Round Two: Alcatraz

Alcatraz: Season 1, Episode 3 “Kit Nelson” (B+)

After such an amazing premiere, it stands to reason that the next outing would have to be underwhelming. While this third installment lacks some of the magic and mystery present in the two-hour pilot, it does demonstrate that the format works well, and that this show is committed to showcasing dark villains. Nelson was a different kind of bad guy than the two we’ve previously seen because everyone in Alcatraz hated him due to his particular modus operandi. His father’s visit took him back to the first time he may or may not have killed someone, and I think that it’s good that this show tries to probe deep into what makes its killers tick, making it both a sci-fi show and a crime show. Featuring Nelson also made it possible to see how sadistic and cruel Warden James can be, forcing him to reveal whether or not he killed his brother before leaving him to his fate. In the present, Doc proved his worth by deducing that Nelson was on the loose after hearing about Dylan’s kidnapping on the police scanner, and then continued to excel by going around from diner to diner in search of cherry pie. His run-in with Nelson and Dylan was intense, and he did a good job of trying to be subtle, as did Rebecca when she finally arrived. Emerson is always the one to pull the trigger and to irk Doc and Rebecca by being too callous about the criminals and their victims, and something tells me that the twosome is going do some digging and find out what they can without informing their shadowy boss.