Episode Report Card Couch Baron: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Blood And Guts
By Couch Baron | Season 1 | Episode 7 | Aired on 08.17.1997
Mershah's next customer is McManus. He tells Timbo that Said is going to start a riot, and the Foreshadowing upon this point has now grown so large that it's blocking the sun from my window. Fortunately, that makes it easier to see the computer screen. Thanks, Foreshadowing! Glynn, whom a different camera angle reveals to be in the office as well, says that without any evidence, his hands are tied. McManus calls Mershah on his bullshit and kicks him out. Please, don't make McManus tolerable two episodes in a row. Everyone has his or her own worldview, and if McManus doesn't act like a complete heel for any decent stretch, mine's going to be shattered in a hurry. Glynn snaps that Mershah's motivations aren't as important as his information, but McManus counters that Mershah is out of the loop, and as such won't give them anything useful. He goes on that he's going to transfer Mershah out of Em City. Considering that we haven't seen any Gen Pop prisoners get a plotline so far, what are the chances Mershah's going to live through the next ten minutes? Glynn agrees, but suggests a shakedown based on Mershah's information...
...which happens immediately. Ryan gets caught with drugs, and it seems that the guards find a lot more contraband than usual. Groves gets wrestled to the ground. Later, all the busted prisoners are standing in the main area with their hands behind their heads. McManus says that they can't go in the hole, which seems obvious, as just in the tight shot here I see Ross, Alvarez, Groves, Vahue, Arif, Ryan, Adebisi, and Wangler. I suppose they could double or triple up, but given that they'd all be naked, it seems like that might lead to some other problems. However, I'd certainly change my mind if Ryan and Alvarez ended up in the same cell. Anyway, McManus takes away all their privileges for a month instead. Alvarez: "Gee, Dad, I hope I can still make it to the prom." Sometimes you're just keeping you head down, recapping away and hoping you'll be done in time to catch your evening television fare, and then an image like Alvarez in a tux comes along and upsets the whole apple cart. Alvarez in a tux. Mrow. McManus doubles the length of the punishment, and the prisoners shuffle away. McManus notes to Diane that it seems like everyone in Em City but Said has a weapon. Said grins at him. Elsewhere, Vahue asks who the rat was, and Ryan tells him it was Mershah, who's standing up by his pod. Yeah, we won't have to worry about dragging those cameras over to Gen Pop for long. Mershah leaves his pod with his stuff as, lined up on the balcony, the Muslims turn their backs on him one by one. Aw, they came just to say goodbye to him! How touching! At the end of the line, Said pauses, then turns away, shaking his head. Mershah tells him he's supposed to be a teacher, but "all you taught me was that your God is full of hate and vengeance. So you'd better watch out, okay? 'Cause he could turn on you, just like you turned on me." The actor playing Mershah actually does an excellent job of selling this speech, and after Mershah removes his Muslim cap, places it on Said's shoulder, and leaves, Said spares a glance after him and looks somewhat moved. Mershah is escorted out as various inmates spit on him. I'd be grossed out, but for two reasons: One, I've seen so many far worse bodily secretions rubbed and smeared over people that it might as well be water. Which, of course, it probably is. And two, I can't really afford to get grossed out this early in the recap. If I do, I'll be dry-heaving by the last ten minutes. As Mershah is led into his new cell, Hill VOs that to torture a man, you deprive him of friendship and peace. "He will search everywhere. And when he realizes that he won't find it, he will destroy himself." The camera pans to the right, and when it returns, we see Mershah lying in a pool of his own blood, apparently having slashed his own throat. See? That's way grosser that spit, and it took about ten seconds to get to. Which is also the length of time of the Gen Pop shot. Get those cameras back to Em City!