Prison Break 2.21: "Fin Del Camino"

In the first season, the various plot threads all came together in the penultimate episode, culminating in the escape from Fox River. That was easily one of the most exciting hours of the 2006-2007 season, and I don’t think the series has hit a similar high note in the year or so since that point.

This penultimate episode doesn’t have the same feeling of resolution, but that might be a function of the season arc itself. While the first season was full of subplots, most of them were directly tied to the escape attempt. It was easy to get all of those threads together at the same time with a comprehensive impact. While a number of elements come together in this episode, it just doesn’t feel as momentous.

The main plot, of course, is the breakdown of Michael’s successful resolution to the escape plan. After finally getting Lincoln to the boat in Panama, Michael’s lured back into the game by Mahone, who poses as Sucre, tipping him off to T-Bag’s location. Michael, based on his psychology, is unable to leave well enough alone and feels the need to take down T-Bag himself. This starts a chain of ever-worsening encounters.

It would be easy to assume that Bellick’s latest misfortune wraps up his part of the storyline, and that Michael finally put a stop to T-Bag’s crime spree. Similarly, the surprise turn at Sara’s trial would have been a nice way to bring Kellerman’s arc to a close and help Michael and Lincoln escape the conspiracy once and for all. However, with the third season pickup, it’s likely that none of these situations will be “resolved” for very long. And of course, Sucre will survive and will need to find his Maricruz.

However, wrapping the subplots up for the moment was necessary to clear the boards for the central conflict. Michael had to be the one willing to follow through on his threat with T-Bag to provide the ironic contrast to Lincoln’s failure with Mahone. And that was necessary for Mahone to put Michael in a metaphorically satisfying bind.

Mahone’s character arc brings him to a completely unexpected position. Mahone needs to escape if he wants to survive the breakdown of the conspiracy, and that means co-opting Michael’s plan for the money and the boat. This forces Michael to choose between his plan, after struggling to make it work for so long, and his brother, who was the inspiration for the plan in the first place.

While this could lead to a final confrontation between Michael and Mahone, that may not be the case. After all, Mahone is now in a position similar to Michael: he’s on the run from people with a lot of resources. Mahone may not care about Michael and Lincoln’s guilt or innocence anymore, which could take the character into interesting places if the writers and producers are smart enough to keep him around.

One intriguing possibility is that Michael will end up sacrificing himself for Lincoln’s benefit. If Kellerman reveals enough to threaten the Company in the States, then they might not want to bring Michael back if he’s captured. They might have Company assets in Panama that could toss him in a deep, dark hole. And that could force Lincoln to take measures to get Michael out of prison. That may be an unlikely scenario, but it would certainly be a neat twist on the original premise.

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

Final Rating: 8/10