Alcatraz: "Pilot" Review

Note: This is our review of the first hour of the two-hour Alcatraz premiere. Click Here for our review of the show's second episode, which aired back-to-back with the pilot.

Advance Review: With an intriguing mystery and J.J. Abrams name attached, Alcatraz certainly has a lot going for it out of the gate. So why does the first hour end up feeling so cold? While Alcatraz offers plenty to get excited about, there's something very sterile and distant about the "Pilot" that kept it from being an engaging hour of television. A big part of that has to do with the characters. There are no bad performances to speak of, but beyond the fascinating premise, there's nothing much going for Alcatraz's first hour of television.

Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones) is a San Francisco Inspector who finds herself caught up in the strange mysteries surrounding Alcatraz, as prisoners who mysteriously vanished in the 1960s begin to re-appear in the present - having not aged a day.

Rebecca is arguably the most "fleshed out" character in the pilot, with a curious personality that gets her in over-her-head. The story also delves into her family and their connections to Alcatraz. Even with some interesting bits of her back story filled in, Rebecca herself ends up being, for lack of a better word, bland. She's just going through the motions. I never get the impression that she's upset at the loss of her partner or that she's genuinely surprised by the unusual scenario posed in the pilot. She's curious and willing to break the rules, but beyond that, Rebecca is lifeless. Sarah Jones doesn't do a poor job but the range of emotions just isn't there.

Jorge Garcia talks Alcatraz

Jorge Garcia does an adequate job as well. I defended Jorge's work on Lost and I'll stand by him on Alcatraz too. Just like Sarah however, he isn't given much to work with. Dr. Diego Soto, comic book writer and Alcatraz expert, is a very cool, laid back guy but he isn't given much to do besides connect a couple of dots for Rebecca.

Sam Neill is great, but that has a lot to do with the fact that he's Sam Neill. His character, Emerson Hauser, is the man holding all the secrets at this point. His organization, which consists of a sparse few individuals, is well-aware of the unusual history of Alcatraz. Beyond that, there's not much more to tell at this point.

Essentially, these characters are missing some much-needed personality. As interesting as the mystery is, I'm not interested in any of the character storylines at this point and that's a big part of what makes a series tick. However, I wouldn't dare dismiss it right away. I remember having the same thoughts about Fringe in the early half of its first season and that show now has some of my most beloved characters on television. Alcatraz could still turn it around in that respect and if people stay for the mystery the show may have plenty of time to do just that.

One of the big issues with the pilot is that nobody seems to be profoundly taken aback by the unusual set of circumstances they find themselves in. Sam Neill's character can be forgiven, but when people are presented with a fantastic situation I sort of expect them to react accordingly. Rebecca and Dr. Soto are never given an opportunity to take a step back and ask "How is any of this even remotely possible?" They're intrigued, sure, but they should be a little freaked out by the situation. Dr. Soto does jokingly allude to the mind-blowing scenario they've been faced with near the end of the episode but Rebecca seems relatively unfazed by the whole situation. In the X-Files' pilot, Scully was rattled by a couple of mosquito bites on her back. Despite her skeptical attitude, she was still buying into Mulder's paranoia and became suitably freaked out. Alcatraz needs a little more of that.

The premise itself is intriguing with plenty of threads to make it a great mystery. It definitely feels like it is evolving into more of a procedural format than a show like Lost however. Judging by some of the episode titles, the narrative will follow Rebecca and company tracking down a new Alcatraz escapee every week. It's a sound format and if the characters find their personalities this show does have the potential to be a big hit.

Note: This is our review of the first hour of the two-hour Alcatraz premiere. Click Here for our review of the show's second episode, which aired back-to-back with the pilot - and which was the better of the two episodes!

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