It's been toasty summer, so thankfully it's birthed enough intriguing new TV series to justify staying indoors and basking in your air-conditioning (or Otter-Pop vest, if you're poor like me). And now Alphas is starting to break away from the rest of the pack. Though it initially seemed like a straight crime-procedural that'd been marinated in Heroes' drippings, Alphas has become more of a serialized small-screen X-Men (which shouldn't be a surprise, considering Zak Penn is behind the show)—and that's for the better, even if we have seen some of the main concepts before.
Monday night's "Rosetta," the series' fourth episode, continued the show's upward trend in quality by giving us a better look at the bigger picture. We were already familiar with Rosen's team of Alphas, we knew there've been some unusual goings-on at the compound in Binghamton, and now we know a lot more about Red Flag, the underground criminal organization that promotes awareness of Alphas' rights. What Red Flag does is a little more complicated than splashing paint someone's fur coat, though. These dudes blow sh*t up.
The way I see it, Rosen's team is caught in the middle of an impending war between the folks from Binghamton and Red Flag, and Alphas doing a great job of painting both sides in a cloudy light. The compound has detained dangerous Alphas in attempt to protect society from those who wish to do it harm. But maybe it isn't the most humane tactics, and if the spooky lighting and shady charactersit are any indication, the Binghamton folks most certainly have an ulterior agenda. Red Flag is advocating Alphas' right to exist and contribute to the world by releasing propaganda asking "What is Normal?" But its delivering the message via huge explosions. As Bono once re-quoted, "One man's freedom fighter is another's terrorist."
Wading through that muddy water is our team of Alphas (and us), who by right should join Red Flag in solidarity with their superpowered peeps. But our Alphas have Rosen's leadership and have been accepted by society, so it isn't that easy to choose.
Now Gary and Cam are stepping up and wondering whether Red Flag is really all that bad, and with a few nods and winks in "Rosetta" leading me to wonder what side Rosen is really on, this storyline has taken off brilliantly. I don't know if trusting Rosen completely is a good idea; at times it seems like he knows more than he's letting on. There's a much bigger gray area here than I expected going into the series, and that's what's giving Alphas legs. We've already moved beyond simple good-versus-evil stories. Gary and Cam have every right to question things, and right now, I'm on their side. Hey, it's a lot better than spending ten episodes chasing a singular bad guy, right?
Now that it's becoming a serialized sci-fi show masquerading as a procedural, Alphas is exactly the kind of series Syfy needs to get some of its reputation back. Zak Penn may have fooled the soft execs at Syfy into believing that Alphas is CSI with superpowers, but we know it's going to be much better (and much more) than that.
Notes:
... I'm still trying to decide whether Gary and Anna together were cute or corny. Awww shoot, I'll go with cute.
... Pretty sweet intro to the show with the storming of the house. Cam's quickly becoming the badassest of all badasses.
... Note to producers working on superhero ensemble shows: Have you noticed how Alphas doesn't jam superpowers down our throats? Try it, it works.
... The show doesn't seem to be doing a lot of hand-holding so far, which I like. How many casual viewers know what a "Denial of Service" attack is? Anna channeled her inner Anna-nymous and overloaded Gary's brain.
Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom
Didnt anyone notice that at the end of the episode Dr. Rosen said and im quoting "i want to show you something.... Rosen and I always tought Red Flag..." like if he wasnt Dr. Rosen but another person who took his identity.... like a friend or his colleague...
Please tell me anyone notice this too
I remember Rosen saying, "Agent Wilson and I..".
no... check it again... maybe it was a mistake from the actor but i dont think so... he clearly says Rosen and I
It is Wilson and I. I watched it again
It was Wilson and I on my screen.
No it doesnt.... i watched again and it clearly says Rosen and I... and its impossible to confuse Rosen with Wilson
The only part I disliked about this episode was the end, when Dr. Rosen showed the number of members in Red Flag. It looked like almost all of California were Red Flag-ian Alphas. Basically, it just seemed like overkill -- by trying to make it more dramatic, they made it more corny. But the rest of the episode was cool.
For now it's doing everything right.
But it's gonna get boring - like we saw in the preview - they're gonna turn it into a boring love story between Nina and the new guy. So nothing but boring is ahead. Unless they're gonna change their minds and cut the crap with the love story and stick to what they're doing now.
How do you validate your reasoning. You saw a preview about a romance between Nina and Hicks and you automatically assume it'll take center stage in the story arc. It's a B (or even a C) story dude. The show is called Alphas about ALPHAS. It's not Alphas: A Love Story.
This show is awesome!
Yeah, hairbrush language was kinda ridiculous at first, but if you just go with it I guess it sorta makes sense.
And I agree, there are too many connected Alphas in Red Flag. A bit of an overkill, I was hoping for a more small close-knit group.
Either way, this is one of the best shows of the summer, definitely what I'd call a breakout hit.
So far the only thing I like about this show is the pretty ladies, which is usually the reason I stick with most shows.This has similarity to Prey, two different types of humans fighting for survival. And the reason non-Alphas hate Alphas is the same reason things like 9/11 happen. Some bad apples either fear or dislike others that are not in their definition of normal. When the truth is no one is normal.
rosen deffinitly has another hidden agenda...the execution and timming of this show is excellent. i have not been happier with a tv program in a long time. everything seems to be working so far for the story and it is very entertaining...i really like the stars picked for the roles. esp gary. the ony one that leaves me flat is the fgi guy,but there is alot of time for that to change. really happy with this ine...
I was a little disappointed in this episode: Hairbrush language? How did she make a computer program to translate? How the hell are THAT many alphas in Red Flag, when they are only five working for the fed? And then they just throw in this pharmaceutical company, where did this drug come from? Couldn't we have seen a scene a couple episodes ago, like someone flipping through the channels and stopping at the news, and hearing some anchor woman talking about the drug. That's it.
So far the series is a mediocre at best. Seeing all that static with Garry and its character its pretty annoying so far. And the whole thing talking through the brush was one of the most ridiculous things I've seen, even for the sci-fi genre
Never really liked the Alphas' team, but I really enjoyed Anna's character and she's turning Gary into more than the stereotype he was so far. So, I guess I'm about to root for Red Flag and all I need to hear now is : "Gary, if you only knew the power of the Red Flag. Dr Rosen never told you what happened to your father..."
Gotta say, when it all started I was expecting a low budget flip flop, but I've been hooked since the 1st episode. Overall it's getting better with each episode, and it has the whole "superpowered people are regular guys" thing done right, unlike Heroes which did have a good 1st season, but the superpowered dudes were never acting like normal people. They might have not dressed in tights, but they never seemed down-to-earth kind of. And Claire with the moaning, the lack of friends, the don't-knowing-what-to-do. Got instantly sick of her - she was just a placeholder in that show.
As for what's in store with Alphas, it seems more shady than the first couple of episodes let on and if Marcus is right (he always is) - there's sort of a war coming, which should be pretty damn interesting. So far imho Gary is the highligh of the show. Getting a bit tired of Nina's "Rosen's great" attitude and Cameron's face and questions. Bill seems always pissed off, which kinda pisses me off and Rachel, she's just Rachel. Suffice to say I'm not too fond of some of the main characters, which makes me think how good is this show if I'm looking forward to the next episode one week in advance.moreless
really loving the show, just cool for the moment
I've loved Alphas since the beginning, and this episode was a very good reason why. From the characters to the story arc, this show never ceases to amaze me. I didn't suspect Anna being Red Flag for a second. I loved the chemistry between her and Gary; definitely seemed genuine. Whether she was sorry or wanted to be friends with him, I don't know if that's a good idea, but that's for Gary to decide. As far as Rosen, I trust him completely. He seems to genuinely care for the Alphas' well-being, unlike Binghampton. While Red Flag's moves for Alpha security are dangerous, I can't blame them for going to that extent. There seems to be quite a battle brewing between Red Flag and Binghampton, and in my opinion, Binghampton started it. Cameron, Gary, and Nina have been questioning the government's true motives since the beginning, and I am right there with them. Too much shadiness going on behind the scenes to just turn a blind eye.moreless
Actually, this episode only made me trust Rosen more, if for no other reason, than for his line "I don't make this kind of distinctions" (and, obviously, that he is capable of holding two conflicting ideas at the same time). He does seem to be the most morally wise of them and to have evolved beyond the tribal, us-or-them instinct, which can as easily tell as to like someone more than the rest of the world, because we share the same religion or skin colour, as it can convince us to like them more because we both have brown eyes or like the colour blue. I think the show's trying to make an enormously important point (about the destructiveness of that same us-or-them mentality), without being preachy and this is making me like it even more (and I've liked it since the start, much to my own surprise).moreless
Each epiode so far has become more intriguing. I like that it's a show with character's that have powers, but not used all the time. Gary is a character that is becoming one of the most developed characters. Anna was great in this episode, she didn't have to speak once, but was able to develop a great chemistry with Gary. I hope we see her in many more episodes down the road.
"...the badassest of all badasses"
HAHA I like that!
I have never trusted Rosen. There has always seemed to be something off about him.
Either he was screwed over in the past or he's secretly an Alpha whose gift is too horrible to reveal to anyone. Just my thoughts, mind you. I feel David Strathairn must know something about the character that we don't and that's part of the fun in watching him in a weekly series.
ok,i am tired of comments like " doesn't jam superpowers down our throats? Try it, it works".comments like that had as a result heroes,seeing 1 fireball per season,smallville-i liked it BUT- a super boy that was placked from dawson's creek and eyezapped a guy per season,not to mention in a 2hour episode,up in the air for 4 minutes.it's about people with powers for god's sake!!heroes,smallville and now alpha...30 minutes drama,5 action,1 minute powers in display (i dont count gary,its annoying seeing so much static).it is uneven.they have problems and they have powers!maybe alpha is ok for now,heroes was for a while,smallville too.but,we need to see a *** superior,doing something more than a human.we aint watching beverly hills after all.Dont forget who watch certain types of shows and what they expect to see (comedy=jokes,syfy action=action with super powers!)moreless
xviasis, considering you've watched Heroes and Smallville and now Alphas, you should probably watch The 4400 and Misfits, those two shows are much better than the others.
I'm loving this series much more than I expected. I totally did not expect Anna to be the leader of Red Flag.
"I don't think Alphas will be a breakout hit, but thanks to strong characters it should be a Syfy staple for a few seasons at least" So I take it THIS boat sprung a leak and you're now using the Otter-pop vest as a floatation device?? " And now Alphas is starting to break away from the rest of the pack."
badassest ? Try selling that one to Webster!!
Alphas is exactly the kind of series Syfy needs to get some of its reputation back. I don't know I hear there a "Marcel's Quantum Kitchen Leap" in the making!!!