Prison Break 1.10: "Sleight of Hand"

Written by Nick Santora
Directed by Dwight Little

In which Michael must confront Falzone to get Abruzzi back in charge of PI, while another inmate discovers the escape plan and a deadly new player gets involved in the conspiracy…


I’m actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this episode. It made me realize how much I like Abruzzi, even though he’s clearly a murderer and not the nicest guy in the world. There’s just something about him that makes the character worth watching. That’s one of the elements of a good story: strong, vibrant characters. The plot is often beyond any suspension of disbelief, but because the characters are so interesting and fun to watch, it doesn’t matter.

I can’t say much for the intelligence of the underworld in the “Prison Break” universe, given how easily Michael threw Falzone to the law enforcement wolves. I guess the Peter Principle works in every organization! Michael has a rather interesting sense of honor, but it’s entirely consistent. If he thinks you’re an innocent, he’ll protect you beyond all reason. If he knows your intentions are less than pure, he’ll play you for all it’s worth.

The writers managed to pull off a nice move with Abruzzi, highlighting how ruthless he can be under the right circumstances. It’s been hinted at before, but the last few episodes have done a lot to flesh out the character. But the writers made it abundantly clear that something was going on, beneath the surface, and still kept the story from being transparent.

This episode also had a lot of good human moments. Lincoln has always been focused on his son, but the poignant flashback in this episode drove it home. The more we learn about Lincoln’s life, the more real his situation becomes. It’s no longer just a plot device; Lincoln has days left if the plan doesn’t come together.

Similarly, the “relationship” between Michael and Sara is becoming more and more complex. If the prison break takes place soon, which the timeline strongly suggests, then all of this must be building to something that will happen right before or after that occurs. Wouldn’t it be intriguing if Sara were to convince herself that helping Michael on the outside is the right thing to do?

As usual, the conspiracy was the weak link, but even that is becoming a little more interesting. Granted, it’s because an NSA agent is finally running around and hurting the bumbling idiots from the Secret Service, and there’s hope that he’ll punish Veronica for being so damn boring. Imagine what that would do to LJ!

I’m not sure what I think of C-Note coming into the story so far into the tale, though it does represent a complication that Michael cannot afford. The Escape Squad is already too big. The likelihood is that one or more of them will not survive the prison break or the period shortly thereafter. Also, one of them could easily turn on the others, but that’s expected, since things will really go crazy.

I’m simply impressed at how easily this series has managed to get past my usual annoyance over convenient and over-the-top writing. I’ve said it many times: this is hardly a deep and well-layered story, but it’s easily one of the best shows of the season thus far.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/2

Final Rating: 8/10