Thursday, February 23, 2012

Alcatraz: Serial Poisoner

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This was the scariest criminal yet, in my opinion. I understood his reasoning behind killing some of those people back in the 1950s, but why kill a whole table of guys when one was rude? Why kill a swimming pool full of folks if one was snappy? And what did any of those people on the train ever do to bully someone else? Furthermore, if McKee was always obsessed with Jules Verne and had plotted to kill people on the underwater train all along, why did he bother with the first two sets of killings first? He needed time to perfect his gas? That's why I thought that the timing in this episode was a bit off. Otherwise, it was a pretty good episode... I hope people stop giving up on this show... the numbers aren't amazing right now and I'd like to see the show keep going...

Alcatraz "Johnny McKee" (S01E07): At a club in Chinatown, a guy demands free drinks because his friend got engaged. The bartender poisons the drinks, and there's a video of the guys keeling over on youtube. Soto's playing Starcraft 2 when it happens and the video pops up. [wonder what he's running to make that filter out?] The facial recognition software tells him it's Johnny McKee, so he calls Madsen and meets him at the club. Johnny McKee was in Alcatraz for killing 70 people - 42 in one sitting at his high school reunion! Cyanide is his poison of choice, but he does use other things. He plead not-guilty to the murders, claiming justifiable homicide against bullies from years ago. Madsen interviews the bar manager and looks at McKee's application for an address. [I thought the translation of this cell block to a street was funny.] The cell next to his was Sylvane's, so Hauser brings Sylvane to Madsen. [no way he'd let her know where Sylvane is being held!] Of course, Sylvane asks Madsen how he got here (to 2012). Madsen learns that McKee used to keep a jar in his cell... he'd kill bugs by putting them in there with some poisonous berries or seeds. Madsen also tries to learn a bit about Tommy, but all she finds out what that the doctors did things to him and that he talked of a "hole below the hole" at Alcatraz. The trio determine that McKee was using nightshade at Alcatraz, so they try to figure out where McKee could have procured some now.

Meanwhile, McKee is interviewing at a resort. He's hired almost immediately as a pool boy, and he mixes poison into the water, killing another six or seven people. Then we see him in a lab of sorts, wearing a gas max and mixing things. [this guy is just gonna keep going!]

Soto found out that the tox screen on the bar deaths came back clean, then he finds a lead on the nightshade. [are we gonna have Soto have an ongoing love interest in the morgue worker?] It's a good thing that Hauser comes along, as the shop owner only speaks Chinese. [and for those of you who don't believe that situation happens, it does. I've walked into several restaurants, let alone stores, where Chinese is the only language spoken.] They obtain the address (the
CR: Liane Hentscher/FOX
nightshade had to be delivered) and find that it's an abandoned high school. Hauser and Madsen go through the place and find the chem lab smells like freshly cut grass. Turns out, McKee was mixing a chemical that was used in World War I. [so it's clear that there's some lingering chemicals because of the smell... but I guess it's not enough to make our trio ill?] Soto, Madsen, and Hauser realize that McKee was obsessed with Jules Verne and the idea that "the future is now," so they put two and two together regarding an old article they found of his... so they also head to the BART.

Meanwhile, McKee is on the BART and knocks out the driver. Once they're under the Bay, he releases the gas. Madsen and Hauser head for a maintenance cart and some emergency tubes once they realize that a train is stopped. [they got there a bit too quickly in my San Franciscan opinion, though.] They break some glass and help get some people out as McKee makes a break for it. He tries to poison Madsen but they fight and he gets electrocuted on the track. [I don't think he's dead tho, Madsen said he had a pulse.]

Back at the holding area, Sylvane requests to talk to Hauser... and hands him back a photo of a woman. He asks what'll happen to the prisoners, and says that he's changed... he doesn't dream. The idea is put in place that Lucy did something to stop the inmates from dreaming, and it may have been successful. [speaking of Lucy, when are they gonna get her out of that coma??]

[Oh, and for McKee's backstory...] In 1960, we see McKee examining an insect in a glass jar. One prisoner asks him to poison another, so he trades a dirty magazine for a "sitcker" or shiv. He mixes his berries in the jar and spreads the goo on the tip, waiting for the right moment. But, instead of killing the guy he was told to, he kills the guy who ordered him to do it, since he doesn't like bullies. [wow... I'm amazed... how did he stab the guy and nobody noticed? Also, it takes some guts to kill someone in Alcatraz!] We also see him talk to Lucy, and we learn that he once was in love with a girl named Ginny. They went on a date, then up on the roof, and after she had him remove his clothing, the lights came on and the football team laughed at him and threw firecrackers. [awww... hate those kids!] A cherry bomb took his testicles, and he burned Ginny's face as punishment. [wow, creepster!]
Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Email This Pin This

No comments: