Prison Break 1.9: "Tweener"

Written by Paul Scheuring
Directed by Matt Earl Beesley

In which a problem with Abruzzi’s outside support causes a serious setback for Michael, while T-Bag’s desire to teach a new inmate the ropes sets Michael to action…


With this episode, the season arc is clearly in the throes of the “complication” phase. All characters are in motion, physically or emotionally, and the conflicts are evolving in unexpected directions. What makes this episode work so well is the exploration of Michael’s psychology and how it impacts every choice he’s made since the beginning of the series. I’ve always suspected that his emotional state is less than perfect, but Sara uncovers information that strikes at the heart of Michael’s thought process.

So Michael is not only a genius, but he takes in detailed information and how all of that information fits together. That explains why his tattoo could involve sometimes vastly indirect references to information that he could easily associate with the aspects of the prison design he needed to utilize. It also explains why he can sometimes make mistakes in judgment, because sometimes things plain to him are far from obvious to other people.

But Michael is also a rescuer, often to a fault and against his self-preservation, and that explains the entire rationale for his plan. Michael is sometimes too compassionate, and so he’ll throw himself into the fray for a perfect stranger when it fits his moral point of view. It drives his decision to put T-Bag in his place, finally, and in that sense, it’s a good thing. But it also leaves him vulnerable, and that’s something that could factor into the plot in the near term.

Speaking of T-Bag, it’s a lot of fun to have such a strong villain, and it makes it all so much more satisfying when Michael gives him a shot to the knee. I love the fact that these two enemies must work together towards the same goal. I find T-Bag to be very easy to hate, and for that reason alone, he adds something vital and important to the series. (Sucre, on the other hand, is quickly becoming Most Likely to Die Very, Very Soon.)

I was also happy to see Abruzzi’s character thread addressed again. Talk about bad timing! Though it’s good to know that Abruzzi knows how to improvise, despite the lack of actual results from his torture technique. And here I was throwing out old, burnt-out light bulbs as if they were useless. So what’s likely to happen when the new PI crew discovers the big hole in the floor?

As impressed as I was with LJ in this episode, I’m still not feeling the Nick/Veronica plot thread. The conspiracy seems to be complex enough, but it’s not even remotely interesting. Also, the Secret Service agents were pathetic again. They didn’t think to run a trace on the number calling LJ’s cell phone, and then track the location of that signal? Or how about having one agent scan under the cars in the lot while the other stays high? Bad technique overall. (I’m still not sure that Nick can be trusted, though.)

The further into the season we get, the more intriguing it becomes. It all comes down to the strength of the characterization. Michael is a compelling “hero”, and his associates are all different enough to keep the prison situation from getting stale. When the series hits that extended hiatus for “24” at the end of the month, it won’t be so easy as many people thought to let it go.

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

Final Rating: 8/10