Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Kira Snyder
Directed by Mairzee Almas
“Alphas” has been slowly but surely building its season arc, piece by piece, with a consistent tone of impending doom. Even as the characters push their own boundaries and discover a greater confidence in themselves, the danger is mounting. It’s clear that the evolution of Team Rosen is designed to allow for a much larger and deadly conflict with Red Flag. Meanwhile, it’s more clear than ever that Stanton Parish is playing a long game.
Some might be tempted to think that this episode does nothing to change the status quo, but sometimes more is learned by the absence of a thing. In this case, the absence of Parish being a total maniac. His only goal in this episode is to demonstrate to Team Rosen just what he’s capable of, and how far he’s willing to go. Taken in context with his little persuasive speech at the end of the previous episode, one could see it as an indirect recruitment attempt.
Meanwhile, he may have underestimated Rosen. At the very least, Parish gave Rosen more information than I believe he intended, not the least of which is the truth about Dani’s associations. I don’t see how Parish might gain from intentionally letting that information go. For one thing, letting Rosen continue to investigate his own team (via Bill) would be far more damaging in the long run, and now Rosen knows that the leak is his own daughter.
While Parish’s little machines are no longer a mystery, the long-term effects are front and center. Jason Miller’s abilities, so evocative in “Gaslight”, take on an even more sinister turn as he abuses mind control in exactly the way one would expect from a disaffected teenager. Considering that Nina’s slide into the abyss brought to mind how useful such an ability could be to someone like Parish, it’s no surprise that Parish was willing to push Jason into the crucible.
But the more interesting side effect is Rachel’s massive boost in confidence and control. Not only is she able to handle physical contact a lot better (and apparently she’s enjoying the exploratory process quite a bit!), she’s also utilizing her abilities far more effectively. It’s going to be ironic, and fitting, if she winds up being the one to help Nina work out her ability-derived issues.
We’re at the season’s midpoint, so it makes sense that the fractured nature of the team at the beginning of the season would be transitioning to something much stronger. I see that process continuing, even as Parish’s endgame begins to become more apparent, and the end result is going to be a lot of fun. As we’ve said on The Critical Myth Show more than once, “Alphas” is shaping up to be everything that “Heroes” could and should have been.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Score: 8/10
