Genre: Sci-Fi | Drama | Action
Premiere: July 23 at 10/9c
Network: Syfy
Creators: Zak Penn and Michael Karnow
Alphas follows a clandestine group of ordinary people with superhuman mental and physical abilities. Led by preeminent neurologist and psychiatrist Dr. Lee Rosen (Emmy Award-winner and Academy Award-nominee David Strathairn), the unlikely team takes on cases the CIA, FBI and Pentagon are unwilling or unable to solve going head-to-head with many of the criminal Alphas hiding among the normal population.
Alphas stars David Strathairn as Dr. Lee Rosen, Malik Yoba as Bill Harken, Warren Christie as Cameron Hicks, Azita Ghanizada as Rachel Pirzad, Ryan Cartwright as Gary Bell and Laura Mennell as Nina Theroux. Erin Way (Detroit 187, Private Practice) joins the cast this season as Kat, a mysterious young loner whose Alpha ability equips her with perfect muscle memory, making her a “quick study.” But while her skills are permanent, her personal memories are short-lived.
The new season picks up eight months after last year’s stunning season finale with the stage set for an explosive turn of events at the Binghamton facility (the Guantanamo of the Alpha world) that could have devastating, far-reaching consequences. Dr. Lee Rosen, having exposed the existence of Alphas to the unsuspecting public, finds himself discredited and imprisoned by a government desperate to cover up his stunning revelation. Some of the team have disbanded and without Dr. Rosen’s care and guidance, have regressed to their old, destructive ways. They must now battle their individual demons, reunite and try to save their own.
Even though we haven’t had a new episode of Alphas since August of last year, there’s a new showrunner in town, which may be one of the reasons that everything you need to know to jump into the Season 2 premiere is in the network-provided summary above. That and the fact that Dr. Rosen is not an Alpha, he is simply sympathetic to them, partly because his daughter is an Alpha. If you watched Season 1, you probably could jump in without any prep whatsoever.
Bruce Miller, formerly of Eureka, is the new showrunner, but other than the fact that Alphas is on Syfy, there’s really nothing similar between the two series; the tone of Alphas, particularly the new tone, has none of the silliness and light that was often the hallmark of the late great Eureka.
Season 1 of Alphas can really be seen as mostly a warm-up for this season. It was somewhat uneven, as they were finding their way, with some excellent episodes and some that were just not that great. The season finale ramped it all up, and now Season 2 is free to work within some new parameters. The series description above reflects the shift in focus.
The shift between Seasons 1 and 2 of Alphas reminds me of the shift between Seasons 1 and 2 of Falling Skies. That show also had a relatively uneven first season, with a lot of promise but not enough movement, and has a new showrunner this season. If Alphas has made a similar readjustment, it bodes well for the new season.
It’s a little hard to review this episode because it feels so much like a Part 1; it’s almost pure introduction and setup. There is action, tension, drama, and presumably some cool effects – my screener is a pre-effects rough cut – but the main notable thing is the different vibe of this episode. It feels slightly more edgy, slightly more driven, slightly more violent, and even seems to have a slightly different look, though I can’t be sure if that’s on purpose or because of my rough cut.
If what you loved about the first season were the characters, you’re going to need to be patient. Remember, this is eight months after the group has disbanded, and it’s going to take a little while for things to normalize. That’s not to say that the show won’t continue to be character-driven, because it looks like it will; it’s more that we’re only given little peeks at this point, because the story has to be in front for this re-introduction.
As with most well-written shows, there are a few things that don’t reveal themselves until you re-watch the episode. They aren’t that important in the bigger scheme of things, they just make the show, and one’s experience of the show, that much better, and I recommend it if you have the time.
David Strathairn does a terrific job in this episode, as we know he can do when given the opportunity, and Ryan Cartwright handles the challenges of Gary deftly. Direction, editing are unnoticeable and therefore just fine, thanks; lighting is a little overdone in the office. The sound is great, especially with some of the special effects (they must have been able to finish those before sending out the rough cuts), and the music playing during the first action sequence is really terrific.
I’m looking forward to seeing how Alphas settles in to this new season, with its altered charge. For now, a solid kickoff for this new season of a potentially strong and entertaining series for Syfy‘s Powerful Mondays.
I give Alphas:, Season 2, Episode 1 Four Out of Five Stars.
