The story of Prison Break lasted four years for
viewers but only seven months for its characters - an
insanely short period of time when you consider the whacked
toes and hand, the prison murder of a beloved cat, the
beheadings, the near-drowning bathtub torture, the countless
shootings, explosions and stabbings, the removal of a body
tattoo in one sitting, the resurrection of dead people and,
of course, the two prison breaks.
When the series ends tomorrow, all mysteries are resolved in
an action-packed finale.
But in a rewarding twist, the show ends softly, with a
sentimental montage that moves the survivors four years into
the future.
As someone who has reported stories about the series since it
launched, I admit I had to grab the tissues.
Though I confess that Prison Break hasn't always held
my attention.
The show's suspenseful first season, buoyed by the deep love
between two brothers, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller )
and Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell), made it must-see TV
for me.
It was a thriller with heart, the story of a younger brother
who robbed a bank to get incarcerated in the same prison
where his framed brother waited to be executed.
Michael had no idea the conspiracy to ruin his brother
involved high-ranking government officials - even the
President of the United States.
But it didn't matter.
He had a tattooed blueprint on him that laid out their escape
plan and origami cranes he used as coded messages to his
brother, who always left him paper swans when they were kids.
What else did he need besides the help of six other convicts?
When the second season began, all of them, the Fox River
Eight, had broken out, settling scores all over the globe as
they continued to fight the mysterious organisation.
That year, three of the escapees died and Michael and T-Bag
(Robert Knepper) wound up in prison in Panama.
By the time they escaped from that prison in the third
season, the show's audience had waned and so had my
attachment.
I missed, for instance, the death of Sara Tancredi (Sarah
Wayne Callies), the prison doctor who fell in love with
Michael, helped him escape, and was beheaded by The Company.
I did, however, see her come back to life, because as
far-fetched as it sometimes got, I wasn't able to stay away
from the show completely.
Three characters and/or actors always drew me back in:
Michael, the brilliant and selfless brother who always knew
what to do in a pinch; Sucre (Amaury Nolasco), Michael's
lovable and lovesick cellmate, and, finally, T-Bag, the
equally creepy and charming convict.
Michael's devotion to others and preoccupation with
redemption have made for compelling television.
No-one is more aware than Michael that his actions have saved
people, like his brother, but killed others, such as Veronica
(Robin Tunney), their childhood friend and lawyer, and Lisa
(Jessalyn Gilsig), the mother of Lincoln's son, L. J.
(Marshall Allman). Miller declined to be interviewed for this
article.
