EDIT

Episode Summary

A television crew decides to do a piece on Oz. Staff and prisoners are interviewed by producer Lisa Logan and reporter Jack Eldridge. At first they focus on Beecher's troubled time in Oz until Poet tells them about the tapes Adebisi made before he died. Querns tells Glynn to destroy the tapes. Eldridge decides not to pursue the story and instead spend the night in a cell with Cyril. Cyril hadn't taken his medication that day and remembers that Eldridge interviewed he and Ryan shortly before their mother died, he beats Eldridge to a pulp.moreless
8.5
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Great
60 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate It
  • Pretty nice episode

    8.6
    "Great"
    Well... I have to say, at the beginning of the episode, I was thinking that the next fifty minute will be boring as hell. But it didn't turned like that. The action was pretty exciting! I loved the conversations from the interviews, especially the one with Keller. That was pretty funny. And that reporteeeer was so annoying (aren't they all?). Anyways. I thought this story line with all the media stuff will last at least 2 episodes, but it didn't.. I think it would have been more interesting and curios for the viewers if it did thought. General speaking, it was a quite original episode .. nothing big happed but it was fine. The finish did all. As in most OZ dramas.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0
  • A "Season Opener" show for a season that doesn't technically exist. Call it Season "4b" if you want, but this show runs along the same lines as "The Tip". No major plot turns, mostly individual character interviews. The quality of writing is rewarding.moreless

    9.5
    "Superb"
    What a classic episode. The dialogue was excellent and the acting was even more so (just watch Keller's interview to see what I mean). This episode features Jaz Hoyt (Evan Seinfeld) pulling his penis out and waving it at Ally Sheedy! The premiere of Omar White's long-returning character shows the Oz's transition from powerful (Adebisi) to powerless (Omar) figures. A sense of control is restored to Emerald City now that Tim McManus is back in charge. The only major storyline is the filming of the "60 Minutes" style television program hosted by Jack Eldridge (Roger Rees--'The Sheriff of Rottingham' in Robin Hood Men in Tights), a Brokaw-esque ball-busting reporter. Because Oz is a show that anyone is able to get into at any time, this episode recaps much of the earlier seasons' ongoings and the open issues still pending at this point in the show (which explains why it acts like a season opener when technically it is not--it was the first episode of 2001, however). Augustus Hill's monologues are interesting and focus around the mainstream media. Ryan O'Reilly seems to be the major player in this episode as he sets up his revenge against Jack Eldridge (it shows yet again how O'Reilly can always turn things his way even if things don't go exactly as originally planned). You can feel the tension build up as Cyril reveals to Eldridge (while locked up together for the night) that he forgot to take his medicine today (which is responsible for keeping Cyril sane). Like a roller coaster, you then quickly see things deteriorate to blows as Cyril blames Eldridge for giving his mother cancer and then proceeds to beat him to a bloody pulp. The irony at the end of the episode results when the segment is pulled by the network after all the trouble gone through to make it. A much better episode than many perceive, it can stand on its own and doesn't cling to a preceding or following episode for closure.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All
  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • Prisoner featured Omar White, convicted January 4, 2001, murder in the first degree. Sentence: 75 years, up for parole in 20. (prisoner # 01W771) Edit
    • When Ryan hands White drugs, he is holding them with his thumb and index finger. But in the next shot, the drugs are held between his index and middle fingers. Edit
  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Special thanks to Gordon Elliot, Eartha Kitt, John Carpenter (the winner on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", not the horror director). Edit
    • While most Oz seasons run 8 episodes, this ran 16, because "The Sopranos" was premiering later in the year than normal, and HBO wanted a show to fill up the time until then. Edit
    • Crime Flashbacks Omar White kills a future witness at his cousin's murder trial, but can't bring himself to shoot her young daughter. Mrs. O'Reily watches the feature on her teenage boys. Horrified, she hits Ryan and runs out in tears. Cyril kicks in the television. Edit
  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • McManus: Let's just try to make it through the night and pray for the best. O'Riley: You know what? You pray. Say a whole f***ing rosary. Edit
    • Logan: You're making a mistake, Jack. Letting this story go is a f***ing mistake! Eldridge: Yeah, probably, but you know, every once in a while, even a newsman has to have a heart. Edit
    • Glynn: It's a terrible thing to reach this point and realize your whole life has been a sham. Eldridge: So for a man whose job is meant to punish others, you ultimately punish yourself more than anyone. Glynn: Off the record? Eldridge: Yes. Glynn: No comment. Edit
  • Allusions

More
Less