Chicago

A solid episode of Prison Break tonight.

We learned why the President sounded all robot-y on the phone, just saying the same things over and over again -- because it wasn't actually her! And frankly, this plot development helped Kim become more of a character too. All season long, he's just been this mustache-twirling "shadowy figure" on one end of a phone spewing cliche dialogue. This episode, he actually showed some intelligence in knowing exactly how to bait Paul Kellerman. (It just happened Paul was smarter still.)

All the 'shippers for Michael and Sara got a healthy dose of reunion.

The T-Bag plot continues to interest me, even though it's growing ever more bizarre. (The creepy family home becomes the creepy family road trip.)

Bellick has instantly become compelling and relevant to the plot again. Fantastic that his trip to prison was just a short side trip, and that he's now back on the hunt for the escapees. The "bulldog" analogy Mahone used was absolutely perfect. Bellick really is a bulldog, and in any other role, he simply wasn't fun to watch. Though frankly, Mahone could probably confide his real mission regarding the fugitives. "Bellick with the Bureau" doesn't strike me as the sort of person who would shy away from killing the Fox River Gang rather than bringing them in.

The Haywire story closed tonight, as it inevitably had to. I liked that this death was not the execution that Abruzzi and Tweener faced earlier this season. Mahone used more finesse this time, pushing the crazy man just that last bit over the edge.

And then... well, there was C-Note. Again, the weakest plot of the night. But this time was a little better. I guess where I found a soft spot for this plot thread was in how the other people at the restaurant reacted at the end, covering for C-Note and helping him escape even after learning he was a convict. Sure, perhaps they would not all have done so had they known he was one of the famous "Fox River Eight," but in that moment, with the information they had and the experience they'd just had with C-Note saving their lives, it made sense.

Next week brings two hours of 24 in lieu of any Prison Break. A bit of a Prison Break break. (Ugh. I can't believe I just typed that.) We'll see how the remaining "Fox River Five" fare after that.