S03E09: 'Boxed In'

Are the Prison Break writers consciously attempting to frustrate the viewers? Yet again another episode is dogged by the 'back to square one' syndrome. There simply seems to be very little progression happening in the series and everything feels hugely dragged out amidst inconsequential sub plots and narrative dead-ends.

Hopes were briefly raised by the advent of sympathetic Sona boss General Zavala, but he was killed off very abruptly. Mahone was slung back in jail, making one wonder what was the point of him leaving in the first place. Schofield was taken outside to solitary confinement, then later put back inside the prison. Susan was captured, then escaped. Sucre seemed to change sides, but he was loyal to Burrows all along. Yawn. It would be no surprise if the next desperate measure taken by the writers involves Schofield waking up in bed, discovering that it was all just a dream and that he's a humble chicken farmer in Idaho.

Fortunately, there were a few brief moments of pleasure for those who haven't given up on this tedious third season. Susan's (or Gretchen's) interrogation by water was certainly a crowd-pleasing moment of comeuppance given her previous savage acts, while it was good to see T-Bag returning to his ultra-devious ways. Brad Bellick's resourcefulness in evading death was also sturdy entertainment.

Sadly though, until Prison Break improves its central narrative such diversions are not enough to compensate for the general boredom.


> Click here for our recap of this episode