Episode Report Card Sobell: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT It's so hard to find good conspiracy participants
By Sobell | Season 1 | Episode 5 | Aired on 09.18.2005
Back in prison, Michael's picking up his lunch tray, which apparently comes with a side of Abruzzi. The mobster's all, "So -- prison breakout partners never talk anymore! There's talk you're packing your bags." Michael coolly tells him, "Don't believe everything you hear. I'm not going anywhere." Abruzzi admits he has trust issues with Michael, but Michael's not interested in resolving those: he'd rather stay on schedule. He's also not interested in Abruzzi's opinion on taking out English, Fitz, or Percy. But he is interested in Abruzzi giving him a key by 5:05 tonight, five minutes after the warden leaves. And I realize there's supposed this tension between these two untrusting partners and all, but I shouldn't be able to apply this template to every exchange just yet:
Abruzzi: Menacing, hostile question about escape!
Michael: Cool, cryptic dismissal. Total lack of contextual detail.
Abruzzi: Veiled threats and invasion of personal space.
Michael: Deadpan rebuttal. Failure to provide any details whatsoever.
Abruzzi: Surprisingly idle threats for all that I'm capable of helping toes escape prison early.
Michael: Getting in last word because I'm just that cool.
Mix it up, writers!
Anyway, Michael sits down across from Westmoreland, who's cordial. Michael says urgently, "I need to know if there's any way to block a transfer order." Westmoreland chortles that there's about fifty ways; Michael replies almost happily, "All right, I'll take the quickest." Westmoreland tells him to file a motion for an "interlocutory injunction," which is basically legal argle-bargle for claiming that something in the prison is violating his constitutional rights, be it environmental, health, or religious issues. How fast Michael files an interlocutory injunction depends on how fast he can write. Michael asks, "What if they don't buy it?" and Westmoreland shrugs, "Don't matter. Court's required by law to hear your motion -- 'til they do, you can't be transferred. Hell, they been trying to move my tired, gray behind for ten years now. God bless the American legal system." Westmoreland smiles and Michael asks him, with quiet and genuine interest, "Why do you want to stay in here so badly?" Westmoreland jostles a little, and Marilyn's sweet kitty face pops into view. He says, "Someone in here I can't bear to leave behind." I'd say that whoever wrote this was a total cat person, except they're reporting from a magical cat fantasy land where cats tolerate being toted in a t-shirt docilely instead of scaling your face and using your scalp as a launching pad, all the whi-- awww! Marilyn has the cutest little meow. Who' s a good girl? Westmoreland leans forward -- and yes, Marilyn tolerates this -- and says conspiratorially, "I guess we got something in common." Michael smiles a little. I really like watching him trying to balance his impulse towards a genuine connection with some people (Westmoreland, Dr. Tancredi) against his constant knowledge that he's got to regard them as chess pieces. It humanizes him.