Alphas: Review: Season 1 Eps 6, 7 & 8

Syfy, 15, 22, 29 August

Bill and Gary are thrown together on a mission, an on-the-run genius is aided by the team, and Hicks and Nina find salvation thanks to cult leader Jonas…

Forget the gangster plot of ‘Bill and Gary’s Excellent Adventure’, the fun in this episode is seeing these two characters bonding through their odd couple capers. As in recent episodes, Ryan Cartwright’s Gary is proving to be this show’s break-out character. Stargate Universe’s Alaina Huffman is rather wasted in a thankless role.

‘Catch and Release’ is almost entirely forgettable, unfortunately. Fulfilling her contract to appear in every American TV show, Dollhouse’s Summer Glau plays Skylar, who has built an ‘alpha tracker’ that could be put to evil uses. All she’s interested in, though, is reconnecting with her young daughter. It’s by-the-numbers stuff, not bad, but not that engaging either.

Finally, the always good value Garrett Dillahunt guest stars in ‘A Short Time in Paradise’ as a cult leader offering his followers short-lived nirvana (followed by the side-effect of a painful death). Also nice to see Dmitry Chepovetsky (from quality Canadian show Re:Genesis) once again on TV. This is an effective siege episode, with lots for the main characters to do and an engaging moral debate thrown in.

Verdict: Although sometimes a bit hit and miss, Alphas is growing into a worthwhile addition to the telefantasy schedules.

Episode 6 ‘Bill and Gary’s Excellent Adventure’: 8/10

Episode 7: ‘Catch and Release’: 5/10

Episode 8: ‘A Short Time in Paradise’: 7/10