Review: Alcatraz – “Pilot/Ernest Cobb”
“On March 21, 1963, Alcatraz officially closed. All the prisoners were transferred off the island. Only that’s not what happened. Not at all.”
What really happened, it turns out, is that all 302 of the prisoners and guards on Alcatraz that night mysteriously vanished without a trace. Now, in 2012, they are re-appearing without having aged a day. These returnees are some of the most dangerous criminals in history, so naturally it’s up to the determined Detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones), the Alcatraz-expert Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia), and the enigmatic FBI Agent Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill) to discover the mysteries surrounding Alcatraz.
This is the basic premise behind Alcatraz, super-producer J.J. Abrams’ latest attempt at taking the television world by storm. Alcatraz also represents the latest attempt by a television network (in this case FOX) to recapture the fervour of Lost, and the similarities are certainly there – both shows take place on a mysterious island, both feature Jorge Garcia in a starring role, both feature a variety of sci-fi elements, and both use flashbacks as a main storytelling device.
All this being said, Alcatraz probably has more in common with the other Abrams/FOX collaboration – Fringe. Just like Fringe, Alcatraz features a much smaller cast and a more procedural feel. There are over 250 criminals for our team of protagonists to chase after, so the show could have a long life following the “returning villain-of-the-week” model (which it looks to be doing, at least for now). It could be so much more, however. While Fringe started off as a fairly standard crime procedural incorporating sci-fi elements, it slowly grew its mythology and its characters, season after season, and is currently one of the best things on network television. I’m hoping that the same holds true for Alcatraz. Television has enough procedurals that follow a “case-of-the-week” structure. In order for Alcatraz to break out of this mould, the writers and actors are really going to have to work on building and defining these characters, because without them, the mythology is meaningless.
It’s not amazing television (yet), but Alcatraz definitely shows some strong potential. The characters aren’t very well developed yet and the procedural elements could easily bog the show down, but those are two criticisms that I would have levelled at Fringe in its first season as well, and it has grown into the best sci-fi show currently on television. The various mysteries at the show’s core have definitely intrigued me enough to keep me tuning in week-to-week.
Ultimately, the show’s success is going to hinge on whether or not the writers can pay off the mysteries they’ve set up, and, more importantly, whether or not these character’s life prove worthy of investing in. In either case, it’s much too early to tell.
Andrew Stewart
Recent Comments