Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Alphas Season One, Episode Six: Bill and Gary's Excellent Adventure

This episodes opens with a young woman walking down the street with her bodyguard.  The young girl is kidnapped.  The next morning at Bill's house, he keeps replaying what happened in his head.  He tells his wife that he is thinking with DCIS and starts pointing out things like making more money and more interesting cases.  His wife tries to reassure him and tells him that he belongs at the FBI.

Later that day Bill is running through the streets chasing someone but the rest of the team is stuck in traffic.  Nina and Hicks run in pursuit and Rachel takes the wheel. When they lose track of him, Bill tells Rachel that he needs her but Gary refuses to run.  In desperation, Rachel tells Gary not to move and start to run after the rest of her team. Alone in the car, Gary pretends to drive until he is approached by an officer, he flashes his badge at the officer, who does not believe that it belongs to Gary.

The rest of the team catches up with the suspect and Nina makes him pliable.  Bill downloads the information he has on his ipad and sends him on his way.  When Rachel arrives she has missed all of the action and tells the team that she left Gary in the van.  When they return, obviously, Gary is long gone. 

At the police station, Gary catches a transmission of a young woman crying.  At the office, Bill makes some calls and finds out that Gary was arrested for illegal parking, resisting arrest and impersonating a federal officer. He jokes that Gary will be released in 15 years and then says that he will take care of it.  Rachel tells him that he should take care of this and he responds that Rachel needs to take responsibility.  When he leaves Rachel asks Lee what's wrong with Bill.

As Bill is getting Gary released, Gary tries to tell him about the call he intercepted.  Bill is too busy talking to another cop who is telling him about a girl who has been kidnapped. Apparently the FBI is involved and they believe that it is a Latin American drug cartel.  Gary again tells him that he say the cell phone signal and he tells Bill that he needs to work on his listening skills.  Bill and Gary head into the city and Bill recovers the phone. Bill tells Gary that he got a call and the bureau have reviewed his case and are going to kick him out. He believes that Lisa Collier's kidnapping is going to be a high profile case because her father  James Collier is one of the richest men in New York and if he solves this case, he believes that it will get him back into the FBI.

At the office, Nina is stopped by Detective Kellerman who wants to ask her some questions about her ex boyfriend.  Instead of answering the questions she begins to push him when Hicks walks up.  She tells Kellerman to get in the elevator and go home.  Hicks asks what's going on and she tells him that it is nothing.  Hicks asks again, and Nina admits that Kellerman thinks that she killed someone.

At the station, Bill hands over the phone. Bill is introduced to James Collier and his chief of security Sara Nelson.  Bill explains that the phone is untraceable.  Bill promises that with the help of Gary, who he is now calling agent Bell are capable of finding Lisa.  Agent Lou Persky points out that Bill is suspended from the FBI for disciplinary reasons but because Bill is the one who found the phone, Collier wants him on the case.

In the meantime, the kidnappers argue about the fact that the phone was dropped rather than destroyed. In their conversation we learn that they are ex military and not the cartel as the FBI believes.

Back at the office, Lee is forced to call Sandra, Gary's mom and explain why Gary is not home.  He promises to get Gary home soon. Rachel tells him that Bill isn't answering his phone and that when she tried the precinct that the desk sergeant was not helpful. They decide to go to the precinct to trace them.

In the meantime Bill is questioning an informant and to get him to talk, Gary reads out one of his texts. When the suspect asks if he is going to be sent back to jail, Gary says no because they don't send people to jail, they send them to the compound and that sometimes they get killed.  In frustration, Bill picks the guy up by his neck and he in fear he tells them what he knows.  At the restaurant, Bill gives him what looks like a tortilla filled with different things and Gary is not impressed because he likes his food separated.  Bill of course brushes off his concerns, even though he is using Gary.  Gary tells him that they need to tell the police that the cartel is not involved but Bill says he needs a rock solid case before they go to Agent Lou Persky. 

Gary hears the ransom call demand and learns that they are going to contact them again in an hour with the location.  Bill asks him to trace the call but when Gary says that they have to go back to the precinct to use the cell tower on the roof, Bill pushes him out the door. Gary is not pleased because Bill is once again mushing his food that he worked so hard to separate. At the police station, Bill is anxious and worried that Gary might lose the signal.  Gary tells him that he knows what he does is amazing but he has to work.  Bill promises him that if he finds the phone that he will let him drive.  Gary is excited because he has wanted to drive for a long time.  Gary picks up the call and asks for the keys but Bill tells him that he needs lessons.  Gary is mad and says that has been deceived but Bill only laughs. This was absolutely predatory because Bill knows how important driving is to Gary and at this point he would say or do anything to get his way.

Hicks shows up at Nina's to talk to her about what happened with Detective Kellerman.  He says that he is sorry and she lets him in. Nina shows Hick Bill Murray's hat and he asks if she pushed Bill Murray.  He says that if she is in some kind of trouble that Lee will help her.  He says that he won't drop it until Nina tells him what is going on.  She tells him that she dated a guy before she knew exactly what her powers were and that he was not a good guy.  She goes on to say that she tried to break it off a few times and they had an argument and she said, "why don't you do me a favour and kill yourself." Hick is quick to declare it an accident and suggests that she should tell Kellerman the truth and that will stop the hounding but she asks if she should tell him if she mind controlled her ex boyfriend.  She thanks him for his help and they end up kissing. 

Gary and Bill end up at a bar and when Gary points to the suspect and announces, "that's the guy with the phone," the man takes off running.  Gary tries to follow saying that he is backing Bill up but Bill tells him to stay.  When the man turns to fire a shot, Bill pushes him out of the way. Gary complains about his bruised shoulder and Bill of course brushes it off as no big deal.  When Persky arrives, he tells him that it was amateur going after the suspect by himself. Bill says that it wasn't the cartel, but Persky says that he is not interested in his theories.  Sara Nelson says that because of his stunt that the kidnappers just raised the ransom to 15 million dollars and asks why he didn't call for backup.  Persky says that Bill is trying to credit for the arrest and that he is trying to weasel his way back into the FBI.  Bill tries again saying that Collier cannot hand over the ransom because it is not the cartel that has his daughter.  In frustration, Persky has Bill and Gary arrested for obstruction. 

Nina and Hicks are making out on the couch when Rachel walks in. She apologizes for not listening and says that she is going to go to a movie.  Nina tells her that she lives her too and Hicks says it's okay because he has to go.  Before he leaves, he asks Nina to think about what he said about Kellerman.

In the jail, Bill admits that he screwed up and that he should have called for back up.  Gary says that the FBI needs them to solve the case because they have abilities.  Bill says that his issues got them there and Gary asks what he is going tell Lee.  When Bill asks Lee for help, Lee is pissed. Bill points out that he promised to help him get back in the FBI and Lee accuses him of twisting the conversation.  Bill says that if they walk away that Lisa is dead and he believes that pros aren't behind this. He says that they can do things that the FBI can't.  

Lee agrees to help and the team comes together. They scope out the route that the police have to travel to get to the drop.  Gary says that it's not the destination but the journey.  Bill figures out that route takes them past the bar where they attempted to intercept one of the kidnappers.  Bill asks for a listing of all the recently vacant apartment within the area.  He takes Rachel and she discovers that a door has been rigged to explode. Hicks climbs in from the outside and opens the door.  When they go into the apartment, they find one of the kidnappers dead on the floor, which means that Lisa has been moved.

Persky is in the car with Sara who asks him if he ever gets tempted but he says that with his luck he would be doing 30 years before he had a chance to spend a dollar.  Sara tases him and texts her partner. The team is back in the van and they are following the signal. The team catches up with Sara and she tries to lie and say that her car broke down, but Rachel asks her tell them where they can find the girl.  Sara walks into the room saying, "plans have changed we have to move the girl." The team breaks into the room and Hicks has to do some fancy moves to avoid being shot twice. 

Lisa is taken to the hospital and Collier thanks them for what they have done. Collier says that Lee told him that Bill was having trouble getting back into the FBI and offers to make a call. Bill thanks him and then approaches Persky to talk about what happened. He apologizes and Persky thinks he is joking, but Bill says that he is serious and suggests that the FBI take the collar on this.  

Bill takes Lee aside and while impersonating Lee says that he has decided to stay.  At home, Bill tells his wife that he has been released from the FBI.  Bill says that he didn't want his wife to be disappointed but she says she doesn't care where he works. 

Back at Nina's apartment, she tells Hicks that she took his advice and the detective only wanted to know about some scam her ex was running. She says that she was feeling vulnerable last night. He says that it's fine and asks if they can have dinner someday to which she responds someday.

In the van, Gary is finally in the drivers seat. Bill gives him instructions and tells him to give it slow, but Gary pulls out of the parking space.

Okay, once again I am disgusted with the treatment of Gary.  Bill used him and despite Gary wanting to be seen as an equal, Bill clearly saw him as a tool.  Not once did he even apologize for what he did to Gary and instead made everything about him and his desire to get back into the FBI.  Lee did show real concern for Gary but given the fact that he withholds information nothing he says can be trusted.  He always seems to be working an agenda to me.  Gary isn't actually a person to the rest of the team he is a tool who the occasionally find inconvenient.  Every time he asserts himself they treat him as being a petulant child, even when he has good reason to assert himself.  I am not at all pleased with the handling of this character, though I continue to love this show.