Escape, Coincidence, Repeat
This episode had the tough job of keeping up the momentum of a pivotal moment while also pushing the characters to a point of no return. With so many storylines scattered around, the show keeps testing my patience, swinging between genuinely tense moments and solutions that are just way too convenient to take seriously. Caroline's exit, for example, was surprising but not exactly impactful-everyone knew the presidential pardon wasn't happening, but the way she just gave up on the game was unexpected. And the reveal of her incestuous relationship with Terrence added a level of weirdness that literally no one asked for, but somehow made the rot inside the Company feel even deeper. It was a piece that had been there all along, now clicking into place in an uncomfortable but interesting way. That said, this episode has its fair share of problems-some of which have basically become a pattern this season.
T-Bag continues to be one of the most ridiculous aspects of this show-not because of the character himself, since he's a charismatic villain brilliantly played by Robert Knepper, but because of how the writers completely ignore logic whenever he's involved. The guy strolled through an airport, checked in a suitcase full of cash, and made it to Mexico without raising any red flags. In what post-9/11 world does that happen? The show even made a point in a previous episode to say that airport security got tighter, so this just doesn't add up. And you can't even use the argument that T-Bag is some master manipulator, because not even he could sweet-talk an airport agent into ignoring a suspiciously heavy suitcase filled with stacks of cash. It's one of those classic plot conveniences that demand you turn your brain off to accept. And to make matters worse, he just happens to run into Bellick at the airport, setting them both on a collision course with Sucre in the most predictable way possible.
Speaking of Bellick, the guy must have a built-in GPS for tracking fugitives, because the way he found Sucre was just way too easy-it's honestly impressive how he outperforms trained FBI agents with zero actual experience. The show doesn't even bother building up a real search-he just shows up, mission accomplished. Sure, Bellick has always had that opportunistic bounty hunter vibe, but the fact that he stumbles onto Sucre so quickly takes away any sense of effort or tension from the chase. At least their dynamic is always fun to watch, with Sucre trying to negotiate while Bellick keeps his eyes on the money. But if we're following this logic, it's only a matter of time before someone smarter swoops in and takes that money before Bellick even gets the chance.
C-Note survived, which is a relief. His arc has always been tragic because he's made bad choices from the start, but he's not a bad person or driven by greed. Watching him hanging from that rope, ready to kill himself to protect his family, was a heavy moment, but the show balanced that anguish with a tiny ray of hope when he realized he might be able to turn the tables on Mahone. Now the question is whether he'll actually betray Mahone or just end up being manipulated all over again. But considering the Company has ordered like ten hits this season as if no one would question an inmate getting murdered inside an FBI facility, at this point, nothing seems too far-fetched. The Company's incompetence is honestly fascinating to watch.
And speaking of Mahone, he continues to be an evil Sherlock Holmes, connecting dots with ridiculous accuracy. We already know he's "brilliant," but solving a visual puzzle out of nowhere like that just reinforces the feeling that the show sometimes confuses intelligence with clairvoyance. At least his interaction with Sara delivered some solid moments-the tension in the hotel, the reveal of his addiction, and the psychological showdown between them proved that the show can still write great dialogue when it wants to. Sara calling him out, saying she knows an addict when she sees one, was a great touch because it humanizes Mahone without taking away the fact that he's still a dangerous adversary, a cold-blooded killer.
In the end, the episode had its strong points but also reinforced a lot of the issues that have been piling up. Caroline's exit opens up new directions for the plot, but we still have to see if the show can sustain this decision without falling into more convenient solutions. The game isn't over for the brothers, and now that the pardon plan has completely collapsed, it looks like their only option left is a final escape. The problem is, with so many absurd things being thrown at the screen, it's getting harder and harder to be surprised by anything.
T-Bag continues to be one of the most ridiculous aspects of this show-not because of the character himself, since he's a charismatic villain brilliantly played by Robert Knepper, but because of how the writers completely ignore logic whenever he's involved. The guy strolled through an airport, checked in a suitcase full of cash, and made it to Mexico without raising any red flags. In what post-9/11 world does that happen? The show even made a point in a previous episode to say that airport security got tighter, so this just doesn't add up. And you can't even use the argument that T-Bag is some master manipulator, because not even he could sweet-talk an airport agent into ignoring a suspiciously heavy suitcase filled with stacks of cash. It's one of those classic plot conveniences that demand you turn your brain off to accept. And to make matters worse, he just happens to run into Bellick at the airport, setting them both on a collision course with Sucre in the most predictable way possible.
Speaking of Bellick, the guy must have a built-in GPS for tracking fugitives, because the way he found Sucre was just way too easy-it's honestly impressive how he outperforms trained FBI agents with zero actual experience. The show doesn't even bother building up a real search-he just shows up, mission accomplished. Sure, Bellick has always had that opportunistic bounty hunter vibe, but the fact that he stumbles onto Sucre so quickly takes away any sense of effort or tension from the chase. At least their dynamic is always fun to watch, with Sucre trying to negotiate while Bellick keeps his eyes on the money. But if we're following this logic, it's only a matter of time before someone smarter swoops in and takes that money before Bellick even gets the chance.
C-Note survived, which is a relief. His arc has always been tragic because he's made bad choices from the start, but he's not a bad person or driven by greed. Watching him hanging from that rope, ready to kill himself to protect his family, was a heavy moment, but the show balanced that anguish with a tiny ray of hope when he realized he might be able to turn the tables on Mahone. Now the question is whether he'll actually betray Mahone or just end up being manipulated all over again. But considering the Company has ordered like ten hits this season as if no one would question an inmate getting murdered inside an FBI facility, at this point, nothing seems too far-fetched. The Company's incompetence is honestly fascinating to watch.
And speaking of Mahone, he continues to be an evil Sherlock Holmes, connecting dots with ridiculous accuracy. We already know he's "brilliant," but solving a visual puzzle out of nowhere like that just reinforces the feeling that the show sometimes confuses intelligence with clairvoyance. At least his interaction with Sara delivered some solid moments-the tension in the hotel, the reveal of his addiction, and the psychological showdown between them proved that the show can still write great dialogue when it wants to. Sara calling him out, saying she knows an addict when she sees one, was a great touch because it humanizes Mahone without taking away the fact that he's still a dangerous adversary, a cold-blooded killer.
In the end, the episode had its strong points but also reinforced a lot of the issues that have been piling up. Caroline's exit opens up new directions for the plot, but we still have to see if the show can sustain this decision without falling into more convenient solutions. The game isn't over for the brothers, and now that the pardon plan has completely collapsed, it looks like their only option left is a final escape. The problem is, with so many absurd things being thrown at the screen, it's getting harder and harder to be surprised by anything.
- pinkmanboy
- Mar 6, 2025