Alphas: Heroes...but on SyFy [Archive] - Quarter To Three Forums

Hugin

07-11-2011, 11:31 PM

Okay. So let's kick this mother off. It debuts tonight with the usual overlong backdoor pilot after Eureka and Warehouse 13. I've got mixed buzz, but, as usual, I'm cautiously optimistic. Apparently they've avoided the Heroes mistake of introducing people with powers they cannot possibly deal with in the pilot.

This is just a regular old pilot, not a backdoor pilot.

It was darker than the advertising suggested, which was interesting. Strathairn is quality as usual. Glad they didn't waste time with a bunch of origin stories. Hope they can avoid doing goofy pseudotechnical names for the powers in the future.

BleedTheFreak

07-12-2011, 08:25 AM

I really liked this, and I hope it continues to just get better and better. Lots of fun.

Hylo

07-12-2011, 09:41 AM

I found this surprisingly good. They are really grounding the show in reality: people can be awkward, they argue about trivial stuff, they have to worry about their car getting towed... It's a good contrast with the "super" powers, which aren't shown to be flashy. Spiderman has done that before, but this seems done well.

I have a few nitpicks with the plot progression (MINOR SPOILER: why send in baby-hulk instead of Jedi mind trick girl as a first line approach?), but hopefully those issues won't crop up too often.

Hugin

07-12-2011, 09:53 AM

(MINOR SPOILER: why send in baby-hulk instead of Jedi mind trick girl as a first line approach?), but hopefully those issues won't crop up too often.

I assume because he's the only one with real law enforcement training, the only one who can carry a gun (legally at least), etc.

stusser

07-12-2011, 10:25 AM

corsair

07-12-2011, 10:36 AM

I find Eureka to be puerile unwatchable pap for the masses trash and both Warehouse 13 and Haven only slightly better. I liked Misfits. Does anyone agree with me, and if so, have you watched this new show, and did you like it?

Nope. I find Eureka far more enjoyable than Warehouse 13, and haven't even given Haven a try. I reasonably enjoyed Alphas, it seemed a bit more aimed at mainstream audiences rather than Sci-Fi specific (Eureka and Warehouse 13) - which means you might view it as "pap for the masses" (or as I put it earlier, less self-conscious than those two other series).

Hugin

07-12-2011, 10:38 AM

I find Eureka to be puerile unwatchable pap for the masses trash and both Warehouse 13 and Haven only slightly better. I liked Misfits. Does anyone agree with me, and if so, have you watched this new show, and did you like it?

Misfits? Really? That lowest common denominator swill for illiterate sheep? I'm sorry, I'm too busy reading Solaris in the original Polish to answer your question. *resets monocle*

Hylo

07-12-2011, 11:16 AM

I find Eureka to be puerile unwatchable pap for the masses trash and both Warehouse 13 and Haven only slightly better. I liked Misfits. Does anyone agree with me, and if so, have you watched this new show, and did you like it?

I haven't seen Warehouse 13, Haven or Misfits, but I really tried to get into Eureka based on a recommendation from a friend, and just couldn't do it. So far (only one episode, remember), I find Alphas to be MUCH better.

Greatatlantic

07-12-2011, 11:23 AM

I find Eureka to be puerile unwatchable pap for the masses trash and both Warehouse 13 and Haven only slightly better. I liked Misfits. Does anyone agree with me, and if so, have you watched this new show, and did you like it?

No. Eureka is great, albeit predictable. That is one reason why I like it. Does not take is self seriously. Warehouse 13 is fun. Both have the "OOOO, Sci-Fi!" quality I enjoy in my escapes from the tedium of life.

Haven I got bored of pretty quickly. I'm starting to think I don't like female protagonists after I gave up on Covert Affairs pretty quickly.

Anyways, the Alphas pilot was pretty good, ONLY MINIMAL SPOILERS FOLLOW. There are people with special abilities rooted in their biology. So, no conjuring flame or breaking the laws of gravity. More than that, they all clearly have problems. One guy who can see (and watch) wifi and cell streams is a high functioning autistic. The female Sentinel loses her other senses when she supercharges one in addition to being milquetoast. People like this are apparently known to exist by certain circles and are a called Alphas. Some Alphas formed an "evil" group called Red Flag. Red Flag was dismantled with the help of a group of four other Alphas working for the government in a covert capacity.

This unnamed group is called to investigate another probable Alpha's murder, who was shot inside an interrogation room with only a shut metal door, heavy brick walls, and no windows. No gun was fired inside the room. This eventually leads them to believe Red Flag is back, in particular one of their deadliest agents working behind the scenes called only Ghost.

There is some examination of the evidence, some profiling, a chase scene, a villain revels in his villainous, a chase scene, a fight scene, a triumph with to much time left in the show, a plot twist, and a showdown where the good guys win.

One thing the show does have in common with Heroes is how the best acting job comes from the character without a superhuman power, in this case the unnamed group of Alphas leader, a neurologist/psychologist. He delivers some great funny lines without the slightest bit of over acting. The show also borrows form the office using the hand held camera aesthetic combined with personal conflicts between the admittedly flawed characters.

I have no idea if the show will stay good or interesting or entertaining, its a lot easier to do a good pilot then it is to do a good season. But the pilot was entertaining.

corsair

07-12-2011, 12:55 PM

One thing the show does have in common with Heroes is how the best acting job comes from the character without a superhuman power, in this case the unnamed group of Alphas leader, a neurologist/psychologist. He delivers some great funny lines without the slightest bit of over acting.

David Strathairn. One of those character actors who gets steady work - he's the primary reason why I watched the pilot. The experienced actors are usually the best. I notice in the adds he seems to be shaven but in the pilot he has a beard.

stusser

07-12-2011, 12:56 PM

I didn't mean to turn the thread into a discussion over the "qualities" of Eureka and other execrable Syfy shows, I was just looking for someone with similar tastes.

cheapfilms

07-12-2011, 01:48 PM

I watched it for Strathairn, too. Most of the actors on these syfy shows are pretty, but can't act worth a damn, which means not just being believable but being interesting. I watched Stargate Universe for Robert Carlyle. The one lead female agent in Warehouse 13 makes terrible faces.

The highlight of the evening, though, was seeing that Bob Hoskins is playing Smee again the whatever syfy movie of the week Peter Pan prequel they're doing.

Hugin

07-12-2011, 03:44 PM

I didn't mean to turn the thread into a discussion over the "qualities" of Eureka and other execrable Syfy shows, I was just looking for someone with similar tastes.

See, the problem is, I like Warehouse 13, and to a lesser extent Eureka. I have no interest in Haven and love Misfits. Your original question forces people into little preconceived boxes and insults them all at the same time. There's a difference between figuring out who has similar tastes and preemptively shitting on everyone who doesn't share yours.

bloo

07-12-2011, 04:09 PM

I find Eureka to be puerile unwatchable pap for the masses trash and both Warehouse 13 and Haven only slightly better. I liked Misfits. Does anyone agree with me, and if so, have you watched this new show, and did you like it?

Yes on the first question. On the second, enough to keep watching. Cautiously optimistic, though I think they've tipped their hat about the main story arc a bit this season (but only a little).

Wing of ilium

07-12-2011, 04:12 PM

Houngan

07-12-2011, 07:13 PM

I'm impressed, this was quite good. Slightly below Heroes at it's best during the first season (it gets the nod for being more grounded in the first few episodes* and having a better broody atmosphere) but a damned sight better than Heroes post-season-one. My only real complaint is that the G-Man is overplaying a bit. If they can keep the flavor and quality then it will be a fantastic show.

H.

*Remember, when Heroes began it was very much a murder mystery show rather than an effects-fest.

Brian Rubin

07-12-2011, 11:07 PM

So I just watched the pilot this evening and...I liked it. A lot! David Strathairn was, of course, awesome, and it's always good to see Callum Keith Rennie. :) I also thought the characters had a great chemistry too. If they can keep it well grounded and well maintained, we might finally have a good superhero show here in the US. (Yes, I know of Misfits in the UK, but I've not seen it yet)

Sean Tudor

07-13-2011, 04:49 AM

Get's a thumbs up from me too. Strong dialogue and believable characters are a plus. Quite a complex story for a pilot which is unusual when you are introducing a new series. I am definitely keeping my eye on this one.

Brian Seiler

07-13-2011, 05:26 AM

This is just a regular old pilot, not a backdoor pilot.

Well, that's what they ended up with. That's not what they originally started producing, though. Way back in the beginning, the show was first run through the seemingly normal backdoor pilot process at SyFy, but a series order was put in pretty early in the proceedings, so they just ended up with a USA-style twenty-minutes-too-long debut episode.

As an aside, Verizon can eat my ass. Limited commercial interruption. Right.

For the show....it wasn't terrible. I was braced for it to be monstrously godawful, but it was just...okay, which is a significant improvement over my expectations. They did commit the First Cardinal Sin of All Paranormal Writing in trying to explain the powers with science, so hopefully they won't lean too hard on that, but otherwise I wasn't terribly repulsed. I'm going to have to stop calling Bill Luke Cage (I mean, he's not even knife proof) and Mistress Aneurysm Kate (there was a commercial where she really, really, really looked like Kate Austen), but if they can just keep things at the quality level they established in the pilot, I'll be satisfied.

Seneca

07-13-2011, 06:44 AM

According to the tvbythenumbers web site, Alphas is off to go a good start in the ratings with 2.5 million viewers. Syfy's most watched debut in two years. The Monday night opening for Warehouse 13 had 2.3 million viewers and Eureka had 2.0 million.

Telefrog

07-13-2011, 08:56 AM

I got to the part in which a large office building interrogation room had a vent that connected in a straight line to the outside wall and I was done.

jason

07-13-2011, 12:12 PM

I bet you watched Die Hard and spent the whole movie upset at the depiction of the size and smoothness of its air ducts. "That would totally have jagged edges in there and places with metal screws driven through it! And no way a guy fits in an air duct! Bullshit!"

I liked it, especially since it seems care was given not to make people into unstoppable super beings, they've all got pretty clear limitations. Although after watching the kid who can see wavelengths on Bones for so long, it's odd to see him without his accent and not spewing random facts.

Telefrog

07-13-2011, 12:15 PM

I bet you watched Die Hard and spent the whole movie upset at the depiction of the size and smoothness of its air ducts. "That would totally have jagged edges in there and places with metal screws driven through it! And no way a guy fits in an air duct! Bullshit!"

No, I'm fine with a bit of creative license. Air ducts that are sturdy enough to carry a person are an accepted trope of TV and movies, so I don't bother with it.

A vent that literally runs in a straight line from an interrogation room to the outside wall of a large metro building? No fan? No filter? Just a straight open shaft? I'm not some expert in climate control or ventilation, but come the fuck on. That was just a bit too convenient.

BleedTheFreak

07-13-2011, 12:30 PM

No, I'm fine with a bit of creative license. Air ducts that are sturdy enough to carry a person are an accepted trope of TV and movies, so I don't bother with it.

A vent that literally runs in a straight line from an interrogation room to the outside wall of a large metro building? No fan? No filter? Just a straight open shaft? I'm not some expert in climate control or ventilation, but come the fuck on. That was just a bit too convenient.

It would have been better (and easy?) for them to have the bullet enter a WINDOW and from there go into an open duct near that rooms floor and from THERE go in a continued straight line through to the interrogation room, for sure. But I don't think that would have stopped me from enjoying a TV show, unless I was just looking for an excuse to move onto something else. TV is rife with little over sights that I guess I tend to ignore or generally, not even notice. Maybe ignorance really IS bliss?

corsair

07-13-2011, 12:41 PM

gurugeorge

07-13-2011, 02:22 PM

I love some of the non-standard tropes of the characters. Some of them are actually not particularly likeable, and others are likeable in ways you wouldn't expect.

There's a hard-bitten cop with super-strength, but he's a bit of a tosser, there's a mind-controlling siren, but she's actually quite compassionate and not the cliched bitch you'd expect.

Even the team leader, who is an old sandal-munching refugee from Esalen, is actually surprisingly hard boiled when it comes to both controlling/helping his team and fighting their corner against the powers that be.

The kid who can "see" phone, tv, computer transmissions, etc., isn't just your typical loveable geek, he's actually really irritating and a bit crazy.

The powers are well done and interesting, and not just lazy ripoffs of the comics (as some of the Heroes' abilities were).

The overall feel is a bit like the "ordinary folks with extraordinay abilities" of Heroes mixed with the flash and pizzazz of CSI, mixed with the above non-standard team dynamics. There's also a vague echo of The Champions (the old Brit series) somehow - can't quite put my finger on why, but it's there.

I'm definitely going to follow this. Thanks for the heads-up QT3!

MatthewF

07-13-2011, 07:14 PM

Thumbs up from me. Thought it was great coming off the execrable seasons 2-4 of Heroes. Definitely not your typical superhero-type show, loved the mixture of crime-solving and interaction between the characters. Will definitely keep watching.

Also, I don't get the annoyance from the poster above about the oddly-named powers. Bill has "enhanced strength". Wow, that's technobabble. The girl with sensory enhancement has synesthesia -- in reality, sensory enhancement. Etc. The only one that was stupid was Hicks, with his Hyperkinesis. Hyperkenesis, in reality, is a restlessness disorder. Not super parkour powers or whatever.

Greatatlantic

07-13-2011, 07:27 PM

No, I'm fine with a bit of creative license. Air ducts that are sturdy enough to carry a person are an accepted trope of TV and movies, so I don't bother with it.

A vent that literally runs in a straight line from an interrogation room to the outside wall of a large metro building? No fan? No filter? Just a straight open shaft? I'm not some expert in climate control or ventilation, but come the fuck on. That was just a bit too convenient.

A simple explanation is the building is older than Air Conditioning and the vent was simply a way to help get some air in an old stuffy government building. If we assume the building had been renovated at any point in time, there could be any number of explanations for the vent. Old buildings are funny like that. I cannot imagine why somebody would pick that lack of explanation to stop watching.

I mean, the fact the shot was explained by a women who can see things at a microscopic level should have been a much bigger reason to stop watching.

Houngan

07-13-2011, 07:37 PM

A simple explanation is the building is older than Air Conditioning and the vent was simply a way to help get some air in an old stuffy government building. If we assume the building had been renovated at any point in time, there could be any number of explanations for the vent. Old buildings are funny like that. I cannot imagine why somebody would pick that lack of explanation to stop watching.

I mean, the fact the shot was explained by a women who can see things at a microscopic level should have been a much bigger reason to stop watching.

DingDingDing. You have to set your nitpick meter pretty low if you're going to watch a show like this at all. What level of visual acuity allows you to see colorless gasses? WHO CARES? Why would you visualize EM radiation as computer screens when we don't visualize smells or sounds that way? Doesn't matter. Just roll with the base idea and hope that nobody gets a power-stealing power.

H.

bloo

07-14-2011, 05:15 PM

What level of visual acuity allows you to see colorless gasses? Why would you visualize EM radiation as computer screens when we don't visualize smells or sounds that way?

In reference to the young girl, that bit isn't so bad in the context of what they called her ability: "Synesthesia". That's exactly one of the things you might expect a super synesthete to do: perceive smells visually, hear colors, see sounds, etc.

I heard that some neurologists have concluded everyone has a little of this and that most artists do it a lot more - and that it may be related to the whole idea of how our brains handle metaphors and similies.

What was incorrect was calling her that in the first place when they initially only described her as having super senses. Microscopic vision is not synesthesia.

As for Gary: it's magic. EM radiation moves in tight directional waves and Nokia's network apparently does not use EM at all. And his fingers are signal/EM radiation manipulators/magic wands of focus.

Blips

07-14-2011, 11:03 PM

As for Gary: it's magic. EM radiation moves in tight directional waves and Nokia's network apparently does not use EM at all. And his fingers are signal/EM radiation manipulators/magic wands of focus.

He said Nokia was a different protocol, not that it wasn't EM. I took that as meaning he hadn't learned how to interpret Nokia signals. And if you want to get real picky, it was said that he could see EM, not somehow, interpret it and watch and listen to what was being transmitted.

But yeah, radio waves don't flow around like rivers... and I almost turned off the show in disgust when the woman started checking out red blood cells with her super eyes. I could be wrong, but I don't think red blood cells can even be viewed in such detail by relying on light - ie: her eyes had turned into electron microscopes which isn't her damn power.

gurugeorge

07-15-2011, 04:06 AM

You guys :)

Brian Seiler

07-15-2011, 07:03 AM

So are we doing this now? Because this is fun.

Like, for instance, you know what the hardest way to move a car is? The way he tried to do it. As anybody who's ever had to maneuver a shopping cart through a narrow aisle full of inconsiderate octogenarians could tell you, you pick the goddamn thing up off of at least two of its wheels and walk it around.

Or like, you know what happens when you have a "micro-stroke" in your brain? A lot of the time you fucking die is what happens. Or you develop an irritating speech impediment. Or you lose the ability to move the left half of your body and spend the rest of your life as a comedy/tragedy model.

Or how the big black guy and the scrawny new guy seem to sort of kind of maybe have you know maybe just a little exactly the same power? Except that for some reason one of them turns into Ezio and one turns into a low-rent version of Juggernaut for no apparent reason?

Or how the lady that isn't Kate Austen lacks any kind of plausible transmission medium through which she could force a person to have a completely innocuous aneurysm that just makes them kind of really compliant, but only to her and only for a few minutes and it totally doesn't kill them?

Or how there's no such thing as adrenaline fueled superhuman strength, so there's no way that the guy named Bill (whom I mostly can remember on account of Bill Cobbs was on The Others like ten years ago and I'm confused) could ever have any strength greater than the human maximum for his body anyway, unless he's made of stuff that isn't human?

However, you totally can see blood cells in a microscope, red, white, or otherwise. Whether you can see them to the degree of detail she reflected, I would need to go back and watch that segment again to say.

BleedTheFreak

07-15-2011, 07:50 AM

Also, super strength doesn't equate to stronger bones - pushing that much weight could well break his arms. Come on guys, it's just supposed to be a fun show. No one picks aparts comics or cartoons, do things have to be animated before you'll just suspend your disbelief? I mean, no one complains that the Flash can move at hyper speeds yet some how he never hits a big fat beetle in flight which drives right through his eyeball and into his brain? Let alone what would REALLY happen if he tried to change direction at those velocities? :)

Charlatan

07-15-2011, 07:51 AM

I thought it was fairly good, and am not having any logicgasms over weak parts like the vent or the actual implementation of the powers. The characters seem reasonably likable, and there's enough humor to break up the superpower exhibitions.

I do like how the powers have downsides.

On a slightly tangential note, I watched Eureka for a while but lost interest. Warehouse 13 I watched less. A show has to have decent writing or interesting characters or plots to sustain me, and when a show is mediocre all around, I find I'd rather just surf the web or play a game than watch (or even have it on in the background while I'm doing other stuff).

Brian Seiler

07-15-2011, 08:10 AM

I mean, no one complains that the Flash can move at hyper speeds yet some how he never hits a big fat beetle in flight which drives right through his eyeball and into his brain? Let alone what would REALLY happen if he tried to change direction at those velocities? :)

I shit you not, this is dealt with. Apparently the Speed Force, which is what the lightning bolt that struck the chemicals or hard water or whatever the crap it was that did Barry Allen, creates a protective shield around him that, like, nullifies momentum or something that would keep him from, for instance, catching on fire in the air or whatever. I kind of respect the silver age for being that spergy about it. I do not, however, respect this show for trying to do the whole science thing. They need to drop that. Because really that's the only major problem I had. Well, that and the fact that that was just the wrong way to move a car. Seriously. Does his superpower also make him too dumb to understand how traction in a vehicle works?

Hugin

07-15-2011, 08:35 AM

Or how the big black guy and the scrawny new guy seem to sort of kind of maybe have you know maybe just a little exactly the same power? Except that for some reason one of them turns into Ezio and one turns into a low-rent version of Juggernaut for no apparent reason?

Not really. One of them has perfect hand eye co-ordination/proprioception. The other one can trigger a massive adrenaline surge at will. Even by comic book science standards those aren't the same thing.

Brian Seiler

07-15-2011, 08:39 AM

BleedTheFreak

07-15-2011, 09:08 AM

What I heard, and I could have heard entirely wrong, was that both of them could only do what they could for a limited amount of time and it was associated with things what make you get adrenaline surges. Like sports that are extreme but don't use the letter e to express that fact. It's possible that I totally misunderstood that, though. I believe that that was the point at which I was kind of tripping balls on low blood sugar, so there's about ten minutes of the show in my brains that might be a little shaky.

I think Bullseye's ability was more that he had to believe he could do it, or something like that, and not be thinking about it too much - which actually is what I feel like when I'm throwing darts. I always throw better half-drunk and not trying. :)

Also, yeah, the way Black Hulk pushed that car was the worst, but I assumed it was to show the he COULD do it that way, meaning he's just THAT strong when enraged and sweaty. Actually, I thought that character was a lot of fun, so I'm not really trashing him too much.

jason

07-15-2011, 11:15 AM

Accuracy guy isn't adrenaline based. From the description it is more confidence based than anything. When he does well, he does better, but he isn't perfect and when a mistake happens he "crashes" and loses his abilities. If that assessment is correct, his treatment with the doctor is going to be therapy, getting him to be able to better cope with failures and return to his high performance sooner.

Brian Seiler

07-15-2011, 11:19 AM

Dude. A superhero whose weakness is hecklers? How did they not cast Michael Richards for that part?

gurugeorge

07-15-2011, 11:32 AM

There's a certain self-imposed limitation in that the general idea (with Mr Esalen) seems to be related to human potential. The scriptwriters maybe believe that old canard about 90% of our brain being unused or something.

Anyway, it's within those parameters, yet to really stick within those parameters would be boring - they also want to have CSI-like flashy zooming-in-on-things-iness.

That seems to be the two self-imposed limitations they're working between.

But it's still a fun show.

The discussion above reminded me of an excellent issue of Warren Ellis' Global Frequency, where some of the GF folks encounter a genuine (and absolutely terrifying) military cyborg, and Ellis goes into deliciously grisly details about how human physiology would have to be altered for comics-level super-strength to be viable - even for one cyborg arm.

Of course, the very first thing is that the skeleton would have to be ripped out and something much stronger put in its place ...

MonkeyPunky

07-15-2011, 11:34 AM

Or how there's no such thing as adrenaline fueled superhuman strength, so there's no way that the guy named Bill (whom I mostly can remember on account of Bill Cobbs was on The Others like ten years ago and I'm confused) could ever have any strength greater than the human maximum for his body anyway, unless he's made of stuff that isn't human?

What about anger fueled strength? Mr. Furious got so mad once he moved a bus by himself.

Quaro

07-15-2011, 12:11 PM

Strong guy and dexterity guy are opposites, in a way. Strong guy gets his strength from adrenaline, dexterity guy loses his ability when it's surging, so he has to learn to remain calm. His history was that he'd do great but always blow it in clutch situations.

MatthewF

07-15-2011, 03:13 PM

I shit you not, this is dealt with. Apparently the Speed Force, which is what the lightning bolt that struck the chemicals or hard water or whatever the crap it was that did Barry Allen, creates a protective shield around him that, like, nullifies momentum or something that would keep him from, for instance, catching on fire in the air or whatever. I kind of respect the silver age for being that spergy about it.

Interestingly enough, No Ordinary Family dealt with super speed in the same way. The wife essentially created a massive plasma field around her that prevents the exact same thing from happening. She even leaves a plasma trail behind when at max speed. They definitely modeled that power off of the Flash.

Dean

07-15-2011, 03:21 PM

I shit you not, this is dealt with. Apparently the Speed Force, which is what the lightning bolt that struck the chemicals or hard water or whatever the crap it was that did Barry Allen, creates a protective shield around him that, like, nullifies momentum or something that would keep him from, for instance, catching on fire in the air or whatever. I kind of respect the silver age for being that spergy about it. I do not, however, respect this show for trying to do the whole science thing. They need to drop that. Because really that's the only major problem I had. Well, that and the fact that that was just the wrong way to move a car. Seriously. Does his superpower also make him too dumb to understand how traction in a vehicle works?

Isn't there also something about him wearing a frictionless suit?

I always wondered how that stayed on him.

bloo

07-15-2011, 05:09 PM

Come on guys, it's just supposed to be a fun show. No one picks aparts comics or cartoons, do things have to be animated before you'll just suspend your disbelief?

You are clearly not hanging out with high caliber nerds.

Nerd card suspended! You are sentenced to hangout at a FLCS near you for a couple of hours (after you find out what FLCS means) and engage patrons there with questions such as: "How does Superman fly? I thought it could only jump well well. Is he hiding a Legion flight ring somewhere?"

Houngan

07-15-2011, 05:31 PM

I shit you not, this is dealt with. Apparently the Speed Force, which is what the lightning bolt that struck the chemicals or hard water or whatever the crap it was that did Barry Allen, creates a protective shield around him that, like, nullifies momentum or something that would keep him from, for instance, catching on fire in the air or whatever. I kind of respect the silver age for being that spergy about it. I do not, however, respect this show for trying to do the whole science thing. They need to drop that. Because really that's the only major problem I had. Well, that and the fact that that was just the wrong way to move a car. Seriously. Does his superpower also make him too dumb to understand how traction in a vehicle works?

And prior to the speed force Wally had an "aura" that protected him that could do a few different things. It reduced friction (he fell faster because of it) it could protect others and in one notable bit it turned into spikes on his body for a while.

H.

BleedTheFreak

07-16-2011, 10:44 PM

You are clearly not hanging out with high caliber nerds.

Nerd card suspended! You are sentenced to hangout at a FLCS near you for a couple of hours (after you find out what FLCS means) and engage patrons there with questions such as: "How does Superman fly? I thought it could only jump well well. Is he hiding a Legion flight ring somewhere?"

LOL well, if it means NOT picking apart the things in life I enjoy, I think I'll stick with my current class of nerds and hand over my nerd card peacefully. :)

Blips

07-18-2011, 11:46 PM

Seems like the show is going to become x-men on TV with episode 2's hints of us vs them and everything. One thing that kind of annoyed me is how they seem to already have multiple "alphas" with similar abilities. The way the guy flipped the coin into that peg at the beginning of the episode was the kind of thing that should be limited to hand-eye-guy. Just because you can plot a sequence of events and consequences shouldn't mean you should have highly refined motor skills.

BleedTheFreak

07-19-2011, 06:46 AM

Hugin

07-19-2011, 07:52 AM

Well, since they aren't going to have people that can fly, teleport, or shoot lasers from their eyes (i.e. grounded in plausible science - or whatever) they are kind of limited in how many unique powers could be floating out there, I suppose. Not that this is a good way of approaching it, but that's maybe what they were thinking?

Yeah, I assume that a lot of the Alphas will have powers in the same broad categories. Enhanced senses, enhanced...mental processing something or other, enhanced athletic capabilities.

gurugeorge

07-19-2011, 04:14 PM

It would also fit with the hippy "human potential" theme of how the powers come to be - some are tied together, some increase together, etc. Actually more "realistic" than having Just One Unique Power.

In the future, we will all be enhanced in one way or another (by realistic means like genetics, drugs, nanotech, cybernetics), and that enhancement will obviously be a general base enhancement for mind and body (most people will be stronger, smarter and more beautiful/ugly than they are now), but people will specialize in various things.

Greatatlantic

07-20-2011, 11:10 AM

Thoughts on Episode 2, minimal spoilers follow.

-Dr. Rosen was better with the beard.
-The dramatic focus was on the "villain," not on the cast itself. Probably a mistake.
-No mention of Red Flag.
-Hey, its Murphy!
-Best line: Real estate agent, "What do you do exactly?" Rosen, "Market Research." Kid, "We are not in market research, cover story."
-overall a weaker episode then the pilot, but still interesting.

gurugeorge

07-20-2011, 01:11 PM

Jazar

07-26-2011, 07:56 AM

I liked the final scene of the second episode a lot. Dramatic with a cool setup to the rest of the series.

Hugin

07-26-2011, 08:10 AM

Still enjoying it, especially the fact that some of the characters are annoying, almost grating.

Coin guy is a strong character, and I like his power, although as with the kid in No Ordinary Family, it's vaguely annoying that he's assumed to have a degree of hand-eye co-ordination sufficient to exploit his knowledge of trajectories, etc., so fully; otoh I do like that uber-co-ordination guy's power is similar enough that he can reverse-engineer some of coin-guy's causality.

Actually, on rewatch, the way they described his power seemed to be that he could manipulate probability to create these chains of events. So..it wasn't that he had the hand eye co-ordination to do what he did exactly. It's that he could count on a lucky, 1000-1 shot. I feel they visualized his sense of his power working poorly.

Quaro

07-26-2011, 11:19 AM

I really liked how they described probability guy and dexterity guy as having different variants of the same power. It makes sense that dexterity guy would need to have a sense of the future in order to do his ridiculous stunts -- just having hand eye coordination to do throw something with precision doesn't help you predict what will happen seven bounces in the future. Even though the probability thing is pretty hokey, by hanging a lampshade on it, it grounds it a bit.

Overall, I'm liking how low key and non epic this show is. It's not trying to be Heroes and it's better for it.

drake113

07-26-2011, 12:06 PM

That being said, Dr. Rosen is a terrible team leader.

"Ok, we're up against someone who can make people go nuts by releasing pheremones at will. Strong guy, dex guy, you're up. Mind control chick, even though you could probably stop them with a couple words, I'd like you to babysit Rainman instead."

gurugeorge

07-26-2011, 03:35 PM

Yup, still liking it. Particularly enjoyed the representation of pheromonal effects when the team gets hit, very frightening and well done. Also one of the later events, when they speed it up Koyaanisqatsi-style, and fade to ants. Also liked the shocker with the lead government guy (who one might have thought would be a fixture for the series).

I've realised why I like this so much. It's the Doom Patrol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_Patrol) of tv superhero series! All the characters are a bit damaged, a bit quirky, or not terribly likeable.

Also, what I'm finding really refreshing is the lack of agonizing over whether to use their bloody powers or not. Heroes suffered from that, and No Ordinary Family suffered from it a lot. It's ok to have a bit now and then (the bit in this episode where the Pusher had qualms because of the pheremone event was good, and fitting), but really we want superheroes to use their damn powers.

These guys just get on with it, which is a refreshing change. Sometimes they bumble around for a bit, but they get stuff done in the end.

As to the leader, actually I'm warming to the old hippy. I think there's probably something dark about him to be revealed later (perhaps he has an Alpha ability himself?), but at the moment, I like the way the team's a sort of rickety construction that he's barely holding together - that he's having to fight to persuade the government to use his team instead of cracking down on Alphas, etc.

Morberis

07-26-2011, 08:56 PM

Anyone else betting that the humming is real, but electromagnetic? My bet is they're being spied on.

Hugin

07-26-2011, 08:59 PM

Anyone else betting that the humming is real, but electromagnetic? My bet is they're being spied on.

...I think the humming was the satellite dish. Which went away when the dude whacked it with a baseball.

MatthewF

07-27-2011, 01:19 AM

Hugin

07-27-2011, 05:02 AM

The humming was real. The microwave tower that Hicks knocked out looked pretty high-tech. Pause and compare it to the rest of the equipment on the roof -- one of these things is not like the others. Also, Hicks didn't hit the dish. Look closely.

I was speaking loosely. The show said it was a microwave tower owned by a phone company. My core point is that I don't think it's a meaningful plot and I don't think it will come up again.

Morberis

07-27-2011, 05:06 AM

Heh I posted that while watching the episode, having seen the end I agree.

MikeJ

07-27-2011, 10:53 AM

I was thinking in the first couple of episodes that Alphas NYC looked a lot like Toronto. I'm glad to have confirmation in this episode. TTC subway cars plastered with US flags FTW!

Quaro

08-02-2011, 12:39 AM

Still liking it. Gary rules. His power is kinda silly but the actor and the effects sell it. Rosetta girl makes a great villain. Red Flag is a good antagonist in general, I can buy they think of themselves as the heroes in this world.

Jazar

08-02-2011, 05:09 AM

Juan Rayo

08-02-2011, 08:22 AM

I really like this show, from the first ep.

I got the feeling from the team interactions that they know, and are comfortable, with each other from the first episode on. The interaction between Ex xavier and the government liason were great, and I was sad to see that dude go (and the brutal way he did so).

Dialogue didn´t feel forced or wooden between the hulk, the enchantress, whiz kid and kitty pride.

The professor is a good team leader, I think, he gets them to tolerate each other and cooperate. Plus he just seems like a genuine good, likeable guy. Should have left the beard on.

The wolverine of the team (loner, tough, strong and silent type) has interesting powers and drawbacks. Hell all of them do. Gary does great, and it can´t be easy for the actor to keep the visualization of his power easy: he just makes a lot a hand gestures. He sells it though.

The world could be interesting, even if defaulting into "fear and hated by those they try to protect" which is a bit tired, but really only to those of us who got over exposed to it via x-men comics. Red Flag would have my sympaties if they weren´t obviously willing to get tons of innocents killed, in terms of what they are against, they have a point.

I am liking way more than I should probably.

Juan Rayo

08-02-2011, 08:25 AM

I'm an episode behind. I've been enjoying it. Very dark compared to every other Syfy show. What pissed me off was when black hulk corners pheromone kid who is in the back of a crowded bus only to shout, "HEY! I'VE GOT YOU CORNERED! DON'T MAKE THE ENTIRE BUS GO INTO A MURDEROUS RAMPAGE OR ANYTHING!"

Oh and I like the psychologist leader. His character kind of reminds me of the dad from family ties.

OH I was going to mention this: the team normally acts smart, if not all at "pro" leves in the use of their powers. But that part in the bus was all kinds of stupid yeah.

Greatatlantic

08-02-2011, 08:40 AM

Quaro, SPOILERS!

Still liking it. Gary rules. His power is kinda silly but the actor and the effects sell it. Rosetta girl makes a great villain. Red Flag is a good antagonist in general, I can buy they think of themselves as the heroes in this world.

Anyways, I also liked episode 4, since it was the first mention of Red Flag since the pilot. I would not go so far as to say Red Flag is an organization with good intentions and bad methods. Their messaging has more in common with cults. While the DoD guys seem willing to take tough messages against Alphas, everyone we've seen sent to Bingington are on record as having hurt or killed fellow humans.

On the flip side, this episode was noticeably darker than previous episodes and I think had less banter than earlier episodes. Hope they don't go full drama on me.

Juan Rayo

08-02-2011, 08:49 AM

Quaro, SPOILERS!
I would not go so far as to say Red Flag is an organization with good intentions and bad methods. Their messaging has more in common with cults. While the DoD guys seem willing to take tough messages against Alphas, everyone we've seen sent to Bingington are on record as having hurt or killed fellow humans.

e.

huh, not sure what was it but I got the idea that Red Flag are a direct response /result to what goes on at Bingington? if so, they might have a point: while I agree that everyone sent there appears to be a threat, it seemed to me most of them were of the "just can´t control it" variety, rather than the "muahaha evil" variety.

Even the second variety of Alpha doesn´t grant that Bingington (the name of the place cracks me up) sounds like a torture/experimenting site, and if so they are even worse that Red Flag.

I keep going back to that feromone ep, I loved the scene in their own headquarters, very dark, very brutal. Very 28 weeks later, right down to the music.

Edit: thinking about that scene a bit more, if you listen to John Murphie´s excellent In the house in a heart bit (theme for 28 weeks later), the music in that scene is very, very similar.

Lake

08-02-2011, 12:04 PM

It is Binghamton.

Greatatlantic

08-02-2011, 01:26 PM

huh, not sure what was it but I got the idea that Red Flag are a direct response /result to what goes on at Bingington? if so, they might have a point: while I agree that everyone sent there appears to be a threat, it seemed to me most of them were of the "just can´t control it" variety, rather than the "muahaha evil" variety.

The timeline is not established, but the DoD and Rosen's team seem to be more concerned about good and bad guys. Rosen and Bill at least see the necessity of Binghamton (thanks Lake). Meanwhile, the only two people who we know were sent to Binghamton (Marcus Ayers and anger pheromone person) both knew that using their abilities could result in people being injured or killed. OK, Ayers was in perfect control, but he none the less sent several of his roommates to the hospital for throwing a party, and later killed at least two people with a flip of a coin. While hind sight is 20-20, Ayers reasonably might have continued to punish people around him for petty grudges.

I think we are sort of seeing a more nuanced conflict. I see Red Flag as a cult assembling power and using violence to achieve its means. However, their propaganda is exactly what Alphas want to hear. That they are different and persecuted, but really they deserve power and influence. I mean, the drug might have prevented Alphas from being born, but it also might have prevented legitimate birth defects. Meanwhile, the DoD and the government sees Alphas as potential resources to use or dangerous individuals that need to be isolated. Rosen attempts to bridge the gap by focusing on the common humanity shared by all while helping Alphas to realize their potential as individuals.

Even the second variety of Alpha doesn´t grant that Bingington (the name of the place cracks me up) sounds like a torture/experimenting site, and if so they are even worse that Red Flag.

It strikes me as a cross between a prison and a psychiatric hospital. Neither are terribly pleasant places, but both are probably necessary for a better functioning society. Though we don't know much about it.

gurugeorge

08-02-2011, 02:25 PM

I think we are sort of seeing a more nuanced conflict. I see Red Flag as a cult assembling power and using violence to achieve its means. However, their propaganda is exactly what Alphas want to hear. That they are different and persecuted, but really they deserve power and influence. I mean, the drug might have prevented Alphas from being born, but it also might have prevented legitimate birth defects. Meanwhile, the DoD and the government sees Alphas as potential resources to use or dangerous individuals that need to be isolated. Rosen attempts to bridge the gap by focusing on the common humanity shared by all while helping Alphas to realize their potential as individuals.

Nice analysis. I agree. Good episode this week, the whole thing is developing intriguingly.

Although there were a few of the usual types of bloopers - i.e. Rosetta girl doing her rackety thing and Gary BLOODY TALKING OVER IT!!!

Speaking of Gary, it was good to see the annoying little git getting some development too. Good actor that lad.

Also nice to see Strong guy doing something really strong successfully - and pushing the car the right way.

I'm still feeling Heroes meets CSI meets The Doom Patrol :D

Plus, the more I think about it, the more I think the powers premise is sort of inspired by The Watchmen's Ozymandias. Alan Moore had that hippy sort of thing going, that Ozzy got his "powers" by releasing untapped human potential through control of the mind over the body - yoga, etc., etc. The powers in Alphas seem to have a similar premise. It's not so much "mutant genes giving bizarre abilities" as "some people are born with the ability to tap a vast, untapped human potential better than others". It kind of fits in with the old hippy Rosen (nice little detail when he mentioned in passing getting some obscure form of Hindu from a yogi in India).

MikeJ

08-02-2011, 05:50 PM

Although there were a few of the usual types of bloopers - i.e. Rosetta girl doing her rackety thing and Gary BLOODY TALKING OVER IT!!!

They would already need some sophisticated software to translate the sounds she made, so I don't think it's a stretch that it could do source separation of such distinct patterns. Or do you mean the timing in general was just impossible?

Juan Rayo

08-02-2011, 06:51 PM

It strikes me as a cross between a prison and a psychiatric hospital. Neither are terribly pleasant places, but both are probably necessary for a better functioning society. Though we don't know much about it.

Well we haven´t seen much of the place, but I get this... feeling that ugly, ugly stuff happens there. Ayers at least tried to communicate that to the proffesor. Did they ever explained why was he being moved? I missed that if they did.

To me, a more nuanced plot would go beyond the good / evil dichotomy and give us a Red Flag that´s not just early years Magneto, and not good hearts with wrong tactics either, surely there can be a middle ground?

Another thing I like about the show: while it´s obvious they don´t have the budget to really spend on special effects for the powers, they find ways to show them that while not perfect, works.

Equis

08-02-2011, 07:02 PM

Well we haven´t seen much of the place, but I get this... feeling that ugly, ugly stuff happens there. Ayers at least tried to communicate that to the proffesor. Did they ever explained why was he being moved? I missed that if they did.

They were going to lobotomize him.

For a lo-fi (LoFy) SyFy show, I'm really liking how some scenes are directed. Last week's brutal pheromone beatdown is one in particular, but this week had a really cool stylish pan through the stakeout played to The Doors, "People are strange." It's a great touch.

Juan Rayo

08-03-2011, 08:16 AM

They were going to lobotomize him.

For a lo-fi (LoFy) SyFy show, I'm really liking how some scenes are directed. Last week's brutal pheromone beatdown is one in particular, but this week had a really cool stylish pan through the stakeout played to The Doors, "People are strange." It's a great touch.

Ah, thanks, missed that bit about the lobotomy.

As for the direction, yeah I enjoy it too, that was an awesome way to start ep 4, from the music to the way the camera moved.

gurugeorge

08-03-2011, 05:13 PM

They would already need some sophisticated software to translate the sounds she made, so I don't think it's a stretch that it could do source separation of such distinct patterns. Or do you mean the timing in general was just impossible?

No this was before the hairbrush-to-text bit, when Gary was still discovering that her noise-making made sense and feeding it through his mobile.

MikeJ

08-04-2011, 07:28 AM

Ah I see. I don't have a problem with that since Gary would have an even-easier time separating his own voice out in the visual format. I think the idea is that his brain is doing some pretty complex signal analysis basically all the time, so I just take it in stride.

On a different note, it's interesting to speculate how the team's abilities might develop over time. Maybe Bill could get around the 5-minute limit by turning his ability on and off more rapidly.

Scrax

08-08-2011, 06:57 AM

I loved the "Denial of Service" attack on Gary, especially with all this LulzSec and Anonymous stuff going on.

Brian Seiler

08-08-2011, 07:26 AM

Juan Rayo

08-08-2011, 10:30 AM

I can't decide whether I like the choice for the villain or not. In one sense, it's pretty cool, because I have a hard time thinking that anybody would be able to punch Charles Xavier in the head, and she's considerably more inhibited than he is. In another sense, I kind of have a hard time taking a twitching person who speaks only by slapping her forelimbs against what looks like a crappy abacus (or maybe a score rack from a foosball table) seriously as a villain. I suspect that makes me a very bad person. I blame years of popular culture.

I love the choice of the villain for precisely the reasons you don't. I think it was a surprise, it goes against expectations, it challenges popular concepts about disabled people being worthless or nothing more than peons.

And man, she did show willingness to be mean, taking down Gary hard.

Hugin

08-08-2011, 10:48 AM

I spent the whole episode marveling at how much she looked like a young Ally Sheedy.

drake113

08-08-2011, 07:13 PM

Wait, Lindsay Wagner is playing the same character she plays in Warehouse 13? So that means that Alphas, Warehouse 13, and Eureka all exist in the same universe? WH13 and Eureka I can understand, because they both share the same whimsical tone, but Alphas seems like too stark a contrast against the other two.

Houngan

08-08-2011, 07:34 PM

I'm being anti-spoiler so sorry for asking a question that has likely been answered, but is this online anywhere? Hulu just has the first episode.

H.

Quaro

08-08-2011, 10:22 PM

Hugin

08-08-2011, 10:38 PM

I didn't catch that -- did they definitively establish that? The tones don't match at all.

Yeah, she played Dr. Vanessa Calder from the CDC. It's the same character. Actually this episode felt fairly Warehouse 13ish. More serious than W13, but people killing others out of twisted grief is a very common W13 kind of plot, and the episode took place in a very typical W13 kind of small town.

Greatatlantic

08-08-2011, 10:51 PM

A fun episode, minus the gruesome deaths. Minimal spoilers follow.

The "team" now has a name, other than "Dr. Rosen's group." They are the DCIS, the Defense Criminal Investigative Services. Everybody but Gary thinks the badges are obviously fake, while he loves it. The badges become a running gag, along with Gary's various personality quirks. "Respect the Badge!"

Yes, Lindsay Wagner is playing a very similar role to her Warehouse 13 role. Same name even! I simply chose to believe the two (or three) universes are still separate and the Doctor is a... Easter Egg? Inside Reference? I got a feeling execs wanted the cross promotion while people closer to the show thought the two worlds were two different to pull that off reasonably. So, she plays a CDC doctor and Warehouse 13 and its characters are never mentioned as a compromise.

Beyond that, the show continues to use an "Alpha of the Week" story telling format, with no mention of Red Flag this time. The Alpha ability this week is rooted firmly in biology, taken to a comic (as in the graphic story telling format) extreme. If last week was about developing Gary as a character, this week was about developing Rachel.

drake113

08-08-2011, 11:01 PM

I think it's a little too on the nose to be an Easter Egg at all; it's the exact same name (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0905993/), and in WH13, it's been established that her 'day job' is working for the CDC. I also don't think it's a coincidence that they're trying to link all the shows that happen to air on the same night into a cohesive universe; my bet is they're planning to do some kind of ill-advised three-show long crossover event at some point (I'm looking at you, sweeps week), which is a bad idea because Alphas has such a starkly different tone from the other two shows-- the last thing I want to see is Rosen's team dealing with the problem of the week on Eureka, for example. I was OK when they interchanged characters between WH13 and Eureka, even though it was a bit gimicky, but this seems downright greedy.

gurugeorge

08-09-2011, 04:26 PM

I loved the way the Troublesome Alpha Of The Week's power was essentially benign and lovey-dovey, but had absolutely gruesome consequences when it went wrong.

And yeah, nice bit of development for Rachel. Quite interesting how they're treating her traditional cultural background, and how it's affecting her. Nice symmetry that her ability is what pulled her back from the possibility of death at the end of the episode, when it had been causing her problems in her life at the beginning of the episode.

Some awesome Matrix-like dodging abilities from Hicks - also reminiscent, in its school setting, of the scene in Spider-Man where Peter Parker discovers his spider-sense and dodges/beats up the bully.

Gary, as usual, by turns really annoying and very funny.

Also nice to see Harken doing some cool super-speed.

I'm definitely settled in and thoroughly addicted now.

Brian Seiler

08-10-2011, 05:05 AM

I don't hate putting it in the same universe as the other shows. They're building themselves a nice little setting here, though they've still got to find a way to roll Haven into the mix if they want to do a whole SyFuniverse thing. It's fine if the tone is a little bit different from show to show - you get the same thing in comics with shared continuity and they seem to do alright. What would be really hilarious is if they decided to roll out 3 Inches in a year or two (I don't think it's been officially canceled - it's just sitting around and slowly rotting away from the inside) as the Great Lakes Avengers of their new little galaxy of shows.

I do think Gary needs a little work. For one thing, he's the talkiest damn autist I've ever seen. For another, you'd think he'd have a more severe reaction to people touching him than, "Yo, five feet yo." That's a pretty minor complaint, though. Overall, I'm quite pleasantly surprised by the show at this point.

Equis

08-10-2011, 05:14 AM

I do think Gary needs a little work. For one thing, he's the talkiest damn autist I've ever seen. For another, you'd think he'd have a more severe reaction to people touching him than, "Yo, five feet yo." That's a pretty minor complaint, though. Overall, I'm quite pleasantly surprised by the show at this point.

Not being familiar with autism honestly, I kinda see Gary as somewhat comfortable with people being around him, even if he can't really communicate or socialize with them too much. I mean, he is under the care of perennial alpha manipulator Dr Rosen, and he has worked in their little group for some time now. If anything, his relationship to Nina and Bill seem to suggest that he somewhat can interact with people and he did glom on to Hicks pretty fast.

MikeJ

08-10-2011, 06:54 AM

It sounds as though Gary's autism isn't supposed to be severe. He said he had a CARS score of 32. It looks as though 30 is the cutoff for mild autism in kids and maybe 27 is suggested as the cutoff for adolescents or adults. Just from wikipedia, it seems as though he's closer to normal than the mean person with autism.

Hugin

08-10-2011, 06:59 AM

I do think Gary needs a little work. For one thing, he's the talkiest damn autist I've ever seen. For another, you'd think he'd have a more severe reaction to people touching him than, "Yo, five feet yo." That's a pretty minor complaint, though. Overall, I'm quite pleasantly surprised by the show at this point.

Gary said he had a 32 CARS score. That's very mild autism, very high functioning.

The son of a friend of mine is on the spectrum, and while he has some obvious, sometimes frustrating issues, he's also very curious, he has a sense of humor, and he's quite chatty when he's around people he knows or is on a subject he cares about.

(oop, too slow. What MikeJ said)

MikeJ

08-10-2011, 07:05 AM

(oop, too slow. What MikeJ said)

I'm glad we could get some real-world confirmation, as I was just going off of wikipedia.

Brian Seiler

08-10-2011, 07:10 AM

Hugin

08-10-2011, 07:32 AM

Which is all very reasonable, but that leads me to wonder why he's still living with his mother at.....whatever age he's supposed to be at. I don't think he's supposed to be a minor, but if he scores 32 on CARS, shouldn't he be able to take care of himself? How come he needs a babysitter at all times at this point? It's not like he's going to try to eat fire or teach himself sword swallowing if nobody's around to tell him to stop that. Or is he just a magical television teenager being played by a thirty year old man?

Not all autism is the same. The areas in which an autistic person's abilities might be impaired can spike in very random ways. One thing I noticed is that Gary seems to require his schedule be maintained by others around him. If he lived on his own, his pattern or sleeping and eating might get very random and very unhealthy. Maybe he could do it if someone checked in with him on a set schedule, but that's obviously quite a commitment in and of itself.

Brian Seiler

08-10-2011, 08:07 AM

Equis

08-10-2011, 08:42 AM

I stand educated, then. Though I'd like an episode from his point of view this season (after the fashion of the Cuddy and Wilson episodes of House) to firm up just what it is he can and can't do for himself. Which would be a pretty cool framing device. And now I've got myself thinking I should be writing for television.

Well, they kind of started establishing that as a storyline in the 4th episode. It's a pretty significant point in where at the start of the episode, his mom is getting his water and failing to get it at exactly the right temperature and at the end of the episode, him saying he can get it for himself. It's almost why he feels quite connected to the big bad of the series, since she seems severely socially impaired, but incredibly high function enough to run a terrorists cell group. He's going to learn to be independent and it's probably going to come into conflict with the main group's goals as well as the government's.

gurugeorge

08-10-2011, 01:45 PM

He's going to learn to be independent and it's probably going to come into conflict with the main group's goals as well as the government's.

Yeah good point, I think that's been hinted at. Apart from his vulnerability to DOS attacks ( :) ) he is perhaps the most powerful Alpha in the team (given a technological social context). I'm wondering if he might be the one to "turn", and help Red Flag's goals, at least for a while - perhaps free all the Alphas from Binghamton or something like that? (I'm pretty sure a breakout from Binghamton is on the cards at some, climactic point.)

Juan Rayo

08-10-2011, 03:43 PM

This show continues to deliver, I love that they do unexpected stuff with their villains. The reflex guy fight at the school was well done, and so was the use of the book to end it.

Also "FREAKN... that´s not a word"

SPOILERS I guess:

Since the victims in this episode look a bit like zombies, I thought it was incredibly cool of them to hint at the genre. The opening in the football field is all about terror movies, and so is the scene at the police station, down to the way the corridors are lit. Last couple eps have really done interesting things, direction wise.

Edit: I hate the name of the team. DCIS, ugh.

Erik Andersson

08-11-2011, 01:36 AM

"The Defense Criminal Investigative Service is the criminal investigative arm of the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense." They don't exactly fit the profile as DCIS special agents, but I guess not many knows what the DCIS is anyway!

gurugeorge

08-16-2011, 02:31 PM

Bit of relief from the "Alpha of the Week" syndrome this week, with a focus on superstrength Bill, who gets to punch through a wall, and makes a choice whether to go back to the FBI or stay with our heroes.

Hicks does some splendid bullet-dodging, and Gary (after partnering with Hicks in their usual comedy duo fashion) finally starts driving lessons.

Also, a steamy romance between Hicks and Nina is started, but they pull back a bit. We get some more insight into Nina's murky past.

A bit of a time-marking episode, but fun in a "traditional superheroic crimefighting" sort of way - our heroes doing for great justice things that normal cops couldn't have done, in a hostage rescue situation. The characters, as they start to get familiar, are getting cosy and loveable.

I think we're about due for some more development re. Binghamton and/or Red Flag soon.

Eilonwy

08-16-2011, 03:02 PM

Have they mentioned that Whistler has a kid that's an Alpha yet? Cause I'm guessing that's probably a big reveal since they dropped a line in there about him being a dad last week.

Equis

08-16-2011, 06:29 PM

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah SCIENCE!

MatthewF

08-16-2011, 08:33 PM

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah SCIENCE!

Haha, I loved that one too.

"Brake! BRAKE!"

Greatatlantic

08-16-2011, 09:01 PM

Have they mentioned that Whistler has a kid that's an Alpha yet? Cause I'm guessing that's probably a big reveal since they dropped a line in there about him being a dad last week.

OK, who is "whistler." I get the feeling you mean Rosen. If so, I disagree. That sort of super twisty plot line is what eventually unmade Heroes, alongside bad acting and bad writing. Alphas' tag line is "ordinary individuals with extraordinary talents." Stick with fighting threats from rogue Alphas and their own drama.

On another note, did anyone else notice Summer Glau is guest staring in next week's episode? I just got a feeling that episode is going to be a step down as it will primarily be a vehicle for a big name guest star.

Hugin

08-16-2011, 09:24 PM

OK, who is "whistler." I get the feeling you mean Rosen. If so, I disagree. That sort of super twisty plot line is what eventually unmade Heroes, alongside bad acting and bad writing. Alphas' tag line is "ordinary individuals with extraordinary talents." Stick with fighting threats from rogue Alphas and their own drama.

On another note, did anyone else notice Summer Glau is guest staring in next week's episode? I just got a feeling that episode is going to be a step down as it will primarily be a vehicle for a big name guest star.

Whistler was the name of David Strathairn's character in the 1992 movie Sneakers. Which is a fun movie if you've never seen it, though hilariously dated now in terms of the tech (it's a movie about a team of hackers).

Eilonwy

08-17-2011, 05:30 AM

Sorry, Greatatlantic, but you're going to be disappointed. They're dangling how the whole "compound" isn't really what it seems over our heads already. Eventually we are going to move from the rogue alpha of the week into Big Twisty Plot Territory.

Also Hugin is awesome for getting that.

Aquarian

08-17-2011, 06:09 AM

Either Edward R Murrow (yeah, I went there) has a kid who's an Alpha (vastly powerful, with a serious daddy complex and giant hair? Let's hope not) and that's why he's so dedicated to the cause or else he himself is an Alpha and his dedication to the cause is a big swerve cos he's actually the top number one big time bad guy oh-shit-twist villain.

Eilonwy

08-17-2011, 06:53 AM

Yeah, I wonder about that big twist on the bad guy too since in the...was it the first two episodes? The villains died saying that they were "on the wrong side."

MikeJ

08-17-2011, 07:19 AM

I would hope it's not a big secret villain twist, but more a growing tension about where they stand and what the actual moral position is. The DCIS group may find themselves caught between a control-at-all-costs government on one side and freedom-at-all-costs Alpha militants on the other.

gurugeorge

08-19-2011, 11:33 AM

Eventually we are going to move from the rogue alpha of the week into Big Twisty Plot Territory.

Yeah, that's what one would expect. But so far this series has stayed pretty well disciplined, and sometimes surprisingly un-clichéd.

What I'm hoping is that there may indeed be some Big Twisty Plot but that it's revealed gradually and slowly so that it looms deliciously for longer, and we have time to absorb it as it goes along, and make sense of it - instead of suffering from plot whiplash every bloody episode, like we had to do with Heroes.

Equis

08-19-2011, 11:53 AM

I like that it seems to be focused on character and alpha of the week for now, firmly establishing who these people are, why we should care about them and what problems may loom larger for all of them down the line. It sets up a lot of emotional payoff in the later episodes and possibly some that are even hurtful betrayals. We've already have Gary sort of becoming more independent, while at the same time developing closer relationships with Bill and Hicks, and Rachel sort of on the road to becoming more than just CSI: Milquetoast. If anything, Nina needs some work and if we're on schedule, that means her episode is up next.

Brian Seiler

08-19-2011, 12:01 PM

If they're doing an episode for Nina next, I do hope that they set it contemporaneous with the Gary/Bill episode. The resolution to that whole mess felt remarkably unsatisfying to me.

"Oh, this guy thinks I killed my last boyfriend on account of I'm magic and also I sort of did something that we would rationally expect to hurt him and now he's haunting my every step."

"You should probably tell him the truth [about what? her monstrous superpower that would prevent anybody from ever realistically trusting her?]"

......

......

...... end of the episode is sneaking up now .....

"So, hey, what happened with that detective dude?"

"Oh - everything was totally cool! Turns out that he wasn't suspicious at all about anything relevant!"

That's Rizzo in Grease level flubbing the story. Alternately, they could just forget it and pretend it never happened, but it'd be nice if the writers actually went back and tried to fix that particular misstep.

Brian Rucker

08-23-2011, 08:07 AM

I didn't get the feeling she was telling him the truth, Brian. :)

Also this week's episode was a bit more over the top than usual but I enjoyed the twist ending. All along you're wondering if the Alpha-O-The-Week is a pure victim of the NSA or a Red Flag operative that's manipulating Nina. Instead we plop into a big old shades of grey scenario.

I think the model to imagine here is X-Men really. You've got this (seemingly) decent fellow trying to do right by Alphas while keeping the the government satisfied and at arm's length but keeping the (seemingly) real dangerous crazies like Red Flag off the street. Last episode only deepened my impression of the balancing act going on here.

Equis

08-23-2011, 08:37 AM

Can I just post every other week about just how much I like the show and how it bothers with the small character moments in between the major plot stuff?

This week had Bill getting three different kinds of drinks when Gary needed something purple, and looking all pensive when looking at Zoe. This is not the same Bill from several episodes ago. Gary too, is taking steps to becoming a lot more independent.

I'm a secret agent now, and I'm happy mom.

gurugeorge

08-23-2011, 01:21 PM

I think the model to imagine here is X-Men really. You've got this (seemingly) decent fellow trying to do right by Alphas while keeping the the government satisfied and at arm's length but keeping the (seemingly) real dangerous crazies like Red Flag off the street. Last episode only deepened my impression of the balancing act going on here.

I loved the moment where Rosen got Gadgeteer's device at the end, and he said that with the device he'd be able to find every Alpha on the planet. Just at that moment my heart sank a little, and I thought "oh no, he's going to just turn into Charles Xavier with Cerebro". I was so happy with his final act. These writers seem to be content to take cues from the comics and other superhero stuff, but they also seem determined to do their own thing.

Cracking episode this week. In the past I've sometimes found Summer Glau's acting a bit wooden, but in this episode of Alphas she turned in a sterling performance.

The bits of development of all our beloved little family this episode were great too. Hicks and Nina, Nina herself (who's almost the moral compass of the team, which is totally unlike what you'd expect a "pusher" type to be), Bill and his inner struggle about possibly raising an Alpha child, Gary and his mum, all good stuff.

Also it was really good to see Rosen caught flat-footed - he seemed to lose quite a bit of authority in the course of the episode, but regained it again with that last act of his.

Great camerawork, editing too this week, just everything great.

BennyProfane

08-24-2011, 11:44 AM

I loved the moment where Rosen got Gadgeteer's device at the end, and he said that with the device he'd be able to find every Alpha on the planet. Just at that moment my heart sank a little, and I thought "oh no, he's going to just turn into Charles Xavier with Cerebro". I was so happy with his final act. These writers seem to be content to take cues from the comics and other superhero stuff, but they also seem determined to do their own thing.

Cracking episode this week. In the past I've sometimes found Summer Glau's acting a bit wooden, but in this episode of Alphas she turned in a sterling performance.

The bits of development of all our beloved little family this episode were great too. Hicks and Nina, Nina herself (who's almost the moral compass of the team, which is totally unlike what you'd expect a "pusher" type to be), Bill and his inner struggle about possibly raising an Alpha child, Gary and his mum, all good stuff.

Also it was really good to see Rosen caught flat-footed - he seemed to lose quite a bit of authority in the course of the episode, but regained it again with that last act of his.

Great camerawork, editing too this week, just everything great.

It is so unusual to see a show that improves week-to-week the way this one has....and especially one that, when I read the description of it before it aired, sounded so doomed to failure.

Alphas has been a very surprising pleasure so far, and continues to both deepen and broaden their own universe without settling for cliches or compromising their characters. Even when they "wink" at the genre, as you note with the device at the end of the episode, it is clear that the writers are well aware of the space they are writing in, and want to carve out their own niche rather than falling into any old ruts.

Or, to put it shortly, they are treating their characters like real people rather than characters, and it is paying off handsomely.

Freezer-TPF-

08-26-2011, 09:28 AM

I'm still really enjoying the show. I like how the showrunners are keeping it grounded and not trying to do too much. Gary's ability is a little silly, but somehow I've gotten used to it and his lines are great.

And I LOVE that the team travels by minivan and gets caught in traffic all the time.

Juan Rayo

08-30-2011, 07:24 PM

Still watching, still loving it. While all the characters are developing little by little, Gary is obviously the one standing out, by far I think. I also like that most episodes can get a bit dark, and still keep a good sense of humor.

Edit: the whole Dr. Rossen and guns thing one could see coming a mile away, but it wasn't done as terrible as I thought it would be.

The last episode wasn't really that exciting, probably the lesser of the season. I think every episode so far has had some excellent quotable quotes, but not this one, which makes me sad.

Greatatlantic

08-30-2011, 07:55 PM

MINOR SPOILERS FOLLOW

Another Alpha of the week episode, though this one runs rather darker with humor being somewhat scarcer. The villain walks the interesting tight rope of being both cliche and tragic. He's a cult leader, whose ability brings people enormous degree of happiness, euphoria, peace, and harmony. Strangely, it is the pursuer of happiness, eupohria, peace, and harmony Dr. Rosen who decides he is a danger. The cult leader trawls the city to find desperate and unhappy people to reform and join his flock. His motivation is presented as mostly altruistic, and Hicks and Nina soon join.

However, like all Alphas his ability has a downside and people in the flock grow ill. I won't spoil the ending, but both the cult leader and Dr. Rosen make some hard desicions pitting quality of life against plain old life.

Meanwhile in an unrelated plot line, Rachel in desperation takes Gary to her sister's wedding party as a date so her mother won't auction her off to third cousins, or something like that. It is an awkward and funny moment, but Gary's pep talk afterwards is really heartwarming and funny. As is Gary's fondness of hummus.

This show keeps delivering.

Equis

08-30-2011, 08:56 PM

BennyProfane

08-31-2011, 05:22 AM

I thought it was the weaker episode of the bunch so far, if only because there was a lot of interaction between Rosen and Preacher man, (everyone's favourite TV psycho not-Dexter, Garret Dillahunt!!) that felt unexplored. Everything seems plotted to get Rosen to that end point, and it felt oddly stitched together in parts. I'm still not sure why the people were dying as a result of his ability, unlike the Alpha Mother from a couple of weeks back.

Also, Nina and Hicks hooking up isn't as interesting as the writers seem to think it is.

While fair points, I think what was important about this week was that they've done "personal development" episodes about everyone now, and it was Rosen's turn. Since he's not an Alpha (or at least it hasn't been revealed yet), his development had to be about his own vision of what he's doing. If anything I don't think they spent enough time in the episode allowing his viewpoint to evolve from wanting to always be the altruist to recognizing that, at least on some level, he is now in law enforcement, and that demands things from him that he isn't comfortable with.

So yeah, they took a bit of a shortcut, but the development was necessary.

BleedTheFreak

08-31-2011, 06:53 AM

I love watching a character stand out and become something more than maybe he would have been had another actor been in his place, such as what Gary is becoming. Very cool, and reason enough to watch the show.

gurugeorge

08-31-2011, 01:02 PM

Yeah Gary was standout in this episode, as in the previous - maybe he's just the best actor? Although it has to be said, they're all damn good actors.

I'm with those who found this episode somewhat muted in comparison to some of the previous, it was almost in danger of being a bit dull and spun-out at points, although thankfully something always happened to rescue it (e.g. shifting between the Nina/Hicks over-lingered-over soft porn moments and Rachel's dad thing).

Rosen slightly annoyed me too this episode, his bumbling old hippie/liberal speech mannerisms, which I normally find endearing, were starting to grate.

But overall, if not as exciting as some previous episodes, still never less than enjoyable.

Brian Seiler

08-31-2011, 01:12 PM

I give Gary a little bit of credit for the fact that the actor playing him is thirty years old and he still manages to make me wonder how old Gary is supposed to be. Of course, he's also the poster boy for the show because he's the only one with a big personality hook to hang anything on (they could have done that with....ah....Rachel, and I had to actually look up in the thread to find her name, because in my head she's just The Indo-Pakistani Crime Lab, but they're way too inconsistent with her apparent germ thing), so that's to be expected. Bill and....uh....Hicks (in my mind - Close Haircut Generic Guy, and you'd think that would be easier for me to remember, because I grew up near Austin hearing all about Bill Hicks) are developing reasonably well - particularly Bill - but I think they need to loop back around on Nina, since I still don't have a good feel for why she's even with the group or what her motivation for not being a gigantic supervillain is supposed to be.

On the whole, still pleasantly surprised, though I'm kind of ready to demand that they get Dustin Hoffman at this point, since they have two different people being different versions of not-Dustin-Hoffman.

Greatatlantic

08-31-2011, 02:12 PM

...I think they need to loop back around on Nina, since I still don't have a good feel for why she's even with the group or what her motivation for not being a gigantic supervillain is supposed to be.

I'll try to tackle this one. Nina's power has been presented as short term only, lasting minutes without her there to reinforce her commands. Furthermore, there are a handful of people who can ignore said suggestions. Its been hinted at in the past she used her power willy nilly to get the 'finer' things in life, or just things she could have because her power let her. Which is how she got Bill Muray's hat.

However, once the deed is done, people eventually return to normalcy, trying to figure why they let that customer walkout with $1,000 worth of shoes, and they call it in as shoplifting, for example. Nina responds by pushing more people again and again, getting nervous along the way.

This pits her against her own personality, which while liking the finer things that women seem to like, is also caring and caretaking. Her "big sister" tendencies are most on display with Rachel, but she also has lots of little touches with other characters.

When Dr. Rosen first finds her, he lets her know that her actions have been noticed and she is viewed as a threat by powers greater than her. This is a rock bottom moment for her, and she has to chose to either stop using her power, go to Binghamton, or join Dr. Rosen's team and learn to use her power judiciously and help other "lost" people like her.

Being a super villain was never in her personality. Thief and "gold digger" maybe, but not villain.

MatthewF

08-31-2011, 09:31 PM

I was going to tackle that as well, but you've got it covered, I think. The way I feel about this show is that it's dropping a lot of superhero tropes in favor of telling a more relate-able story. So, instead of just "well these folks have super powers" they're focusing on the people that have them. No secret identities, no bullshit. Nina isn't a supervillain because she's a person -- she has guilt, second thoughts, and a moral compass just like the rest of us. We know she uses her power to get what she wants monetarily, but she's horrified at the though that she might have killed someone close to her in one episode.

The person makes the hero in this show, not the power.

Equis

08-31-2011, 09:36 PM

The person makes the hero in this show, not the power.

Such a simple concept that Heroes somehow did not understand.

Sidd_Budd

08-31-2011, 10:52 PM

Just want to thank the Qt3 hivemind for turning me onto this show; it's really interesting, & I hope it stays so.

I absolutely love Nina. The total cliche for this character would be to have her be walled off from everyone, & see all others as tools for her power -- the ice-queen bitch who sees everyone as instruments of her will. She would stereotypically be the hero that may submit to the dark side. It's ridiculously cool that they are portraying her as the mom of the group; she's very caring and nurturing, which goes against every stereotype of mind-controlling super powered folks. She arguably has the strongest moral compass of all the Alphas, second only to Rosen.

I'm hoping they end up having Rachel being the character temporarily tempted to join Red Flag, simply because her powerset & personality seems least likely to.

So happy to be excited about a sci-fi show; hope it stays strong.

MatthewF

08-31-2011, 11:03 PM

Such a simple concept that Heroes somehow did not understand.

Heroes did everything wrong. A show about superheros who hate their powers, and supervillains that love them? There's no faster way to disconnect your audience from the show than following that stupid conceit.

walTer

09-06-2011, 10:49 AM

I finally got caught up last nite and I just want to chime in that yeah, this really seems to handle the superhero thing much better than Heroes (watched 1.5 seasons only). I like the fact that the charters are flawed. I love Gary- he may be the best actor on the show- his character is fantastic- and the fact that he has to deal with his mom- just makes him more fun to watch. Respect the Badge- I laugh ever time he says that.

I was looking forward to the show and even after the first couple of episodes, I was still on the fence- I actually had 6 on my dvr before I just started powering through them- and I a most certainly glad I did- it really does continue to improve.

Brian Seiler

09-07-2011, 11:28 AM

Renewed (http://www.tvline.com/2011/09/syfy-renews-alphas-season-2/).

Case

09-07-2011, 11:46 AM

Renewed (http://www.tvline.com/2011/09/syfy-renews-alphas-season-2/).

And there was much rejoicing.

walTer

09-07-2011, 12:55 PM

Gary already knew this.

MikeJ

09-13-2011, 05:32 PM

Did people stop watching this or something? I liked the take on the invisibility, but I thought the other new Alpha's power was a bit over-the-top. There's plenty of ways subtle control of sound could be dangerous, without letting him toss people around.

Brian Seiler

09-14-2011, 05:03 AM

I couldn't quite figure out what the holy hell he was supposed to be doing. Okay, maybe he can wiggle his ass at the harmonic frequency of the frame of the building and shake things up real good after a while, but how does that translate to being able to fart people unconscious? It took him the better part of some significant number of hours to subtly wiggle the structure down, but at the end he was just emitting destructive waves of BO at will. That was not particularly well explained.

I'm also curious to hear Rebecca Mader's American accent. With the trend of hiring people who don't have one to play Americans, the fact that every character I have seen her play thus far has been British makes me think it must be truly godawful.

Freezer-TPF-

09-14-2011, 07:53 AM

I thought the sonar/Tesla earthquake machine power was okay, but the direct sonic attack on people was a bit much. (Though, to be fair, Gary's power is still the most ridiculous yet doesn't ruin the show....) Still nice to see Brent Spiner doing his thing. I also enjoyed Bill's power "outage" issues (yeah for continuity) and some perhaps heavily dropped hints about Rosen's "alpha?" status.

Calelari

09-14-2011, 09:36 AM

(Though, to be fair, Gary's power is still the most ridiculous yet doesn't ruin the show....)
Respect the badge!

MikeJ

09-14-2011, 09:42 AM

and some perhaps heavily dropped hints about Rosen's "alpha?" status.

Maybe. The fact that they keep on bringing up that he's not an alpha could be significant. I also suspect that the heart problem that they brought up is going to play a role later.

Quaro

09-14-2011, 10:47 AM

Chris Gwinn

09-14-2011, 12:35 PM

If he does turn out to be an Alpha, I hope they do a good job justifying why he wasn't up front about it. It would have to be something not useful under normal circumstances as he's been in life of death situations before and we haven't seen a hint.
If they're going to go with him being an Alpha, I'd strongly prefer that it's a positive on a test of some sort and he has no idea what his power is. It could explain why he cares so much that Alphas aren't treated poorly.

balut

09-14-2011, 12:54 PM

Rosen's the Ma-Ti of the team, with the power of Heart.

Sent from my Blergphone using Joobertalk.

gurugeorge

09-14-2011, 06:20 PM

Did people stop watching this or something?

Bit of a delay in the, ahem, usual delivery system.

This series just continues to be the best telly superhero thing yet. Right from the beginning I've loved the way the writers seem to strive to avoid cliched trope pitfalls. For example, the 3 or 4 episodes before this one were all getting very cosy as we started getting to know everyone, it started to seem like a happy family, and could have gone on that way, but this week we have an episode of paranoia, and a return to the early episode feel of everyone being both irritating and irritated. Great stuff, makes them all seem more real and human.

Yeah Data's ability was a bit implausible. At first I thought "old Daredevil dude", but no, he's some sort of Klaw/Banshee-alike. But "sonics" has always been a jack-of-all-trades power in the comics. Has to be said though, he did a great job in the role, excellent guest appearance. I like this little tradition of guest appearances (Summer Glau was great too, in an earlier episode).

Griffin was well done - she's such an ice queen, and was actually quite scary.

Enjoyed the bumbling way our team won through, too. It's not every day you see people trashing an office with all sorts of crap in such a frightened, panicked way.

Again, this team is the Doom Patrol of "ordinary folks with extraordinary abilities" television. Delightful.

Oh and the question of Rosen's possible alpha ability is interesting, they seem to have been hinting at it on and off for ages, but I think it's probably going to be something fairly useless like "lactokinesis" (cf. The Misfits, the UK's answer to Heroes, and a quirky bit of fun in its own right).

Bahimiron

09-14-2011, 06:59 PM

Did I miss the episode where Bill lost his alpha powers?

benloran

09-14-2011, 07:03 PM

I'm glad I'm not the only one who was thinking that... I don't remember Bill losing his power either.

Hemalin

09-14-2011, 08:08 PM

It was in the episode with Jona, the cult leader guy.

Greatatlantic

09-15-2011, 12:35 AM

It was in the episode with Jona, the cult leader guy.

And didn't come up until after the show's climax, so it was easy to miss. Apparently finding (or rather be unwittingly showed) inner peace ruins ones fight and flight instincts.

Loved the tension throughout the episode, which apparently to keep under budget was filmed all on the same set with no extras.

I, too, thought Kearn throwing people around was silly and "overpowered," but I came up with this explanation. If the human bat could throw people around at any time, he would have done it once he realized he was threatened by a third party. Instead, he had to slowly build up the tiny vibrations over a time period of I think a little more than an hour. Once the whole building was shaking, he could "refocus" the vibrations. He was still a pretty powerful Alpha, but not a true super hero. The real question is how he was able to read words off a computer screen or printed page, because that is probably important to get through medical school.

BennyProfane

09-15-2011, 05:09 AM

And didn't come up until after the show's climax, so it was easy to miss. Apparently finding (or rather be unwittingly showed) inner peace ruins ones fight and flight instincts.

Loved the tension throughout the episode, which apparently to keep under budget was filmed all on the same set with no extras.

I, too, thought Kearn throwing people around was silly and "overpowered," but I came up with this explanation. If the human bat could throw people around at any time, he would have done it once he realized he was threatened by a third party. Instead, he had to slowly build up the tiny vibrations over a time period of I think a little more than an hour. Once the whole building was shaking, he could "refocus" the vibrations. He was still a pretty powerful Alpha, but not a true super hero. The real question is how he was able to read words off a computer screen or printed page, because that is probably important to get through medical school.

It wasn't his ability that bothered me--if you are going to quibble about mutant powers, this is the wrong show to be watching--but what bothered me was that, after he managed to thoroughly wreck the building, with cracks throughout the walls, destroyed windows, powdered masonry, etc., they just set a few tables and the soda machine back in place and everything is righted again? I'm sorry, that building should be condemned at this point, and the next episode should be about them looking for a new place to establish their headquarters.

Freezer-TPF-

09-15-2011, 07:57 AM

Maybe they can hire an Alpha contractor with a super drywall ability.

I hope they do more carryover stuff like Bill losing his ability, which was kind of a throwaway line at the end of the cult episode. Rosen's heart trouble sounded (haha!) like a good carryover candidate, as noted in a previous post above. Maybe he will undergo some experimental treatment that ends up giving him temporary Alpha powers or something like that.

Case

09-15-2011, 09:08 AM

Brian Seiler

09-15-2011, 09:10 AM

I don't think they'll do that for business reasons. There's another show that was technically in competition with Alphas for its spot and still isn't dead called Three Inches. It was about superheros with largely useless powers. It's not a hundred percent dead and, with the unified universe they're setting up for all the SyFy shows, I could see that coming back as a humor show.

gurugeorge

09-15-2011, 03:36 PM

I would also love to have the show come across Alphas with useless powers. Could be a fun, lighter episode.

Anyone remember a SyFy miniseries, The Lost Room? That was about odd artifacts that gave people powers as long as they held them. But some artifacts gave you relatively useless stuff, like the ability to create a perfect hard boiled egg -- and that's all.

Why is it that abilities in shows like Alphas are always awesome? Sheer randomness would suggest some powers might not do much at all.

Yes, these shows often deal with powers that are troublesome/dangerous or ambiguous - e.g. in Heroes with the nuke guy, and in Alphas here with the lady who was able to make you love her and feel good, and with the preacher guy. But even when the powers are bad or troublesome, they're still cool or glamorous in some way. It would be interesting to see some "meh", useless or uncool powers occasionally.

I used the example of "lactokinesis" from The Misfits, but it needn't be just funny like that - it could be more poignant.

Bahimiron

09-15-2011, 04:12 PM

You guys sound like you want to read Grant Morrison's run on X-Men, where the vast majority of mutants just had useless mutations that made them hideous or dangerous to their loved ones.

gurugeorge

09-16-2011, 03:34 AM

You guys sound like you want to read Grant Morrison's run on X-Men, where the vast majority of mutants just had useless mutations that made them hideous or dangerous to their loved ones.

Well spotted :) I was a great fan of what Morrison did with the X-Men, it returned what had become a mere "franchise" to its roots (as I remember them), in the sense of "these people are somewhat fragile, sensitive souls". I was disappointed when Marvel pretty much wiped that whole continuity after Morrison left.

jason

09-16-2011, 06:34 AM

And yet "lactokinesis" ended up being fairly powerful under the right circumstances with a little creativity.

Chris Gwinn

09-16-2011, 07:42 AM

Anyone remember a SyFy miniseries, The Lost Room? That was about odd artifacts that gave people powers as long as they held them. But some artifacts gave you relatively useless stuff, like the ability to create a perfect hard boiled egg -- and that's all.
I really enjoyed that one. Someone should make a boardgame version copying the random effects mechanism from Awful Green Things From Outer Space.

Athryn

09-16-2011, 07:45 AM

Case

09-16-2011, 10:49 AM

Yeah, it got turnned into Warehouse 13.

Is that speculation, or was that something stated by the producers? I see Warehouse 13 as being descended from the Friday the 13th TV series.

Brian Seiler

09-16-2011, 10:51 AM

Is that speculation, or was that something stated by the producers? I see Warehouse 13 as being descended from the Friday the 13th TV series.

There's no connection to Warehouse 13 for either of the shows. I'm pretty sure that the similarity to the Friday the 13th series is mostly coincidental.

Now watch - it's going to turn out that Jane Espenson worked on one or both.

BleedTheFreak

09-20-2011, 09:47 AM

Wow, that was another terrific episode with a great "ending" - this is sort of becoming the show I'm most excited about each week, honestly.

Greatatlantic

09-20-2011, 01:59 PM

I just got caught up and "holy cow" summarizes my appraisal of the episode. Heck, even the "previously on Alphas" cold opener was fantastic. MINOR SPOILERS FOLLOW.

The set up is simple, DoD has very good reason to think Dr. Rosen's team has a Red Flag traitor. The death's of 3 Cold War era scientists who worked with Alphas means the gloves came off and the entire team is taken in to Binghamtom quickly and decisive, including Rosen himself. Clay is determined to root out the mole, but doesn't have much success as everyone has enough suspicious behavior to justify them being the mole. In particular, the fact that Gary still communicates with Anna (the Rosetta stone girl and Red Flag cell leader) is a huge concern for everybody. He insists they don't talk work, just about his newest jacket.

Ultimately, after a handful of plot twists, the situation is concluded and Dr. Rosen opinion of DoD worsens as the result of the treatment of his team, but must also consider that Red Flag justifies Clay's approach. This is a game... no more than a game, a contest, a battle... where both sides will do what is necessary to come out ahead. Dr. Rosen and his team is caught squarely in the middle.

As an aside, Clay gets some character development and does show even he has some limits alongside wants and dreams above and beyond being the DoD lead take down man, i.e. head of 'tactical.'

This episode reminds me the most of the pilot so far, though less humor is present.

Phydeaux

09-21-2011, 02:59 AM

I found the show from this thread and Hulu only has episodes 1-7 so far, so I haven't read the entire thread yet. I was huge fan of Heroes for season 1, until they started going nuts with Sylar, who should've been gone by the end of season 1. Am I reading too much into this when I see Skylar as a commentary on Sylar?

Skylar used her ability to mentally (and then physically) take things apart and rebuild them into what amounted to supertech. She is basically a super engineer/tinkerer.

Sylar was a watchmaker who used his ability to mentally take things apart as an analogy to... gain access to the abilities of people after tearing their heads open to examine their brains.

I'm seeing Skylar as an example of where that sort of power is supposed to take you, compared to the endless WTF bullshit that Sylar inflicted on a television audience.

Equis

09-21-2011, 03:05 AM

I'm kinda worried that the powers have been steadily moving into super-human mutant category? A shapeshifter? Really? and male-rogue?

Brian Seiler

09-21-2011, 05:18 AM

It wasn't a bad episode at all, but I have to say that at the end, all I could think was, "Wow - I guess the actor for THAT part wasn't in the budget."

peter9348

09-21-2011, 05:34 AM

I think its awesome show whenever i watched i enjoyed a lot great show with superb concept..

Eilonwy

09-21-2011, 05:36 AM

....reported?

I thought it was great that we saw Gary's actor playing someone different even for a second. It just showed how amazing his range is!

Brian Seiler

09-21-2011, 05:51 AM

I didn't mind that part. It just felt really, really weird that the only times we saw the (apparently British?) shapeshifter was as another actor with some weird deformation effects and an accent. Like they were deliberately shooting around showing the guy.

Also - Ringer? Alphas here. Just wanted to let you know that it's possible to do good, believable green screen work with the same actor in two parts. Whoever did that godawful boat sequence (and every other shot with the twins) should watch the confrontation in the office in the past episode and cry in shame.

Chris Gwinn

09-21-2011, 07:18 AM

I'm kinda worried that the powers have been steadily moving into super-human mutant category? A shapeshifter? Really? and male-rogue?
"male-rogue"? I think he just kills people by holding onto him. There was no indication that there was any sort of power absorption.

The shapeshifter, as presented, was more believable than the sonics guy or the electricity guy.

BleedTheFreak

09-21-2011, 09:11 AM

I'm kinda worried that the powers have been steadily moving into super-human mutant category? A shapeshifter? Really? and male-rogue?

This seems like a silly thing to worry about.

And what's wrong with a shapeshifter? We've got a woman that can command people to do her bidding, but you have a line drawn that must not be crossed?

Phydeaux

09-21-2011, 09:13 AM

Probably because the powers are getting flashier.

Brian Seiler

09-21-2011, 09:16 AM

Yes, but, see, they explained that, like, she can, you know, do staring all good and then, like, cause a stroke that makes you kind of really suggestible for a little while but doesn't kill you. So THAT'S reasonable. But, moving your bones around? Pish tosh.

I figure they're probably fine as long as they don't introduce full blown psychic powers, time travel, or super-speed. The problem with getting into more classic superhero portfolios is that most superheros are entirely broken. The Flash can do anything. Fuck Superman, fuck Green Lantern (both of whom can also do anything) - The Flash can do anything with a little bit of ingenuity. There's no good reason why he should ever lose except to a couple of very old, very tired plot devices (i.e. somebody takes Iris hostage). The inclusion of teleportation and time travel from the jump on Heroes was one of the primary elements that doomed it (on top of the crappy writing in the second season).

Greatatlantic

09-21-2011, 09:53 AM

Probably because the powers are getting flashier.

It was kind of flashy, but the puking and the apparently constant pain really put a downer on it. I'm OK with that power since a) it was only for one episode, b) had a significant downside, c) made the episode that much better due to the plot twists.

Equis

09-21-2011, 10:03 AM

As long as the powers are based on somewhat plausible biology. I'm not asking for actual mutation and extreme senses sort of scientific rigidity, but more a vaguely consistent rule-set on how these people got their powers.

Yeah, as long as they aren't shitting on the laws of physics with cosmic rays, material transmogrification and energy projection, I think they're fine. I just don't want them losing that lo-fi "real people with heightened abilities" sort of feeling they got that makes the show strong.

Jazar

09-21-2011, 10:04 AM

This is my favorite new show in a long time.

Phydeaux

09-21-2011, 10:13 AM

I've staffed on comic book MUSHes for about 8 years. I currently 'head wiz' one. They were all original setting, original character games. What I've noticed might not translate to TV at all, but it's worth pointing out:

In my experience, any comic book setting trying to take a plausible look at things is ultimately doomed. 'Real Life' comic books settings generally have two things going for them. They can focus hard on character personalities (since it's a more plausible setting, we can more readily identify with the characters, which are going to be designed to have reactions to things which run parallel to how the viewers would react), and they can focus on one-upmanship.... since the baseline is pretty normal, they can shock or surprise the audience by doing something comic bookish.

Then the hurting starts.

See, the problem with one-upmanship is that it's a lot like that first girl you dated. Holding hands is all you need to get your jollies at first, but soon that's not enough, and you have to progress to other things. When you start to add stranger and more surreal things to your otherwise 'real life-like' comic book setting, the characters eventually reach a point where the only plausible thing to do is just insist "This is not happening!". All your support structures are set up for normal stuff, and crazier and crazier shit just keeps happening. Eventually your world just falls to pieces under the weight of its own lunacy.

That's what happened when I tried to run a 'realistic' setting, and it's one of the (many) things wot happened to Heroes. It'll happen to this show, too. They'll give us stranger, more comic bookish things in an attept to keep us enthralled, and eventually it'll just get goofy. Fun ride while it lasts, though!

For that matter, one could argue that 'normal' comic book settings are eventually doomed by the same thing... they regularly have reboots, at this point.

Bahimiron

09-21-2011, 10:58 AM

I've staffed on comic book MUSHes for about 8 years. I currently 'head wiz' one. They were all original setting, original character games.

...

Which?

BleedTheFreak

09-21-2011, 11:37 AM

I don't know what "staffed on comic book MUSHes" means (or what MUSH stands for) nor do I get what a 'head wiz' is, though I have my guess. I'm almost certainly wrong.

Brian Seiler

09-21-2011, 11:41 AM

MUSH (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUSH)

Christ, but there are too many things in this world. I should not encounter words that I have no clue what they mean that lead back to whole communities with their own personalized jargon and slang that don't involve advanced computational physics.

Eilonwy

09-21-2011, 11:45 AM

I don't know what "staffed on comic book MUSHes" means (or what MUSH stands for) nor do I get what a 'head wiz' is, though I have my guess. I'm almost certainly wrong.

It usually means you're super crazy! Especially on a comic book-type one.

Phydeaux

09-21-2011, 11:48 AM

...

Which?

Crucible City
Crucible Element

Me and some friends are currently running an invite only superpowered high school game.

It usually means you're super crazy! Especially on a comic book-type one.Dude. Don't get me started. MUSHers in general are usually pretty... special. That's why the current game is invite only. Cuts down on the drama.

Bahimiron

09-21-2011, 12:17 PM

Phydeaux

09-21-2011, 12:23 PM

It's sad that CC was probably the best original theme superhero game out there for the longest time. And it was such a pit.

Crucible Element is the followup where they just decided to lift the setting of Heroes, right?

Cause and Effect. We ran CC for about 5-6 years as a 'Silver Age' comic book game. No one can agree what silver age actually means, and people love to out-weird each other. We may as well said, "Do whatever the hell you want." because that's what people took it as. By the time that place was at the end, it was too crazy for us to cope. I've seen people try to app characters that still make me lie awake at night, sobbing for the world.

After CC, we decided what we needed was a game with lots of structure, where we could say FUCK YOU. YOU CAN'T APP THE CRAZY. Heroes was actually good at the time, so we let it inspire us a lot. The setting wasn't lifted from there, but there was obvious influence. We drifted into general comic book geekery pretty quickly, but the place was still a bit of a clusterfuck.

Eilonwy

09-21-2011, 12:30 PM

I'm just glad you didn't say String Theory.

Bahimiron

09-21-2011, 12:38 PM

CC was at its best when they allowed the Silver Agey Doom Patrol-esque characters like Dr Brandt, El Santo Nuevo and Kid Cthulhu to run around. And at its worst when in a scene with the granddaughter of God. Or Pix. Or Jeremy. Or in the OOC room. Or while logged in.

Edit: Anyway! Alphas is a good show! Next week is the season finale, for those who don't know. Looking forward to it.

Phydeaux

09-21-2011, 12:39 PM

I'm just glad you didn't say String Theory.
http://persephonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Monique-Horrified.jpg?1103ba

gurugeorge

09-21-2011, 12:46 PM

Another good episode, some more development with Red Flag was definitely on the cards.

The "extraction", glimpse of the inside of Binghamton, and the paranoia amongst the team, were nicely done, and I didn't even realize the true traitor until the blood came from his mouth and the camera focussed on it - although something did tickle the back of my mind when the traitor didn't recognize the face-recognition guy the first time.

Great fight between super-strength and super-reflexes :)

The shapeshifting was pretty well done and "realistic" I thought - at least the dude didn't somehow manage to magically morph his clothing too.

Amusing to hear the Gary and Rosen actors' take on a cockerney accent, gorblimey guv, strike a light! :)

Also good to see the MiB having some character development too. He's oddly reminscient of Agent Coulson sometimes, and isn't being totally demonized, which is nice (I thought it was interesting that face-recognition guy is going to be released from Binghamton, that again prevents the institution from being totally demonized in a cliched way).

Such a relief to see our heroes happily getting on again at the end, after the tension and unpleasantness of the last two episodes.

MatthewF

09-21-2011, 12:50 PM

Oh man, yeah, the fight between Bill and Hicks was fucking awesome.

Brian Seiler

09-21-2011, 12:54 PM

Gary didn't have to go too far. Ryan Cartwright is from Endington, and I'm pretty sure that when he's not doing a role, he's still got his British accent, which isn't the same, but it's closer than a Guy That Isn't Dustin Hoffman from San Francisco. He also has a distressing list of things that I have apparently seen him in and completely forgotten - specifically, Mad Men, where he was on five episodes. Must have been from the British company in Season 3.

benloran

09-21-2011, 04:26 PM

Holy shit, you're right! He was Lane's smarmy assistant.

BleedTheFreak

09-21-2011, 04:51 PM

Wait, Gary's not autistic in real life? WTF!?

Naniad

09-21-2011, 11:37 PM

I'm surprised more people don't know him from his stint on Bones.

Hugin

09-22-2011, 04:16 AM

I'm surprised more people don't know him from his stint on Bones.

That would require watching Bones.

(Actually I'm kind of trolling, I've seen several episodes of Bones, just not any that happened to have that actor in them)

BleedTheFreak

09-22-2011, 04:24 AM

I'm surprised more people don't know him from his stint on Bones.

Actually, my wife and I watch bones and I totally missed that. His performance is very different on the shows, he's very talented.

Freezer-TPF-

09-22-2011, 07:21 AM

Great episode. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that the finale next week will be awesome.

It's interesting that they had a guy with a fairly mild ability (face reading) locked up in Binghamton. Maybe that was just because he was useful to them there, unless I missed some detail about why he was a danger to someone other than poker players. Perhaps he cut a deal to work with the DoD to avoid prison for fraud or whatever.

"You shouldn't do that, Dr. Rosen. Now it will never grow again. It's a philodendron."

Sean Tudor

09-25-2011, 04:56 PM

Gary is our favorite character in this show. Has some awesome one-liners.

Calelari

09-26-2011, 08:03 PM

Damn. Things just got interesting.

Wonder if Dr. Rosen is on the way to Guantanamo.

Quaro

09-26-2011, 08:56 PM

So I expected the last scene to be: cut to daughter with Stanton, chuckling about their masterful plans. A bit of groaner scene. But then Rosen cuts the gordian knot! So instead we get the final reveal -- and it's to the characters we expect -- but they are caught just as flatfooted as everyone else. Rosen basically upstages the groaner twist ending, and it was like the characters knew it were like, hey, WE were supposed to be the big twist. Seriously brilliant.

Minor note -- I noticed Gary can use his ability to actively interact with stuff every since he got his phone. They never laid it out, but you always see him holding it when he magically transfers stuff to a computer monitor.

A nice little side benefit to the season finale is that it closes the door on stupid crossovers with Warehouse 13 or Haven.

Greatatlantic

09-26-2011, 11:04 PM

Spoiler Allert: Actually, the Whole thread is Spoiler heavy with little or no warning now, just so you know, albeit probably to late.

There is a lot I could say about this episode, but I will go back in the past to show how the show's progressed, namely episode 2. If it wasn't clear before, Marcus Ayers and his intuitive super processing of cause and effect is hands down the most powerful Alpha we've seen, and frankly no one else is even close. He saw the battle lines from a inside a psych ward. He explained his ability using the chess metaphor of each individual having only a few moves truly available to them, and due to the choices of others often only have one "forced move."

This idea of forced moves is all over the season finale. The DoD believes Red Flag is planning something, and Rosen's team if forced to track their only lead, the assassin from last episode who kills cells by proximity, who himself is in the middle of a hunt... who turns out to be Rosen's daughter. She is an Alpha herself (can make others feel her emotions) and did not have a good relationship with her father. She somehow came upon a Red Flag data cache disguised in a necklace. The data suggests the location of a meeting of Red Flag operates.

This data forces the DoD to respond. However, Rosen realizes the data was suppose to fall into their hands and a mysterious man named Parish is using the DoD to eliminate dissenters in Red Flag. Sulivan points out that they cannot exactly do nothing, and the raid continues. Initially they try to use gas and non-lethal force to subdue the operatives. However, when one Alpha reacts and kills one of the troopers, and lethal force is authorized and violence commences. Cause and effect, moves and forced moves. Many Red Flag operatives are killed.

When Marcus stood corned on a bridge with knife at Rosen's throat, he told Rosen that for whatever reason he could rarely predict how Rosen would move, meaning Rosen still had choices. In particular, he claimed that Rosen had one move that could stop ever increasing conflict, and secure a "rosy future of normal and Alpha harmony." He must "kick over the chess board."

Rosen never knew what that meant until this episode, when he realizes that Parish had been making moves to keep the Alpha phenomenon out of public awareness, which the DoD was happy to do. So, he found away (with apparently Skylar Adams help) to let the world know about Alphas and thus reset the game.

Quaro

09-26-2011, 11:41 PM

If it wasn't clear before, Marcus Ayers and his intuitive super processing of cause and effect is hands down the most powerful Alpha we've seen, and frankly no one else is even close. He saw the battle lines from a inside a psych ward. He explained his ability using the chess metaphor of each individual having only a few moves truly available to them, and due to the choices of others often only have one "forced move."

This idea of forced moves is all over the season finale.

When Marcus stood corned on a bridge with knife at Rosen's throat, he told Rosen that for whatever reason he could rarely predict how Rosen would move, meaning Rosen still had choices. In particular, he claimed that Rosen had one move that could stop ever increasing conflict, and secure a "rosy future of normal and Alpha harmony." He must "kick over the chess board."

Rosen never knew what that meant until this episode, when he realizes that Parish had been making moves to keep the Alpha phenomenon out of public awareness, which the DoD was happy to do. So, he found away (with apparently Skylar Adams help) to let the world know about Alphas and thus reset the game.

Good stuff. Did they show that scene on the previously-on footage Rosen's twist is the best kind of plot twist -- unexpected, but after the fact, it seems like, of course, screw this inevitability, let's throw a wrench into the works.

I feel like the metaphor works on a meta level too, the way the plot can often feel inevitable on a tv show.

Phydeaux

09-27-2011, 03:00 AM

They got to the endpoint of eleventy billion episodes of fucking Heroes in one season.

Equis

09-27-2011, 07:49 AM

Was Strathairn channelling Murrow at the last scene? It was fantastic. I cannot wait for season 2 now.

Eilonwy

09-27-2011, 08:01 AM

Hot damn, but I love being right. Sorry, Greatatlantic!

Sidd_Budd

09-27-2011, 08:30 AM

They got to the endpoint of eleventy billion episodes of fucking Heroes in one season.

This, times 1000. A great finale to an awesome new series. I also liked that Rosen's actions were completely in character for him. Screw the establishment and the bad guy -- just the sort of thing a greying hippie would do.

I do find the new Big Bad more one-dimensional than Anna was; I wish they would have kept her around, but that's a minor nitpick. And I hope knife-lady/Fem-Hicks survived the blood bath so she can show up again later.

Bahimiron

09-27-2011, 08:32 AM

They got to the endpoint of eleventy billion episodes of fucking Heroes in one season.

I always liked the end of XMEvo s02 for that kind of plot development.

BleedTheFreak

09-27-2011, 09:26 AM

I always liked the end of XMEvo s02 for that kind of plot development.

Maybe not EVERYTHING has to be abbreviated. :)

Greatatlantic

09-27-2011, 10:19 AM

I always liked the end of XMEvo s02 for that kind of plot development.

I went with Extreme Makeover Edition: volunteers.

Hot damn, but I love being right. Sorry, Greatatlantic!

I assume this is about Rosen's daughter being an Alpha?

I was kind of disappointed, but got over it. A) At least it wasn't Rosen himself. B) They revealed it right at the start, and not midway through before a commercial break. That makes it less Big Twisty Plot and more Plot Development. C) The episode makes clear that it wasn't Rosen discovering that he had an Alpha daughter that made his personality. He was a hard working, analytic scientist from the start. Losing his daughter (and wife) is what made him into such a hippie, regardless of Alpha ability.

That being said, the daughter's relationship with Parish is big twisty plot, and I didn't like it. Yet, it will set up some interesting decisions later when Rosen is forced to make decisions when he finds out about the relationship. Of course, Rosen's status and his group is now up in the air.

However, at least we know a lot more about Red Flag even if we know nothing about its supposed leader. I will say I was right about Red Flag being a 'cult' whose primary purpose is to accumulate power for its top membership. It uses a persuasive lovely message to get people to join. Frames certain developments as attacks on their cause (such as the drug that potentially prevents birth defects), and gets members to participate at levels they feel comfortable with (Dr. Kearns sabotaging baby vitamins to create more Alphas, but not engaging in assassinations and distancing himself from those that do).

Quaro

09-27-2011, 10:39 AM

So Dannie projects emotion; Stanton has no humanity (or emotion?) -- that makes for an interesting combination. He's either immune to her power, or her power gives him something he's never had.

Bahimiron

09-27-2011, 11:49 AM

Maybe not EVERYTHING has to be abbreviated. :)

Pfft. That very clearly stands for X-Men Evolution season 2. I THINK IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS, GENTLEMEN!

Case

09-27-2011, 02:44 PM

Speculating on next season, it will be interesting to see if Rosen's big leak amounts to anything. If it's just one talking head sounding like he's spouting conspiracy theories, the government could just marginalize him (possibly with secret help from Stanton.)

If the team simultaneously released documentation to the media of the existence of Alphas, they've become criminals in the government eyes... so Rosen and his team might be forced underground, creating a third group. That would create a 3-way antagonism between Rosen's Alphas, Red Flag and the government.

Or the writers may do something completely unexpected, as they have all season. That's what I love about this show. Yet, even the unexpected stuff isn't just pulled out of thin air, but makes sense in the context of the world the show has created.

Quaro

09-27-2011, 02:58 PM

That's a no star hotel, there's only one review. It says "Don't stay here." 12345

gurugeorge

09-27-2011, 04:26 PM

Great summary from GreatAtlantic. Cracking end to the first season. It's quite something when a tv show about superheroes manages to be emotionally engaging.

Gripes: a bit disapointed that Stanton Parrish, Immortal Guy was the guy behind it all, a bit too reminiscent of Heroes (or one part of the fractured Heroes "plot", anyway). Disappointed that Anna died, but it might be worth it if it's matured Gary somehow. Also, he was pretty hardcore with that stick :)

Also, was a bit annoyed that the so-called "dangerous terrorists" were depicted running around and panicking, and only a few of them put up any sort of fight, and many were gunned down like dogs. I guess it's just a budget limitation - cheaper to have a bunch of people running around like headless chickens in smoke than showing people decimating crack troops with fireballs and lightning bolts (yes, yes, I know :) ).

However, to compensate, "Better" girl vs. Hicks fight was awesome; also very gratifying when Bill got his mojo back. Also the fragility and self-doubt of the team just before the final scene was really touching. *sniff*

BleedTheFreak

09-28-2011, 03:41 AM

This show does Alpha on Alpha action really well. Hopefully the second season will have some more great moments. Such a great show!

Brian Seiler

09-28-2011, 05:34 AM

Also, was a bit annoyed that the so-called "dangerous terrorists" were depicted running around and panicking, and only a few of them put up any sort of fight, and many were gunned down like dogs.

I believe that the primary implication there was supposed to be that, yo, these guys really aren't hardcore. We've seen them do a few murders (and most of those by depowered Rogue guy), but I think we were supposed to gather that most of these guys aren't top level operators. I could be wrong, though.

MikeJ

09-28-2011, 08:28 AM

It's also an illustration that the situation is not as simple as 'terrorist or not', and attempts to simplify it don't lead to good outcomes. Gunning down the relatively moderate leaders within Red Flag wouldn't seem like such a clusterfuck if they are all hardened super-combat fireball-throwers.

Greatatlantic

09-28-2011, 11:24 AM

So Dannie projects emotion; Stanton has no humanity (or emotion?) -- that makes for an interesting combination. He's either immune to her power, or her power gives him something he's never had.

You know, rewatching the episode knowing the ending... it makes Dannie's interaction Rosen throughout the episode come off very differently. The first time around it comes off as a troubled daughter having to deal with issues she's been running away from for a while. However, in retrospect we know that Dannie was working for/with Parish along, and was using her father to use the DoD to wipe out the dissenters in Red Flag. Suddenly, all her scenes come off as highly manipulative. She's acting the trouble youth because that's what Rosen expects, and he falls for lock stock and barrel. Frankly, that kind of manipulation makes me think of clinical psychopaths. She might be as big a villain as any of the Red Flag heavies we've seen so far: the Ghost, the assassin, and incapable of human empathy Parish.

PS) I didn't see "female Hicks" in the body count though with the fog of war it can be hard to tell. She was also the one who started the fire fight by throwing that knife. I suspect we'll see more of her as her job was apparently to make sure the raid went off violently as possible.

MatthewF

09-28-2011, 11:25 AM

FemHicks was awesome. Loved the bullet-blocking with the knives, and how easily she wiped the floor with Hicks. I'm guessing she was also the one that killed the first soldier, since knives seemed to be her thing. And man, what an incredible finale and season overall. I called the daughter/Red Flag connection early on (it just seemed too easy for that incredibly important flash drive to fall into her hands) but did not see Rosen's big moment at the end coming. Also, sadface at the Anna death/Gary scene :(.

"You're like me!"
"No. I'm better."

Freezer-TPF-

09-28-2011, 12:20 PM

Great finale! It's going to be a long wait until more Alphas in 2012.

Quaro

10-02-2011, 09:16 PM

Uh, so the series showrunner left and the guy who was running Eureka is taking over. WTF guys. Don't mess this up.

Bahimiron

10-02-2011, 09:21 PM

Shit. They said that Behr was on for the second season earlier. That sucks. Behr (who made DS9 as amazing as it got) was one of the big reasons I was attracted to the show.

Greatatlantic

10-02-2011, 09:40 PM

In late December 2010, Mr. Behr was appointed head writer, show runner, and executive producer for Syfy Channel's Alphas for which a pilot, written by Zak Penn and Michael Karnow and directed by Jack Bender ("The Sopranos", "Lost"), had been produced. The program's lead actor is David Straithairn of "Good Night and Good Luck" fame. Mr. Behr will oversee the remaining 12 episodes of the 13 episode first season order.

Apparently the pilot was already done and out when Behr stepped in, so I think the show could very easily survive his departure. I guess it depends on what exactly he did for the show, and what direction the new guy wants to take it.

Lake

07-16-2012, 08:53 AM

One week until Alphas and Warehouse 13 are back.

BleedTheFreak

07-16-2012, 09:09 AM

One week until Alphas and Warehouse 13 are back.

Thanks for the info, I almost forgot about this show but my son and I really enjoyed it last year.

Quaro

07-16-2012, 02:11 PM

Uh, so the series showrunner left and the guy who was running Eureka is taking over. WTF guys. Don't mess this up.

Forgot I had posted this. Let's hope it was the writers who were responsibly for this show being surprisingly good and the showrunner was jut managing things.

Re-reading my own posts about the season finale again -- that was pretty damn good.

walTer

07-16-2012, 05:01 PM

Not that it is saying much but the short ads they have been playing on the SyFy channel are looking pretty good. Looks like it is getting grittier(?) and a but more real-life(?). Either way I am excited.

Case

07-23-2012, 09:49 PM

Well, that started off with a bang. But I hope the end of the episode doesn't mean that it's just going to be a reprise of last season.

Greatatlantic

07-23-2012, 10:33 PM

Well, that started off with a bang. But I hope the end of the episode doesn't mean that it's just going to be a reprise of last season.

Why ever would that be a bad thing? Last season was AWESOME! We also get Rosen with a beard again!

Anyways, it is time for a Season 2 thread, with better applied spoiler tags.

BleedTheFreak

07-24-2012, 12:35 PM

I almost came here to get peoples thoughts and at the last minute realized I've still got 20 min left on my DVR'd episode. Dumb. Be back with impressions in a bit!

Sigh. Getting old sucks.

Razgon

08-09-2012, 01:39 AM

I just saw the season finale of this one - wow! At first I thought I knew what was coming, but when Rosen started going at that hearing? My GF Said she wanted to stand up and applause...! Wonderfull stuff, and I hope the second season is just as much fun!

Tyjenks

09-10-2012, 09:44 PM

Ginger Yellow

09-11-2012, 12:33 AM

For any that were lukewarm on the first episode, did it im;prove for you?

Marginally, but not enough to get me to finish the first season. I petered out around episode 8.

Greatatlantic

09-11-2012, 10:17 AM

I just watched the Pilot on Netflix, so of course I only read the first couple pages of the thread. I thought the dialog was kinda flat and predictable. I was hoping for a low key, dialed down Heroes and that is what I got, but it just seemed like a SyFy script with decent enough actors. Being Human worked when I thought it would not. For any that were lukewarm on the first episode, did it im;prove for you?

I particularly disliked the Bad Guy. He seemed like generic bad guy and not all that menacing although he was trying the "I am so on top of things that I find everything uninteresting accept for loose strings" angle. Sniper guy was trying too hard to be Sawyer only with 22% of the charisma. Strong man was good with his little quirks, but he seemed to be trying too hard with his "Arrrgh, non professionals are so non professional" delivery. Frequency boiy played his twitches well, but all his waving about in the air was annoying.

Maybe I was just not as open and receptive as I should be.

Yeesh, you sound like a hipster: "The actors are trying to hard to give their guys nuance!"

Most of the people here who liked the show, also liked the pilot. The biggest change is after the pilot, the show does away with "natural speech," and instead adopts a more traditional TV dialogue. Unlike other Syfy verse shows, this one takes itself seriously, and has the actors and writing to get away with it (unlike Heroes, which relied on dramatic musical cues to get away with it). I'd say if by episode 4 (Rosetta Stone), you still aren't interested, then the show isn't for you.

De gustibus non disputandum