Marshall Flinkman
Encyclopedia
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
. When a field agent is sent on a mission, Marshall serves in a function similar to Q
from the James Bond
films: as the in-house creator and proprietor of a number of gadgets and sophisticated tools used by field agent
.
). However, his expertise in almost any subject imaginable is unparalleled, being well-versed in robotics
, chemistry
, acoustics
, electronics
, biometrics
, explosives, computer network
s and many other subjects. He also has a photographic memory
.
Like Sydney, he initially believes SD-6 is a black ops division of the CIA. Because he is not a field agent, he often doctors photographs of himself in exotic locations to fool his mother into thinking he works for a company requiring a lot of travel; he once asked Sydney to take the photographs for said images. When SD-6 is destroyed, Marshall is brought into the CIA for real. Unlike his colleague Marcus Dixon
, he adjusts to the change easily and soon becomes a valued member of the team. Starting in the second season, Marshall found a love interest, an NSA
agent with similar geekish tendencies, Carrie Bowman. Eventually the two got married and had a child, Mitchell.
During the third season, Marshall experiences great character growth, realizing most people do not understand quantum entanglement
, understanding how he appears to others and offering suggestions for operations (which are implemented without comment). At the conclusion of the third season, Marshall is shot and seriously wounded by Lauren Reed
. By the start of the fourth season (several months later in the timeframe of the series), he has fully recovered from his injuries and is recruited into the new Authorized Personnel Only
(APO) black ops offshoot of the CIA.
Marshall serves as comic relief
for the Alias series, but he has some serious moments when he is worried about those he cares about, including Sydney, but mostly revolving around Carrie and Mitchell. Marshall has also discovered how hard it is to lie to those he loves, having to keep his job at APO a secret even from his wife (who appears to no longer be working for the NSA by the fourth season).
Marshall rarely works as a field operative, and then only when his expertise in computers is required. In the fourth season episode "Tuesday", he is forced to go on a solo mission to rescue Sydney, buried alive somewhere in Cuba
, after the rest of APO is incapacitated when a biological agent released by an enemy forces a lockdown of headquarters. Marshall, delayed in arriving at HQ due to a problem with his baby, avoids being caught in the lockdown and becomes the only APO agent able to save Sydney. Later in the mission, he accidentally shoots and kills an enemy agent; it is not made clear whether this is the first time he has killed anyone.
The fifth season was largely business as usual for Marshall, although he has also struck up a friendship-cum-mutual admiration society
with new APO recruit Rachel Gibson. The series finale saw Marshall return briefly to the field as part of APO's efforts to capture intel on Prophet Five. He was later kidnapped from his home by Kelly Peyton
and tortured, resisting admirably until at Sydney's urging he cooperated as part of a plan to rescue him and the also-abducted Rachel. Marshall continued to provide tech support as the various members of APO raced around the world to thwart the endgames of Arvin Sloane
and Irina Derevko
, including remotely inputting the codes to stand down missiles Irina had targeted on Washington, D.C.
and London
.
In a flash forward
at the very end of the final episode, it is revealed Marshall and Carrie have two more children and Carrie is pregnant with their fourth.
, is an NSA agent and wife of Marshall Flinkman.
Carrie is introduced in Season 2, where she worked at the CIA headquarters in Los Angeles
with Marshall. Eventually the two formed a relationship resulting in marriage and the birth of their son, Mitchell. This, of course, happened in typical Marshall fashion. The two decided they were to be wed before the birth of the baby, but Carrie began to go into labor in the middle of an important mission. Marshall quickly enlists Eric Weiss
to become legally ordained online (through the "Internet Church of Mammals") so he can marry the two (while Marshall continues to guide Sydney and Vaughn
through their mission), bolting at the last second to take his wife to the hospital.
Carrie is strong-willed and tends to get her way in disputes with her husband, and though she tries to keep him in check with her quick wit and sarcasm, they ultimately balance each other out and love one another deeply.
Beginning in the fourth season, Carrie seems to have given up her NSA job to take care of Mitchell. She is unaware Marshall still works for the CIA, since APO is black ops and he is under orders to keep it secret. She only appeared in one fourth season episode ("Tuesday"), and prior to the series finale appeared in one episode during the fifth season ("...1...").
For the series finale, Carrie learned Marshall was still with the CIA when he was kidnapped by agents of Arvin Sloane. She worked with APO to rescue Marshall and the also-abducted Rachel, demonstrating technical prowess rivalling Marshall's.
In the flash forward several years into the future presented at the end of the series finale, it is mentioned Marshall and Carrie have two more children after Mitchell, with another on the way, and all are boys.
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...
on the television series, Alias. Flinkman, portrayed by Kevin Weisman
Kevin Weisman
Kevin Weisman is an American film, television and stage actor. His best-known acting role was that of Marshall Flinkman on the television series Alias .-Early life:...
, is the tech geek at SD-6 and then later the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. When a field agent is sent on a mission, Marshall serves in a function similar to Q
Q (James Bond)
Q is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. Q , like M, is a job title rather than a name. He is the head of Q Branch , the fictional research and development division of the British Secret Service...
from the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
films: as the in-house creator and proprietor of a number of gadgets and sophisticated tools used by field agent
Field agent
In espionage, a field agent is an agent who works in the field as opposed to one who works at the office or headquarters. A field agent can work alone or in a group but usually has a case officer who is in charge....
.
Fictional character biography
Marshall has a quirky and eccentric personality, which contrasts with the stern nature of those around him. He is also socially inept, having a tendency to speak very rapidly, often babbling about tangential subjects in the middle of technical briefings (before someone impatiently brings Marshall back on to the topic at hand). He is always dressed well and wears his hair in a slick sidepart. He has a fondness for unnecessary visual aids when giving a presentation, once even playing a full drum set to make a point (actor Weisman is in a rock bandRock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
). However, his expertise in almost any subject imaginable is unparalleled, being well-versed in robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
, electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
, biometrics
Biometrics
Biometrics As Jain & Ross point out, "the term biometric authentication is perhaps more appropriate than biometrics since the latter has been historically used in the field of statistics to refer to the analysis of biological data [36]" . consists of methods...
, explosives, computer network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
s and many other subjects. He also has a photographic memory
Eidetic memory
Eidetic , commonly referred to as photographic memory, is a medical term, popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme precision and in abundant volume. The word eidetic, referring to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall not limited to, but...
.
Like Sydney, he initially believes SD-6 is a black ops division of the CIA. Because he is not a field agent, he often doctors photographs of himself in exotic locations to fool his mother into thinking he works for a company requiring a lot of travel; he once asked Sydney to take the photographs for said images. When SD-6 is destroyed, Marshall is brought into the CIA for real. Unlike his colleague Marcus Dixon
Marcus Dixon (Alias)
Marcus R. Dixon is a fictional character on the television series, Alias. He has been one of Sydney Bristow's coworkers and the CIA's Director of Joint Task Force. He is portrayed by Carl Lumbly.-Character biography:...
, he adjusts to the change easily and soon becomes a valued member of the team. Starting in the second season, Marshall found a love interest, an NSA
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
agent with similar geekish tendencies, Carrie Bowman. Eventually the two got married and had a child, Mitchell.
During the third season, Marshall experiences great character growth, realizing most people do not understand quantum entanglement
Quantum entanglement
Quantum entanglement occurs when electrons, molecules even as large as "buckyballs", photons, etc., interact physically and then become separated; the type of interaction is such that each resulting member of a pair is properly described by the same quantum mechanical description , which is...
, understanding how he appears to others and offering suggestions for operations (which are implemented without comment). At the conclusion of the third season, Marshall is shot and seriously wounded by Lauren Reed
Lauren Reed
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.-Character biography:...
. By the start of the fourth season (several months later in the timeframe of the series), he has fully recovered from his injuries and is recruited into the new Authorized Personnel Only
Authorized Personnel Only
Authorized Personnel Only , is a fictional black ops unit within the Central Intelligence Agency in the American TV series Alias. It was formed at the beginning of Season 4 and is headquartered beneath the Los Angeles Subway system....
(APO) black ops offshoot of the CIA.
Marshall serves as comic relief
Comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
for the Alias series, but he has some serious moments when he is worried about those he cares about, including Sydney, but mostly revolving around Carrie and Mitchell. Marshall has also discovered how hard it is to lie to those he loves, having to keep his job at APO a secret even from his wife (who appears to no longer be working for the NSA by the fourth season).
Marshall rarely works as a field operative, and then only when his expertise in computers is required. In the fourth season episode "Tuesday", he is forced to go on a solo mission to rescue Sydney, buried alive somewhere in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, after the rest of APO is incapacitated when a biological agent released by an enemy forces a lockdown of headquarters. Marshall, delayed in arriving at HQ due to a problem with his baby, avoids being caught in the lockdown and becomes the only APO agent able to save Sydney. Later in the mission, he accidentally shoots and kills an enemy agent; it is not made clear whether this is the first time he has killed anyone.
The fifth season was largely business as usual for Marshall, although he has also struck up a friendship-cum-mutual admiration society
Mutual Admiration Society
Mutual Admiration Society is a musical collaboration between singer/songwriter Glen Phillips and progressive bluegrass trio Nickel Creek.-History:...
with new APO recruit Rachel Gibson. The series finale saw Marshall return briefly to the field as part of APO's efforts to capture intel on Prophet Five. He was later kidnapped from his home by Kelly Peyton
Kelly Peyton
Kelly Peyton is a fictional character played by Amy Acker on the television series Alias. She works for a terrorist organization known as Prophet Five, which is the focus of the fifth and final season of the series.-Character biography:...
and tortured, resisting admirably until at Sydney's urging he cooperated as part of a plan to rescue him and the also-abducted Rachel. Marshall continued to provide tech support as the various members of APO raced around the world to thwart the endgames of Arvin Sloane
Arvin Sloane
Arvin Sloane is a fictional character played by Ron Rifkin. He was the former director of SD-6 on the television series, Alias.-Background:...
and 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:...
, including remotely inputting the codes to stand down missiles Irina had targeted on Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In a flash forward
Flash Forward
Flash Forward is a Disney Channel Original Series produced in Canada for pre-teens and teenagers which aired on both the Disney Channel and ABC from 1996-1997....
at the very end of the final episode, it is revealed Marshall and Carrie have two more children and Carrie is pregnant with their fourth.
Carrie Bowman
Carrie Bowman, played by Amanda ForemanAmanda Foreman (actress)
Amanda Foreman is an American actress who is best known for the role of Meghan Rotundi on the college drama series Felicity.-Early life:...
, is an NSA agent and wife of Marshall Flinkman.
Carrie is introduced in Season 2, where she worked at the CIA headquarters in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with Marshall. Eventually the two formed a relationship resulting in marriage and the birth of their son, Mitchell. This, of course, happened in typical Marshall fashion. The two decided they were to be wed before the birth of the baby, but Carrie began to go into labor in the middle of an important mission. Marshall quickly enlists Eric Weiss
Eric Weiss
Eric Weiss is a fictional character, played by Greg Grunberg, from the television series Alias. He is one of Sydney Bristow's CIA co-workers....
to become legally ordained online (through the "Internet Church of Mammals") so he can marry the two (while Marshall continues to guide Sydney and 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...
through their mission), bolting at the last second to take his wife to the hospital.
Carrie is strong-willed and tends to get her way in disputes with her husband, and though she tries to keep him in check with her quick wit and sarcasm, they ultimately balance each other out and love one another deeply.
Beginning in the fourth season, Carrie seems to have given up her NSA job to take care of Mitchell. She is unaware Marshall still works for the CIA, since APO is black ops and he is under orders to keep it secret. She only appeared in one fourth season episode ("Tuesday"), and prior to the series finale appeared in one episode during the fifth season ("...1...").
For the series finale, Carrie learned Marshall was still with the CIA when he was kidnapped by agents of Arvin Sloane. She worked with APO to rescue Marshall and the also-abducted Rachel, demonstrating technical prowess rivalling Marshall's.
In the flash forward several years into the future presented at the end of the series finale, it is mentioned Marshall and Carrie have two more children after Mitchell, with another on the way, and all are boys.