Prison Break – Episode 4-12 Review

Another exciting episode of Prison Break, I must admit. There were moments when I was literally sitting at the edge of my seat.

You know how writers seem to get off on making you believe that the good guy is going to succeed, only for something to happen to tumble them down? Sure, it can be a wonderful plot device, but it can also be frustrating as hell sometimes. Actually, most of the time. But you know what IS a lot of fun to watch? When the good guys are put in a seemingly impossible situation, and you just KNOW that they have a way to get out of it.

And that was much of this week’s episode. Michael, Lincoln, Sucre, and Mahone were put into one precarious position after another, and as a viewer, you couldn’t help but smirk because you knew they were always at least one step ahead. At first it seemed like they had set off an alarm, but in actuality they were luring the General (and, more importantly, his card) into a trap. And for the next hour, it was one successful escape after another.

The big shock of the night, of course, was Self revealing himself as a corrupt agent. You just KNEW something was going to happen with him. At first I thought perhaps the mustachioed agent was going to shoot him. Then I figured a sniper would take him out when he met Michael and the crew for the exchange. But, ultimately, when he arrived to meet the receptionist instead of going to deliver the hard drive, you just knew he was dirty. I really don’t have an issue with this twist, except for two things: (a) it means that T-Bag AGAIN avoids getting what he’s got coming to him, and (b) we’ve already done the fugitives on the run season. I’m hoping for a quick resolution regarding this Self betrayal. And by the way, Self was really gambling that Michael would wait that long before opening the envelope. What would he have done if Michael opened it right then and there? And for that matter, after all the time, money, and effort that went into this heist, Self couldn’t take the time to forge transfer documents? I mean, just putting a stack of blank papers in these is just plain lazy.

Oh, and I should also note that I enjoyed the argument between Self and the receptionist when they were being held captive. Perhaps the first hint that Self was crooked was when the receptionist brought up the very valid point that Self got to comfortably rub elbows with the mostly civil Michael, Lincoln, Mahone, and Sucre, while she was forced to work undercover with the highly volatile and unstable T-Bag and Gretchen.

One thing I didn’t enjoy, though: Gretchen and T-Bag setting up a sniper rifle at a window WHILE INSIDE AN ENTIRELY GLASS OFFICE. That was a really curious set design decision, as the glass walls didn’t really play any significant role in that particular story arc, while it paved the way for many illogical scenarios.

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.

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into various popular television shows. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.