Alcatraz

The trailers hinted at a supernatural or S-F element, and with J.J. Abrams producing it you would think that that's a possibility. But after reading one review it sounds more like a conventional crime/criminal/prison drama, in which case I won't be watching. But I will watch the premier just in case.....



On The Rock, a taste of TV's 'Alcatraz'
By Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY


SAN FRANCISCO – If this country needed an official haunted house, it would be hard to offer a better candidate than the decrepit ruins perched atop a barren island known as Alcatraz. And if the place is eerie by day, it's downright spooky by night, as those attending a unique TV premiere party found out Wednesday.

Sam Neill plays an agent on the show that premieres Monday.

"This dark and troubled place was a huge draw for me to do the series," said Sam Neill, who plays a determined yet sinister federal agent in J.J. Abrams' new thriller, Alcatraz, premiering Monday on Fox (8 ET/PT). Neill was standing in the federal prison's old shower room, where as many as 40 inmates — such men as Al Capone and George "Machine Gun Kelly" Barnes — could bathe at once. Tonight, it served as a red-carpet interview area.

"I haven't been here in 15 years, and I have conflicting emotions," said Neill, glancing around the cavernous room. "On the one hand I'm absolutely freaked out. On the other, it's a place that can also feel serene and sublime."

Co-star Sarah Jones, who plays a detective bent on solving crimes committed by Alcatraz inmates long thought dead, said returning to The Rock "was like coming full circle, because we shot the pilot here a year ago (much of the series is shot in Vancouver, B.C.) and now we're back. It's quite the place."

Alcatraz has long been a national park, and welcomes visitors daily. Its staff members, who often play the roles of strict guards, were often heard during the party telling guests, "Keep your eyes forward."

But such stern talk didn't quite set the tone, considering the lavish risotto and chicken dinner in the mess hall where riots once broke out. The only time the prison really caused chills was when the lights went down in Cell Block D (also known as The Hole) where Fox screened the series premiere. To watch a show about Alcatraz while sitting inches away from Alcatraz's fabled lightless cells is, to say the least, discomfiting.

The former prison's spectral nature was all it took for J.J. Abrams to sign on as executive producer. "This location has been used for many movies, but it really has never been seen through the eyes of a mystery," Abrams said via phone hookup from Los Angeles ("I start shooting the next Star Trek movie in a few hours, so I just couldn't make it," he noted).

Can viewers expect a series with Lost-like twists and detours down surreal alleys?

"Alcatraz is a little bit of a ghost story, a bit of a prison drama and also a police procedural, but all in all it's what I call hyper-real," he said. "There's definitely a science-fiction notion with the supernatural at its core."......well, okay.....we'll see.

In Alcatraz, Lost veteran Jorge Garcia plays a brilliant historian who teams up with Jones' character. Like every other cast member, he said a call from Abrams was all it took to sign up.

"He makes TV shows that I'd want to watch, and I love the way we get to play these secret games in J.J.'s shows," Garcia said, without going into plot-twist details. But he did suggest the other acting options on his plate fell far short of what Abrams could deliver. "After I got this job, I just said to J.J., 'Thanks for saving me from bad TV.' "

That was a pretty good premiere just from a conventional "cops try to stop serial killers" standpoint. But of course there is the hint of the supernatural aspect which puts it in a different class from the typical cop/crime show. The bottom line of course, is that they (J.J. Abrams) will string us along indefinitely a la Lost for many months or even years if it's renewed.

All we know, sort of, right now is that Sam Neill (FBI agent in charge) wants to know , "who did this ?" Which we can assume means that he doesn't know, but we can't be certain of that.

I had initially thought that the returning of the convicts unaged after 40 + years might involve suspended animation. Of course that didn't explain who did it or why or anything else. And with the fancy, high tech, underground prison (Abrams sure likes those mysterious underground facilities.. :lol: ) I was less sure of that hypothesis. Then at the end of the second hour we see that Lily (Parminder Nagra from ER ) had been in 1960 telling the prisoners that she could help them, but she is also in the present, the same age, and as Sam's assistant ? What the....? This moves the hypothesis over to time-travel. We still don't know any more...does Sam know that she was in 1960 ? She will obviously survive the gunshot but why is that a plot point ? It must be or there would be no reason to include it.

Meanwhile we are told in no uncertain terms to sit down, shut up, and stop asking questions, as Sam told his new little blond partner transferred from the SFPD, along with a somewhat reluctant Jorge Garcia who looks like he might have put on even more weight since Lost. That's not good.

They almost jumped the shark right at the end of the second hour when they cornered the sniper on the roof. He was almost ready to fire and kill more people but the little blond (I'll learn her name) didn't take the shot that would have taken him out when she had the chance, several times, which is a direct violation of police procedure, especially after he shot at her. You could argue that since she was now FBI rather than SFPD the same protocols didn't apply. But I doubt that the FBI protocols are significantly different in those situations. Shoot first to protect the citizens. Return fire and shoot to kill if fired upon. That's the bottom line. Of course they wouldn't have had another convict to throw into the high-tech prison if she had done that. But there are still, what ?, over 60 of them still out there, presumably all returning to the present. That should keep Abrams writing scripts for at least a couple of more years....and us still in the dark. But this is a must-watch show for now.

I loved it! That's pretty much all I can say. Looking forward to the perpetually compounding mysteries!

Says the girl who's still ticked that Fast Forward got cancelled.

Banjo wrote:That was a pretty good premiere just from a conventional "cops try to stop serial killers" standpoint. But of course there is the hint of the supernatural aspect which puts it in a different class from the typical cop/crime show. The bottom line of course, is that they (J.J. Abrams) will string us along indefinitely a la Lost for many months or even years if it's renewed.

All we know, sort of, right now is that Sam Neill (FBI agent in charge) wants to know , "who did this ?" Which we can assume means that he doesn't know, but we can't be certain of that.

I had initially thought that the returning of the convicts unaged after 40 + years might involve suspended animation. Of course that didn't explain who did it or why or anything else. And with the fancy, high tech, underground prison (Abrams sure likes those mysterious underground facilities.. :lol: ) I was less sure of that hypothesis. Then at the end of the second hour we see that Lily (Parminder Nagra from ER ) had been in 1960 telling the prisoners that she could help them, but she is also in the present, the same age, and as Sam's assistant ? What the....? This moves the hypothesis over to time-travel. We still don't know any more...does Sam know that she was in 1960 ? She will obviously survive the gunshot but why is that a plot point ? It must be or there would be no reason to include it.

Meanwhile we are told in no uncertain terms to sit down, shut up, and stop asking questions, as Sam told his new little blond partner transferred from the SFPD, along with a somewhat reluctant Jorge Garcia who looks like he might have put on even more weight since Lost. That's not good.

They almost jumped the shark right at the end of the second hour when they cornered the sniper on the roof. He was almost ready to fire and kill more people but the little blond (I'll learn her name) didn't take the shot that would have taken him out when she had the chance, several times, which is a direct violation of police procedure, especially after he shot at her. You could argue that since she was now FBI rather than SFPD the same protocols didn't apply. But I doubt that the FBI protocols are significantly different in those situations. Shoot first to protect the citizens. Return fire and shoot to kill if fired upon. That's the bottom line. Of course they wouldn't have had another convict to throw into the high-tech prison if she had done that. But there are still, what ?, over 60 of them still out there, presumably all returning to the present. That should keep Abrams writing scripts for at least a couple of more years....and us still in the dark. But this is a must-watch show for now.

It hooked you didn't it? Me too. This could be fun..or flop. I'll keep watching.

Sandisea...you're not alone. I'm still ticked off that Fast Forward got cancelled too.

I'm trying to remember if I ever watched Fast Forward. I must have if it was time travel based.....one of my favorite S-F themes. I still regret that Journeyman was cancelled, 2007, its premise could have kept going. Another I regret was Life On Mars, although that premise would have been difficult to sustain for more than one season.

I'm going to surf the blogs and fan forums, I'm sure there already is one, for Alcatraz and see what the "pulse" is.....

January 12, 2012
Five Lessons Alcatraz Should Learn From Lost

J.J. Abrams's new island-mystery series could learn from its predecessor's mistakes.

by Rick Paulas

Whether or not FOX likes it — and judging by the ads, they seem to — their new show Alcatraz is going to be compared early and often to Lost. The show not only has a sci-fi concept and takes place on a mysterious island, but it also features J.J. Abrams in a producer capacity and even stars the ultimate "That Guy From Lost," Jorge Garcia.

While Abrams's previous stay off the mainland was a no-doubt-about-it cultural touchstone, Lost's ultimate legacy is still unsettled after the controversial finale. Sure, it was exciting during its six-season run, but can we look back on it and truly consider it a great show? Was it simply fodder for the water cooler, or a show of actual significance? However history ends up viewing it, Lost's imperfections give the folks behind Alcatraz a roadmap of missteps not to take. They'd be smart to consider the following.

1. Don't be beholden to your own formula.

Midway through Lost's first season, it was clear the show was going to be a long trudge to get through. Once the creators fell in love with their (admittedly clever) formula of focusing each episode on one particular character — half on the island, half as a flashback to their life before the crash — viewers could know within the first minute whether or not the episode would be one to drop everything and focus on (Locke-centric episodes), or if it was all right to have the laptop out (Boone and/or Shannon episodes). It wasn't until the change in format at the end of the third season, flashing forward instead of back, that viewers were forced to hold their judgments, because the rules could be broken.

2. ...but have actual rules.

Speaking of rules, here's a challenge for hardcore Losties out there: Come up with a succinct list of the rules governing the Island. Go ahead, I'll wait.

(...)

Done yet? The reason you're having trouble is because it's impossible. Even the writers didn't have a specific set of rules as to what exactly the Island could, and most importantly couldn't, do. Sometimes it wouldn't let people kill themselves, sometimes it couldn't be tracked by satellites, sometimes it let former occupants travel the world as ghosts. And crazy magnetism things! (No doubt, the show's unpredictable science is what panicked the hearts of the Insane Clown Posse.) The only rule was that the Island could do whatever it wanted, as long as the writers wanted it to. Which just doesn't cut it. The people behind Alcatraz need to focus on making a specific set of rules for their world. If their rules are vague, they'll risk the wrath of former Lost fans who're tired of shows that cheat.

3. Keep the show inviting for latecomers.

Though it didn't work out in the end, The X-Files had one of the greatest formulas in TV history: three-quarters stand-alone monster-of-the-week episodes, one-quarter episodes advancing the series-long arc about how the Cigarette-Smoking Man, Mr. X., and other shady characters were planning to force-mate bees with aliens (or whatever it was — like I said, it didn't work out). Lost prided itself in being able to tell self-contained stories — see the amazing episode "The Constant." But if you tried to get into it in the fourth season, you'd be totally bewildered. The entire mythos was already too far advanced. Alcatraz should mix it up, more X-Files-style than Lost.

If he means sort of 'stand alone' episodes, I don't agree. What would they do, give back stories of the FBI agents or even the convicts ? What would that accomplish ?
Rather, they should keep moving forward with the central mystery/premise.....who took them/why/what will happen now ?

4. Ignore the fans.

In the third season of Lost, the creators introduced new characters, Nikki and Paolo. This had actually been part of the plan for a while. But fans of the show started going ape-shoot on message boards and blogs, demanding the creators stop wasting time and start delivering answers. The creators, who apparently spent a lot of time on said fan sites, obliged by burying the two characters alive. Results notwithstanding (actually, that was a great episode), this was indicative of a deeper problem: bowing to the fans. As soon as that becomes a show's modus operandi, trouble is on the way.

5. Know your end game.

Basically, Lost was created when J.J. Abrams walked into a roomful of writers and said, "So, a plane crashes into an island, and weird shoot happens. Go!" Which is fine. It's the job of TV writers to retrofit reason into a high-concept setup like that. They're paid to figure out what the Smoke Monster is and who's behind that mysterious hatch. But what they didn't know, and still might not, was/is the biggest question of the series: what was the Island? In the case of Alcatraz, the central premise is that inmates from the infamous prison went missing years ago and are now reappearing in the present day. So the two things the creators have better goddamn know now is (1) why it happened; and (2) where they went. Everything else can be figured out later. But if they don't have these two central answers, don't be surprised if they start the second season by introducing an autistic kid who carries around a snow globe.


Google might help us here:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Okay, they're going to have to pull up their socks and get with the program. This is not what we signed up for. A conventional "catch the pedophile before he kills the little boy". I don't know how common pedophilia plots are on crime and criminal shows since I only watch Castle and Blue Bloods, both of which don't have them, but this latest Alcatraz broke no new ground regardless. The 'back story' of the perp and the Warden's match lighting weirdness doesn't do it in this venue.

And yet again Rebecca is standing there blathering at the perp instead of taking the shot, his head was clear of the boy and at that range with a Glock it would have been an easy shot. So Sam steps up and takes the successful shot. What's her problem ?....

Then he dumps the body in the morgue, apparently for the Dr. to do an autopsy.....why? The cause of death is obvious and what else do they expect to learn ?

And next week there's a bank robber. Whoopee ! How original is that ? The natives are getting restless.....

Well heck, if we can look for the entrance to the "transporter device" (I forget the name), at Vasquez Rocks, then they certainly have the right to search for the secret room...

‘Alcatraz’ Fans Look for Secret Room During Real-Life Prison Tours

by Joel Keller | January 26, 2012 at 10:21 AM | Alcatraz
Sarah Jones and Sam Neill in "Alcatraz" (FOX)

Sarah Jones and Sam Neill in "Alcatraz" (FOX)



J.J. Abrams‘ new show, “Alcatraz,” has only been on for two weeks, but according to TMZ, it seems like it’s already generated some devoted fans. How devoted? They’re wandering off tours at the real Alcatraz, trying to find the secret control room depicted on the show.

Of course, that room doesn’t exist. But that hasn’t stopped people from trying to enter restricted areas of the national park. It’s gotten to the point where the Parks Service has told TMZ that they’ve put this sign up: “The TV show ‘Alcatraz’ is fictional, many areas it depicts are not real. Closed areas protect you, historic structures and nesting birds.”

Not sure why they had to do it, but the Parks Service assured the gossip site that the room doesn’t exist. What we’re not sure about, though, is the viewing comprehension of these readers. Even if the room did exist, wouldn’t they be risking getting knocked out and tied up once they go down there? It’s not a super-secret lair for no reason…

Though it didn't work out in the end, The X-Files had one of the greatest formulas in TV history: three-quarters stand-alone monster-of-the-week episodes, one-quarter episodes advancing the series-long arc about how the Cigarette-Smoking Man, Mr. X., and other shady characters were planning to force-mate bees with aliens (or whatever it was — like I said, it didn't work out). Lost prided itself in being able to tell self-contained stories — see the amazing episode "The Constant." But if you tried to get into it in the fourth season, you'd be totally bewildered. The entire mythos was already too far advanced. Alcatraz should mix it up, more X-Files-style than Lost

I liked the X-files formula....very much. And this is starting to feel and look a lot like that...so I'm on this one like melted cheese on toast.

The 3/4ths - 1/4th formula did work for the X-Files but they didn't hint at "Big Mysteries Solved" later on as Alcatraz does, so if we interpret the "catch the convict of the week" as the 3/4ths and the "Big Mystery Solved" as the 1/4th, the ratio is stacked too much toward the 3/4ths. I think 50-50 would be better, if they must, but 1/4th - 3/4ths would be even better. Let's see who is behind the convicts return, how they do it, why they do it, and then let Rebecca, Hauser , and Jorge "battle" them, rather than the "convict of the week ".

So we get the usual "crime of the week", and are teased with the mysterious keys which unlock a room in the basement wherein something or someone dwells since the 60's or earlier. Is it the time machine ? The people who operate it ? How is Parminder recovering in the hospital ? We see her again in the 60's. Plenty here to string us along with rings in our noses... :lol:

Okay, that was a pretty good ep. Bringing Rebecca's relatives into the plot line as ex-Alcatraz 'inhabitants' does add a little "meat" to it while we are still kept in the dark about the bigger mystery. But a pencil and paper may be a good accessory to keep track of the genealogy if they stick with this concept for much longer. :lol:

This time she actually shoots her gun ! Not shooting to kill is still counter to standard police procedure, but she may be excused in that situation given that the angle of fire was awkward and the quickest shot was to his leg rather than taking the time to turn completely around and shoot him straight -on.

One thing we learned last night from the bomber is that at least in his case he didn't know how he got to the present. He went to sleep in '63 and woke up here. So that tells us there is a more subtle process at work than merely walking through a "transporter gate" or some such.

There was a flub though in Hausers age. If he was a young SFPD officer in the early 60's, and assuming they would have to be in their early 20's at least to be one (I'll look it up), then he would be in his 70's now and would have retired from the FBI years ago. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

There ya go...

SFPD San Francisco's Finest

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

TO QUALIFY TO TAKE THE POLICE OFFICER EXAMINATION, YOU MUST:

• Be at least 20 years old (there is no maximum age limit).
  
• Be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident alien. There is no residency requirement.
  
• Have a valid driver license.
  
• Not
  have been convicted of a felony in California or of an act in any other
  state or Federal jurisdiction or in any other county that would have
  been a felony if committed in California or any misdemeanor that carries
  a penalty prohibiting ownership, possession, or control of a firearm.
  

TO BE HIRED, YOU MUST:

• Be at least 21 years old.
  
• Have:
  
  
  
  • a U.S. high school diploma or
    
  • a G.E.D. or
    
  • California High School Proficiency examination or
    
  • two-year / four year degree from an accredited college or university in the United States
    

• Be a U.S. citizen.
  
• Successfully complete all components of the Police Officer examination and the background investigation process.
  

Sam Neill is 64 so either fictionally or reality he can't be in the FBI. You can thank me for keeping this stuff straight, :lol:

Federal law requires that special agents retire by age 57. In rare circumstances, the FBI Director may grant one-year extensions, up to age 60, for a particular special agent.

Are they forgetting that The X-Files went on for 9 years!? :shock:

Whatevs, I'm an Abrams junkie, so he'll be able to string me along for life, even if I wanted out!

The X-Files did last...and last and last but the last 2 or 3 years maybe shouldn't have happened...not that I gave up on it...lol



I'm really curious what those keys are about...the weird one all of the prisoners turn up with.

I hope they keep this show but it's on the likely to not return list. *sigh*
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Okay, so it's a "Criminal of the Week" type of show, nothing new there. I can live with that because it's otherwise pretty entertaining even without the cast chemistry of Castle or the family values of Blue Bloods but let's not kid ourselves that any "big mysteries" will be resolved soon, if ever....

Two hour season...and probably series (renewal chances do not look good) finale tonight. Will we get our questions answered? Tune in to see.

No, we won't get our questions answered and it will probably be some sort of 'cliffhanger', anticipating keeping us interested until next season which as you say will likely never come.

Grinch!

Here, I was counting down for the finale. It's almost expected at this point, shows that put you to sleep are most likely to be kept on. Shows that spawn fanatics...killed off asap. Not that I think there are Alcatraz fanatics but...it's the genre. Do CSI and Law and Order have Con's?

Ack! 14 minutes!

Told ya, told ya, told ya,.....etc.

What did we learn ? Let's see....there are two machines running in an old "Civil War dungeon" under the prison that enables someone to track the convicts in 2012, who are all over the country. They track them by "sensing" the silver in their bodies which is injected and is presumably in their bloodstreams. This is technical nonsense. Without going into the conductive and magnetic permeabilty properties of Silver, or how they could get a electrical pulse from their bodies by means of a inductive field surrounding them, suffice it to say that it's bafflegarb.

And the old Civil War era door which is very likely made from cast iron is able to withstand modern cutting torches and/or explosives, neither of which they tried, causing them to go through all that to get the 3rd key....give me a break.

Then we are treated to a neo-Bullitt scene while she trashes the guy's new Mustang GT and presumably brings it back "in one piece", technically, but with the suspension totally trashed, exhaust system bent, oil pan gouged or punctured, tires worn out, etc. He has a good lawsuit...

And Rebecca nearly getting herself killed by yet again improper police procedure, you put the perp on the ground and hancuff them immediately, not stand in the street and blabber with them. Of course we are lead to believe that Rebecca died, very unlikely if the show is renewed. Of course there is a remote possibility that they decided to recast her character but that would be an unprecedented way to do it...

If it comes back, fine and dandy but I'm not holding my breath.

I was out flying with my friend Frank this morning, he's a retired engineer with Sandia Nat'l Labs Explosives Div. I told him about the season finale where they couldn't get through the old Civil War era door without keys and they didn't try explosives. He launched into a detailed account of how to make a bomb with 2 lbs. of C4 that will penetrate 6 inches of high tensile steel such as a bank vault door.

It isn't exactly a bomb meant to kill but rather a bomb for penetrating hardened sites which is what his group was interested in. It's surprisingly simple to make out of common materials provided you have access to C4 and the required detonators. If you saw someone carrying it you would think it was a magazine in a mailing tube which is precisely what houses it. The bomb and its component parts ( a 4-5" copper disk pounded into a cone shape and stuffed into the tube is the most important part after the C4. ) Anyway....when it explodes it develops a nearly instantaneous temperature of 6,000 degrees and will punch through the steel with a hole diameter depending on how far away from the steel it is detonated. He said a 4" hole through 6 " of steel was their design parameters. He said that if the door in Alcatraz was made of cast iron as it most likely would be , such a bomb would blow it to pieces because cast iron is brittle and would fracture under such an explosion.

Another thing I learned is that C4 is a very safe explosive to handle compared to dynamite, TNT, etc. because it explodes only from a very rapid pressure increase against it which can only be provided by a suitable detonator, he named several, they are small explosive charges like "blasting caps". C4 isn't affected by static electricity or an electric charge (remember that the next time you see someone on TV setting off what they say is C4 with a battery, cell phone, etc. ) You can burn it with a match, it just melts down.

Stayed tuned....next; where to get refined Plutonium. Calm down !.....just kidding...maybe....

I stopped watching half-way through. I still have about 4 episodes on the DVR that I haven't watched yet... :dead:

Stick a fork in it. It's done. Was officially cancelled today.

Not surprising.