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Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

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Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Old 12-24-18, 12:09 AM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Devoting an entire episode on back stories when the remaining 2 could have been intriguing descents was a real disappointment and momentum killer. I hope the finale will be a decent length to wrap up the story satisfactorily.
Old 12-24-18, 12:52 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

I didn't know there was only one more episode (I thought it was 8, or even 10 eps. Not 7). So yeah, this was a waste of an hour since they've only just escaped. I remember when this happened (and again, I'm refraining from looking it up on Google till after it's completely over) and those guys were on the run for a while. Plus, it took time for the authorities to realize Tilly was in on it. It sucks that they're gonna have to cram that all in to an hour.

I guess they put this episode in so that we wouldn't root for any of them, as they're all extremely bad people.
Old 12-24-18, 09:23 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Here’s a good interview with Stiller: https://deadline.com/2018/12/ben-sti...202525511/amp/

He talks about why this episode was placed where it was.
Old 12-25-18, 08:27 AM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Originally Posted by Jack Straw
Devoting an entire episode on back stories when the remaining 2 could have been intriguing descents was a real disappointment and momentum killer. I hope the finale will be a decent length to wrap up the story satisfactorily.
I agree, but that was some pretty fucked up shit.
Old 12-25-18, 03:52 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Good interview. I've really enjoyed the series.

I think the final episode might be around 90 minutes.

Interruption aside I found the backstories interesting and a stark reminder of how brutal these two men were. Given their crimes it's incredible the amount of freedom they were given.

Also wanted to add how totally off guard I was by the flashback. At first I thought maybe the officer was going to spot them heading into the mountains. I followed the coverage but couldn't recall the details. They did a great job of building suspense and also humanizing the policeman during the short time before the awful killing.

Last edited by philo; 12-25-18 at 04:04 PM.
Old 12-25-18, 11:33 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Originally Posted by philo
Also wanted to add how totally off guard I was by the flashback. At first I thought maybe the officer was going to spot them heading into the mountains.
Yes, it was well done. I also thought the timeline was when the two were on the run at first.

I think the purpose of this backstory episode was to remind people that these aren't good people. When watching a prison escape movie, you tend to root for the people escaping because the plan of escaping is usually a long drawn out process and requires some intelligence and ingenuity. The fact that the odds of a successful escape are low makes them underdogs - and people like to vote for underdogs.
Old 12-27-18, 12:00 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

I like the placement of the backstories - the first 5 episodes I had built up an affinity for these prisoners. They were likeable, even though we knew they were criminals, and I was practically routing for them to escape. Then the penultimate episode strips all that away and shows just how horrific it is that these two got free.
Old 12-27-18, 12:24 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Originally Posted by Coral
Yes, it was well done. I also thought the timeline was when the two were on the run at first.

I think the purpose of this backstory episode was to remind people that these aren't good people. When watching a prison escape movie, you tend to root for the people escaping because the plan of escaping is usually a long drawn out process and requires some intelligence and ingenuity. The fact that the odds of a successful escape are low makes them underdogs - and people like to vote for underdogs.
Excellent points. I think that last episode was perhaps the darkest, most violent filmmaking Ben Stiller has ever done. Quite shocking.
Old 12-27-18, 03:15 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Originally Posted by Bandoman
I like the placement of the backstories - the first 5 episodes I had built up an affinity for these prisoners. They were likeable, even though we knew they were criminals, and I was practically routing for them to escape. Then the penultimate episode strips all that away and shows just how horrific it is that these two got free.
Agree. It was a bold choice and one I appreciated.

Tilly is such a worthless human being, and the others are just evil.
Old 12-27-18, 04:29 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Again, my only complaint about the backstory episode is that there's still a lot more to go (from what I remember about the actual events) and I hope it's all covered in detail.

The placement is good though, as the previous episode did feel triumphant in a way with the escape. Now that we know how sick and dangerous they really are, we suddenly switch to wanting them caught ASAP. I just know that it took a while to actually find them, and the suspense of that could be stretched out a bit.

So I guess what I'm saying is that it should be more than 7 episodes.

Tilly's real-life rantings from jail make me believe that Stiller and Arquette have portrayed her quite realistically.
Old 12-30-18, 03:55 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

The finale is 99 mins.
Old 12-30-18, 08:28 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Saw that. Can't wait.
Old 12-31-18, 02:54 AM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Was a pretty satisfying depiction of how the manhunt and identification of the guilty parties played out in episode 7. All in all, a very well done series. Big Kudos to Stiller and cast.

Last edited by Jack Straw; 01-11-19 at 10:22 PM.
Old 12-31-18, 10:06 AM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

I enjoyed the finale as well and the whole series. Well done.

I have to admit, even though I had a very basic idea of the outcome - I was rooting for Sweat.
Was he really spotted by the cop only 20 yards after crossing the road? Was he really the unlucky?

Eric Lange deserves more credit for playing Lyle. If I didn't know he was playing that character, I wouldn't have known it was him based on his looks, voice and mannerisms. Although a couple times when he had his hat off it was obvious he was wearing a wig.

Hopefully Sweat can escape again and we'll get another series about it.
Old 12-31-18, 11:09 AM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Originally Posted by Coral

I have to admit, even though I had a very basic idea of the outcome - I was rooting for Sweat.
Was he really spotted by the cop only 20 yards after crossing the road? Was he really the unlucky?
IIRC the actual Sweat was walking along the side of the road and then took off through the field when the cop tried to question him. They made it seem like he was right at the border in the show, but I think when this actually happened he was still a few miles away from the border.
Old 12-31-18, 11:34 AM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Originally Posted by MrX
IIRC the actual Sweat was walking along the side of the road and then took off through the field when the cop tried to question him. They made it seem like he was right at the border in the show, but I think when this actually happened he was still a few miles away from the border.
Yea, I since checked Wikipedia and they said the same thing basically... he was walking along the road when a cop passed by and then circled back to question him - at which point Sweat started running across a hay field. He was 1.5 miles away from the Canadian border - which is still pretty damn close.

Not sure why Sweat would walk along a road - I'd be avoiding roads altogether other than just crossing it.

The truth is, even in Canada he would've been caught eventually. He'd have a better chance in Mexico, but getting there would've been tough. Perhaps from Canada he could've gotten to Mexico - lay low in Canada for a bit and then cross back over to the US somewhere else and then bus it down across the US to the Mexico border.
Old 12-31-18, 04:52 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette



It's a prison escapee bromance!

Last edited by Jack Straw; 12-31-18 at 05:00 PM.
Old 12-31-18, 08:23 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Yeah, wow, that was great. I take back all my reservations about the manhunt being confined to a single episode (although if it hadn't been expanded to it's 99 minute length it would indeed have been rushed). That final episode was like a great movie in and of itself. Top notch work all around, and I hope it is richly rewarded come Golden Globe and Emmy time.
Old 01-01-19, 02:40 AM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Great show!

I still don't know how they couldn't reach Canada in that time. It's around 20 miles from Dannemora. Even if they take some side routes is less than 30 miles. If they walk really slow they can advance 6 miles per day, and that's exaggerating a lot. They should have reached Canada in less than a week. I know they mentioned that at the end of the show, but still. I'm not questioning the show, I'm questioning the real people, the escapees. LOL!
Old 01-01-19, 10:01 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Did anyone else recognize John Stockwell (Top Gun, Christine, Losin' It) as the cabin owner? I didn't till the closing credits.

Also the scene where they busted the worker's comp fraud guy was "Hudson Valley Gym". As a former resident of the Hudson Valley, I looked it up, and it's in Peekskill. On Google Street View, it looks exactly like it did in the show. I was surprised, I thought they might have at least changed the business name for filming.
Old 01-02-19, 12:35 AM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Really good series. But I feel episode 6 should have been episode one...
Old 01-02-19, 09:26 AM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Excellent finale. Wonder how much of what happened to them on the run was accurate - if Sweat actually described the specific events to the writers (or if it's part of a police record).
Old 01-02-19, 09:52 AM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Originally Posted by Red Dog
Excellent finale. Wonder how much of what happened to them on the run was accurate - if Sweat actually described the specific events to the writers (or if it's part of a police record).
Based on what I read (now that it's over and I can look up articles on the actual case), it seems fairly accurate. Sweat did travel much farther once he split up with Matt. Matt's corpse also had a BAC of 0.18%. Some of Matt's discarded clothes indicated he'd had some kind of illness probably brought on from drinking contaminated water.

And disagree with the idea that episode 6 should have been episode 1 (even though I admittedly questioned the placement of it after first viewing). If it had, we'd have disliked everyone from the beginning. Instead, we kinda root them on as the underdog (like some people have mentioned), hoping for that Dufresne-esque escape and success. Then right when they're out, the rug is pulled from under us and we see just how bad all three characters are. Even Tilly, who was never likable, descends to full on loathsome once we know her backstory.
Old 01-02-19, 11:14 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Originally Posted by Paff

And disagree with the idea that episode 6 should have been episode 1 (even though I admittedly questioned the placement of it after first viewing). If it had, we'd have disliked everyone from the beginning. Instead, we kinda root them on as the underdog (like some people have mentioned), hoping for that Dufresne-esque escape and success. Then right when they're out, the rug is pulled from under us and we see just how bad all three characters are. Even Tilly, who was never likable, descends to full on loathsome once we know her backstory.
I had all the episodes saved on my DVR and I'm rewatching them all right now. I started with episode 6 and then went on to episode 1 and for me, it seemed to have a nice flow to it after. watching those two back to back. But that's just me I guess.
Old 01-10-19, 11:39 PM
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Re: Escape at Dannemora (Showtime) D: Stiller, S: Del Toro, Dano, Arquette

Finished this tonight - what a fantastic mini series. Great performances all around - Arquette, Del Toro, Dano, Morse. Stiller direction was the real star here though - tempered and patient. He enables the viewer to be a bystander and let everything unfold on the screen - really a great piece of work. Reminds me of Cary Fukunaga's directing effort on True Detective S1.

Also, I thought the backstory episode was one of the best. We (at least I) didn't even realize it was a backstory episode until 15 minutes in. Very well done. Yes it was a disruptor as episode 6, but it worked.

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