# Escape at Dannemora

Escape at Dannemora is an American crime drama television limited series that premiered on Showtime on November 18, 2018. It is based on the 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape. The seven-episode series was created and written by Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin and directed by Ben Stiller. It stars Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette, Paul Dano, Bonnie Hunt, Eric Lange, and David Morse.

## Plot

The seven-episode series is based on the true story of the 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape in upstate New York. The breakout sparked a massive manhunt for two convicted murderers, Richard Matt and David Sweat, who were aided in their escape by Joyce "Tilly" Mitchell, a married prison employee entangled in secretive and inappropriate relationships with both men.
The series opens after the recapture of Matt and Sweat, with Tilly under arrest. Dressed in a striped jail uniform, she is interrogated about her involvement in the escape. The district attorney questions her, pushing Tilly to reveal the full extent of her relationships with the two inmates, insisting the truth is already known and simply needs to be put on record.
From there, the story rewinds to Tilly’s life before the escape, highlighting her monotonous daily routine with her husband, Lyle Mitchell. Lyle is portrayed as a simple man with little imagination, minimal hobbies, and few ambitions. Both Tilly and Lyle work at Clinton Correctional Facility, like many of their friends and neighbors. Tilly oversees the prison’s tailor shop, where Matt and Sweat work under her supervision.
Early in the first episode, it’s revealed that Tilly is having a sexual relationship with Sweat, conducted in secret within the machine room of the tailor shop. The relationship, however, is not as clandestine as Tilly believes—most of the other inmates in the shop are well aware of what’s going on, setting the series up for the complex power dynamics and manipulations that drive the story forward.

## Cast
### Main

* Benicio del Toro as Richard Matt, a convicted murderer
* Patricia Arquette as Joyce "Tilly" Mitchell, a married prison worker who becomes romantically entangled with both Matt and Sweat and aids in their escape
* Paul Dano as David Sweat, a convicted murderer
* Bonnie Hunt as Catherine Leahy Scott, the New York State Inspector General heading up a formal investigation of the Matt–Sweat prison escape
* Eric Lange as Lyle Mitchell, Tilly's husband and maintenance worker at Clinton Correctional
* David Morse as Gene Palmer, the inmate escort guard at Clinton Correctional

### Recurring

* Jeremy Bobb as Dennis Lambert, a corrections officer and friend of Lyle
* Michael Beasley as Murder, an inmate who’s given Sweat’s job as shop supervisor upon his firing.
* Joshua Rivera as Angel, a fellow inmate of Matt and Sweat's.
* Carolyn Mignini as Ilene Mulvaney, Tilly’s supervisor who frequently butts heads with her
* Gregory Dann as Albert Boyd, the fearsome and most loathed correctional officer at Clinton Correctional. Matt and Sweat made their escape on Boyd's shift.

### Guest

* Michael Imperioli as Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York
* Charlie Hofheimer as Kenny Barrile, Sr.
* Jim Parrack as Kevin Tarsia, a deputy sheriff

## Production

Principal production commenced in Upstate New York from August 2017 to March 2018. For their roles, Patricia Arquette and Eric Lange each gained 40 pounds. Episode 6, the flashback episode, was filmed on 16 mm, unlike the rest of the series. Episode 6 was also filmed last so that Lange and Arquette could safely shed the weight they'd gained. Stiller later decided to shut down production for a month out of concern that they would not have enough time for weight loss. However, production was then further delayed three weeks to accommodate the birth of Lange's son.

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Part 1" | Ben Stiller | Brett Johnson & Michael Tolkin | November 18, 2018 (2018-11-18) | 0.397 |
| 2 | "Part 2" | Ben Stiller | Brett Johnson & Michael Tolkin | November 25, 2018 (2018-11-25) | 0.487 |
| 3 | "Part 3" | Ben Stiller | Jerry Stahl | December 2, 2018 (2018-12-02) | 0.559 |
| 4 | "Part 4" | Ben Stiller | Brett Johnson & Michael Tolkin | December 9, 2018 (2018-12-09) | 0.541 |
| 5 | "Part 5" | Ben Stiller | Brett Johnson & Michael Tolkin | December 16, 2018 (2018-12-16) | 0.664 |
| 6 | "Part 6" | Ben Stiller | Brett Johnson & Michael Tolkin & Jerry Stahl | December 23, 2018 (2018-12-23) | 0.586 |
| 7 | "Part 7" | Ben Stiller | Brett Johnson & Michael Tolkin | December 30, 2018 (2018-12-30) | 0.719 |

## Reception
### Critical response

The series was met with acclaim upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 88% with an average rating of 7 out of 10, based on 60 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Escape at Dannemora's slow pace demands patience, but those willing to wait will be rewarded with a chilling mystery that provides the perfect showcase for its talented cast — especially a nearly unrecognizable and unbearably moving performance from Patricia Arquette." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 78 out of 100 based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

### Response from Joyce Mitchell

In a December 2018 interview at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, Joyce Mitchell criticized some events portrayed in the miniseries. She claimed, "I never had sex with them", referring to Richard Matt and David Sweat. She also harshly criticized director Ben Stiller, calling him "a son-of-a-bitch liar just like the rest of the world. He doesn't care about the truth. All he cares about is making millions off me. He's an idiot."

### Awards and nominations

| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| Casting Society of America | Limited Series | Rachel Tenner, Nancy Mosser, Katie Shenot, Bess Fifer and Charlene Lee | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Movie/Miniseries | Escape at Dannemora | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries | Paul Dano | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries | Benicio del Toro | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries | Patricia Arquette | Won |
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries | Eric Lange | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Limited Series or Television Film | Escape at Dannemora | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Patricia Arquette | Won |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directing – Miniseries or TV Film | Ben Stiller | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series | Ben Stiller, Michael Tolkin, Brett Johnson, Michael De Luca, Bryan Zuriff, Nicholas Weinstock, William Carraro, Adam Brightman and Lisa M. Rowe | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | Benicio Del Toro | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie | Patricia Arquette | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | Paul Dano | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie | Ben Stiller | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series or Movie | Brett Johnson, Michael Tolkin and Jerry Stahl (for "Part 6") | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series or Movie | Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin (for "Part 7") | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series or Movie | Rachel Tenner | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Contemporary Costumes | David Robinson, Ann Bryant and Barbara Hause (for "Part 6") | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special (Original Dramatic Score) | Edward Shearmur (for "Part 5") | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More) | Mark Ricker, James Truesdale and Cherish M. Hale | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Special Visual Effects | Steven Kirshoff, Joe Heffernan, John Bair, Djuna Wahlrab, Matthew Griffin, Shannen Walsh, Joseph Brigati, Vance Miller and Min Hwa Jung (for "Part 4") | Nominated |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television | Ben Stiller, Nicholas Weinstock, Michael De Luca, Bryan Zuriff, Brett Johnson, Michael Tolkin, Bill Carraro, Adam Brightman and Lisa M. Rowe | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie | Patricia Arquette | Won |
| TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | Escape at Dannemora | Nominated |
| TCA Awards | Individual Achievement in Drama | Patricia Arquette | Nominated |

#### Notes

* ↑ Arquette shared the award in a tie with Amy Adams for Sharp Objects.