Episode 3 - Shut Down
22 January 2009
Review
Synopsis: Self is amazed to discover that Scylla is not one but six cards. He tells Michael he needs to find the next card holder within twenty four hours or they all go back to prison. Self’s boss tells him that his mission is being shut down. Michael and company head to Anaheim to steal emails from a server and track down other card holders. They do just as Self arrives to shut them down. Michael escapes and is able to film a meeting of the six card holders at a power plant. Lincoln discovers that the company killed Mahone’s son and offers to help him. Meanwhile T-bag lets himself into Cole Pfeiffer’s furnished apartment and tries to collect the commencement bonus which he has been awarded. And Wyatt kills Bruce Bennett once he discovers that Sara is in LA.
The Good: Prison Break is lumbered with a sense of convenience throughout its stories. When a gang of criminals roam the streets of California never getting caught you can’t help but lose something from the sense of drama. The real question is can the writers do a good enough job to make you enjoy the ride. This week the answer is yes.
Though it seems very early in the story to threaten to pull the plug on Michael and company, it does provide the necessary impetus to make the action sequences feel tense. The usual puzzles need decoding, cards swiping and windows smashed as the team race against time to avoid going back to prison.
Because we don’t really believe that they are being shut down, the action is more of a backdrop for the development of the characters and that is good to see. Again Roland and Bellick play their roles really well. Roland’s panic at the danger he is put in in Anaheim is exactly how a normal person would react. His anger afterwards at having his life threatened is understandable and without his fear the more heroic behaviour of the others would seem common place. Similarly Bellick makes a very logical and understandable suggestion to Sucre that they simply head to Mexico and avoid further danger. Once more Bellick’s desperation presents a nice contrast as he begs Self to take pity on him as they are shoved into a police van.
Mahone’s acting stands out as he grieves for the loss of his son and clarifies that his wife is still alive but under threat from the company. It’s an understandable justification to bring he and Lincoln to a mutual understanding. Mahone’s FBI knowledge compliments Michael’s engineers mind well as they decode the company’s emails.
T-Bag remains the most intriguing character as he faces the prospect of heading into GATE to pretend to be Whistler’s manufactured alter ego: Cole Pfeiffer. Seeing T-Bag finally relaxing after seasons of imprisonment is a nice moment and his pizza and porn diet is a succinct reminder of who he is. His attempt to bluff his way around GATE should be interesting to watch.
Don Self begins to develop a personality we may be able to like as well. Clearly he has personal reasons to hate the company as we see him playing with his wedding ring and staring at a photo of a woman on his desk. But then he stands up to his boss in order to keep trying to take down the company. He doesn’t do it in a rah rah way. He does it looking tired and determined and sad. He is emoting the weary selfless look we have seen on Michael and Mahone’s faces before and suggests perhaps he too is a good guy.
The general makes the Company seem nice and evil with his analogy that Laos is like an animal he is experimenting on. Finally Wyatt continues to lurk in the shadows of the story as he methodically drugs Bruce Bennett into revealing Sara’s location. It’s a sad end for Bruce but another effective way to build up Wyatt as a real threat.
The Bad: Amidst the convenient happenings a few moments stand out as particularly poor. Again Michael and company leave their finger prints everywhere in the Anaheim server. Yes it would look weird to walk around with gloves on but a throwaway line explaining this would be nice. Then Lincoln grabs an axe off the fire truck and marches boldly into the server to free Michael. Again no one stops him or questions him and wouldn’t there be security cameras recording all this?
Later the company have a hugely important meeting at a power plant. No more than a mile away the police and homeland security are burning rubber in pursuit of Michael and company. Yet apparently the company’s security doesn’t notice any of this. Shouldn’t such an important organisation have people looking out for police activity?
The Unknown: What do GATE sell? What happened to Self’s wife? What are the company testing in Laos?
Best Moment: Roland starts to believe that he risked his life for nothing and he is angry. It’s a natural reaction and he questions the entire mission as someone who hadn’t been through what Michael and company have been through would. He’s not fighting for some ideal, he’s just trying to cut down his jail time. He grabs the papers about Scylla and screams “anyone who gives their lives for this crap is a sucker! Because you guys can’t win!” He has a point. But then Mahone grabs him and slams him to the desk saying “Say it! Say it about the people who died. Say it!” Lincoln drags him off. An ideal emotional scene to showcase the different motives and beliefs of those in the group.
The Verdict: There is a really good balance here between the developing emotional cauldron of the protagonists and the contrived action scenes to keep the story moving. If Prison Break can keep it up we could be in for a good season.
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