Recap / Men In Black The Series S 1 E 4 The Alpha Syndrome

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• Breaking the Fellowship: Jay gets so fed up with Kay's cold behavior that he asks Zed to reassign him to another partner. This gets Averted at the end when Jay decides to stay with his partner after he realizes how much Kay really cares for him.
• Brick Joke: At the beginning of the episode when Jay is trying to figure out what's eating Kay, Zed tells him "Don't ever ask Kay about his past". At the end of the episode, when Jay wonders how Zed fit into the whole thing regarding Alpha, Zed retorts "Don't ever ask me about my past".
• Central Theme: Having a heart, or more precisely compassion and loyalty, which is prevalent throughout the entire episode.
  • Jay believes that Kay doesn't want him, but as the episode moves along, he finally understands that no matter how standoffish he can be, Kay does want him.
  • The Sintillian, while obnoxious, cares deeply for his heart.
  • Alpha only cares for himself as he willingly sacrifices others, even his student, to achieve his goals.
• Chekhov's Gun:
  • The device that Alpha sent to Kay that allows him to recall past memories. Jay uses this to find Kay.
  • Kay uses a couple Quick Clones in order to leave headquarters and face Alpha alone. Jay makes use of one himself in order to pull off his own gambit.
• Evil Mentor: Alpha was this to Kay.
• Flashback:
  • Kay recalls when Alpha welcomed him to the organization and offered to teach him everything he needed to know.
  • Thanks to the Selective Memory Projector, Jay can see when Alpha acquired the Cosmic Integrator and left Kay for dead.
• Gory Discretion Shot: Alpha fires on Kay in the flashback. We don't see the end results but Kay's screaming is more than enough to know that it's really painful.
• He Who Must Not Be Named: Alpha was such a huge stain in MIB's life that they not only locked all files related to him, but also have everyone keep their mouths shut about it.
• Hidden in Plain Sight: When Jay asks to be assigned to Agent A, the agent he met at the crime scene, as his partner, Zed and Kay mention there is no Agent A. This makes them realize that it was actually Alpha and he had never left the scene of the crime, meaning he was still there.
• Hybrid Monster: Alpha scours the universe for years, collecting the best parts of aliens. Some of them are unwilling.
• I Choose to Stay: Despite all the events that had transpired, Jay chooses to remain as Kay's partner. Even Zed is thankful for Jay's decision.
• Ironic Echo: "Let's you and me take the ultimate thrill ride."
• It's Personal: Kay basically says this in full when he wants to take part in searching for Alpha.
• Jerk Ass Woobie: The Sintillian is not the most pleasant to converse with, but even he didn't deserve to be the victim of Alpha's crime.
• Literal Metaphor: When the Sintillian says that the thief stole his heart, he did not mean he fell in love with the perp.
• Meaningful Echo:
  • "Drop a big piano on it/him."
  • "Tough being the new kid in this outfit, lot to get used to" Alpha says this to Jay when he first meets him and to a young Kay in his flashback.
• Mysterious Past: While Jay was able to piece together Kay's past, Zed's backstory remains a mystery, and the guy wishes to keep it that way.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Jay and Kay are horrified at what Alpha has become.
  • Alpha has this when he learns that Jay duped him.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: This episode marks one of the many times that Kay gets legitimately angry and reckless.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
  Alpha: And I thought the Men in Black was supposed to be the best of the best. Rookies. They don't realize how breakable they are.
• The Unreveal: While Jay was able to figure out Kay's past with Alpha, he doesn't know where Zed fits into it. Zed comments "Don't ever ask me about my past".
• Wham Line: "There is no Agent A."
• Wham Shot: Alpha showing off how he's "fully loaded."
• What the Hell, Hero?: Kay is furious that Elle wants her and Kay to abandon Jay to Alpha. Elle slips to Kay that this is all part of the plan.
• What You Are in the Dark:
  • In the past, when Alpha offered him a chance of immortality, Kay refused to take any part of it. This led Alpha to shoot his pupil down and leave him for dead.
  • When Jay gets caught, Kay is reluctant to shoot his partner down and is deeply angered that Elle suggests abandoning him.
• Where It All Began: Thanks to using the Selective Memory Projector, Jay was able to figure out that Kay was meeting up with Alpha at the place where Alpha's Start of Darkness began.
• With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: What led to Alpha's fall. While chasing down some alien criminals, Alpha discovered a device that Earth wasn't ready for, but Alpha chose to use it.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!!: While he doesn't actually say this, Alpha's face when he learns that Jay duped him shows this is what was going through his mind.