S04E03: 'Shut Down'

Oh dear. The reports of Prison Break's resurrection may have been greatly exaggerated. This leaden episode succeeds in dispersing much of the renewed interest that was generated by the encouraging debut double-header for the fourth season.

As viewers, we should be taken on a journey alongside the protagonists and have a sense of narrative progression every week. This was totally non-existent in this episode, as Scofield and his men were turned back into fugitives from the police, only to be released from captivity once they'd been captured. What was the point? It reeked of stalling tactics designed to stretch out this season's story.

Wyatt's torture of Bruce Bennett was similarly drawn out, with some misguided attempts to invoke a degree of visual subjectivity through Bennett's hallucinations. As for T-Bag's sojourn, he spent the episode arranging a meeting. Sadly, it wasn't with his agent to negotiate a transfer on to another show.

It was left to William Fichtner's brilliance as the turmoil-ridden Mahone to ensure that there was no channel hopping. His grief over the slaying of his son feels very real and the image of him shaking in the corner of a room like a wounded animal lingers on. It was also a nice touch for Burrows to seemingly make peace with him.

However, the episode as a whole showed that the hunt for Scylla is far from a thriller. Improvement is needed - and fast - or else a sense of deja-vu relating to last year's lacklustre season won't be far away.

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