Take Three: Alcatraz

Alcatraz: Season 1, Episode 4 “Cal Sweeney” (B+)

This is a perfectly fine episode, but there’s something missing, whether it’s the magic or the music, or both, that was present in the first two-hour block. It’s still a strong and immensely watchable show, but I think we need a bit more of the mythology and the mystery on a regular basis. This week, we do get what could be seen as the lightest villain since the very first hour in some ways, though his weapon of choice bears an alarming resemblance to Anton Chigurh’s from “No Country for Old Men.” This was also the first case where I recognized the actor cast as the bad guy, and that would be Eric Johnson, who a decade ago played Clark Kent’s nemesis Whitney in the freshman season of “Smallville.” His vault robbing and seduction of female tellers was a fitting modus operandi, and Johnson pulled off the role well. The hostage situation worked out well for all parties involved, as Rebecca managed to school him in the modern invention of the seatbelt and even score herself two clues, one physical and one more functional: the key and the fact that he was following someone else’s orders. Back in Alcatraz in the 1960s, Sweeney’s protégé seems to be involved in something shady with the warden and the keys, so let’s hope this show provides more than just clues to whatever’s going on. Emerson seems to be making good progress at gathering the pieces, but I think that Rebecca and Doc may just allow their curiosity to drive them in a more productive investigation.