ALPHAS

ALPHAS

JULY 11, 2011-OCTOBER 22, 2012

This American fantasy drama series has quite a few kinks which the writers are not in tune with and as a result the audience is kept at an arm’s length instead of being drawn in.  The writer(s) are slow with character development before diving into the first story.  The show does so little to establish the characters that extensive investigation online was needed to pass along relevant information about the personas. 

Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn) is the man in charge but still must answer to powers above him.  Psychiatry and neurology are the specialty he brings to the table as he oversees ordinary people with extraordinary abilities called Alphas.  Not in the same league as his subjects, Dr. Rosen is the monitor who guides them with his wisdom and knowledge that bridges the gaps between normal and Alpha. 

Bill Harken (Malik Yoba) is a no-holds-barred former FBI agent who is a strict follower of the rules and regulations.  His alpha skill is the ability to become superhuman, bringing about power and indestructibility which lasts for short periods of time.

Nina Theroux (Laura Mennell) with her sophistication and intelligence is the centerpiece that draws the eyes, and when that happens, her alpha specialty kicks in and upon eye contact she can manipulate anyone into doing as she wishes with no questions asked.

Gary Bell (Ryan Cartwright) is in his early twenties but often childlike with no ability to set personal boundaries.  His alpha ability awards him natural antennas to see TV, radio and cell phone signals which give him the power to intercept encrypted correspondence communication.

Rachel Pizrad (Azita Ghanizada) is withdrawn and has been sheltered by her parents so her social skills are less matured.  Her alpha qualifications lay in her senses.  She can stimulate one sense while reducing the remaining captured sights or sounds necessary for the team.  When this takes place she is in effect defenseless.

Cameron Hicks (Warren Christie) is the focus of the series debut as he finds himself a target of one side while being recruited as an Alpha. He is a distrusting man whose life has been used as a punching bag from his military days to his baseball pitcher days.  His alpha stems from a condition called hyperkinesis, which causes an abnormal amount of uncontrolled muscular action and for Hicks his aim is flawless with motor skills and balance that few human beings have in this combination.

I loved that the Marc Bolan "Children of the Revolution" album got air time as well as David Bowie's "The Jean Genie" playing in the background of another scene.  The production music was a little less friendly as it often came in so hard and loud that a rewind was critical to hear the dialogue.  The script was layered with dialogue obscured of more dialogue leaving the viewer with less understanding of the story.  At times it seems to be a collage of film that ended up on the cutting room floor. They jump into a story without letting the characters build a relationship with the audience.  It is sci-fi but we should not expect less from the genre than the cheesy, over-the-top attempt to be extraordinary but instead just becomes a cinematic nightmare.