somedaybitch

...left the show.

Question: You've answered a lot of questions about Vaughn and Alias but not this one: Did Michael Vartan elect to leave, or was he fired? — Taisha

Ausiello: Well, as you might expect, it's complicated. Here's what I've been told from a reliable source close to the situation. Shortly after Vartan and J.Ga's big split, Vartan allegedly made it known that he wouldn't be terribly upset if Vaughn were to get whacked while on assignment. TPTB, in turn, made it known that Vartan had a contract to honor and, well, he better suck it up and be a professional. Cut to 2005: Producers, looking for a way to revitalize the show and give Sydney a personal mission in Alias' final season, finally granted Vartan his wish. There was just one problem: Vartan was once again loving his job and didn't want to go. But the writing was already on the wall, albeit with the presumption that Vartan would return later in the season either as Vaughn, Vaughn's ghost or someone else altogether. And that brings us to the second problem. For some unknown reason, producers never got Vartan to sign off on that return engagement before jettisoning him, resulting in the stalemate we have now. The good news is that the odds are still leaning in the favor of his returning before year's end — despite the fact that he just landed a movie in Australia. Anyway, that's the poop. Don't shoot the messenger.

i'm pleased, as this really, really bugged. i think it was dumb of TPTB, but, it completely makes sense if they thought it was something Vartan wanted even a tiny bit. and i can understand not wanting to be around the person you just broke up with. no matter what side of that breakup you were on, that shit hurts and is tough to deal with when you have to see them on a daily basis and your characters are lovers. i don't think that makes anyone unprofessional. i think that makes them human.

that said, and having not seen 501 but simply relying on the reactions of brains i trust, i think the perceived nudgenudgewinkwink between Jack and Sydney wasn't being imagined by fans in denial. and i think that, even with that knowledge, Syd would still be in mourning; mourning for the life that she fought so very hard for, mourning for the man she loves that she can't be with, mourning for whatever circumstance warranted faking Vaughn's death - if he really isn't dead - and mourning for the normalcy that their child can't have now.