Alphas

"Need to Know" served an excellent stepping stone, as Alphas heads into its season finale next week and pulls together new and old plot threads.

Rosen’s newfound vengeance quickly made itself known with Scipio, and even with his descent from empathy, it’s rather admirable how much leadership he still wields with his team. That’s not to say the unit isn’t fracturing in two under his guidance, but this fracturing is something that’s been slowly widening as the season has progressed.

As Rosen continues on his dark path, his use of manipulation, blackmail and force are at odds with the team, as Kat probably put it best:

The glasses, the messy hair, the cardigans, he seemed like such a nice old dude. | permalink

Now Rosen’s one goal is consuming him, and that drive to is the wedge that is increasing said fracture on the team. While Nina, Cameron and Rosen have no troubles skipping in and out of that gray area of torturing, drugging and manipulating their prisoner for information Rachel, Kat, and Bill have a hard time turning a blind eye.

This figurative head bashing is, in some ways, exactly what Parish wants because if Rosen’s team is ineffective then it can’t interfere with his “population adjustments.”

But these opposing ideals are ultimately something that will be put on the backburner as their goals align – unless they stop Stanton Parish humanity is gone. My only question is this: will an armed and dangerous Rosen get there first?

Other thoughts:

• Summer Glau’s Skylar is always a welcome sight on Alphas, and I thought for sure she accepted Parish’s offer. Interesting that a man so filled with empathy at certain times has so little for a mother and daughter as long as they complete his goals.
• I loved the Terminator reference. Rest in peace Sarah Connor Chronicles!
• If October 22nd means Parish “dies” before waking up again then I wonder if the reason Parish “uploads” his memories to Mitchell is because he won’t have any when he does wake up. It’s certainly convenient way to “defeat” him.
• Although Rosen does feel like a completely changed character, in Parish's warehouse Rosen did show some empathy to Cameron by making sure Cameron could go make sure his family is all right and out of Parish's affected area.
• As I feared, it looks like Gary's mom was merely used to fill up time.