Prison Break 1.4: "Cute Poison"
Written by Matt Olmstead
Directed by Matt Earl Beesley
In which Michael finds himself in a jam when his new cellmate Haywire becomes fascinated with his tattoo, while Sucre discovers that good behavior may not get him out soon enough…
Quite against my expectations, I am enjoying this series. It’s still completely ridiculous at times, and there are about a million plot holes along the way, but it’s just so much fun. The writers really amp up the tension in this episode, and there are even moments that one might call “tongue in cheek”. What really impresses me is how well the elements are coming together.
First, the things I didn’t like. For a conspiracy that supposed has every detail worked out, it sure took long enough for them to realize what was going on with Michael. Wouldn’t they have made an effort to know about Lincoln’s entire family before the set-up, and wouldn’t they have been keeping a close eye on family members with a likelihood of wanting Lincoln exonerated? Sounds logical to me, but it’s not until this point that the conspiracy seems to get their act together.
I also couldn’t buy into the idea that Warden Pope would be so kind to a convict who all but blackmailed him just a few episodes ago. This entire subplot is rather hard to swallow, and all it does is provide a means of increasing Billock’s hatred for Michael, which is already well established. There’d better be a reason for this plot device later in the season, because right now, it’s just bad writing.
Most of the other issues are related to Michael’s plan and his execution of it. I like the fact that each episode centers on some specific aspect of his scheme, and that the audience is given some insight into Michael’s thought process. I still don’t think it’s enough, but the writers clearly believe that the tension is best maintained if the audience is kept largely unaware of why Michael is doing what he’s doing.
It’s very methodical, of course, but it also involves a lot of clear exposure. It’s hard for me to believe that he’s managed to get so far. Haywire’s ravings were, at least this week, easily dealt with, but like the scenes with the warden, they should have some impact later in the story or it becomes little more than a contrivance. Haywire only needs to be there long enough for Sucre to figure out what should have been obvious right from the beginning.
Watching Sucre go from hating Michael’s guts to being Michael’s best friend is rather amusing. Michael might want to pay attention to that. He’s still not doing the best job of reading people. To paraphrase what the Hot Doc said: his personality is going to get him killed if he doesn’t wise up. Sucre has a vested interest in helping Michael now, so he’s in the game. If Sucre can turn that fast on a dime, then there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t rat Michael out if it was better for him in the long run.
I have to say that I did like Haywire and his obsessive behavior. He brought an absurdity to the whole episode that gave it a certain charm. It’s something that the scenes with Veronica were missing completely. Robin Tunney is a good actress, but she’s not clicking in the role yet. Perhaps the fact that the conspiracy has finally caught up with Michael will give that part of the story some heft.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
Directed by Matt Earl Beesley
In which Michael finds himself in a jam when his new cellmate Haywire becomes fascinated with his tattoo, while Sucre discovers that good behavior may not get him out soon enough…
Quite against my expectations, I am enjoying this series. It’s still completely ridiculous at times, and there are about a million plot holes along the way, but it’s just so much fun. The writers really amp up the tension in this episode, and there are even moments that one might call “tongue in cheek”. What really impresses me is how well the elements are coming together.
First, the things I didn’t like. For a conspiracy that supposed has every detail worked out, it sure took long enough for them to realize what was going on with Michael. Wouldn’t they have made an effort to know about Lincoln’s entire family before the set-up, and wouldn’t they have been keeping a close eye on family members with a likelihood of wanting Lincoln exonerated? Sounds logical to me, but it’s not until this point that the conspiracy seems to get their act together.
I also couldn’t buy into the idea that Warden Pope would be so kind to a convict who all but blackmailed him just a few episodes ago. This entire subplot is rather hard to swallow, and all it does is provide a means of increasing Billock’s hatred for Michael, which is already well established. There’d better be a reason for this plot device later in the season, because right now, it’s just bad writing.
Most of the other issues are related to Michael’s plan and his execution of it. I like the fact that each episode centers on some specific aspect of his scheme, and that the audience is given some insight into Michael’s thought process. I still don’t think it’s enough, but the writers clearly believe that the tension is best maintained if the audience is kept largely unaware of why Michael is doing what he’s doing.
It’s very methodical, of course, but it also involves a lot of clear exposure. It’s hard for me to believe that he’s managed to get so far. Haywire’s ravings were, at least this week, easily dealt with, but like the scenes with the warden, they should have some impact later in the story or it becomes little more than a contrivance. Haywire only needs to be there long enough for Sucre to figure out what should have been obvious right from the beginning.
Watching Sucre go from hating Michael’s guts to being Michael’s best friend is rather amusing. Michael might want to pay attention to that. He’s still not doing the best job of reading people. To paraphrase what the Hot Doc said: his personality is going to get him killed if he doesn’t wise up. Sucre has a vested interest in helping Michael now, so he’s in the game. If Sucre can turn that fast on a dime, then there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t rat Michael out if it was better for him in the long run.
I have to say that I did like Haywire and his obsessive behavior. He brought an absurdity to the whole episode that gave it a certain charm. It’s something that the scenes with Veronica were missing completely. Robin Tunney is a good actress, but she’s not clicking in the role yet. Perhaps the fact that the conspiracy has finally caught up with Michael will give that part of the story some heft.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
posted by John Keegan | 17:25
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