The BEST episodes of Alias

Every episode of Alias ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Alias!

Sydney Bristow, an agent who has been tricked to believe she is working for the U.S. government is actually working for a criminal organization named the Alliance of Twelve. Upon learning this, Sydney becomes a double agent for the real CIA.

Last Updated: 2/27/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
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Maternal Instinct
star
8.14
698 votes

#1 - Maternal Instinct

Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/19/2006

Sydney gives birth to the baby, but Sloane may need something from the newborn. Nadia awakens.

Directors: Tucker Gates
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Resurrection
star
8.13
562 votes

#2 - Resurrection

Season 3 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/23/2004

Lauren stages a stunning betrayal to steal classified materials from the CIA. Meanwhile, Vaughn comes face to face with his darkest demons in pursuit of his wife; Nadia must decide whether or not she can trust her father, Sloane, in the pursuit of Rambaldi's most priceless artifact; and Sydney receives a shattering revelation that will make her question everything - and everyone - she thought she could trust.

Directors: Ken Olin
Writer: Jeff Pinkner
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All the Time in the World
star
8.10
592 votes

#3 - All the Time in the World

Season 5 - Episode 17 - Aired 5/22/2006

Peyton tells Sloane that she has made a deal for the Rambaldi Sphere with an ally in China. Sloane arranges for stolen missiles to be sent to Hong Kong. Sloane's plan is revealed to the APO members, who race to stop him before he can use the Rambaldi Sphere to put the plan in motion. But this all leads to a long awaited confrontation between Sydney and Irina.

Directors: Tucker Gates
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Phase One
star
8.10
677 votes

#4 - Phase One

Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/26/2003

Sydney and Jack are confronted by the new director of SD-6 who replaces Sloane, whose whereabouts and intentions are unknown. Meanwhile, romantic sparks begin to fly between Francie and Will.

Directors: Jack Bender
Writer: J.J. Abrams
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Almost Thirty Years
star
8.07
770 votes

#5 - Almost Thirty Years

Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/12/2002

In order to save Will's life, Sydney and Vaughn must destroy a familiar looking Rambaldi device, while Jack makes a risky deal with Khasinau's representative, Mr. Sark. Meanwhile, the CIA believes that one of their own is a mole for "The Man"; the Alliance comes to a decision regarding the fate of Emily Sloane; Dixon's suspicions about Sydney intensify; and Sydney finds herself face-to-face with "The Man."

Directors: J.J. Abrams
Writer: J.J. Abrams
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Before the Flood
star
8.05
619 votes

#6 - Before the Flood

Season 4 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/25/2005

Jack, Sydney, Irina, Vaughn and Nadia parachute into Sovogda. They're supposed to dismantle a giant red ball turning people into zombies. At APO, Marshall and Weiss use the Blackwell Index to blackmail the Russian minister into giving them the access codes to a Russian satellite, they discover that Elena is uplinking the satellite. A CIA agent, Brodien reminds them that the Rambaldi device is broadcasting a subaudible frequency that physiologically alters people who drink it and it is irreversible. Elena learns of the APO team's arrival.

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The Telling
star
8.00
791 votes

#7 - The Telling

Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/4/2003

Sydney finally confronts her mother, who reveals her true motivation. Sloane, for his part, begins to execute his new grand plan and Will struggles to figure out who's behind his set-up.

Directors: J.J. Abrams
Writer: J.J. Abrams
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
There's Only One Sydney Bristow
star
7.90
669 votes

#8 - There's Only One Sydney Bristow

Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 4/26/2006

One month after the baby is born, Sydney is taking time off from work. Will is what pulls her back in the field while she's on maternity leave. The enemies realize that the best way to hurt Sydney is through her friends. Anna Espinosa also returns.

Writer: Drew Goddard
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Reprisal
star
7.90
634 votes

#9 - Reprisal

Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 5/22/2006

In the first part of [the] Alias two-hour finale event, 'Reprisal,' Sloane takes Marshall and Rachel hostage in order to discover a crucial clue to Rambaldi's ultimate endgame, as Sydney, Vaughn and APO race to stop him.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Remnants
star
7.89
719 votes

#10 - Remnants

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/7/2003

The identity of the mysterious "St. Aidan" forces Sydney to pull a stunned Will out of witness protection. But the pursuit sends the two old friends on a collision course with Allison -- the woman who ruined both their lives. Meanwhile, a zealous Lindsey arrests Jack and Vaughn as conspirators in Sydney's escape from NSC custody, Sloane, still under pressure from Lindsey, puts a plan in motion to eliminate Sydney, and Dr. Brezzel has an unpleasant run-in with Sark.

Directors: Jack Bender
Writer: Jeff Pinkner
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Breaking Point
star
7.87
782 votes

#11 - Breaking Point

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/23/2003

When Sydney is taken into custody by the NSC, Jack and Vaughn have no choice but to ally themselves with Sloane to rescue her. But with only hours to spare before she is forced to undergo a radical surgery to recover her memories, they must put togther an extraction team, headed by freelance operative Brill (Richard Roundtree, "Shaft"). Meanwhile, Lauren faces an impossible choice -- side with the NSC, who she wants to believe is doing the right thing, or with her husband.

Directors: Daniel Attias
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Truth Be Told
star
7.85
1818 votes

#12 - Truth Be Told

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/30/2001

Sydney Bristow discovers that her job as an agent for SD-6, a top-secret division of the CIA, holds some deadly secrets that threaten the security of the free world. In spite of being warned against it, Sydney reveals her secret to her fiancé, Danny, who later on is murdered. Sydney finds that her father, Jack, is also SD-6 and that the group is not part of the CIA, but actually an enemy of the United States. Sydney seeks the aid of the real CIA and is enlisted as a double agent under the command of operations officer Vaughn. Her mission now is to complete her cases at SD-6 while reporting her findings back to the CIA. But when Sydney finds out that her father is also affiliated with the CIA, she begins to question where his true allegiances really lie.

Directors: J.J. Abrams
Writer: J.J. Abrams
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Search and Rescue
star
7.82
590 votes

#13 - Search and Rescue

Season 4 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/18/2005

Rambaldi's catastrophic endgame begins to fall into place as a giant red ball version of the Circumference/Mueller device is found floating over a large city in Russia, driving the citizens mad with violence. After a wounded Dixon reveals that Irina is alive, Sydney, Nadia, and Jack set off to find her. It turns out that Irina had been captured, and then duplicated using Project Helix, in order to give the impression that she was dead. Sydney and Nadia discover Irina being held inside a camp in Tikal, safely in the clutches of Elena's private army. Irina had apparently been working to counter Elena's organization, the Covenant, and actually PREVENT the Rambaldi endgame. Irina is taken to APO and tells them of a page she destroyed, a page that was key to Rambaldi's endgame. Under torture, she finally broke and recreated it for Elena. After a short respite, Sydney, Vaughn, Jack, Nadia, and Irina board a plane parachute down, towards Elena, Sloane, the Circumference....and destiny.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Full Disclosure
star
7.82
723 votes

#14 - Full Disclosure

Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/11/2004

Sydney finally learns the shocking truth about her missing two years from an unlikely source.

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Legacy
star
7.81
642 votes

#15 - Legacy

Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/2/2004

With the aid of Katya Derevko and CIA imprisoned security systems designer Toni Cummings, Sydney and Vaughn attempt to track down Sloane and Nadia. But Lauren and Sark are also in hot pursuit of them in order to uncover the secrets of Rambaldi. Meanwhile, Vaughn's obsession with tracking down Lauren is beginning to consume him, Sydney and Vaughn turn the tables on an old foe, and Katya expresses her attraction to Jack.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Rendezvous
star
7.80
708 votes

#16 - Rendezvous

Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/5/2002

Will's life is about to change as he is sent to find the person responsible for leaking information to him about SD-6. Meanwhile, Sloane finds himself on the cusp of finally tracking down Khasinau when SD-6 captures "The Man's" right-hand man, Mr. Sark. Dixon becomes suspicious of Sydney's activities.

Directors: Ken Olin
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Enemy Walks In
star
7.79
768 votes

#17 - The Enemy Walks In

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/29/2002

Sydney finds herself face-to-face with her mother, whose intentions for her daughter are made chillingly clear. Meanwhile Sydney continues her search for Vaughn, not knowing if he is dead or alive after being swept away by a wall of water in Taipei. Will's life is forever changed when he learns the truth about SD-6 and Sydney's life as a double agent. Dixon must decide whether or not to inform Sloane of Sydney's suspicious activities.

Directors: Ken Olin
Writer: J.J. Abrams
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Tuesday
star
7.79
565 votes

#18 - Tuesday

Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 3/30/2005

When a mission goes wrong, Sydney's is placed in danger and Marshall is the only one who can save her. Meanwhile, Dixon is exposed to a deadly pathogen released inside APO.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Crossings
star
7.78
744 votes

#19 - Crossings

Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/18/2004

Jack contacts a mysterious woman with ties to Irina to help him free Sydney and Vaughn, who have been captured and face a North Korean firing squad. But Jack is faced with a curious conundrum when the woman tells him that she will not put the rescue plan in motion until he fulfills a favor - assassinate Sloane.

Directors: Ken Olin
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Passage (2)
star
7.78
716 votes

#20 - Passage (2)

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/8/2002

While continuing on a mission to take control of six nuclear warheads, Sydney and Jack discover where Irina's loyalties lie when she meets up with Gerard Cuvee. Meanwhile, Sloane informs the Alliance that Emily may still be alive.

Directors: Ken Olin
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
No Hard Feelings
star
7.76
601 votes

#21 - No Hard Feelings

Season 5 - Episode 15 - Aired 5/17/2006

Sydney now posing as Anna, brings Peyton a microchip with a device hidden in it. Meanwhile Sloane finishes translating page 47 and reports that only the chosen one can complete the circle, which leads Sark and Sydney on a dangerous mission to a prison. Rachel finally discovers Tom's secret about what happened to his wife.

Directors: Tucker Gates
Writer: Sam Humphrey
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
S.O.S.
star
7.76
672 votes

#22 - S.O.S.

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/19/2006

The entire APO gang is trapped inside the CIA offices and Weiss saves them. However, Weiss will not be returning to APO, he will just be helping the others on a mission to obtain information regarding Sydney.

Directors: Karen Gaviola
Writer: J.R. Orci
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Counteragent
star
7.76
630 votes

#23 - The Counteragent

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/17/2002

Sydney races to find a cure for Vaughn, but in order to find the antidote, Sydney must make a deal with Sark that could endanger Sloane's life. Meanwhile, Will continues his research for Vaughn and discovers some disturbing inconsistencies involving 20-year-old standardized IQ tests.

Directors: Daniel Attias
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Prelude
star
7.75
749 votes

#24 - Prelude

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/9/2003

Jack takes drastic measures to ensure that the NSC never finds out the truth about Sydney's murder of a Russian diplomat. But his actions place a heavy strain on Vaughn's marriage, as Lauren gets closer and closer to the truth about Sydney. Meanwhile, Sydney agrees to go on a mission with Sloane in order to thwart plans to obtain the operating system to a deadly weapon -- and she discovers an unlikely ally in the hunt for her missing two years.

Directors: Jack Bender
Writer: J.R. Orci
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Horizon
star
7.74
724 votes

#25 - The Horizon

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/14/2005

Sydney teams up with Vaughn after being kidnapped and being placed in a hypnotic. What Sydney doesn't know is that the kidnapper is a very familiar face with an obscure interest in her unborn child.

Directors: Tucker Gates
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV