NBC's all-new Thursday night lineup debuted last week, but the combined weight of the concluding episode of the two part event The Blacklist event and the series premiere of Allegiance were no match for ABC's lucrative #TGIT Shondaland lineup.
Despite that, reactions to Allegiance's series premiere from SpoilerTV readers were largely positive. The news gets better, with the series second episode just as good - if not better than - the first.
Titled "Teamwork", the episode picks up at the very moment the series premiere ended, with Alex O'Connor in the middle of a confrontation with his parents, Katya and Mark, having just discovered that something was fishy in his mother's past with regard to her dealings with Mikhail Vostrov - the man whose life came to an end in last week's premiere - and threatening to reveal their secrets to the FBI. Alex continues his full on factual assault, taking advantage of his superior memories to pry more information out of his mother, though what is revealed is a bit of a shock - the ramifications of which look set to continue well into the next few episodes.
Vostrov is the linchpin for what is shaping up to be the major storyline Allegiance develops. He was literally fired for stealing hundreds of thousands of classified documents from the Russians in his attempts to defect from the SVR. His former colleagues are leaving no stone unturned to retrieve them, subsequently enlisting Katya and Mark's help last week, but they are in a race against time with Alex's CIA team. The couple must work together to keep their son safe and the Russians happy, effectively producing a 3 vs 3 race.
The man in the middle of the Russians and the O'Connor's is Victor. He get some decent and interesting screen time in the episode, with a portion of it spent with the O'Connor's daughter, Natalie, with much of the remainder spent in rather shady company. The O'Connor's youngest daughter, Sarah, appears only briefly. As is typical of most new television series, a couple of new characters are introduced - one being Michelle Prado, played beautifully by Floriana Lima.
The first flashback in the series presents itself early on, focusing entirely on the Russians. It doesn't reveal anything of real significance in this episode, but it's sure to be referenced further down the track. Person of Interest and Boardwalk Empire alum Boris McGiver shows up too - a nice surprise. Back in the CIA offices, another Person of Interest guest star, Robert John Burke, makes an appearance.
Just as he did in the premiere, Sam Luttrell, very well played by Kenneth Choi, is the source of humor throughout the episode. The performances by his fellow regular cast members were rock solid too, with Gavin Stenhouse the general standout. Behind the camera, I was impressed with the set locations and action oriented scenes. The writing and directing were both well executed, the former being pivotal in being able to follow the story with a higher level of ease than usual. The score was also fantastic throughout.
I'll leave it there for now because there's plenty more to come, but to summarize, this episode is spot on in its approach following last week's series premiere. The storyline is progresses nicely, but the dreaded sense of cramming or overloading is well and truly absent. I'm enjoying the characters and how they are being pitted against each other without them really knowing it. Allegiance is right up my alley and meeting my expectations, so I'll be happily sticking with it for a wee while yet.
Thanks for reading! Ask me any questions and share your thoughts and theories in the comments below. Follow Allegiance's ratings on my TV ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com/allegiance.
