TV-Reviewed

Another new Bad Robot series? I’m totally there. Add in the fact that Jorge Garcia is a part of it and it’s got all I need to at least want to check it out. Alcatraz was a show I tried not to get too deep into before the series premiered. I wanted to learn as much as I could by just watching the series and not reading spoilers and producer interviews. I don’t regret that decision one bit.

Alcatraz is an interesting blend of police procedural drama and a tinge of science fiction mystery. I say “science fiction” just because there’s got to be some sort of sci-fi twist to explain what’s going on here. When the famous Alcatraz prison closed down in 1963, the prisoners and guards certainly went somewhere. It’s just clear where, how, or by whom.

Sarah Jones as Rebecca Madsen is a fresh face for me. I don’t recall seeing her before. I know amongst her credits is Sons of Anarchy, but I’ve not watched the series in quite some time. She seems perfectly cast as the aggressive go-getter cop who is trying to learn what’s going on with the Alcatraz mystery.

Jeffrey Pierce as Jack Sylvane

Madsen’s issues with partners just felt a little tired… a little cliched. How many cop shows and movies feature this with their main character?!

Jorge Garcia as Doctor Diego Soto was definitely interesting casting decision. His ties to Lost and Bad Robot are already established. Him as a comic book store owner wasn’t that big of a stretch for me.

Sam Neill as Emerson Hauser was another terrific piece of casting. For me, Neill will always be Dr. Alan Grant from Jurassic Park. Neill is a fascinating character actor as it’s not always clear whether he’s playing a good guy or a bad guy. As we would learn by the end of the episode, Neill’s Emerson Hauser is a pretty interesting villain.

Like Sarah Jones, Parminder Nagra as Doctor Lucy Banerjee is another fresh face for me. I’ve learned she was on ER, but that’s not a show I’ve ever seen. We didn’t learn a whole lot about Dr. Banerjee in the pilot so I don’t know what to make of her just yet.

Jack Sylvane (Jeffrey Pierce) led us on a pretty thrilling journey through San Francisco. I was really looking forward to that reunion with his brother towards the end of the episode. It proved totally worth it. I can’t imagine I would have acted any differently. If my brother, who I believed were to have died decades ago, appeared before me just as he looked the last time I saw him, I’d probably drop whatever I had in my hand as well.

One of the biggest issues I had with the pilot is the overwhelmingly convenient connections the Madsens had to the Alcatraz prison. It’s frankly a little ridiculous.

Overall, I felt that Alcatraz’s “Pilot” episode was very good. Like any good mystery series, Alcatraz left a ton of questions unanswered. I’m really excited to see where things go from here.

Rating: 7.5