Alcatraz 1x03 Review

Kit Nelson


The third episode of Alcatraz picks right up with the action without skipping a beat. We have a new prisoner to track down, and equally scary to last week's sniper, Kit Nelson.

In this episode we also learn a good amount about Diego. I again loved the way his character is portrayed. He's the regular guy of the group, but he's also a genius when it comes to Alcatraz and his presence is sorely needed. Both Rebecca and Hauser agree that he is needed on this team. The scene where Hauser reveals he called off the Amber Alert was hard to watch. Here's a man who would sacrifice a child in order to keep this secret. There are people who are wondering if Hauser is a good guy or a bad guy, but I don't think that's the right question.

I think the question is, what is he trying to do? He's capturing all the bad guys, and puts them in a secret prison. That's what good guys do, and secret prison makes sense, you can't exactly turn them over to the regular authorities. The question is why? I've heard the theory that once everyone is recaptured he will be able to send them all back. I like that theory, but first how could he possibly know that? I think the question of, "What is Hauser doing with these prisoners?" and "Why/How did they come to the future?" are connected. I think whatever the reason they are being imprisoned in this secret place has to do with the overall plan. I'm not sure how yet, but that's my theory,

Kit Nelson was a pretty scary villain. A child kidnapper and murderer. We find out that he killed his brother because he wanted attention, and then realized he liked killing. One thing the show does very well is provide us with background of the criminals, but not make us feel bad for them, or start to root for them. Even though the Warden isn't treating him well in the scene in solitary there is never a moment where you feel sorry for Nelson. I like that, and I think it's important that we don't like these guys. They are violent criminals, and building them up as more endearing characters would take away from the current mission as we know it.

There was no new information on Lucy, but it would appear that the Alcatraz doctor is there. I might be wrong about this though, and if I am please inform me. In this scene though, Hauser brings the dead Nelson in and says "do what you can." Can they bring him back to life? What the hell? If that is indeed the case, then Hauser is far more connected than simply a prison guard who has been tracking these people down. He is fully into the mystery and knows exactly what happened, and why.  Okay, maybe not all that, but it certainly would be a huge development.

The scene at the end with Diego and the kid was amazing. The kid saying that he didn't give up, just like Diego told him was very moving. Loved Jorge in that scene too. I think even if Diego feels he's out of his league or can't take what's happening that he realized how important he is to this team. They need him, and his humanity.

I'm still very much liking the show, and hope the intensity stays on 11!  Can't wait for the next episode.