Chicago (Prison Break episode)
Encyclopedia
"Chicago" is the thirty-eighth episode of the American
television series Prison Break
and is the sixteenth episode of its second season. It was written by Nick Santora
and Matt Olmstead
, and directed by Jesse Bochco. The episode first aired on February 5, 2007, making it the first episode to be aired during the February sweeps in the United States. It attained an average of 10.1 million viewers, which is the highest recorded audience for the second season.
The premise of this episode covers Michael Scofield
and Lincoln Burrows
' journey to Chicago with Sara Tancredi
and Paul Kellerman
. Other subplots include that of Agent Mahone
, Bellick
, T-Bag, C-Note
and Haywire. In regards to the casting for this particular episode, regular cast member Amaury Nolasco
(who plays Sucre
) does not appear.
train station, Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies
) reunites with Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller
) and the two embrace. Sara also greets Michael's brother, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) but also finds Paul Kellerman (Paul Adelstein
) with them as he secretly converses with President Caroline Reynolds (Patricia Wettig
) by mobile phone from around a corner. Michael strangles Kellerman while Lincoln holds him down, after finding out that Kellerman had tried to kill Sara. When they let go of him, Kellerman tells the group that he recognizes Sara's key as being from a private cigar club in Chicago, Illinois.
Kellerman successfully deceives the train conductor by explaining that Michael is a fugitive, and he needs an empty train to transport him to Chicago. In the meantime, Lincoln thanks Sara for helping them and assures her that Kellerman is a temporary ally. On the train, Sara is struggling with flashbacks of her ordeal with Kellerman. After noticing that Lincoln was asleep, Sara sends Michael away on a fool's errand to get water for her. Once he leaves, she gets behind Kellerman and attempts to strangle him with a cord from her sweatshirt; a makeshift garrote
. Lincoln and Michael stop her and save Kellerman.
Wanting to be alone, Sara stays in the train car restroom. Kellerman calls the President, who promises him a job as "Chief of Staff
". Michael enters the bathroom and talks to Sara. She asks him if he really believes they can "get it all back" and he replies that he has faith, and that it's kept him going the whole time. Sara says that she's motivated by justice for her father and her feelings for Michael. They kiss but are interrupted by a police railblock.
After running through the police railblock, the group of four has apparently jumped off the train. A police force chases the group, until their path is blocked by a helicopter. The group turns out to be the conductor and others, who explained that the real group of fugitives told them to jump off the train at gunpoint, to keep running, and not to look back. As Michael, Lincoln, Sara, and Kellerman leave the train without incident, Kellerman finds a car, and is again contacted by the president. Kellerman asks her what they did during his 35th birthday. When the voice on the other line cannot answer the question, Kellerman realizes that she is not actually the President. He says, "Hey. Whoever this is ... tell Bill Kim that he just screwed up ... big-time."
In Chicago, Kellerman offers to go to the cigar club with the key as he is not a "wanted fugitive". Michael and Sara go together instead. As they enter the club, Michael admits his feelings for Sara.
In Ness City, Kansas
, T-Bag (Robert Knepper
) forces his hostages, Susan Hollander (K. K. Dodds
) and her children, to pretend that they are a family. A neighbour, Patty, arrives at the Hollander household. When Susan's son, Zach, attempts to take Patty aside to explain that they're being held hostage, T-Bag silently threatens Zach with his gun. Wary of their neighbours, T-Bag forces the Hollander family to leave the house with him.
In Benson, Minnesota
, C-Note (Rockmond Dunbar
) is at a diner with his daughter, Dede, where she is unable to digest her food and vomits in the bathroom. As C-Note prepares to leave the diner, an armed robber enters and attempts to rob the customers. C-Note attempts to defuse the situation by telling the hostages to stay in one corner and give the robber their money. After the diner robber acquires the money, he tries to take a young woman with him as the police approaches. C-Note saves the woman and in return for his good deed, the hostages help C-Note and Dede escape when the police arrived.
At the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Chicago Field Office, Agent Wheeler (Jason Davis
) reports to Agent Alexander Mahone
(William Fichtner
) that Haywire has killed a man in Wisconsin. When Mahone says to let the Madison, Wisconsin
FBI office handle Haywire and to continue focusing on the brothers, Wheeler tells him that he will report back to the headquarters. Agent William Kim (Reggie Lee
) phones Mahone and orders him to kill Haywire because he was Scofield's cellmate and there's no telling what he may know about the conspiracy.
Mahone returns to Fox River State Penitentiary
where he tells Brad Bellick (Wade Williams
) that since the prosecution violated his rights, the murder charge will be dropped upon a Habeas corpus
hearing. However, in order for that to happen, Mahone wants his help to track down the fugitives like a "junkyard dog". Bellick complies. After Bellick is released from prison, he is given a car, a file with his name on it, along with a firearm and a badge.
On a Algoma, Wisconsin
shore, Haywire (Silas Weir Mitchell
) tries to make his escape on his makeshift boat with his border collie
. Bellick arrives in Algoma and interrogates Sasha. After finding out where Haywire is, Bellick reports to Mahone. Bellick heads to the location and as he closes in on him, Haywire climbs up a silo
. Mahone arrives and is angry at a surprised Bellick for not stopping a large crowd from gathering to watch Haywire climb up the silo. Mahone climbs up the silo to meet Haywire. Due to the crowd, he has to devise an alternative plan to kill Haywire. He decides to talk with him. After sympathizing with his situation, he ends up giving Haywire some subtle prodding to make him think there is only one way out. Mahone stands back as Haywire jumps to his death in dramatic slow motion.
and in areas near Greenville. Although the filming was scheduled to begin on December 13, 2006, it was delayed to December 15, 2006. The action sequence, which involved the train crashing into police cars, was also delayed to January 8, 2007 and was filmed in an area just north of Greenville.
". Towards the end of the episode where Haywire falls to his death, the song playing is "Home
" by Alexi Murdoch
. Another Murdoch song, "Orange Sky", was played during the Prison Break episode "English, Fitz, or Percy".
's Deal or No Deal
in total viewers and the key demographic of adults 18-49. This episode achieved a 6.4% household rating and a 9% household share with an average of 10.1 million viewers, which is the highest recorded audience so far for the second season.
Despite obtaining one of the series' highest recorded audience, the episode received moderate responses from some critics. A critic from UGO, Troy Rogers, gave "Chicago" a B grade, saying that "some aspects of the show are starting to feel tired". Similarly, Craig Blanchard of the San Diego Union-Tribune also gave the episode a B grade. Although Blanchard complimented on the characterization of Kellerman, describing him as "the man with a bottomless bag of tricks", he also commented on the character of Bellick, saying that "it's only a matter of time before Bellick is back to his role as a bottom-feeder. Talk about a riches-to-rags-to-riches story. He's even got a badge now." Peter Brown from IFMagazine gave the episode a B+ grade, saying, "The serve of the week wasn’t as good as some of previous twists with the train jumpers but still continues a nice little tactic of giving the viewers something each week that stays true to what made this series good." The episode received an overall rating of 9.2/10 from IGN
s Ahsan Haque, who commented that "this episode continues the trend of bombarding viewers with extremely fast-paced and self-contained storylines for an ever-dwindling cast of characters".
Jeff Commings of Arizona Daily Star
commented on the various subplots of the episode and says, "That’s more action than I see in a year, but probably not as much as Jack Bauer
sees in an hour. Yes, it stretches credibility, but it still has some great moments." Jeff of TV Fodder reviewed the episode and also commented on the action sequence, stating, "The train escape was brilliant I think. Scofield is back in the driver's seat and running the show." On the other hand, Entertainment Weekly
s Kate Sullivan described the protagonists' trip to Chicago as "sketchy". Sullivan also noted that the episode contained the "moment fans have been waiting for — perhaps more than the escape, more than the moment when the whole conspiracy will blow up — was Sara and Michael's reunion".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television series Prison Break
Prison Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
and is the sixteenth episode of its second season. It was written by Nick Santora
Nick Santora
Nick Santora is a writer and producer born in Queens, New York. Santora graduated from Columbia Law School and practiced law for six years before giving up full-time practice to write and produce television....
and Matt Olmstead
Matt Olmstead
Matt Olmstead is an American writer and producer for television shows.-Early life:Olmstead graduated from California State University, Chico. He is an alumnus of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. He went to Hollywood in hopes of being a script writer. Olmstead eventually worked with an...
, and directed by Jesse Bochco. The episode first aired on February 5, 2007, making it the first episode to be aired during the February sweeps in the United States. It attained an average of 10.1 million viewers, which is the highest recorded audience for the second season.
The premise of this episode covers Michael Scofield
Michael Scofield
Michael J. Scofield is the main protagonist in the American television series Prison Break. He is portrayed by Wentworth Miller. The character first appeared in the series pilot as a man who stages a bank robbery in order to get sent into the prison where his older brother, Lincoln Burrows , is...
and Lincoln Burrows
Lincoln Burrows
Lincoln Burrows, played by Dominic Purcell, is one of the main protagonists of the American television series, Prison Break. The plot of Prison Break revolves around Lincoln Burrows' setup for the murder of the vice president's brother and his brother's plan to help him escape his death sentence....
' journey to Chicago with Sara Tancredi
Sara Tancredi
Dr. Sara Tancredi is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. She is played by Sarah Wayne Callies. Her role in the first season of the series is a prison doctor.- Background :...
and Paul Kellerman
Paul Kellerman
Paul Kellerman, played by Paul Adelstein, is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. The character was introduced to the series as a Secret Service special agent in the series pilot but the actor was not listed as a regular cast member until the third episode...
. Other subplots include that of Agent Mahone
Alexander Mahone
Alexander "Alex" Mahone is a fictional character portrayed by William Fichtner in the American television series Prison Break. The series revolves around two brothers: one who has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit and his younger sibling, a genius who devises an elaborate plan...
, Bellick
Brad Bellick
Bradley "Brad" Bellick is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. He is portrayed by Wade Williams. As one of the principal characters of Prison Break, he has been featured in all four seasons of the series...
, T-Bag, C-Note
Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin
Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin, played by Rockmond Dunbar, is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. The character was introduced as a prisoner in the pilot episode. The actor was promoted from a recurring guest star to a regular cast member midway through the...
and Haywire. In regards to the casting for this particular episode, regular cast member Amaury Nolasco
Amaury Nolasco
Amaury Nolasco Garrido is a Puerto Rican actor, best known for the role of Fernando Sucre on the television series Prison Break, and for his role in Transformers.-Early life:...
(who plays Sucre
Fernando Sucre
Fernando Sucre, played by Amaury Nolasco, is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. He is introduced to the series in the pilot episode as the prison cellmate of the series protagonist, Michael Scofield .-Background:Of Puerto Rican descent, Sucre grew up in Chicago...
) does not appear.
Plot
At an Evansville, IndianaEvansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
train station, Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies
Sarah Wayne Callies
Sarah Wayne Callies is an American actress who is best known for her role as Sara Tancredi in the American television series Prison Break. She now plays Lori Grimes in The Walking Dead.- Early life :...
) reunites with Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller
Wentworth Miller
Wentworth Earl Miller III is an English-born American actor; model and screenwriter who rose to stardom following his role as Michael Scofield in the Fox Network television series Prison Break.-Early life:...
) and the two embrace. Sara also greets Michael's brother, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) but also finds Paul Kellerman (Paul Adelstein
Paul Adelstein
Paul Adelstein is an American television and film actor, best known for the role of Agent Paul Kellerman in the television series, Prison Break, and his current role as pediatrician Cooper Freedman in the series Private Practice....
) with them as he secretly converses with President Caroline Reynolds (Patricia Wettig
Patricia Wettig
Patricia Wettig is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her roles in the television series Thirtysomething, Prison Break and Brothers & Sisters...
) by mobile phone from around a corner. Michael strangles Kellerman while Lincoln holds him down, after finding out that Kellerman had tried to kill Sara. When they let go of him, Kellerman tells the group that he recognizes Sara's key as being from a private cigar club in Chicago, Illinois.
Kellerman successfully deceives the train conductor by explaining that Michael is a fugitive, and he needs an empty train to transport him to Chicago. In the meantime, Lincoln thanks Sara for helping them and assures her that Kellerman is a temporary ally. On the train, Sara is struggling with flashbacks of her ordeal with Kellerman. After noticing that Lincoln was asleep, Sara sends Michael away on a fool's errand to get water for her. Once he leaves, she gets behind Kellerman and attempts to strangle him with a cord from her sweatshirt; a makeshift garrote
Garrote
A garrote or garrote vil is a handheld weapon, most often referring to a ligature of chain, rope, scarf, wire or fishing line used to strangle someone....
. Lincoln and Michael stop her and save Kellerman.
Wanting to be alone, Sara stays in the train car restroom. Kellerman calls the President, who promises him a job as "Chief of Staff
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
". Michael enters the bathroom and talks to Sara. She asks him if he really believes they can "get it all back" and he replies that he has faith, and that it's kept him going the whole time. Sara says that she's motivated by justice for her father and her feelings for Michael. They kiss but are interrupted by a police railblock.
After running through the police railblock, the group of four has apparently jumped off the train. A police force chases the group, until their path is blocked by a helicopter. The group turns out to be the conductor and others, who explained that the real group of fugitives told them to jump off the train at gunpoint, to keep running, and not to look back. As Michael, Lincoln, Sara, and Kellerman leave the train without incident, Kellerman finds a car, and is again contacted by the president. Kellerman asks her what they did during his 35th birthday. When the voice on the other line cannot answer the question, Kellerman realizes that she is not actually the President. He says, "Hey. Whoever this is ... tell Bill Kim that he just screwed up ... big-time."
In Chicago, Kellerman offers to go to the cigar club with the key as he is not a "wanted fugitive". Michael and Sara go together instead. As they enter the club, Michael admits his feelings for Sara.
In Ness City, Kansas
Ness City, Kansas
Ness is a city in and the county seat of Ness County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,449. Ness City is famous for its four-story Old Ness County Bank Building located downtown, and nicknamed Skyscraper of the Plains.-Geography:Ness City is located at...
, T-Bag (Robert Knepper
Robert Knepper
Robert Lyle Knepper is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell in the Fox network's drama series Prison Break, for which he was nominated a Satellite Award...
) forces his hostages, Susan Hollander (K. K. Dodds
K. K. Dodds
K. K. Dodds is an American actress. She appeared in such television shows as Prison Break, CSI, and NYPD Blue. Dodds also appeared in the film Soldier as Lieutenant Sloan, in Being John Malkovich as Wendy, in A Life Less Ordinary as Lily, in Grosse Pointe Blank as Tracy, and in Spider-Man as Simkins...
) and her children, to pretend that they are a family. A neighbour, Patty, arrives at the Hollander household. When Susan's son, Zach, attempts to take Patty aside to explain that they're being held hostage, T-Bag silently threatens Zach with his gun. Wary of their neighbours, T-Bag forces the Hollander family to leave the house with him.
In Benson, Minnesota
Benson, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,376 people, 1,451 households, and 880 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,360.5 people per square mile . There were 1,566 housing units at an average density of 631.1 per square mile...
, C-Note (Rockmond Dunbar
Rockmond Dunbar
Rockmond Dunbar is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Kenny Chadway on the Showtime television drama series Soul Food, and as Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin on the FOX television drama series Prison Break...
) is at a diner with his daughter, Dede, where she is unable to digest her food and vomits in the bathroom. As C-Note prepares to leave the diner, an armed robber enters and attempts to rob the customers. C-Note attempts to defuse the situation by telling the hostages to stay in one corner and give the robber their money. After the diner robber acquires the money, he tries to take a young woman with him as the police approaches. C-Note saves the woman and in return for his good deed, the hostages help C-Note and Dede escape when the police arrived.
At the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
Chicago Field Office, Agent Wheeler (Jason Davis
Jason Davis (actor)
Jason Davis is an actor best known for his voice acting work on the Animated TV series Recess.-Early life:...
) reports to Agent Alexander Mahone
Alexander Mahone
Alexander "Alex" Mahone is a fictional character portrayed by William Fichtner in the American television series Prison Break. The series revolves around two brothers: one who has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit and his younger sibling, a genius who devises an elaborate plan...
(William Fichtner
William Fichtner
William Edward Fichtner is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Sheriff Tom Underlay on Invasion, as Alexander Mahone on Prison Break, as William Sharp in Armageddon, and as Ken Rosenberg in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.- Early life...
) that Haywire has killed a man in Wisconsin. When Mahone says to let the Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
FBI office handle Haywire and to continue focusing on the brothers, Wheeler tells him that he will report back to the headquarters. Agent William Kim (Reggie Lee
Reggie Lee (actor)
Reggie Lee is an American actor who played William Kim on the show Prison Break and also appeared as Tai Huang in two Pirates of the Caribbean films, as well as The Fast and the Furious...
) phones Mahone and orders him to kill Haywire because he was Scofield's cellmate and there's no telling what he may know about the conspiracy.
Mahone returns to Fox River State Penitentiary
Fox River State Penitentiary
Fox River State Penitentiary is a fictional level five maximum-security prison featured prominently in the first season of the television series, Prison Break. The real-life representation of the prison is Joliet Prison, which is located in Joliet, Illinois...
where he tells Brad Bellick (Wade Williams
Wade Williams
Wade Andrew Williams is an American actor who is best known for his starring role as Brad Bellick on Fox's television series Prison Break.-Personal life:...
) that since the prosecution violated his rights, the murder charge will be dropped upon a Habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
hearing. However, in order for that to happen, Mahone wants his help to track down the fugitives like a "junkyard dog". Bellick complies. After Bellick is released from prison, he is given a car, a file with his name on it, along with a firearm and a badge.
On a Algoma, Wisconsin
Algoma, Wisconsin
Algoma is a city in Kewaunee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 3,357 at the 2000 census. Algoma is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
shore, Haywire (Silas Weir Mitchell
Silas Weir Mitchell (actor)
Silas Weir Mitchell is an American character actor known for playing disturbing or unstable characters.-Career:He has had recurring guest roles in the first season of 24 , My Name Is Earl , and Prison Break...
) tries to make his escape on his makeshift boat with his border collie
Border Collie
The Border Collie is a herding dog breed developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region for herding livestock, especially sheep. It is the most widespread of the collie breeds....
. Bellick arrives in Algoma and interrogates Sasha. After finding out where Haywire is, Bellick reports to Mahone. Bellick heads to the location and as he closes in on him, Haywire climbs up a silo
Storage silo
A silo is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store grain or fermented feed known as silage. Silos are more commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use...
. Mahone arrives and is angry at a surprised Bellick for not stopping a large crowd from gathering to watch Haywire climb up the silo. Mahone climbs up the silo to meet Haywire. Due to the crowd, he has to devise an alternative plan to kill Haywire. He decides to talk with him. After sympathizing with his situation, he ends up giving Haywire some subtle prodding to make him think there is only one way out. Mahone stands back as Haywire jumps to his death in dramatic slow motion.
Production details
The episode was filmed in downtown Greenville, TexasGreenville, Texas
Greenville is the county seat, and the largest city, of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557....
and in areas near Greenville. Although the filming was scheduled to begin on December 13, 2006, it was delayed to December 15, 2006. The action sequence, which involved the train crashing into police cars, was also delayed to January 8, 2007 and was filmed in an area just north of Greenville.
Music
The song that was used to link the scene where T-Bag leaves Ness City with the Hollanders and the following scene with C-Note in the diner is "Give Me Just a Little More TimeGive Me Just a Little More Time
"Give Me Just a Little More Time" is the debut single for Chairmen of the Board, released in 1970 through Capitol Records on Holland–Dozier–Holland's Invictus Records label....
". Towards the end of the episode where Haywire falls to his death, the song playing is "Home
Time Without Consequence
"Time Without Consequence" is an album by singer-songwriter Alexi Murdoch. It was released on June 6, 2006 and was Murdoch's first full length LP.The songs "Song For You," "Blue Mind," and "Orange Sky" were featured on Murdoch's Four Songs EP....
" by Alexi Murdoch
Alexi Murdoch
Alexi Murdoch is a singer-songwriter born in London and raised in Scotland, Greece and France, now living in Berlin.- Background :Murdoch was born in London to a Greek father and Scottish-French mother and raised in Greece, just outside of Athens until he was ten, when his family moved to...
. Another Murdoch song, "Orange Sky", was played during the Prison Break episode "English, Fitz, or Percy".
Reception
Prison Break continues to be placed second in the Monday 8:00pm timeslot behind NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which was the Dutch Miljoenenjacht produced by Dutch producer Endemol. It is played with up to 26 cases with certain sums of money...
in total viewers and the key demographic of adults 18-49. This episode achieved a 6.4% household rating and a 9% household share with an average of 10.1 million viewers, which is the highest recorded audience so far for the second season.
Despite obtaining one of the series' highest recorded audience, the episode received moderate responses from some critics. A critic from UGO, Troy Rogers, gave "Chicago" a B grade, saying that "some aspects of the show are starting to feel tired". Similarly, Craig Blanchard of the San Diego Union-Tribune also gave the episode a B grade. Although Blanchard complimented on the characterization of Kellerman, describing him as "the man with a bottomless bag of tricks", he also commented on the character of Bellick, saying that "it's only a matter of time before Bellick is back to his role as a bottom-feeder. Talk about a riches-to-rags-to-riches story. He's even got a badge now." Peter Brown from IFMagazine gave the episode a B+ grade, saying, "The serve of the week wasn’t as good as some of previous twists with the train jumpers but still continues a nice little tactic of giving the viewers something each week that stays true to what made this series good." The episode received an overall rating of 9.2/10 from IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
s Ahsan Haque, who commented that "this episode continues the trend of bombarding viewers with extremely fast-paced and self-contained storylines for an ever-dwindling cast of characters".
Jeff Commings of Arizona Daily Star
Arizona Daily Star
The Arizona Daily Star is the major morning daily newspaper that serves Tucson and surrounding districts of southern Arizona in the United States. The paper was purchased by Pulitzer in 1971; Lee Enterprises bought Pulitzer in 2005....
commented on the various subplots of the episode and says, "That’s more action than I see in a year, but probably not as much as Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer is the main protagonist of the American television series 24. His character has worked in various capacities on the show, often as a member of the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit based in Los Angeles, and working with the FBI in Washington, D.C...
sees in an hour. Yes, it stretches credibility, but it still has some great moments." Jeff of TV Fodder reviewed the episode and also commented on the action sequence, stating, "The train escape was brilliant I think. Scofield is back in the driver's seat and running the show." On the other hand, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Kate Sullivan described the protagonists' trip to Chicago as "sketchy". Sullivan also noted that the episode contained the "moment fans have been waiting for — perhaps more than the escape, more than the moment when the whole conspiracy will blow up — was Sara and Michael's reunion".