Alphas entered its second season with a slightly different creative team, a lot of drama within the team, and I didn't know what to expect from the season as a whole. Season one was a terrifically pleasant surprise. Season two was different. New characters were introduced. The dynamic was changed. Dr. Rosen was obsessed with stopping Stanton Parrish. The storytelling went to dark places, but there were light moments in between. I feel good about season two.
"God's Eye" brought the season to a rather unexpected cliffhanger. The tone of the episode resembled the previous two episodes. The focus was tight. The team had to do A, B and C. There was no time for cute Rachel scenes with her boyfriend, or Gary protecting his yogurt from co-workers, or Bill hanging out at home with his wife and adopted son. The team had a city to save (actually a world) and not a lot of time to do it. I expected a part of Parrish's plan to succeed. Global genocide wasn't going to be accomplished, but city-wide damage seemed likely. Alphas makes the daring choice instead of the safe choice. The final montage of Gary walking through the fallen bodies as he looked for his friends was strange. I have questions. The show wants people to have questions.
Anyway, I have random thoughts to share about the episode, and the season as a whole.
-The Dani elements were a little much in episodes, specifically in regards to Cameron, who seemed only to do stuff with Dani or for Dani. Their relationship reached its high point in the episode where Cameron and his son misunderstood one another. Dani used her empathic power to connect father and son. Dani was a difficult character to like. The scene helped increase her likeability. Of course, I usually associated Dani with the scene in the season premiere when Stanton and company blow up a running freight train. Dani walks on. "Need to Know" revealed Dani's knowledge of Stanton's plan all along, and she curiously did very little to stop the Ultimate Plan. I suppose her attempt in the van was supposed to be the catalyst for Stanton, but he killed her, which exploded the emotions and clear thinking of Rosen and Cam.
-Dr. Rosen was a fascinating character to watch throughout the season. His arc seemed like it'd lead to the epiphany he had while confronting Parrish on the train platform. Good Guy and Bad Guy were paralleled throughout the season. Rosen sometimes seemed worse than the ancient Alpha hell-bent on mass murder. He hit bottom when he tortured Siprio with Cameron, going behind Kat's and Bill's back to do so. I waited for Rosen to realize the errors he made. The old Rosen broke through in the hospital scene with Gary. Ghost Dani advised her father to say goodbye to Gary because he'll die by day's end. Rosen told Gary how special their friendship was and how special it was to see the world through Gary's incredible eyes. Rosen being shot in the gut was the best thing for him because it allowed him to think and consider his choices. I thought it was a great character moment when he made a conscious choice to spare Stanton's life, by acknowledging he cannot stoop to his level. Cameron made the same choice as Stanton slowly recovered from death.
-My favorite character on any television show right now, Gary, had a rather rad episode. I read the Alphas message board on TWoP because no one I know watches the show. People really expected SOMETHING from the Gary's mom storyline. I kept an open mind about his mother playing a crucial role in the events. She did play a crucial role, but in an unexpected way. Gary basically needed to get out on his own this season, but he needed to fight to break the deep roots he had at home. He left initially because he screamed for ten seconds every morning, which scared his mom. Gary was simple acting out against Anna's death. He was angry. His mother had a stroke, and he promised to take care of her and stay with her. Gary's mother, though, told him to "Go" in "God's Eye." Go and help his friends, she wished, and he did.
-Rachel, Bill and Nina had interesting arcs throughout the season. Rachel's ability to overcome her fears and anxieties was well-told and well-acted. The scene in which she consoled her boyfriend's fear about his battle scars is a highlight of the season. Nina's character was horrible in the beginning, but she returned to her season one self by season's end. I loved season one Nina. Bill had some awesome stuff in season two. The fight club episode was a highlight. I liked the bigger leadership role he took, and how he took Kat under his wing after she took him under hers during the fight club fun.
-Kat was a wonderful addition to the show. I do have a gripe about an inconsistency with the character. Two weeks ago, she murdered Mitchell's bodyguard and felt terrible guilt about it. I watched her tearful scene twice. Kat responded like most humans would. It was a human moment for the girl. Death is treated no differently than other shows of Alphas ilk. It happens. The team moves on. Kat experienced no guilt when she killed at least one man and seriously injured two others (it seems she killed three). I felt disappointment during that scene, despite how badass she was in beating the bad guys. I wanted that layer to remain.
-Summer Glau was wonderful in her return. She appeared in three episodes. A fear gripped me during the shoot-out in "God's Eye," though. It seemed inevitable she'd be shot, but I remembered Tim Minear's absence from the writing staff. He's with American Horror Story and far, far away from writing funny deaths for Summer and causing Whedonesque to freak out. I love Summer Glau. Casting directors of cable and/or network shows, cast her more.
-The series may not return for a third season. I'll need to re-watch the finale to see how it works as a season finale. I really hope Syfy gives it a third season. The channel certainly won't replace Alphas with a better show. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Also, I tweeted about Gary being my favorite character tonight and was re-tweeted by the episode's scribe, Bruce Miller, which was very cool.
-That's it for my Alphas thoughts for now. I hope to write about the third season premiere in the summer of 2013. I recommend anyone reading who's never watched the show to watch the show.
THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
1 comment:
I still don't understand all the hand-wringing over Rosen torturing Scipio. He ultimately did get the information he needed to try and save millions of lives.
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