I’m speechless. I really am. After slaving through four seasons of Prison Break, I would’ve never thought that it would end like this.
Tonight marked the emotional 2 hour series finale in which the writers aimed to tie up all loose threads. And boy did they ever. Almost every single character that you grew to care about over the last 4 years had their fate dished to them, good or bad.
And, of course, if you haven’t watched tonight’s episode, I encourage doing so before perusing this post or any other message boards.
So Sucre got his freedom and his daughter (and, I guess Maricruz) back. C-Note got a job and a front lawn. T-Bag back at Fox River, controlling a new crop of minions. Lincoln running his surf shop with Sofia on his arm. Mahone with his former partner as his main squeeze. Don Self relegated to a hospital, living the rest of his days as a vegetable. The General gets a ride on ‘Old Sparky’. Excluding maybe Lincoln (whose body count since the Panama debacle could rival Jack Bauer’s), all these are all very close to perfect and satisfying send-offs that had a ‘reap-what-you-sow’ tint to them.
But the writers had a complete redirect in mind. Yup, they really had a doozy in store for faithful PB fans (you know, the faithful kind that actually stick with the show through Sona and even followed its sojourn to Friday night). Yep, Mr. Michael J. Scofield was sent to his grave.
The question is: did they really have to kill him off? Or rather, should we have expected anything different from a show where character deaths were used solely for shock value? It was their last trick and just like a 10 year old kid with one firecracker left on July 5th, they lit that baby.
This could’ve been the final shot that Prison Break fans were waiting for. Photo: Fox
It was a universal desire (and expectation) across scores of Prison Break fans to get the ultimate final shot payoff: Michael and Sara walking into a sunset, seemingly with the rest of their lives ahead of them. And them having a little seed on the way only sweetened the deal. Say what you want about the authenticity of their relationship or even their chemistry, but it was quite unnecessary to end the show with anything but a happy ending.
Instead we get a sad, tear-inducing look at his headstone which does nothing but send us into shock and piss us off (and remind us how ridiculous it was that all of this happened in a few months time).
The argument of ‘fairness’ would never hold in this show, so I’m left only with the ability to rant that it was a deliberate slap to the face of fans to end it this way. Yup, we’re forced to accept the fact that Michael died. No time with his son. No celebratory drink with Linc and Sucre. Just an origami duck and a Gandhi quote.
I will forever hate the fact that they killed off Scofield. But do I hate this finale in the same way I hate The Sopranos cut-to-black finale? Probably not. The only thing that stings more than an outcome you don’t want to see is not seeing the outcome at all. The truth is that we got closure, albeit an end that we didn’t want or expect to see. And a lot of the destruction and loss of life on the show were indirect results of Scofield’s actions. And, oh yeah, life is actually unfair sometimes too.
I’m left wondering if I can ever watch the amazing first season of Prison Break on DVD again or should I just let some unsuspecting soul grab it from me off eBay on the cheap. Hmmm.
i think the producers/writers should come up with an alternative ending (just like what jessi said) eventhough it is not official, somehow it will lighten the agony the fans have felt. I hope they have included it
on their dvd.
you guys has to understand this
Hollywood actors never dies on the end of the movie
Fox Tv wants to make it diferent there actors dies in the end
its very hardly to see an actor die in a movie
so i didnt like to see, either but its part of the movie
let’s see what comes next with scofield
I don’t think the producer have to kill the only character fans are so engross in to make their soap different no matter what, nobody like sad endings. right now am so pisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssed i wish i never watch it four years ago when my younger brother bought it home and i became an addict.
The problem I have with the producers defending their decision to kill Michael off, saying it was more-or-less karma for all the bad things that happened due to what he did is this: Linc not only got off, he’s got his girl and son….all is happy and well. AND Linc really WAS a bad guy….at least a troubled guy. He really was into some stuff before all this happened…and he did worse things through the series than Michael did.
All I’m saying is if you’re going to say it was a valid ending because of what happened because of what he had done, spread the ill will around…kill everybody off then.
This is not right, it is totally unfair that Micheal’s life comes to such an abrupt end. He has so much to live for, come on! Did it really have to end like this? Couldn’t the producers come up with another means of closure? This is not good for my emotions man!!
I mean, i have grown to love this guy! This breaks my heart as though it were a true story.
Oh well, who ever said that bad things would never happen to good people anyway!!
I would like to thank the producers, writers and directors of PB, though. I have never seen anything like it since the invention of TV! That’s how good it was.
Thank you, guys!
By-the-way,i would really like to see Wentworth Miller on another hot show real soon. I am the greatest fan.
It’s going to suck come this fall now that there’s no Prison Break - I’m so used to Micahel and Lincoln in August/September.
First of all, I’m really gonna miss the show - they shouldn’t have left it with Michael dying - makes all 4 seasons pointless.
I think it was a fitting ending. the ultimate sacrifice
What a disgrace - this was a slap to the face of all of us PB fans
Michael suffered a hero’s fate. He was depicted as the invincible protaganist throughout the whole show. His only weakness being his health– something he cannot control.
The fact that he suffered a hero’s fate is a juxtaposition to the sacrafices he made for his family. While not directly related to his sacrafice for his brother, his fate helps portray him in an angelic light.
The ending was definitely well done and shocking to say nonetheless. In some ways, it was very satisfying, but in others, not. Maybe an alternate ending would make us feel better. Even though it’s not official.
it is beyond my expectation when i saw michael bleed..because who knew he end up with a dead..at least we saw his next generation hope he will be smart as him but not unlucky as michael…LOL.
I LOVED this show! It was always suspenseful! It was good, but sad ending. I hate that Michael had to die. I thought season 1 & 2 were the best. I read where it was canceled, not because of the ratings getting lower each season, but because the story had run it’s course.
One thing that puzzles me is that people keep mentioning about Michael dying in 2005 & that was when the story started. Do they not realize that the 4 years it ran, was only several months in TV land. From the time Michael went in, till the end was only months, not years. I don’t know why that is so hard for people to figure out.
I am Not a hugh TV Show watcher But Prison break really had it all and really got my attention. Every character was so well written and proformed. We either loved or hated each character differently. I thought the finale summed up every story line perfectly and we were left with no questions about any character.
Great job to all would worked on the show and thanks for a great 4 yrs of quality TV.
And a big F U to teabag…Finally that snake met his maker.
Thanks again FOX
4 years and after season 2 it went way down hill…
but I stuck with it to see the hero get the girl and walk off into the sunset. What a slap in the face to the fans.In the end the writers were not that creative and they took an easy way out to “shock”
the fans -pathetic and incompetent for sure.
Well, maybe it’s not important but the date of michael’s death is 2005, that’s when the series started, maybe that’s when the old michael died. And becuse there are going to be two more straight-to-DVD episodes in which Michael will break Sara out of prison, the final effect is probably the one where Michael has to fake his death. At least that’s my assumption.
I believe they left the Gretchen storyline open=ended because originally Gretchen was going to be in a spin off
You know.. That was the best wrap up of a show I have seen yet.. Considering Lost decided to come back one more season..
But for real, You think about Michael’s death as a negative.. I mean he survived that long to save his friends and family.. And once he succeeded.. It was his time.. He did his job.. Ending was a tear jerker, and Im sad to see it end.. But GREAT JOB doin what you did!
I have been a loyal Prison Break fan since its inception four years ago. Never missing an episode, I even bought previous seasons to watch again during the summer in preparation for the fall season to commence. I eagerly, albeit sadly, awaited the series final two hour episode. I watched with bated breath as the brothers struggled to make right that which was wrong and balance good and evil with good coming out the victor.
This was almost accomplished. After one hour and forty five minutes of cat and mouse, the evil players were getting their do. So what could the writers have been thinking to end a highly charged show at the grave sight of the only character that was purely good? Was the moral, “only the good die young” or “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try and die?”
I was very disappointed and dismayed by the insensitivity of the staff who thought that killing Michael off would endear the viewers. If I had known this four years ago, I would have stopped watching after episode one. I think you have betrayed your loyal viewers. I will not be purchasing season four to watch over and over again.
@PenTa - good call - Heroes do die sometimes. But that just means we have a right to be pissed, right?
@Nicole - You know, they completely dropped the ball on Gretchen, right? I totally forgot that they didn’t close her story out. she’s either dead or in jail.
@Jo - Ha ha, yet another miraculous injury recovery. Didn’t Lincoln get shot in Season 2 as well and recovered quickly. Yeah, there was no attention to detail in production in Season 4 - Like the fact that it was supposed to be 2005 and the guys are driving around 2008 Hybrid Escalades.
@crystyne - From the press release for the DVD, Sara gets in trouble for killing Michael’s mother and goes to jail and he has to break her out. I know, another break-out. Lame.