‘Alphas’ took a bit of a departure from its normal early-adopted formula of the team seeking a rogue Alpha and either killing said Alpha or shipping them off to Binghamton. Instead, we had a much more character-heavy episode involving Bill trying to get back into the good graces of the FBI. While tracking down some information on Red Flag, Gary is left alone and subsequently arrested. Bill goes to get him out of jail and stumbles upon a high profile kidnapping. He sees this as his opportunity to score some points with FBI if he can break the case before the agents assigned – one of whom is the agent that Bill assaulted, which landed him in hot water in the first place.
First, while trying to do this on the sly with Gary, the both of them end up screwing up the case and landing back in jail. When Rosen gets them out, Bill pleads with him to bring the whole team onto the case. And thus begins Bill’s own existential journey through whether or not he wants back in the FBI or if he would rather stay with Rosen (no points if you can guess his decision).
The kidnapping case is pretty standard boilerplate stuff. Rich girl gets kidnapped to extort money from her father. While the initial line of thought is that it has to do with a drug cartel, it turns out that it’s really an inside job. What makes this episode more fun to watch is seeing the team develop as characters. We learn a bit more about Nina, and how she has been pushing the mind of a particularly relentless police detective for months. In the course of the story, it is revealed that she might have pushed her ex-boyfriend into killing himself. We have the first of what is sure to be many unintended make-out sessions between her and Hicks. That part is rather uninteresting, but the idea that Nina has to work so hard to control who she pushes and how is an intriguing twist on her ability.
The ending of this episode showcases the team working together to solve the case and take down the kidnappers, and it’s always a good scenario when they do that. Each member has their own special role to play, and they work together well. The real shining moments of this episode belong to that sequence and the developing bond between Bill and Gary. Bill is certainly not what you would call a patient man, and dealing with Gary’s idiosyncrasies takes nothing but patience. Still, while Gary was pushing Bill’s buttons throughout their solo misadventures before their arrest, you could see a genuine friendship developing between them. By the end, Bill is willing to give Gary his first driving lesson.
Slowly but steadily, ‘Alphas’ really is developing into its own intriguing and entertaining program. I find myself wanting to see more as it comes. While still not at the top of shows that I watch during the week, I am glad to come back to it when it’s on and to see where and how it progresses.
