Prison Break Season 5 episode 3 discussion: The Liar

Hello everyone and welcome to another Prison Break catchup post with 5×3 The Liar. Going into the episode, Michael’s intentions were still up in the air as he embraced Yemen radical Abu Ramal. The guy doesn’t waste any time and starts demanding that the homosexuals be hanged. This guy needs to calm down – he’d only just come out of solitary confinement and was already trying to murder people! I noticed how the guards only intervened once Michael had already stepped in so I wonder if they would have just left them to it otherwise? I hope not. It would be nice for the guards to have at least some integrity.

T-Bag met Sarah while creeping around a bathroom and they eventually ended up working together to find out what the bloody hell was going on. That hand on T-Bag does look good so why hide it with a glove? I’m going to guess budget. Sarah suspects that Paul has something to do with it and even if he does (I do think he is hiding something), he’s not going to be a villain. It would be pointless to unravel the good redemption arc the guy had been through. They did name drop Poseidon as a mysterious individual or organisation that we will probably learn more about.

It may have taken to the very end of the episode but we finally saw Michael break character so to speak as he attempted to record a message for Sarah. He revealed some information like how this was to protect Sarah and that he feared that he was now a dead man. I am really glad that he is being made to do this…well I feel bad for him but am glad that he has not turned into some heartless crazy prison escapologist. He’s going to struggle to get out again though surely? And there’s only six episodes left!

Lincoln didn’t really have that much luck either this episode, but then again, when does he ever have much luck? He once again had passport troubles and ended up one thousand dollars out of pocket. How much money did he bring on this trip? Ben just pulled a wad of cash out of that bag! Do I smell a new love interest in Sheba? I like her so far but what happened to his Panama girlfriend Sophia? Or does Lincoln just have a different lady friend in each country he visits? I’m glad Lincoln took it to that one eyed guy though. He is a horrible, slimy man who I just know is going to come back and cause trouble again in the future.

We are getting more into the story now, and I feel more invested now I know more about Michael’s situation. I can properly root for him again! And of course I am very much looking forward to the next episode.

DD Rating: 8.25/10

Prison Break Season 5 episode 1 discussion: Ogygia

Hello everyone and welcome to another Prison Break reaction post. Now I do recognise that this was a very important episode, especially if you were watching it when it first came out. After a seven year break, the show returned with its shortest season yet and with a brand new story…well, I presume it still has to involve some sort of prison break but new enough.

Returning characters included Lincoln, Sarah, and T-Bag as well as a short Sucre cameo. I hope that he will return for more episodes because he is one of my favourite characters. He seemed quite cheerful and upbeat yet still had a rather dodgy job. Clearly he hasn’t completely changed his ways. Maybe him and Sarah will have to work together as both have remained in America. Hopefully Mahone will help too, even though I didn’t see the actor’s name on the opening credits. It was nice to see that Sucre’s friendship with Michael still means something to him, as he is willing to help on a dangerous mission after all these years.

We also got the return of Ben Franklin AKA C-Note. After being absent from season 3 and much of season 4, he seems to be positioned as one of the main characters this season. It is good to see him in more of a leading role as he is familiar with the environment they are entering and speaks the language there. I never realised that Yemen was considered dangerous, but what do I know. All I think of when I hear it is that Chandler from friends had to go there once. I wonder if they filmed on location because the cinematography was very engaging while also putting you slightly on edge.

There seems to be quite the conspiracy going on which although is very intriguing, does at this point in time make you wonder why anyone would even bother. T-Bag has been (very questionably) released and given a new robotic hand which must link in somehow. Now this does actually still look robotic unlike in Agents of Shield where the hand was so realistic the actor could just keep their normal hand on show. I presume that my question of why someone would bother will be answered soon enough (maybe something similar to season 3?) as they must have acted very quickly to have faked the body in the coffin. But was Michael not terminally ill and also electrocuted in that prison? Surely the prison would have confirmed his death for a funeral to take place, and even if he survived it he was dying anyway. At the moment stuff just doesn’t add up but I’ve just go to be patient.

Michael’s look as he walked away from Lincoln seemed to suggest that he was doing this somewhat willingly, or at least to protect Lincoln. He is pretending to be the identity that someone has set up as being a terrorist of sorts, and until the look I was actually believing him. I thought: “really? They’ve bought Wentworth Miller back as a different character who looks just like Michael?” but thankfully that doesn’t seem to be the case.

On the whole: a lot of questions and not many answers. But am I interested? You bet I am.

DD Rating: 8/10

Prison Break discussion: The Final Break

Hello everyone and welcome to a special edition of Prison Break catchup. After watching the shocking conclusion to season 4, I decided to watch the Final Break TV movie before taking a short hiatus before starting season 5. Just a note, all shows on the blog will be taking a break for a couple of weeks for a summer hiatus, not just Prison Break. Back to the movie: overall I enjoyed it and it felt like a fun homage to the show’s first season with one more prison break for old times sake.

What I found odd, and what irritated me a bit to, was the layout and point of this film at all. It would have worked so much better if this had been split into the final two episodes of season 4, with the flash forward sequence shown at the end of episode 22 at the end of this instead. Due to the running order, the stakes were completely removed for the majority of the characters: not only did I know who lived and died, but also how they ended up. This effected T-Bag in particular as you knew he was just going to end up in Fox River anyway in a few years. There was the wonder of if Michael’s death would feature in some way but imagine if we didn’t know in advance that he died at all. The way he went out in a moment of self sacrifice for Sarah was sad, but if it completely came out of nowhere then I would have been an emotional wreck.

I was surprised to see the General make an appearance in this, but did find it fitting that he was stuck in the same place as T-Bag. He always considered T-Bag vastly inferior to himself but they both ended up in the exact same place. The resurfacing of Gretchen was also a shock, but by the end it was a pleasant one. Her and Sarah had had a tough relationship to say the least. This worked as at least some redemption for the character and actually managed to make her more likeable. Her selfless act to let Sarah go rather than turn her in caught me off guard but in a good way. If that is the last we ever see of her then I can say that she went out on a high.

One of the best moments which had me completely fooled was very clever double bluff they pulled to deceive T-Bag (and myself). I was initially unsure of how they thought T-Bag would keep his end of the bargain even if they paid him, but that was all part of the plan. If he didn’t get what he wanted of course he would snitch. I was willing to go along with it before I knew it was a trick due to it seeming more of a fun celebration where the logic could be a little looser, but it worked so much better when the clever trick was revealed (even though I still feel bad that T-Bag was tricked once again). Mahone’s loyalty was also tested and I was all ready with my “they’ve ruined Mahone! He’s come so far!” rant but luckily didn’t have to use it. Mahone had become one of my favourite characters and I was just hoping that it was going to all unravel again.

A number of women officer and prisoner characters were introduced for the prison scenes (including the actress who played Coach Beast in Glee) but the character who stood out was Daddy. I can’t for the life of me remember where I know the actress from but she played the role so well. Slightly over the top, both sinister and charming in a strange way, she was essentially a female T-Bag. They should have made a spin-off about her and her prison family. I’d have watched it!

The final sacrifice made by Michael was sad, but it was Lincoln’s reaction more than anything that almost got me, as well as the end video Michael recorded. In the video he mentioned that he didn’t have long to live anyway due to his tumour so really he is dead on two counts. I say that because he is on the front cover of the fifth season DVD that arrived the other day. Is he just going to appear in flashbacks? Or is he going to be like Harry in Dexter. I know we never saw the body but it would be weird to mention the fatal tumour as well as him dying in another way. Of course I hope he is still miraculously alive but I’ll just have to wait and find out.

DD Rating: 8.5/10