ALPHAS: Now That’s How You End a Season

I can’t help, as Alphas’s first season comes to a close, but to think back on Heroes. It wasn’t until the fourth season of Heroes that it was revealed to the world that people with abilities existed. And what purpose did it serve? We’ll never really know, because the show was canceled after that. But Alphas chose to end its freshman run with the same big reveal:  Alphas exist. But along with that revelation came much more. These are people, and they deserve to be treated as such. Yes, there is a terrorist organization comprised entirely of people with abilities, but that’s hardly something unique to Alphas.

So in short, despite Heroes’ longer run, Alphas handled a shared situation with more skill than you’d expect from such a young show. Rosen’s speech was packed with meaning, and you could feel the weight of his words. What made it hit home even more was the reveal that Dani is working with Parish. There are big things happening behind the scenes.

The introduction of both Dani and Parish did the show a great service. Dani helps us understand exactly why Rosen has chosen to work so closely with Alphas. As Rosen’s daughter, she lets us know about his past in a much more personal way than we get just from him recounting it. This way we get to see someone who was greatly affected by Rosen’s past. And Parish fills the void that Red Flag never quite could. Red Flag was too faceless of an organization. Sure, it had Anna (more on her in a bit), but she wasn’t the boss. Parish is the villain the show needed to tie everything together. Having him around next season should kick things up a notch and add a greater arc to the season.

Through out the season, Gary has been my favorite character out of the main six. He’s grown the most notably, gaining much needed independence from his fearful mother and developing a strangely touching relationship with Anna. He can be so unintentionally funny with lines like “Don’t put your fingers in my streams,” yet so endearing. My heartstrings were tugged when Anna reached for his hand, and while he initially pulled away, he realizes what she’s doing and gives it to her. Ryan Cartwright delivered a fantastic performance, especially upon finding Anna’s dead body. He completely sells Gary’s incomprehension and subsequent rage.

That entire scene in the gas-filled warehouse was about as tense as this show could have gotten. There was so much going on; so much violence, it was nauseating. Our Alphas have been through so much this season, nearly died so many times, but that raid on Red Flag was about as harrowing as things could get. I’ll admit I wasn’t 100% sure everyone would make it out in one piece. It was a very close call for Gary, in particular.

This finale amped the danger levels beyond anything we could have expected and in a very satisfying way. Despite some minor hiccups (I don’t like unexplained powers) I am more excited than ever for Season 2.