MISSION: PERFORMANCE (Malay: MISI: PRESTASI) is the eighth episode of Agent Ali. It airs in 4th November 2016 on TV3.
Synopsis[]
After the previous mission goes wrong, General Rama discusses with Ali and the other M.A.T.A. agents about Ali's performance, and must decide whether to keep or eliminate Ali!
Plot[]
- Part 1
Ali was running around the schoolyard being chased by Syed and Shaun. He tripped on a rock and fell, causing Comot to jump out of his backpack. Syed pointed out that Comot had scratched his finger, but Ali dismissed it as a trivial matter. Syed was hurt because he remembered every time he had been unfortunate because of Ali and Comot's past behavior: Comot dropped a bucket on Syed after being startled by Ali's can; Comot stole Syed's gadget and was saved by Ali; Syed stepped on Comot's feces while chasing Ali.
Syed and Shaun continued to harass Ali but Ali nimbly dodged each attack. Furious, Syed threw a rock at Ali; again Ali dodged but the rock almost hit Puan Munah. Puan Munah managed to split the rock with her cane and scolded the three boys. When Ali hid from the cane, he received a call from M.A.T.A. He rushed to the base and shook hands with Alicia in the corridor on his way to the control room, but Alicia greeted him coldly, causing surprise. Upon entering the control room, Ali was startled by a force of droids who pointed weapons at him. Agent Bakar who followed in also received the same treatment.
Apparently Ali was being held for an evaluation session in the control room alone, facing off one-on-one with General Rama. The General began the session by insulting him that the failure of the last mission had caused the azurium to fall into the hands of the enemy who would be able to produce a terrible weapon to destroy Cyberaya. Anxious, Ali saluted while apologizing and vowing to reclaim the azurium. The General cynically questioned Ali about where the azurium was; Ali replied that he did not know, prompting the General to reprimand him for being a jerk. The General also questioned Ali about his performance. Ali replied that he did not know again; this prompted the General's surprised rebuke, so Ali quickly changed his answer to "OK kut." Rama did not like uncertainty and ordered Ali to think carefully before speaking.
After thinking for a moment, Ali tried to recount the times he contributed to the mission: to crack the elevator lock code and detect the presence of the enemy in the Alpha Tower mission; defeating a group of bandits in the harbor (with the help of Alicia who was undercover at the time); deactivating a time bomb in a dilapidated building at the last moment before it exploded, then using it to escape; finding a way out of a trap in Dos and Trez's hideout, then dropping Dos into the trap; defeating Dr. Aaron; and fighting Dos in a power station mission. Suspected by the General whether he was doing his job well, Ali insisted that he had helped on many missions.
The General asked Ali how his relationship with the other agents was. Ali said that he liked going on missions with all of them, especially Agent Rizwan because of his greatness, which he remembered from when he defeated a large group of enemies and took down Dr. Aaron with a lollipop stick blowpipe. Ali also praised his uncle Agent Bakar who was no less great, recalling the time he threw down a large number of enemies. Ali only expressed his displeasure with Alicia for acting out by remembering the time he seized Ali's target in a mission to rescue drone supplies. The General questioned Ali about whether he was compatible with the agents. Ali agreed, but the General then denied it with feedback from the agents.
Faced with the General, Agent Bakar praised Ali for being enthusiastic and brave, although not very great but always caring for anyone in danger without thinking twice, based on Ali's stories of throwing a can at Syed and Shaun to save Boy and then escaping from their abuse; helping Bakar fight off a large number of enemies using a yoyo wave in the Alpha Tower; saving Comot from being chased by Syed and Shaun and being hit by a car. Bakar commented again, Ali's behavior was similar to his mother, remembering the time he was saved by his sister from being oppressed by gangsters. The General cleared his throat demanding balanced criticism, so Bakar changed his tune by saying that Ali was always a little careless, remembering the time he crashed into a robot so that he dropped the loot and was shot in the first simulation; having difficulty controlling the latest gadget in the second simulation, accidentally knocking Bakar down with a yoyo, making it easier for the enemies in the Alpha Tower; and carelessly chased the masked troublemaker until he slipped on a puddle of oil in the harbor.
- Part 2
Alicia's turn to comment on Ali, condemning him as an unreliable member for being weak, lazy, undisciplined, and not even following instructions, highlighting the time Ali was scolded by his teacher for failing a test and coming late repeatedly before meeting I.R.I.S; acting recklessly by grabbing an object from Alicia in the first simulation exercise. Alicia added that he had been the cause of mission problems several times, giving examples when Ali argued with Alicia during a bank mission until the bandits were detected; was caught infiltrating by Abang Bear, causing the two of them and Bakar to be locked up; stepped on a sensor and was thrown into a trap; almost fell off a train and had to be saved by Alicia; and was almost shot by a drone stolen by Komeng but was quickly protected by Agent Bakar who fell down to block the fire.
Agent Rizwan was frank with General, his old and highly respected acquaintance, that he had not agreed with Ali's participation in the mission from the beginning, remembering when he reminded the boy before the mission not to do anything that would ruin the mission; later in the Alpha Tower mission he repeated the same reprimand after saving Ali from being hypnotized by Dr. Aaron.
General Rama questioned Ali about when he lost I.R.I.S. Ali explained that it happened when Ali brought Comot home, then Comot reluctantly took I.R.I.S. to be taken to Abang Bear. The General also brought up the time he stormed Gamma Tower, making Ali stunned. The General reminded that nothing can be hidden from M.A.T.A.'s knowledge by recalling the message from Jenny that Ali's spy suit sends data of every action of its wearer to M.A.T.A, so from there Ali is always being watched; moreover Ali was once found to be abusing I.R.I.S. for personal gain. From that, Rama said that Ali had become a big liability to M.A.T.A. Ali persuaded the General that he had practiced a lot and improved his abilities, since the difficulty of the first morning exercise with Bakar until the time he mastered Aero Boots in the gap jump simulation. General loudly questions whether all of this is enough for Ali.
Jenny reports that even with the use of I.R.I.S. and various additional gadgets to enhance his physical abilities, Ali is still far behind the other agents. Alicia complains about how Ali is wasting his time, not excelling in agent training or school training. General asks what can be done to improve Ali's abilities; Bakar suggests that Ali eat more to get stronger. Rizwan expresses his lack of confidence in Agent Bakar's ability to train Ali, especially since they are family.
Rama asks if Ali can still stay in M.A.T.A. Bakar is confident that Ali still has hope; Rizwan says that maybe if trained by the right mentor; Jenny says that if left alone, the true potential of I.R.I.S. will not be tested. Alicia loudly declares that Ali is not worthy, but then reflects, remembering when Ali saved her from being destroyed in the reactor on a previous mission. General expresses gratitude that his adopted son survived and reminds him that this is why he did not want Ali involved in the mission; Before he could finish speaking, Alicia interrupted by leaving.
- Part 3
General Rama asks Ali why he wants to become an agent. Ali hesitates, explaining that he once felt useless because everything he did didn't work out, but since discovering I.R.I.S., he has been able to help people. He remembers the events at Gamma Tower where he defeated Dr. Aaron and saved his father; at Abang Bear's lair where Comot snatched the I.R.I.S. from the thugs to give to Ali so he could escape, then destroyed Abang Bear's computer; and at the power station where he disobeyed orders to carry out the Rapid Protocol to save Ali's life. Finally, he feels as if he has changed, but the General chuckles with doubt.
Ali asks back why the General asked all that; the General explains that the failure of the last mission has made the Core Leaders question Ali's involvement, so he needs to decide whether to keep or eliminate Ali. Ali hesitates at his words. but the General reminds him of the time when he was about to eliminate Ali for accidentally using I.R.I.S. in the first place. With a worried heart, Ali spoke at length to try to defend his actions to save Alicia from being annihilated by the azurium beam. With a loud "Dey!" cry, the General reassured Ali and advised that a good agent must obey orders without hesitation; but then he softened his voice and thanked Ali for not behaving like a good agent by saving his adopted daughter and asked for time to make a decision.
At night, Ali contemplated I.R.I.S. in his grip in the bedroom, nervously awaiting the decision that would be made against him. He remembered the first time he used I.R.I.S. and defeated Dos and Trez where he was kidnapped, and also the time when Comot returned I.R.I.S. to Ali. Comot was present, rubbing his body against his side as a way to soothe his grief. Ali slept soundly until 3:00 AM when he received a call from M.A.T.A. to go to the front. Upon arriving at the base, he was confronted by a swarm of droids and drones shooting at him. At first, Ali was able to dodge and deflect all the shots with his gadgets. Then, he tried to unlock the control room door but failed. The droids were advancing towards him, and he was increasingly unable to defend himself from the barrage of gunfire. Suddenly, all the droids shot each other down until only one remained, and that was subdued with a lollipop stick blowpipe; Agent Rizwan emerged as Ali's new mentor.
Characters[]
- Major characters:
- Minor characters:
- The Duo of Bullies
- Puan Munah (Cameo)
- Dr. Aaron (appears in flashbacks)
- Abang Bear (appears in flashbacks)
- Komeng (appears in flashbacks)
- Dr. Ghazali (appears in flashbacks)
- Mia (appears in flashbacks)
- Dos (appears in flashbacks)
- Trez (appears in flashbacks)
- The Librarian (appears in flashbacks)
- Ali's mother (appears in flashbacks)
Trivia[]
- The episode is entitled "MISSION: PERFORMANCE" because General Rama wants to understand Ali's performance.
- This episode is a recap episode or clip show due to multiple flashbacks from Episode 1 to Episode 7.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
