Why the Changes to Sy-Fy's Show Alphas Make it Unpalatable to Me, or Alphas, You Suck Now!

Alphas is a television series that began last year on the Sy-Fy network. I enjoyed watching it then, but the changes they have incorporated in this new season are enough to turn me off the series.

In sum, Alphas tells the story of a group of humans with superhuman skills, kind of like X-men only without the comic book background or cool costumes. The team is led by  Dr. Rosen (David Strathairn), a normal human psychologist, and comprises Nina (Laura Mennell) , a telepathic woman of the world who can push people to do her bidding, Bill (Malik Yoba), a former FBI agent capable of short bursts of superhuman speed and strength, Rachel (Azita Ghanizada) who has super senses (taste, touch, hearing, smell, sight), Cameron  (Warren Christie), a fellow with extraordinary reflexes and coordination, and Gary (Ryan Cartwright), an autistic young man who can tap into electromagnetic pulses, meaning he can listen into phone calls and tap into video feeds.

The plot centers around the team of good Alphas looking for rogue Alphas who are causing trouble and using their powers either for personal gain or to take revenge on normals. Last year the character Stanton Parish was introduced as an Alpha dating back from the civil war who has decided, a la Magneto, that the world would be better off if the Alphas were in charge, so death to all normals and other Alphas who stand in his way. Also last year the plot of the government rounding up Alphas and putting them in an institution against their will came to a head when both the leader of the team, Dr. Rosen, and Gary, the autistic, were put Farmington, the prison/asylum. Dr. Rosen was just a prisoner while Gary was forced to undergo the electronic lobotomizing the violent Alphas faced.

Okay, so far the series sound great, right? Action, suspense, intrigue, special effects, characterization--all these elements made the show enjoyable and quite watchable. This year, however, they have taken the show into edgier territory that just makes it not that fun for me anymore.

First off, I don't need to see a 1 1/2 minute simulated sex scene to know that Alphas have great sex. Fifteen seconds would have gotten the message across just fine. Second, Gary's character has become totally manic now, yelling at people, pushing other people around physically, and just being out of control. Mr. Saurus says that he can buy that characterization because Gary hasn't recovered from being in the institution. His schedule is out of whack, therefore his world is in serious disarray and he cannot help but react outrageously to even the simplest of disturbances. Maybe so, but all I see is scenery chewing, and not the fun kind like Alan Rickman in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves.

Another element added this season is Dr. Rosen's daughter who is playing double or triple agent by working for Magneto/Stanton Parish, sleeping with Cameron the coordinated guy, and trying to get info from her father to feed back to Parish. Whether she is acting out of sympathy to Parish's cause or serving as a double agent is unclear. All it seems like is an unnecessary plot complication.

Finally, the thing that pushed me over the edge and caused me to leave the room and not watch anymore episodes, in the second episode of the season, the one with the overdone love scene, Nina's character pushes a witness to tell the truth, specifically to tell all the things she's hiding from them. Most of it is okay, as she lists minor deceptions and foibles. But then, after the interrogation seems over and everyone looks away from the witness, Dr. Rosen opens his mouth to move the conversation and exposition forward. Out of the blue, inserted into the show in a very prominent way, the witness blurts out that she pleasures herself every morning after her husband leaves for work. All the characters on the screen do a double take, mirroring my reaction exactly. The characters then move on to the next dilemma and the scene isn't referred to again.

So why am I "over"reacting to this one line of dialogue? Well, the episode starts out with the extended lovemaking scene, so I know we are into new territory, and I guess I put up my guard, wondering what else the show had in store for me. Then, Gary, the autistic young man, starts screaming and flailing around, adding to my discomfort and causing me to question the director's choices. Last, at least the last I saw of this episode, comes this line of dialogue that is introduced in such a way as to cause a great deal of attention to be paid to it. It's like the show writers and director is saying, "Yeah, we're about real life man, edgy and tough and in your face!!!!!"

I like edgy shows sometimes, and I don't mind when characters change and grow on shows, but this new season of Alphas is like the producers said, "Let's compete with HBO" or some other cable giant with raw, adult original programming. I don't like those shows, and as Alphas morphs into that kind of programming, it leaves me behind. One cannot argue with the rating success of those more adult shows, I don't expect Sy-Fy to change its plans for me. I just choose to change the channel when Alphas comes on.