Episode Report Card Chuck: C+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Men Behaving Badly
By Chuck | Season 5 | Episode 2 | Aired on 01.12.2002
Schillinger, waxing philosophical about Oz: "You try to put the shit behind you, you make a real effort, and just when you're thinking, well maybe I have, more shit comes flying." FBI's next conversation is, in fact, with Schillinger; after verifying that FBI is absolutely certain that Pancamo ordered the hit on Hank, Vern charges into the gym with a small Aryan army and rushes Pancamo. Robson comes from behind and stabs Pancamo in the side, as the fracas degenerates into a free-for-all. Punches are thrown, kicks are kicked, and someone takes a particularly gruesome-sounding -- and -looking -- bite out of someone else. SORT teams descend to restore order as Pancamo is rushed to the infirmary, lying on his non-bloody side. Nathan lifts Pancamo's shirt, and we're treated to a thoroughly gratuitous close-up of Pancamo's gaping, quivering wound. Schillinger gets thrown in the hole -- he's the first hole-bound prisoner who doesn't give us the full monty. There's not even an ass shot. Wonder what that's all about.
Sister Pete shows up at Beecher's cell; he plays all dumb and innocent and asks what's up. Oh, she says, nothing much. The Aryans attacked the Sicilians because Pancamo ordered the hit on Hank, and Chris Keller had nothing to do with anything, and Massachusetts doesn't want him, so he's coming back to Oz. You know, just another day at the office. Beecher remains stone-faced, revealing nothing, but I bet he's got a hard-on.
McManus walks by the cage, which still holds White -- a.k.a. Slowmar. White, of course, starts panting after McManus to stop and chat, but the Timjob disrespects Slowmar and keeps on walking. Ever the diplomat, Slowmar calls McManus a "heartless motherfucker." His ploy works; McManus calls him on his shifting perceptions of McManus's heart size -- the other day it was big, now it's gone. What gives? Slowmar says his time in the cage has revealed a new solution to his problem -- he wants to just "hang out" with McManus, spend time in his office, shoot the proverbial breeze. See, McManus is the only friend that Slowmar has, and Slowmar really needs a friend. As well as a bullet in the head. Murphy lets Slowmar out of the cage; he keeps begging. McManus seems overjoyed at this idea, but Slowmar really wants help, and since McManus can't resist a sob story, he says he'll try to think of something.
At mealtime, the Muslims pray, and a rather young-looking, red-capped neophyte surreptitiously puts a piece of bread in his mouth. Sucks for you, kid, because Said saw all, and he arrives at the table to demand that the guy take the bread out of his mouth. He does, and apologizes; Said is livid that he can't quell his desires for just a moment to give thanks and praise to Allah, and tells him to get up and walk away. And to remove his kofi. Arif protests that Said is being too harsh on a new Muslim, but Said will brook no dissent. As the young Muslim sits back down, Said goes ballistic and grabs him as the guards rush in. McManus sees the incident and brings Said to his office for a chit-chat. He wonders what's up with Said, who says something that I can't decipher even after a few viewings. McManus chides the Minister, a man who used to fight with words, for choking Muslims, and implies that he's a little directionless at present, but Said says he knows exactly what he's doing -- he's realized that the Adebesi side of him, which came to the surface the day he killed Adebesi, is the core of his being. McManus is having none of this, and tells Said that everyone has demons, but that Said has given himself over to this newfound badness. McManus theorizes that Said, more than anyone else in Oz, can straighten himself out, and this knowledge, combined with Said's failure to act on it, is what's driving him batty. Said begs McManus to put him in solitary, but Tim's got a better idea. And here comes the plan -- if Said wants to save himself (which he does), he's got to save someone else.