Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Alphas Season Two, Episode Eight: Falling

A group of people are on a roof top and they take a drug.  When the drug kicks in, they jump from the building, falling 21 floors to the ground.  They should be dead, but instead they stand up laughing.  Clay is cooking breakfast at home and Rosen shows up to ask what he meant by saying that the investigation into Parish's inside force was moving forward.  Clay says that the abduction was a break for them and that the team have gotten a link to Parish's communication network and believes in four days, they will have something for sure.  The conversation is interrupted by Clay's son who asks for help with a project and Nathan says that kids have to learn to deal with their own problems.  Though he didn't know it, that was a dig at Rosen.  When Rosen asks for more information, Clay tells him that he can't say or do more but promises to find the person responsible and lock them away in a dark room for a long time. 

At the office, Bill is showing the team a copy of the tape that the people who jumped off the building took. He says that there are either four people with the same alpha ability or some kind of drug which is turning people into alphas.  Rosen tells Bill that he trusts him to take the reigns and then walks out of the office clearly distracted.

Kat gives Gary a potted plant as a gift for his "man cave," but instead of being grateful, Gary admonishes her for giving him a plant and suggests that she has brought bugs into the office.  When the two come across Bill, Gary instructs him to call an exterminator. Bill does not have time for this nonsense and says that he just sent Gary a tape for youtube and wants him to take facegrabs and then check the internet for any matches.  Gary is to look for any indication that the people in the video are alphas.  When Kat asks what she should do, Bill says, "you can call the exterminator. You bring bugs in here, you can take care of that." Though Kat calls him a "douchebag," it is seriously beginning to annoy me how often she is either dismissed or used by a member of the team. 

In the kitchen, Rachel goes on a rant as she gives John instructions on how to behave when he meets her parents on Friday. It's a wonder that the man doesn't run screaming in the other direction. When he leaves the room, Nina says, "so he's not an Iranian lawyer, your parents will just have to deal."  Rachel responds, "he's the blondest boy I've ever seen and they're gong to rip him to shreds."  Isn't it interesting how in media, that families which reject inter racial relationships for their kids are overwhelmingly of colour.  Seeing this, you would never believe that race functions to benefit Whiteness.

Rosen is in his office looking at a video of Dani when she was a little girl when Gary interrupts him. Rosen tells him that he wants him to handle a case for him and says that he cannot speak to anyone about this. Rosen says, "if that makes you uncomfortable, I understand," to which Gary replies, "no, I'm not uncomfortable because I'm a secret agent."  This is manipulative. You don't make someone promise to keep something secret before telling them what it is, especially given the power differential between Rosen and Gary. 

At the airport, Hicks is picking up his son Tyler and introduces him to Dani. Tyler is clearly uncomfortable with Dani though she tries to engage with him.  When he throws a pop can into the recycling box at a very weird angle, this catches Hick's attention. 

Back at the office, Gary yells, "busted, she's a criminal, I get to arrest her. Bill bring your cuffs." He marches into a break area and grabs Kat's foot. It turns out that Gary found the guy from the internet and in the picture he found Kat is prominently featured. Her response is, "I kind of look hot with pink highlights." Bill says that the picture only proves that she meet the guy and not that Kat did anything wrong.  Gary replies that she has done something wrong because he is doing drugs and it's called jump.  Bill then asks Kat if she remembers who this guy is and Kat says no, but since he is having a party that night, she is willing to get reacquainted and maybe score a little jump. Bill immediately shuts her down, saying that he is unwilling to send her in blind and reminding Kat that she doesn't even remember where she met the guy. Kat says that she will be fine and reminds Bill that he will have her six, which instantly sets Gary off on another round of jealousy. "Bill's not going to have your six, he's my partner, he has my six. You're not even a real federal agent." Bill cuts him off and says to Gary that he will take it from there.  Bill tells Kat that "undercover work is no joke and if this Dylan Renfro guy is dangerous..." Bill does not get to finish because Kat quickly reminds Bill that she kicked his ass.  It turns out that she wrote that down in order not to forget it.  I was glad to hear her say that because the paternalism Bill regularly engages in is infuriating. 

Later that night, Kat goes to a club and is spotted by Dylan, who quickly embraces her. Kat says that she is there to party and Dylan responds, "you don't have a clue who I am do you? You've been pushed off your mental TIVO. Kat suggests that Dylan refresh her memory and then asks before kissing her for permission.  I have to pause and say how much I love this.  Explicit moments of asking for consent don't often appear in the media.  This scene is also very important for Kat because since discovering the Alphas, Rosen has done nothing but exploit her.  Kat quickly surmises that they were a couple.  In the middle of the club, a man is being beaten as Bill and Gary watch on camera. Though he is beaten until he falls to the ground, when he stands up, he doesn't have a single scratch on him, and he raises his hands in victory.  Clearly this is the work of jump. Dylan puts the drug in his mouth and then passes it on to Kat with a kiss.  When she looks at her hands, it's as though something is crawling up through her veins. When she asks what the drug does, Dylan says that he will show her.

The two leave the club and Bill says frantically, "Kat, you're going out of range." Gary suggests, "we should just leave her, she's useless." I really dislike Gary's petty jealousy.  Bill instructs Gary to follow her through her signal and then gets out of the car.  Dylan takes Kat to a roof top and says, "I was hoping you would come back so we could do this together."  When she tries to pull away, Dylan adds, "You were always crazy brave and I know you forget stuff but that doesn't change that." The two hold hands and then jump off the roof. Kat stands up saying, "that was incredible before taking off with Dylan."

Again in the kitchen, Rachel instructs John that her mother is going to keep offering him food and no matter how full he is, he has got to keep eating it.  John turns and replies in Farsi, "relax, I speak good parent." This shocks Rachel and so John tells her that he served six years in the Middle East. "Hey I'm complicated," John says, "you don't peel back an onion like this in a couple weeks." Instead of being impressed, Rachel  answers that he should have told her that. At this point, I don't believe that there is any way to keep Rachel happy.

As Kat and Bill are walking in, he begins to lecture her saying that, "there are rules and rule number one is that you don't jump off any buildings." Bill is not impressed and declares that he should never have let her go undercover, which causes Kat to respond, "why because I did so well?"  Kat sits down at the microscope and says, there's a weird ass drug out there and I got a sample of it, plus I found out what my favourite colour is."  When Bill asks where the sample is, Kat extends her arm because it is in her blood supply.

Gary hands Rosen a file containing all of the information that Clay got off Parish's phone saying that the NSA is still working on it but he cracked it.  Rosen asks what it means and we learn that apparently they're telephone numbers. Rosen asks Gary to write down any of the numbers in the New York area that are still active.


At Cameron's, Hicks asks Dani if she saw what Taylor did. Dani attempts to reduce it to Tyler being an environmentalist but Hicks points out that the can went off the wall into the recycling bin. Dani asks if it matters if Tyler is an alpha. Tyler says that yes it does and he wants to help Tyler through it and suggests having Rosen run some tests.  Dani tells him no and that when Rosen ran a few tests on her, it ruined her life.  This should have sent up massive warning flares for Hicks.  If someone is sharing with you such negative information with you about their parent how happens to also be your boss, you would think that would at least lead to a pause. Hicks responds, "this is your ruined life, you me and ice cream."  When Hicks pauses to kiss Dani, Tyler is quick to interrupt to say, "I thought we were going to play video games." I guess jealousy is not restricted to Gary.

At the office, Rachel is examining Kat's blood sample and says that it made a protective shield around the body like having kevlar skin.  When Kat suggests that it makes them indestructible, Nina announces that a kid in the video was found dead a day after he jumped. In fact a few kids have ended up dad and  It seems that the drug in some cases solidify the heart.  Bill wants Kat checked out immediately, because though jump can make you indestructible, it can also kill you.  Bill wants the drug off the street immediately.

Rosen is waiting for Dani at her apartment and says that he just wants to see her. She invites him up to her apartment and quickly apologizes her the mess. They talk about her artwork for a while and Dani points out that back then she told him everything and Rosen adds that she still can, to create an opening for her to confess her collusion with Parish. Dani takes the opportunity to say that she is worried about screwing things up with Cameron.  Rosen asks for a cup of tea, so that he can the opportunity to check if the numbers on Dani's phone correspond to the list he got from Gary.  The first phone does not match but the second phone does. Rosen is clearly upset and at a loss for what to do.

At the office, he gets in the elevator and just as the door closes, Clay stops it and gets on.  Clay says, "I know that look Lee, don't worry about it, I got the NSA to triple their man power on the investigation." Clay goes on to add that he knows that Rosen came over to his house to light a fire under his ass and Rosen responds that he appreciates the effort that Clay is going to. Rosen asks how Clay's son's project went and Clay responds that he helped him because sometimes that is what you have to do. 

In the office Nina says to Rachel that tonight's the night but it turns out that Rachel cancelled dinner for fear that her parents would really like John.  Rachel is scared and says that the last time she had a real boyfriend was over three years ago and she had to get drunk with him so that she couldn't feel anything.  Rachel points out that this was three years ago and John isn't that guy, but Nina counters saying that she is still her and is a freak.  Nina reassures her that she is strong, capable and most certainly not a freak. The real issue here is that Rachel was counting on her parents not liking John to give her an out for the relationship, or a reason for it not to move forward.

On the roof top, Dylan is giving Kat her favourite ice cream and she says that she is starting to feel that she is really weird.  Kat asks what they are doing that night and if he deals jump. Dylan gives evasive answers and instead shows Kat a knife that she apparently gave him the last time they saw each other.  Apparently, they met when Kat was hustling. Carved into the knife are the initials J.D. and when she asks who that person is, Dylan says, "I don't know it was before my time."

Back at the office, Kat argues with Bill about arresting Dylan saying that she can get the name of his supplier out of him. It's clear that though she is investigating him, some part of her really loves him. Bill says that in an hour he will have an arrest warrant and that she did her job and should allow him to do his, before closing the door in her face.  This is another case of someone on the team disrespecting Kat. Closing the door in someone's face is beyond dismissive. 

At the baseball field, Hicks is throwing pitches for Tyler to hit and he keeps missing them as kids laugh in the background.  Hicks suggests that Tyler isn't trying  and Tyler says that he sucks, doesn't want to hit balls anymore and that he wants to go home. Hicks agrees to go and play video games, but Tyler makes it clear he wants to go to his home. 

At the office, Gary catches Kat grabbing some keys and says that she is not allowed to help a drug dealer.  Kat replies that she cares about Dylan and points out that Gary would help Bill, but Gary's not buying it and points out once again that they're federal agents and Kat is just a civilian. Kat says that she needs Gary's help and that only a real federal agent is authorized to take out a government vehicle. Gary quickly agrees and says that he is driving. Kat asks if Gary can drive and he answers that he passed the test online and is better on roads where there are no other cars or people because they don't always obey the rules. 

Nina meets Rosen at a Caribbean restaurant and he says he needs a favor. I have to pause here because the director messed up.You don't have a sign saying the best restaurant in New York and then have a Diamond Taxi drive by, which clearly makes the location as Toronto. She responds, "sure, you've always helped me."  I am sick to death of all the alphas being so willing to do whatever it is that Rosen needs at any given time. He asks her to get a passport in a fake name and then hands her a picture of Dani. 

When Dani shows up at Hick's place, he is busy apologizing to Tyler who says, "I just want to go home." When Dani asks what's going on, Hicks admits that he took Tyler to hit a few balls because he just had to know.  Dani asks Tyler to talk for a minute and Tyler says he doesn't want to talk to Hicks or Dani and she promises him that they don't have to talk.  They sit in the living room and she asks him if he has heard about alphas.  Tyler admits that he has and Dani says that she is one and asks for his hand as Hicks watches. Hicks takes Dani's other hand and she shows him how he made Tyler feel today and then she shows Tyler how Hicks feels about him.  Hicks apologizes and is almost in tears. It seems that Tyler thought that Hicks was disappointed in him but is completely overwhelmed when he learns just how much his father loves him.

Back at the restaurant, Rosen tells Nina that Dani is hooked on Parish's ideology and that Clay is on the verge of catching her.  He says that he has to get her somewhere where Clay and Parish can never find her.  He says that he has some money set aside but Rachel cuts him off saying that a strange place with no support system will mean that Dani will be dead in three months. Rosen reminds Nina that they will send her to Binghamton and admits that he is as much at fault as she is and has made so many mistakes. Well, it's about time Rosen admit that he is not infallible. Furthermore, he has no problem sending other alphas there, but clearly he draws the line when it comes to his own kin, which is an admission that he knows the facility continues to be a bad place. Nina points out that Dani has made her own mistakes and reminds Rosen that he taught her that she cannot keep blaming a screwed up family life forever.  Nina suggests that the best thing Rosen can do is to let Clay do his job, but Rosen cannot go through with it.

Kat shows up at Dylan's apartment and admits to working with the government and says that a tactile team is going to break down his door.  Dylan is hurt and responds that the trusted her. She tells him that they don't have much time and runs from the room.When Kat follows into the back room, she finds equipment, more of the drugs and a young woman struggling to breathe in the tub. She is hooked up to a machine and her blood is being drained.  It seems that Dylan is selling Alpha blood as a drug to the population.  Kat rushes her towards the roof, but Dylan stops them and knocks her unconscious. He tells Kat, "you're such a wuss and always getting pissed off about something, but I always find you when you forget."  So not only has he been exploiting Kat, he is aware that her loss of memory is a weakness that he can take advantage of.

Gary comes upstairs and finds Kat passed out. He says that she wasn't answering her earbud and announces that he has her six. When they hear a car outside, they realise that Dylan is getting away and Gary says that he called the police already, but they won't be here in time. Kat grabs a sample of the drugs and runs out even as Gary is screaming, "Kat don't do drugs"  Kat goes running and then jumps off the roof and lands on Dylan's car.  The two have a fist fight and of course Kat wins. She stands over top of him and says, "you're never touching me again."  I really liked seeing Kat kick ass but hate the fact that this means that Bill was right.

Hicks and Dani take Tyler to the airport and when Hicks leaves to check in Tyler, Dani gets a text from someone.  Back at the office, Dani is clearly upset by what happened and Bill says, "the good thing is you won't even remember in a couple of weeks."  Kat replies, "that's the problem, I'm the perfect mark. Who knows what the hell he had me learn to make him a few bucks"  Bill says that Tyler said he couldn't get her to do anything to crazy.  Bill hands her back the knife and suggests that it be a momento of her first time undercover.  Bill hands tells Kat that she is going to quantico for training.  Kat then hugs both Bill and Gary who are not at all pleased with the physical contact.

Kat is sitting on a bench at the marina and Rosen approaches. He tells her that Parish isn't coming and that he sent the text message. Dani  tells him that he doesn't know Parish or her, and that she was living on the street and working as a prostitute to get money for dope for she met Parish. Rosen says that he wants to help her, but Dani is not interested and says that she didn't do this to hurt him.  Her hope was that Parish would be able to bring them all together, but Rosen quickly smashes this dream. Cops suddenly appear and point guns at Dani, causing her to get up and ask Rosen what he did. Rosen replies, "don't run, I just need you to be safe."  Wow this is some kind of tough love. John tells Dani to show him her hands and instructs the other agents to back off. Dani lies down on the ground and Rosen has another vision of her as a little girl.

Rosen is waiting in a hallway, when Cameron stalks in angrily and says, "you're her father, you're supposed to protect her." Rosen tries to assure Cameron that if there were any other way he would have done something.  In the break room, Bill says to Nina, "I just really feel like I should have seen it." Nina replies, "none of us did, not even Rosen." 

Dani is in a room handcuffed and Rosen walks in. She looks at him and starts to cry.  He says, "I know how difficult this must be for you."  Dani responds that it's a relief and asks to be put in building 7 with a chip in her head. Rosen starts to cry, embraces her and says, "I'm not gonna do that, that's not gonna happen.  It isn't the end Dani, there's an opportunity here. Yes, there's a way out."  She tells him that she doesn't want a way out and he begs her to listen. Though this scene is really well acted and touching, I don't for one moment feel any kind of pity for Rosen or identify with any pain he claims to be feeling.