Review:  Alcatraz – Season 1, Episode 9, “Sonny Burnett”

Air date: Monday, March 5, 2012 at 9/8c on FOX

Rating: ★★★★★

In Alcatraz, the past continues to creep into the present. Sonny Burnett (Theo Rossi of Sons of Anarchy) ends up in prison for kidnapping, and puts his life on the line by guaranteeing $100,000 of hidden money to an inmate ‘boss’ in exchange for his safety during his two-year prison stint. When the money can’t be found, his life is endangered, leading to a scary transformation. The new and improved Sonny returns to present-day San Francisco, with vengeance on his mind.

Survival is the focus of this week’s Alcatraz.  It starts with Rebecca (Sarah Jones) waking up from a nightmare, reaching for her gun, scared by visions of being stalked by her criminal grandfather Tommy Madsen (David Hoflin). And Doctor Beauregard (Leon Rippy) comes up with a crafty plan to leverage with the ‘63s’ to save Lucy (Parminder Nagra), giving hope to Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill).  Blood ties continue to prove strong as Archer (Robert Foster) seeks to protect Rebecca from both Hauser and Madsen.

Theo Rossi of Sons of Anarchy guest stars as former inmate Sonny Burnet.

Rossi has to be one of the most anticipated guest stars on Alcatraz. He proves worthy of the buzz, playing someone who goes from businessman to timid frail inmate to brutal murderer with ease.  It’s a real treat to see Rossi play Burnett initially as a non-violent man who turns angry after being betrayed, and then seeing how far he’s willing to go when forced into a corner. His character’s physical and mental transformation is interesting to witness, and it gets even better when Rossi reveals his great shape!

Burnett was known for safely returning his kidnapping victims after payment. Now that he’s re-emerged, he’s kidnapped a wealthy businessman. Does this mean he’s going back to his old ways or is he a changed man?

I am glad to see E.B. Tiller (Jason Butler Harner) featured prominently in this episode, as he’s the catalyst for Burnett’s transformation, quite possibly a dare to Warden James (Jonny Coyne) for questioning him. Tiller pushes Burnett hard, forcing him to choose between being predator or prey and making it clear the change needs to be absolute.  Aside from Tiller’s personal agenda, it’s ironic he may have been the only friend Burnett ever had within the prison walls as he forces him to deal with the realities of life as an inmate.

As team Alcatraz investigates Burnett’s latest crime and re-emergence, Rebecca needs some appreciation as she cuts through the BS from the victim’s wife Helen (Wendy Crewson), who was also kidnapped when she was 14.  Hmm, Rebecca is smart, as she’s able to figure out that some of the dots don’t connect in the situation.

Rebecca (Sarah Jones) knows Helen (guest star Wendy Crewson) is hiding something.

Waiting for the ransom call and the delivery of Helen’s husband ends up being a futile exercise. Helen finds out the high price she must pay for betraying Burnett, and is forced to confess what really happened 50 years ago. With the truth revealed, I was expecting Hauser to finish her off as she is now privy to the time traveling mystery, but I guess it must have been her lucky day.

This time, Doc (Jorge Garcia) doesn’t get beaten up and his computer skills help locate Burnett. The hot trail reveals the monstrosity of Burnett’s plans and how far he’s willing to go to seek revenge.

As team Alcatraz chases Burnett, I noticed the vintage Mustang has the ability to receive hands-free mobile calls just like Hauser’s modern car.  Anyone else catch that, too? Ahem, I do nitpick at times.

Overall, I must say my favorite storyline in “Sonny Burnett” is the increased tension between Tiller and Warden James. I’m not sure how most people feel about their little pissing contest but I find it thrilling, especially when Tiller takes the opportunity to surprise the Warden with a little experiment of his own: Burnett’s transformation. I’m positive we’re just scratching the surface regarding this issue, and I wonder how long the leader of the pack will continue to remain alpha dog.

In the meantime, Hauser continues his hunt for Madsen. With this in mind, he’s been having Archer followed, thinking his old colleague will lead him to the elusive former Alcatraz prisoner. I think Hauser may want to reconsider his strategy as the path to Madsen may actually come through Rebecca.

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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