This week’s episode of Alcatraz has been my favourite so far. Although it left us with a whole new batch of questions, we also got a few answers and the show proved that it’s worth sticking around for. I just really want to know what is behind that mysterious door from last week. Of course the keys or the door weren’t mentioned at all in last night’s episode.
Guy Hastings (played by the underrated Jim Parrack or Hoyt from True Blood) is the first prison guard to return from Alcatraz. Hastings returns to present day by visiting the apartment he lived in on the island with his wife and daughter. While looking at old family photos he had hidden in a secret cubby, he is quickly interrupted by an Alcatraz ranger. Hastings takes the guy down with his bare hands in a fit of rage, then heads back to the cubby to grab a gun (who put that there?).
It’s revealed that Hastings has been sent back for Tommy Madsen. We don’t really know why he’s looking for him though. I’m going to assume that either Tommy has gone rogue and not following the plan he was sent back for or he somehow escaped and arrived at present day when he wasn’t supposed to. To find out where Tommy is, Guy kidnaps Ray Archer (Rebecca’s surrogate uncle). During a flashback Hastings is training Ray (a new guard) in the prison cafeteria where there is an incident between Ray and Tommy. Turns out Tommy had no idea that Ray was now working at the prison and attacked him, saying “you shouldn’t have come here”. Tommy is sent to the hole for his actions and Ray is put under the spotlight by Tiller, who thinks Ray is here to help Tommy escape. To prove that he doesn’t know and is not conspiring with Tommy, Ray beats the crap out of him, sending him to the infirmary. While paying him a visit, Ray tells Tommy that regardless of what happened he’s still there for him and the two grab each others hand to secure their bond.
Back to present day, Guy holds Ray in his apartment in order to find information on Tommy. Ray tells Guy that he just knew him as a prisoner at Alcatraz and held no type of relationship with him and that Tommy was long dead. Guy doesn’t buy the story and ends up finding a picture of Ray and Tommy all buddy buddy. After Guy threatens to track down Rebecca, Ray eventually agrees and leads Hastings to Tommy’s house that he grew up in. As Rebecca and Soto are trying to find Ray they realize that Ray is actually Tommy’s brother, which makes Ray Rebecca’s real uncle. He changed his name and story to become a guard while Tommy was serving his time. In the house, Ray asks “Where have you been?” At this point Hastings offers up the most insight we’ve gotten thus far…
“I haven’t been anywhere. I took my little one down to the dock and kissed her goodbye. That night, I was on the north tower, and the fog took all the stars away. In the morning, I was in the infirmary. They told us there’d been an accident. Our families were dead. Most of us guards were in there, and they told us we were sick, contaminated, and that we couldn’t leave. And then it wasn’t 1963 anymore.”
Of course, Rebecca Madsen and team show up at this exact moment and there is a show down between Guy (holding Rebecca at gunpoint) and Hauser. This is looking like a repeat of the Kit Nelson episode when Hauser explains to him “On the count of three I’m going to shoot you in the head. One… two…” Luckily Rebecca gets free and Guy is taken into Hauser’s custody. Before Hauser takes him away, they make a pit stop so Hastings can see his daughter Amy one last time and also get a glimpse of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Where was Hauser taking him? We don’t actually know. He’s not a prisoner so would he actually lock him up in the underground Alcatraz?
To cap off the episode we discover two more things about Ray Archer. One is that he knew about “the 63’s” – Hauser had offered him a job on Team Alcatraz 16 years ago which he turned down. The second is that Ray has been in contact with Tommy in present day but because of the danger Rebecca has been put in Ray isn’t as welcoming to Tommy anymore and threatens to kill him if he comes around again.
AMANDA’S QUESTIONS: Why is Hauser asking about seismic activity when the 63’s have been returning? Why did Hastings return to be such an angry guy? Where did Hauser take Hastings? Why was Hastings looking for Tommy?
