Sydney's latest mission for SD-6 is to purchase some communication codes from one of Sark's long-time associates. After a tense action sequence she succeeds, but then these codes are given by Sloane to PRF, a terrorist group that apparently he and Sark have ties to, and they can be used to activate six nuclear warheads that PRF has acquired. Irina is the only one who knows where the warheads are kept and how to get there, so the CIA temporarily lets her out of her cell to accompany Jack and Sydney on a mission to Pakistan to find and deactivate them. Meanwhile, Sloane receives an anonymous phone call telling him that they've got his wife Emily, she's still alive, and if he doesn't want the Alliance to find out about it he should pay them 100 million dollars.
The two-part "Passage" is the best episode of Season 2 so far. It's superior to the previous ones in most categories, but especially in its (twisty) plotting and its (larger-scale) production. Lena Olin is PURE GOLD as Irina, and her interactions with Jack are fascinating and delightful. The scene where he puts an explosive necklace around her neck in case she tries to escape, the scene on the train where she undresses in front of him, the scene where they both remember the same incident from the happy period of their married life, all those scenes are among the highlights of the entire series so far. The Rambaldi artifact that comes into play ties very nicely with a memorable guest character of the Season 1 episode "Time Will Tell". The secondary plot with Sloane is also very engaging. This episode is so good it could almost be a season finale. ***1/2 out of 4.
The two-part "Passage" is the best episode of Season 2 so far. It's superior to the previous ones in most categories, but especially in its (twisty) plotting and its (larger-scale) production. Lena Olin is PURE GOLD as Irina, and her interactions with Jack are fascinating and delightful. The scene where he puts an explosive necklace around her neck in case she tries to escape, the scene on the train where she undresses in front of him, the scene where they both remember the same incident from the happy period of their married life, all those scenes are among the highlights of the entire series so far. The Rambaldi artifact that comes into play ties very nicely with a memorable guest character of the Season 1 episode "Time Will Tell". The secondary plot with Sloane is also very engaging. This episode is so good it could almost be a season finale. ***1/2 out of 4.