Matt and Sweat run into walls and other obstacles as they search for a way out, but the power of positive thinking helps keep them on track. Tilly begins to feel guilty about her mounting indiscretions, but she has a funny way of showing it.
In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of Showtime's Escape at Dannemora.
"Part 3" was written by Jerry Stahl and directed by Ben Stiller
This hour proves that it took a lot of luck and determination for Richard Matt and David Sweat to break out of prison. This episode is mostly about the procedural elements of it all. It showcases how they had to fashion tools together in order to cut holes out of their rooms and then break through the walls below the buildings of this facility. It's a lot of hard work. One that understandably takes a long time to complete. Of course, they have the time because they have nothing better to do than to plot their escape from this place. Again, neither of them have any intentions of dying here even though they have life sentences for their crimes. They will continue to manipulate the situation to their benefit until it leads them to being free in Mexico together. That's the picture that Matt paints in order to motivate Sweat into more action. He was already committed to the plan. But now, he is a full partner with Matt because he needs to get out of this place. He sees this as the only way that is going to happen. He has to stage his escape himself. This hour also points out how Matt may be the brains of the operation while Sweat is the muscle. Matt is the one already sitting in a position of power because he can get so much in prison. He has the connections with the inmates and guards to create a comfortable life here. It's not enough for him though. He yearns for his freedom as well. So, he hatched this idea and got Tilly to bring in some hack saws for him to break his way out. Both Matt and Sweat have to escape their separate rooms in order to team up and explore the bowels of this facility. They fortunately don't have any close encounters. They aren't sneaking around the guards who are closely monitoring this area. In fact, they face no personal resistance whatsoever. Their largest enemy is sleep deprivation. They have to do all of this work at night when the system thinks they are locked in their cells. And yet, they are properly motivated because they need to escape. Matt can easily get distracted when given the opportunity to smoke the end of a cigarette. Meanwhile, Sweat has to keep moving forward to see just what the challenges are. Those then immediately present in the form of brick walls. It's up to Sweat to break through them. That's what makes it seem like he is the one doing all of the hard work while Matt stays in his bed through the night. However, they are both going to have to work together to break through the cement outer wall in the hopes of getting to freedom. They first estimate that it will take years to break through that structure. They were incredibly lucky in the first place because there was a sledgehammer just lying around for them to use. But they will have to remain lucky in the pursuit of breaking through this wall while still feeling passionate about this escape. Moreover, they have to maintain personal relationships with Tilly. For her, it has always been about love. She doesn't care that she is cheating on Lyle. He even gets suspicious at one point but is quickly fooled into believing that everything is fine in his marriage. Tilly wants him to just die already though. She is having fun with Matt. She just feels bad because her relationship with Sweat meant something to her. So now, Matt sees the importance of Sweat picking up this affair once more as well. It makes Tilly feel personally motivated to help the two inmates she loves the most. However, she can't plead ignorance either. Matt tells her exactly what they are doing. That could be a huge mistake. They aren't close to escape just yet. She may not even take it seriously at the moment because he says it's still years away. And yet, all of this is about to happen much more quickly than anyone is expecting.
