PRISON BREAK Recap: Good Fences
October 9, 2007 by Kath Skerry
WARNING! The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for tonight’s episode of Prison Break. Read at your own risk!
Title: “Good Fences”
Original Airdate: October 8, 2007
No!! No, no, no no!! Prison Break how can you do this to me? I’ve been defending you for so long and this is how you repay me? I can’t. I just can’t. But I guess I have to because I’m in it for the long haul now and I don’t know if I have the power to stay away – damn you Wentworth Miller and your smoldering looks.
Continue reading after the jump (I don’t want to spoil anyone so I’m being extra cautious)
So just what has me all up in a tizzy tonight? Well let’s get right to it. They put Sara’s head in a box. Yes, Dr. Sara “Tequila” Tancredi got the Gwenyth Paltrow treatment and her decapitated noggin was sent gift wrapped to Lincoln. And no, I’m no kidding. Believe me, I wish I were. See for yourself below (and did they just grab an Angelina Jolie mannequin and pretend it was Sara? They had time, they could have made one that looked more like her). And to make matters worse, there was no gravitas to the event. Here’s a character that was so integral into the show in season one. She was a part of the reason that many became attached, and tonight she had a lackluster send off that could have been handled in SO many different ways. Hell, I could have penned a Sara storyline that could have kept her off-screen until the writers came up with a more decent goodbye. We all knew it was coming since it was announced that Sarah Wayne Callies was not returning to Prison Break. But this, it felt amateurish…and this is coming from a fan of the show.
The worst part of this is had it not been for that one event, I would be sitting here raving about tonight’s episode. Michael is starting to get his act together and putting a plan in place to break himself and Whistler our of Sona. He started going all MacGuyver on us tonight and I loved it. Prison Break showed us in Season One that they know how to create interesting and intriguing puzzles and I saw the hints of that jigsaw for the first time tonight. I got that old familiar of worry and dread when Michael was trying to pull of his hijinks, almost being caught at every turn. That…well, that’s the Prison Break I love.
Bellick proved once again to be a (insert your choice word here) by ratting out Michael to Lechero. I knew you were dumb Bellick but this was beyond stupid. Had you played your cards right Michael may have helped you, but now, well now I wouldn’t count on it.
Mahone continues to go further off the deep end. If the shaking and sweating weren’t enough now he’s seeing guilt ridden visions of Haywire. He needs his drugs and he needs them now. And good thing for him Sona has found itself a new in-house drug dealer. Yep, good ol’ Teddy killed Lechero’s drug runner in order to move up the company ladder a bit quicker. T-Bag’s first task in his new role was to offer Mahone a much needed fix. Now if he took it I don’t know. Mahone did attack Michael near the end of the episode and threaten him with a knife, but I honestly couldn’t tell if that was a drug-induced rage or if that were rage due to his withdrawal. (It’s times like these I wish I had Britney on speed dial so she could give us the insight on this kind of stuff).
Lincoln is still working to get LJ away from Susan B. Anthony and her “soldiers”. He’s chosen to keep the news of Sara’s beheading away from Michael (god, I can’t believe I just typed that). I know he doesn’t want to upset Michael and that he wants to keep him focused, but does he really think that Michael will be so distraught that he’ll just give up and leave LJ, his own nephew, to die? He’s going to be all kinds of pissed when he finds out.
After seeing the head in the box (hey maybe JT and Samberg can write a skit about this one) Lincoln starts to fold like an accordion at a poker party. He’s Susan B’s bitch now, and she knows it. Way to show your hand, Lincoln. At least he’s got a little help on his side. Whistler’s mother girlfriend, Sofia, is now working with Linc, as is my boy Sucre. Sucre is digging the ditches over at Sona and putting the first phase of Michael’s plan of escape into place. And the smile that came to Michael’s face when he saw his old celly Scure helping him on the outside damn near melted my heart. But then I remembered that they put Sara’s head in a box and my heart got all cold again.
So let’s here it…what did you think of tonight’s episode. And here’s a challenge for you. I triple dog dare you to leave a review without using this phrase: “jump the shark”.
Related post: What happened to Sara Tancredi on Prison Break?
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Filed under Prison Break, Prison Break Recap
Michael and Linc were the story
Sara and Michael were the heart
No heart no Seat42f
DVR Season Pass = Deleted… I’m done….
Yes, it sucked. It really really sucked that they just stuck Sara’s head in a box. But I am really getting tired of reading the responses. With the “FOX and producers are IDIOTS” and “I am done with the show” and “Wasted two years of my life.”
I first started watching Prison Break because of a GMMR review of “Rendezvous.” And the only reason I wanted to watch it was Michael/Sara. And I do like the love story and the heart. But there is SO MUCH MORE to this story. Don’t all you former fans trust the writers even just a little bit? Yes, it really sucks that Sara is now dead. But it’s realistic. And it’s going to make for a phenomenal story. I won’t stop watching. In fact, tonight’s killing makes me want to watch it more. If PB is willing to kill off Sara, they really are willing to do anything. And the show is now much more dramatic to me than ever before.
I’ve come to stop expecting perfection from my tv shows. First with Lost, then The Office, now Prison Break. You just can’t expect perfection anymore. Because you will be let down. You have to tune in each week expecting to be entertained, but not much else. I find that this really helps me enjoy the shows much more. In today’s TV environment, my cynical heart has learned to not get too invested, because all your shows (ALL of them) will eventually break your heart.
The Beckert -While you might not be on the same page as other readers, they have every right to share their opinion of the show. Let’s just try to leave comments that don’t negate the opinions of others.
Sorry, GMMR. I agree that other people have their right to share their opinion. I am just saddened by the immense amount of people who have now decided to leave the show over this.
I understand why you guys feel you must stop watching, but I think the writers have a plan for this plot. And I will continue watching to see what their plan is.
Sorry… it’s obviously an emotional night for all of us. Even for those of us who are sticking with the show. I let my emotions get the best of me. 🙁
My reasoning was more about FOX… what does it say to me as a viewer to allow this happen… take away all the story arc issues and it will still absolutely cause the number of viewers to shrink. The numbers have been down and this will drive them further down. FOX gave a thumbs up to move that all but guarantees no season 4. Feels like they gave up and so I feel like they made it okay for me to give up as well.
And I would have a lot more faith in the writers if they didn’t kill off a fan favorite by ripping off the movie Seven. Zero creativity…
Hopefully for those who stick around the feel of the show gets back to the season one vibe……
Ok, I guess grief is a confusing little monster.
For the past week, I was so confident that it was Sara’s head in the box. And when it finally came on screen, I actually found myself smiling because I was right. My mom said “why are you smiling?!?” Then I came online and read all the “I’m done with the show” comments. And I was angry that people were so quick to give up on the show. I felt that Sara’s death was justified. Now… my grief is beginning to set in. I’m finally realizing what happened tonight. And it’s making me a little sick. Now I’m not sure how I feel about the show.
So, I’m truly sorry for my previous angry posts. It seems I’m grieving in an unusual way…
I have to say that I’ve always been confused by what people mean when they say trust the writers. I trust them to provide an entertaining show, to be true to the groundwork that they prepared for the past two seasons. Neither of those things is happening for me right now. Michael’s been stuck in that hellhole for 4 episodes, it’s difficult to watch, Sara is dead…how can the writers redeem this? What, exactly, am I trusting them to do? From my chair, there’s NOT a lot going for this show right now. That romantic relationship was the most compelling part of the show for me, and now that it’s been removed, it’s not the same for me. I’m just not interested in watching anymore. I’ll definitely continue to come here to gauge people’s reactions to the episodes to see if I should resume watching, but unless there’s a big “OH MY GOD, THIS FEELS JUST LIKE IT DID IN SEASON 1!” I’ll watch something else on Mondays. Or clean the bathroom.
WOW! Yep, this really pisses me off. It’s not even necessarily that they killed Sara. That I can accept. But doing it in such a cliched fashion really makes me not want to watch this show again. All week long since seeing the box, I was hoping they wouldn’t go that direction. I thought that there had to be some twist as there usually is. But to make such a big part of the story end so predictably, well there are just no words for it. I will probably continue to watch this show, but right now I’m really not sure.
I was really hoping that this wouldnt be the end to the Sara/Michael love story. How sad. Yes, realistic that eventually she would die, but why this way??? Yes I am disappointed, but really not enough for me to quit watching the show. I am still interested to see what Michael’s breakout plans are, Im still interested to see how Michael reacts to Lincoln keeping this a secret…I still want a happy ending for this poor tortured family…
I think all the people who say they will quit watching are all talk. I think that they care about these characters and will find themselves tuning in to see how the characters react to this event….oh and if Lincoln has any sort of romantic relations with that Susan B Anthony I am going to pitch a major fit! For some reason I feel like that might be somewhere in the future…and while I think Linc needs some lovin…i will be pissed if it is her!
oh yeah. I’ve read all of your comments and I understand your anger and dissapointness.. I’m sad to, because sara died and what now? I think that in every movie or series should be a romantic part, specially in this one because it’s tuff and a little bit of love does a lot.. So. It sucks that Sara died… yet i’m just waiting to see what FOX know have in their bag…
I’m a little confused whether people are pissed because Sara was killed off or the way she was killed. You can’t say that you didn’t see this coming miles away. There was kind of no other way to dispose of her. This is Prison Break, people die. I liked Sara and Michael together just as much as everyone else, but this just doesn’t bother me.
I will add, for anyone who watches Supernatural, that this is 2 Se7en references in a week of tv.
I don’t know why she had to die at all, period. Why, after this whole mess is over, can’t it be that Sara and Michael lived happily ever after in a remote hut in Africa? I don’t understand why Sara’s death is necessarily realistic, either. Regardless, I wasn’t watching “Prison Break” for the realism (it was, after all, about a guy who plans an elaborate prison escape using a complex tattoo on his body, and that was just one of literally hundreds of unrealistic scenarios…I think they lost realism in the pilot, and I was totally fine with that). But even if I wanted realism…why would it be unrealistic for Sara to have lived? It’s not just Sara’s death that irks me. It’s the season so far, and Sona, and the fact that Michael and Mahone and Bellick are all in the same prison, and everything else that just feels off.
It’s been gone from the TiVo season pass for a couple of weeks now. Good thing the fall TV season is in full swing, because there’s a bunch of other stuff on the TiVo just waiting to be watched! I’m a little sad, but…I hear “Chuck” is really good, so I’m looking forward to that.
Yes, a very disappointing turn of events. I really like Sara…sigh. Michael finding out about this will be my emotional undoing of the TV season ( I hope). Not quite sure where the story is going at this point but I’ll stay tuned…
The Beckert – I found something in your first comment funny. You said “Yes, it really sucks that Sara is now dead. But it’s realistic.” People have complained since the beginning that this show isn’t realistic and this is the one time they are.
I think more people are upset about the way they killed Sara than them actually killing Sara. They could have done it differently. Personally, I’m a little upset at Lincoln that he didn’t tell Michael when Michael pointedly asked how Sara and LJ were. That would have been the perfect time. Lincoln didn’t tell Michael out of selfishness. I kind of understand that, but if Lincoln doesn’t think Michael would break out if he knew about Sara, I’m not sure how well he knows his brother. Michael would probably get out quicker and go after these people.
Personally, I was happy to see Haywire back. I love him for some strange reason.
I like Haywire too! It was nice to have him back again…
[…] check them out here (the conversations are already underway) : Chuck Recap: Chuck vs. the Tango | Prison Break Recap: Good Fences | Heroes […]
Am I angry? Yes. Did I know it was coming? Yes. Will I still watch? Yes. Just not with as much…gusto, I guess as before. The fact that PB continues to kill off the characters I like and keep the ones I don’t hanging on and on and on for freaking ever! That’s what gets me. I swear they put lots of plot points into a hat an draw each week. Then the writers just fill in the blanks.
“I swear they put lots of plot points into a hat an draw each week. Then the writers just fill in the blanks.”
Yes! It must be fun sitting in on their writers’ meetings. Like doing one giant, group Mad Lib. And the team that puts together the most outrageous scenario is the team that wins and gets to have their story told during the next episode. I bet sometimes they throw Magnetic Poetry pieces at the fridge, too (the same fridge they’re keeping Sara’s head in), and whatever sticks is the next episode’s story, in exactly the same order that the magnets landed on the fridge.
I joke in love. I used to love this show.
Patty, I could not agree more. They always kill off the characters I like. I loved Haywire, Ambrozi (I know I spelled it wrong) and Sara. Sucre better watch his back.
So let’s look forward to season 4 and 5, because there are still enough people left to be beheaded by the organization, T-Bag has still another hand to loose, tweener deserves a chance to be mahones upcoming nightmare in season 5 and there is no proof that agent kellerman was shot dead in season 2.
oh come on! kellerman is sooo dead. he betrayed The Company…there is no way he can come back from that. why do people keep thinking he is alive?
I didn’t watch the episode or the previous one. I might eventually watch them, but ya know what? Monday night also has Heroes, Chuck, Journeyman, HIMYM, and will eventually have 24. It’s a busy night, and I’m not sure if I have time for PB anymore: not because of this twist, but because I just don’t feel as much of a draw to the show as I used to (perhaps the show isn’t as compelling as it once, or perhaps just because the show so obviously should have ended with season 2).
But just for the record: William Fichner and Robert Knoepper are both amazing actors.
They lost me at ‘Hello’. I was a very faithful viewer, I never missed a show –until this season and from the very 1st. one I haven’t enjoyed it, so I’m done.
OH MY GOD !!! I…AM….SO…PISSED!!!! zomg!!! fox is crazy or what?!!! 1st:sara’s dead,and 2nd:with a head in a box? geez! this is cr*p! the show producers must bring Sara back! this is no Veronica, c’mon, it’s THE Sara, Michael’s great love!!!! this is no f* joke, it’s like what makes the world move!!! they must bring her back, just have to!! do something in season 4 and make the fans of the show happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!PLS!
My ideas:
– let’s see what’s about season 4 so we get Sara back : let’s include the fact that lincoln didn’t check the head from the box; lj closed his eyes when sara so-got killed,so he’s not sure about it too, he got confused. other idea is that susan=gretchen was too calculative in knowing what to do: 1st, by so-called killing sarah, she showed lincoln and michael she’s not joking around. 2nd, the reason is that she can still use michael (after escaping from sona with whistler) for other evil reasons. another idea comes out from mahone’s words when he spoke to whistler in that diner, the thing about susan=gretchen being the weak one for the thing with sara, and that michale will find them all. maybe he meant s=g had hidden sara and so it looked like she is dead.
Sara must come back, she has to be alive! and after all, one year or more passed since Sarah had her pretty baby, so, then she can come back and continue working in the show… pls sarah, we want you back,make us happy!!!! c’mon!!! the producers and writers of prison break are smart guys!!! my word!!!!! if she ain’t coming, there will be a bad future for the show…i just wanna go there and make something usefull!!! i hate it hate it hate it…this sux!
PLEASE bring Sara Tancredi back!!!!
and yes, i know i sound stupid and fanatic, but what the hell…! they shouldn’t give up, cuz i’m not. and for the record, there will be no other love for michael, it’s complicated and stupid…he’s not lincoln who has sofia now…arghhh! i’m so mad!
ps.now, 100%, i’m the stupid one with “HOPE” written on my forhead…damn…
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