# Alcatraz starts tonight. Anybody watching? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 16, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743 "2012-01-16T23:59:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/41 "2012-01-18T17:34:59Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > They describe a bunch of Alcatraz _guards_ that disappeared, too. Now, I get that they’re setting up 1960s Alcatraz as an overall evil place where the warden and assistant warden were fond of pointless sadism, but are the guards going to be evil, too? And how were _their_ disappearances covered up? Not just guards. The Indian woman (shot by sniper guy) is from the past, too. She was a doctor in her previous incarnation on The Rock. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/42 "2012-01-18T17:43:31Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Not just guards. The Indian woman (shot by sniper guy) is from the past, too. She was a doctor in her previous incarnation on The Rock. Well, we don’t know anything about her at this point - she might be an immortal. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/43 "2012-01-18T17:46:10Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, we don’t know anything about her at this point - she might be an immortal. Does she speak Latin? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/44 "2012-01-18T17:53:40Z")
Well, I assume Sanskrit. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/45 "2012-01-18T18:21:10Z")
I’m going to keep watching it because a) I have a weakness for these types of shows and b) I want to see if it turns into The Event, which was just hilariously bad. I thought Katee Sackhoff would have been much better as Rebecca. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/46 "2012-01-18T18:49:17Z")
As a Bad Robot production, I expect the first season to be fantastic, the second season also to be very good, but with a few issues that begin to nag at you, and the third season to be complete crap. Sua ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/47 "2012-01-18T19:06:27Z")
Crap, I missed it. Looks like it’s worth watching though. Will they be replaying the pilot, or do I need to wait until it’s (I hope) posted online? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/48 "2012-01-18T19:08:30Z")
> [@SuaSponte](#): > > As a Bad Robot production, I expect the first season to be fantastic, the second season also to be very good, but with a few issues that begin to nag at you, and the third season to be complete crap. Except Fringe, which had its best year in its 3rd year and is kind of floundering now, its fourth year. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/49 "2012-01-18T21:03:16Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Not just guards. The Indian woman (shot by sniper guy) is from the past, too. She was a doctor in her previous incarnation on The Rock. Which means she was probably potted on purpose, and not just because she was there. Of course it will probablyturn out that she allowed herself to get shot to draw suspicion away from her or something. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/50 "2012-01-19T00:20:38Z")
Sylvane’s pretty hot, and it’s interesting that Lucy is from the past too. I’m not sure what else I think of the show so far. Does Sarah Jones remind other people of Jodie Foster and/or Laurie Holden when they were that young too? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/51 "2012-01-19T01:05:06Z")
Is it really that hard to figure out the sniper guy just wanted to be left alone? ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/52 "2012-01-19T04:21:08Z")
The advertising build up was quite intentionally vague, enough to get us suckered into watching. I felt the story line dragging in a lot of places, and felt that Sam Neill REALLY needed to be providing a bit more information. But the ending with Lucy showing up in both times, and NOT AGING was enough to keep us coming back for a while longer. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/53 "2012-01-19T06:10:00Z")
I liked it. It didn’t grab me immediately like Lost and Fringe have. It’s funny how some nitpick on guns, when it’s things like the technology that Jorge’s character was using to search their databases and internet. It’s his first week on the job (going from comic shop owner / author) to being a wiz on computer tech that not only doesn’t exist, but doesn’t even make sense (when he compared present SF to 60s SF by an image search, and it somehow highlighted the new buildings, and generated 3D models of them – wtf?) Anyway, interesting premise, and more good things going for it than bad. I think the big question is: Who’s inmate 2002? He knew stuff was gonna happen, and they kept him hidden. So, who’s at the top and why? The disappearance didn’t happen until 1963, and we’ve only seen flashbacks of a few from 1960. I think a lot of blanks will be filled in as to _what’s_ at work, and out of the guards and inmates, which of them were in the know. Perhaps Jack even knew this was going to happen, and was given instructions prior. Maybe he was less disorientated and more in disbelief, as in _“it actually worked.”_ ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/54 "2012-01-19T08:01:28Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > I think the big question is: Who’s inmate 2002? I’m going with\*\* Louie\*\* (Raspy Voice) from 12 Monkeys. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/55 "2012-01-19T11:58:20Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > I think the big question is: Who’s inmate 2002? Don’t we already know it’s her grandfather? Anyway, I forgot about him — he came back even before Sylvane. So that’s 3 for 3 who came back to the SF area. I call that a trend. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/56 "2012-01-19T12:45:53Z")
Hey brocks, can you tell me if what’s in your spoiler box was already revealed in the first two hours, speculation, or a real spoiler? I may have missed it, if it’s the former. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/57 "2012-01-19T13:26:03Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Hey brocks, can you tell me if what’s in your spoiler box was already revealed in the first two hours, speculation, or a real spoiler? I may have missed it, if it’s the former. It was revealed. It starts with the chase scene where the bad guy kicks the guy (her partner) off the roof. Then in the bar, Hurley is coy when she mentions her grandpa’s name as a guard at Alcatraz. Then the first time in the secret headquarters she sees her grandpa’s picture and realizes he was an inmate instead of a guard. Then she recognizes him as the one who killed her partner. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/58 "2012-01-19T14:05:16Z")
> [@brocks](#): > > I call that a trend. Well, same as _Brimstone_; 113 damned souls have escaped from Hell and (at least as far as we saw during the show’s brief run) all landed in Los Angeles, where they seem to blend in reasonably well. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/59 "2012-01-19T14:13:37Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > It was revealed. It starts with the chase scene where the bad guy kicks the guy (her partner) off the roof. Then in the bar, Hurley is coy when she mentions her grandpa’s name as a guard at Alcatraz. Then the first time in the secret headquarters she sees her grandpa’s picture and realizes he was an inmate instead of a guard. Then she recognizes him as the one who killed her partner. Help me out with that part. Was her grandfather the first returned Alcatraz prisoner that the first episode revolved around? Or someone else? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743/60 "2012-01-19T14:23:30Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Help me out with that part. Was her grandfather the first returned Alcatraz prisoner that the first episode revolved around? Or someone else? As far as I can gather, the timeline is roughly: A few months ago: a bald criminal is chased by two detectives, kills one of them. Last week-1: a criminal mysterious appears in Alcatraz, moves to the city, kills the deputy warden of 1960. Last week: the surviving detective investigates the murder, stumbles on the whole secret project thing, gets recruited into it. Discovers incidentally that the bald criminal is in fact her own grandfather. When and where the grandfather emerged in present-day San Francisco is unclear, as is where he’s been since the lethal chase. A few days ago: another criminal becomes active in San Francisco (where and when he appears is not clear), starts sniping people. Yesterday: the sniper is arrested, consigned to an updated Alcatraz cell block alongside last week’s killer. I may have the sequence slightly out of order, but the gist is that her grandfather did emerge months earlier but aside from that one incident has disappeared from sight. He does not seem to have been arrested by O’Neill’s character, as there is no indication that he is in “New Alcatraz”. Further, the extensive renovation for the secret project’s headquarters makes it look like it’s been up and running for at least as long as the grandfather has been active; several months at least. How they managed this while Alcatraz continued operating as a tourist destination is likely to remain an unresolved plot hole. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alcatraz-starts-tonight-anybody-watching/609743.md?page=4)