The Second Season of "Alphas" Proves that it is the New "Heroes"
Created By: Zak Penn & Michael Karnow
Starring: David Strathairn, Ryan Cartwright, Warren Christie, Azita Ghanizada, Laura Mennell, Malik Yoba, Erin Way (new)
Fate: CANCELLED
Think: Ordinary people work for the government because they have super abilities.
Tagline: “Super, but human.”
The second season of Alphas takes a much-needed hiatus from the "super-villain of the week" formula that was used so much in its first season, as well as other science fiction shows, such as Supernatural, Grimm and Smallvillle. We still meet new Alphas, but the storyline is more focused on the tracking down of Stanton Parish, who is now the confirmed leader of Red Flag, an anti-human organization similar to Magneto's Brotherhood.
In addition to the regulars from Season 1, we are introduced to new characters who shake things up for our Alphas - some in good ways, some not. The team inducts a new member, Kat (Erin Way), who fills a niche that the team was missing. However, while her superpower is truly amazing, her corresponding handicap is quite severe.
Erin Way as Kat.
We also meet John (Steve Byers), a new love interest for Rachel; Scipio (Elias Toufexis), a fire-throwing Alpha villain; Senator Charlotte Burton (Lauren Holly), a government official with possible ties to Parish; and Mitchell, a mysterious Alpha who may hold the key to Parish's secrets (played by Lord of the Ring's Sean Astin). The season further explores the characters of Dani Rosen (Kathleen Munroe) , who is both Hick's love interest and (as we learned at the end of Season 1) secretly a Parish supporter; Skylar Adams (Summer Glau), the grumpy mechanically gifted Alpha; and, of course, Stanton Parish, who is played brilliantly by John Pyper-Ferguson.
Glau, Holly and Astin.
What Happens?
Season 2 begins with a bang as 2 of our heroes are captured and our villains stage a mass breakout from Binghamton, resulting in a violent end that you will not see coming. The "mass prison breakout" seems to be a common tool in superhero shows, as a way of giving the heroes something to do. However, I was surprised (and a bit disappointed) to discover that the season was not about catching the escaped criminals.
Instead of the breakout bringing the super-team together, they soon drift apart. Hicks's new woman, Danielle Rosen, leads to a lot of tensions in the office, as he has not told Dr.Rosen nor Nina about it. Eventually, Nina loses her composure and goes off the deep end, providing another problem for a refreshingly imperfect super-team. Unlike a "best-friends-forever"-type super-team like The Teen Titans or The Justice League, there are a lot of complicated relationships that develop in Season 2. In addition to a Nina-gone-rogue, Bill struggles with whether he should follow protocol and government policies or the under-the-radar strategies of his boss, Lee Rosen. Hicks has a miserable season, all stemming from his foreseeable ill-fated relationship with Dani. Rachel also falls into an unexpected romance, while also falling apart from her once-friend Nina. And Gary makes a decision that his mother does not agree with.
Season 2 does not start off well for our heroes.
We are also introduced to a potential new problem for the Alphas in episode 10, a research lab with questionable methods and significance to Alphas.
In the Parish storyline, the DOD & Alphas work to figure out what the immortal villain is cooking up in his centuries-old mind. Soon, the puzzle pieces begin to come together, but the Alphas are running low on time to stop his evil scheme...
Should You Watch?
In my critique of Heroes, I identified what its first season did right and what its subsequent seasons did wrong. It seems as though Alphas took a page from that book:
Cliffhangers?
You bet.
Mystery?
What is Stanton Parish going to do? What does he want? Why is he doing what he's doing?
Action?
I love watching this show, because we actually get to see the heroes use their powers. The first and last few episodes have particularly neat action sequences, such as Hicks taking out a car with a bullet (first episode) and Skylar taking out three armed men with...well...I won't spoil it, but trust me - it's awesome (finale).
Romance?
You bet. There's a love triangle involving Hicks, Nina & Dani and we also get to see Rachel attempt to overcome her fear of getting close to someone.
Comedy?
Gary is always a delight to watch on-screen, but Kat, the newest member of the team, is also full of bright spirits and usually over-enthusiastic.
Emotional Jerkers?
Watching the final minutes of the finale gave me goosebumps. Also see #8.
Remembering the Characters
In a show with 6+ main characters, it is difficult to find ways to include everyone and give everyone a purpose. But Alphas finds a way to put every main character in every episode in some way.
Kill your Characters
We were only given 11 episodes in the first season of Alphas, which is barely enough to get to really know the characters. But in a serial drama, killing off characters is a must. Lost did it, 24 did it, Grey's Anatomy did it, Mad Men did it. Heroes was too scared. SyFy showed that it isn't afraid to kill off beloved characters and, unfortunately, not everyone in this show will live to see 2013.
Simplicity
The creators never forget that the characters in Alphas are just human. They have troubled personal lives. They get stressed out. They have morals. They can't heal at an amazing rate. They are just people. And I think that is something that helps an audience member connect.
Character Evolution
Gary, Nina, Hicks, Rachel, Kat, Bill and Dr.Rosen each learn something about themselves in the season. Some overcome their fears, others learn more about themselves and all change due to their involvement in the DOD.
Connections
There were not many character connections a la Heroes, but a few episodes have some cool end-of-episode flashbacks that reveal that something you thought happened...actually happened another way.
Finale
The final step was to have an exciting, heart-pumping finale...and Alphas did it, although not in the way I expected. Prepare for a stand-off between the heroes and Stanton Parish, with an ending that will change everything.
Pyper-Ferguson and Monroe as Stanton Parish and Dani Rosen.
That being said, Season 2 is not without its flaws. Some of the characters from Season 1, begin to get a bit stale. Nina's early plotline was somewhat disturbing, and when she recovers and begins to pursue an honest life, her character loses the spark of confidence and liveliness it had in the first season. Hicks is also frustrating to watch, not so much because of Warren Christie, but because his plotline is to be constantly angry and brooding. I believe Christie is a versatile actor and can portray more than two emotions. I do not think he smiled once in the season. Dr.Rosen also becomes obsessed with tracking Parish, at the cost of not only his health and well-being, but of his character's logical mind. The storylines involving the escaped convicts and Binghamton (a controversial prison for rogue Alphas) are also forgotten.
Overall, I strongly suggest watching Alphas - especially if you were a Heroes fan. This second season is everything the second season of Heroes needed to be.
It appears that there is a 50-50 chance that it will be renewed for a season 3. I hope that it will be given a chance to build upon what the first 2 seasons (and the finale) have set up and that the fine work that so many people are putting into this show will finally get some well-deserved recognition.
Worst Episode
1x08: “Falling”
By far the most boring episode of the season, "Falling" includes Rosen struggling with a shocking discovery, Hicks visiting with his son, and John and Rachel preparing to meet Rachel's parents. The action comes into play as we watch Kat's first mission as an undercover agent. However, she loses track of her mission when the suspect reveals that he knows her, which leads to some disturbing revelations.
Best Episode
1x13: “God's Eye”
The finale of Season 2 follows our heroes as they assemble to stop Parish at the place he refers to as "God's Eye". We are able to finally see the Alphas work all together as a super team and use their abilities and their minds to fight Parish's super-powered cronies. The finale includes an unexpected gunshot, romantic revelations and a chilling final scene that will make your heart stop and ache for Season 3.
