Friday, 27 March 2009

[PRB] Bolshoi Booze

TV Programme: Prison Break
Season: 2
Episode: 11
Date I watched this episode: 25/03/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 11 days.

This was a very interesting episode for Michael. He is not the typical ruthless protagonist, but has certain set morals which he has to bend to meet his ends, and they catch up to him in the long run. They really caught up to him in this episode, but he knows that, in his words, if he surrender's now he loses everything he loves. The show poses many moral dilemmas that I can really relate to, and Michael's righteousness is hard for me to decide on one way or the other.

This really shone through with the criminals in the desert. Now the outcome of this was very different to what Michael had expected. If he had retained the nitroglycerin, he would have given it to these guys, and who knows what they would have done with it. The storyline seemed a bit pointless, but it was a key point for Michael's character that he actually did the right thing here, against the recommendations of Sucre, and was rewarded for it.

Sucre and Scofield played off each other as well as ever here; the two have met up at various places in the country this season, some better than others, but the sequence where Sucre and Scofield took control of the desert shack was a great co-operarative scene for the two, who work well together better than Michael and Lincoln ever have.

Bill Kim got a lot more screentime in this episode. This idea of the antagonists and the protagonists speaking frankly to each other on the phone is a common device this season, but one that is well-utilised. Recently it was Michael and Alexander, here it is Lincoln and Mr Kim. Mr Kim even seems a bit scared, and is certainly very forceful with his manipulation of Lincoln and Paul Kellerman.

I felt that the situation with Sara Tancredi was well explained. Up until now we haven't had a decent explanation for why she is being hunted, but this just fitted in very smoothly to the overall storyline. Although: she has the key but has no idea where to use it!! Paul was seriously tested in this episode and surely he must have to change his loyalties in the next episode to resolve the current situation that he has left Sara for dead!

T-Bag has lost his hand again!! This is getting a bit silly, surely he can't get it back again now. Which means the writers are going to have to deal with one of their main characters not having a hand. Anyway T-Bag got back to the money and it's his now. I'm not sure who out of Bellick, Roy and T-Bag I'd rather have had the money. None of them will spend it particularly "wisely" but at least T-Bag is an incredibly complex character who we will get to see a little more into. Bellick and Roy, meanwhile, are stuck at the hospital for a while, which hopefully will mean they'll be out of the picture for a while; I'm getting a bit sick of them.

Jane seems like quite a minor character to be getting so much screentime. I wonder where her loyalties really lie. She seems like a cold assassin who might be loyal to someone else; and surely someone must have tipped The Company off as to where Aldo and Lincoln were meeting. Or maybe she just reminds me too much of Alias's Lauren Reed? Other mysteries to be resolved in the next episode: what is on that receipt that T-Bag found? And where have Aldo and Michael met before?

This season is really impressive to me, especially out of those I'm watching at the moment. 24 and Damages have both been quite disappointing, whereas this show keeps me sane....it really lives up to its reputation created by the first season, by following a compelling storyline that is woven episode-to-episode. I can't quite see where it's going but I'll put my trust in the writers, and I feel sure they'll come through for me.

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