Irina Derevko
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Irina Derevko (a.k.a. Laura Bristow), is a fictional character on the television series, Alias. Irina, played by Lena Olin, is the mother of the central character, Sydney Bristow.
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Bio
Irina Derevko was a long-term spy for the Soviet Union, assigned to marry Jack Bristow in order to get information from him, specifically concerning Project Christmas. Together they had a child, Sydney. A few years after her birth, Derevko disappeared, apparently dying in a car accident. At the end of the first season of Alias, it was revealed that Derevko was alive and well and was actually the leader of a criminal organization.
However, Derevko soon turned herself in to the CIA and was used as a source to help bring down SD-6, and also assisted with other important missions before eluding capture during a mission. Her subsequent whereabouts were unknown throughout season three, although she continued to be in occasional contact with Jack via e-mail, and arranged for her sister, Katya Derevko, to assist Jack and Sydney on occasion. It was also learned that Irina had an affair with Arvin Sloane and had a second daughter, Nadia Santos.
At the beginning of season four, it was revealed that Irina had hired a hit man to kill Sydney. Jack Bristow received permission from his superiors to execute Irina, and we learn in "Another Mr. Sloane" that he carried out the act himself. Sydney later identified Irina's body in a Moscow medical facility and arranged for her burial in a Moscow crypt.
The shooting of Irina occurred 18 months prior to the season finale of the fourth season and sometime prior to season three's finale, "Resurrection". The fourth season finale revealed that, in fact, a genetic modification procedure known as Helix (and introduced in the second season of Alias) was used to create a double of Irina, and it is this woman who Jack shot dead. Jack was setup by Irina's second sister, Elena Derevko, who used Helix on one of the followers of The Covenant who had volunteered to be executed.
The real Irina was imprisoned by Elena and tortured for her knowledge of Rambaldi's secrets. After 18 months, she was finally rescued by her daughters Sydney and Nadia (whom she met for the first time since Nadia was a small child) and Jack. Although technically under arrest by the CIA, Irina was given permission to help stop Elena from destroying the world. After the successful completion of the mission, Jack and Sydney allowed Irina to escape into the darkness rather than return to America and imprisonment. It remains to be seen whether the CIA is told she has escaped, or if Jack and Sydney will claim Irina was killed.
In the fourth season episode, "Ice", it is revealed that Irina also had a niece. Several photographs of her as a young woman appear in this episode, however since Lena Olin was not available for the series at that time, Mia Maestro (who plays Nadia Santos) appears as Irina in the photographs seen in that episode.
Sisters
Yekaterina "Katya" Derevko
Katya Derevko, played by Isabella Rossellini, was the first of Irina's sister to be announced. She first appeared during season three in Irina's stead as an aid for both Jack and Sydney Bristow. She was subsequently captured by the CIA where she is currently serving a life sentence. Katya acts as a guide for both Nadia and Sydney. Katya is also key in helping Jack, Sydney and Nadia locate Irina once it was revealed she was still alive and being held by Elena Derevko.
Elena Derevko
Elena Derevko, played by Sonia Braga, is considered to be the most ruthless of the Derevko sisters and is the secret leader of the Covenant. Elena was first mentioned in the season three episode "Crossings" by Jack Bristow. Not much else is learned about Elena till the fourth season when in "Welcome to Liberty Village" it is revealed that an unidentified Russian group is trying to find her. During the fourth season Elena is unveiled to have been Nadia's caretaker, Sophia Vargas, from over the years. Elena also infiltrates the DSR compound and steals all the Milo Rambaldi artifacts the CIA had in their pocession. With the addition of the artifacts from the DSR, as well as the ones she had obtained from other sources, Elena finally had all the pieces to the Rambaldi device. She later taps the water supply and actives a device called the Mueller device ("big red ball") over the city of Sovogda, Russia. Irina along with Jack Bristow, Sydney, Nadia, and Michael Vaughn parachute into the city and deactivate the device. Elena Derevko, who was captured during this operation is subsequently killed by Irina.
See also
External links
- ABC: Irina Derevko Profile (http://abc.go.com/primetime/alias/profiles/cia_derevko.html)