Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Alphas Season Two, Episode Seven: Gods and Monsters

Rosen and Nina are walking with the Senator Charlotte Burton and Nina is pushing her to recall all of the photic stimulators.  Nina further goes on to force her to delete every record of their meeting and to tell anyone that asks that they are friends.  When this is finished, it's clear that Nina is in pain.  Senator Burton walks into the middle of the road and stands there, forcing Nina to walk into the streets and guide her to safety. You would think that this would be enough for Rosen to rethink encouraging Nina to push people this episode but you would be wrong.

At what appears to be a high school dance, Jason asks Lisa if she wants to hang out some time, but she says that she has a boyfriend. When her boyfriend Cody comes over, he slams Jason into the lockers and says that he creeps people out.  When Cody grabs Jason again, this time Jason uses his powers on him. When Cody returns to the dance, his attitude towards Jason has taken a complete 360 and he actually suggests to Lisa that Jason is an awesome guy who she should go out with.  When Lisa asks if this is a joke, Cody tells her that Jason is waiting outside to talk to her. When Lisa reaches outside, she finds a bunch of kids who begin to form a circle around her saying that Jason just wants to talk to her.  When Jason appears, he uses his powers on Lisa.

The next day at the office, Kat hands Rosen a police report and says that the two kids from the high school are in the situation room.  Rosen does take the time to say thanks; however he's quick to point out that this is something that Bill normally does and suggests that Kat needs to be working on retrieving her memories. Given how Rosen has treated the alphas his desire to work on Kat's memories has to be predatory. Kat suggests that she become a probationary agent, but Gary does not believe that this is a good idea.  Gary says that that Bill is his partner and that stealing partners is not allowed.  Clearly, what we have is a case of a jealous Gary.

As Rosen ponders over the file Kat says, "these two and fifteen others chased a girl right out of the senior dance and half the kids didn't make it home that night." Kat says that she read the file before handing it over and that a kid named Jason Miller was acting like the leader.  When Rosen asks the kids about Jason, they both say in tandem that they don't know anyone by that name. 

When Bill does show up he's limping and Rosen is clearly not impressed.  Bill points out that he's still getting his work done, but Rosen reminds him that they still haven't found the breach in security. Bill says that he cleared the team and Kat as much as she can be cleared but is still working on clearing friends, family and support staff. You just know that all hell is going to break lose when they find out that Dani is the mole.  Rosen says that he is going to bring in Clay because he has resources that Bill can use.  I don't quite understand Rosen's objections to Clay because their behavior towards the Alphas is very similar. It seems to me that Rosen is more concerned about a threat to his power and influence than anything else. 

Rosen does an EEG and determines that the brain patterns of the kids are exactly the same.  This should be absolutely impossible, but their is no indication on their MRI's of alpha ability and so Rosen surmises that they have become an extension of Jason's. It seems that in the hospital, Jason could only project his personality onto other alphas, but it is clear that his powers have evolved. Essentially, Jason creates hive minds.

In a meeting with Stanton Parish, Dani reports that Rosen is feeling optimistic over what he has managed to achieve with August medical; however, Parish sees this as nothing more than a minor setback.  Dani is worried that Parish will never bring Rosen around to their way of thinking.  Parish replies, "Dani some chasms can't be bridged, certainly not from one side." This causes Dani to assert that Rosen has a place in what they are dong and building, but when Parish equivocates, she reminds him that he promised and that she has risked a great deal for this.  Parish suggests that there may be a way to build a bridge because of a former patient of them both.

At the office, Hicks announces that he cannot get in touch with Jason's parents. Rosen says that they have to keep trying because "these kids could be in danger and Jason is a disturbed young man. The poor boy has a life long history of being ostracized because of his ability." Of course Rosen's interests are benign and to believe that you would have to believe that week after week he has had the best interests of the Alphas at heart and not himself.  I am sure you know which side we are on. Apparently, Jason's ability produces of discomfort and unease in people.

When none of the drugs that Rosen tries works, Nina agrees to try and push them.  When she tries, Nina gets weak and says that it's like dozens of people fighting back.  Nina believes that she cannot effect their will because it's Jason's will that is front and center. They realise that the only way forward is to find Jason.  Rosen heads off to the school to talk to Jason's teachers and sees the kids acting in tandem. Jason actually approaches Rosen on his own and tells him that his parents don't like him, let alone love him, but he says that he is fine now even as Rosen is quickly surrounded by the kids who Jason has taken over.  When he suggests that he come back to his lab, Jason says rather forcefully that he is good. Rosen tries again, but this time Jason touches a cop who instantly aims his gun at Rosen.  Jason demands Rosen promise that he will leave them alone but before the situation can go further, Parish grabs the cop's arm, which causes him to pull the trigger and the kids take off running.  Parish then turns to Rosen and says, "we need to talk." 


The team shows up and Bill tells Rosen that they are going to go with accidental weapons discharge.  Bill says that Gary cannot find anything on the security cameras and offers Rosen a hand when he says that he is going to follow up with the school psychologist.  It turns out that Bill was talking to an impersonator, while Rosen and Parish walk a few feet behind him. Parish tells Rosen that he is responsible for Jason because he was so busy shutting down August medical that he neglected to do his follow up care.  Rosen counters by suggesting that Jason would not have needed care if Parish hadn't twisted him in the first place. Parish says that a bullet to the head would stop Jason but he wants Rosen's help to stop this before it gets out of control.  Rosen rejects the opportunity to work with Parish and starts to walk away, until Parish starts talking about Danielle's apartment, causing Rosen to walk back towards him. 

On television, Nina is watching television when Senator Burton starts talking about a ban on medical equipment being imported from overseas.  Suddenly, she asks the reporter if they are friends. This causes Nina to realise that she needs to see her.  Rachel enters the room, closes the door and asks what's going on.

It turns out that Jason's first victims were his parents, not the kids at the dance. Rosen says that anyone connected to Jason is going to die and he suggests that Jason is a good tool of mass murder.  Parish replies that it was not his intent and brings up the fact that Rosen has been using Nina to push a senator to do his bidding, but Rosen of course believes that it is not the same thing because Nina never intended to hurt anyone. I have to admit that I got a bit giddy in this scene because I have been waiting a long time for someone to finally call Rosen out on his hypocritical, abusive, manipulative ways. It was just unfortunate that they didn't go far enough.  I think the writers are uncertain how exactly they want to viewers to understand Dr. Rosen.

Back at the office, Nina tells Rachel that the senator is in the hospital and that the new is reporting that she is exhausted. Nina is worried because the senator's doctors would never have seen this kind of condition before and Rachel points out that there is nothing in forms to incriminate Rosen or the team.  What I want to to know is why Rachel is not concerned after everything that they have recently gone through with Nina that Rosen is encouraging her to push people.  This should be a huge red flag for her but instead all that she is concerned with is Rosen not being implicated. Nina says that the only common thread in there is her. Nina believes strongly that she has to fix this and Rachel tells her that she will have to fill Rosen in on what's going on first, but when they call, the fake Rosen answers and Nina recognizes this right away.

It seems that Parish intended for Jason to awake a better person from his coma.  Lee takes the opportunity to try to psychoanalyze Parsish but he is not having it for one second.  I was glad that he shut him down because all Rosen wants to do is manipulate people. Parish suggests using Nina to push Jason, but Rosen says he does not want to risk her, until Parish suggests that he can tell her exactly how to navigate Jason's mind. Right so unless the idea to manipulate Nina comes from Rosen he's not comfortable with it.  This is about maintaining power and control and certainly not a concern for Nina.

The team calls Rosen's phone and say that they are looking for him  and Parish hands over the phone saying that he's find and they need to look for Jason.  Alone in a room with Lisa, Jason asks her to take her clothes off, but after taking off her top, Jason tells her to stop because he is not happy that she doesn't really want to do this.  The team shows up at the party and the kids freeze.  When they enter the bedroom, Rachel helps Lisa to dress and Hicks tells Jason that Dr. Rosen wants to see him and help.  Jason agrees because though he likes Lisa, and he now realises that without her free will, she is not herself. As far as I am concerned he is already ahead of Dr. Rosen.

As soon as they leave the building a swat team pulls up which spooks Jason so he takes off running saying that he has changed his mind.  The kids that he has control of, swarm the team leaving Gary to be the only one free to chase and so he does.  Unfortunately for Gary, Jason grabs a man and gets him to punch him directly in the face but before the man can do more damage, Hicks throws something at him knocking him out. Hicks throws a tranquilizer into Jason's back and the rest of the team shows up with the van.  As they drive away, all of Jasons sycophants follow the van.

Back at the office, Gary is blaming Bill for his shiner and suggests that he should have the right to punch Bill now.  Rosen walks into the office with Parish in tow and the only one not aware of how huge this is, is Kat. Parish tells Rosen and Nina how to push Jason and then he is dismissed by Rosen.  Bill and Hicks escort him to elevator and Parish asks if that is where they are really going.  Hicks assures him that the elevator is their destination, but that Parish will not be leaving the building.  Gary pops out of his office and accuses Parish of killing and Anna and a lot of people.  Parish responds, "I simply wanted her arrested, the government killed Anna and Dr. Rosen did nothing to stop it - Highland Mills - the community in Maine and now Jason Miller - where Dr. Rosen goes, trouble for alphas follows." Hicks quickly stops Parish, instructing Gary not to listen, but Gary clearly looks conflicted.

Parish is locked in a cell and Rosen stops by to visit.  Parish tells Rosen that this is not what they agreed upon. Rosen says that he learned alot about Parish today and that all of the similarities were only to gain his trust. Rosen suspects that Parish only wanted to recruit him and informs him that it is never going to happen.  Rosen tells him that he should never have threatened Dani and then leaves.

Rosen then goes to sit down with Jason and tells him that he has to set his people free. Jason refuses because he does not want to be alone again. After asking for some water, Parish tells his guards a story to distract them from what he is doing with the cup and then uses it to stab himself in the neck saying, "a desperate man will do just about anything," before collapsing on the floor of his cell. When they enter his cell, Parish grabs the soldiers gun and kills him.

Rosen tells Jason that his mother is in a coma and that everyone is going to end up that way.  Jason rejects this and says that he really wants to go.  Suddenly, all of Jason's people show up as the one's in the lab sit up and start to say, "I really want to go now."  When they try to get Nina to use her powers on Jason, he is already gone.  This causes Rosen to ask them to check on Parish.  It turns out that Parish asked to be invited into Jason's neural link for the purposes of taking it over and so Rosen asks to join in the hope of stopping Parish. Rosen manages to get Jason to let the people go but Parish tries to stop him, causing Rosen to grab him.  When this happens, he sees into Parish's life. By the time the team gets into the office, Parish has escaped.

Nina and Rachel start to get friendly again and Rachel asks her to have a drink but Nina says that she has to take the file to the Senator's doctor.  Hicks tells Rosen that Parish knew the layout cold and he does not believe it was luck.  Rosen says that it wasn't luck and brilliant on Parish's part because now he has met the entire team.  He goes onto say that being inside his head has given him a lot to think about.  When Rosen sees one of Dani's paintings on the wall, Rosen realises that he has already seen it in Parish's memories.