Alphas Recap: Episode 2.02 – The Quick and the Dead
Now that the team has reassembled, it’s time to get to work. This week’s episode, The Quick and the Dead starts off with a mysterious man walking through the rain. Everything seems to be moving in slow motion, but that’s just how he perceives it. He enters a restaurant and spots his target: a man eating dinner with his wife. Mystery man makes his move and kidnaps his target, moving so fast, he’s literally just a blur.
Things are off to an interesting start the next morning when it’s revealed that Rosen’s daughter Dani, is sleeping with Cameron. That’s going to make things a bit tense around the office. They talk about what to do now that Rosen is out of the clink and Cameron tells her that he doesn’t want their relationship to end. They agree to keep it on the DL and continue to see (i.e. have sex with) each other.
Meanwhile, at Alpha HQ, things are a bit hectic and stressful. Rosen and Clay came to an agreement last week that leaves Rosen in charge of the team, but Clay has filled the office with other worker bees. Gary is already in the middle of a breakdown, going on about his pudding being stolen out of the refrigerator and how he doesn’t like being touched. Rosen tries to calm him down and get his bearings.
Bill and Cameron, having worked with Clay during Rosen’s absence, are already at home in the office. Rachel is working on disinfecting everything in her office when Cameron stops by to welcome her back. Rachel’s worried that things will be weird in the office because of Cameron and Nina’s bad breakup, but he tries to assure her that things will be fine. Rachel senses his increase in pulse and knows better.
Rosen tries to get situated when Clay enters his office and a discussion ensues about how Clay had to pull some major strings in order to get Rosen released. Clay tells him that if they’re going to accomplish anything, they have to work together. Rosen agrees and asks Clay if he knows anything about the train explosion from last week. Clay tells him there wasn’t anything to suggest foul play, but Rosen knows better. He tells Clay that it’s the work of Stanton Parish, but Clay isn’t convinced. Bill enters the office with a file that contains information regarding the abduction at the restaurant. Rosen asks to see it, but Bill says that he and Cameron can handle it and tells Rosen to get settled in. Rosen insists, and Bill hands it over. There’s a little struggle for control going on here and Bill isn’t quite comfortable with it.
The team heads to the scene and between Rachel and Gary, they discover that the blur is in fact an Alpha. Due to his ability to move 10 times faster that normal human speed, Rosen tells Rachel that the man’s body should put off an odor that she can track. This leads the team to a fish processing warehouse, where they find the body of the man who was kidnapped. Turns out his name is Dr. Westman and he took a screwdriver to the eye, which is still at the scene. Bill has it tested for prints and they’re able to identify an Alpha by the name of Eli Aquino (played by C. Thomas Howell). Rosen recognizes the name as one of the escapees from Building 7.
Rosen explains to the team what makes Eli so fast and how, because of his ability, the effects are aging his body at an astronomical rate. He’s only in his early 20′s, but looks to be in his 40′s. Bill plans to bring in Dr. Westman’s wife to see if she knows of any connection to Eli.
Cameron stops by the kitchen when he sees Nina has finally made it in, but before things get tense, Gary walks in calling one of the office drone a jerk-ass. I love Gary. Cameron tries to calm him down and Gary being Gary tells Cameron that he needs to answer his text messages. This puts Nina on the defensive and she decides to part telling Gary that Cameron never answers his text messages. This leads to a funny exchange about Gary asking Cameron what he had for breakfast.
Nina works on getting her office in order and is in the middle of hanging a painting when Rosen walks in. He realizes that the painting is an original Van Gogh and tells Nina that she’s out of control and needs to reel it in. Nina doesn’t want to hear anything of the sort and pretty much tells him so. Rachel enters and tells Nina that Bill needs her help with Dr. Westman’s wife. When Nina enters, Bill tells them that the wife doesn’t know anything, but Nina tries anyway, pushing just this side of too far. Rosen puts a stop to it and Nina storms out of the office. Gary informs Rosen that another kidnapping call came in minutes prior and Rosen sends to team to intervene. Before Eli can do any real damage to his next victim, Cameron shoots Eli’s weapon out of his hand which results in Eli fleeing the scene. Bill manages to keep up, but ends up running out of steam.
The victim, Dr. Casey, gets taken back to Alpha HQ, where he tells Rosen that both he and Dr. Westman know Eli. They performed tests on him at the mysterious Yankee Medical Group under the guise of “research on pediatric hyperactivity.” Now Eli is exacting his revenge on those who harmed him. Dr. Rosen tells Bill that they will let Dr. Casey go, knowing that Eli will come for him.
Stanton asks Dani about her relationship with Cameron and she fesses up about the fact that she really likes him. He wants her to break it off and after thinking about it, she decides it’s for the best. She tells Cameron that what he feels for her is a result of her ability and that’s not what she wants, so she ends it, leaving him confused and dejected.
Bill, Cameron and Rachel keep an eye on Dr. Casey from a rooftop hoping that Eli will show up again. Soon enough they all find out about Cameron and Dani, thanks to Gary and proceed to grill Cameron about it. Meanwhile, Rosen is working late at the office and Eli shows up threatening him. Dani walks in and sees what’s happening and calls Cameron to let him know. Eli takes off with Rosen, who tells Eli that he will help him. They try to find the Yankee Medical Clinic, but it’s not there, even though Eli says he remembers the church across the street.
The team track Eli and Rosen’s location and enter the church where Eli is holding Rosen. Dani offers to help Eli and is able to slow him down using her ability. Just as things mellow out, a shot rings out that hits Eli in the back, killing him. Stay gold Pony Boy! Rosen is horrified and blames Clay’s team.
Back at HQ, Rosen tells Clay that they can’t work on top of each other and tells him to move everyone but Rosen’s team to another floor. Clay says he’ll look into it and departs. Rosen and Bill come to terms with the power struggle and once everyone (except Nina) is gathered, Rosen tells them that they can only trust each other since Eli’s death proved there is someone amongst them, working against them.
Dani tells Stanton that she wants to be with Cameron and he wishes her well even though he’s thinking something else. Nina stormed out of the office once she found out that Cameron was sleeping with Dani and Rosen tracks her down at a bar where she’s drinking the most expensive booze available. He tries to talk some sense into her but she’s not having any of it. She tells him she quits and when he tries to stop her, she uses her ability on him forcing her point, while also telling him that Cameron is sleeping with Dani. Hours later Rosen comes to and realizes what’s happened.
So….the team is back together, sort of and things are sticky all over. Major kinks in the chain here especially with Nina pushing her way all over the place. That’s going to come to a head and it’s not going to be pretty. We had some classic Gary in this episode which is always a good thing. Cameron is going to be in a pickle once Rosen has a talk with him about Dani. Rosen is pretty level-headed so I think it’ll be a calm conversation, although I could be totally wrong. And on a sidenote…..Cameron needs a hair cut. I like the shaved look from last season much much better. Also, Dyson must be a sponsor, because Rachel had one of those freaky Dyson fans in her room last week and this week she was using that crazy hand-vac. I’m not picking on this…I’m just jealous. Things with Stanton Parish are going to get real ugly too when Cameron, and Rosen for that matter find out that Dani is working along side of him. Until then….
Tags: Alphas, Alphas recap, Alphas Season 2 Episode 2, Alphas The Quick and the Dead, Azita Ghanizada, C. Thomas Howell, David Strathairn, John Pyper-Ferguson, Laura Mennell, Mahershala Ali, Malik Yoba, Ryan Cartwright, Sarah Manninen, Warren Christie
