Certainly an improvement over the previous disastrous Jim Jones-style preacher episode, "Blind Spot" is enhanced by guest star Brent Spiner, but still leaves the ALPHAS series in search of forward momentum.
Director Michael Watkins does a decent job of keeping things moving, constrained by the entire segment taking place inside the team's headquarters -no exterior shots at all. Spiner is a blind mad scientist (and alpha) who is working with a terrorist group, and our heroes must break him.
Meanwhile an invisible presence is wreaking minor havoc -turning out to be an alumna from the "Lost" series, who's merely a mercenary out to kill Spiner. Lots of pyrotechnics and special physical effects compensate for the lack of scope in the story.
Strathairn is thoughtful as usual, too intellectual for the role in my opinion, when action and decisiveness are at a premium. Development of the characters and their relationships is nonexistent (very bad move for a new show), with the only ongoing issue being Malik Yoba's ongoing temporary (one assumes) loss of his Alpha power.
Unlike its model show, NBC's "Heroes", ALPHAS seems to be settling into an unimaginative format -judging by these two weeks in a row subpar entries. The team, despite its vaunted super-powers, is overwhelmed by some villain and manages to somehow (mainly by luck) squeak out nearly unscathed by hook or by crook by show's end. I don't know if regular fans accept this at face value, but for someone who hasn't been won over yet it smacks of lazy scripting and an inferior "series bible" describing where the show's heading...
Director Michael Watkins does a decent job of keeping things moving, constrained by the entire segment taking place inside the team's headquarters -no exterior shots at all. Spiner is a blind mad scientist (and alpha) who is working with a terrorist group, and our heroes must break him.
Meanwhile an invisible presence is wreaking minor havoc -turning out to be an alumna from the "Lost" series, who's merely a mercenary out to kill Spiner. Lots of pyrotechnics and special physical effects compensate for the lack of scope in the story.
Strathairn is thoughtful as usual, too intellectual for the role in my opinion, when action and decisiveness are at a premium. Development of the characters and their relationships is nonexistent (very bad move for a new show), with the only ongoing issue being Malik Yoba's ongoing temporary (one assumes) loss of his Alpha power.
Unlike its model show, NBC's "Heroes", ALPHAS seems to be settling into an unimaginative format -judging by these two weeks in a row subpar entries. The team, despite its vaunted super-powers, is overwhelmed by some villain and manages to somehow (mainly by luck) squeak out nearly unscathed by hook or by crook by show's end. I don't know if regular fans accept this at face value, but for someone who hasn't been won over yet it smacks of lazy scripting and an inferior "series bible" describing where the show's heading...
