NBC axe My Own Worst Enemy; Fox close to ending Prison Break?

NBC are cancelling My Own Worst Enemy after only a handful of episodes. The "Jekyll & Hyde meets James Bond" sci-fi series, starring Christian Slater as a man with a split-personality, hasn't performed well in the ratings, and has had mixed reviews -- with most critics picking on the silly premise. Read more here.

Fox are apparently close to announcing the demise of Prison Break, too. The action drama has struggled with low ratings this year, so a two-part finale is being planned (to air as a special event next spring, most likely.) Suspicions were aroused because Fox haven't included the last 6 episodes (of its planned 22-episode season) on its mid-season schedule. Read more here.

PRISON BREAK 4.10 - "The Legend"

Writer: Karyn Usher
Director: Dwight Little

Spoilers. Everybody loves Bellick. Or so you'd think, based on this episode, which plays like a syrupy eulogy at times -- with flashbacks, anecdotes and violin music interrupting events as people reminisce about the man who (let's not forget) spent season 1 as their hated prison warden, season 2 as a bounty hunter causing trouble, and season 3 half-naked drinking from puddles…

This week, Michael (Wentworth Miller) receives the rest of Whistler's blueprints of Scylla from Gretchen (Jodi Lynn O'Keefe), but is at a loss to decipher them. There seems to be an intentional gap in the logic of the schematics, with a hidden codeword providing the name "David Baker" (the architect of Scylla's security). Unfortunately, Michael collapses and is rushed to hospital by Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies) to undergo a brain scan, leaving the team to go it alone…

Mahone (William Fichtner) tracks down David Baker (Keith Szarabajka), poising as a Company employee who needs the missing Scylla schematic information to carry out changes. Linc (Dominic Purcell) and Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) continue to try and break into Scylla underneath GATE, coming up against a thick concrete wall, where Sucre accidentally triggers a pressure-sensitive booby-trap on the floor.

Above ground, T-Bag (Robert Knepper) can't defer his business activities with GATE any longer, as he's pressured into giving a pitch to a roomful of businessmen as salesman extraordinaire Cole Pfeiffer. At the same time, T-Bag's collaborator Trishanne (Shannon Lucio) arouses his suspicions when she mentions Whistler (a name she shouldn't be aware of), and her true identity is later revealed…

I'm always impressed by how much content the writers can cram into episodes; hitting their act-breaks with decent climaxes and gradually building a corkscrew of momentum. It's a trick the show has become very adept at -- sweeping you along to make you forget just how utterly ridiculous it all is. Scylla is still a big macguffin (although we do see it for the first time, and it doesn't resemble a bomb), and now Whistler's map is attributed to a different man to further extend the mission.

If there's one thing Prison Break needs to get a handle on, it's making the threat posed by the Company more substantial. We understand the characters are fighting for their personal freedom (although even that sometimes drifts from your mind), but the haziness surrounding the Company's plans is just becoming irritating. This is possibly because the writers don't quite know themselves. Of all the TV dramas on-air, Prison Break is the only one where it feels like they're making it up episode-to-episode.

The subplot are what they are: Michael and Sara spend the episode in hospital, both actors struggling with poor material; Mahone gets some action in David Baker's luxury home when real Company agents arrive to ask David how to dismantle Scylla's security quicker, so they can move it; Linc, Sucre and Gretchen have to disarm a booby-trap (unaware there's a simple off-button behind a wall panel!), and T-Bag somehow gets through his pitch by using his prison experiences and relationship with Bellick to captivate his audience.

Indeed, the abiding memory of this episode is the rather corny deference to Bellick -- a character the writers clearly have great affection for (two of them cameo in the T-Bag "eulogy" scene), but it just begs the question: why was Bellick allowed to become totally redundant from season 3 if they liked him so much?

Awkward flashbacks are used to try and make us feel Bellick was a really great guy at heart, but it doesn't really wash. He was certainly sympathetic at times (like when we discovered he was a mollycoddled mummy's boy back in season 2), but for the most part he was tedious and unnecessary character. It was nice to give him a heroic end last week, and obviously his death had to be felt and mentioned in this episode, but the reactions were taken to an extreme that made it feel comical.

Overall, "The Legend" (not referring to Bellick) was a typical episode of Prison Break: two subplots nudge important mythology along (Michael's tumour, Scylla's blueprint), while the other two are just there to crank up a bit of tension in the episode (T-Bag's pitch, Sucre's booby-trap). The revelation that Trishanne is working for Don Self (Michael Rapaport) was probably not planned from the start (or am I underestimating the writers?) and doesn't seem to make much sense. I mean, how did Don know to send her undercover at GATE? Wasn't Scylla's location beneath GATE a big secret, only discoverable if you have Whistler's bird book?


11 November 2008
Sky1, 10pm

Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln), Michael Rapaport (Don), Amaury Nolasco (Sucre), William Fichtner (Mahone), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Gretchen), Robert Knepper (T-Bag), Wade Williams (Bellick), Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara), Leon Russom (General Krans), Shannon Lucio (Trishanne), Keith Szarabajka (David Allen Baker), Dan Sachoff (Aide), Jude Ciccolella (Howard Scuderi), Michael Bryan French (Gregory White), Stacy Haiduk (Lisa Tabak) & Jennifer Hetrick (Elaine Baker)

PRISON BREAK 4.9 - "Greatness Achieved"

Writer: Nick Santora
Director: Jesse Bochco

Spoilers. As we approach the mid-season finale, Prison Break goes through its motions: cramming in lots of action and torture, with ridiculous solutions, reactions and awkward attempts to appear emotionally and morally complex. But it's not really; post-season 1, Prison Break's storylines have just been knotted balls of yarn the writers tease apart as best they can, before sometimes reaching for the scissors…

"Greatness Achieved" splits the narrative three ways: Michael (Wentworth Miller), Sucre (Amaury Nolasco), Bellick (Wade Williams) and Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) arrive at the GATE offices to find the access point to Scylla, as T-Bag (Robert Knepper) tries to maintain their cover during work hours. Elsewhere, Gretchen (Jodi Lynn O'Keefe) holds General Krantz (Leon Russom) at gunpoint, forcing him to try and reason with her, and Don (Michael Rappaport) tries to extract information from the captured Wyatt (Cress Williams), before allowing Mahone (William Fichtner) to avenge the murder of his son.

It's a heady confection, that ultimately boils down to quite a few enjoyable but simple-minded moments. The mission to find Scylla remains patently absurd, as I can't fathom why the Company would keep a glorified data-reader in the bowels of a building. Last week, it was inferred Scylla is of a different nature than we've been led to believe, but in this episode The General mentions it holds information, so it's clearly not a bomb or suchlike. To be honest, the writers are so quick to retcon their own ideas that I've lost interest now -- just wake me up when they've settled on their story.

The whole situation at GATE strains credibility even more than usual, with T-Bag's bosses still believing he's super-salesman Cole Pfeiffer and appearing blind to anything that would arouse suspicion in the stupidest of people. It's actually quite comical that a one-handed, sweaty, goatee'd, slimeball paedophile can somehow blag his way around a high-flying office, with the inexplicable solidarity of receptionist Trishanne (Shannon Lucio).

Gretchen's subplot is rather trite, and annoyingly puts her character back on the Company payroll, which doesn't ring true and deletes the previous idea to have her retaliate against the Company. I suppose there's vague hope she's only pretending to be in league with The General again, but the distasteful intimation that The General and Gretchen have a sexual history was seemingly added as an emotional shortcut to have them patch things up by the episode's end. It's also true that The General is considerably less threatening now he's been given a voice, a name, and edges close to panic over Scylla's well-being. Some of his development has been necessary and unavoidable now he's a major character, but I hope the writers find a way to make him feel more intimidating again -- as his intensity has been diluted in season 4.

I'm also pretty sure the writers of Prison Break spend their leisure time researching horrible torture methods, as it's an easy way to get a reaction from an audience. Here, Wyatt is on the receiving end of pain, but doesn't look very likely to break. Oddly, a moment where he tries to convince Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies) that her profession as a doctor means she can't possibly let him die, isn't taken anywhere. It's just brought up and left to hang.

Regardless, Mahone gets Wyatt to crack by inserting needles up his fingertips and shocking his heart with a defibrillator if his body begins to shut down from the pain. It's quite a gruesome torture that Jack Bauer might even wince over, and even my thirst to see Mahone avenge his son's death didn't make it any more palatable. In fact, beyond the last-minute shock that they actually chose to terminate Wyatt (the best new character, by far), this subplot's ugliness overshadowed the intended catharsis of Mahone meting out justice.

But Wyatt's not the only one to meet his maker this week. There's a creative, but rather silly plan to reach Scylla beneath T-Bag's office, which means Michael and his team have to tunnel through an enormous water-pipe. As Linc and Bellick head above ground to turn off the city's water, Michael and Sucre have to cut holes through the pipe and slot another pipe through, providing tunnel-like access. As luck would have it, they have the right equipment and ropes to achieve this unexpected task!

Putting aside the ridiculous nature of this story, this episode marks the first time Michael's brain illness impacts events -- as he becomes dizzy, uncoordinated and experiences double-vision. But the big news rests with Bellick, who sacrifices himself in the water-pipe to ensure the tunnel-pipe is positioned correctly. It didn't surprise me to see Bellick written out of the series (his character was redundant in season 3, and incongruous in season 4), but I'm glad he died in a noble fashion, which befits someone who's been with the show since day one.

Overall, "Greatness Achieved" (alluding to Bellick?) was a ludicrously enjoyable and frustrating as usual, but I'm growing impatient with the fuzziness over Scylla and the backtracking with Gretchen was disappointing. I'm glad Bellick was finally sent packing, but it seems a shame to kill Wyatt so soon. Surprising? Definitely. A good idea? Perhaps not. Still, half the fun with Prison Break is seeing the writers tie themselves in knots and watching to see if they can squirm free.



4 November 2008
Sky1, 10pm

Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael), Wade Williams (Brad), Robert Knepper (T-Bag), Amaury Nolasco (Sucre), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Gretchen), William Fichtner (Mahone), Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln), Shannon Lucio (Trishanne), Michael Rapaport (Don Self), Cress Williams (Wyatt), Leon Russom (General Krantz), Michael Bryan French (Gregory White), Stacy Haiduk (Lisa Tabak), Michael Wiseman (Detective Conor Mara) & Dan Sachoff (Aide)

PRISON BREAK 4.8 - "The Price"

Writer: Graham Roland
Director: Bobby Roth

Prison Break is like a shark: if it stops moving, it dies. "The Price" finds the Scofield Six after their last Scylla data-card; but this one belongs to General Krans (Leon Russom) himself. After a slightly unnecessary flashback to a robbery Linc (Dominic Purcell) was involved with 7 years ago, he suggests using the same car-ramming technique on The General's limo as he's driven to work, then pose as paramedics to steal his card…

As the episode builds towards the planned attack on The General, matters are complicated elsewhere when Roland (James Hiroyuki Liao), growing bitter about his dogsbody status within the team, decides to make contact with Company hitman Wyatt (Cress Williams) and turn traitor -- for a hefty price.

Over at the peculiarly empty GATE offices (is it a weekend?), Gretchen (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) reveals to T-Bag (Robert Knepper) that Scylla is worth $125 million and manages to reassure Mr. Feng that Scylla will be in his possession soon. An uneasy alliance is formed between Gretchen and Michael (Wentworth Miller), as the woman responsible for kidnapping and torturing his girlfriend Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies) agrees to give Agent Self (Michael Rappaport) vital pages from Whistler's bird book, but only if she can eventually get to keep Scylla.

"The Price" is a strong example of Prison Break doing what it does best: entertaining with bruising efficiency, while cheekily expanding its concept. I'm always pleased by how well the show judges attention spans, and how quickly it realizes what's working and what isn't. Any backtracking and 180-degree turns aren't always smooth or plausible, but the writers get away with it because a certain ridiculousness has always been part of this show's DNA…

Here, the nature of Scylla as a "little black book" of Company contacts is called into question (first by Gretchen's amused snort at that inaccurate description, and then by The General's decision to move Scylla to a different location -- inferring it's something tangible.) My guess: some kind of experimental bomb, with the Scylla-cards as ignition keys and GATE as the secret control room?

We're also shown more explicitly what Sara went through at the hands of Gretchen in Panama, which again showcases Prison Break's sometimes unsavoury reliance on torture and violence to elicit easy gasps. And I'm not sure we really needed to have Sara and Gretchen's history raked up in such style. A later scene where Gretchen tries to "make amends", by offering Sara the chance to horsewhip her own already-scarred back, was disturbing and slightly childish. However, Callies copes well with this blunt material and I always enjoy O'Keefe's crazy-eyed expressions. I can't think of another female villain with a more punchable face on television right now -- and I mean that as a compliment!

Roland has never worked as a character; partly because he's a smart-ass computer hacker cliché, but also because none of the other characters ever liked him either. Not one. So it was always difficult to enjoy his presence, or even feel much sympathy for his situation. This episode ends his tenure on the show in a memorable way; not enough to have you reflect on his time more kindly, but enough to count.

Overall, "The Price" is something of a minor turning point for season 4 -- in how it repurposes Scylla, trims the cast, establishes some new dynamics, and ends with the surprise capture of a lead villain. Away from the mission to snatch The General's card, I was intrigued to learn that Linc wasn't sweetness and light before he was originally jailed (will we learn more about his criminal antics?), disappointed to see Don Self reduced to errand boy again, and saddened to hear a throwaway comment confirm Agent Kellerman was murdered at the end of season 2. My hopes for a surprise return are officially in tatters!


20 October 2008
Fox, 9/8c

Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael), Amaury Nolasco (Sucre), William Fichtner (Mahone), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln), Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara), Robert Knepper (T-Bag), Wade Williams (Bellick), Michael Rapaport (Don Self), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Gretchen), James Hiroyuki Liao (Roland), Shannon Lucio (Trishanne), Leon Russom (General Krans) & Cress Williams (Wyatt)

PRISON BREAK 4.7 - "Five The Hard Way"

Writer: Christian Trokey
Director: Garry A. Brown

Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael), Amaury Nolasco (Sucre), William Fichtner (Mahone), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln), Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara), Robert Knepper (T-Bag), Wade Williams (Bellick), Michael Rapaport (Don Self), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Gretchen), Shannon Lucio (Trishanne), Leon Russom (General Krans), Cress Williams (Wyatt), Charles Emmett (Casino Detective), Amanda Tosch (Alexa), Hector Atreyu Ruiz (Bartender) & Jude Ciccolella (Howard Scuderi)

Last week's episode had a vague Ocean's Eleven vibe to its opening. This week, the similarities to those movies are unavoidable, as half of "Scofield's Six" head to Las Vegas to electronically swipe another Scylla data-card. Back in L.A, T-Bag (Robert Knepper) allies himself with nasty Gretchen (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) to help her capture Michael (Wentworth Miller) and force him to decipher Whistler's bird book…

Christian Trokey (who worked as a script editor, until his season 3 breakthrough "Bang & Burn") crafts a fun episode that isn't clean and efficient enough to have you marvelling, but gets the job done. Typically for Prison Break, there are moments that strain credibility and pull you out of whatever semblance of reality the show has. For example: I just don't believe that GATE secretary Trishanne (Shannon Lucio) would become T-Bag's accomplice and co-kidnapper so easily, and having Mahone (William Fichtner) escape T-Bag's trap, by jumping over a wall and generally running in a straight line as T-Bag fired off terrible gunshots, was laughable.

The Vegas storyline wasn't particularly strong given the exciting opportunities the city affords, either. Linc (Dominic Purcell) is so underused he may as well not be there, Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies) is again only used for eye-candy distraction purposes (nice bikini, though), Roland (James Hiroyuki Liao) is already the most irritating and stupid new character on TV, and Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) gets a supposedly hilarious mission to flirt with gay Company mark Howard Scuderi (24's Jude Ciccolella) long enough to copy his Scylla card.

Fortunately, T-Bag's storyline was more eventful and relevant to the deeper mysteries of the show. Michael is forced at gunpoint to make sense of Whistler's bird book, as T-Bag threatens Trishanne's life and Gretchen lurks out of sight in another room as the insidious puppeteer. Michael soon starts assembling pages of Whistler's book, revealing a blueprint of the GATE offices where the Company's Scylla-reader is located. Amusingly, T-Bag has no idea Scylla is The Company's "little black book"; just that it's likely to fetch a handsome sum of money. It's a greedy motivation he incorrectly thinks Michael shares.

I also enjoyed Don Self's (Michael Rapaport) story this week, as the dopey-looking government agent grew some balls on the advice of Mahone and took his fight to sinister General Krans (Leon Russom) personally. Yes, I'm going to stop calling him Pad Man, as his inexplicable season 2 fondness for silence and scribbled dialogue has long since vanished. Don's actually growing on me, too; his reactions to everything are more realistic than the macho posturing of the other emboldened characters. His means of ensuring his safety from the likes of Company assassin Wyatt (Cress Williams) also made some sense -- and that's a rarity on this show.

Overall, a reliably entertaining episode that doesn't quite deliver the goods, but significantly pushes the GATE storyline forward. It was also good to get some clarity with Michael's nosebleeds -- he's inherited his mother's fatal brain aneurysm. I'm sure Michael's health will fuel a major cliffhanger in the future. But I'm still very disappointed by the treatment of Linc (who is now almost irrelevant) and particularly Bellick (Wade Williams) this season; the latter of whom spends the episode sat on a floor shouting at T-Bag. Prison Break could do with trimming the fat, and losing Bellick would be a step in the right direction.


7 October 2008
Sky1, 10pm

PRISON BREAK 4.6 - "Blow Out"

Writer: Kalinda Vazquez
Director: Bryan Spicer

Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael), William Fichtner (Mahone), Amaury Nolasco (Sucre), Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara), Dominic Purcell (Linc), Wade Williams (Brad), Michael Rapaport (Don Self), Robert Knepper (T-Bag), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Gretchen), Leon Russom (Pad Man), Cress Williams (Wyatt), Dameon Clarke (Andrew Blaunder), Brian Poth (Brian Anderson), John Sanderford (Nathaneal Edison) & Chaim Sussman (Race Patron)

This Kalinda Vazquez penned episode played with season 4's established template, pushed a few of the characters into new territory, moved the situation on significantly, and even (briefly) restored the relevance of the show's title! All said, "Blow Out" is definitely the strongest episode so far this season.

We open in the midst of an Ocean's Eleven-style operation to copy another Scylla data-card; this one in the possession of a Company man spending leisure time at the horse races. A combination of a rigged horse trap, a scene-making Bellick (Wade Williams), and the allure of Sara's (Sarah Wayne Callies) cleavage, gets the job done in record time. Unfortunately, Mahone (William Fichtner) is collared by the cops and thrown in jail…

Homeland Security dullard Don Self (Michael Rapaport) isn't able to pull strings to get Mahone released, so it's only a matter of time before Mahone's pseudonym "Frank Zawas" is revealed to be fake. Mahone promises to keep details of the covert mission a secret whatever happens, as Michael (Wentworth Miller) makes the tough decision to not risk a rescue. To complicate matters, Company hitman Wyatt (Cress Williams) learns of Mahone's capture and tries to get to him…

Like Mahone, T-Bag (Robert Knepper) also finds his luck running out. The confusing jumble of codes and coordinates in Whistler's bird book have yet to be totally deciphered, but one GATE employee is now actively suspicious of him. The situation becomes so critical that T-Bag is forced to abandon his office and cover his tracks before GATE realize he's not really hotshot salesman Cole Pfeiffer.

A small subplot finds escapee Gretchen (Jodi Lynn O'Keefe) turning up bruised and battered on her sister's doorstep, looking to clean herself up after her torturous ordeal with Wyatt. These family scenes help enrich Gretchen's character and humanize her a little, as we eventually discover her toddler niece is actually her daughter. O'Keefe was a very engaging screen presence last year, and the beginnings of her vendetta against The Company start here in earnest. She does tragic, numbed and bitchy extremely well. Also, the episode's climax will have fans grinning as Gretchen meets one of Prison Break's regulars for the first time, pressing a black heel into his cheek...

As I've mentioned many times, Fichtner is by far the best reason to still be watching. "Blow Out" revolves around his situation in the clink, and again emphasizes how the bad blood between Mahone and his son's killer Wyatt is this season's most compelling ingredient. As everyone else rushes around taking care of business, it's becoming more noticeable how characters like Sucre (Amaury Nolasco), Bellick, and Linc (Dominic Purcell) have faded into hired-muscle roles. Even Michael is in danger of becoming hollow; no longer the undisputed star of the show, as Prison Break embraces its ensemble and the writers realize Fichtner is better equipped to handle the real acting.

Prison Break has a tendency to doggedly pursue ideas but drop them if they become boring or complicated. A great example of that occurs with T-Bag's sudden evacuation from GATE, which seemed to happen because the writers realized T-Bag has spent most of this season loitering in his office, reading a bird book with his feet propped up on a desk. That whole GATE situation still isn't very clear, is it? If the GATE building is the secret location of a Scylla-reading device, T-Bag will be very unhappy when he finds out. What use is that to a murderous, one-handed paedophile? It's probably a wise move to abandon the Cole Pfeiffer goings-on and approach things from a different angle.

Overall, "Blow Out" was consistently entertaining and packed with incident. The story was freshly executed, and offered up plenty of intrigue, situational development, and juicy dilemmas. It succeeded because it ensured all the characters were doing what they do best: Fichtner was tortured and honourable as he stared into the abyss, Team Michael had two exciting set-pieces to pull off (the opening racetrack hustle and a closing courthouse rescue) and the ghostlike Wyatt continued to unsettle with deadpan precision. The Sarah Connor Chronicles could use some Cress Williams.


30 September 2008
Sky1, 9pm

PRISON BREAK 4.5 – "Safe And Sound"

Writer: Seth Hoffman

Director: Karen Gaviola

Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Gretchen), Amaury Nolasco (Sucre), William Fichtner (Mahone), Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln), Wade Williams (Brad), Michael Rapaport (Don Self), Robert Knepper (T-Bag), Leon Russom (Pad Man) & Cress Williams (Wyatt)

If you're still watching Prison Break, you've clearly chosen to accept season 4's radical revamp, and this fifth episode rewards you with quite a confident outing. "Safe And Sound" once again revolves around the search for a Scylla data-card; this one locked inside a safe owned by a high-ranking federal agent. Fundamentally, it's another mini-mission for Michael (Wentworth Miller), Linc (Dominic Purcell), Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) and Bellick (Wade Williams) to pull off, but all of those actors are at their best embroiled in tense, covert situations... so that's fine with me.

The only interesting piece of storytelling is still coming courtesy of twitchy Mahone (William Fichtner), with the writers clearly aware Fichtner's the only actor capable of bringing a wide range of emotions to bare. Here, Mahone meets up with his wife Pam (Callie Thorne), who for the purposes of the storyline doesn't blame her husband for the fact their son was murdered by a hitman after Mahone. We'll just have to accept the Mahones have a marriage strong enough to overcome this tragedy, okay.

Still, his son's death has given Mahone the perfect chance to ditch Prison Break's Scylla-obsessed story and venture off into his own, more entertaining, subplot – using his skills as a manhunter to track down and hopefully kill his boy's murderer, Wyatt (Cress Williams). It's a simple story of paternal revenge, but it works well because Mahone's the only character acting on pure emotions.

Everyone else is only bothering to takedown The Company because their hand is being forced by their own government. And it's difficult to actually care about The Company and their baffling machinations, which lost all sense after season 1's presidential scandal. I'm just not eager to see them punished, because you can't hate a generic evil corporation with much passion -- and Prison Break's few human-face villains are either long dead (Agent Kellerman, Mr. Kim), underwritten (Leon Russom's suddenly-ubiquitous Pad Man), too new to have a history (Wyatt), or have become anti-heroes you love-to-hate (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, whose sneering villain puts her own escape bid into action here.)

The typical Prison Break episode seems to involve a harebrained scheme (here, the team drill into a safe to retrieve a Scylla card, covered by the noise of Bellick and Sucre shampooing a carpet), a torture of some description (Gretchen is left to retch over a bucket of human waste), together with a few small surprises and twists of expectation (Robert Knepper's T-Bag gets some unexpected help from the sexy GATE secretary, who realizes he's not really super salesman Cole Pfeiffer and forces him to buy her silence.)

Still, Prison Break has been a series that just gets by on an established template for years now; even its surprises carry a strange predictability about them when they strike. So far, season 4 isn't really inspiring stuff, but I have a grudging admiration that it's still on-air. As always, a fair bit happens, but most of it won't have a lasting impact, and will probably be ignored if it jeopardises the smooth-running of the storyline 5 episodes from now. It's still very easy to get caught up in the second-to-second drama of episodes like "Safe And Sound", while finding minor excitement and amusement along the way, but Prison Break's tricks are now blunted with age and the mechanics of everything is quite predictable.

Overall, Fichtner vs. Wyatt is the one subplot I'm genuinely engaged with, and T-Bag's story is developing quite well at GATE through pure mysteriousness. Everything else is a low hum of engaging action beats, peppered with silly moments. It's difficult to really care about anything very much though -- as the show historically doesn't reward viewer loyalty, it just hopes its die-hard audience will be entertained for 43-minutes, won't ask too many questions, and won't kick up a stink when the plot goes off-the-rails to be clumsily fixed at a later date. Mind you, now Michael knows Pad Man is The Company's boss, his ominous nosebleeds seems to have their origins in a teenage illness, and Gretchen is about to make her comeback, so there's still enough to keep long-time fans on the fish-hook...


23 September 2008
Sky1, 9pm

PRISON BREAK 4.4 - "Eagles & Angels"

Writer: Karyn Usher
Director: Michael Switzer

Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael), Amaury Nolasco (Sucre), William Fichtner (Mahone), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln), Michael Rapaport (Agent Don Self), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Gretchen), Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara), Cress Williams (Wyatt), James Hiroyuki Liao (Roland), Leon Russom (Pad Man), Dan Sachoff (Aide), Dylan Kenin (Guard) & Robert Mammana (Police Officer)

It's best to approach Prison Break with low expectations, particularly now its connection to any penal system has vanished. I continue to be surprised by how the writers manage to keep the story ticking along, but it's best to focus on the well-staged action beats, chemistry between the actors, and the here-and-now of whatever silliness we're being presented with. Just don't take a broader view of the show, as it really doesn't make much sense season-to-season.

"Eagles & Angels" finds the gang trying to copy another Scylla data-card, this one owned by a Company worker called Lisa. To make things difficult, she's protected by three bodyguards, so the only place they stand a chance of remotely stealing her card's data is during a police memorial service she's attending. So Michael (Wentworth Miller), Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) and Mahone (William Fichtner) steal some police uniforms and infiltrate the ceremony, intent on getting close to Lisa during the function without arousing suspicion.

Prison Break's at its best when orchestrating tense situations and mini-missions, and season 4's A-Team vibe is working quite well. The only problem with the team dynamic is how Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) is being partnered with Bellick (Wade Williams) in an unlikely double-act -- especially because the latter's role on the show is on shaky ground. Bellick's role on the show came to a natural end in season 2, when the former prison guard turned bounty hunter. This episode tries to get Bellick more involved (he saves Linc's life and shrugs off an offer of friendship from fellow "outsider" Roland), but it's not really working for me.

There's also the Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies) problem. I can understand why the writers opted to bite the bullet and retcon events to enable her return after "death" -- but she's not really providing a strong drive for Michael in this capacity. This episode find the two love-birds dreaming of freedom and a happy ending, in wistful scenes that are embarrassingly written and awkwardly performed. To cap it all, Sara spends half the episode moping around after hearing of Bruce Bennett's murder at the hands of hitman Wyatt (Cress Williams), culminating in a lone trip to a bar where the recovering alcoholic doctor contemplates drowning her sorrows. Yawn.

T-Bag (Robert Knepper) resurfaces in L.A, having taken Whistler's secret identity as GATE employee Cole Pfeiffer, and is immediately spotted by Linc and narrowly escapes by attracting the attention of a policeman. The bird book in his possession would appear to be this season's version of Michael's full-body tattoo -- crammed full of codes, numbers, names, symbols and references that Whistler jotted down to help him gain access to GATE and decrypt "Scylla". Clearly, both parties need each other in order to take down The Company effectively.

Admittedly, the handling of T-Bag is more imaginative than his season 2 misadventures, and his presence far more relevant than in season 3. Here, Knepper has fun chatting up a bosomy receptionist and hoodwinking corporate suits -- who luckily only know Pfeiffer by reputation and were unaware he has a prosthetic hand! Yeah, just go with it. As fans know, Prison Break's plot-holes and cliffhangers are all designed by God-like writers who regularly twist and half-explain events just enough to make you grudgingly accept them. The show looks half-improvised at times -- which is both its biggest strength and unfortunate weakness.

Overall, the effective moments in this episode are borne from its focus on the data theft scenario at the police event, and T-Bag's brand of mild comedy is distracting enough. Sara's subplot is very weak, although it does result in icy killer Wyatt clapping eyes on his prey earlier than expected, and I'm glad Gretchen (the deliciously evil Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) seems likely to re-enter the fray soon. It was also interesting to see the return of Michael's bleeding nose: is that stress related, or an early sign of illness? I wouldn't be surprised if Michael escapes this mortal coil by season's end, let's put it that way...


16 September 2008
Sky1, 10pm

PRISON BREAK 4.3 - "Shut Down"

Writer: Nick Santora
Director: Milan Cheylov

Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael), Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara), Amaury Nolasco (Sucre), Robert Knepper (T-Bag), William Fichtner (Mahone), Michael Rapaport (Don Self), Wade Williams (Brad), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln), Barbara Eve Harris (Agent Felicia Lang), Leon Russom (Pad Man), Wilbur Fitzgerald (Bruce Bennett), Steve Tom (Stuart Tuxhorn), Cress Williams (Wyatt), James Hiroyuki Liao (Roland Glenn), Kevin Will (Guard), Kendall Clement (Cabbie) & Eric Payne (Agent)

Season 4's direction now looks fairly obvious: Michael (Wentworth Miller) and his team will spend the year trying to find the remaining 5 Scylla data-cards to expose The Company for Agent Self (Michael Rapaport), while their existence as a covert operation is occasionally threatened by Self's bureaucratic superiors. Surprisingly, the most intriguing aspect of "Shut Down" is actually T-Bag (Robert Knepper), who's investigating Whistler's life by assuming one of his fake identities -- a season 3 mystery the other characters no longer care about…

The title of the show doesn't carry any relevance now, as the best we get are break "ins" to buildings housing vital information. Here, the team need to gain access to a physical server in Anaheim, to steal an e-mail that mentions the location for an important Company meeting at 4pm, so they can hopefully learn who has the remaining 5 Scylla data-cards. The exercise itself is quite fun with some engaging jeopardy -- like Michael and hacker Roland (James Hiroyuki Lia) becoming trapped in a server room where the oxygen is being sucked out to protect the system from fire. It remains enjoyable seeing Prison Break's eclectic characters working together like this -- although Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) and especially Bellick (Wade Williams) are still superfluous.

The big turning point is when the team's handler, Don Self, has his operation closed down by his superiors -- who are curiously unimpressed that Michael has already stolen one of the Scylla cards. Glossing over that, half the episode becomes a rush for Team Michael to prove their worth to the Feds by snooping on the Company meeting and gaining valuable intel, while avoiding Self and his men after they arrive to pull the plug and thrown them in jail. But didn't Linc get a full pardon for his "crimes" when the Company's presidential conspiracy was exposed in season 3?

T-Bag is once again flying solo in his own sub-plot, having used Whistler's fake ID to become "Cole Pfeiffer", a new employee for the mysterious Gate company in California. I'm pleased to see the importance of Whistler's bird book isn't being downplayed or ignored this season, and having T-Bag investigate gives him something more interesting to do than skulk around killing people. Actually, he's the only character involved in a storyline that has a bit of intrigue to it. Why did Whistler have a fake ID? What are Gate? Are they connected to The Company somehow? Hopefully this storyline will continue to develop and prove the writers have some deep-rooted ideas about how to knit season 3 and 4 together.

Elsewhere, there's a protracted interrogation of Bruce Bennett (Wilbur Fitzgerald) by hitman Wyatt (Cress Williams) using chemical injections, in an effort to extract information about Michael, Linc and Sara's whereabouts. Wyatt's clearly assumed the Agent Adelstein role from season 1 and 2, minus any sympathetic side. Will he remain cold-blooded and ruthless for long? Even super-bitch Gretchen was eventually given a tragic back-story to help smooth over her heartless actions.

William Fichtner gives another excellent performance, as usual. Here, we learn his wife Pam survived Wyatt's hit and is in protective custody, although his young son is definitely dead. I suppose Pam's survival is to give Mahone the chance of a happy ending with her, but it's difficult to imagine her accepting Alex back into her life after what's happened!

Fichtner totally commands the screen as his family tragedy hits home and he asks former-colleague Agent Lang (Barbara Eve Harris) to get him a file on his son's killer. We can assume Pam gave the cops a detailed description of Wyatt -- which does make super-efficient Wyatt look pretty inept. Revenge is certainly foremost on Mahone's mind, and it was nice to see Linc (who spent last year preventing the same tragedy befalling his own son) comforting him -- as the two men rarely see eye-to-eye. A late scene between Fichtner and Purcell is a refreshing oasis of acting in a show not known for its performances.

Overall, I still have doubts about the direction of season 4 and how it's keeping the story going (the whole Scylla thing still seems ridiculous), but T-Bag's investigation of Gate added a welcome tinge of mystery, and lead villain Pad Man's (Leon Russom) mention of a top-secret project sounds promising. A bomb? A virus? They must be cooking up something pretty nasty; if only so the gang can ironically end the series as national heroes for stopping it!


9 September 2008
Sky1, 10pm

TV Week 17: Prison Break, Lost In Austen & Big Brother 9 Live Final

Newslite.tv have my seventeenth TV Week column now online, with summary reviews of Prison Break's fourth season premiere, ITV fantasy-drama Lost In Austen, and the Live Final of Big Brother 9.

PRISON BREAK 4.1 & 4.2 - "Scylla" & "Breaking & Entering"

Writers: Matt Olmstead (4.1) & Zack Estrin (4.2)
Directors: Kevin Hooks (4.1) & Bobby Roth (4.2)

Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows), William Fichtner (Alex Mahone), Danay Garcia (Sofia Lugo), Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara Tancredi), Wade Williams (Brad Bellick), Robert Knepper (Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Gretchen Morgan), Michael Rapaport (Donald Self), Chris Vance (James Whistler), Amaury Nolasco (Fernando Sucre), Marshall Allman (LJ Burrows), Cress Williams (Wyatt), Wilbur Fitzgerald (Bruce Bennett), Leon Russom (Pad Man) & Callie Thorne (Pam Mahone)

"We all are a long way from where this started, but what
I can guarantee you is that if we do this thing right, we'll
be close to where it ends. Freedom, finally."

-- Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller)

Beware spoilers. Having broken out of a maximum-security prison, gone on the run from the Feds, and been thrown into a foreign jail, escapee Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) is now a fugitive with a vendetta against The Company -- the shadowy government cabal responsible for his misfortunes, and killers of his girlfriend Dr. Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies)…

You have to give the writers credit for managing to sustain Prison Break's premise into a fourth season, however awkwardly. Season 1 remains the strongest (a neat jailbreak with a conspiracy backdrop and inventive twists), while season 2's resulting manhunt struggled to keep momentum, before season 3 restored the incarceration but lost the heart. In essence, the beheading of Michael's sweetheart (the result of squabbles with pregnant actress Callies) left its lead rudderless and the ensuing prison break enjoyable, but lukewarm and silly.

Unfortunately, this third reinvention of the series may be one reshuffle too far. Irritatingly, some of the situations we arrived at in season 3's finale aren't pursued -- primarily the jailing of Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) in Sona, with inmates Bellick (Wade Williams) and T-Bag (Robert Knepper) for company. Instead, we're told Sona's prisoners have all rioted off-screen and escaped -- news that must annoy Michael and brother Lincoln (Dominic Purcell), considering all the trouble they went to weeks before!

The ambiguity over Whistler (Chris Vance) is also made clear, once and for all. It appears he was a good guy, trying to take down The Company from the inside, unbeknownst to handler Gretchen (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). Specifically, we meet Whistler in L.A trying to obtain "Scylla" (an electronic "little black book" that lists The Company's agents and activities), before he's interrupted by a vengeful Michael at gunpoint. Gretchen intervenes, admitting to Michael that Sara isn't dead, because she escaped. The head of a look-alike cadaver was used to fool Linc, in season 3's notorious Se7en-inspired misstep.

Ex-FBI Agent Mahone (William Fichtner) is helping Whistler, acting as a Company chauffeur, but Whistler's decision to pass on a duplicate of Scylla to Gretchen is uncovered by her boss, the ominous Pad Man (Leon Russom). As a result, Pad Man dispatches assassin Wyatt (Cress Williams) to kill Gretchen and Whistler, then "tie up loose ends"; meaning Michael, Mahone and Linc's lives are all in immediate danger.

Elsewhere, escapees Bellick and Sucre have become unlikely allies in Panama, after Bellick's mom arrives to whisk them to safety. T-Bag's also on the loose, with Whistler's all-important bird book of scribbled "clues" and codes. To be frank, it's become vague how important this bird book actually is, as season 3 left me with the impression it was a red herring anyway. However, T-Bag clearly thinks otherwise and makes some progress in deciphering the book's scribbled clues -- leading him to a locker in San Diego.

Anyway, the driving force behind season 4 is the recruitment of Michael by the US government to take down The Company on behalf of Homeland Security's Donald Self (Michael Rapaport), a man who worked with Michael's dead father Aldo. With Michael caught by the authorities, following the assassination of Whistler by hitman Wyatt, Michael's bail is posted by politician Bruce Bennett (Wilbur Fitzgerald), a friend of Sara's who later reunites Michael with his true-love -- in a frankly underwhelming scene.

Michael faces 15 years in jail for his crimes, unless he agrees to help Donald destroy The Company. After realizing there's a hired gun after them, Michael's forced to accept Donald's offer -- and recruits fellow "felons" Sucre, Bellick, Linc and Mahone to help him with the covert mission. Thus, the narrative splits three ways: ice-cool killer Wyatt tracking down his prey (targeting Mahone's family and interrogating an official over Michael's whereabouts), T-Bag's misadventures with his bird book (camp fire cannibalism!), and Team Michael trying to retrieve the real Scylla (a task that requires them to break into a luxury home crawling with security and high-tech alarms.)

But there's something exasperating about this latest revamp. Once again we've lost the prison-set basis for the show, and unlike season 2 this sojourn in the outside world isn't particularly tied to the jailbreak genre. Instead, Prison Break has started to resemble The A-Team, which is quite apt considering its '80s-style high-concept silliness. Unfortunately, the set-up is similar to the last season of The A-Team -- when Robert Vaughan became the group's taskmaster.

The few things sustaining interest are loyalty, having followed these characters' exploits since day 1 -- I'd be extremely surprised if Prison Break makes it to season 5 (jumping all these sharks will make any show tired), so we're hopefully twenty-odd episodes away from The End. And I'm also rather fond of the actors, even if they're two-dimensional marionettes for the writers to play with most of the time...

Wentworth Miller's an intriguing screen presence, although his charisma doesn't really stretch beyond quiet smoldering. The emotional highlight of both episodes was the Michael/Sara reunion, but it was curiously inert. And, while the return of Sarah Wayne Callies is welcome (if a little preposterous), having her safe denies Michael the enthusiasm to succeed. Everything boils down to vengeance for freedom this season, which is the best of limited options -- but with Pad Man untouchable (for now) and Gretchen out of commission for awhile, there aren't any villains audiences want to see punished.

William Fichtner is undeniably the best actor, but even he can't wring much from the writing. Season 2's Mahone was a complex, tragic figure being made to do bad things to keep his family safe. Mahone's family are killed in episode 2, but he practically shakes off the event within minutes and it doesn’t seem to have fuelled much appetite for revenge in him. It made me wonder; is Fichtner just fed up with the show's direction, or was the writing at fault? Hopefully he'll get a chance to vent his anger and flex his acting muscles soon.

Most worrying is the mechanism of season 4: finding Scylla, which we later learn is divided into 6 data units, meaning a half-dozen miniature "break ins" will be sprinkled throughout the year, before the conjoined data-cards are plugged into a reader hidden inside The Company's secret L.A stronghold. Hopefully these mini-missions will be exciting and inventive to sustain interest, as "Breaking And Entering" wasn't particularly enthralling.

Overall, "Scylla" was an extended, creaking attempt to gloss over plot-points from season 3 and struggled to refit the concept into a team-based revenge-fuelled action-adventure. I also had to laugh at Michael's tattoo-removal scene, which spiritually and physically scrubbed away the last vestigate of season 1 from the show. "Breaking And Entering" was more enjoyable, thanks to a diverting break-in scenario, but T-Bag (a character who became a joke the moment he jumped over Fox River's wall) continued to drift through another dumb sub-plot -- cooking and eating a fat Mexican in the desert!

For diehard fans, perseverance is called for in this likely final stretch. For anyone already clawing their hair out in season 3, it might be time to break loose from this show's grip. It's your call.


2 September 2008
Sky1, 9pm & 10pm

MUST-WATCH: Prison Break, season 4

The official synopsis:

"After engineering an escape from the hellish Panamanian prison Sona, brothers Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows are determined to seek justice against The Company, the shadowy group responsible for destroying their lives and killing the woman Michael loves, Dr. Sara Tancredi."

"During their quest for vengeance, Michael's world is turned upside down when he learns that Sara is still alive. Realizing the only way they will truly be free, Michael and Lincoln avenge to find Sara and take down The Company. With the help of a government handler, they assemble a group of allies and familiar faces including Mahone, Sucre and Bellick to aid in their seemingly impossible task."

"Unfortunately for the brothers, they must also enlist T-Bag, who unknowingly possesses a vital clue to help them pull off their most difficult challenge yet. They’ll soon discover the only thing harder than breaking out is breaking in."

Prison Break premieres:
1 September (FOX), 8/7c pm
2 September (SKY1), 10 pm

PRISON BREAK: UK 1 day behind

I'm still not excited about Prison Break's fourth season, because the habitually shark-jumping show's luck has surely run out. They did astonishingly well to keep the premise going for three seasons, but can it manage four? I hope so, but none of the trailers have grabbed my attention.

However, I have to applaud Sky 1's latest wheeze: they'll be showing episodes the day after they're shown in the US! That's right, in a likely effort to curb internet downloaders, Sky1 will be just 24-hours behind American audiences. Excellent news (well, unless you don't have Sky), and hopefully a sign of things to come in the UK. Let's see if Sky's ratings get a boost.

Prison Break returns on 2 September @ 10 pm on Sky 1.

Prison Break: are you ready to break in?

The premise to Prison Break's fourth season is beginning to leak out... SPOILERS! Michael will learn Sara's still alive early on (the head in a box must have been from Madam Tussaud's), before persuading Homeland Security that the nefarious Company exist...

From there, Michael will be given immunity by the government to rescue Sara and destroy The Company with the help of brother Linc, Sucre, Bellick and Mahone. A big part of the season will involve the gang having to break in to a maximum security building where the villains reside, including uberbitch Gretchen. Meanwhile, T-Bag will become relevant because he still has possession of a "vital clue" -- which must be Whistler's bird book...

It all sounds quite interesting, although I'm not sure how it will all fit together -- what with Sucre, Bellick and T-Bag stuck in Sona prison at the end of season 3. And didn't Mahone join forces with baddie Whistler, too? I'm predicting the first half of season 4 will revolve around getting Sucre (and by extension Bellick and T-Bag) out of Sona, before this year's "twist" of breaking in to The Company's HQ becomes the second half focus. But that's just a guess. Where are The Company based if the US government can't just storm in there, though? Hm.

As I mentioned before, I'm still not jazzed about Prison Break's return (not helped by the silly about-turn over Sara's fate), but this show has the uncanny ability to get your pulse racing. It's never been particularly intelligent post-season 1 (as it used up its unique ideas there), but I like the cast and there's something refreshing about a show that isn't pretentious and just wants to entertain. Pure and simple. SPOILERS END!

Prison Break: season 4 & spin-off

Above is the TV Spot for season 4 of Prison Break, which I must admit I'm not particularly excited about. Season 2 had the whole manhunt angle to entice you, season 3 had its foreign prison change of setting to shake things up, but season 4 just doesn't have anything to grab you...

It looks like Michael and Linc will be embroiled in a revenge plot against The Company, while the supporting cast languish in Sona. Oh, and a familiar face will be returning to the show. I'm sure fans know who, but I won't drop a spoiler here. Suffice to say, it stretches credibility to breaking point, a la Tony Almeida's upcoming return in 24's seventh season...

In related news, the Prison Break spin-off Cherry Hill is still going ahead. The original plan was to introduce its lead female character in Prison Break, only for her to be incarcerated in the titular Cherry Hill female-only prison, and thus branch off into a spin-off. But that's apparently not going to happen now...

Exec-producer Matt Olmstead had this to say:

"We had trouble casting for it... then the [writers'] strike happened. By the time we resumed the season, we decided to scrap the idea of doing it that way. We're in the homestretch of writing it. Then we'll cast it, and then we'll hopefully shoot it and get it on the air."

Exec-producer Zack Estrin continued:

"The new show will be more like [how] CSI: Miami is to CSI and less a spin-off, because it will be a new character altogether."

FOX premiere dates for autumn '08

In the US, FOX have released the premiere dates for their big primetime shows airing this autumn. The three I'm interested in are:

Fringe (photo above)
Lost co-creator J.J Abrams' new X-Files-style science-fiction series, starring Joshua Jackson, Charlotte Rampling, Lance Reddick, John Noble & Anna Torv. 2-hour premiere on 9 Sept.

Prison Break
Fourth season of the prison-themed action thriller, starring Wentworth Miller & Dominic Purcell. 2-hour premiere on 3 Sept.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Second season of the sci-fi adventure, starring Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker & Summer Glau. Premieres 8 Sept.

Prison Break's back

Co-executive producer/writer Nick Santora confirmed on his blog that Prison Break will return for a fourth season, following the strike-shortened season 3 (which only ran to 13 of the planned 22 episodes).

Santora commented:

"So we got word on Wednesday that we are officially picked up by the network for Season 4. This is great news. We are all very excited. We are moving offices onto the Fox Studio Lot next week and we had to say goodbye to the offices that were our home for the past 3 years... not really that sad because, well, c’mon, it’s just a frickin' building. But my new office is about half the size with just a tiny window which normally would suck except for one thing... I get to go to work everyday with people I love and respect and I get to be creative."

"So I don’t really give a rat's *** what our new offices look like! For those of you who celebrate Easter, have a great one. I will be at my home having Easter dinner with family (visiting cousins) and friends (including Prison Break writer Kalinda Vazquez) -— it should be a nice weekend leading into an even better week of diving head-first into Season 4! Best, Nick."

PRISON BREAK 3.13 – "The Art Of The Deal"

Writers: Matt Olmstead & Seth Hoffman
Director: Nelson McCormick

Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield), William Fichtner (Alexander Mahone), Wade Williams (Brad Bellick), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows), Robert Knepper (Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell), Chris Vance (James Whistler), Robert Wisdom (Lechero), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Susan B. Anthony), Danay Garcia (Sofia Lugo), Amaury Nolasco (Fernando Sucre), Carlo Alban (McGrady), Marshall Allman (LJ Burrows), Joseph Melendez (Rafael), Crystal Mantecon (Sister Mary Francis), Julio Cedillo (General Mestas), Gustavo Mellado (Alfonso Gallego), Rene Rivera (Police Officer at Checkpoint), Michael Fraguada (Cantinero), Carlos Sanchez (Guard #1), Armando L. Leduc (Menjavar), John Elliott (ND Agent #2/ Sniper), Christian Bowman (ND Agent), Lidia Porto (Mrs. Gallego), Maria Robles (Panamanian Woman), Marco Antonio Rodriguez (Policeman #1), Glenn Bradley (Policeman #2), Sam Medina (Knuckle Up Dude) & Gocha Chertkoev (Russian Dude)

Michael and Lincoln have no choice but to hand Whistler over in exchange for LJ and Sofia, Sucre faces harsh treatment, and Sona dissolves into anarchy...

Michael: When the exchange is over and LJ is safe,
you and I are gonna spend some quality time.
Susan: When the exchange is over, you better run for your life.

A casualty of the recent writers' strike, Prison Break's third season comes to a premature (but commendably unhurried) end with episode 13, as The Art Of The Deal masterminds another renewal of the series...

Having escaped from Sona, Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) and Michael (Wentworth Miller) arrived at a factory to exchange Whistler (Chris Vance) for LJ (Marshall Allman) and Sofia (Danay Garcia) -- only to watch helplessly as Whistler made a break for it, stealing a conveniently parked truck and heading for freedom.

Consequently, this last-minute disruption to Linc's plot to thwart Company bitch Susan (Jodi Lynn O'Keefe) is dealt a major blow, but fortunately Linc and Michael manage to give chase in their own car, pursuing Whistler through Panama streets – eventually culminating in a foot-chase, ending with Whistler's recapture.

Forced to think on their feet, with Susan having arrived at the factory expecting to make the exchange, it's up to Michael to concoct a scheme to ensure they get their loved ones back safely, without opening themselves up to assassination.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of Prison Break is the amusingly inexhaustible plans Michael can improvise. To think it took him months to pre-plan his escape from Fox River in season 1, whereas these days he's breaking out of foreign prisons in under a fortnight!

Michael arranges to meet Susan at a public marketplace to make the exchange, and the moment they meet outside prison walls is particularly tense – as Susan killed Michael's girlfriend Sara, isn't used to taking orders from "the brothers", and yet is quietly amazed Michael became the first person to breakout of Sona. She even suggests he take a job with the Company...

Susan has a sniper trained on Linc during their chit-chat, but Michael proves he's one step ahead by having Linc make a move once it's confirmed LJ and Sofia are alive – telling Susan that the real exchange will happen later, before making a veiled threat they have unfinished business regarding Sara's death...

Meanwhile, Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) has been uncovered as an escaped felon in league with the escapees, and is being beaten by Sona guards who demand to know where Michael is. Sucre has no information to give them, but nobody believes him -- later forcing him out into No Man's Land to dig his own grave, unless he starts being more cooperative.

Inside Sona, T-Bag (Robert Knepper) has returned to find the prison in chaos after the jailbreak, with a wounded Lechero (Robert Wisdom) being kicked to death on the yard floor. T-Bag goes to his aide and, with help from Bellick (Wade Williams), manages to get Lechero back to his trashed quarters. With Sona in the grip of anarchy, Lechero retrieves a hidden gun to protect himself, but doesn't look likely to last much longer without medical attention.

The exchange point is re-arranged for Susan, who arrives with her Company men at a public museum – irritated to find it has a front door metal detector, forcing her to go inside unarmed and position her team at the exterior exits.

Inside, Michael, Linc and Whistler congregate in a quiet room of antiquities, as Susan arrives with LJ and Sofia. The exchange is made smoothly, and Sofia implores her boyfriend to give Susan the coordinates to end this nightmare – perturbed when Susan laughs in her face, before revealing the "coordinates" were just a ruse. Sofia, unsettled by Whistler's deception all this time, decides she can't trust him, and instead sides with Linc's group...

Michael is once again ahead of Susan's plan to kill them when they step outside, so intentionally smashes an exhibit -- setting off the building's security alarm. As part of the mass crowd leaving the museum, Whistler is frisked by a security guard – prompting one of Susan's men to shoot at the guard. In the ensuing panic and commotion, more shots are fired and Sofia is hit by a stray bullet. Linc rushes to her aide with LJ, as Michael gets a gun from his car and aims it at Susan – hesitating and then distracted by a museum security guard who takes pot-shots at her himself. Susan manages to escape with Whistler, as LJ persuades his dad to leave Sofia before official arrives and start asking questions...

The episode's weakest moments come courtesy of McGrady (Carlo Alban), the basketball-loving Sona escapee, who's almost apprehended at a security checkpoint whilst stowing way in his father's truck. McGrady's storyline eventually leads to a happy ending for the Latino boy, but I doubt anyone has built up any interest or investment in McGrady's happiness. He was always just an underwritten distraction.

Inside Sona, T-Bag tells Lechero of his plan to get them out: by bribing a sympathetic guard he spoke to outside with $50,000. A dying Lechero is forced to agree to the last-chance escape plan, and his contact Sister Francis (Crystal Mantecon) smuggles in the cash– reminding T-Bag of her affection for him, since he protected her in a previous episode.

But let's not forget about Mahone (William Fichtner), who we find propping up a bar and ordering club soda, apparently waiting for someone, as he's "between jobs". That someone turns out to be Whistler, who offers Mahone a place on their team. Mahone accepts – but not before predicting Susan's the "weak link" in the chain and Michael won't rest until they're all dead.

Sucre is facing certain-death in No Man's Land, forced to lie inside the grave he's dug, muttering prayers as he's slowly buried alive. However, General Mestas (Julio Cedillo) puts an end to the horror, confident Sucre really doesn't have any information to give. At that moment, Michael calls Sucre's cell-phone, and the guard tells Sucre to get Michael's position during their conversation. Ever loyal, Sucre instead alleviates Michael's concerns for him, before crushing the phone underfoot...

At hospital, LJ informs Linc and Michael that Sofia is going to recover, and he passes on a message from her to look inside Whistler's metal briefcase she found at her home. LJ also gives Michael a gift from Sara before she was killed: the origami rose he made for her back in Fox River.

Later, Linc and Michael search Sofia's house and find Whistler's briefcase, opening it to find documents pertaining to a "James Leif". Linc isn't that keen to get involved, just relieved to have his brother and son back safe after everything. But it seems Michael can't let things rest...

Things aren't going well for Lechero, as T-Bag reveals the $50,000 he managed to secure for their bribe won't be used for that purpose –quickly smothering Lechero with a pillow. Later, in the middle of Sona's yard, T-Bag announces the death of Lechero and the end of his dictatorship, rousing the crowd with a speech about "convict equality", before gaining their trust by returning the cash Lechero extorted from them...

The Art Of The Deal ends on a mesmerising note, set to the strains of Rebekah Del Rio singing "Llorando" ("Crying"), in a montage that's quite effective, despite wobbling towards pretension: Mahone leaves with Whistler in a car, T-Bag is being heralded by his fellow inmates, Sucre is thrown inside Sona by guards, and Michael is seen driving along a Panama highway alone (with a gun and the origami rose by his side) seeking revenge for Sara's death...

It all makes for a very enjoyable and essential episode for fans, even if a few of the twists and revelations don't make sense – yet, anyway. Are we to believe Whistler's coordinates (and presumably the bird book itself) really were a ruse all this time? If so, why bother having T-Bag find the missing bird book last week? I think the writers just failed to come up with a plausible revelation for that item.

It seems Whistler is a high-ranking Company man at this stage – but one who can persuade Mahone to join his clique! Did they agree this inside Sona? Why wouldn't Mahone just go back to his family, instead of team-up with the Company again?

More believable is Linc's decision to put LJ's safety before his brother's simple-minded revenge, although obviously he'll change his mind in a future episode! Now that the series has shifted its chairs around, it looks like we'll be dealing with a string-pulling T-Bag in Sona, with Bellick as his right-hand man, lording it over Sucre. Clearly, Linc and Michael will have to rescue their friend from Sona soon – but are we really going to have to watch another prison break? We've already seen 3 play out in a mere 13 episodes! Oh well, I guess that's the title of the show...

So yes, more questions to rattle around your brain until the story resumes, but I can't deny I'm still under the show's spell: it's the most gleefully ridiculous, yet consistently compelling TV show of the past few years. I could scrutinize and critique it to pieces, but as an action-adventure thriller, it does its job effectively enough -- and season 3 has been consistently stronger than season 2, if never as tightly plotted as season 1.


25 February 2008
Sky One, 10.00 pm

PRISON BREAK 3.12 – "Hell Or High Water"

Writer: Nick Santora
Director: Kevin Hooks

Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield), William Fichtner (Alexander Mahone), Wade Williams (Brad Bellick), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows), Robert Knepper (T-Bag), Robert Wisdom (Lechero), Chris Vance (James Whistler), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Susan B. Anthony), Danay Garcia (Sofia), Amaury Nolasco (Sucre), Joseph Melendez (Rafael), Carlo Alban (McGrady), Marshall Allman (LJ Burrows), Gustavo Mellado (Alfonso Gallego), Julio Cedillo (General Mestas) & Marco Rodriguez

The escape from Sona gets underway, but not everyone makes it through the tunnel and across No Man's Land...

"Gotta commend you on that boom-box trick. Very
sophisticated. You steal that one from Home Alone?"

-- Susan B. Anthony (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe)

As I guessed last week, Prison Break wisely decides to divide its third season into a crossbreed of seasons 1 and 2, by setting in motion a narrative split...

The separation begins when Lechero (Robert Wisdom), Bellick (Wade Williams) and T-Bag (Robert Knepper) only make it a few steps across No Man's Land from their tunnel, before the backup generates fires up and armed guards shoot Lechero and capture the others. Michael (Wentworth Miller), Whistler (Chris Vance), McGrady (Carlo Alban) and Mahone (William Fichtner) wait behind in the tunnel, where Michael reveals this apparent spanner-in-the-works is all part of his plan...

Beyond the fence, Linc (Dominic Purcell) is anxiously awaiting news from Sucre (Amaury Nolasco), unaware he's being held by a Sona guard who suspects him of being an ex-con. Elsewhere, Susan (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) waits patiently in a van with hostages LJ (Marshall Allman) and Sofia (Danay Garcia), listening to radio reports of a jailbreak from Sona...

Sona is being locked down by furious officials, who frogmarch Lechero, Bellick and T-Bag back inside, and line up all the prisoners for a roll-call. General Mestas (Julio Cedillo) has Bellick beaten up (oh, how the writers enjoy torturing Brad!), who quickly spills the beans about the escape tunnel underneath Lechero's quarters.

With their hiding place about to be discovered, Michael waits for guards to pass by their camouflaged hole, before creeping out with Whistler, McGrady and Mahone -- to hide under parked jeeps, until they make a sprint for the burned-through fence perimeter. Mestas' men arrive at the escape tunnel, finding it empty, and the General orders an immediate manhunt of the local area...

We're back in season 2 territory as Michael's group make a desperate run through the jungle, chased by armed guards and dogs -- even finding time for the cliché of someone spraining their ankle (Whistler, who else). Meanwhile, Sucre is stuck in the guard house, handcuffed to a filing cabinet as chaos reigns around him, unable to contact Linc and let him know his part in the plan is about to unravel...

At the beach, Linc meets the escapees and they unearth that mysterious box he buried in the sand episodes ago (forget about that, did you?), and takes out small oxygen tanks he'd stashed. It's now that injured Whistler notices he's dropped his bird book during the escape, which contains the coordinates the Company have been after all along. Couldn't you just slap him? Unable to consider the ramifications just yet, they all start to swim out to sea, as Sona guards arrive on the beach and can't find any trace of them...

Offshore, the escapees eventually arrive at a buoy and await the arrival of Sucre in his boat. Uh-oh. Sucre is pleading to be let go, given the tense situation around the prison, but doesn't have any luck. Elsewhere, McGrady's father Alfonso Gallego (Gustavo Mellado), notices that Sucre's boat hasn't left the marina yet, so saves the day by taking it out to the buoy – picking up the escapees just as they were beginning to get fatigued, and the Sona guards discover the escapees buried box (now containing their shoes), and orders in the help of the coast guard.

Back inside Sona, Bellick is being beaten to a pulp (seriously, does someone hate Wade Williams?) for information on the escape – but he doesn't have any to give. At a dead-end with him, they march T-Bag out to the guard house, and he stumbles to the ground on the way, noticing Whistler's bird book on the ground, and picks it up...

On dry land, the escapees get fresh clothes from a jeep and McGrady parts company with them, thanking Michael for his help. Heading off in their jeep, Linc makes contact with Susan to begin arrangements for the exchange (Whistler for LJ and Sofia). It turns out Susan is one-step ahead, having planted a homing beacon in the stop-watch she gave Whistler last week, and two Company cars arrive to stop them.

Linc manages to knock one car off the road, and they take refuge inside an old shack. A gunfight ensues between the escapees and some Company men, but Susan arrives and realizes it's been a trick – as gunshots from the shack are recordings Linc had set-up earlier. Remember that episode? Hey, they really did have a plan after all!

The escapee have driven off from the shack in a new vehicle, arriving at an abandoned factory, where Linc takes great pleasure in ordering Susan to follow his orders for a change – as final arrangements are made for the exchange -- on Linc's terms.

T-Bag is facing torture by electrocution to his genitals (crossed legs everywhere from male viewers), unless he reveals information about where the escapees are headed. Unable to provide answers, he catches sight of Sucre next door and names him as an accomplice.

Waiting in the factory, Linc reveals he's never forgiven Mahone for killing his father, and threatens him at gunpoint – with Michael doing his best to calm his brother down. Whistler uses the situation as a diversion and makes a run for freedom; likewise Mahone when Linc and Michael give chase. Whistler manages to commandeer a nearby truck (that ankle injury was faked) and drives off, leaving Michael and Linc with nobody to exchange for LJ's safety... and Susan is on the way...

Clearly a vital episode, Hell Or High Water delivers a blistering episode of entertainment – once again threatening to derail at times with daft moments (Michael's escape was very fluky), the odd cliché (sprained ankle; "go on without me"!), dumb plot-contrivances (Whistler lost the most important bird book on the planet!), and the total irrelevance of McGrady as a character this year. Did anyone get invested in McGrady's intended father/son rapportwith Michael? I didn't think so.

But the episode worked thanks to the pure adrenaline rush Prison Break delivers when it has its action head on, and provided welcome pay-offs to Linc's mysterious box burial and the gunshot recordings he made with Sucre. Season 3 is rumoured to be the last for the show, so it's wise that the writers have basically decided to make this last-hurrah a heady mix of both previous years.

Will the second half of season 3 involve Michael and Linc trying to find Whistler, with Susan on their tails, whilst perhaps having to break into Sona to retrieve T-Bag and/or the bird book? I'm not sure. And that's the great thing about Prison Break – it's so freewheeling and unpredictable, even if it sometimes comes at the expense of intelligence and plausibility.

Overall, this was a relentlessly thrilling episode that's unmissable if you've been following Prison Break this year, or since it began. It has its faults and silly moments (quite a few of them), but I doubt you'll want to turn away from the screen at any moment. And that's why you watch the show.


18 February 2008
Sky One, 10.00 pm

PRISON BREAK 3.11 – "Under & Out"

Writer: Zack Estrin
Director: Greg Yaitanes

Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows), Robert Knepper (Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell), Chris Vance (James Whistler), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Susan B. Anthony), Danay Garcia (Sofia Lugo), Wade Williams (Brad Bellick), Amaury Nolasco (Fernando Sucre), Robert Wisdom (Lechero), William Fichtner (Alexander Mahone), Carlo Alban (McGrady), Joseph Melendez (Rafael) & Manuel Marrero (Auturo Monjares)

Michael makes last-minute preparations for the tunnel escape, forced to step up his plans because of torrential rain...

T-Bag: You know, I've been thinking. It doesn't have to be
every man for himself. You and I can help each other.
Lechero: If I need a hand, I'll find someone with a spare.

There are only 2 episodes left of this strike-shortened season (not including this one), and rumours suggest it's unlikely to return for a fourth year. I'm hoping they're going to continue with the planned 23 episodes for season 3, though – as not getting a proper conclusion would cause a fan riot even the inmates of Sona would shy away from!

It certainly seems like events are building to an imminent end, though -- as Michael (Wentworth Miller) announces to his escape team that they have 24-hours to dig up through their tunnel and flee across No Man's Land...

Heavy rain is the latest problem facing the wannabe-escapees, as a torrential downpour begins to seep through their excavated hole, creating a bubbling sinkhole on the surface. Unbeknownst to Michael, T-Bag (Robert Knepper) is busy trying to endear himself to Lechero (Robert Wisdom) and Whistler (Chris Vance), aiming to gain their support on the outside.

Likewise, Bellick (Wade Williams) cosies up to Mahone (William Fichtner) about them becoming the "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" of the escapees; rather pathetically hoping to ingratiate himself with Mahone's family, too! Strangely, Mahone doesn't give Bellick the hard brush-off – although he clearly doesn't think it's a good idea.

Outside, Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) meets Susan (Jodi Lynn O'Keefe) in a bar, where she hands him with the bomb he smuggled into her car last week. Clearly losing patience with him, she threatens the life of pregnant Maricruz back in Chicago, unless he complies with her demands to keep her informed of Lincoln and Michael's progress. I'm really enjoying O'Keefe recently, as she's particularly good at being detestable – with her stern, froggy beauty and quick temper.

Meanwhile, Michael still has his suspicions about Whistler's true identity, and writer Zack Estrin suddenly takes steps to make Whistler's bird book of cryptic coordinates more integral to the plot. The coordinates are clearly what the mysterious Company are interested in, although Whistler is having difficulty decrypting it...

Steps are also being taken to provide Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) with a love-interest now, in the lithe shape of Whistler's girlfriend Sofia (Danay Garcia). Unsubtle hints are dropped throughout, not least from Susan – who kidnaps Sofia and forces Linc to make a phone call to Whistler, enabling him to hear his girlfriend get tortured – spurring him on to decrypt his bird book.

Michael's escape plan also hinges on there being total darkness across No Man's Land when his team crawl up through their hole. To secure that cover, he has Sucre scout a nearby power generator to identify its make/model and customer support number. From inside Sona, Michael uses Lechero's phone to talk to the generator helpline – who inform him the generator will kick in 30-seconds after a power failure.

Sucre also takes the time to sabotage some jeeps that patrol Sona, giving Michael an improved chance of escape once they're over the fence. Unfortunately, he's coming under suspicion from fellow Sona workers, with one guard later informing him they've investigated his background more thoroughly and discovered he's an escaped US convict. Well, it was about time! It was always a bit of a stretch to believe a prison wouldn't realize one of its workers is an escaped felon!

With Sofia held hostage in a warehouse, Whistler has miraculously managed to decrypt the coordinates Susan wants – funny what pressure can do, eh? Of course, this begs the question why the Company didn't just threaten Sofia's life from the beginning in exchange for these enigmatic coordinate – instead of concocting an elaborate escape plan involving Michael and Linc!

Michael pleads with Whistler not to give Susan the coordinates -- as everyone will thus become expendable to the Company, and he fears for the lives of his brother and nephew. But Whistler feels he can't risk Sofia's life and has to take that chance.

As the tunnel dig reaches its conclusion underground, Michael, Whistler, Linc, Susan and Sofia all meet at the visitor's pen – with Whistler ready to handover the coordinates. However, he decides to only give Susan half the information, promising to give her the other half when he knows everyone is safe after their escape. Susan is impressed he's decided to show some mettle, and has no choice but to accept his conditions...

Later that night, the escape is moments away. The team are gathered in the tunnel, awaiting Sona's power failure – to be caused by Linc driving a hijacked bus into a power line. Inevitably, to Michael's great frustration, T-Bag and Lechero threaten Whistler's life, demanding to be first out the hole because of the short 30-second escape time. Michael is forced to agree to their demands. Linc hijacks the bus and drives it headfirst into an electrical pole, sparks flying as Sona is plunged to darkness, just as the patrolling prison jeeps simultaneously breakdown. The time is now. 30 seconds.

Under & Out is another relatively straight-forward story, with Prison Break clearly beginning to riff on its subplots, making quick developments that don’t always make sense (the bird book's sudden solve-all relevance), and falling back on kidnapping and torture when things grow stale.

This season hasn't been particularly good for character development – with only talented character actor William Fichtner managing to imbue his character with subtleties that aren't on the page. Everyone else is pretty much a puppet in service of the wayward plot – particularly T-Bag and Bellick – and even initially interesting characters like Lechero and Whistler are beginning to turn stale.

However, Under & Out gets by purely because it's another pivotal moment -- with the second escape attempt imminent. Ordinarily, knowing there are 23 episodes in a season, it wouldn't carry as much weight as it does... but I'm intrigued to see if the writers actually go ahead with the escape, and dedicate the last half of season 3 to another manhunt. Or will the escape simply go wrong and Linc will once again have to plead with Susan to give them another chance? Or perhaps only some of the characters will escape, and the show will divide into three distinct strands (the escaped, the imprisoned, and the jail-breakers)?

As usual, it's the unpredictable nature of Prison Break that keeps it alive. The writers may struggle to keep momentum going every week, but they generally succeed – despite the fact it results in dumb, if oddly compelling episodes. I don’t think there's any mileage left in Prison Break's concept after this season, so I'm just hoping there's a worthwhile resolution to Michael and Lincoln's torturous few years!


11 February 2008
Sky One, 10.00 pm