You know, it’s a curious thing about Prison Break. It’s probably the only series that I’m really into that I can stand not watching. With 24 and Heroes, I make it a point to watch the show that night, even if it means staying up a lot later than I normally would have. And with Lost, I may go as far as to scheduling my night to ensure that I’m watching the show as it’s airing (sad, I know). But even when I’m home on Fridays at 8:00, I usually hold off on viewing Prison Break. And I may wait until Sunday before I actually tune in. By no means is this a shot at the show, because I genuinely enjoy it. And when the episode ends, I’m genuinely interested in seeing what’s going to happen next. But for whatever reason, it’s the one show that I’m into, that isn’t necessarily “Must See (Immediately)” for me. I don’t know.
I will say, though, that the opening minutes of this episode irked me quite a bit. It drove me crazy seeing Lincoln and Michael standing up on the balcony with their thumbs up their asses moments after the Indian official had been assassinated. I mean, by this point they had already discovered that Lincoln was being set up as the fall guy, yet they STILL stood up there dumbfounded until FINALLY somebody noticed them standing up there and accused them of the crime. The way the scene was shot, they easily could have just slipped away undetected. They literally just stood there waiting to be ID’d.
From there, though, things picked up. The show is arguably at its most entertaining when the central characters are placed in a seemingly impossible situation, and Michael must use his super brain to forge an incredible escape. And that’s what we got with the exciting hotel manhunt. Although I found that cop’s exasperated reaction to TWO Homeland Security agents on the scene odd. There are like 200 cops there, yet he finds it odd that Homeland would send two agents? Is that really so preposterous? I recognize that this was just a means of having Self’s cover blown, but the execution was a bit weak.
We also had a fun little interaction with Mahone and Sarah. Anytime I hear somebody say “I don’t like you and you don’t like me,” I think back to that Futurama episode where Bender uses the expression to Lela, only for Lela to softly say, “I like you….” So I have to wonder, what exactly is the issue between Mahone and Sarah? There’s never been any noticeable tension between them, has there? Aside from the obvious reasons (Mahone was hunted Michael and Lincoln down, and was responsible for their father’s death – a fact even the brothers have now overlooked), what reasons do they have for not liking each other? I seem to recall them getting along relatively well during their warehouse living days.
As we head into the series finale, we’re also getting a sense of where the writers plan on taking each character. I’m referring to Self and T-Bag, in particular. I think it’s wise to remind the viewers that T-Bag is a villain. Against my wishes, the Powers that Be are constantly infusing T-Bag into the central storyline, which always results in him joining the protagonist and fighting by their side. T-Bag is one of those bad guys that the average viewer loves to hate, and by teaming him with the heroes, it becomes easy to forget that he’s not one of the good guys. And as I’ve said numerous times in the past, T-Bag MUST get his comeuppance, otherwise it’ll be difficult to justify that Michael helped this murderous sex offender break out of jail. I do hope that this renewed push towards T-Bag’s vile side – killing people, consistently turning on Lincoln and his crew, kidnapping Sarah, etc. – is happening so that Michael or Lincoln can kill him without upsetting the audience.
At the same time, they seem to be transforming Self into a more sympathetic character. They gave him a heart wrenching backstory to validate his earlier betrayal, his assistance was crucial during the hotel manhunt, and he made a heroic escape after the Company had murdered his wife. Although he should definitely die. If they want to redeem his character, give him a heroic death.
The past couple of weeks I’ve discussed how I can’t quite read Christina. This episode did a fair job of clearing things up. It almost seemed as if she’s supremely evil, possibly even worse than the General (the only thing that makes me question that assessment is the ease in which the General ordered the murder of an innocent woman, just to prove a point).
Now, of course, Michael has a very fateful decision to make. He must legitimately choose between his brother and the woman he loves. Lincoln has been shot, so his life is unquestionably in danger. And the General has already shown that he’s willing to kill in order to pull the strings, so his threat against Sarah is not an idle one. I am legitimately interested in who he is going to choose (and no, I’m not naïve enough to think he won’t somehow save them both), and what he’s ultimately going to do with Scylla. I’m excited to see how this is going to end.
In a lot of ways it’s sad to see Prison Break end. But much like Lost, it’s a series that isn’t meant for an eternal lifeline. It’s a show that works best when it knows when it’s going to end, so that it can pace the story appropriately. I think each season of Prison Break has been strong – honestly, there hasn’t been a “weak” season, in my opinion – but keeping it beyond this year could have tarnished it. Continuing the Company story arc would have been overkill. And beginning a new arc could run the risk of drifting too far from the original concept. Prison Break has the opportunity to go out on top.
Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, Heroes, Prison Break, and Smallville. You can visit his blog at A Case of the Blog.
