By Sobell
Bellick breaks my heart in the first nine minutes of this episode: he asks Michael if it's true Dr. Sara is dead, and when Michael confirms that she is, he says brokenly, "She was a good person." Ah, Bellick...this is why I can't write you off as a shaven ape -- and why I sometimes suspect this series is really telling the story of your very, very gradual rehabilitation.
So it turns out that the reason Michael challenged Whistler to a fight was not that he was out of his head with grief. It was that he's so cognitively superior, he's crafting improvisational escape strategies even as he learns his reason for escaping won't be there to greet him. He figured all of the inmates would be all distracted by the coming fight and would therefore leave him and Whistler alone in the prison to pop a window out of a corner cell, hoist out their ladder, and climb out.
The plan is working...until a cloud drifts overhead and eliminates the glare the two men were counting on as shielding from the guard tower. They have to bail on the escape. Lechero's goons force them into the fight, and the two of them are left to figure out how to get out of it. (My suggestion: "Stun the crowd by making out!" apparently failed to penetrate the television, zip backward across the airwaves, and hurtle backwards through space and time to reach the scriptwriters' ears. Damn you, physics! Damn your laws!) Eventually, they realize they have to fight. Whistler kicks Michael's ass so hard, his head nearly falls off. When Whistler grabs a rock, Michael groans, "End it." This is, in my opinion, the most poignant depiction of his heartbreak, far better than the nonsense montage of the prior episode.
Whistler is saved from having to kill Michael by the all-too-convenient discovery of the drugged guard and the rope ladder dangling from the window. Within minutes, the guards have descended. They quickly peg the cell with the ladder as belonging to Lechero's crew, and shoot its occupant. Then the commander verbally shoots out Lechero's kneecaps. Someone just developed the motivation to escape.
Meanwhile, on the outside...Whistler gets cleaned up (and welcome back -- roowwr!) but he is now crazier than a jailhouse rat. Lang tries to keep him from completely unspooling. I try not to think of how much more awesome this show would be if we had Lang on it full time.
Also, Linc continues to be dumb, lying to Susan B. about how he's got Whistler. When she confirms that this isn't so, Sucre throws himself in the way of her getaway van. And then that foolhardy move is in vain because Linc still fails to get L.J. back.
Finally, the shocker of the night: Whistler and Susan B. -- AKA "Gretchen" -- know each other! And Michael now knows that they know each other, even though he doesn't know who Susan B. is. Oooh, I cannot wait until the episode where all these different plots collide!
We open the episode right where the one ended: with Michael and Whistler facing one another as the excited prisoners ring them. We get a brief shot of Bellick looking really panicky. Lechero speaks for a lot of viewers when he's like, "Explain something to me, Blanco. One minute you're pleading to spare your friend's life. In the you want to take it?" Michael shouts (rrrrowr!), "This man is no friend of mine!"
Whistler says, "What happened to your girlfriend..." "Her name was Sara!" Michael shouts (rrrowr!). In a voice choked with sorrow, Michael continues, "And she was a good person. And she'd still be alive, if it wasn't for you." It is not clear whether T-Bag heard Michael from his preening perch on the second floor balcony, but Lechero did. He confirms this is a revenge killing and warns, "Once you make such a declaration, there's no going back." Michael says, "There's nothing to go back to." Whistler looks at him with a mixture of confusion and pity. Lechero announces that they have a fight, and all the prisoners cheer. We get some crowd reaction shots: Bellick looks concerned, while T-Bag has a frankly appraising stare. Lechero gives the would-be combatants fifteen minutes to get their affairs in order.
On a completely fatuous note: one of the cons in the background is this absolutely enormous man who is like a 400-pound pile of muscle covered in rich, creamy adipose tissue. He is also bald, sporting a huge mustache, and wearing a red striped tank top with manpris. Every time I see him, I half expect a ringmaster to invite me to step right up and marvel at the world's strongest man. Who knew Sona had their own in-house carnival?
And now, back to the episode... Sucre is busy sending cash and prizes (i.e. pictures of himself) to the mother of his unborn kid. I personally suspect Maricruz is not With Child anymore, but that's only because she looked so svelte in the last shot we had of her. Anyway, Linc comes in and tosses Sucre a roll of cash as a thank-you for all he's done so far. Rather than take it and run off to his job, Sucre surprises me by deciding that Linc could use his help with whatever he's about to pull off with the escape and subsequent prison exchange. Good for him!
We then flash to the Mahone plot. He's in a van, trying hard not to look like he's withdrawing too badly, when Lang interrupts his reverie long enough to tell him they'll be at the courthouse soon, the hearing will be right after that, and then the ball will be rolling on Project Park Alex In The U.S. Pen. Mahone looks down at his manacles, then says with false cheer, "Good. That sounds good."
Mahone then calls up to Sullins, "So with this deal, what specifically do they need from me?" Sullins replies, "They need to know everything." So do I -- so start by telling me why your hair's so much darker this season, okay? What the government needs to know is about the One World Conspiracy, and that Mahone "has enough information to be a viable and cooperative witness." Mahone points out, "If I cooperate, I won't just be incriminating them." "You're worried about all those skeletons in your closet?" Sullins asks. He and Lang assure Mahone he'll have full immunity so long as he tells the truth. She notices Mahone fidgeting and tells him to stay calm. Know what would make him calm? A big syringe full of smack. Got one of those?
Back inside the prison, Whistler's dodging all the inmates who have turned into terrible looky-loos. When he rests against his cell door, a hand comes out to grab him and it scares the pants off Whistler. Surprise! It's Michael.
Whistler comes in and says, "I don't know what you're thinking, but killing me is not going to solve your problem." Michael tells him to relax -- he has no plans to kill him. "Then what the hell was all that about?" Whistler asks angrily. Who can blame him? Michael explains, "If you want to get out of here without being seen, you need a diversion. Now we have one." Whistler is giving Michael a What in the blue HELL? look that is absolutely priceless. He says, "You're off your head. Do you know that? They're out there waiting for us..." "We don't have time for this," Michael says. It's almost 3 PM, so Hurtado should be drugged by now. At 3:13, the sun's going to hit the guard tower and create the glare they need as cover, and by 3:15, when the fight should be beginning, the two men will presumably be legging it across no-man's land. After Michael's done, Whistler resumes his remorseful expression and tells Michael, "I meant what I said earlier, about Sara." Michael snarls, "Don't you ever mention that name again. We're getting out of here, and I'm trading you for my nephew. And I'm going to find out who's responsible for taking Sara's life. And I'm taking theirs." Whistler's apprehensive look can only mean one thing: he is not looking forward to watching Susan B. kick Michael's ass until his head falls off.
We zip up to the guard tower, where Hurtado has just finished his coffee. He is not looking terribly sleepy yet. Down in the prison below, lots of people are snickering at Michael as he walks by. He's indifferent. Michael discreetly picks up what looks like a clamp from the tattoo artist's table. When he's done with that little moment of kleptomania, he exits the cell and runs right into Bellick. Michael is inclined to sneer, but Bellick looks at his with raw eyes and asks, "I heard out there in the yard. Is it true? About Sara?" Michael says, composedly by not unkindly, "Yes." Bellick struggles for something to say around the lump in his own throat, and as Michael walks off, he grabs the man by the sleeve and says, "I'm sorry, Michael." Michael halts and Bellick says brokenly, "I mean it. She was a good person. I'm sorry." Michael inclines his head, then walks off.
Meanwhile, on the outside...Linc and Sofia drive to the beach where they will presumably rendezvous with the escapees. They dicker over whether or not Sofia should stay with the car as a lookout or come to the beach with Linc, and in the end, Linc prevails. He tells Sofia to hang tight until he calls. She has other ideas, most of which revolve around fetching the gun she'd had stowed in the glove box.
On another stretch of road, the One World Conspiracy's van (black, natch) pulls up and parks behind a giant billboard with a sunset on it. Susan B. hops out of the passenger seat, then opens the side door to reveal the bound and gagged L.J. L.J.'s minder hops out of the back. Susan B. rips off the duct tape none-too-gently and flatly apologizes for it. L.J. attempts to sweet-talk her: "I know you're jut doing your job. I bet you're as ready for this thing to be over as I am." Susan B. snorts and pointedly turns away. L.J. chatters away about how he and his dad and his uncle were going to set up a dive shop in Panama, and learn to surf, and -- Susan B. cuts him off with "You can stop. I get it. You're a human being with dreams, plans for the future, all that. But whether you see it isn't up to me anymore. It's in your uncle's hands now. So let's just hope that he does his job." Despite her flat affect, she pats the inside of his shin reassuringly. Okay, Susan B., you've worn me down. I think you're an interesting nutcase now. (At last, Sobell loved Big Brother. And TV characters with rocky introductions to a series.) Meanwhile, in the bushes, Sucre watches the van.
Michael continues to skulk around the halls of Sona. He's hoping to get into the Lechero crew's cell, so that he can set up for the escape, but the guy who's making book on Michael's imminent death is blocking the doorway. Michael eventually gets to sneak in there, and begins setting up for the escape. We see Whistler grab the ladder and get hustling as well. Within seconds the two of them have set up the cell. All that's left is for Michael to hammer the grate out of the window. As he pauses nervously, Whistler asks, "What are you waiting for?" We hear the roar of the crowd in the courtyard below. Whistler nods. Michael nods back. And he begins hammering. As he does, Whistler asks about Mahone and seems nonplussed to learn that Mahone's flown the coop.
Speaking of Mahone, he's still being transported. Sullins gets off the phone after a not-so-pleasant phone conversation ("Yeah? When did this happen? Are you sure? I'll handle it.") and tells everyone, "A couple of Panamanians might have gotten cold feet." Mahone wants to know how cold, and Sullins says, "They just need some...convincing." Something about Sullins tells me that "convincing" will involve "contusions" and "concussions." He reassures Mahone that in the meantime, they'll be in a hotel room. Mahone is not thrilled by this; he suspects that he's being played for some reason, or quite possibly led to a fate worse than Sona.
Back in the prison, the inmates are howling for the match to begin. Michael is busy prepping Whistler for escape, reminding him that they only have four minutes of cover, so once they hit the ground, sprint for the fence. What does he think Whistler was planning on doing? Trotting around to the front gates and commenting, "They don't seem nearly as imposing when you're outside them"? Michael checks his watch (3:10).
Then we get a nice transition to Lechero checking a watch -- he has many on a table in front of him, which is a nice shout-out to how efficiently Sammy and company strip the new inmates of their belongings -- and Lechero decides it's time for the games to begin. He and Sammy decide it's time to go get the combatants. T-Bag is left in the room, looking oddly reflective for all that he's no big fan of Michael.
Back in the cell, Whistler gives Michael an appraising look and asks, "So who goes first?" Michael reasons, "Right now, my life isn't worth a damn without yours. If this doesn't go as planned, first guy through that window gets shot. That guy can't be you. I'll go." There's a tense little sequence where we wait for Hurtado to pass out and for the sun to hit the right angle, and then...
It's go time. The two men pull out the window and right then -- someone's coming into the cell. It's Sammy, who's decided to lift a wad of money he found in a matchbox. As he replaces the matchbox, he notices some crumbs of plaster on the table, and looks around warily. Warily, but not thoroughly -- he misses seeing Michael and Whistler crouching under the beds in the room. Sammy leaves and the guys resume their escape. First, the ladder is unfurled. Whistler wishes Michael good luck, and Michael begins to climb down.
We cut to Lechero up in his usual place on the balcony, waiting for the fight to begin. Then we cut back to Michael having climbed the ladder. Whistler makes it halfway down -- and then a stray cloud cuts the glare. Michael tells him, "We're losing the light! Go back! Go back!" (I begin snickering -- it's like the exact opposite of all those near-death experiences where someone's telling you to go toward the light.)
So there's a tense sequence where Whistler has to scramble back up, and Michael has to scramble back up, and they hastily pull up the ladder. "That was our only chance. Damn it!" Michael says. And then to make their day just a little bit worse, they're reminded that they have to fight each other to the death. Sammy's running through the halls shouting, "Gringos. Come out and pla-ay!" Someone has seen The Warriors one too many times. Although Michael and Whistler try to split up and elude Lechero's thugs, they're both caught and they find themselves in front of Lechero. Michael says, "This has all been a terrible mistake. Whistler adds, "We've worked it out. There's no need to take this any further."
Lechero's not having it. He tells Michael, "You clearly don't understand. I can't have your foolishness spread in this place. I gave you every chance to pull out." Michael whispers, "Please..." That fails to work on Lechero. He shouts to the crowd, "We know the rules! Two men go in. One man comes out!" Everyone's shouting but I'm kind of distracted -- where did the body that was hung there not two hours ago disappear to? Why isn't Sucre off spraying that corpse? There was this big hurry with Tyge, and now ... nothing? Didn't anyone else notice that this episode and the one preceding it are taking place on the same day?
In any event, Michael and Whistler are led to the center of the courtyard and now they have to fight each other. This is the second such fight Michael's had over the past week, and this time there's no Mahone to kill for him. The two men circle one another, and when Lechero gets tired of that, Whistler lands a punch on Michael, saying, "Sorry, mate. I'm afraid only one of us is getting out." Michael replies with his fists.
Meanwhile, outside Sona...Linc is digging up the diving equipment he stashed earlier. It's now 3:25, which means Michael and Whistler should be there soon. His phone rings: Sucre reports that Susan B.'s got L.J. in the back of the van. She's accompanied by a tie-wearing conspiracy stooge and a driver. Linc tells Sucre, "I appreciate you hanging around, man." Sucre replies, "We started this together, bro. Let's finish it that way." Aw! He's like the third Burrows/Scofield brother! Linc clicks off the phone and mutters, "Come on, Michael. Where are you?"
More fighting in the prison. It is disturbingly hot -- I blame all the grappling and grunting. Up on the balcony, Sammy looks disturbed, but that's mostly because nobody's put a serious hurt on anyone yet. T-Bag looks calculating (even more so than usual). The crowd is not too thrilled either. One of Lechero's thugs throws a rock into Whistler's chest, and for some reason, this enrages him to the point where he rushes Michael and lands a series of meaty punches. And while this is going on, the ladder begins uncoiling and falling out of the cell window.
Meanwhile, outside Sona...Sofia has just surprised Linc on the beach. She asks, "What's the plan? You're going to swim out, wait for the police to pass, and wait for a boat somewhere?" Linc allows that it is indeed the plan. Sofia then pulls a gun on him. Linc deadpans, "Wow, I'm impressed. You've actually got the guts to look me in the eye as you stab me in the back. What are you going to do -- shoot me?" Sofia protests, "I can't let you hand over James to those people." Problem is, ever since she learned how the One World Conspiracy treated Sara, Sofia can't handle the idea of Whistler being in the custody of the same people. Linc is not too happy that Sofia's been playing him, but she tells him, "We're both here doing what we have to for the people we love." Linc tells Sofia, "You do this, you're shooting my son yourself." Sofia falters, but she only apologizes and keeps the gun trained on him.
Susan B. notices that the escape is running behind. She calls One World Conspiracy stooge Pike, who's also watching for the escape, and confirms that indeed, something's gone off the rails. Pike asks, "How much longer do you want to give them?" Susan B. hangs up on that. She has terrible phone etiquette. Or maybe she's just snapped into her killing persona. She whips open a knife and moves on L.J., telling him, "I know you wanted to live beside an ocean your whole life. It's sad to think the closest you'll get is being buried under one." L.J. tells her, "You're not going to kill me." "Oh?" Susan B. asks. "You need me. You already killed Sara. If anything happens to me, you're out of bargaining chips," L.J. says. Susan B. replies, "If Michael doesn't get Whistler out today, I don't need to bargain anymore You'll all be dead." Oooh, she's got you there, sonny.
Back at Sona, Hurtado's compadres catch him sleeping on the job. One tends to the groggy Hurtado; the other picks up the binoculars and does a safety scan ... and sees the now-unraveled ladder. He moans, "Oh my God," then radios the news to the other guards.
Down below, Michael and Whistler are facing each other across the clearing. It is plainly evident that Michael does not have it in him to kill anyone. Whistler, however, is another story. He punches Michael in the throat, lands another one on his face, and sends Scofield to the ground. He then picks up a rock; his expression is agonized. Lechero watches with a slightly smug, anticipatory expression. Whistler wheels around the circle, and Michael groans, "End it ..." Whistler's face crumples in pain, but he raises the rock, gasps, "God! God, forgive me..."
And right as he's preparing to bring down the rock on Michael's head, the prison klaxons sound. Michael's on his knees. His eyes pop open in disbelief. Everyone inside the prison is like, "What the...?" and then we get shots on the outside: Linc and Sofia down by the surf, looking up in alarm; the one World Conspiracy goons, looking disgruntled while L.J. cowers behind them. Susan B. looks supremely irritated, even for her.
Linc takes advantage of the distraction to get out of Sofia's sights, and notes that the escapees should have been here by now. Sofia prefers to find a sunny explanation for the delay plus the alarms, but Linc's not having it. He buries the cooler again as Sofia asks, "What do we do now?" Linc is all, "We, little Miss Gunpointer 2007?" He sprints off toward the car.
Truckloads of guards descend upon Sona, and the inmates reluctantly drop to their knees with their hands behind their heads. Lechero watches them enter with a weary expression. In walks the colonel, whom I had mentally begun referring to as "Il Douché." He swaggers into the courtyard like he owns the place. A guy who looks remarkably like the Panamanian version of Bellick commands the U.S. version to put his hands over his head. I wonder if Bellick thinks about the many times he used to do this to inmates. No, wait. What I really wonder is why I'm wondering about the recollections of entirely made-up people. Sweeps has broken me, and it's only the first week of November.
Il Douché points up to Lechero and spits, "You. Come. Down. Here. Now." He then addresses the crowd at large: "We are going to find out who is behind this." Cut to Scofield looking slightly panicky -- or perhaps just concussed -- and Whistler cocking an eyebrow all, "What's your lucky break going to be?"
And now, a scene so risibly stupid, I refuse to recap it on principle. Just know this: Susan B. calls Linc to confirm that the escape failed and Linc lies to her all, "I have Whistler in the trunk of my car!" Why is this so egregiously dain-brammaged? Because this conversation is taking place not two hours after Susan B. nearly decapitated his son as punishment for Linc lying to her. I know Linc is supposed to be stooped, but come on. Surely he hasn't forgotten the sound of his son's hysterical screams already? Or what happened the last time he tried one of these end-runs around the kidnappers?
Back in the prison courtyard, Il Douché is monologuing, "Whoever tried to escape assaulted one of my men. And as you know, any attempt on the life of a Panamanian soldier warrants the death penalty. This attempt was made from the cell number 212, and if memory serves, that cell belongs to members of [turns to Lechero] your crew." Lechero's not giving up anything. We cut to Sammy -- as if the juiciest debutante villain on this show (sorry, Susan B.) is going to get cut down! Il Douché shoots one thug whom we haven't seen before -- Sammy assiduously looking the other way, as per usual -- and Michael looks shocked, as per usual. Then Il Douché turns around and effects a verbal death sentence upon Lechero: "I thought we were compadres, you and I. I let you run your business, have your whores. When you asked me for your own personal supply of water when the plumbing went down, did I not provide it? When you asked me to get rid of the phones, make them contraband so you could control the trade in here, did I not comply? I do all of this for you. And in exchange, you were to do one thing for me: keep these men in line!" Lechero remains impassive. Il Douché muses to the crowd at large, "Maybe we just backed the wrong horse. Perhaps there is another in here better suited for the job." The camera lingers on T-Bag, who's wearing a calculating look. Lechero now looks like he's fighting tears. Il Douché swaggers over, insincerely wishes Lechero good luck, then exits. The minute the doors clang shut, Lechero steels himself. Sure enough, a con comes on over and spits at his feet. Let's see that guy try it with Sammy nearby. Speaking of whom, he's telling Lechero, "None of us tried to break out of that cell." Oh, Lechero has a pretty good idea who did make the effort.
Meanwhile, outside Sona...Mahone is all cleaned up! The hair's back to normal, he's clean-shaven, and he's in a suit. I'd say "welcome back" except that it's evident Mahone's not at all there mentally. Lang comes in and smiles, "Nice to see you back in form." Oh, Lang, it's nice to see you back on my screen too. She then tells Mahone reassuringly, "It doesn't matter what people say." "What do they say?" Mahone asks. Lang stammers her way into admitting that people are chatting about how Mahone killed three of the Fox River Eight. Wait 'til they find out that he didn't kill another two with whom he was doing time. Lang finally asks Mahone, "Is it true? 'Cause if it is, you can talk to me about it." Mahone dismisses her as playing good-cop to Sullins' bad cop. Lang's totally offended by that idea. Mahone slips into full-on crazy raving form: "There never was a deal, was there? Sullins just wants me to confess so he can bring me up on more charges back in the States! The hearing was supposed to be an hour after we left the prison, and I'm still waiting! So why don't you just come clean, Felicia. For old times' sake. How about it?" Lang replies angrily, "How about you do me the same courtesy, Alex? I'm not blind. My brother was a user. I can smell the stuff a mile away. Don't you accuse me of being the one who's hiding something!" Mahone looks away, all "Wow, has this gotten awkward. Know what would break the ice here? Heroin. A lot of heroin."
And in another plotline, Susan B. gets confirmation via One World Conspiracy stooge Pike that indeed, there was no escape and all inmates are accounted for. Oooh, she is pissed. Sucre tells Linc via their phones that Susan B.'s packing it up, and Linc pleads, "Whatever you do, don't let them take L.J., all right?" Then their phones go down.
Susan B. orders her driver to get them right the hell out of there, and they peel away. We see Linc, who's about ten minutes behind them. The van drives along until suddenly, a small Ford pulls out in front of the road. When I freeze-frame the episode, I get a hilarious expression of Susan B. looking completely terrified. She shouts, "Look out!" just as they crash into Sucre's car.
When Linc pulls up on the scene, everyone is still either unconscious from the impact or groggy. He heads straight for Susan B. and punches her once in the face, then manages to get hold of her in the classic taking-hostages position. As the driver attempts to go for her, Linc shoots him. Just then, the tie-wearing conspiracy stooge climbs out of the van with L.J.; he's got a gun to L.J.'s head. And then, we have a stand-off. Linc shouts, "I'm going to get you out of this! I promise!" and Susan snarls, "You sure you want to make promises to your son you can't keep?" Ooh, she just loves pushing his buttons. Also, she loves calling his bluff: Linc is pretty much not capable of taking someone's life in cold blood, so he has to let her go. L.J. goes back in the van, and Linc is left standing there, on what is probably the worst day of his life since leaving prison. (Think about it: he's failed both Michael and L.J. today. For someone who spent his life trying to watch out for them -- however ineptly -- to fail big like this is terrible.) By the way, right after the conspiracy van races off? That's when Sucre comes to. Linc's day gets just a wee bit worse when he notices the body bags lying in the road.
Back at the prison, Michael's having a post-brawl wash when Whistler approaches and the two sort of awkwardly apologize without actually apologizing to one another. Whistler adds, "Just so's you know, I never would have gone through with it." Michael slings back, "Lucky for us, we'll never have to find out." Whistler asks what they do , but before Michael can answer, Sammy swaggers in and asks, "You know why we here, boy?" Whistler smarts, "I'm no doctor, but I'm guessing your mother had a little bit too much to drink one night, and, um --" We'll never find out what Sammy's mom did because Sammy has just cut that thought dead with the knife he's holding to Whistler's throat. Michael heads off with the bully posse. Sammy sticks around long enough to deliver a good punch to Whistler's jaw line. You know what is keeping me around this show? The inevitable moment when it's Sammy vs. T-Bag. I cannot wait to see how that will go down.
Sammy marches Michael into Lechero's suite, whips out his knife, and asks, "How you want it, bruddah? Fast or slow?" Michael has the dull expression of someone who has just stopped caring whether or not he lives. Lechero grabs the knife and says, "I think I'd like to handle this one myself." Michael gives him a dispassionate appraisal. He walks Michael into a small closet, then asks, "Do you have children, Mr. Scofield?" Michael shoots back, "Maybe some day." Lechero commends him on his optimism. Me, I'm just impressed that Michael managed to compartmentalize his grief long enough to get sassy. Lechero shares that he's got three sons and two daughters, he used to tell them the story of the boy who cried wolf, and "you know the moral of the story is, even when liars tell the truth, they can never be believed." Michael is now glaring daggers at Lechero. The older man continues, "Your life's on the line, boy. Are you trying to break out of this prison, Mr. Scofield?" Michael coolly lies that he is not. Lechero counts to ten, takes a deep breath, then asks again, "Are you trying to break out of this prison?' Michael dodges, "We both know that's not possible," Lechero shouts, "Answer me! I want you to tell me the truth! I want to hear it!" Michael says, "You want a reason to kill me?" Lechero slaps the blade against Michael's throat and says, "I've got a good reason to kill you. Because of you, it's no longer possible for me to effectively govern this prison. Justified or not, the men no longer have faith in me. That leaves only one thing for me to do to guarantee my survival." After a long pause, Lechero cuts the rope tying Michael's hands and says, "You are breaking out of this prison, Mr. Scofield. And you're taking me with you." Michael does not look thrilled to be drafted into Team Escarpara II.
Meanwhile, on the outside ... Mahone bugs out from withdrawal in his hotel room. This is where Sullins and Lang find him. Sullins tells him the good news and the better news -- the Panamanians are back on board with this hearing, and Mahone gets to spend a night in a cushy hotel before all that unpleasantness about being remanded to U.S. custody begins. Mahone does not take this in the spirit in which it's offered, and his subsequent fit is so irrational and severe that Sullins orders Lang to use the cuffs.
Michael's walking through the prison looking for Whistler. He finds Bellick. The ex-guard tells Michael, "You know, I spent my whole career trying to keep bad people behind bars. Like somehow, doing my job was making the world a better place. And then...then you hear about what happened to someone like Sara. Damned if it doesn't seem like there's more bad people out there than in here." Michael has no comfort for a man in the throes of an existential crisis, so he takes off again. Bellick continues to look out the window, not really seeing anything.
We then cut to Susan B. saying, "I warned the brothers what would happen if they failed. If I give them more time now, I may as well hand them a condom and a cigarette to go with it." Lord help me, the first time I heard that, I was like, "Why? What does she expect Michael to invent using only a cigarette and a con --oh." She then leans in and says, "I came all the way down here. The least you can do is offer me an opinion." We then see that she's at Sona. As if that is not enough of a shocker, we see that she's talking to Whistler. He tells her, "I thought we agreed it was best for you not to come here." Susan shoots back, "I thought you needed to be out in seven days. I need to know how this delay is going to affect things." Whistler figures "it" is still possible. Susan B. purrs, "That doesn't exactly ravage me with confidence." I am finding it fascinating how she changes her M.O. depending on who she's dealing with. I am also finding it fascinating how apparently Lincoln responds really well to being dominated by women. Anyway, Whistler tells her, "Four more days. If I'm out of here by then, I can still do 'it.'" Clearly, "it" is a value to be solved for later. Susan B. flounces off, and Whistler sighs before calling, "Gretchen --" Susan B. turns around. He asks, "About Sofia...?" She chortles that Linc is taking real good care of Sofia. You have to admire how she consistently goes for the soft spots. And as Susan B. walks off, we see that Michael's been watching the whole conversation. Oooh, worlds are about to collide!