Prison Break

We open with Michael staring into the mirror. Fortunately, he recaps Season 3 for me. Panamanian prison (yo!) blah, blah, blah, forced to escape by The Company yadda, yadda, yadda, they killed the only woman he’s ever loved blah, blah, blah. He’s tracked Whistler and Gretchen to LA and now he’s out for some good old-fashioned revenge.

Ha! Mahone’s a chauffeur. With a hat! Oh my God, it’s too much. I can’t stop laughing. He’s driving Whistler and Gretchen to the racing track in a limo. Gretchen is telling Whistler to get his hands on some sort of “data card”. She also whores herself out to Whistler. Way to be subtle, Gretchen. Especially since he doesn’t seem to be interested.

Michael, meanwhile, is spying on the trio arriving at the track. Racing tracks are so much fun. I went to a track back in high school with this law firm that I worked with. Looking back on it now, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t old enough to gamble and those lawyers should have known better. Someone else happens to notice Gretchen and Whistler’s arrival…some weird old guy.

Michael’s playing waiter, carrying a box full of champagne. This ruse ends quickly when Michael puts on a suit jacket and pulls out a gun.

Whistler meets up with some no-name men. They want to know who he’s buying “it” for. “It” is likely the data card. WHOA! The data card is worth $50 million. Man, I gotta get me one of those. Once the transaction is completed the strange man warns Whistler that “The Company will do anything to get [the data card] back”. Whistler rewards the man for his advice by shooting him in the head. He then walks out of the room and Michael follows.

I think Whistler’s doing a little double-cross. He stalls Gretchen while he copies the information onto a second data card. His sneakery (is that a word?) is interrupted by Michael and his gun. Gretchen appears and reveals the worst-kept secret in the history of Prison Break: Sara’s not dead. Gretchen didn’t kill her. Ergo, Sara is ALIVE. Michael demands to know where Sara is but Gretchen refuses to respond until they’re outside. Whistler and Gretchen leave as the cops swarm in. We also see that Whistler left the second data card in a newspaper, which is picked up by the same strange man who was watching him as he entered. I’m going to call him Whitey because of his white hair and current lack of name.

Gretchen, who managed to take time out of her busy killing schedule to get a hair cut, meets up with Pad Man in the desert. He insults her leadership and planning style. He yells at her that the data card she retrieved is worthless…a duplicate. Gretchen catches on that Whistler may have double-crossed her. It’s also revealed that they broke Whistler out of Sona because he had made initial contact with the man who originally held the data card and they needed him to get the card. Pad Man is too pissed off for Gretchen’s excuses and out of the car walks…Wyatt (The Company’s assassin). Gretchen starts begging for her life. Man, I didn’t think they were going to kill her.

Back in Panama, Lincoln answers his phone. Michael’s on the other end. We see that LJ and Sofia are playing “happy family” with Linc. Linc also reveals that Sona burnt down three days earlier and that T-Bag, Bellick and Sucre are all missing. Turns out Michael had no idea Sucre was in Sona. Michael tells Lincoln that Sara might still be alive and asks him about the head in the box. Apparently the explanation is that the garage was dark and LJ never really “saw” them kill Sara. Linc begs Michael to come back, but Michael says goodbye.

In the Arizona desert, a man is driving a truck full of illegal aliens. Among them…Bellick and Sucre! Oh, Sucre, baby! You?re back! Bellick’s mom pulls up to save the day and pick up the boys.

Michael’s logging onto EuropeanGoldFinch.net…remember that site he used back in Season 2 to keep in touch with the other guys? Someone’s posted a message that they have information on Sara and Michael should meet him at the Santa Monica Pier.

You know who Michael meets at the pier? Mahone. In another god-awful hat. Who is the frickin’ hat costumer on this show? Mahone says he’s happy to see Michael. No, really. Mahone also reveals that he and Whistler are in cahoots against The Company. Michael demands information about Sara and Mahone reveals that Gretchen is dead. Yeah, right. People have a funny habit of coming back on this show. I’ll believe that if she doesn’t show up again by the end of Season 4.

Mahone explains the data card to Michael, calling it Scylla. It’s The Company’s “black book”, with information on all of their agents. Mahone promises Whistler can provide information on Sara if Michael will meet with him.

The three boys meet. Whistler says that in order to decode Scylla, they need to break into a secured facility. Which means he needs Michael’s help. He also reveals that last he heard, Sara was headed to Chicago. Michael wants to throw caution to the wind and reunite with his lady-love, but Whistler insists that they use Scylla to take down The Company and end this running business once and for all. I find this all very ironic considering that Mahone was hunting Michael not two seasons ago. Michael moves to leave when Whistler gets shot in the head. I yell out “Jesus!” while Mahone and Michael make with the running. Meanwhile, Wyatt the assassin takes the Scylla card from Whistler’s dead body.

T-Bag?s back! He’s with Nun McHoochie from Season 3 and he’s got Whistler’s bird book. He’s got a porn mustache straight out of 1976 and he’s going after Michael for revenge.

Wyatt enters a limo with Pad Man, who verifies the authenticity of Scylla. Pad Man then hands Scylla over to Whitey, the man who seemed to be in league with Whistler…you know, when Whistler was still alive. Pad Man orders Wyatt to kill Michael, Mahone and Lincoln.

Mahone calls his ex-wife, Pam. He tells her he hopes they’ll still get together.

Back in Panama Lincoln is acting carefree and funny for all of two seconds. Until he spies a suspicious-looking man. He herds Sofia and LJ out of the market. Linc attacks the suspicious-looking guy and the two fight. The fight is ended when Linc kills him and the police approach. LJ and Sofia run off while Linc gets arrested.

Wyatt arrives at Pam’s house, looking for Mahone. After some pleasantries, he bursts into her house and grabs her.

In Chicago, Michael calls Bruce Bennett (Governor Tancredi’s right-hand man) from a pay phone. He’s still wearing the suede jacket from Panama. You would think he could have picked up some new clothes in the last month. Michael asks Bruce about Sara and Bruce agrees to meet Michael. Further conversation is interrupted with the arrival of police officers, who cart Michael off to prison.

Michael is waiting inside of an interrogation room when Agent Don Self, from Homeland Security, enters the room. Don says that Whistler is dead and reveals that he knows about The Company. Ohhh, the plot thickens. Looks like Whistler was working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Don asks Michael to help him retrieve Scylla, otherwise Michael’s off to the big house. Michael should scoff. He hasn’t met a prison yet that can hold him! Michael offers to help Don in exchange for Don helping him find Sara.

Don also reveals that Linc is back to his old criminal tricks in Panama. He utters what might be the best line of the episode: “The Company tried to take [Linc] out in Panama. He…um…reacted”. Don reveals he pulled some strings with the Panamanian police and Linc should be arriving back in the US soon. Don reveals that Michael’s father spent the last two years going after Scylla. Michael demands to speak with Lincoln.

Mahone arrives at Pam’s house to see it swarmed with cops. He tries to get in but the cops stop him. Oh no, did Wyatt kill Pam and Mahone’s son? That makes me sad.

On a brighter note, Sucre’s at the hospital, meeting his daughter. She?s so cute! It looks like Maricruz’s sister called the cops on him. What a bitch! He runs out to meet Bellick at the car when the cops swarm around them.

T-Bag is pontificating to his compadres about how he and Michael are cut from the same cloth. We see that one of T-Bag’s traveling companions has a crowbar. Ah, I think they’re going to knock him out to steal his money.

Linc arrives in chains. Don explains why this has to remain a secret operation and promises to provide the boys help. It seems like Sucre, Bellick and Mahone are going to join the team. Don says that they’ve got to break into The Company’s headquarters in LA. Only he doesn’t know where the building is. Typical government employee. Do they know anything? Don reveals that he’s been chasing The Company for five years and in order to save this operation, he’s recruited Michael and Lincoln.

Don walks back in, telling the boys that bail was just posted for them. He gives them Aldo Burrows’ file. Michael and Linc soon meet up with Bruce, who had them sprung from jail. He takes them to a house. You know who’s in the house? Prepare yourselves…Sara! I know. I’m shocked too.

When we come back from commercial Michael and Sara are making out on a bed. When they come up for air he gives her the origami rose he gave her back in Season 1. Michael tells her about the deal offered by Don.

Linc’s having flashbacks of his father’s death from Season 2 and is reading a poem from Aldo’s file.

Back in the bedroom we see Michael still has his tattoo. He scares Sara, who’s off crying by the window. She shows him scars all along her back and insists that it’s not Michael’s fault. Before Michael can get two minutes into his comforting routine, the window is shot out. Linc bursts in and the three of run out while we see that Wyatt has attempted to shoot at them from outside.

Oh man, I think Michael and Sara were “gettin’ busy” She’s wearing what appears to be his boxers as the three of them flee the house. Linc and Michael agree to take down The Company and, instead of escaping from the assassin, they decide to call Don to let him know that they’re in. Holy crap, how did these morons survive for so long?

The brothers are reunited with Mahone, Bellick and Sucre. Sucre also reveals that T-Bag has Whistler’s bird book. We flash to the desert where T-Bag and one of his buddies are bleeding on the ground, having been beaten up by the less trustworthy companions.

Don takes the brothers into another room. He gives them fake IDs and Michael shows Don his tattoo. Don arranges for Michael to have his tattoo removed by laser. Which is apparently a very long and painful process.

The team gathers at a airstrip and gets lectured by Don about the pride they should take in their new jobs. The team gets on an Air Force plane and flies off to LA.

We open with Pad Man in an office. He receives a note that says “10,000″ and gets a call. Wyatt is on the other end. Pad Man doesn’t want to chat with Wyatt, he just wants the brothers and the others dead.

The team arrives in LA and Don wants them to wear GPS ankle bracelets. Lincoln protests that it clashes with his shirt and refuses. Don pulls the whole “I’m in charge” routine and they all put on the monitor.

Don brings the team to a warehouse where they meet Roland, the team hacker. Don instructs the team to find Scylla and Mahone says he knows where they can start.

Michael acts like a gentlemen by offering Sara the houseboat while Linc threatens to beat Mahone to a pulp when they’re done making nice. Mahone reveals that Whitey (also known as “The Cardholder”) was working with Whistler and that he got a look at Whitey’s driver.

In the Mexican desert, T-Bag and his lone companion trying to make their way back to the US. We see that T-Bag is making his way to San Diego, which was written in Whistler’s bird book.

Back at the team’s HQ Sara is having flashbacks to Gretchen beating her while she was captured. It also looks like Gretchen killed another woman in front of Sara.

Inside warehouse the boys are picking on the new guy, Roland, who’s an identity thief. Actually, according to Linc, he’s a “douche”. Mahone identifies Whitey’s driver.

The boys are watching the house of Whitey’s driver when he exits and gets into his car. They start to follow him and see him pull up to a house with private security. The boys spot motion sensors, alarm systems and armed guards. Linc tells Michael he better have one hell of a plan. Oh, please, Lincoln. Michael?s already got Plans A through G.

Back at HQ, the team is trying to devise a plan. Ok, so Michael doesn’t have a plan. And it looks like he’s not the only brains of the operation anymore. Thank God he’s still the prettiest. Roland suggests they copy the card and we learn that Whitey is the CEO of some company (his name is Stuart Tuxhorn). Roland reveals that he invented a device that “steals” electronic information situated around it. If they can get close enough, his device will copy the information on Scylla.

Whitey’s meeting up with Pad Man and he agrees to some plan that involves 10,000 people. I think these 10,000 people are going to die.

Sucre and Bellick are in a car, while Michael and Linc are in another. Michael calls HQ and we see Mahone, Sara and Roland were left behind. Sucre cuts in front of Whitey’s car and causes an accident. Unfortunately, Roland’s little device doesn’t seem to be getting the data. On to Plan B…

Don meets up with some guy named Jasper. Jasper used to work for The Company. Don tells Jasper he’s going after Scylla. Jaspers tries to dissuade him. Don asks Jasper for information about the Scylla decoder box.

T-Bag and his friend are still in the desert. Uh-oh, it looks like T-Bag’s friend has decided to turn to cannibalism in order to stay alive. T-Bag manages to kill him while defending himself. And then T-Bag turns to cannibalism in order to survive.

Michael and Lincoln are keeping watch outside Whitey’s house. Michael decides to use the housekeeper to get to the card.

Back at HQ, Michael finds Sara on the houseboat. She’s reading the poem Lincoln was reading in the previous episode. Turns it it’s a passage from The Odyssey. My Homer must be very rusty, since I didn’t recognize the passage. It’s from a chapter where Odysseus is told he has to fight a monster named Scylla. In order to pass the monster, Odysseus sacrificed six of his men. Wow, I hope that’s not a metaphor for what Michael has to do. Sara also agrees to go ahead with the plan tomorrow involving the housekeeper.

Wyatt’s in an apartment, sitting next to a bound girl, asking her if Claudia Mauricio is a good roommate. Claudia returns home to see Wyatt and her roommate. Turns out Claudia works for the Department of Corrections. It looks like he’s trying to use Claudia to find Michael and Lincoln.

The next day Sara is at a bus stop, standing next to the housekeeper. She starts talking to the housekeeper and they start chatting about handbags. Ah, the universal female small talk topic. The housekeeper stupidly hangs over her bag when Sara asks to admire it.

T-Bag meets up with some bikers in the desert. They offer to take him to San Diego.

Michael and Linc are still staking out the house when the housekeeper arrives. Michael calls the house, pretending to be the alarm company. He asks the housekeeper to check the window alarms for each room in the house. Oh, clever boy. She’s going to walk through the entire house with her bag (and the device Sara slipped inside it). Roland’s picking up electronic information from the house, but not Scylla. The housekeeper walks into the den and we see that Roland’s device is now picking up information from Scylla.

The housekeeper is back at the bus station when Mahone and Bellick do a purse snatch-and-grab. They discover the device isn’t in the bag.

Wyatt has a sniper rifle outside a prison in Texas, clearly looking for Michael and Linc. He calls into the office to discover that Bruce posted the brothers’ bail.

Back at HQ, the boys are trying to figure out where Roland’s device is. They suspect the maid left it in the house, thinking it belonged to Whitey. An argument ensues, but Michael quickly breaks it up by announcing that they’re going to break into the house. See? It’s the opposite of breaking out. It’s like a reversal of Seasons 1 and 3.

At the docks, Michael is asking Don for extra help. Michael grabs his head as if in pain, but insists that he is fine.

At HQ, the team is trying to come up with a plan to get inside the house. Michael is hung up on the quote from The Odyssey “all that avails is flight”. He suspects running might be their only option. But Linc insists that Aldo believed The Company should be taken down.

Michael’s alone in the warehouse, trying to come up with a plan. See? All he needs is a little time and space and he’ll come up with something. The man’s a genius, for crying out loud. And it looks like he did come up with a plan because we see the team arrive at Whitey’s house.

Sucre and Linc scale the fence while Michael and Mahone wait close by. Linc jimmies open the door, the alarm goes off and the guards start searching the property.

Linc and Sucre bail while Mahone and Michael enter the house from the backyard. Whitey comes down the stairs, trying to see what’s going on. We quickly learn that the alarm isn’t coming from Whitey’s house, but from the house across the street. Whitey disables his own alarm, obviously thinking it was his that was set off. When the alarm is disabled Michael and Mahone enter Whitey’s house. Mahone’s wearing this black shirt with a really weird collar. It makes him look strange. Like he’s a 25 year old metrosexual or something.

Mahone hears a boy’s voice and sees a picture of Whitey’s young son. He flashes to his own son, Cameron. The boys make a quick getaway.

Wyatt is in Bruce’s house. Wyatt asks where Michael and Lincoln are, but Bruce denies knowledge. Wyatt injects Bruce with a needle.

The bikers, meanwhile, drop T-Bag off in San Diego. During the trip he saw Whistler’s death in the newspaper. T-Bag notices that the bird book was pointing him to a locker at a bus station. Inside a locker is an envelope from the “Gate Corporation”, with a copy of Whistler’s ID and a key. We then see that T-Bag is on a bus headed to LA.

Back at HQ, Michael delivers the device to Roland. Roland plugs the device into his computer and appears to be very upset with the information they downloaded from Scylla.

Michael meets Sara out by the water. She gets all mushy and tells him that only the thought of them together kept her alive. Awe. She asks if they can wipe the slate clean and tells Michael he shouldn’t feel guilt over what happened to her. Michael cracks a joke and asks if he has to divorce his wife so they can be together.

Linc and Roland approach. Roland explains that they only have a portion of the data. Sara says that according to the quote from The Odyssey, the Scylla information should be with 6 men in total. Meaning they have to track down the other 5 men and their data cards.

And guess what? Gretchen’s not dead. Damnit! My grandfather will be so pissed. She’s being held captive by Wyatt’s associates, who are trying to get information out of her.

Back at HQ Michael appears to be ill. And his nose starts bleeding. Linc enters the bathroom and Michael reassures him that they’ll all be OK. Yeah, right.