Episode Title: 'Wake Up Call'
Writer: Robert Hewitt Wolfe
Director: Matt Hastings
Previously on "Alphas":
Story:
Locked up for the past eight months, Dr. Rosen (David Strathairn) has amassed a collection of articles about Stanton Parrish, plastered across his cell wall. Meanwhile, Bill (Malik Yoba) and Hicks (Warren Christie) continue to work with Nathan Clay (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali) and the Department of Defense, taking down those Alphas with criminal impulses. While casing a supermarket, the pair faces off against a team of Alphas, attempting to rob the store. They manage to capture a female crew member, but her partner escapes.
Clay and his men question the girl while Hicks and Bill wonder how Gary is doing at NSA, after Clay placed him there. Elsewhere, Rachel (Azita Ghanizada) remains in her bedroom, despite her father's efforts to get her to go outside. And Nina (Laura Mennell) is back to using her suggestive powers to have her way with men.
Hicks and Bill bring the girl, identified as Meghan Bates to the Binghamton facility. Hicks doesn't like the idea, but Bill thinks it's necessary. There they see Gary (Ryan Cartwright) among the prisoners, zoned out and sedated due to a chip implanted in his neck. When they look into how he got there, they learn that Gary put two NSA agents in the hospital when they invaded his personal space.
Rosen gets a visit from his daughter, Danny who's concerned he'll remain in prison for a long time. He assures her that he'll be free when another Alpha-related incident occurs.
Back in Binghamton, Meghan uses her ability to cause an electrical short while her chip is being installed, allowing the prisoners to escape. With the prisoners free, Bill helps Gary flee but he is attacked by an Alpha looking for revenge. Bill wakes up to find himself and Gary inside a cell.
Meghan finds her boyfriend, Cornell Sipio and tells him they're locked inside due to the fail safe doors. Cornell talks to Clay on camera and demands to see Rosen after making it clear he'll kill if he doesn't get his way.
Clay goes to see Rosen and asks for his help. Rosen tells Rachel and Nina that Gary is in trouble. Back in their cell, Bill tells Gary that he's sorry about what happened. He only meant to demonstrate the team's value without Rosen.
Rosen reunites Nina, Rachel and Hicks and tells them he's going in to try to defuse the situation. Inside the facility, he's greeted by Ted, an Alpha he helped put away. He then meets Sipio and asks to see Bill and Gary. Rosen insists that he only wants to help the prisoners, but Sipio asks him to clarify how. Rosen begins to think Sipio is trying to stall him when Meghan emerges, telling Sipio they are ready. The cameras go out and then back on again, now showing Rosen tied up as a guard is shot.
Hicks rushes in as Sipio uses his ability to set Rosen on fire. Unable to smell or hear anything, Rachel tells Hicks the scene is fake. Megan used her ability to relay the staged scene, giving the rest time to escape. Outside, Hicks is able to shoot the truck with Gary and Bill inside. It turns over and they escape. However, Sipio is gone.
Clay asks Rosen to reinstate the Alpha team and he agrees, on the condition that he'll have total control of the program. At the office, Gary remains silent until his team members start talking to him about his daily routine. He calls his mom to let her know he's ok.
Parrish meets with Danny on a bridge over railroad tracks and she tells him that her father is free. He's gladdened by the news and the two walk off with a pack of Alphas behind them, as the train below explodes.
Breakdown:
The world has changed greatly since we last left "Alphas." Or so one would think, after Doc Rosen took to the television airwaves to expose the phenomenon of seemingly normal people with superpowers straight out of the pages of a comic book.
While we got some brief glimpses of life in the post-Alphas world, the season premiere focused mainly on the team and where they landed after Rosen's revelation. Bill and Hicks are trying to fight the good fight under Nathan Clay, while Rosen and Gary are locked up. Meanwhile, Rachel's become a shut-in and Nina's "pushing" men to take her out to dinner.
But those Alpha upstarts just can't be contained and soon enough, Clay is calling on Rosen and his freakshow friends to save the day. And thus it looks like season two will be all about the team working with the government to stop the greater threat of Stanton Parrish and Red Flag. Rosen's calling the shots, but his own daughter is in cahoots with Parrish, an interesting twist.
We're still not sure exactly what Parrish and his people want or how they plan to get it, aside from blowing stuff up. But a good part of the first season was about getting to know the Alpha team, which was time well spent. Hopefully this season will explore the greater world surrounding the Alphas and how they plan to navigate it, with their covers blown.
And in case you forgot, Hicks and Nina have "a thing." Unfortunately, it looks that will be a part of season two as well. If only there was an Alpha ability that shuts up annoying couples.
