Cowboys and Indians
- Episode aired May 8, 2009
- TV-14
- 44m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
Pandemonium erupts at the Panda Bay Hotel after an assassination at the global energy conference.Pandemonium erupts at the Panda Bay Hotel after an assassination at the global energy conference.Pandemonium erupts at the Panda Bay Hotel after an assassination at the global energy conference.
Amaury Nolasco
- Fernando Sucre
- (credit only)
Jodi Lyn O'Keefe
- Gretchen Morgan
- (credit only)
Featured reviews
This episode really deserves its title because there were a lot of gun fights. I didn't mind them as action cooled off in the past episodes but I found one scene specially disturbing. In fact I prefer when a conflict is solved without violence. Anyway some of the scenes should remind you of films like The Professional (LΓ©on), Point Break and even The Matrix. In one of them Lincoln dropped a line you won't resist because it was just too funny considering the context and the character he said it to. Also in the past episode the brothers were framed so they had to escape, again, and it was interesting to see if they would continue to work against each other or team up. I let you appreciate the path they chose. For once I was also glad that the story focused on Self because he's part of the team after all. Beside that T-Bag tried his best to convince the General that he's a worthy asset and not a psycho-clown. Last but not least the episode ended with a cliffhanger, again. However last time I thought the writers wouldn't be able to surpass it but believe me, they actually did.
Story falls into a loop. Leverage and leverage ππ. Anyone can predict that what's gonna happen next.
This season can have highest 13/14 episodes. But they just make it like chewing gum.
This season can have highest 13/14 episodes. But they just make it like chewing gum.
The textbook example of a show that refuses to end the journey without dragging its main characters through hell first-and honestly, at this point, I don't even know if that's dedication or just stubbornness. The episode is structured around three narrative threads that, while decently intertwined, are clearly starting to wear thin: Michael and Lincoln trying to escape yet another death trap; the General and his cronies doing their usual shady business; and Christina, who has gone so far off the rails she's now hands-down one of the most despicable villains "Prison Break" has ever given us. And that's saying something, considering this show has always had a high bar for evil scumbags.
Michael and Lincoln's escape from the hotel actually brings some tension and creativity-that scene with the makeshift trap using a fridge, toilet paper, and fire? Clever stuff, a little taste of the old seasons when the show would surprise us with wild plans. But what's getting exhausting-really exhausting-is how many pointless obstacles the writers keep throwing in their path. Every time it feels like we might get a win, boom-a new roadblock, a new twist, another capture. This time it's the police closing in, the poisonous gas, the undercover Company agent... It's just a constant loop of frustration that's way past emotionally draining. Sure, we're watching on edge, but we're also worn out. It feels like the show can't build suspense anymore without relying on the same formula: "they plan, it almost works, it all goes to hell, someone gets kidnapped."
And that's where the writing starts feeling real forced. Lincoln being taken hostage again, while Sara is once more used as a bargaining chip on the other side... it's just tired. These repeated setups kill the sense of urgency. And honestly, Lincoln choosing to stay behind at the bank to give cover? That felt more like a lazy plot decision than a real choice the character would make. The gunfire rarely hits anyone anyway, and in the end, he got kidnapped again. If he'd just run with Michael and Mahone, maybe none of this would've happened. It's hard to defend choices like that when the writing doesn't even give him a chance to be useful. It just felt like a convenient excuse to shove another emotional dilemma in Michael's face.
Over in the General's storyline, we're still deep in that "villain in a suit with zero shame" vibe that's become the Company's signature. He's cold, ruthless, and clearly willing to cross any line now. The execution of Self's wife, for example, is a brutal twist-predictable, yeah-but somehow more impactful than anything Self's done this entire season. Speaking of, Self's arc is just crumbling. He started out as this morally gray agent, turned into a backstabbing opportunist, and now he's just spiraling-stabbing a Homeland colleague, jumping off balconies, dragging himself around the docks with a busted leg. He's the perfect picture of a character who's completely lost-both him and the writers, honestly.
And now back to her: Christina. What a pathetic and twisted villain. The way she treats Lincoln, especially after dropping the bomb that he's not her biological son, is just straight-up petty and nasty. Like the fact that he doesn't share her blood somehow justifies all this unhinged hatred. It makes no sense, has no real dramatic weight-it's just cruelty for the sake of stirring conflict. Her contempt is so over-the-top it's hard to take seriously. And the worst part? She still tries to play the "concerned mother" card with Michael, as if having "only one real son" makes her actions less grotesque. The way she shoots Lincoln and coldly delivers that ultimatum to Michael ("Scylla or someone you love")-it locks her in as the definitive villain, but also shows just how much she's become a cartoon version of evil. There's no complexity left, just bitterness and obsession, which honestly strips away what used to make the show's villains interesting.
Anyway, the episode serves as a transition piece: no big payoffs, just tension stacking on top of more tension to set up the climax. You can feel the endgame creeping in, and with it, the need to wrap things up. Still, it's hard to ignore how much the writing keeps repeating itself, leaning on cheap tricks to keep the drama alive. The characters are exhausted, the story's looping in on itself, and I'm just hoping this nightmare ends soon. And when it does end, please-let Christina pay for every drop of blood she's spilled. No more impunity, no more mind games. Someone-anyone-needs to give this insufferable woman the ending she deserves.
Michael and Lincoln's escape from the hotel actually brings some tension and creativity-that scene with the makeshift trap using a fridge, toilet paper, and fire? Clever stuff, a little taste of the old seasons when the show would surprise us with wild plans. But what's getting exhausting-really exhausting-is how many pointless obstacles the writers keep throwing in their path. Every time it feels like we might get a win, boom-a new roadblock, a new twist, another capture. This time it's the police closing in, the poisonous gas, the undercover Company agent... It's just a constant loop of frustration that's way past emotionally draining. Sure, we're watching on edge, but we're also worn out. It feels like the show can't build suspense anymore without relying on the same formula: "they plan, it almost works, it all goes to hell, someone gets kidnapped."
And that's where the writing starts feeling real forced. Lincoln being taken hostage again, while Sara is once more used as a bargaining chip on the other side... it's just tired. These repeated setups kill the sense of urgency. And honestly, Lincoln choosing to stay behind at the bank to give cover? That felt more like a lazy plot decision than a real choice the character would make. The gunfire rarely hits anyone anyway, and in the end, he got kidnapped again. If he'd just run with Michael and Mahone, maybe none of this would've happened. It's hard to defend choices like that when the writing doesn't even give him a chance to be useful. It just felt like a convenient excuse to shove another emotional dilemma in Michael's face.
Over in the General's storyline, we're still deep in that "villain in a suit with zero shame" vibe that's become the Company's signature. He's cold, ruthless, and clearly willing to cross any line now. The execution of Self's wife, for example, is a brutal twist-predictable, yeah-but somehow more impactful than anything Self's done this entire season. Speaking of, Self's arc is just crumbling. He started out as this morally gray agent, turned into a backstabbing opportunist, and now he's just spiraling-stabbing a Homeland colleague, jumping off balconies, dragging himself around the docks with a busted leg. He's the perfect picture of a character who's completely lost-both him and the writers, honestly.
And now back to her: Christina. What a pathetic and twisted villain. The way she treats Lincoln, especially after dropping the bomb that he's not her biological son, is just straight-up petty and nasty. Like the fact that he doesn't share her blood somehow justifies all this unhinged hatred. It makes no sense, has no real dramatic weight-it's just cruelty for the sake of stirring conflict. Her contempt is so over-the-top it's hard to take seriously. And the worst part? She still tries to play the "concerned mother" card with Michael, as if having "only one real son" makes her actions less grotesque. The way she shoots Lincoln and coldly delivers that ultimatum to Michael ("Scylla or someone you love")-it locks her in as the definitive villain, but also shows just how much she's become a cartoon version of evil. There's no complexity left, just bitterness and obsession, which honestly strips away what used to make the show's villains interesting.
Anyway, the episode serves as a transition piece: no big payoffs, just tension stacking on top of more tension to set up the climax. You can feel the endgame creeping in, and with it, the need to wrap things up. Still, it's hard to ignore how much the writing keeps repeating itself, leaning on cheap tricks to keep the drama alive. The characters are exhausted, the story's looping in on itself, and I'm just hoping this nightmare ends soon. And when it does end, please-let Christina pay for every drop of blood she's spilled. No more impunity, no more mind games. Someone-anyone-needs to give this insufferable woman the ending she deserves.
Did you know
- GoofsWhen Lincoln takes Scylla at the bank, a member of the crew can be heard shouting 'turn' before he turns to look at Christina Scoffield.
- Quotes
General Jonathan Krantz: This ain't no Alabama coon hunt, Teddy.
- SoundtracksMain Titles
Composed by Ramin Djawadi
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