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Alcatraz
Network: Fox
Main showrunner: Elizabeth Sarnoff ( Lost )
Main stars: Sam Neill, Sarah Jones, Jorge Garcia
Script review/analysis: We can’t give an official review because the episode may change before its broadcast this fall, but we can say there’s a lot to like in the Alcatraz pilot. First there are strong performances from the always enigmatic Neill, the affable Garcia and newcomer Jones. The core conceit of the show – Alcatraz inmates long-thought transferred off the Rock and long deceased are showing up again in the present day – is compelling. It adds a organic retro element that makes the flash-back device so loved by Bad Robot shows feel fresh and useful. Plus there’s a mythology that isn’t nearly as inscrutable as Lost or even Fringe . We’re looking forward to more.
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Awake
Network: NBC
Main showrunner: Kyle Killen ( Lone Star )
Main stars: Jason Isaacs, BD Wong, Laura Allen
Script review/analysis: Already dubbed “that Inception show,” Awake is similar to the Nolan film in that the main characters both suffer from a debilitating loss and hover in a dream state between realities. However, Awake doesn’t feature dream architects, kicks, totems or grandiose structures to wander through. The environment is just the everyday life of Detective Mark Britten. A long-time cop, he survived a terrible car crash with his family, but in one reality only his wife survived and in the other reality only his son survived. Post accident, both realities feel incredibly real to Mark but only one can be the truth…or can it?
The incredibly well-written and constructed pilot finds a bereaved Mark attending required therapy with a separate therapist in each reality. His therapists are equally perplexed and fascinated by what Mark has constructed so thoroughly in his sleep, and concur that it must be an elaborate coping mechanism to deal with having lost such a pivotal person in his life. As Mark works two separate but intertwined cases (with different partners), he talks with his therapists and tries to establish if one reality is truly dominant over the other. All the while, he’s also tip-toeing around his fragile relationships with his also grieving son and wife. Whew! Confused yet?
Surprisingly, the script keeps each reality very clear and the detail-blurring serves to add mystery for Mark and the audience. It’s gripping stuff, but the biggest question is how long can this device sustain in series form? Will both worlds deteriorate or stay equally strong? And then if so, that means Mark remains a mental case infinitum. How can that sustain as well? Right now, it’s a conundrum worth exploring.
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