In Review: ‘Alcatraz’– “Kit Nelson”

In the third episode ‘Alcatraz’ continued it’s dark, dark streak as a child murderer from the past came forward to renew his murderous spree. Played by Michael Eklund from ‘Fringe’, Kit Nelson had not any redeeming features. He had killed several 11 year old children in the past, including his brother, and he was going to do the same in the future. Nothing was revealed as to why he, and not another prisoner or guard, was sent forward, and what his purpose was, other than to kill children, but there were several tidbits that brought up several questions, and there was one major reveal.

The show opened with Nelson coming into a family’s house, the viewer is lead to believe his own, and he kidnaps a child, telling him, ‘If you scream, I’ll kill your brother.’ The show then jumps back to 1960 in the Recreation Yard as the guards turn a blind eye to prisoners beating Nelson. Cut back to the present, and Soto hears on his police scanner that a boy has gone missing and a flower left on his bed. Being the expert on Alcatraz, Soto knows it’s Kit, and he finds Hauser (watching over Lucy, shot last episode) and Rebecca, and they’re off to the house to talk to the boy’s mother.

Then comes the big reveal: Back in Alcatraz’s past, Nelson’s recovering in the Infirmary, and a prisoner on the other side of a sheet, complaining about giving too much blood, chides him, saying he could have more friends in the prison if he tried. The curtain is pulled back and the ‘mystery’ prisoner is revealed to be Rebecca’s grandfather, whom we saw in the present killing her partner. Back in the present, Kit takes his captive out for some ‘fun’ fishing and then watching a movie. Cut to the past, where the Warden wants Kit to talk to his father. Kit doesn’t want to, and the Warden not so subtlely tells him he should. Back in the present, Hauser calls off the Amber Alert, so Kit won’t realize he’s being looked for. This infuriates Soto, who decides to go out on his own after remembering a key clue: Cherry Pie.

That brings us half way through the episode, and I will remain spoiler free. The episode, written by Jennifer Johnson, focuses on Soto, and Jorge Garcia hits a home run with it: he wants to be stronger than he is in the face of Nelson’s evil, but realizes he is out of his league, and only makes things worse. Garcia is masterful at being the underdog, always trying to be the hero he writes about, yet always on the verge of tears from the terror he now sees. There’s also a tidbit on Soto having a dark past as a child, but nothing is concretely explained. And just when I thought that Rebecca wasn’t tough enough as a cop, she uses her gun quickly and effectively to remind me that she is. Sam Neill‘s Hauser is maudlin most of the episode, because of Lucy’s state, and just when I thought he was going to whimp out for the whole episode, he enters a pivotal scene and ends in such a dramatic fashion I actually yelled aloud. I thank director Jack Bender for that moment. Then we go back to the secret ‘new’ Alcatraz, where our previous two escapees are alive and well, and a new-old face is also in the present. I will say that the best line in the entire episode was, ‘This is a four match conversation.’ That line and that scene made the episode for me. This wasn’t as good as the second episode, the leap from cigarettes to final setting was overly quick, but this one was as good as the premiere. I’m hooked and want to know the secrets.

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