PRISON BREAK: Otis

Season 2, Episode 2
Not only is this show like a night-time soap, it's also a roller coaster ride that ties your stomach in knots and makes you want to close your eyes in fear of what's coming around the next corner.
Last night's ep showed the boys continuing their journey to Mexico via Utah, and although the primary group of 5 (Michael, Linc, Sucre, Abruzzi, & C-Note) split up, they are sure to see each other again down the road. As the brothers part ways with the other 3, Sucre mentions that he wonders what happened to T-Bag. We'll soon get to find out.
It seems that the Hindi vet made a pretty decent plastic surgeon after all, neatly re-attaching T-Bag's severed hand with the skill of, well you get the picture. But instead of thanking the doc and moving on his way, T-Bag shows his true colors by telling the doctor that he will not be leaving the building alive. Chilling, but we always knew how evil he was; now we are seeing it firsthand, outside the walls of Fox River.
Meanwhile Warden Pope (Stacy Keach) and Sgt. Bellick are taking it from the prison review board regarding the escape. Pope is incredul;ous that instead of catching the escapees they are being forced to answer questions about how the inmates got out and who is responsible. Although they all know Dr. Tancredi left the door unlocked, the board has also learned that Bellick was the one who let the inmates work in the guards break room. Did he abet the cons? He vehemently denies it, but the line is drawn.

Agent Mahone is busy trying to pressure Linc's son LJ into giving up his father & uncle's whereabouts as he heads in to court to be sentenced. He even starts off by saying how much he admires his dad and uncle for their planning and carrying out the escape; LJ is unimpressed so Mahone gets to the point: he will cut a deal if LJ gives up the boys. Yeah, sure buddy. When the tactic fails, Mahone promises that LJ is going to be serving a long sentence in an adult facilityin Arizona. Little does he know that Linc & Michael have planned a little detour from their Mexican/Utah vacation- Linc knows that LJ is going to be sentenced, and by impersonating his (deceased) attorney speaks to LJ directly before he heads into the court. He assures his son that he will get him out, and gives him a cryptic message before hanging up: "On the third, look for Otis right". Huh?

As the boys race to spring LJ, T-Bag is busy disposing of the good doctor. Despite his pleas and prayers, T-Bag shows the cold blooded killer he really is by injected a lethal dose of a lethal drug in his arm, and then proceeded to bleach his hair in the sink. Cold and calm, the real T-Bag emerges. Watch out, Abruzzi.

After a former guard testifies that Bellick was bribed into letting the inmates work the guard shack, he promptly gets booted from Fox River. Pope gets off with a suspension, but in his outrage over their treatment of his man, Pope resigns on the spot.
By now LJ is headed to the courtroom, but Mahone surprises him by telling him he knows he spoke to his dad earlier and he will not be seeing the light of day for a long time. As they take the walk to the elevators, LJ glances up and sees the big Otis sign overhead. Ding, lightbulb on- Otis right on 3 (floor). Trouble is, clairvoyant Mahone picks it up too and follows the lead. When they enter the elevator, Michael and Lincoln break in from the top and shove a spray-painted water gun at Mahone and demand LJ's release. That's right, a toy gun!- this show is so into goofing on itself it actually had them use a painted water gun-classic! But in the scuffle, LJ falls back down and the boys are forced to flee without Linc's son in tow. Mission not accomplished.

As all of this is happening our old friend Tweener, or Newbie, has popped back into the picture. He's taken up hiding at a college campus and is looking to hitch a ride to...drumroll please...Utah. and wouldn't you know, he finds a sweet naive college chick that happens to be going that way. So he's aboard for the Utah rendezvous. Anyway, now we get to see the real life of Sgt. Bellick. He heads back to his home in a state of disbelief and disgust-how could they have let him go after all his years of dedicated service. the real kicker is we see that he lives with...drumroll please..HIS MOTHER! If it weren't so funny it'd be sweet. This guy is so pathetic and mean, yet I empathize with him anyway- the mark of a great actor. As I tell y wife about Bellick & T-Bag, you love to hate them. Bellick heads back to his bedroom and pulls out a shotgun, and immediately the heartbeat starts racing: are they gonna knock off 2 key characters in 2 consecutive weeks? After some stomach-turning moments, his mom calls up to him about a $300k rewqard for whoever catches the cons. Tense moment over; a lot of money can cure a lot of pain for a guy like Bellick!

So the ep wraps with LJ headed to Arizona and most everyone else headed to Utah, including T-Bag and Tweener. You know they are all going to meet up again, soon (judging by the previews I'd say next week is soon), and you know that the brothers are going to try and have LJ there with them. The tension is ratcheting up and I know I can't wait to see which way the coaster turns next.