Writer: Matt Olmstead
Director: Bobby Roth
Cast: William Fichtner (Alexander Mahone), Robert Knepper (Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell), Robert Wisdom (Lechero), Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows), Wade Williams (Brad Bellick), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Susan B. Anthony), Amaury Nolasco (Fernando Sucre), Danay Garcia (Sofia Lugo), Chris Vance (James Whistler), Amaury Nolasco (Fernando Sucre), Camille Guaty (Maricruz), Laurence Mason (Sammy), Carlo Alban (McGrady), Carlos Compean (Colonel Escamilla), Ravil Isyanov (Wyatt), John S. Davies (Elliot Pike), Curtis Wayne (Cheo) & Davi Jay (Papo)
Michael and Mahone try to lure Whistler out of hiding, T-Bag gains upward momentum in the prison hierarchy as the water supply runs low, and Linc investigates Whistler's girlfriend...
If there's one thing I particularly enjoy about Prison Break, it's the sense of pace. The show raises new plot-points, then immediately answers them, or atleast takes an unexpectedly big step towards doing so...
Fire/Water focuses on the retrieval of James Whistler (Chris Vance) from Sona's sewer system. Michael (Wentworth Miller) wants Whistler so he can trade him for nephew LJ and girlfriend Sarah's safety -- but there's a bounty on Whistler's head that causes problems...
Supposedly, any inmate who finds Whistler and kills him will automatically be given a court appearance with a lenient judge. It's no wonder Whistler hid in the sewers -- although quite how he managed to brick himself up behind a wall, or how hundreds of inmates can't find him, is never explained. It's just one of those baffling Prison Break oversights. If you like plausible drama, this show isn't for you...
Michael finds Whistler, thanks to Bellick (Wade Williams), who trades his location for a cup of water. But it's not going to be easy coaxing Whistler out of hiding, as he fears immediate death if he shows his face in public.
Mahone (William Fichtner), now desperate to escape after Michael refused to join forces, discovers Whistler's location himself and, putting stock in the rumour, attempts to drag out the Australian and claim his freedom...
Sona itself is facing problems as water reserves are low. Lechero (Robert Wisdom) faces an uprising from disgruntled inmates, while sly T-Bag (Robert Knepper) takes great delight in crushing Michael's plan to free Whistler by getting his bounty lifted. At this stage, I'm yet to be convinced T-Bag is a character who will ever work outside of Fox River, but Knepper's performance certainly fits as a snivelling henchman.
Outside the prison walls, Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) is desperate to resolve the situation with his family in jeopardy, and tries to get Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) to help him. Unfortunately, Sucre has discovered his girlfriend Maricruz (Camille Guaty) is safe and waiting for him, as Bellick admits he was bluffing about having her captured somewhere...
The sudden safety of Maricruz is an obvious u-turn by the writers, who clearly didn't want to pursue that storyline. I can handle a change of direction, but it didn't make sense why Bellick revealed the truth so easily! I know he was being threatened at gunpoint by Sucre in Sona's visitor's pen, but he had the upper hand -- after all, would Sucre shoot Bellick, if it meant the Sona guards would then kill him, and Maricruz really would be lost forever? Of course not. Bellick's sudden honesty just didn't ring true.
Lincoln is forced to investigate Whistler's backstory alone, after realizing the note slipped to Michael (Versailles 1989 V. Madrid) references a local bank. In the bank, Whistler's girlfriend Sofia (Danay Garcia) opens her boyfriend's deposit box to find a bird reference book inside. Prison Break's tendency to involve puzzles and clues continues into season 3, even without Michael's cryptic tattoo.
Fire/Water is a decent episode that unpredictably brings the Whistler situation to the forefront already, and Michael's "escape plan" takes a firm step forward. The antagonism between Michael and Lechero is also nicely developed, but quickly dissipates after Michael successfully restores the prison's water supply to reaffirm Lechero's position as top dog. That should earn him some leeway for awhile, but it's an early move into more comfortable territory for Michael.
The sense of danger, depravity and violence inside Sona also takes a step back in episode 2, as it's clear the writers are trying to strike a balance between light and dark. Sona is still a depressing slum, but Michael and Bellick have already had small victories over the system, while T-Bag is relatively cosy under Lechero's wing. The sense of danger and impossibility last week is weaker here, so I hope future episodes inject more of that dystopian flavour back into season 3's veins.
Overall, there are some interesting developments for the whole Whistler storyline (he apparently killed the Mayor of Panama City's son in a barfight) and the way everything builds towards a watery climax is nicely achieved. Fire/Water is definitely another firm step forward for Prison Break's third season.
1 October 2007
Sky One, 10.00 pm
Director: Bobby Roth
Cast: William Fichtner (Alexander Mahone), Robert Knepper (Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell), Robert Wisdom (Lechero), Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows), Wade Williams (Brad Bellick), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Susan B. Anthony), Amaury Nolasco (Fernando Sucre), Danay Garcia (Sofia Lugo), Chris Vance (James Whistler), Amaury Nolasco (Fernando Sucre), Camille Guaty (Maricruz), Laurence Mason (Sammy), Carlo Alban (McGrady), Carlos Compean (Colonel Escamilla), Ravil Isyanov (Wyatt), John S. Davies (Elliot Pike), Curtis Wayne (Cheo) & Davi Jay (Papo)
Michael and Mahone try to lure Whistler out of hiding, T-Bag gains upward momentum in the prison hierarchy as the water supply runs low, and Linc investigates Whistler's girlfriend..."Don't ask me stupid questions. Don't waste my time. Get a plan together. Execute it. LJ and Sara will be traded for Whistler, are we clear?"
-- Susan B. Anthony (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe)
If there's one thing I particularly enjoy about Prison Break, it's the sense of pace. The show raises new plot-points, then immediately answers them, or atleast takes an unexpectedly big step towards doing so...
Fire/Water focuses on the retrieval of James Whistler (Chris Vance) from Sona's sewer system. Michael (Wentworth Miller) wants Whistler so he can trade him for nephew LJ and girlfriend Sarah's safety -- but there's a bounty on Whistler's head that causes problems...
Supposedly, any inmate who finds Whistler and kills him will automatically be given a court appearance with a lenient judge. It's no wonder Whistler hid in the sewers -- although quite how he managed to brick himself up behind a wall, or how hundreds of inmates can't find him, is never explained. It's just one of those baffling Prison Break oversights. If you like plausible drama, this show isn't for you...
Michael finds Whistler, thanks to Bellick (Wade Williams), who trades his location for a cup of water. But it's not going to be easy coaxing Whistler out of hiding, as he fears immediate death if he shows his face in public.
Mahone (William Fichtner), now desperate to escape after Michael refused to join forces, discovers Whistler's location himself and, putting stock in the rumour, attempts to drag out the Australian and claim his freedom...
Sona itself is facing problems as water reserves are low. Lechero (Robert Wisdom) faces an uprising from disgruntled inmates, while sly T-Bag (Robert Knepper) takes great delight in crushing Michael's plan to free Whistler by getting his bounty lifted. At this stage, I'm yet to be convinced T-Bag is a character who will ever work outside of Fox River, but Knepper's performance certainly fits as a snivelling henchman.
Outside the prison walls, Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) is desperate to resolve the situation with his family in jeopardy, and tries to get Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) to help him. Unfortunately, Sucre has discovered his girlfriend Maricruz (Camille Guaty) is safe and waiting for him, as Bellick admits he was bluffing about having her captured somewhere...
The sudden safety of Maricruz is an obvious u-turn by the writers, who clearly didn't want to pursue that storyline. I can handle a change of direction, but it didn't make sense why Bellick revealed the truth so easily! I know he was being threatened at gunpoint by Sucre in Sona's visitor's pen, but he had the upper hand -- after all, would Sucre shoot Bellick, if it meant the Sona guards would then kill him, and Maricruz really would be lost forever? Of course not. Bellick's sudden honesty just didn't ring true.
Lincoln is forced to investigate Whistler's backstory alone, after realizing the note slipped to Michael (Versailles 1989 V. Madrid) references a local bank. In the bank, Whistler's girlfriend Sofia (Danay Garcia) opens her boyfriend's deposit box to find a bird reference book inside. Prison Break's tendency to involve puzzles and clues continues into season 3, even without Michael's cryptic tattoo.
Fire/Water is a decent episode that unpredictably brings the Whistler situation to the forefront already, and Michael's "escape plan" takes a firm step forward. The antagonism between Michael and Lechero is also nicely developed, but quickly dissipates after Michael successfully restores the prison's water supply to reaffirm Lechero's position as top dog. That should earn him some leeway for awhile, but it's an early move into more comfortable territory for Michael.
The sense of danger, depravity and violence inside Sona also takes a step back in episode 2, as it's clear the writers are trying to strike a balance between light and dark. Sona is still a depressing slum, but Michael and Bellick have already had small victories over the system, while T-Bag is relatively cosy under Lechero's wing. The sense of danger and impossibility last week is weaker here, so I hope future episodes inject more of that dystopian flavour back into season 3's veins.
Overall, there are some interesting developments for the whole Whistler storyline (he apparently killed the Mayor of Panama City's son in a barfight) and the way everything builds towards a watery climax is nicely achieved. Fire/Water is definitely another firm step forward for Prison Break's third season.
1 October 2007
Sky One, 10.00 pm
