Shut Down S04E03

S04E03

• Name: Shut Down
• Air Date: September 8th, 2008
• Season: 4
• Number: 03

Episode Outline

I woke up at 6:30 a.m. this morning to watch the show and write the recap being heading off to work. But my brain absolutely does not function at 6:30 a.m. after 5 hours of sleep due to attending a movie premiere the night before. Normally I'd bitch and whine. But seeing Colin Firth last night, in all his British glory, was totally worth it. By the way, I highly recommend both movies I was fortunate enough to attend at the Toronto Film Festival this year: Ghost Town (hilarious) and Easy Virtue (very droll). Check them out in theatres.

We open with Agent Self fingering a wedding ring which he quickly hides when Michael appears. Michael starts yelling. Someone check my heart rate, because Michael being all aggressive and loud never fails to make me swoon. Michael explains (or, rather, yells) that the data card retrieved in the last episode is only one of six and he assumes that Self knew that fact. He also announces (or, rather, yells) that the team fulfilled their end of the bargain and they have no intention of going after the other five cards. This discussion disintegrates into a shouting match, with Self insisting that the team find the remaining cards otherwise they're going back to jail.

At this point you have to wonder if there's even a point to sticking Michael in any prison. Hasn't be proven that he can simply scheme his way out? Heck, he seems to improve his timing with each break out.

Michael walks off in a huff, agreeing to get the other 5 cards. He returns to HQ, explaining to the rest of the team that they're now in it for the long haul. Alex leaves the room, afraid that the government might shut down their little operation.

Roland enters, happily telling the rest of the team that his little thieving device stole information from the previous cardholder's PDA, including emails and photos. Sara quickly realizes that Cardholder 1 has some secret appointment today. Bellick suggests they push back against Self, but Michael, who is supremely tired of constantly being surrounded by idiots who aren't even half as smart as he is, finally tells Bellick to shut the hell up.

Mahone, meanwhile, calls Lang. AGENT LANG! I love her. He asks her for a favour: she needs to bring something to him in LA. She's hesitant, but he tells her that The Company killed his son and she agrees to help. Lincoln also head Mahone's announcement. Presumably having followed Mahone in order to shout more threats about the two of them will fight to the death when this is all over, Linc instead chooses to leave quietly.

Michael tells Sara that unless they can find the next cardholder by the end of the day, they're all going back to prison. Dum dum dum!

Cut to Chicago, where Wyatt, The Company assassin, has Bruce Bennett tied to a chair, demanding information about Michael and Lincoln. Wyatt injects Bruce with something and then starts rambling about a family picnic. What is the point of this picnic thing? It lasts the rest of the damn episode.

Back in LA, Self is getting chewed out by his DHS Director. Everyone's pissed that Scylla is six cards, not one. Self defends Michael's intelligence and insists that he's up to the job. The Director says that he's going to call Senator Dallo to inquire whether the operation should continue.

Back at HQ, the team is going through the information from Cardholder 1's PDA, trying to figure out some cryptic email messages. Alex and Michael crack the code: there will be a meeting about Scylla today at 4:00, with another cardholder. The team quickly concludes that the location for the meeting was sent in another email, which was not copied to Roland's device. But, a copy is located on a server in Anaheim. Am I the only one who's worried about this? Does that mean that all of our emails are backed up on some server somewhere? Crap. I'm going to have to start using carrier pigeons for security purposes. Sucre and Bellick, meanwhile, are sent to trail Cardholder 1 (Tuxhorn). Michael orders Roland to Anaheim.

T-Bag enters an apartment...a furnished apartment that's running circles around my little condo. While T-Bag's shaving, he's having Scofield flashbacks. Could it be that T-Bag has a mini-crush on Michael and this whole revenge thing is a smokescreen?

Alright, let me summarize the completely pointless storyline involving Bruce Bennett and Wyatt. Wyatt shot up Bruce with sodium pentothal (otherwise known as truth serum). While Bruce is tripping balls Wyatt tries to find out where Michael and Lincoln are. Bruce insists he doesn't know, but finally admits that Sara is in LA. And Wyatt clearly figures out that where Sara leads, Michael will follow. Then he shoots Bruce in the back of the head. Well, we think he does anyways. As with Gretchen, until I see a body with a bleeding wound, I'm not believing that Bruce is dead.

In Anaheim, Sara is pretending to be a temp in order to snatch a security guard's passkey to hand off to Michael and Roland, who use it to break into the server room to copy the email. The security guard, who may very well be the most intelligent bit actor to appear on this show, quickly realizes that Sara stole his card and goes to call the cops.

Meanwhile, Self sees from the GPS ankle monitors, that Lincoln, Mahone and Roland are in Anaheim. Michael explains whey they're there and Self quickly hangs up as his Director comes into his office. The Director has bad news: he and Senator Dallo are shutting down the Scylla operation.

Let me explain something to you: the server room has tons of windows. And not a single freaking person in the office is questioning why two strange men just set up shop in the server room. Outside, Lang calls Alex with the news that she retrieved the information he wanted and he'll have it later that day. Inside, Linc calls Michael with the news that Sara has been stopped by the guard. Michael pulls the fire alarm to cause a distraction and returns to the server room while Sara escapes the building.

Roland confirms that he got a copy of the email when Michael insists that they need to split. But wait! There's a snag. The boys are locked inside the server room and the oxygen is being sucked out.

Global TV informs me that Dominic Purcell saved a baby last year, who was choking on an onion ring. What kind of a parent gives their baby an onion ring?

Michael calls Lincoln, explain the situation. Roland, meanwhile, shows that he is completely useless in case of an emergency, and starts hyperventilating on the floor. Outside, Linc grabs an axe from the fire truck. Miraculous, no one starts screaming because a large, glowering man is striding into the building whilst brandishing an axe. Right.

Michael is unsuccessful in breaking the sever room windows with a chair, but the day is quickly saved by Lincoln. That looks super fun! I want an axe too!

Back in LA, Bellick is trying to convince Sucre that their whole mission will fall apart and maybe they should return to Mexico. Wasn't Bellick bitching not 14 episodes ago about places like Mexico and Panama?

Still in LA, Self is trying to get a phone appointment with Senator Dallo, when another agent comes into the room and announces that it's time to go.

Ha! T-Bag's drinking in the shower. Why in the hell did I never think of that? That's genius! I can't help but be sad when I think of all those wasted hours I spent showering without alcohol, getting ready for a night on the town in law school. I could have been having one heck of a pre-party by drinking in the shower. [Disclaimer: PBMH does not endorse drinking in the shower. In case any of you decide to follow my advice and then slap a lawsuit on us]. T-Bag learns that his new alias is Cole Pfeiffer and he's supposed to work at the Gate Corporation.

Back at HQ, the team goes over the two emails they found. One involves constellations. Mahone goes off on Roland when he makes a remark about everyone who's been killed by The Company, but Linc diffuses him.

Sucre tells Bellick that they need to follow through on their quest to take down The Company because it's the only way to keep his daughter safe and to ensure that he can be in her life. Sucre's touching soliloquy is interrupted by DHS with guns. Sucre manages to send a text message.

Back at HQ, Roland's bitching that his computer is frozen. Roland, do you have a Dell? Or Windows? Cause either of those shitty, shitty products is likely the cause of your computer freezing. I can't even count the number of times I wanted to throw my Dell laptop (or any laptop I've owned with Windows) out the window.

Alas, Microsoft is not the culprit here. Roland quickly deduces that the government is shutting him out of his computer at the same time Michael receives Sucre's text message, telling him to run. Mahone, Michael, Lincoln and Sara pile into the SVU and try to escape. Because Prison Break has two main themes: prison breaking and running. If they can't have prisons, they're gonna fall back on running.

Then there's the car chase, with Self insisting to Michael over the phone that they pull over. Michael doesn't like taking orders and instead tells Lincoln to lose the feds.

On a side note, why is Lincoln always driving? I don't think we've seen Michael drive the both of them in a car since Season 2.

The team ditches the car and Mahone, Michael, Linc and Sara run off, with Self and the other agents in hot pursuit.

T-Bag, back in his apartment that's still making my apartment jealous, calls the Gate Corporation. The receptionist there tracks down the CEO (?) Mr. White and patches him through. Mr. White tells T-Bag (aka Pfeiffer) he's excited to meet him. T-Bag quickly deduces that White has never met Whistler, which means T-Bag might be able to successful pull off this scam to impersonate a salesman (he was hired to be a salesman for Gate). Oh, the comedic possibilities are endless.

The fab four (Michael, Mahone, Sara and Linc), manage to hide in a tunnel, cutting off the single from their ankle monitors, which pisses of Self to no end. Michael experiences another headache, but refuses to tell Sara what's wrong. He spies another piece of paper and quickly figures out the clues in the two emails: the meeting is taking place at a power plant in Newport Beach.

The fab four steals a cab and makes a run to Newport Beach, just as Self gets the signal again and starts to follow.

At the power plant, Tuxhorn meets with Pad Man. Tuxhorn asks Pad Man why they'll be using Laos for an op. The fab four arrives at the power plant and starts to look around. Why didn't we see the shot of them sitting for HOURS in LA traffic? When I was there in January the highway was like a parking lot.

Unfortunately for the fab four, Self and the agents arrive at the power plant. Which means more running. Linc gets plowed down by a car and Sara gives herself up while Michael escapes. Mahone is also caught. Self insists to Linc that the operation is over.

Michael sees Tuxhorn meeting with Pad Man. We also see another car arriving.

Back at the warehouse, we see that everyone from the team has been captured except Michael. Self also tells the agents to let Sara go. Michael returns in the cab and shows Self a video he shot of the Scylla meeting. Turns out all six cardholders were in attendance. Self flashes back to a conversation with his Director. I'm thinking either the Director or Senator Dallo are sketchy. Self allows the team to go free to continue their pursuit of Scylla.

Turns out the Director's name is Herb. The Director tells Self that Senator Dallo won't be there to save him. After Herb leaves, Self stares at a picture of a girl. An ex-wife perhaps?

Mahone retrieves the information Lang got for him. It turns out to be an autopsy report about his son. There's a little tear dripping from my eye. Mahone spent all of Season 2 killing members of the Fox River 8 in order to protect his family and now his son is dead anyways. Linc approaches Mahone and says he knows about his son. Mahone says that only his son was killed. His ex-wife, Pam, is still alive. Lincoln, who finally realizes that he isn't the only person who lost something throughout the course of this show, promises to help Mahone avenge his son.

Ok, I have to send the episode to Cousin Joe since he's working nights this week, so I've got no update from him. And my grandfather hasn't yet watched the tape (yes, the man has a new computer, but still uses a VCR) he made of the show last night. So, there's no word from my family members today. My friend, Geoff, however, says he's disappointed that Michael didn't use some clever plan to escape from the server room. I told him that Michael has been using his brain for months, and he's been thinking so hard that it's clearly giving him a tumor or something and Geoff should just lay off. See you kids here next week.