The Alias Debate Continues

I agree, Chris, that reteaming everybody back up together makes way for some new fans getting interested. However, Abrams had no way of knowing early on that "Lost" was going to be such a hit and therefore "Alias" would finally get steady viewers. It's all a crapshoot. But because he gets to bring it on in midseason and not have to go through a month here and a month there without new episodes then this would have been the perfect time to keep viewers attatched with a season long story arc. That is why "24's" nonstop season is getting more viewers than the last two seasons. And hell, "Lost" is one of the top ten shows every week with a million story arcs going on, and it does have to go in droughts with no new episodes. The same can be said for "Desperate Housewives" as well.
As I said in my earlier post, I do hope for and believe that Abrams has got something cooking up his sleeve; it's just with Vaughn's storyline mirroring Syd's quest in the first two seasons of the show, it scares me that the big surprises are just going to be simple retreads. While that might engage newer viewers, how does that help ones that have been there since the beginning? I am not forgetting that the ratings are what matters not whether long time fans stay with the show, but I'm not going to give any leniency based on that.
I am only writing this as someone who has been there since the beginning; which is really the only way I can approach it. Compared to 75% of television shows, "Alias" is still kicking ass. But compared to past seasons, to say it's top notch, in my opinion, is a tad ridiculous. What I like to refer to as the "Vampire" episode, the two parter with Sark, and the episode with Syd and Vaughn posing as communists are easily the four worst episodes of the series. And a few other of the episodes, while having their moments, have not been all that engaging.
The last three weeks have definately upped the ante quite a bit; like I said, I loved the "Marshall centered" one from last week. And last nights episode was very entertaining. So, hopefully it will stay on this pace and correct the mistakes from earlier in the season.