Dissecting Alcatraz's Mysteries: Why Is Tommy Madsen So Important?

Finally, an Alcatraz guard has returned!

In this week's episode of Alcatraz, prison guard Guy Hastings (True Blood's Jim Parrack) appeared in the present day with one mission: Hunt down Tommy Madsen (David Hoflin). Hastings enlists — OK, kidnaps — former guard Ray Archer (Robert Forster) to help find Tommy. But wait, Archer is actually Rebecca's great uncle? Because Tommy and Ray are really... brothers!? That's just one of the new mysteries that Alcatraz introduced this week. Let's take a look at the others:

Why would the guards help whoever is pulling the strings?
Hastings says the last thing he remembers was the fog blocking out the stars from the island, then waking up the next morning in the infirmary, being told his family had died and that he, along with several other guards, were contaminated. Then — bam! -- it's not 1963 anymore. It stands to reason then that the guards should still be good people, so why would they suddenly decide to help the bad guys? Did Hastings just think he was tracking down a prisoner; still doing his job?

Dissecting Alcatraz's Mysteries: Who is Lucy, really?

How do the '63s know what to do but don't remember why or how they know?
We've seen this often now, each of the returning '63s being unaware of why they have a mission, but doing it anyway. For Hastings, it's tracking Tommy down.

Why is Hastings supposed to track down Tommy?
Tommy was already on the loose in the premiere, evidenced by the fact that he killed Rebecca's partner. How did he escape whoever is behind the '63s' disappearance? Why did Hastings, who couldn't achieve his mission, want to hurt anyone connected to Tommy? And why is Tommy clearly more important to Hauser (Sam Neill) than the other '63s?

What happened for Ray to turn into a guard and Tommy to turn into a prisoner?
Obviously, Tommy was convicted of murdering Rebecca's grandmother, but if the two of them grew up together, how did they end up being polar opposites? Ray purposely came to Alcatraz so Tommy wouldn't suffer alone, a fact that did not go missed by Hastings despite Ray insisting that he didn't know Tommy. Could Tommy have been innocent of the murder? On the one hand, Ray refused Hauser's offer 16 years ago to work on the '63 task force, clearly to protect Tommy, but now, to protect Rebecca (Sarah Jones), Ray has finally turned his back on Tommy.

Did Tommy tip Ray off that something big was coming?
Though Ray told Hastings that he left Alcatraz to raise Tommy's son, Tommy knew something was coming and could've told Ray to leave the island. Ray also could've figured it out himself since Hastings noted that the guards knew something was going on, what with the doctor taking the prisoners' blood.

Why do each of the '63s go off mission?
Whoever took the '63s gave the returning prisoners and guards specific missions, but the powers that be must not have complete control since each '63 keeps going off mission. Tommy is a prime example.

Parminder Nagra's reaction to Alcatraz premiere: "Already? You're killing me off?"

Who are the powers that be?
Clearly, they were prepping for a big event early on because they were taking the prisoners' blood. The Warden was in on it since he knew about the door "downstairs" in last week's episode. But who truly is pulling the strings and what is their ultimate goal? And why did Hauser ask if there was seismic activity the day Hastings returned?

Why can't Hastings see his family in the present?
Of course, it's a matter of strictest secrecy. However, Jack Sylvane (Jeffrey Pierce) exposed himself by going to his brother's home. Hauser obviously kept Sylvane's brother quiet — or secretly had him killed — so why can't Hastings, who is actually a good guy, see his family and swear them to secrecy?

Will we have to wait until the season finale for Lucy to wake up?
It's fun to see Lucy's back story through flashbacks — though we didn't even see her this week —  but it seems like a waste not to use Parminder Nagra more. How long will Lucy be in this coma? Sweeps, anyone?

Fun fan theory: "Maybe I've watched too much Doctor Who but I still think '60s Lucy is a future Lucy, further down her own timeline from the sniper shooting. I still think we'll see a bullet/surgery scar on her in the '60s. Sorry if that was a bit too wibblywobblytimeywimey for you." —tangcameo

What burning questions do you have about Alcatraz? And will you be tuning in to find out the answers? In case you missed our previous Dissections:
Week 1: Who are the '63s?
Week 2: How many '63s are working with Hauser?
Week 3: Who is Lucy, really?

Alcatraz airs Mondays at 9/8c on Fox.