Allegiance Episode 1 Review: Another Russian Spy Family In America (Series Premiere)

"Allegiance" premiered this week on NBC. It's the story of a CIA analyst who is tasked with finding out how Russian spies (now referred to as the SVR) are planning to bring the US economy to it's knees. The catch is Alex's parents (Mark and Katya) are retired KGB agents (but he doesnt know that). The Russians want mommy and daddy to turn Junior into a double agent. There's also an older daughter (Natalie) who is currently working for the SVR and a younger daughter is too young to know anything (Sarah).

The parents first plan is to leave the country but the the Russians (the main baddie is Victor) catch them. Next Katya tries to go to the FBI with the truth but Mark stops her in the nick of time. The Russians agree that the O'Connors can get the intel from their son (instead of turning him). They bug Alex's phone and his car.

So Far I Find The Parents Much More Interesting Than Their Son

A strange aspect of the show is it's continual references to Alex as "not normal". He is apparently an autistic savant type (insert "Rain Man"). He didnt speak till age 8 (and then spoke in complete sentences). He couldnt read till age 9 (and then was reading "Anna Karenina"). He's a walking encyclopedia of various facts. He's also a speed reader.

The CIA discovers the identity of the man who was burned alive (after selling someone a list of all the SVR agents in the country). The female SVR defector is also killed along the way. The man's name is Mikhail. Alex remembers him from childhood. Mikhail was a friend of his parents. Alex gives his Katya and Mark an ultimatum-- either tell him the truth or he'll turn them in. I dont think that will happening anytime soon since the show would be over.

There will obviously be many comparisons between "Allegiance" and "The Americans"? I have watched "The Americans" from the beginning and L-O-V-E the show. See my reviews here: http://gmonster320.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Americans The main differences between the two are:

"The Americans" takes place in the 1980s while "Allegiance" takes place in present day.
The children in "The Americans" are much younger and thus far know nothing about their parents occupation. On the other hand, Natalie O'Connor already works for the Russians (and is sleeping with Victor).
The Jennings are very much still working for Mother Russia and still believe in it's ideology (or at least Elizabeth does). The O'Connors are retired and living the American dream. We dont know yet how much they bought into the propaganda.
"The Americans" are at the beginning of season 3 and havent been discovered yet. The O'Connors are discovered by their son at the end of episode 1. I'm not sure how much farther they can go since I thought that would be the main tension in the show.
"Allegiance" is based on an Israeli series so its just a direct ripoff of "The Americans".

Nope This Wont Cause Any Issues Down The Road

Grade: 3 3/4 Monsters (out of 5). I found the episode enjoyable but wouldnt call it great. Parts of the plot are so far fetched that it's impossible to believe. Still, all of the actors are doing a good job of selling the story. I am intrigued enough to check back in a few more times.