Lauren Reed
Encyclopedia
Lauren Reed is a fictional character
played by Melissa George
in the Alias
television series. She is Michael Vaughn
's wife during the third season
of the series.
, her father, believing the occupation to be too dangerous, used his influence to make sure she did not receive a field rating. Thus, she became an agent of the NSC
, serving as its liaison to the CIA and working in the same CIA office with both Sydney Bristow
and Michael Vaughn
. The daughter of Senator George and Olivia Reed, she was introduced at the beginning of the third season of the show as Vaughn's wife, having married him during Sydney's two year absence under the control of The Covenant
.
Lauren and Sydney have an antagonistic relationship from the start, with Lauren in particular feeling threatened her husband's former lover is now back in his life. Eventually, Sydney and Lauren start co-operating and even go on missions together. During one mission, Lauren shoots and kills a man, an act which apparently leaves her distraught.
However, it is soon revealed Lauren is actually a double agent
for The Covenant, working to sabotage the CIA's work against the criminal organization and to gain more information about Sydney through Vaughn. She also is, contrary to her air of innocence, a cold-blooded killer. Her first known mission for the Covenant was the assassination of Andrian Lazarey
. She was tasked to murder her own father when he is given evidence of her true affiliations and to shore up her faltering relationship with Vaughn. Lauren couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. Lauren's mother stepped in and pulled the trigger herself, revealing she too is an agent of The Covenant. Lauren is also an adulterer, for not only does she seduce Vaughn and some of her targets, but also becomes involved (both personally and professionally) with Julian Sark
, who is also now working for The Covenant. Eventually, her true nature is discovered by the CIA and she becomes a marked woman with both Sydney and Vaughn wanting to kill her, but this doesn't stop her from infiltrating CIA headquarters disguised as Sydney, shooting Marshall Flinkman
, and causing major damage to the building and killing and injuring several agents with remote-triggered bombs before murdering an innocent motorist and stealing his car to escape.
In the season three finale, Sydney loses to Lauren during vicious hand-to-hand combat, but she is shot by Vaughn before she can kill Sydney. Before her death, she reveals to Sydney the location of a safe deposit box
containing vital information about Sydney's family. This information turns out to be evidence Jack Bristow
was authorized by the CIA to kill his ex-wife, Sydney's mother Irina Derevko
, an order he apparently carried out.
For reasons not yet explained, the CIA determined Lauren's death should not be made public knowledge, and the double agent's remains are housed in a special high-security crypt
.
In the fourth season episode, "A Man of His Word", Lauren's corpse was shown in the CIA crypt after Sark demands to see her body. Melissa George makes a cameo appearance as the dead woman.
, in part because she disrupted the romance between Sydney and Vaughn. However, Abrams indicated that the revelation of Lauren being a turncoat was planned from the beginning and was not because of fan response.
Since Lauren died "off screen" there were rumors during the fourth season that the character would return, but these rumors were put to rest when Lauren's corpse was shown in an episode. (However, the Season 4 "gag reel
", included in the DVD release of that season, includes a piece of joking footage in which Melissa George as Lauren makes a surprise appearance during a scene, before George breaks character and begins to laugh.)
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
played by Melissa George
Melissa George
Melissa Suzanne George is an Australian film and television actress who has worked in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Melissa is perhaps best known for her role as Angel Parrish on the Australian soap opera Home and Away...
in the Alias
Alias (TV series)
Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006...
television series. She is Michael Vaughn
Michael Vaughn
Michael C. Vaughn is a fictional character on the television series Alias. Played by Michael Vartan, Vaughn is one of Sydney Bristow's co-workers and her ongoing love interest. He, like Sydney, is skilled in a variety of areas...
's wife during the third season
Alias episodes (Season 3)
The third season of the American drama/adventure television series Alias premiered September 28, 2003 on ABC and concluded May 23, 2004 and was released on DVD in region 1 on September 7, 2004. Guest stars in season three include Vivica A...
of the series.
Character biography
Though Lauren reveals early in the season she was trained as a CIA field agent at the FarmCamp Peary
Camp Peary is a military reservation in York County near Williamsburg, Virginia. Officially it is referred to as the Armed Forces Experimental Training Activity under the auspices of the Department of Defense, but it is widely believed to be the location of a covert CIA training facility known...
, her father, believing the occupation to be too dangerous, used his influence to make sure she did not receive a field rating. Thus, she became an agent of the NSC
United States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
, serving as its liaison to the CIA and working in the same CIA office with both Sydney Bristow
Sydney Bristow
Sydney Anne Bristow , played by Jennifer Garner, is the main character and protagonist on the television series Alias. She is an American woman with Russian-American family background who works as a spy for the CIA....
and Michael Vaughn
Michael Vaughn
Michael C. Vaughn is a fictional character on the television series Alias. Played by Michael Vartan, Vaughn is one of Sydney Bristow's co-workers and her ongoing love interest. He, like Sydney, is skilled in a variety of areas...
. The daughter of Senator George and Olivia Reed, she was introduced at the beginning of the third season of the show as Vaughn's wife, having married him during Sydney's two year absence under the control of The Covenant
Covenant (Alias)
In the television series Alias, The Covenant is a large, powerful, and secretive intelligence/terrorist organization.The Covenant was a "loose affiliation of Russian nationalists" composed of retired KGB and former Central Committee members, all dedicated to the new world envisioned by Milo...
.
Lauren and Sydney have an antagonistic relationship from the start, with Lauren in particular feeling threatened her husband's former lover is now back in his life. Eventually, Sydney and Lauren start co-operating and even go on missions together. During one mission, Lauren shoots and kills a man, an act which apparently leaves her distraught.
However, it is soon revealed Lauren is actually a double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
for The Covenant, working to sabotage the CIA's work against the criminal organization and to gain more information about Sydney through Vaughn. She also is, contrary to her air of innocence, a cold-blooded killer. Her first known mission for the Covenant was the assassination of Andrian Lazarey
Andrian Lazarey
Andrian Lazarey is a fictional character from the television show Alias. He was played by Mark Bramhall.Andrian Lazarey was a Russian diplomat. He was the father of Julian Sark, a descendant of the Romanovs and a member of the Magnific Order of Rambaldi. He was first seen in a videotape in the...
. She was tasked to murder her own father when he is given evidence of her true affiliations and to shore up her faltering relationship with Vaughn. Lauren couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. Lauren's mother stepped in and pulled the trigger herself, revealing she too is an agent of The Covenant. Lauren is also an adulterer, for not only does she seduce Vaughn and some of her targets, but also becomes involved (both personally and professionally) with Julian Sark
Julian Sark
Julian Sark is a recurring fictional character portrayed by David Anders on the ABC television series Alias. The series follows Sydney Bristow, an operative working for an organization called SD-6 which she believes is a covert branch of the Central Intelligence Agency...
, who is also now working for The Covenant. Eventually, her true nature is discovered by the CIA and she becomes a marked woman with both Sydney and Vaughn wanting to kill her, but this doesn't stop her from infiltrating CIA headquarters disguised as Sydney, shooting Marshall Flinkman
Marshall Flinkman
Marshall J. Flinkman is a fictional character on the television series, Alias. Flinkman, portrayed by Kevin Weisman, is the tech geek at SD-6 and then later the CIA...
, and causing major damage to the building and killing and injuring several agents with remote-triggered bombs before murdering an innocent motorist and stealing his car to escape.
In the season three finale, Sydney loses to Lauren during vicious hand-to-hand combat, but she is shot by Vaughn before she can kill Sydney. Before her death, she reveals to Sydney the location of a safe deposit box
Safe deposit box
A safe deposit box or wrongly referred to as a safety deposit box is an individually-secured container, usually held within a larger safe or bank vault. Safe deposit boxes are generally located in banks, post offices or other institutions...
containing vital information about Sydney's family. This information turns out to be evidence Jack Bristow
Jack Bristow
Jonathan "Jack" Donahue Bristow, played by Victor Garber, is Sydney Bristow's father on the television series Alias. Jack is widely referred to as "Spy Daddy" in Alias fandom, and consistently ranks as one of the most popular characters on the show...
was authorized by the CIA to kill his ex-wife, Sydney's mother Irina Derevko
Irina Derevko
Irina Derevko , is a fictional character on the television series Alias, and a main character during the second season of the series. Irina, played by Lena Olin, is the mother of the central character, Sydney Bristow.-Biography:...
, an order he apparently carried out.
For reasons not yet explained, the CIA determined Lauren's death should not be made public knowledge, and the double agent's remains are housed in a special high-security crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
.
In the fourth season episode, "A Man of His Word", Lauren's corpse was shown in the CIA crypt after Sark demands to see her body. Melissa George makes a cameo appearance as the dead woman.
Fan reaction
The character of Lauren Reed received quite a bit of animosity from fans of the show, according to series creator J.J. AbramsJ. J. Abrams
Jeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, and composer. He wrote and produced feature films before co-creating the television series Felicity...
, in part because she disrupted the romance between Sydney and Vaughn. However, Abrams indicated that the revelation of Lauren being a turncoat was planned from the beginning and was not because of fan response.
Since Lauren died "off screen" there were rumors during the fourth season that the character would return, but these rumors were put to rest when Lauren's corpse was shown in an episode. (However, the Season 4 "gag reel
Blooper
A blooper, also known as an outtake or boner is a short sequence of a film or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast or news report, usually in terms of misspoken words...
", included in the DVD release of that season, includes a piece of joking footage in which Melissa George as Lauren makes a surprise appearance during a scene, before George breaks character and begins to laugh.)