Prison Break Discussion Thread: Take Two

[Syntax]

Due to the fact that I'm not allowed to bump a thread which is over 192 days old I've decided to restart the Prison Break Discussion thread.

This is for all the people who enjoy the hit T.V show Prison Break as much as I do. As for those who don't know what it's about I suggest you pick up season one of Prison Break and start watching. Or tune in every Monday for a new episode.

About The Show​

Convinced that his wayward brother LINCOLN BURROWS (Dominic Purcell) was wrongly convicted of the sensational murder of the Vice President’s brother, which landed him on Fox River State Penitentiary’s death row, a desperate MICHAEL SCOFIELD (Wentworth Miller) attempted a daring bank robbery in order to get himself incarcerated in Fox River with Lincoln. Michael, an engineer with access to the prison’s structural design, then masterminded an elaborate plan to free Lincoln by pulling off the ultimate PRISON BREAK.

Aided by an intricate tattoo of the prison’s blueprints covering his upper body, Michael aligned himself with his lovelorn cellmate FERNANDO SUCRE (Amaury Nolasco), former mob boss JOHN ABRUZZI (Peter Stormare), homicidal pedophile “T-BAG” (Robert Knepper), the well-connected “C-NOTE” (Rockmond Dunbar) and CHARLES WESTMORELAND (Muse Watson), a man Michael believed to be the infamous skyjacker D.B. Cooper. On the outside, Michael’s only ally was his defense attorney and Lincoln’s former girlfriend VERONICA DONOVAN (Robin Tunney), who protected Lincoln’s targeted son LJ (Marshall Allman). Veronica’s quest for the truth led straight to the White House, Secret Service Agent PAUL KELLERMAN (Paul Adelstein) and the power-hungry Vice President, CAROLINE REYNOLDS (Patricia Wettig), whose brother, in secret, is very much alive.

Overcoming many setbacks, the brothers and six other inmates ultimately escaped from Fox River. The prison break had its consequences, however – Michael was forced to betray his father figure, Warden HENRY POPE (Stacy Keach); prison doctor SARA TANCREDI (Sarah Wayne Callies), who was instrumental in the escape plan and had romantic feelings for Michael, relapsed with drugs and overdosed; and Westmoreland died of injuries sustained in the escape, but not before revealing that he was indeed D.B. Cooper – and providing a clue to where he had hidden over $5 million in cash.

Outside the prison walls, the escape truly begins as the convicts race for their lives – and the hidden cash –while trying to avoid capture by the authorities. The pursuers are led by vengeful prison guard Captain BRAD BELLICK (Wade Williams), who, driven by a personal vendetta, will stop at nothing until the escapees are captured or killed.

Character Bios​

• Michael Scofield
• Lincoln Burrows
• Fernando Sucre
• LJ Burrows JR.
• Theodore Bagwell
• Benjamin Miles Franklin
• Dr. Sara Tancredi
• Charles Patoshik
• Henry Pope
• Brad Bellick
• Angent Paul Kellerman

Deceased Character Bios​

• John Abruzzi
• David Apolskis
• Veronica Donovan
• Agent Danny Hale
• Nick Savrinn
• Charles Westmoreland

Extras

*Please note credit is given to both lady isabel and ash for some of these avatars*​

• Prison Break
• Prison Break
• Prison Break
• Michael
• Abruzzi
• Lincoln
• Sucre
• Lincoln

Monday September 17 Show Recap:

Note: For those of you who haven't seen Monday's season three premiere episode I suggest you don't click on the spoiler.

Spoiler

A woman known as Susan B. Anthony does her make-up before a vanity, and uses the make-up to cover deep scratches on her face.

Michael stands among a screaming crowd in the yard of Sona. Two men size each other up in a circle of prisoners.

Lincoln begs a clerk at the American Embassy to get Michael out of Sona. The clerk tells Lincoln that “the worst of the worst” are inside Sona. The prisoners rioted so badly, that the guards pulled out and left the prisoners to fend for themselves. The man looks Lincoln in they eyes, “Whatever goes in…never comes out. Unless it’s dead.”

Michael watches in horror as the two men fight until one man finally snaps the other man’s neck.

The next morning, Lincoln stands in the office of the American Consul. The Consul is on the phone trying to get Michael out of Sona. The Consul tells Lincoln that Michael’s case looks like Michael will walk away an innocent man and he’ll be transferred to another facility in forty-eight hours.

Michael sees Bellick, stripped of his clothes and beaten, walking across the yard. Bellick asks some inmates for water and they point him to a mud puddle. They shove Bellick down, and kick the muddy water in his face. When the inmates leave, a scrawny prisoner named Sapo, also only nearly naked, helps Bellick to his feet.

Mahone sits alone, his hands shaking. He reaches into his jacket to remove his pen. After unscrewing the top, he finds he’s out of pills. Michael walks in and Mahone springs up to meet him. Mahone demands that Michael helps him when his court date comes. Michael refuses to help and wants to know why The Company wanted him in a Panamanian prison. Mahone doesn’t know anything, he was just following orders. Mahone pleads with Michael to work together. Michael tells Mahone he won’t help him, because every time he looks at Mahone, he sees the man that killed his father.

A woman stands outside the Sona, screaming and demanding that the prisoners send out the dead. Lincoln enters a guard shack. The guards call for Michael to come to visitation, which is a chain link cage extending out from Sona. The brothers meet again and try to make light of the situation. Lincoln tells Michael to hold on another day, and that he does not know where Sarah is. Lincoln walks away, promising to see Michael tomorrow.

Back in Sona, a young inmate named McGrady runs up to Michael asking about basketball. McGrady runs off when a group of thugs approaches Michael and tell him it is time for orientation. The leader, Sammy, flashes a knife and Michael follows.

Michael, Mahone and several other inmates are led into Lechero’s den. Lechero is the man who controls Sona. Lechero recognizes Michael and Mahone from the news. Michael says he won’t make waves. Lechero tells them that if there is conflict, the men must settle it in the yard in a fight to the death. Another inmate at the end of the line loses control of his bladder. Lechero strikes the man and beats him. Michael barks out, “I think he gets the message!” Lechero tries to intimidate Michael, but it doesn’t work. Lechero angrily dismisses the inmates.

Lincoln talks to a Constable inside a police station. He hands the Constable a photo of Sarah, asking the man to call Lincoln if anyone matching her description shows up.

Bellick sees Sapo wearing shoes. They belong to the dead man who lost the fight the night before. Sammy shouts at Bellick and Sapo that they need to start earning their rent. He hands them some plastic parkas and leads them to the prison toilet. Sapo and Bellick protest the job, but Sammy doesn’t care. He tells them to clean it and burn it in the sewers when they’re done.

Lechero looks down at Michael from the second tier. He makes eye contact with another inmate and nods towards Michael. The inmate nods back. Another one of Lechero’s men tells Lechero another American arrived and, “He’s got this hand…”

Michael looks across the yard as T-Bag enters and makes eye contact. From above, Mahone looks down and sees T-Bag. Over the loud speakers, the guards call for Michael to go to visitation.

Michael meets a man who introduces himself as Elliott Pike. Pike tells Michael, “I got a lot of big guns behind me, Mr. Scofield. People you might want to have in your corner should you ever decide, say, to break out of here.” Michael knows who Pike is working for and walks away uninterested in the offer.

Michael stands in his cell and looks around. Another inmate storms in, demanding his “stash.” He grabs Michael around the neck, but is pulled off by Lechero. Lechero orders Michael and his bed be checked for the other man’s drugs. They find a bag under Michael’s bed, clearly a set up. The inmate tells Michael they’re not through.

The Constable phones Lincoln. They found a woman matching Sarah’s description. She’s at the morgue.

Bellick and Sapo stop and beg a cook for some pieces of chicken. The man smugly hands Sapo and clean bone. Sapo begins to panic about starving to death. Bellick asks him to hang in there and walks away. Sapo pulls some wire from a cell window, and climbs up.

T-Bag finds Michael and asks him why the government would want him in Sona. Before Michael answers, the inmates cry out, “RUNNER!” They flood to the windows to see Sapo shuffling across the no-man’s land. The guards in the towers tell him to stop, but he keeps moving. Bellick screams out as machine gun fire cuts Sapo down.

Michael tries to deal with what he’s just seen and heads to his cell. On his bed is Lechero’s chicken foot. He has been challenged to a fight.

Lincoln walks with the Constable and looks at the body. The Constable pulls back the sheet, and Lincoln pauses. “It’s not her.”

Sammy leads Michael to Lechero, who enjoys seeing Michael holding the chicken foot. Michael tries to argue his case, but Lechero reminds Michael that the fight is Sona’s way of keeping justice. Michael tries to get Lechero to admit that he set up the fight. Lechero doesn’t blink.

Deep below the prison, in the sewers, someone is listening to Lechero’s conversation.

Bellick wades through the sewer with a bucket of bathroom sludge. The person who was listening to Lechero whistles to Bellick. He asks Bellick to do him a favor and promises to feed Bellick. The man hands meat through a small crack. Bellick pops the piece in his mouth and chews, and then asks where the man found chicken. After a pause, the raspy voice replies, “That’s not chicken.” Bellick doesn’t care and takes more. In exchange, the man hands Bellick two pieces of paper.

Lincoln answers his phone, it’s LJ. LJ says he’s in Panama and got Lincoln’s cell phone number from the Consulate. LJ tells Lincoln to meet him and Sarah in a restaurant.

The inmates gather and cheer in the yard. It’s time for the fight. T-Bag watches Lechero closely. Another inmate bumps into Lechero and spills soda on his shoes. T-Bag seizes his moment. He approaches Lechero and offers to clean the soda off Lechero’s shoes. Lechero appreciates T-Bag’s subservient manner.

Mahone stands outside Michael’s cell and tells Michael to attack the man’s knee cap. Mahone tells Michael to survive because he is Mahone’s, “get out jail free card.”

Bellick pushes through the crowd and bumps into Michael, slipping one of the pieces of paper into Michael’s back pocket. Bellick crosses the yard and does the same to Michael’s foe.

Lechero barks that the only rule is “no weapons,” then calls for the men to fight.

Michael shouts that he won’t fight. When the inmate looks up to Lechero, Michael attacks the man’s knee. The man buckles under the kick, allowing Michael the advantage. The inmates cheer for Michael to finish the fight. When he tires to leave the circle, they shove him back in. The inmate stands and lands a few punches, but Michael quickly knocks him back down. Someone tosses a blade into the ring. Mahone sees this and steps forward. The fallen inmate grabs the blade and stands, and then lunges at Michael. Mahone blocks the man’s arm, and then snaps the man’s neck. Mahone quickly shouts out, “Rules are rules, remember!?” The crowd breaks up, Lechero walks away frustrated.

Lincoln enters the restaurant looking for LJ and Sarah. Susan B. Anthony sits behind him, flirts with him a little. As Lincoln walks away, she calls him by his name. “We have a lot to discuss.” Lincoln slowly sits. There is anger on his face. She tells him that he needs to talk to Michael.

A military vehicle collects the dead from inside Sona, and Sapo’s body in no-man’s land. A guard shoots the bodies to make sure they’re dead.

The screaming woman from Lincoln’s first visit looks over the bodies. When the coast is clear, she checks their pockets. She finds the second note that Bellick left. It reads:

Versailles
1989
V. Madrid

Michael waits in visitation and finds the other note. Lincoln walks to the fence and tells Michael “There are some people who want you to break someone out of here.” Michael shakes his head, he can’t do that again. Lincoln continues, “His name’s James Whistler.” Lincoln shows Michael video on a handheld device. It’s video of Sarah and LJ, holding current newspapers and begging for help. Lincoln tells Michael he has a week to find Whistler and break out of Sona. Otherwise, Sarah and LJ are dead.

 

[Foxy]

Man, we english have to wait so I will watch online.

My favorite charactor has to be T Bag, his catchphrases and just his whole aura.

'You've had it long time coming pretty'

I dont know how many I have said that.

With accent.

 

[wiiman44]

yeah i live in NA and jst saw the primere. it was awesome! I'v been watching it since s1. but season 3 by far seems to look better

 

[Syntax]

The season premiere was awesome for season 3. Can't wait until next Monday's episode. Question.. Has anyone purchased any of the season dvd's? Just wondering..

Note: For those of us who have seen Monday's episode of season three please be sure to quote your text with spoilers if you wish to discuss the episode. By doing this we don't ruin it for others who haven't seen the episode or season yet.

 

[brendo]

I'm fully up to date in prison break. Its one of my fav shows. i think it is going to be particularly interesting this season, and its off to an awesome start!
Yes i have season one and two dvd sets

 

[Syntax]

Mondays episode was amazing..

Spoiler

Unfortunately the head in the box will most likely be Sarah's seeing as she has mentioned in various interviews that she doesn't want to be a part of the show anymore.

 

[brendo]

Mondays episode was amazing..

Spoiler

Unfortunately the head in the box will most likely be Sarah's seeing as she has mentioned in various interviews that she doesn't want to be a part of the show anymore.

I agree, although:

Spoiler

That's a shame because sarah was uber hot poor michael

 

[zapasant]

man, im really enjoying the new season, is so intense in every seen, this is gonna be an award winning season again

 

[Syntax]

Great episode last night.

Note: I'll be posting last nights episode recap later on today.

Spoiler

Prison Break Exclusive: The Real Story Behind Sara's Death
071008sarahwaynecallies.jpg
Sarah Wayne Callies by Jeremy Cowart/Fox
If you're still in denial about the horrific turn of events on tonight's Prison Break, well, stop reading, 'cause a stone-cold reality check is coming your way: That was definitely Sara Tancredi's decapitated head staring up at Lincoln from that box. No ifs, ands or red herrings about it. Michael's long-suffering soul mate is dead and she ain't comin' back.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. And now prepare yourself for another sobering piece of news. Yes, my friends, it gets worse. The sad truth is, it didn't have to end this way. It wasn't supposed to end this way.

As Prison Break executive producer Matt Olmstead explains in this exclusive interview, the violent nature of Sara's death was the culmination of long and fruitless negotiations between the show and new-mom Sarah Wayne Callies. It's enough to make your head spin. (Sorry. Poor taste.) Stick around after the Q&A for Callies' response. And then feel free to assign blame wherever you feel it's warranted.

Last January, after it was announced that Sarah was pregnant, your colleague, Paul Scheuring, assured fans that he had no intention of killing off her character. What changed?
Matt Olmstead: What changed is that our initial pitch to the network was [rejected], so we had to go back to the drawing board. I remember we were sitting in the room thinking, "How do we unlock Season 3, motivation-wise?" Since we're not a procedural, we have to keep everyone moving forward. We have to evolve. And given what Michael's been through, how do you keep him going? And then it was tossed out, "What happens if Sara gets killed as an extension of what we already had planned for Season 3?" We knew that would work. But clearly it was a big conversation. And when we pitched the network, they wanted to know if there was any way we could avoid that, because everyone loved Sarah's work. But in order to make the season work, we really didn't have any other motivation for Michael. We determined that this was the right thing to do in order to really jolt the series.

Did you ever stop to consider that this might be a slap in the face to fans who had invested two years in the Michael-Sara relationship?
Olmstead: We took everything into consideration. Our initial idea was to have [Sarah/Sara appear in] the first 13 episodes, so she and Michael could have a proper goodbye. There were going to be some really emotional scenes where he tried to save her from dying, but she ultimately passed. So then we whittled it down to 11 episodes, then 10 episodes, then nine episodes, then four episodes…. Then we suggested flying to her — she was pregnant [at the time] and living in a remote part of Canada — and bringing a camera crew to her house, but that wasn't accepted. We then whittled it down to just a phone conversation, and that was turned down, too. We were really looking forward to paying off that relationship. But [when] it became evident that that wasn't going to happen, we made lemonade out of a lemon.

So, as a result, you were forced to kill her off sooner than you had planned?
Olmstead: Much sooner. We used the story to our advantage in that she was being held hostage. [Sarah] was gracious enough to let us use her image, which really helped. I totally get it, personally. She was, at the time, pregnant and living in a remote part of Canada and nesting; [she] kind of looked at the options and didn't want to go forward. No hard feelings whatsoever. The show is an ensemble. The show moves forward. There are very few untouchable actors on the show.

Wasn't Sarah under contract? Didn't she have to return?
Olmstead: That's a business-affairs question.

[At this point, 20th Century spokesperson Chris Alexander interjects: "We had to either pick her up for the entire season of 22, according to her contract, or we had to make a new contract with her. We determined in May that we didn't plan to use her for the full 22, so we chose not to renew our existing contract with her. And so, to get her back for the 13 or 14 that we wanted, we had to make a new deal, and she declined."]

What was your understanding as to why she didn't want to come back? It seems strange that she refused to return in any capacity. Doesn't it seem strange to you?
Olmstead: It looked like a pretty good deal on the face of it. We definitely came up in money. Thirteen episodes would have allowed the character to have a proper exit. We were willing to push the start date back [to accommodate her maternity leave], which would have meant her coming in [around] Episode 10, but that wasn't accepted. So then we offered to come up [to Canada] before she gave birth and film at her house. Pretty good money and she wouldn't even have to leave her house. That wasn't accepted. So it was a little curious to me and to others why she was taking such a hard stance. [Maybe] she felt that she was made certain assurances about being part of the show this season. And in fairness to her, those assurances were given, because she was such a valuable member of the show…. Also, she's up [in Canada]. She's comfortable. She's starting a family. Maybe she didn't want to have to fly down and have to do this stuff. Or maybe she felt like she wanted to be part of the show [full time], not just half the season. Perhaps she felt a little jilted. Our [original] plan was to definitely keep her for [all of] Season 3, but after a couple of times of getting it kicked back from the network, we had to come up with a new idea and that necessitated her character being killed.

Did you ever get an inkling that she wasn't happy working on the show?
Olmstead: No. I've worked in TV for 10 years. I've been around difficult actors. I've definitely been around malcontents. She was none of those. Great actress. Very smart. Good suggestions. And an asset to the show.

Sarah was recently quoted in a French magazine saying that she was "sad," "shocked" and felt "deceived" by the decision to kill off the character. Presuming this is what she actually said, does this surprise you?
Olmstead: Not really. She was invested in the character and wanted to be a part of the show. We felt the same way.

Let's discuss the way you killed her off. Some might view it as you guys exacting revenge on Sarah for not returning.
Olmstead: We really had no way of using her image other than the existing images that we had. Those Polaroids we used are old wardrobe shots from Season 1 and 2. She didn't give us any new photos. So [we had to devise a way to] kill her [and still] show a body…. Obviously she wasn't going to fly down and be a DOA for us. We just wanted to go with the most dramatic way to do it, a way that you could do it and not need the actress. Also, what it does is it helps put teeth into the antagonist of the show, the Susan character. Because a lot of times with [villains], they're constantly wagging their finger, "You better do this, you better do that or this is going to happen" and it becomes hollow after a while. So, this absolutely dramatizes that when Susan issues a cautionary to Lincoln and that goes unheeded, this is the result.

So Sarah's refusal to return essentially limited how you could kill her?
Olmstead: Yeah, basically. Could you have seen a [body] double's feet being shoved into a meat grinder? Sure. Could you see a wide shot of a female body being dumped in an ocean? Probably. But dramatically, this allowed us to get the most out of what little we had to work with…. We used her not coming back to our advantage. When the bomb finally drops for Michael — and he finds out that she has been killed — it's an unbelievable sequence between him and Lincoln. And it really lays a huge motivation on him.

Response from Sarah Wayne Callies
Although Callies declined multiple interview requests, last Friday the actress sent me the following statement via her spokesperson.

"As hard as we all tried, the Prison Break powers that be and I were unable to find a way to meet both the needs of the story and the needs of my family. We parted wishing each other well. I had a wonderful time working with the creative team and have a world of respect for all of them; they took great care of Dr. Sara. I'm also enormously grateful to the fans. They've been so gracious and supportive, and I hope they continue to enjoy the show."

So, there you have it. Michael and Sara's love story was cut short over a frakkin' contract dispute. Assuming you're already in the anger phase of your grieving process, let the blame game begin in the comments section below. Also, don't forget to check out this week's Ask Ausiello for scoop on the next chapter in this unbelievable tale: Michael's rebound relationship!

 

[Jav]

such an awesome show.
australia has started to pick up its pace in getting shows quicker than normal and i think we are only 2 weeks behind the US but im not sure cause i just d/l, so much better with out ads!

any way i have a question for all those watching season 3:
is sarah really dead?
for some reason i have a feeling that she is still alive and will come back some where down the track.
what do you think?

 

[brendo]

I think she said in an interview that she wanted to leave the show? and leave she did:shocked: sad, she was one of my favs

 

[mushroomedmario]

i've never really liked Sarah....to much drama based around here(drugs, love, wanting to kill paul)

oh guys i've noticed a flaw in prison break for a while, i never told anyone but i want to get it out...

in one of the first episodes, LJ trapped an fbi agent in the ground, and he phoned someone and said "trace this number" however, near the end of season two, when paul was on the run with micheal, micheal said "turn off your cell they can trace us" and paul was lik e"no, fbi agent's cellphones can't be traced"

note-that's not what they said word for word

 

[cindies]

I love watching Prison Break! though I think the writers are stretching it as much as they can. This season hasn't been as entertaining (to me) as the two previous ones. When they killed off Sarah I was really disappointed but I had heard she was pregnant so I knew they couldn't add that into the storyline.

Also has anyone noticed that Michael is always wearing a long sleeve shirt and is never as sweaty as the other guys...

 

[Syntax]

The reason as to why this season may seem stretched is due to the fact that the Fall Season Finale of Prison Break Season Three is tonight. The reason as to why the season has been cut short is due to the writers strike.

 

[Jav]

damn! what a time for the season finale to happen, just when my speed has been throttled! cant d/l till next week now.

probably the reason why michael is always wearing the shirt is
a) in the show he doestn want everyone to know that he has tats all over his body
&
b) putting all the make up on to make that whole tattoo would take hours, so why do it when it has no point?

mushroomedmario, i do remember paul saying that, good spot, but did they trace the number in the end? i cant remember that far.