Alphas 1x06 Review

Episode Title: Bill and Gary's Excellent Adventure
Overall Season Rating: B+
Episode Rating: C+

The title of this episode literally caused me to laugh out loud and say something to the effect of "Genius". Sadly, that was the only part of this episode that I really liked at all. This review will be pretty short since I didn't like the episode much, and honestly even if I did, I don't know what I would say about it. No mention of Red Flag, no new Alpha, and the new information we got about the characters wasn't all that interesting.

Alphas 1x05 Review

Episode Title: Never Let Me Go
Overall Season Rating: A-
Episode Rating: A-

This week's episode is about love and loss. I think Alphas' greatest strength is that they connect enhanced human powers to emotions better than most shows, or even comic books have done. Sometimes I do get a little tired of all the emo stuff, but it is done well. Rachel has issues with her parents, Hicks has confidence issues, Gary can be a little selfish, and Nina has a past that gives her issues. In my opinion, this makes the show seem more real, which is a good thing but also can hurt it in the future if they keep focusing on it.

This week, we meet an Alpha who has the power to release a chemical called Oxytocin. This is what makes us feel very close attachments to people, and feel "love". The sudden removal of it is also what causes the very real physical pain we feel when we lose someone we love. I checked on Wikipedia and found that not only are they pretty much dead right in the show, the article also says that it makes 100% sense that she would gain this power, or at least become aware of it when Chris was born. During and after childbirth women have larger amounts of this chemical.

Alphas 1x04 Review

Episode Title: Rosetta
Overall Season Rating: A-
Episode Rating: A-

This week on Alphas we get to explore Gary a lot more. Up until now he's mainly been comic relief. He listens to his signals, tells them what he knows and makes a joke about being annoying. This episode though he finally finds someone like him. I love how it forces him to realize that he can take care of himself, and that he wants to be more independent. I like his character a lot. He complains, but in a different way than the others. He clearly has a mental disorder to go along with his power, where as the others are just mentally unstable at times. At the end of the episode we see a major change in the way he sees himself, and Dr. Rosen. I really hope they build on this, and keep allowing him to expand his role.

The villains this week brings back Red Flag. The evil Alpha organization that tried to kill Rosen in the premiere. We learn a lot more about them, and the show smartly shows us that they aren't just crazy killers. They have something they stand for, and maybe they have a right to be a little upset. They go too far of course, but even Rosen can see their point of view by the end. Got to love a show that shows both point of views, and accepts that the villains' cause isn't one dimensional.

Read on for the episode recap.

Alphas 1x03 Review

Episode Title: Anger Management
Overall Season Rating: A-
Episode Rating: A-

Alphas is turning out to be a pretty heavy show. So far all three episodes have dealt with much more serious issues than I imagined. These are not fun adventures they go on, these are dangerous missions. Along with the powers, the show also deals with the psyche of the characters. We get deep exploration of the good guys, and the bad. Last week we had a man who had been traumatized by his treatment at the hospital where Rosen sends most of the Alphas he meets. This week, we meet a kid who has to deal with anger and violence following him where ever he goes. He too it seems had a very traumatic past.

I hope the show doesn't shy away from this aspect in later episodes. I think it's a strength, and sets it apart from the many shows about people with powers that have come and gone in recent years. These are not super heroes, or people altered by something crazy. This is a group of regular, and troubled people who have special abilities. I like that so far, none of the abilities are really out of this world. They all pretty much just have enhanced human skills. That makes it very real, and allows us to understand their struggle.

I want to apologize for there being no review last week.

Read on for the episode recap

Alphas Series Premiere Review

Episode: 1x01 Pilot
Overall Season Rating: A-
Episode Rating: A-

Alphas is a nice new take on a very old theme. Regular people with amazing abilities. What's the difference between this and Heroes, or X-Men, or No Ordinary Family? Well that's simple, there's no "Origin Story". As the show begins they have their powers, are familiar with them, and even are on a team. Because of this, we don't have one a cliche'd "looks what I can do!!!!" scenes. There's no "I can't tell anyone, I'm a freak!" scenes either. This is refreshing, and allows the pilot episode to focus, not on them getting their powers, but on what they do with them.

I'll talk about the powers and the characters more in the spoiler section, but know that I like them a lot. There are some aspects of a couple of the characters that bother me, but I'm thinking those will be fleeting. What I mean by that is, certain characters may have said for behaved a certain way so we learn more about them a little faster. Again, more in the spoiler section. The plot of the episode perfectly sets up the rest of the series. It appears this show will be somewhat serialized, but also be a procedural crime show in the way Fringe is. Each week there will be a new case for them, and it probably will all connect to the central baddie of the series. Another fascinating thing about the show is that their powers don't always work. Sometimes they need a trigger; either emotional, or physical.  

Like I do for all premieres, I will simply list what I liked, and what I didn't like rather than a full on episode recap. For those wondering why I do the recaps, this is The Flashbacks Podcast Blog after all and recaps were our trademark. It's actually pretty non-spoilery below the fold this time.

What's new for July?

It's officially Summer and TV is about to get crazy. There are a lot of shows starting in July that we'll be covering here on The Flashbacks Podcast Blog. There also are a few big movies that I've been looking forward to for a long time. Let's get started shall we?

Television: 

Torchwood: Miracle Day(July 8 on Starz): The epic Doctor Who spin-off series returns for its fourth season. Now taking place in the United States, and airing Starz. I love Doctor Who, and I LOVE John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness! All I know about the season is that due to some craziness no one on Earth can die. Welcome to Miracle Day! I will be doing regular reviews of this show, and it will hopefully keep me happy while I wait for the 2nd half of Series 6 of Doctor Who to start.

Curb Your Enthusiasm(July 10 on HBO): Larry David is back as everyone's favorite neurotic for an incredible 8th season.. I have no idea how they are going to top last season's "Seinfeld Reunion" arc, but we shall see. I love this show, and if you were a Seinfeld fan you will too. Unlike most shows on TV you can pretty much jump into this show whenever you want. Much like Seinfeld none of the characters have a very long memory, and each episode is just about Larry getting into trouble, and then freaking out. The show also proves that the real comic genius at Seinfeld was in fact Larry David.

Alphas(July 11 on Syfy): This is a new show that is exactly like Heroes, except they actually team up as superheroes instead of "trying to fit in". I might be totally wrong, but the commercials make it seem like there is more of a centralized mission of both the good guys, and the bad. Super hero shows have not been successful over the past few years, but I hope this one changes that trend. Syfy did an outstanding job with Being Human, hopefully the same will be true for Alphas.

Eureka(July 11 on Syfy): Everyone's favorite town of geniuses returns for the 2nd half of its 4th season. I've always been a fan of this show. Every week they take real scientific principles and tweak them just a bit to make it fun, and work in the fictional world they've created. Since I've always been interested in all kinds of sciences, that aspect gets my geeky blood pumping. Plus, who doesn't love Colin Ferguson as Sheriff Jack Carter, and Twitter beast Neil Grayston as Dr. Douglas Fargo. It might be too silly at times, but I love it.

Breaking Bad(July 17 on AMC): The best show on Television finally returns after more than a year for its 4th season. The season 3 finale ended with a spectacular cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to see how it turned out, and what the repercussions will be. I won't be spoilery here at all, but if you are not watching Breaking Bad you are missing out on the best show on TV, period.

If there is a show you want us to cover, just put it in the comments, and we will seriously consider it.

Movies: 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2(July 15): What else is there to say? The EPIC finale of the decade long film series based on the best selling series by J. K. Rowling. I will be watching this at a midnight showing with many many people. Not sure at all when I'll get home, but I'll have the review up sometime early on Friday. Expecto Patronum!!!

Captain America(July 22): Chris Evans(who already played Human Torch in the Fantastic Four) plays Steve Rogers. A skinny and small kid who wants to fight for his nation in World War Two is asked to participate in an experiment. It works, and turns him into one of Marvel's most popular, and well known super heroes, Captain America! Captain America is pretty much the Marvel version of Superman sans all the super human alien powers. The trailers for this movie look outstanding, and I'm a big fan of Chris Evans. This movie is also the main one leading into next year's The Avengers. Can't wait.

Cowboys and Aliens(July 29): It's directed by Jon Favreau, and stars Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, and Olivia Wilde. What else is there to say? This movie looks insane, and I'm not even sure there's a plot. All we know is that aliens attack a group of cowboys, and they fight back. I imagine they were just pulling words out of a hat, and then decided they had to come up with a story. Favreau directed both Iron Mans so we know he can do this type of movie very well. I am definitely looking forward to this silly popcorn movie with a dream cast.


Podcast: 
Due to the influx of TV shows on Monday, the podcast recording is being moved to Tuesdays.

July 5 - The X-Files: Dark of the Moon: On this show we'll discuss the new Transformers movie. Probably make fun of it, and comment on the amazing cameos. Then the main part of the show will be about The X-Files. I'll give a little history lesson, talk about the seasons with as few spoilers as I can, and talk about the two movies. Then maybe talk about the impact it had on the genre, which was fairly large.

July 19 - The Deathly Flashbacks - This show will be almost exclusively about the new Harry Potter movie. Except for the beginning, it will be quite spoilery. This show should have quite a group since several friends of the show are big fans.


Once again, if there is anything you think we should add to the blog, or the podcast please post it in the comments.