Alphas - Episode 11 (Season Finale)

Tonight we lose an Alpha.

In the shocking season finale, the gloves come off and the bullets fly when war is declared against Red Flag. Our team of Alphas spearheads the operation, but after they suffer a distressing loss, Professor Rosen finally has to decide which side they are really on.

By far the best episode of season 1, stay tuned for the season finale of Alphas on Universal Channel at 20h00

Alphas - Episode 9

Did Brent Spiner have another over the top melt down at a Star Trek convention?

In a parody of his real life persona, Brent Spiner makes a chilling guest appearance tonight as the supposedly tame Doctor Kern.  But when he is held against his will by the Alphas for questioning, things suddenly start going very wrong and is not long very long before everything explodes out of control.

Don't miss this thrilling episode of Alphas on Universal Channel tonight at 20h00

Alphas - Episode 8

Tonight the Angel of Death comes to Alphas!  Proving that brilliant television can be produced on a shoe string budget, Alphas might be low on the special effects, but it delivers knock out writing and acting, particularly from David Strathairn as the conflicted Dr Rosen and Ryan Cartwright as the loveable awesome-and-I-know-it autistic Gary.

Week after week Alphas has gained momentum, slowly becoming less and less wholesome and more and more thought provoking.  Now, with only four episodes left until the shocking season finale, Alphas picks up the pace even more, when Dr Rosen is faced with a serious moral dilemma.

The guest star this week is Garret Dillahunt as the fatally charismatic Jonas. South African viewers will probably know Dillahunt as the goofy dad on Raising Hope, whilst hardcore sci-fi fans will remember his gruesome turn on Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles.

Alphas spreads its wings tonight on Universal Channel at 20h00

Alphas - Episode 7

A special treat for sci-fi fans, Summer Glau makes a guest appearance on Alphas tonight.

Otherworldly Glau's most memorable roles included the unstoppable River Tam in Firefly and the follow up movie, Serenity, as well as the equally unstoppable female terminator, Cameron, in Terminator: The Sarah Conner Cronicles.  Sadly all of these shows were cancelled after only one or two seasons, so let's hope she doesn't become too regular a feature on our new favourite show!

Alphas continue to amaze tonight on Universal Channel at 20h00

ARE YOU WATCHING: Alphas - Episode 5

After a moderately entertaining pilot, Alphas is one of those rare shows that has managed to improve with every episode. A likeable ensemble cast, clever writing and its ground breaking portrayal of autism is slowly pushing this fascinating piece of television ahead of the competition.

Last week - in a watershed episode - we were introduced to Anna, a seemingly helpless young autistic woman, who was ultimately uncovered to be the brilliant and ruthless leader of a Red Flag terrorist cell.  Blurring the simplistic distinction between good and bad, Anna also connected with Gary on such a meaningful level that we genuinely started questioning whether our Alphas are not perhaps fighting on the wrong side.

Tonight's episode focuses on ultra sensitive walking crime lab, Rachel, when the Alphas head to a small town to investigate mysterious deaths.  Very believable and enormously satisfying, Alphas is fast becoming must see television.

Alphas lights up the Universal Channel on Sundays at 20h00

Forgotten who's who in the Alphas zoo?  Click here for our introduction to the Alphas.

  

Alphas - Pilot Review

Alphas tries to put a new spin on an old concept: the superhero series, and tries to succeed where few have before.

As a rule, superheroes don't translate too well onto the small screen.  Firstly, because super abilities require decent special effects, which in turn requires a decent budget, that TV shows simply just don't have.  Secondly, super abilities tend to limit story options dramatically.  Just look at Superman: if only kryptonite can stop the Man of Steel, then those glowing green rocks tend to become a pretty lame plot device round about episode 3. Alphas tries to overcome both these problems by limiting the powers of our heroes from the super to the almost-possible and by also burdening them with significant weaknesses.  The end result is a show about troubled not-so-super heroes, some of whom even stay with their parents, drive lift club and carry a packed lunch.  Perhaps too wholesome and tame for a modern TV audience, Alphas features some clever concepts, an excellent cast  and even something for the eye.  On the whole, it is almost as good as the first 11 episodes of Heroes, definitely better than the rest of it and miles ahead of the horrible old Mutant X.

Alphas does not burden us with the events that led up to formation of their team. Instead, it gets us right into the action and amazes us with how well these squabbling comrades supplement and protect each other.  The Alphas battle other rogue Alphas under the influence of the supposedly sinister Red Flag.  Charming and fun entertainment, it's a good alternative to your Sunday night movie.

Alphas airs on Universal Channel on Sundays at 20h00.

Meet the Alphas after the jump.