{"id":28492,"date":"2011-09-19T16:53:44","date_gmt":"2011-09-19T23:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wormholeriders.com\/blog\/?p=28492"},"modified":"2017-11-22T10:18:44","modified_gmt":"2017-11-22T18:18:44","slug":"alphas-blind-spot-fringe-elements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/alphas\/?p=28492","title":{"rendered":"Alphas: “Blind Spot” – Fringe Elements"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Alphas<\/a><\/p>\n

Welcome back Alphas fans!\"Syfy<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So as the season begins to draw to a close, Syfy\u2019s Alphas<\/em> is pulling some old tricks out of its still-new hat.\u00a0 One of those said tricks is the ever-popular back-to-school theme.\u00a0 Monday\u2019s lesson began with the first sentence of the entire episode.\u00a0 \u201cPossible Red Flag prisoner in our office.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Now, truth be told, it does not matter just how high-tech your holding cell is.\u00a0 It does not matter if you have strict surveillance.\u00a0 It does not even matter if you have an Alpha who can read minds (we have not seen that one yet).\u00a0 There is just one lesson that you need to know.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Alphas<\/em> Lesson #4: Always meet the enemy on neutral ground.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Your professors this hour are Doctor Kern, (Brent Spiner<\/a>), and Griffin, (Rebecca Mader<\/a>).\u00a0 Take notes if any appear, put on your hard hats for when the ceiling starts falling, and pay no attention to that shadow out of the corner of your eye.\u00a0 It is all part of the course.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Cue the tardy bell.\u00a0 Everyone in their seats?\u00a0 Off we go, then.\u00a0 MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Doctor Lee Rosen, (David Strathairn<\/a>), and Bill Harken, (Malik Yoba<\/a>), set the stage for Nina Theroux, (Laura Mennell<\/a>), and Cameron Hicks, (Warren Christie<\/a>), to bring in a prisoner possibly associated with Red Flag.\u00a0 Right on cue, the moment the prisoner arrives, strange things begin happening around the office. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a><\/p>\n

The Alphas feel they\u2019re being watched.\u00a0 Strange cracks appear in the walls and windows.\u00a0 Gary Bell, (Ryan Cartwright<\/a>), gets very upset to find out his phone has been stolen, and before long Rachel Pirzad, (Azita Ghanizada<\/a>), goes missing after following her heightened senses to an elevator.\u00a0 Dancing around all of this is the mesmerizing, enigmatic, and possibly evil Doctor Kern, the aforementioned prisoner who reveals that not only is he associated with Red Flag, but he is attempting to create Alphas by altering prenatal vitamins which he then prescribes to pregnant mothers.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The plot thickens as Kern reveals that he is not behind Rachel\u2019s disappearance, but he knows who is.\u00a0 An Alpha named Griffin (Rebecca Mader<\/a>), who is a mercenary that works for no one, is after him, seeking to bring him in for a bounty reward.\u00a0 Rosen deduces through the clues given to them that Griffin\u2019s Alpha ability allows her to take advantage of a person\u2019s \u2018blind spot\u2019 – to stay just out of peripheral vision so that our own natural radar is raised, but we never see what is lingering so close. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a>
\n<\/span>After Griffin is trapped, (rather heroically by Rachel and Gary), she reveals cockily that she is truly not the bad guy, and that Kern is the true enemy of the Alphas.\u00a0 Caught between two, Rosen does not realize which way to lean until it is too late.\u00a0 Doctor Kern\u2019s Alpha ability of echolocation has a side effect of sonically attacking the structure of a building.\u00a0 The holding cell he is pinned in shakes apart, and soon the entire building is at risk.\u00a0 Only a well-placed piece of glass from Griffin saves the Alphas, and the mercenary herself vanishes without a trace, leaving behind only a name and the sensation that she could be a potential ally.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The starting and ending lines of the episode form a nice little summary of what is likely to be the end of Alphas<\/em> season 1.\u00a0 \u201cPossible Red Flag prisoners in our office?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cThings aren\u2019t going to get any easier, are they?\u201d\u00a0 Everything now is beginning to come to a head, and with next week\u2019s hint that one of the Alphas themselves is an informant to Red Flag, (theories?\u00a0 Go on.\u00a0 Who is it?\u00a0 I’ve got my idea.), Rachel\u2019s overall assessment of the lifestyle of an Alpha is ringing true. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a><\/p>\n

This week was the most intense episode yet as the danger level came home, but on a personal level this episode also gave further insights into the characters.\u00a0 Little details are hammering home.\u00a0 The Alphas, no matter how close they are, are still five people with their own opinions and their own relationships and their own problems.\u00a0 In all seriousness, how long can each of them keep this up?\u00a0 And why would they?\u00a0 Is the money that great, or do each of them have a specific goal they are working towards?\u00a0 Perhaps these questions will be answered in later seasons, but I think we\u2019re going to see the first stone fly in a couple of weeks – if not next week!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Bill has an interesting little subplot this week still dealing with the fallout of meeting the Angel Alpha.\u00a0 While neither Cameron nor Nina are showing aftereffects of their \u201cshort time in Paradise\u201d, Bill remains unable to \u201camp up\u201d – or regain his power.\u00a0 The personality change is surprising.\u00a0 Bill\u2019s sense of humor is lighter, his sarcasm is gone.\u00a0 He\u2019s no longer so gruff and, as Gary blithely puts it: his veins: \u201cdon\u2019t stand out anymore.\u201d\u00a0 We\u2019ve known for the whole series that each one of the Alphas\u2019 abilities comes with a price.\u00a0 Cameron\u2019s ability fades and he becomes almost clumsy.\u00a0 Nina has no idea if anyone she talks to is responding to her, or her push.\u00a0 Bill suffers extreme weakness.\u00a0 Gary gets headaches.\u00a0 Rachel loses her other senses. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a><\/p>\n

This is the first time we\u2019ve been exposed to other side effects of the abilities.\u00a0 At home, Bill was the warm bear, and at work he was the gruff lion.\u00a0 Now, without his ability, he is gentle all the time.\u00a0 He even blames the ability for his issues with anger and his marriage.\u00a0 Now that he is no longer an Alpha, he even mentions about how he is \u2018in control all the time\u2019, which is something we\u2019ve known Bill prefers.\u00a0 To him, losing his ability must be a gift.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a>
\n<\/span>How the others react to Bill\u2019s \u2018inability\u2019 is just as interesting.\u00a0 Gary is extremely annoyed, complaining endlessly that Bill: \u201cbeing different [and] being gone is the same thing,\u201d (his unique perspective on the world coming out again).\u00a0 He comments that he liked the \u2018old Bill better\u2019, and we can see through his blunt if nondescript wording that Gary misses his friend.\u00a0 Of course, the old unspoken affection returns as Bill attempts to hug Gary and Gary refuses.\u00a0 There are some lines you just don\u2019t cross, even with personality changes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Fascinatingly enough, Doctor Rosen is the most disturbed, and his reasons for doing so are vague and muddled.\u00a0 \u201cNo,\u201d he says, \u201cI\u201dm not all good with it.\u00a0 It\u2019s not who you are, and the DoD isn\u2019t happy with it either.\u201d\u00a0 These statements could be easily interpreted a number of ways, especially when Rosen adds later that the government views them as a \u2018group of Alphas\u2019.\u00a0 So the questions begin. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What did Rosen mean by \u2018it\u2019s not who you are\u2019?\u00a0 Is he saying what we believe Rosen would say, that Bill\u2019s power does not define who he is?\u00a0 This seems like the psychologically correct thing to say, but couched around the fact that Rosen is not happy, that the DoD is not happy, and that Rosen wants to bring Bill\u2019s power back, it sounds more like Rosen is saying this \u2018new\u2019 Bill is not \u2018who Bill is,\u2019 which is a bit of a dark thing for him to say!\u00a0 It is almost out of character.\u00a0 Or is it perhaps in character, and a whole new level of Rosen that is beginning to come out in response to the new, violent environment that he and his Alphas are living in?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of how those statements are interpreted, the darkest moment of the episode and I would almost say of the series happens later on, as Rosen injects Bill with a cocktail meant to jump-start his ability back into working.\u00a0 Though Bill is complacent and does not fight Rosen on this, he makes a heavy-handed comment that left me with a sinking feeling.\u00a0 \u201cSo, the decision is made for me.\u201d\u00a0 Again, though Bill did not fight, it is clear that his hand was forced. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a><\/p>\n

Rosen, in a panic, saw Bill as someone who could physically open the doors that had locked down the building and Bill, seeing the circumstances around him, was pressured into doing exactly what he had been doing.\u00a0 Make no mistake, this was not a choice that Bill wanted as a snap decision and even though he says later: \u201cYou bet I am [back],\u201d we are left knowing that it is very possible that this is not what he wanted.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Bill is not the only person with whom Rosen is butting heads this week.\u00a0 Nina\u2019s confession to Rosen about her and Cameron\u2019s relationship and his clear disapproval of it brings Cameron to Rosen\u2019s door in a heady fit of testosterone.\u00a0 Cameron sees Rosen as a father here more than a shrink – and not in a good way.\u00a0 While he may not view Rosen as competition, (despite the quiet sexual tension between Rosen and Nina in the early episodes), he does view him as someone who is in the way and \u2018stopping\u2019 him, much as a teenager might view a parent preventing them from trying something new. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a><\/p>\n

In this episode, we finally and clearly see that Cameron is serious about this relationship, that he is willing to push any boundary necessary to try and make it work.\u00a0 Whether that stems from his divorce, his need to have someone as he is losing his kid, his intense attraction to Nina, or some combination is till unclear.\u00a0 But Cameron is serious about this.\u00a0 Nina, however, does not seem to be.\u00a0 She is still trying to bear up under immense pressure of self-confidence issues and resignation when it comes to relationships.\u00a0 Good luck goes out to Cameron to see if he can break her out of the mold.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a>
\n<\/span>Rachel and Gary both continue to show their growth in this episode. While at the start of the series both of them were the ones meant to be protected, here they were each singled out and thrown into very specific danger. Gary faced down Griffin alone as best he could, and though he was unable to fight back he stood his ground and shouted for her to surrender even as she advanced on him with a knife. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Rachel, for her part, saved Gary as well as the rest of the Alphas, first by attacking Griffin with a laptop, (and saying, curiously enough: \u201cthat felt so good!\u201d), then detecting Kern\u2019s oncoming destruction of the building. By the end of the season, I feel I will not be able to call them the \u2018children\u2019 of the Alphas anymore.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a>
\n<\/span>A buzzword for this week\u2019s episode forms the unspoken pattern and theme. \u201cFringe elements.\u201d While, Kern argues that fringe elements such as the Ghost who attempted to assassinate Rosen in the pilot episode are non representative of their larger factions, Rosen argues right back that fringe elements cannot function without parent support of their larger factions. Either way, Red Flag has returned again. As shadowy as they are, their quiet fringe appearances are becoming more and more frequent as they expose themselves steadily. All the while the romance between Nina and Cameron has grown. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a>
\n<\/span>This week was one of their boldest moves yet as Doctor Kern outright invited Rosen to join their cause, even going so far as to reveal that he was trying to create new Alphas, something he believed Rosen should support. Rosen did not show any approval, instead telling Kern that he will intervene on his behalf if Kern turned himself in. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a><\/p>\n

The concept of working with a terrorist organization is what turned Rosen away, but at the same time I would not be surprised if, with all of those exposures, Rosen\u2019s mind is not wondering about Red Flag and its motives, and if perhaps they have the right idea. More attacks from humans may shift his view, but that can only come later. Right now, it\u2019s only a theory.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One more interesting thing about this episode is that despite the overall danger level, neither Kern (a supporter of Red Flag), and Griffin, (a mercenary who MAY work for Red Flag, but there is really no evidence to support this), actually tried to kill anyone until their hands were forced. Rachel was abducted and hidden. Bill, Rachel, and Rosen were all knocked unconscious. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a><\/p>\n

Cameron was stabbed, in a nonlethal area, (indeed, he was stitched up and moving around within a few moments, only bleeding because of the vibrations Kern was building). In fact Anna, (Liane Balaban<\/a>, and the suggested leader of Red Flag), did not attempt to kill Gary, merely incapacitate him. Only the Ghost – the fringe element – did such a thing. Is it possible Red Flag\u2019s motives or interests in the Alphas have changed? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, the end-all question that will likely be answered by season\u2019s end: Who or what is Stanton Parish? The name was tossed at Bill as payback for saving Griffin\u2019s life. Was she toying with him and throwing the Alphas on a wild goose chase? Or is there an actual meaning to it that could bring down huge consequences? We shall find out.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Alphas<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Click<\/a>Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article. Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter<\/a>, <\/span><\/span>WHR on Facebook<\/a> or visit me on Twitter<\/a> by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I and the WHR team look forward to and will be Seeing You on The Other Side<\/a>“! <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you. \"Click<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Regards, <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Nayari09<\/a> (Pam) <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome back Alphas fans! So as the season begins to draw to a close, Syfy\u2019s Alphas is pulling some old tricks out of its still-new hat.\u00a0 One of those said tricks is the ever-popular back-to-school theme.\u00a0 Monday\u2019s lesson began with the first sentence of the entire episode.\u00a0 \u201cPossible Red Flag prisoner in our office.\u201d Now,…<\/p>\n

Read More “Alphas: “Blind Spot” – Fringe Elements”<\/span> »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,8,70,9,36,68,10,30,11,37,31,12,38,48,39,15,32,16,17,60,18,41,19,20,61,72,21,22,42,24,62,25,43,44,26,27],"tags":[51,152,153,175,67,154,171,155,176,172,71,156,177,184,178,158,91,159,160,59,57,161,179,162,163,187,191,164,165,180,167,188,168,181,182,65,169,170],"class_list":["post-28492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alaina-huffman-what-are-they-doing-now","category-alphas","category-alphas-s1x09-blind-spot","category-azita-ghanizada","category-bill-lake","category-brent-spiner-what-are-they-doing-now","category-callum-keith-rennie","category-david-perrault","category-david-strathairn","category-devon-graye","category-edward-rogers","category-ira-steven-behr","category-james-byron","category-jane-moffat","category-kathleen-gati","category-laura-mennell","category-mahershala-ali-celebs","category-malik-yoba","category-matt-bois","category-mgm-studios-network-studio-series","category-michael-karnow","category-nick-copus","category-patti-cook","category-paul-sun-hyung-lee","category-peter-wingfield","category-rebecca-mader","category-ryan-cartwright","category-saad-siddiqui","category-scott-yamamura","category-sevaan-franks","category-summer-glau","category-syfy","category-tatiana-maslany","category-tyler-kyte","category-warren-christie","category-zak-penn","tag-alaina-huffman","tag-alphas","tag-azita-ghanizada","tag-bill-lake","tag-brent-spiner","tag-callum-keith-rennie","tag-david-perrault","tag-david-strathairn","tag-devon-graye","tag-edward-rogers","tag-fringe-elements","tag-ira-steven-behr","tag-james-byron","tag-jane-moffat","tag-kathleen-gati","tag-laura-mennell","tag-mahershala-ali","tag-malik-yoba","tag-matt-bois","tag-melissa-hood","tag-mgm-studios","tag-michael-karnow","tag-nick-copus","tag-patti-cook","tag-paul-sun-hyung-lee","tag-peter-wingfield","tag-rebecca-mader","tag-ryan-cartwright","tag-saad-siddiqui","tag-scott-yamamura","tag-sevaan-franks","tag-summer-glau","tag-syfy","tag-tatiana-maslany","tag-tyler-kyte","tag-valerie-cruz","tag-warren-christie","tag-zak-penn"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/alphas\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/alphas\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/alphas\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/alphas\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/alphas\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28492"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/alphas\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29524,"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/alphas\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28492\/revisions\/29524"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/alphas\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/alphas\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/alphas\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/alphas\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}