Review:  Alcatraz – Season 1, Episode 2, “Ernest Cobb” – An OCD Sniper and a Few Time Travelers

Air date: Monday, January 16 at 8/7c on FOX

Rating: ★★★★★

The TV landscape is filled with shows that fall within the ‘it’s-been-done already’ category which only brings apathy to viewers.  But every so often a show comes along with a captivating concept that gets the viewers’ juices flowing with highly addictive consequences.  I predict Alcatraz is going to be that show for a lot of people.

Being impressed with Ernest Cobb's smarts, Prison Warden James (Jonny Coyne) pays him a visit.

Don’t let the initial dark, eerie voiceover and music lead you to think this is another cheesy paranormal show.  In its two-hour premiere, Alcatraz uses its first hour, “Jack Sylvane,” as an introduction to the characters and to put the show’s premise into context so the at large storyline can be set free.  The second hour, “Ernest Cobb,” serves to transition the viewers into the show’s concept and into the action without skipping a beat.

So what is Alcatraz really about?

If you missed Linda’s advance review of episode one, Alcatraz deals with events stemming from the closing of the Alcatraz prison on March 21, 1963 in which it’s believed 256 prisoners were transferred out of the island.  Another version of events tells the tale that those inmates, along with 46 guards, disappeared and were never to be found. Those accounts begin materializing when criminal evidence incriminates these inmates in present day crimes. Things get more perplexing when the inmates, most believed to have been long dead, pop up looking as if they hadn’t aged in 50 years. Yet, a mysterious federal agent, Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill), has somehow been expecting them to pop up and has the means, resources and authority to track down these criminals.

Sarah Jones plays a smart detective with a strong determination to catch perpetrators.

Moving to the second hour, “Ernest Cobb” reveals the personal ties which lead Detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones, Sons of Anarchy) to be thrown in the mix of this enigmatic situation beyond her determination to catch criminals.  Rounding up the Alcatraz team is Hauser’s right-hand technician, Lucy Banjeree (Parminder Nagra) and Rebecca’s unlikely partner, Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia). Each episode this season is named after one of the people missing from Alcatraz while “Team Alcatraz” must retrace the steps from the past to the present to solve the modern day crimes committed by these inmates and also to apprehend them.

The show does a great job in engaging viewers through the dialogue via asking explicit questions to point out key aspects of the evidence and possible hypotheses. It’s an effective technique that allows the clarification of the plot and case details as it advances the action forward. With this technique, we come to learn more about the motivations and patterns of behavior of the criminals. My mind sought out more details and clues to try to unveil the two-fold mystery each episode brings:  the individual case of the Alcatraz inmate who resurfaces and the larger issue of who is behind the 1963 disappearance.

The dynamics between Rebecca (Jones) and Hauser (Neil) are filled with frustration, jabs and distrust.

I really enjoy the interactions between Hauser and Rebecca. Additionally, Neill does a great job in making it apparent his character has come a long way from being the nervous and eager, relatively new, guard when he began his duties at Alcatraz. That 1963 incident caused a shift in his personality, clearly hardening him and it’s obvious he knows more than what he’s willing to share. How much Hauser and Rebecca frustrate each other is fun to watch; neither one passes on the opportunity to take a jab at each other.  Jones does a great job in making us believe Rebecca is a tough and a capable detective but I will say the narrative goes a bit too far –from a cliché standpoint –  in informing us of how cool or hot others think she is.  She appears to have a loaded back story based on being raised as an orphan and being unable to save her former partner. Things that make you go hmm!  The situation gets more complicated when the Cobb investigation leads her to find out her deceased grandfather, Tommy Madsen (David Hoflin), wasn’t an Alcatraz guard long believed to be dead.  He is the man responsible from her partner’s death just a few months ago and is quite possibly a key piece in helping solve the Alcatraz 1963 disappearance riddle.

Garcia is likeable in his portrayal of Soto, Rebecca’s new partner and acts like her personal Google search engine regarding all things Alcatraz. Soto, as a character, offers a balance to the intensity and physicality of Madsen.  Their partnership is portrayed in a realistic way from a contribution and emotional standpoint. The breakdown Rebecca has in the bathroom scene and how Soto, a mere civilian until recently, is shaken up with the violence of the cases is realistic.

Federal technician Lucy Banjeree (Parminder Nagra) and Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia)

Since the criminal is a sniper, Soto and Rebecca quickly focus on the limited choice of weapons the perpetrator could be using as it requires skills.  It leads them on a hot trail to Cobb (Joe Egender) who happens to be expecting them. Cobb’s case is intriguing because he isn’t a dumb criminal and it’s interesting to see how his OCD plays up to his methodical and purposeful nature.

The level of risk for Team Alcatraz becomes real when Lucy is shot by Cobb. Nagra plays the good cop version of the Federal team bad cop act very well, and I like her characterization places Lucy above the stereotypical workaholic assistant who follows her boss in a puppy-like manner. Lucy sees Rebecca and Soto beyond them being the expendable muscle of the operation but there is also a colder side to her that is worth keeping an eye on.  The attempt on Lucy’s life forces Hauser to up his game against Sylvane (Jeffrey Pierce) to find out if she was an intended target but as expected, Sylvane is not speaking.  Ultimately, Rebecca and Soto’s tenacity pays up as they figure out that the extremely smart Cobb made a scope that allowed him to learn the layout of 1963 San Francisco and which allows them to narrow down possible sniper locations.

Joe Egender does a terrific job in portraying a methodical and obsessive compulsive sniper.

As the episode comes to an end, my head is about to explode with questions. What does anyone really know about the re-emergence of the criminals? Is Sylvane’s key important and could it be one of the Alcatraz elevator keys Soto mentions?  How about the twist at the end during the closing Cobb flashback (especially with Lucy being shot and in a coma)?  And why is the new prison mirroring the interior layout of the old “Rock”?

From an overall standpoint, the cinematography in the series premiere is beautiful and grainy, and the introductions to characters and situations are very visual and specific, a critical element whenever a complex story is being told.  The storytelling and editing are extremely efficient which makes the action move quickly. There are no shortcuts in the elaboration and depiction of the story arcs.  Flashbacks and dialogue are cleverly used to connect the past and present, particularly in regards to Sylvane, Cobb and Tommy Madsen.  As constructive criticism, I will say Soto and Rebecca pick up investigative leads a little too easy but from a big picture perspective; this is an extremely well produced, acted and directed series. I’m excited at how the Alcatraz writing and producing teams are weaving a very complex web in which the past and present are fluidly connected. Just like Madsen and Soto, I will be impatiently waiting for the next time traveler to pop up a week from today.

Tune in to Alcatraz Mondays at 9/8c only on FOX.

For all things Alcatraz, visit the show’s official site at http://www.fox.com/alcatraz.

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