Spoiler alert!
I finally got through all five seasons on Netflix. This series really floundered toward the end…Sometimes the plot devices made characters like Sloan do some wacky things…he’s evil, he’s good, he’s evil, he’s good. It didn’t make much sense. And the show ended with many unanswered questions especially about Rimbaldi, but that was neither here nor there.
There are obvious parallels and themes to cults and mind control. SD-6 is an evil and illegitimate organization that pretends to be the “good guys”. The agents who work for SD-6 believe they are working for the CIA and thus have the best of intentions. The protagonist Sydney is recruited at a vulnerable time of her life. When she learns the truth about SD-6, she must keep with the organization. Her fellow agents just can’t be told the truth. Obviously, they wouldn’t believe her. When her fellow agent Dixon finally learns the truth about SD-6, he is angry and resentful toward Sydney. Eventually, learning the truth about SD-6 costs him his wife.
SD-6 is lead by the Alliance … sort of a governing body, you could say. In the end, what really drives the main antagonist Sloan is his blind devotion to Rimbaldi and his quest for eternal life, which comes even at the sacrifice of family.
Often, the phrase “Crisis of Conscience” will pass from the lips of several characters throughout the series. Of course, Crisis of Conscience is a common expression, but sometimes its use made me wonder. Was that particular writer attempting to plug the book by Ray Franz?
I’m sure SD-7 will be commenting on this topic.