled because of a psychological probe he had earlier where he assumes that Sydney will eventually find the truth as to her mother's death. Unable to turn to anyone else, and distraught over the loss of Bak and problems with her father, Sydney calls Vaughn who listens to her problems with a sympathetic ear.

Notes

• Sydney beats Anna in hand to hand combat, as well as two other men. Dixon beats one man in hand to hand combat.

• Marshall gives Sydney a purse with a directional microphone with excellent wind filters. Sydney also uses a small collapsible telescope.

• Sydney goes undercover as Kate Jones and Dixon as Justin Burnell with Mindspring Learning Tours to Morocco. They also attend the conference in San Paolo as dinner guests.

Music

• Bill Bonk - "Halfway Home"

• Nina Storey - "If I Was An Angel"

• Sarah MacLachlan - "Angel"