Prison Break - Recap & Review - Vs

Prison Break
“Vs”

Original Air Date: Apr 24, 2009

Tom R. - Sr. Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

I guess it’s never too late for this show to introduce the question, ”Who is this guy?” The ironic title works on a couple levels, as in Linc vs Michael vs Christina vs Krantz, with Bagwell in there just about everywhere. But in reality, it’s the initials VS, for Dartmouth professor Vincent Sandinsky. His last reaction, which closes the episode, shows that whatever he’s hiding, it’s big.

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[photo: FOX]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - The Mother Lode

Prison Break
The Mother Lode

Original Air Date: Apr 17, 2009

Tom R. - Sr. Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com


So much for warm and fuzzy family reunions. Kathleen Quinlan joins the cast as Catherine Burrows Scofield, wasting no time in sending people out for General Krantz’s blood. But by the end of the episode, she’s setting her sights on her own family. Scylla really is reflecting the mythic monster it’s named after.

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[photo: Greg Gayne/FOX]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - The Sunshine State

Prison Break
“The Sunshine State”

Original Air Date: Dec 22, 2008

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

So the unwritten rule in the PB universe seems to be this: Unless you see someone take their last breath before your eyes, do not assume they are actually dead. The episode ends, and I’m logging all the characters in my head, thinking who might be ripe to reintroduce themselves to Michael and Linc.

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[photo: Greg Gayne/FOX]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - Going Under

Prison Break
Going Under

Original Air Date: 15 Dec 2008

Tom R. - Two Cents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

After the utter tension of the past two episodes, we get one that is easier on the nerves, but no less intriguing. This is the nature of laying groundwork for a stable foundation. God, now I’m talking like a structural engineer!

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[photo: FOX.com]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - "Just Business"

Prison Break
Just Business

Original Air Date: 8 Dec 2008

Tom R. - TwoCents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

Michael’s tumor is the clock that everyone is racing against, when it all comes down to it. Now the crew and the Company both rush to stop Self from unloading Scylla. Along the way, we have some double crosses and a couple neat little twists. It’s not the best episode (there are some “just go with it” moments), but it’s solid, and it continues to build on the momentum of the last few weeks.

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[photo: FOX.com]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - "Deal or No Deal"

Prison Break
Deal or No Deal

Original Air Date: 1 Dec 2008

Tom R. - TwoCents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

Tough to top last week’s episode. The commercials promoting the twists don’t help any either, since I’m trying to figure them out while I’m watching the story unfold. But a simple writer’s tip holds true here: Write the ending, and the rest will follow. So Michael’s last line (“Come and get it!”) gives the episode all the punch it needs.

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[photo: FOX.com]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - "Selfless"

Prison Break
Selfless

Original Air Date: 24 Nov 2008

Tom R. - TwoCents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com


This season has ranged from mediocre episodes to very god episodes, but this week, the only word I can use is Mind-blowing. Three staggering twists shoot the intensity through the roof, matching the impact of season one.

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[photo: FOX.com]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - Quiet Riot

Prison Break
“Quiet Riot”

Original Air Date: Nov 17, 2008

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

OK, so apparently we’ve given up on actual show titles, and from now on, we’ll just use 80s bands, is that it? Actually, this association points out how important music is in building suspense. Don’t believe it? Try watching The Omen, hitting the mute button and whistling the Three Stooges theme. Suspense, double crosses, and Gretchen in a schoolgirl outfit. How can you miss?

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[photo: Greg Gayne/FOX]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - “The Legend”

Prison Break

The Legend

Original Air Date: November 10, 2008

Tom R. - Two Cents Staff Writer

Prison Break delivers the best episode of the season, as Bellick is mourned, Sucre is in peril, Bagwell’s odd suspicions pay off, and the mystery around Scylla deepens. A few weeks back, I was speculating about who would be the dominant character this season. Turns out that Scylla becomes the focus rather than any of the new characters. It reminds me of Time magazine naming the personal computer as Man of the Year. The writers make a skillful shift from a break in caper to a six piece puzzle to a move through a booby-trapped labyrinth.

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[photo: Richard Foreman/FOX]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - Greatness Achieved

Prison Break
“Greatness Achieved”

Original Air Date: Nov 3, 2008

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

I’ve watched operations on Nip/Tuck. I’ve seen brutal murders on The Shield. I watched the Phillies win the World Series, but the kiss between Gretchen and General Krantz may be the creepiest, most disturbing thing on TV since Dennis Franz in the shower. Well, OK, so maybe it’s a toss-up with the Phillies.

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[photo: Michael Desmond/FOX]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - The Price

Prison Break
“The Price”

Original Air Date: Oct 20, 2008

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

Opening in flashback, we see Linc and a partner carrying out a snatch-and-grab operation that starts with crashing their car into a limousine. It is an operation Linc wants to replicate to get General Krantz’s card. But Wyatt is tipped off, and he manages to put a bullet into Sucre as the General escapes.

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[photo: Greg Gayne/FOX]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - Five the Hard Way

Prison Break
“Five the Hard Way”

Original Air Date: Oct 6, 2008

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

The episode picks up where last week left off: With Gretchen’s boot on Bagwell’s neck. She takes the bird book and starts to torture him. Bellick gets a call from the GATE receptionist, offering up Bagwell for two thousand dollars. Once they are at the drop site, she ups the price with Bellick. When Michael and Mahone show up to bargain, they find themselves double-crossed by Bagwell. Mahone is the only one to escape.

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[photo: Greg Gayne/FOX]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - Blow Out

Prison Break
“Blow Out”

Original Air Date: Sept 29, 2008

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

As the momentum continues to build, certain elements of impending tragedy run through the episode. The crew and Gretchen each start to think for the first time that they might not see the end of this.

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[photo: Isabella Vosminkova/FOX]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - Safe and Sound

Prison Break
“Safe and Sound”

Original Air Date: 9/22/2008

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

Watching the look on Michael’s face as he dismantles an Etch-a-Sketch restores my faith in the show. Well, that and Bagwell’s twisted comparison of himself to a leprechaun. And with Heroes moved to 9 PM for a head-to-head matchup, it’s a pretty good argument for investing in a DVR.

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[photo: Greg Gayne/FOX]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - Eagles and Angels

Prison Break
“Eagles and Angels”

Original Air Date: 9/15/2008

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

As the show strays further into Mission: Impossible territory, threads begin to weave together. Interpreting images from Michael’s camera phone, the crew finds a license plate and Turkish diplomatic flags. They stake out the consulate to find Lisa Tabak, who holds the second card in the Scylla chain. While she meets with the General, the crew is on a second stakeout when Linc spots Bagwell on the street. A scuffle between him and the brothers is broken up to avoid intervention by local security.

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[photo: Greg Gayne/FOX]

Prison Break - Recap & Review - "Shut Down"

Prison Break
“Shut Down”

Original Air Date: Sept 8, 2008

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

Each year, a new character emerges to dominate the Prison Break landscape. Season two brought n Alex Mahone, who was the first person to keep up with Scofield, if not get one or two steps ahead of him. Last year it was James Whistler, with honorable mentions to Lechero and Gretchen. This season, it’s too early to tell so far, but it’s either going to be the star power of Michael Rapaport as Agent Don Self, or the pure chill of the murderous Wyatt (Cress Williams). Seems like William’s characterization borrows heavily from Chiwetel Ejiofor in the movie Serenity. Or maybe that’s just free association from Summer Glau in the Terminator show that leads into PB. Who knows?

(OK…Enough Firefly references. Confounding all the non-fans in the ‘verse.)

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[photo: Greg Gayne/FOX]

"Prison Break" Recap & Review - "Scylla" / "Breaking & Entering"

Prison Break
Scylla
Breaking and Entering

Season Four Premiere: 9/1/2008

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer
tomr@thetwocents.com

The highly anticipated two hour premiere seems marred a bit by the writer’s strike, but most returning shows will be trying too hard to make up for lost time. In the end, however, the episode does not disappoint.

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[photo: Greg Gayne/FOX]

"Prison Break" Recap & Review - "The Art of the Deal"

Prison Break
“The Art of the Deal” - Season Finale

Original Air Date: February 18, 2008

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer

Shortened season or no, the question to ask after any finale here is, “How long does it take you before you look at the calendar?” If you don’t care how long it takes before the next episode airs, it’s not a good sign. Luckily, it wasn’t long before I did the math from September back to this week. That’s also an added note of optimism, since the show usually hits in October. The transition to the next chapter is seamless, and even leaves you wondering how certain characters will make their way back into the fold.

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"Prison Break" Recap & Review - "Hell or High Water"

Prison Break
“Hell or High Water”

Original Air Date: February 11, 2008

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer

Lesson to be learned: Even if don’t trust someone, you have to respect them. Last week, Lechero, Bagwell and Bellick ignored that rule of thumb, and it costs them. They bullied themselves to be the first three out of the tunnel, only to have the generator kick in quicker than anticipated (Or was it?) As the guards swarm around them and the prison populace is assembled for a count, the four remaining breakers use the guards’ trucks as cover as they make their way to the fence. Along the way, however, Whistler drops his bird book with the coordinates that make him so important.

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"Prison Break" Recap & Review - "Under and Out"

Prison Break
“Under and Out”

Original Air Date: February 4, 2008

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer

Rain forces a change in the escape timetable, since the dirt that killed Sami leaves a visible dent in the surface as the rain collects. In Michael’s eyes, it’s tonight or never. As McGrady approaches Michael again, wanting to be included in the break, Michael tries to warn him of the cost, and says he’s doing him a favor. In the tunnel, Bellick and Bagwell each try to drive their own wedges between Michael and everyone else.

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