OK, Alias fans- I have a question for you. I am only a few shows into the second season, but something is killing me.
What is the significance with the number 47?
– There are 47 parts to Rambaldi opus.
– When Marshall (who is emerging as my favorite character) makes the lipstick camera, it has 42 exposures, but he wants ‘get it to 47, because it is a prime number.’
– The secret computer server is #47.
– When Dixon plays a priest in the airport, he has made 47 Euros.
– A vault was vault #4747.
– the blank page inthe Rambaldi text was 47.
I could go on and on, and I have not even paid attention to license plates. I think that Kane chick, the one trying to frame jack BRistow, had an account with 47.
At any rate, this is killing me, but I am afraid to google it because if I do, I might learn something that will ruin future episodes. So, bearing in mind where i am in the show, can someone tell me if ’47’ means something?
andy
It has something to do with this:
http://www.47.net/47society/
one of the writers must be a believer….
Jim Treacher
It’s how old Jennifer Garner will be before they tie up all the loose ends.
Francis W. Porretto
Beats me. Everyone knows that the supreme mystical number of the universe is 23.
Don
Have you notice how the writing has changed this season? The episodes are much more single-serving friendly. There is a whole lot less multi-episode plot development. Perhaps this is to increase the audience in that new viewers can more easily jump in, but I find the lack of weekly developments and cliff hangers to the overall story line very disappointing.
John Cole
Don- What part of ” I am only a few shows into the second season” confused you?
jpe
Everyone knows that the supreme mystical number of the universe is 23.
Maybe that’s true in your stupid scientist world, but in the simultaneous 4-day rotation 23=47.
HH
From the Alias dossier:
Star Trek shows also have multiple references to 47, and of course there was a first season ep called “Page 47.” At this point it seems like it was just a private joke by the writers.
Last night’s episode was much improved and I think we are finally heading towards a story arc – so psyched to see two of our favorite baddies back next week.
BeckyJ
Ok, I can reveal this: 47 is the number for Pomona College (Claremont, CA). It’s our thing. We’re weird about it (note my e-mail address!) Star Trek contains muliple references to 47 because there are a number of Pomona grads working as writers on the show (especially Next Gen and Enterprise). I expect that Alias has at least one if not more Pomona grads working as writers on the show. Now you know our deep dark secret!
joe
47
BeckyJ
47-rah!
bg
Becky, what do you mean its the number for Pomona College? What kind of number? Like an address, zip code or part of a phone number prefix?
BeckyJ
bq (is that a q or a g?),
It’s one of those strange college traditions. The 47 site linked in the first comment explains some of it (look under the FAQ). The way it was explained to me was through the proof of the math theorem (there’s a theorem that lets you prove all numbers equal zero. One of our math profs set it to prove all numbers = 47). The freeway exit for Pomona is exit #47 (Yale is also off of exit #47… coincidence? we think not); there are 47 letters in the full name of one of the dorms; there are 47 trees of one type around the main quad. That sort of thing. After about 60-70 years (by the time the math theorem was used in the early ’60s) these things start to take on a mystical significance. Pomona alums are particularly susceptible to finding, noticing, and using 47.
Don
Sorry John, I wasn’t so much asking you if you’d noticed as I was asking your collective audience with a plural “you” which the English language doesn’t so much have. I should have started it off with a more southern, “Have yaw’ll noticed…” I’ll be clearer in the future, or only direct my comments to you…and not to your readers.
But back to my point, enjoy the show while you can…it takes a writing down turn this season. Of course, JG is still as smokin as ever.