Alright, there are a few surprises this episode – a major character getting shot and taken out of the action – but already (this is only the second episode, after all) it seems Alcatraz has already settled into a template.

As far as it goes, that’s not really a bad thing, since this is entertaining enough, but JJ Abrams and co have done their work too well before. Now it’s time to see if there’s any coherence behind the concept, and, to force a pun, the jury’s still out.

It’s worth noting that in the US, this episode was aired back-to-back with the pilot, and frankly, we would have been better served had that been the case here, since this episode is pretty much more of the same: a villain getting out of Alcatraz, again without anyone to stop him.

This will begin to be something of an irritant if none of the major characters comment on it, although now our conspiracy theory telly heads are set to think that each villain has been given a set of instructions before making his way to this century.

As we mused last episode, it’d be interesting to see if any characters do a ‘reverse-flip’ and travel from the present back to the sixties, and that appears to happen here, as if this is Life on Mars upped to the max, when one character gets shot into a coma in the current action, and then (appears to) turn up back in the sixties. It also throws up the interesting possibility that not everyone travelling to the modern day needs to be a villain, which is another concept that could give this programme more breathing room.

But apart from that little tease, it’s all business as usual for Alcatraz, which, when you think about it, is not exactly an endorsement when we’re barely a couple of hours into the series.

There are, no doubt, lots of little clues and – hopefully – misdirections being sprinkled liberally in the background, which would be welcome, since the dialogue is still rather too simplistic in the foreground.

However, as we’ve said, this is essentially the second half of a two-hour introduction to the show. Hopefully it all kicks off next week…

Aired at 9pm on Tuesday 20th March 2012 on Watch.

> Order the Season 1 boxset on Amazon.

What did you think of the episode? Let us know below…