Alias - Character Bio: Eric Weiss

[kethni]

Although attentive fans can pick up lots of peripheral clues about Eric Weiss he remains something of an enigma. He was in the first four seasons of “Alias” and there wasn’t a single episode which highlighted or showcased him. Even Marshall got that.

Here’s what we know:

Work at the CIA:
When the series starts Weiss is a field agent at the CIA but by the time he leaves he’s been promoted to coordinating covert operations for the NSC, which was only a "few steps from the President”.

Weiss is most often seen offering technical support during missions either onsite in the van or back at the base. However he has been seen providing backup during missions often with the aid of a small pair of glasses as a cunning disguise. Or a racy tie that coordinates with Syd's dress.



 He also acts as part of CIA assault teams; on one occasion he gets shot during a mission, while on another occasion the rest of his team gets killed and he gets captured.

Friends:
Weiss was introduced as Vaughn’s best friend although he often acts as a sounding board to all the other characters. While Vaughn, Syd, and other characters are often mired in the drama Weiss is resolutely down to earth and realistic throughout. So when he gets dragged into the ridiculous schemes of other characters, primarily Syd and Vaughn, it’s generally out of a sense of loyalty rather than because he’s decided it’s the best course of action.

Personality:
Weiss has a dry and occasionally self-deprecating sense of humour such as when, on striking out with a blonde agent, he referred to Vaughn as his boyfriend. If you don’t think that is self-deprecating then you either haven’t watched “Alias” or you have a much higher opinion of Vaughn than I do. If you don’t believe this was a joke well there’s a TON of fanfic available for Weiss/Vaughn, although I prefer Sark/Weiss or even Syd/Weiss. Weiss also has a tendency to sarcasm when he’s irritated, often with Marshall as the object.

Oh and he's not above the odd Snoopy dance.



Weiss has an ongoing struggle to control his weight. On being complimented on losing weight by Syd, he told her that he was miserable because he couldn’t eat anything he enjoyed. He’s been seen running, playing hockey, and playing pool with Vaughn. Nonetheless he doesn’t manage to keep the weight off permanently and during his guest appearance in the fifth season he mentions having to cancel his Pilates appointment.


Family:
Weiss claims to be a descendant of Harry Houdini (real name… Ehrich Weiss)
A brother, name unknown.

Romance:
Although there were suggestions of a possible relationship with Syd during the third season nothing developed. (My mum wandered through the room during a scene where he was getting drunk with Syd. When Weiss kissed Syd on the forehead my mum opined that was not what Syd was hoping for.)

He also dated Syd’s half-sister, Nadia. Well, sort of. There are absolutely no scenes of affection between them and apart from one excruciating scene of having dinner with her evvvil father, Sloane, they rarely seem to see each other out of work. Weiss seems to suffer from the common television affliction of being the good natured and lovable but oddly sexless teddy bear. When Marshall gets more romance stories something is badly wrong.

Possibly “romance” would be the wrong word for it, but Marshall did strongly imply that Weiss was one of the people getting up to no good “by the docks” late at night. Weiss didn’t so much deny it as look rather panicked. Take that as you will…

Hobbies:
In addition to the sports already listed Weiss seems to enjoy bowling for the “cheesy disco music, glow in the dark pins and all you can eat hot dogs after ten.”

He is also seen playing with a yo-yo. It says a lot about how little Weiss fans had to go on that his yo-yo makes a LOT of appearances in fanfic.

Trivia
Weiss is apparently legally allowed to officiate at weddings. Probably. Maybe. At least Marshall signed him up as an “Exalted Minister” with the “Internet Church of Mammals” so he could marry Marshall to Carrie before she spawned Marshall’s kid.

He can speak either German (my guess) or Dutch (Wikipedia’s, the two languages sound rather similar although they look radically different written down). He apparently also speaks French and Spanish, although his Russian is “horrible”.

Comments

[boudecia7.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, I love Weiss. I can't believe he didn't get any major plot points or episodes highlighting him. Weak, yo! And for all that, still one of my favorite Grunny characters, perhaps not least of all because he was usually well-dressed (zebra tie excepted). He was always so sweet and wistful, too, as his major roles tend to be. :P

Great bio! Thanks bb! :D

[kethni.livejournal.com]

I know, it's so lame that they didn't give him any real background or development. I actually like the zebra tie costume (for some reason I think that he's wearing a diamond earring in that scene)since it's so unlike his usual costume but he pulls it off.

Thanks babe! <333

[leadaisy.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm, that pic of him in the zebra tie is yummy.....he looks evil and cheesy at the same time XD

I've only watched a few episode of this show (none with Sark....shame) but the ones I did see, Weiss was always the man in the background, so the possibilities of him being naughty/secretly evil are endless XD

Great recap! <3

[kethni.livejournal.com]

Hee! Grunny can look cheesy and evil any time he likes for me :D

Yeah it's true, one of the plus sides to him being undefined is that there's lots of possibilities, including secret naughties and evil! I read an interview with Grunny somewhere and he said he would've liked Alias to have ended with Sloane going to report to HIS boss... Weiss!

Thanks honey! <333