The best overall plot line for J.J. Abrams’s “Alias” has always been the mysteries surrounding Milo Rimbaldi, the 15th century apocalyptic philosopher-inventor, which was Arvin Sloane’s obsession for most of the first three seasons of the show and the cause of a good deal of espionage on the part of all the show’s characters. The infamous Rimbaldi is the creator of a multitude of precious objects and puzzles that have taken Sydney and company on countless Indiana Jones-like journeys in an effort to beat out other tomb-raiders as they attempt to retrieve Rimbaldi artifacts the world over. And of course, most interestingly of all, Rimbaldi is the author of the cryptic prophetic texts that supposedly ensnare Sloane’s daughter, Nadia Santos, Sidney Bristow, and possibly their mother Irina Derevko into their potentially catastrophic futuristic predictions.

Seasons four and five, unfortunately, dropped the Rimbaldi plot line for the most part, leaving the show without its original drive and the intensity of impending apocalyptic doom with Sidney at its heart. (Though the finale for season four was an all out sci-fi Rimbaldi related disaster a la Sloane who was back on the Rimbaldi wagon after having quit for a while.)

As Alias returned Wednesday night for its final episodes after a several months-long break (following the announcement it was being canceled), I hoped for a resurrection of Rimbaldi. Yet alas, it was still all Prophet Five (yet another anti-government conspiracy group that is after Sidney), with nary a mention of the longtime Rimbaldi mystery. The show’s earlier advertisements promised a return of favorite characters Will and Irina, which was encouraging, and Wednesday night’s episode indeed saw the return of Irina in full, ruthless, mama-agent glory, and as the mysterious leader of Prophet Five (could “prophet” refer to that prophet, as in that “Milo Rimbaldi Prophet”?).

I am holding out hope that as Irina is woven further back into the plot, we will also see a more explicit return of Mr. Rimbaldi, and ideally a resolution of what “The Prophecy” really has in store for Sidney Bristow once and for all (perhaps a Rimbaldi savior-like baby a la Sidney?). Only time will tell… and well, the last four episodes of the series itself.