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Prison Break 3.7: "Vamonos" |
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Sunday, 11 November 2007 |
By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries. (Note: This review only covers the second half of the two-episode event for 05 Nov 2007; a previous review covered episode 3-6.)
I was initially concerned when Michael’s apparent anger towards Whistler was revealed to be another diversionary tactic. I thought Michael’s reaction to Sara’s death was understandable and far more interesting, but the ruse does make the escape attempt more chaotic as a result. In fact, this episode is overflowing with tension, bringing the first phase of the season to a powerful climax.
Once the escape attempt was shattered, the Sona subplot became somewhat predictable. Certainly Michael and Whistler weren’t going to fight to the death, and Sammy wasn’t going to be shot for trying to escape. That would have quickly eliminated T-Bag as a player in the game (much as Bellick continues to be a complete waste of time). But this situation does result in something unexpected: Lechero’s fall from power and his subsequent desire to join the escape effort.
Lincoln’s race to save LJ was more exciting, largely because there was a greater chance of disaster. While nearly everyone at Sona had to survive to keep the plot thread intact, LJ’s survival was hardly necessary. Lincoln’s failure to save LJ could have resulted in severe consequences, and to a certain extent, his reprieve dilutes the impact somewhat.
Meanwhile, Mahone’s subplot takes the expected turn, as his own fortunes appear to be tied to the conspiracy’s need for his cooperation. I still believe that he will end up being manipulated by the Company again, and that his fortunes will continue to spiral out of control. My hope, of course, is that he remains in some kind of uneasy alliance with Michael and Lincoln, if only to keep that strong cast chemistry alive.
All in all, this was one of the best episodes of the season thus far, right down to the unexpected moment at the end of the hour. If the writers could manage to bring the energy and tension back to this level more often, the season could recover from the mismanagement of Sara’s fate. It remains unclear how the writers’ strike will effect the season arc, however. The next episode will be the “fall finale” instead of episode 3-13, and the remaining episodes in the can will be used to offset the decision to pull “24” from the spring schedule entirely. Hopefully the episode chosen to end the season will be strong enough to serve as a finale. |
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