Criss Angel Mindfreak S4.E8 Escape Over Bourbon Street (August 20th, 2008)

The Return of Zeke

Criss is hanging out at a casino in New Orleans when he decides to do a card trick. Criss gets a drink from a bartender and decides to use the serving tray in his trick. Criss grabs two decks of cards and proceeds to throw both decks onto the serving tray. When Criss removes his hands the cards are gone and Zeke (the mouse everyone thought he ate last season). Zeke is camera shy but Criss wants Zeke to see what he looks like in the mirror. Criss uses a pocket mirror and when he removes it there are now two Zekes.

The Two Faced Card

Criss heads to a coffee house and meets a young couple. He has the woman pick a card and show it to the camera. She then places back into the deck. Criss then has the man pick a card but we don’t get to see what card he picked. the man puts the card back into the deck. Criss then picks the woman’s card out of the deck and flings it behind his back. He shows the card to the woman and it turns out to be her card. Criss then shows the same card to the man and it is his card as well. Criss then shows the card to everyone and it turns out to be half of the woman’s card and hald of the man’s. The one thing that really stood out to me on this illusion was the fact that we never got to see what the man’s card was so that would make it easier to pull off the trick since we can never tell if that was indeed the man’s card that Criss picked out.

The Umbrella

Criss is goofing off at what appears to be a restaurant or a hotel when he takes one of the umbrellas from the patio tables. Criss jokes about jumping off the building and floating to the ground with the umbrella (that would have been awesome). Criss ends up laying the umbrella on the ground and when he lifts it up again a woman appears. Criss does it again and one of his crew (in a very skimpy bathing suit) shows up with a bunch of other women.

Escape Over Bourbon Street

In this illusion Criss once again is paying homage to Harry Houdini. Harry Houdini successfully escaped one straight jacket while hanging upside down in 1910. Criss Angel has decided to escape two straight jackets faster than Harry Houdini did it the first time (5 minutes). Criss needs to work fast though since if he hangs upside down too long he will pass out due to all the blood rushing to his head. Criss is first put in a maximum security jacket. He is then put in a traveling straight jacket. We are told that these straight jackets are much harder to get out of than the straight jackets that most magicians escape from. Before he begins Criss tells everyone that he never rehearsed the trick so this is the first time he is attempting. Criss is hung upside down from a crane. In around one minute Criss frees his hands from the first straight jacket. He removes the outer jacket at the 2 minute mark. He finally escapes the inner jacket after 3 minutes and 26 minutes. As far as how he escaped I really don’t have any ideas except that he probably escaped how most magicians escape life jackets. To thank Criss for coming to New Orleans and helping out the city, Criss is given an award from the New Orleans mayor.

So what are your thoughts on the episode? Do you have any ideas on how any of the illusions were pulled off? Feel free to leave your thoughts since the TV Legion always loves receiving comments.