The title of the episode is an allusion to the SERE training of members in the American armed services. It stands for Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape.
Brian acquired a variety of items including matchsticks, detergent, and a tincup. He threw the matchstick heads, and gold-encrusted jewelry (which he took from the opponents he fought) into the tincup, and topped it off with the detergent, which serves as an oxidizer which increases the intensity of the flame. Once the gold was melted, he poured it into the cigarette box which acted as a casting surface from which the key to the outer door lock was forged. Also note he used the bar of soap to get the impression of the locking mechanism, which was placed under the dirt in the box. This form of casting is called the lost-wax method.
Gaius Charles, Brooklyn Sudano, Monique Gabriela Curnen, Michael Irby, Jose Pablo Cantillo and James Landry Hébert are no longer part of the main cast.