Webb Porter

I found tonight's new Alcatraz episode to be a bit of a mixed bag. The "criminal of the week" aspect didn't really thrill me. There was something sort of trite and tired about the story of a tortured boy with untapped talents being driven to darkness, and something equally familiar in the way he'd trap and torture his victims. It's not that I could point to a particular story I've read or seen somewhere and say "oh, they're doing THAT this week." I just generally felt like it was well-traveled waters lacking in any uniquely Alcatraz spin.

But the advancement of the ongoing story was compelling where the stand-alone tale was not. Seeing the softer side of Hauser was really needed to progress his character. There weren't great strides there, mind you, but seeing his date with the doctor in the past, along with his continued protectiveness of her in the present, made him a less robotic individual.

The episode also ended with Madsen and Soto finally discovering that Dr. Sengupta is herself a '63. Either they'll step up their questioning of Hauser, or keep their knowledge to themselves and begin working more actively behind his back. Either seems like a good starting point to launch into more interesting stories.

But then, there are only two hours left to go -- and both are scheduled to run next Monday. Whether that serves as a season or series finale will probably not be decided until May, but either way, I'll be hoping for a good pair of episodes.