By Frederic Germay
So far this season keeps stepping up its game with every new episode. I have to admit that I am extremely impressed with “Prison Break’s” radical renovation, and I certainly hope that the show will continue in its trend of excellent quality. However, I do wonder whether this season will adopt the same procedural that worked so well for it in season one, and spend practically the entire season attempting to break out of the prison.
Unfortunately, that method would only work temporarily until it would start to feel like a tired repetition of the past. Although Sona certainly does have an appeal quite unlike Fox River, the writers seem to have already set a timetable for Michael’s departure from the prison. The question remains as to whether the creative minds behind “Prison Break” will find a way to make Sona continue to play a significant role in the rest of the season. It is, after all, prominently featured in the opening credits.
This episode started off by immediately dispelling any possible preconceived notions (including mine) about whether Michael and Lechero may form a mutually beneficial relationship. Obviously Lechero still considers Michael to be a worthy rival, and that proves that he is quite intelligent. Unfortunately, that lessens Michael’s chances of escape quite significantly. Unlike Fox River, where he had a detailed and carefully detailed plan for escape, he is plunged into a situation where almost everyone is against him, and he has barely any knowledge of how to formulate his escape.
Then comes the opportunity for Lincoln to finally bring a more captivating angle to his storyline – if you can’t deliver what they want, then you take what they have. In this particular instance of neat story-telling symmetry, both brothers have to use someone they don’t particularly relish the company of. Lincoln has to convince Susan B. Anthony (for lack of a better name) to secure a phone call with Sara, whereas Michael blackmails T-Bag to utilize his position of power to secure Lechero’s telephone so Michael can have a conversation with Sara.
This sets the stage for a whole host of possible repercussions. Lincoln eventually uncovers LJ and Sara’s whereabouts, but the two hostages are moved just in time. Unfortunately, the company now knows about Lincoln’s rescue attempt, and their plan to convince Lincoln not to try another rescue attempt now lies in the perplexing end to the episode – a box. Given the blood-like substance at the bottom of the package, and the rumors circling an actor/actress’ departure from the show, it could be quite likely that writers were forced into killing off one of the hostages. This could lead to some tension between Michael and Lincoln, as only one of them would then be fully motivated to recover the remaining hostage.
T-Bag’s character seems to be developing in a slightly predictable way again. His twisted methods of rising through the ranks may actually prove to be his downfall if any of his lies or criminal history is unearthed. I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds a way to steal Lechero’s position in the prison. On the other hand, Bellick’s contributions to the storyline are becoming even more snore-inducing. At least he now knows some details of Michael’s plan, but given his past history, he will probably make a stupid decision regarding that information.
Mahone seems to be rapidly losing control of his mind and body. It is becoming quite apparent that he needs his drugs to cope even in the simplest of situations, and now that his survival is the critical issue, he is starting to lose grip with reality. Then again, Mahone’s cunning tends to rival Michael’s genius most when he starts get a little crazy. It should be interesting to see what part Mahone has to play for this season.
Overall, this is the strongest installment of the season to date, and chances are that next week’s episode will be even better. The best part of the episode had to be the moment where Lechero redialed his cell phone and had a brief, yet intense, nonverbal confrontation with Lincoln. On the other hand, the worst part of the episode had to be Bellick’s flirting techniques….Ugh! I give this episode a 9/10
