So can anybody answer this for me? Why does Dominic Purcell’s name appear first in the opening credits, when the show clearly centers around the character of Michael, played by Wentworth Miller? It’s clearly not an alphabetical thing, because “M” appears before “P.” And if it’s done by first name, well, that’s just ridiculous. I get that Dominic Purcell was better known when the show kicked off, but we’re not talking about Tom Cruise here. Does anybody know?
Speaking of Dominic Purcell, the truce between Lincoln and Mahone was my absolute favorite part of the episode. I’ve frequently mentioned how I really enjoy the fact that Michael and Mahone seem to have a “honor among thieves” type relationship with each other, where they’re not necessarily friends, but they do seem to respect (and possibly even like) each other. Meanwhile, Lincoln still views Mahone as their adversary, because he wasn’t present all those times that Mahone came to Michael’s aid. I also appreciated the fact that none of this has been terribly explicit. While Michael does occasionally intervene to ensure that things between Lincoln and Mahone don’t escalate to a dangerous level, for the most part he allows his brother to have these understandable feelings.
That being said, I thought it was great when Lincoln went to go confront Mahone, only to accidentally overhear that his son had been murdered. Lincoln, immediately thinking about what he had gone through with LJ (numerous times), suddenly becomes sympathetic towards Mahone’s plight. And from there, he sorta becomes Mahone’s guardian, looking out for him in the distance. The final scene of them together, with Lincoln finally telling Mahone that he knows about his son, and that he’s sorry and will help him get revenge, was wonderfully done. I can easily see these two become the classic characters that hated each other at first, but slowly developed a close bond.
And it goes without saying that William Fichtner has done a phenomenal job in his role since the season began. You really do feel like you’re watching somebody who has nothing to live for, who only keeps going for the possibility of revenge.
By the way, this observation isn’t really based on this week’s episode, but it astonishes me that the entire television viewing world absolutely loathes Kim Bauer (of 24), yet LJ has pretty much gone through his television existence unscathed. This kid is the definition of a pointless character. He literally only ever appears so that he can get captured, to ensure that Michael and/or Lincoln do The Company’s bidding. And when he does eventually get rescued, they find a reason for him to be written off, only to return so that he can be captured again. Honestly, the ONLY purpose he ever serves is to get captured. At least Kim was hot, and at least they TRIED to add layers to her character.
I’m curious about what will happen with T-Bag this season. Unfortunately, I imagine that he’ll end up joining Michael and the others in their quest to take down The Company. Honestly, I think this would be a mistake. First off, for him to have ANYTHING to offer whatsoever would be terribly forced and contrived. It’s like, at what point do you say “it’s highly unlikely that this group of people would escape prison together, only to become separated, only to end up in ANOTHER prison together, only to split up again, only to end up together once more?” I’m satisfied with their explanation as to how and why Sucre and Bellick and Mahone and such are with the brothers. But T-Bag would be a bit much.
Along with that, this guy absolutely, positively needs to get what’s coming to him. I get that he’s popular, but at this point I fear that as long as he’s confronted by Michael and Lincoln, to keep him on the show jeopardizes not only the credibility of the series, but the likability of the lead characters. I mean, sure, a man who was framed for murder doesn’t belong in prison, but does releasing a convicted rapist and child killer justify his escape?
I see them going into the opposite direction with Bellick’s character. Considering how slithering he’s been, and how often he’s displayed cowardice by wanting to leave everybody in the wind and fleeing to Mexico, I somehow imagine him doing something incredibly heroic and noble by the end of the season. By the way, there are a lot of people out here who thinks his cowardly behavior has been inconsistent. I wholeheartedly disagree. Since the beginning of the series, Bellick has always appeared to be the type of guy who is super tough when he’s armed and in command. But take away his weapons and power, and he’s a whimpering child. While I do think that he is most definitely disposable and has overstayed its welcome, he is one of the better developed characters as well.
I was disappointed to see Bruce Bennett get killed off, but it was a necessary evil in order to (a) show just how dastardly and evil The Company is and (b) keep the assassin occupied for an episode. Much like the last few episodes of Lost last year, I imagine that this season will dispose of all the ultimately unnecessary side and background characters.
Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, Heroes, Prison Break, and Smallville. You can visit his blog at A Case of the Blog.
