I would have sworn that last week’s episode was dubbed the mid-season finale, but man, this series keeps throwing new episodes at us. Last week I remarked how I loved watching the heist play out, because no matter what obstacles were thrown at them, you just knew they had a plan to get out of it. They were just so sly, confident, and cool throughout the whole ordeal. I know we’re supposed to watch for the chase, but sometimes watching the good guys dangle the carrot just outside of the villain’s reach can be loads of fun as well.
Well, this episode essentially gave us the opposite scenario. No matter how hard our heroes tried, no matter how meticulously they planned, things just wouldn’t work out for them. First Self stole the device. Then he beat them to the punch by alerting Homeland Security before they could, and blaming the betrayal on them. Even when the Feds figured out that Michael, Lincoln, and the crew were telling the truth, they were still thrown under the bus. In the end they were left without the device, without a deal, without assistance from the government, and one man short. And now they have Self AND The Company after them.
That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the episode. Actually, I think it worked great, in large part because they didn’t draw it out too much. I’m glad we’re not seeing Michael and Lincoln on the run! We had a whole season of that. I think the one thing that would work, which is something we haven’t really seen before, is Michael and the team becoming the aggressors in this game of cat and mouse. We’ve seen them on the run and we’ve seen them in captivity. But what about them on the pursuit as they trail somebody that is attempting to hide from them (in this case, Self)? That’s something we haven’t really seen before.
One thing that did surprise me, though, is how the team allows Michael to make such significant decisions for them. Why is it solely Michael’s decision whether or not they’ll work with the government? Yes, he’s the one who arranged the original deal (ya’ know, the one that screwed them over), but even so, how about a vote? Or at least a discussion? That being said, I was happy that Michael corrected himself, stating that he “thinks” this is what they should do (instead of him firmly deciding that this IS what they will do).
As expected, this Self heel turn was done, in part, to keep T-Bag as a character. His actions this episode makes me question how much longer the writers can continue to put off his comeuppance. I mean, he’s perfectly willing to hold an innocent woman and a young girl hostage because their sister/mother turned on him. The guy clearly has no conscience. He’s not a hero and he’s not a good guy, so the writers really need to stop aligning him with them. I don’t believe it makes T-Bag any more likeable. On the contrary, it risks making the “good guys” – many of whom have unsavory histories themselves – seem even more morally ambiguous.
But man, Self really has a mean streak, doesn’t he? While the suddenly all black attire may have been laying it on pretty thick, using T-Bag to threaten an innocent woman by gun point because his ego was bruised was pretty cold. It is somewhat odd seeing Gretchen in a semi-sympathetic role, though.
By the way, after seeing The Company confidently and sinisterly pulling the strings for the entirety of this series, it’s an absolute blast seeing them scramble to get their stuff together. And I just LOVED how Lincoln just shot the Company mole in the chest without hesitation. There are so many moments where I’m just like “Why are you keeping this person alive????”
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.
