Prison Break 2.14: "John Doe"

The general consensus, based on comments from the cast and production staff, is that the main plot arc of the series will end with the second season. As such, the conspiracy itself must be resolved within the final nine episodes of the season. This is not entirely surprising, since the writers have always noted that the concept for the second season included the resolution to the conspiracy and the situation that led to Michael’s gambit in the first season. At the very least, there is relative consistency.

So it’s not particularly surprising that this episode moves the story forward in a major way. There’s not much time to stall and play games, and sooner or later, Michael and Lincoln were going to get their chance to face down the man at the center. Surprisingly, the idea of Kellerman working with the two brothers is a good one. The resulting tension allows for reference to events earlier the series that felt forgotten or ignored.

Steadman’s decision to commit suicide was hardly surprising. In fact, it was on the edge of complete predictability. “Prison Break” has suffered from obvious plotting here and there in the second season, but predictability doesn’t necessarily translate into lack of satisfaction. Steadman’s suicide made sense as the final act of a coward, and it quickly rendered Kellerman’s plan moot. More to the point, Michael has rarely miscalculated so badly, and that plays nicely into his own complicated psychological issues.

Mahone has survived the shooting in the previous episode, which is something to celebrate. William Kim and his associates may have miscalculated in a major way. As much as Mahone might say that he’s working for the conspiracy again, there’s reason to believe that he’s playing a more dangerous game. Could Mahone be ready to help Kellerman, Michael, and Lincoln take down the conspiracy once and for all? Or will he become an even more dangerous adversary? Either way, Mahone’s role on the series has never been more important.

Unfortunately, the strength of the primary plot thread was diluted by some of the other subplots. Three subplots are explored during the course of the episode, and enjoyment of each depends entirely upon personal taste. The most substantial subplot belongs to T-Bag, who slowly but surely places Mrs. Hollander and her children hostage to his own twisted desires. Ever since the escape, T-Bag has revealed a streak of madness a mile long, and it’s fun to watch. (Of course, it could also be inconsistent writing, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.)

C-Note’s situation has become a distraction, and it’s simply not very interesting. It’s a tragic enough story on its own, but it doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the series at this point. While Bellick’s situation is a nice example of just desserts, unless he manages to survive and regain some measure of freedom, all of this tempering of his character into something more dangerous will be moot. Right now, many of these side stories suffer from the fact that they don’t really impact the main story, and they are easily dismissed as a result.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10