IT'S ALL IN THE GENES! 'ALPHAS' SEASON TWO RETURNS TO UK HD

The Super Seven are back. ALPHAS Season Two. Image: SYFY CHANNEL.

Making a final farewell on the UK's SYFY Channel HD this week, from Thursday evenings, the second thirteen episode season of the supercharged, superhuman character drama ALPHAS, originally created by Zak Penn and Michael Karnow, proves a hit and miss affair after a previous, generally positive debut in 2011. Last season's well developed, escalating civil war between the our Alpha heroes (helped by their vulnerable human security back-up) against the wannabe world-changers, Red Flag, ended in tragedy, but critically saw in the emergence of a new enemy power player: Stanton Parish (a creepy but engaging performance from Jon Pyper-Ferguson), the mysterious, long living leader of a far more dangerous terror cell with a grudge against humanity. In the midst of this, kindly non-powered leader of the Alphas, Doctor Lee Rosen (the always excellent David Strathairn), breaks his silence about the existence of Alphas to a shocked world, and has suffer the consequences of his actions. So far so, so good, right? Follow on events in the second season opener prove interesting, as our broken up heroes have to reassemble, in not the best of personal circumstances, to rescue two of their own from a Guantanamo Bay-esque prison for people with unique skills. But from there, it strangely takes a while for the show to get back up to speed, slightly bogged down by several additional new characters and secondary plot developments that ultimately prove unnecessary (yes, Azita Ghanizada (playing senses charged Rachel, rapidly becoming less insecure about herself and her abilities) is lovely and looks terrific in lingerie, but her slightly comedic romance with non-Alpha security officer John Bennett (Steve Byers) is pretty time wasting), whilst other characters deserving of more screen time and development have little to do, like the intriguing "pusher" Nina (Laura Mennell) and weighty Bill (Malik Yoba), who, at the start of the season, has an addiction linked to a kind of underground fight club for Alphas- a clumsy plot strand that ultimately goes nowhere and soon disappears.

Trailer: Alphas season 2 New Trailer - YouTube

Emerging characters Danielle Rosen (Kathleen Munroe) and the vengeful Stanton Parish (Jon Pyper-Ferguson)

Behind the scenes, I think the loss/disappearance of Season One producer Ira Steven Behr and series co-creator Zak Penn, both of whom have a strong ability to write and fuse character drama and action, were keenly felt this year, and I think too many new behind the scenes cooks were trying to make their mark on an evolving series that really didn't need to have the rug pulled form under it just as it was finding its feet with audiences...

Fortunately, the antagonism between Rosen and Parish, with the latter's daughter Danielle (played by Kathleen Munroe) caught in the emotional crossfire, helps pick the the story and series up half way through, making it worth staying the course, backed up with some solid guest stars like Sean Astin and genre favourite Summer Glau. Events then lead to a genuinely enjoyable cliffhanger finale set in New York, now never to be resolved, which makes you wonder why the hell SYFY axed the damn show, and whether there are any real life Alphas out there capable of making them change their minds!

Season One of ALPHAS is now available on UK DVD: Alphas - Season 1 [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: David Strathairn, Ryan Cartwright, Warren Christie, Azita Ghanizada, Laura Mennell, Malik Yoba, Erin Way: Film & TV

IT'S IN THE GENES... 'ALPHAS' SEASON TWO

A brave new world continues for the ALPHAS. Images: SY FY CHANNEL.

The cat was spectacularly out of the bag in the closing moments of the premiere season finale of the popular SYFY channel's original superhuman/human drama series, ALPHAS, as our small band of diverse and complicated characters watched in shock and awe as their non-powered leader, Doctor Lee Rosen (the kindly looking character actor David Strathairn), revealed the once secret existence of the next stage of biological development to a surprised world of homo sapiens in a bid to try and stop a long gestating, quickly escalating war against humanity by their sworn ideologically opposite enemies, Red Flag, led by the mysterious long-lived Stanton Parish (John Pyper-Ferguson), of which a prior opening salvo between man and super-man had led to tragic consequences...

Dr. Rosen (David Strathairn), Bill (Malik Yorba) and Gary (Ryan Cartwright) are hostages in the opening episode Wake Up Call.

Now, as the 13 episode Season Two continues its run in the US (though no UK airdate yet-presumably September 2012 on the 5* channel), its a time of dangerous instability for our separated and fragile, emotionally pulled back team (comprising strength enhanced FBI agent Bill (Malik Yorba), voice controlling "pusher" Nina (Laura Mennell), agile hyperkenetic Cameron (Warren Christie), super senses linguist Rachel (Azita Ghanizada) and young autistic telecommunications tracker/transductor Gary (Ryan Cartwright), who quickly reform when two of their own are captured in the opening episode, and continue their on/off pursuit of Red Flag, along the way helping save the lives of innocent and incredibly powered Alphans whose latent talents are only just emerging, and whom soon prove themselves vulnerable to manipulation or exposure without their help. Upcoming episodes include the team discovering a FIGHT-CLUB like environment for young Alphans, an individual possessing incredible super-speed, and another capable of causing hallucinations. There's the discovery of an intriguing device capable of enhancing Alphan powers ever further, whilst, on a personal level, Rosen's complex relationship with his wayward but gifted, empathic daughter, Dani (Kathleen Munroe), takes a turn for the worse when she dates Cameron, whilst her allegiance to the new "vision" of Red Flag under the Svengali-like Stanton Parish grows. Meanwhile, Gary tries to shake the pain of guilt and loss felt by his friend Anna's death-and their once shared bond in unique power- from the end of Season One, in a mourning process ultimately leading him into discovering a new part of his humanity and individualism...

Season Two trailer: Alphas - Season 2 Trailer - YouTube

Spunky new heroine Kat (Erin Way).

A welcome addition to the group and the series comes in the fast and loose young form of partial amnesiac Kat, as played by Erin Way: a soon kick-ass and vital recruit possessing the ability to absorb any skills she can see or read, whilst other great guest stars for this season include THE LORD OF THE RINGS Sean Astin as an Alpha with incredible brain power, SOUTHLAND's C. Thomas Howell, and NCIS's Lauren Holly as a shady politician with ties to our heroes. Season One guest star, and cult TV and film favourite, pixie-like Summer Glau, also returns for three episodes as the quirky Alphan scientist/tech wizard on the run, Skylar Adams. In the critical behind the scenes area of the show, previous season producer Robert Hewitt Wolfe returns, working with new producer Ben Miller, to keep the series travelling the right road, along with co-creator Michael Kernow; the trio deepening the character relationships, spicing up the action and delivering an all-round better produced new run that forges its identity away from early Stateside criticisms that the show was just another version of HEROES.

Long may the super powered TV adventures continue for these particularly intriguing and likably developing heroes...

HIGH DEFINITION HEROISM! 'HUMAN TARGET' AND 'ALPHAS' RETURN!

Motorway madness! Mark Valley returns in HUMAN TARGET. Image: FOX

Good action heroes never go out of style, and especially not Christopher Chance, played with dependable charm and physicality by the likable Mark Valley in the popular US adventure/light comedy hybrid HUMAN TARGET. The shows unnecessary second season revamp may have ultimately killed it off with viewers, but this first season, back in HD reruns on the UK SYFY Channel from tonight, was a promising debut that's often great fun.

A new breed of heroes: Season One of ALPHAS. Image: SYFY.

Finally being shown in HD after some very iffy picture quality in its premiere digital run on the FIVE USA channel last year, tonight SYFY also welcomes its first season screening of the humans with superpowers series, ALPHAS, an intriguing new variant on the kind of ideas seen in the X-MEN films (if a little more realistic, and without the leathers), which will be a nice primer for the upcoming second season later in the year.

If anyone out there reading this hasn't seen either of these shows, they're well worth a look-in...

A IS FOR 'ALPHAS'

Unpredictable heroes for an unpredictable world. The cast of ALPHAS. Image: SYFY CHANNEL.

Just because you have superpowers doesn't make you any less human-that seems to be the motto and ethics to the flawed but likeable heroic characters of the quiet but building success that became the SYFY Channel's hit series ALPHAS, created by Zak Penn and Michael Karnow, about to launch into what promises to be a story and character arc advancing second season in the US this summer, though its first set-up year is now available for viewers old and new to catch up with starting today, and every Saturday, on the FIVE USA channel in the UK.

Danger in New York for Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn) in the show's third episode.

With a solid and exciting pilot episode that showed promise beyond what could have easily been a charmless rip-off X-MEN/HEROES format idea, the show is by no means original but has managed to create its own universe and format structure that's very enjoyable. It had a couple of slow early episodes, too, but confidently gained momentum in its second half, developing an ultimately interesting and reactionary story arc that gave our once everyday people turned heroes, led by the quietly dignified Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn), a revolutionary terrorist force of equally powered baddies to fight against, whilst the government, working in conjunction with the Alphas to contain the escalating new biological situation, showed increasing strain in its relationship with their evolutionary raised band and the dangerous new super powered humans that seemed to be constantly springing up to endanger general homo sapient life. It seemed like a new kind of underground world war was inevitable by season one's end...

Brent Spiner makes a fine addition to the series guest star cast in the episode Blind Spots.

The series, with violent, often unexpected deaths, and intriguing surprises in places, also had some very good Cult TV guest stars in the form of THE BIONIC WOMAN's Lindsay Wagner (who might return to the series), FIREFLY's Sumer Glau (as a gifted, on-the-run techno-freak), STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION's Brent Spiner as a clever Hannibal Lecter-ish foe, without the cannibalistic tendencies but possessing an intriguing sonar-like ability, and LOST's sexy English babe Rebecca Mader as a mostly invisible assassin. Storyline/ episodes contributed by show producers Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe, who also brought dramatic impetus and flair to many great episodes of later STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE seasons, would make the duo ALPHAS ultimate, well deserved custodians for the rest of its premiere season, of which the show was all the better for their presence as they pushed its format boundaries and increased the character inter-action.

New destinies for our cast in Season Two?

There's no information as yet on the anticipated Season Two and its possible new story/character arcs and changes, apart from the fact that there is a new producer: Bruce Miller, who has been involved in several other SYFY CHANNEL hits including EUREKA, and other popular series like ER, but KOOL TV is hoping for even bigger, better things to come for our unique heroes and villains within their intriguing alternate reality world. Watch this space...

KOOL TV BABE OF THE WEEK: "ALPHAS" LAURA MENNELL

The new persuader: the lovely Laura Mennell, starring in the popular new sci-fi/action series ALPHAS. Image: SYFY CHANNEL/FIVE.

Blessed and cursed at the same time with the abilities to "push" people into doing whatever she asks of them, the lovely Canadian actress Laura Mennell, in her guise as Nina Theroux, one of the new team of super powered human beings in the popular sci-fi adventure series ALPHAS, is one hot lady who I'd certainly take orders from whether I was under her spell or not! Probably best known as Janey Slater, the doomed wife of Billy Crudup's Doctor Manhattan in the epic film adaptation of the WATCHMEN graphic novel, Miss Mennell has carved out a fine and lengthy career in popular TV series including SMALLVILLE, MILLENNIUM, THE 4400, EUREKA, SUPERNATURAL and FRINGE.

Laura's character of Nina is just one of six uniquely gifted people comprising the Alphas of the title (whose skills include heightened instincts, superhuman strength and the ability to intercept electronic signals), once individuals who come together and pull their incredible resources to investigate and fight crime for the government, headed up by Academy Award nominated character actor David Strathairn, who plays their equally talented, if "normal" leader,  Dr. Lee Rosen. Following on from such modern day hits as MARVEL COMICS film translation of X-MEN (of which this new series was created by one of the writers of its third hit film: Zak Penn, with Michael Karnow) and Tim Kring's HEROES, it's going to be interesting to see just what new ingredients its maker can bring to the premiere season show table in order to make it different, and also standout, from what has gone before- we've already seen and enjoyed the drama and problems of everyday people trying to survive the great hurdles and responsibilities that having these powers bring for the last ten years.

Trailer: Alphas Trailer - YouTube
Alphas Trailer - New Series - YouTube
Alphas - Full Trailer - YouTube

Receiving its UK transmission premiere on FIVE STAR next Tuesday night at 10pm, the series original States-side premiere episode, in which the team look into a shooting at a police headquarters, shown on the SYFY Channel, was quite low key at first, though reviews for its opener were generally positive. It has since gone on to gain further improved press reaction and enthusiasm from TV audiences over the next ten episodes, as well as second season renewal.

Impossible is what they do best! Our unlikely group of  heroes assemble. Will the world ever be the same again? 

So, it looks like the New Testament's meaning for the word "Alpha" shows continued promise for the series beyond its mere title!

Look out for more on ALPHAS on KOOL TV in the not too distant future...