After failing to catch a ride in the sky, Michael (Wentworth Miller) and the gang must come up with a little improvisation to get over the border in tonight’s Prison Break episode titled “Phaeacia.”
POSITIVES
Kellerman’s Fate
In a surprising twist, last week’s episode made no mention of Kellerman (Paul Adelstein) after his death in “Prisoner’s Dilemma.” Tonight, however we got a little more clarity, or at least it seems that way. In a small scene, we see Agent Kishida (Curtis Lum), who presumably worked alongside the two hit men who killed off Kellerman, moving into Kellerman’s old office only to be met by a superior. During their conversation, Kishida made a reference that he still sees this office as Kellerman’s. It made me think that when we see his superior mention Kellerman’s death, she is trying to fool Kishida. The reason being that she wishes to find out more about who was behind Kellerman’s death. Now I could be grasping at straws here, but I just do not believe Kellerman is gone for good.
Drone Strike
What could have certainly been an over-the-top action set piece in past seasons, the use of a drone strike in this episode actually worked. Granted, it was not a drone strike exactly, but more of an eye in the sky notifying ISIS of Michael’s whereabouts. This then led to a gunfight with an epic gas tank explosion, thanks to the sharpshooting Whip (Augustus Prew).
Separation Anxiety
With Cyclops (Amin El Gamal) hot on their tale and their map to salvation, Omar, dead, the group decided to draw straws leaving Lincoln (Dominic Purcell), Whip and Ja (Rick Yune) to drive off to the phaeacians, leaving Michael to fend off Cyclops. This led to a rather fun game of cat and mouse between Michael and Cyclops that resulted in our one-eyed villain being blinded permanently thanks to a screwdriver to the eye. Here’s hoping that’s the last we see of him (pun intended). However, Michael did not leave unscathed as he was stabbed in the process. Injured and beaten, Michael remained alone in the desert far away from salvation.
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Michael’s long distance SKYPE session
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In yet another twist, we seeing Michael video chatting with someone unknown. All we know is he has a southern accent and a screenshot of Michael. What makes matters even more confusing is that the video chat was traced back to a man that’s an Elvis impersonator. Yes, you read that right. An Elvis impersonator. Even the hit men themselves were left scratching their heads. Now such an odd turn of events would lead to this being a negative on any other show. But Prison Break is not just any other show. This is a show that used its cast of colorful characters to further its story. For all we know, this Elvis impersonator could just be a new addition to that list of characters. Not to mention that screenshot could very well be what is used to show the world that Michael Scofield is indeed alive.
Michael’s Epic Entrance
Probably the greatest thing to come out of season five is the reduced number of episodes. I say that because in any other season Michael being lost in the desert with a deadly wound would have been stretched two to three episodes. Thankfully the short season order helped this episode end how it should with Michael regrouping with Lincoln and friends.
NEGATIVES
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Omar’s Betrayal
Though the Omar (Akin Gazi) character has never been trustworthy, it would make sense for him to remain that way. The issue with Prison Break is the need to make these characters that have proven to be untrustworthy somehow redeemable when they meet their end. For my sake, if the Omar character was set to betray the group, keep him as unredeemable. Regardless, this is a small quibble from yet another fun episode.
Conclusion
Although this episode may not have been as adrenaline inducing as episodes three and four, it did add to the plot, killed off what was becoming an annoying villain in Cyclops, and added mystery as to where this show is going. All in all, a superb episode.
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