Spoilers. How about that Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), eh? He's such a genius that he cracks the whole Scylla mystery while having experimental brain surgery! Beyond that significant puzzle piece, I still think Prison Break's suffering a mid-season lull since Don (Michael Rapaport) turned traitor. Still, a few developments here might finally have realigned the series into its latest guise...Linc (Dominic Purcell) has made a faustian pact with The General (Leon Russom); he'll reacquire Scylla from Don and Gretchen (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), in return for the safe removal of his brother Michael's brain tumour, using The Company's cutting-edge resources. After interrogating T-Bag (Robert Knepper) by extracting a few teeth, Linc and Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) race to Arlington Pier, where the Scylla exchange is due to take place at 3pm.
In a rather humdrum subplot, Mahone (William Fichtner) is on his way to jail after being duped by Agent Lang (Barbara Eve Harris), but has a plan to escape from Agent Wheeler's (Jason Davis) charge -- which involves the clichéd request for a toilet break. Fortunately, Mahone knows the urination regulations for prisoners, and uses Wheeler's by-the-book character trait against him.
As Michael undergoes his brain op, conscious and with Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies) by his side for support, some of Prison Break's strangest moments occur, with Michael visualizing a darkened prison cell at Fox River, where long-dead inmate Charles Westmoreland (Muse Watson) acts as his "spirit guide", encouraging him to reconsider what Scylla actually is by perusing a mental wall-chart of knowledge. Far from being a simple "little black book" of Company personnel, Michael comes to realize Scylla must contain scientific data about how to create a futuristic power source equal to the Sun's solar output…
At the pier, Gretchen realizes the Company probably know where their deal is taking place, after receiving a phone call from her sister Rita (Heather McComb), who tells her their accomplice T-Bag was taken by Company agents. Fleeing the scene, just as Linc and Sucre arrive to bust them, the Scylla exchange is hastily rescheduled -- but Gretchen and Don are then left high-and-dry when their buyer (Titus Welliver) steals Scylla…
"Going Under" felt like an episode where all the thought had gone into creating a plausible new identity for Scylla. It's been inferred throughout season 4 that it was always more than a simple list of contacts (as Michael says, why would you protect something so easily deletable?), and the idea that Scylla contains advanced science data is a good move. It's not that people want to steal Scylla to expose and dismantle The Company; they actually want to become The Company. It's a twist that works well -- especially if Michael's brainwave that the chemical elements "B", "Ar", "Ga", "In" (BARGAIN) can indeed be used to create a new type of energy.
Away from that, it's interesting to see Linc working for The Company and discovering his mother worked for them before she died, although I think we're supposed to feel there's a possibility Linc will join them permanently. And, let's be honest, that's a ridiculous idea after all that's happened. Michael remains steadfast in his hatred of the Company, but now that he knows Scylla can't destroy the Company, what's the next move? Is it better the devil you know than the devil you don't? The continual evolution and switches of allegiance have kept Prison Break lively and entertaining, but it's beginning to grow tired. It's almost as if the writers run into dead-ends when they take a character in a new direction, so when an avenue exchausts itself they force them into shaky alliances to keep the stone rolling for a few more episodes.
Overall, "Going Under" wasn't too shabby, and it was nice to see Westmoreland again, but I'm not convinced the writers have a clear and concise plan. Scylla's true identity is definitely more interesting than the "little black book" idea, but it's at odds with previous episodes that mentioned The Company destabilizing the economy of Laos, etc. Prison Break's ability to think on its feet and creatively escape from narrative dead-ends has always been fun, but a few developments in "Going Under" stretched things a bit too far…
Sucre suddenly deciding to leave for a "normal life" -- forgetting that he's still a fugitive from justice? It's not the first time Sucre's said farwell to Linc before scurrying back, though -- and this would be a weak end for Nolasco, one of the show's original actors. How about Linc apparently forgetting Michael and their established principles, to work for The Company, with no intention to trick them? And he was pushed into that decision just because The General proved his mother was a Company employee, too? After all Linc's been through, is he really stupid enough to believe The Company will let them all live happily ever after once Scylla's back under lock-and-key? Well, yes. Stupid question.
16 December 2008
Sky1, 10pm
Writer: Zack Estrin
Director: Karen Gaviola
Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael), Michael Rapaport (Don), William Fichtner (Mahone), Amaury Nolasco (Sucre), Robert Knepper (T-Bag), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln), Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Gretchen), Barbara Eve Harris (Agent Felicia Lang), Leon Russom (General Krantz), Denise Crosby (Doctor), Heather McComb (Rita), Jason Davis (Agent Wheeler), Muse Watson (Charles Westmoreland) & Titus Welliver (The Representative)
