WARNING: **SPOILERS** ahead if you have not seen the Prison Break series finale!

This really says it all. I barely have the   words – except for Prison Break broke my fragile heart. The two hour finale all in all did a great job, a brilliant job in wrapping up the season 4 storyline of the group finding Scylla; and not handing it to the wrong people. It brought back elements of season 1 (in good and bad way) I mean… the scenes where T-Bag was about to have his way with Sara, was one of the standouts. Seriously. He brought out his pocket for her to hang onto! That alone was something I felt was lacking in the character development this season for T-Bag. He hadn’t been continuously chilling like he was in Season 1. Every now and then, of course you’d remember how dangerous he was, but in this season he just seemed to be riding coat tails of the other guys, bottom of the food chain, and he wasn’t menacing. Just eery with the heavy breathing type Southern hick drawl. But when The General gives T-Bag the go ahead to do with Sara what he will – you could see the fear in her eyes. You could see the thrill in his, while he licked his lips. Ew.

Aside from the pocket homage to Season 1 for T-Bag, Sucre came back. C-Note came back (but did we really care enough about him..?) and everyone was working together to take down the company. Michael’s mother turned out to be EVIL, and then.. Kellerman was back. Who for a while, to me has been Cooper from Private Practice! He hasn’t been Kellerman for a while, but bam. He was the silent mystery guy working with Sucre and C-Note to get Scylla.. this was all working beautifully; all the good guys, and the questionably good guys were working together; all for the possibility of freedom. Freedom without running.

And it all wrapped up nicely though Lincoln got roughed up a whole lot, and spent the two episodes bleeding out of his lung, but oh well. He perservered! Sara shot Michael’s mother before she shot Michael (her own SON! *gasp*) but wow, Kathleen Quinlan sure played a great villainess! Cold, ice cold!

So.. it all was paced so well, escalated, there was a bit of panic, there was the General AND Michael’s mother to worry about, as well as saving Lincoln at the same time, having to avoid putting the lives of their loved ones in danger. Michael did get caught in the crossfire, bullet in the shoulder.. but he was well enough to deliver Scylla to the UN. With Kellerman.. and whilst there was still a risk that Kellerman would blindside him (man, that word sounds weird without it being in a ‘Survivor’ context) but by then; that was the last straw. That was it. Michael Scofield was done. He wasn’t going to run anymore. But it was enough; they signed on the dotted line; they were officially free. (And they weren’t blank pieces of paper, ala Don Self)

After lots of hugs, and tears (some shed by  me!) Michael and Sara were walking on the beach, talking about how Michael was going to be a hands-on Dad *sniffles* and you could just see how light, and free they felt. Then Michael had a nosebleed.

*deep breath*

Something which, according to the writers’ explanation of the tumour/syndrome thingy being heriditary; the Company surgery practically forced upon him should/WOULD have cured him; as his mother that experienced the same thing, well.. she obviously lived for another 30 years! So, the nose bleed happens.. Michael says I love you (to Sara, not me) and Sara says it back, but doesn’t quite look him in the eyes, hugging him then… worried.

Four years later, the words tell us. A haunting, sad montage telling of where everyone is, what they are doing (T-Bag back in jail, full circle..) and an occasion bringing Mahone, Lincoln & Sucre back together after all this time. Little Michael Jr is getting a rough fake tattoo on his lil arm, and happy mother scoops him up and says ‘We’re going to see your father’.

In the cemetary!!

What? THIS is how you tie it up? From what executive producer Matt Olmstead said in an Entertainment Weekly column; he believes it is a happy ending. That although Michael did everything for his brother, for Sara.. for love; people got hurt, and that there needed to be ramifications. Puleeze – if there were ramifications and real consequences, then T-Bag would have been killed, he wouldn’t have gone back to jail where he could keep on molesting, and torturing other inmates. Kellerman wouldn’t have become a Senator, and essentially  getting the “slate wiped clean” despite being a cold blooded murderer, and contributing to the conspiracy that put Lincoln in jail in the first place!

But to kill off Michael? How is that ‘right’? After all; it was his character, his quest that was the basis of the whole show! I’m so heartbroken, I couldn’t even.. be happy, or coo over cute lil Michael/Sara offspring! Couldn’t! Through the tears, I didn’t even notice that it said “Be the change you want to see in the world”. (Where did that even come from?!) The sobbing continued when Lincoln placed a paper crane on the tombstone. It was just.. cruel.

What’s worse/more cruel is that in July when the 4th season is released on DVD; on July 28th there is a ‘prequel’ movie also to be released direct to DVD to show what happened throughout those 4 years! Oh, so kill him off, break our hearts; THEN tease us with him living again, only for us to see him then die again! What?! WHY?!

It took me a while to write this post, because I realise that I’m not the most objective person to write a critique on the final two episodes. But that should just illustrate that this fan, this writer, this Prison Break fan; got screwed by the powers-that-be that held the power to write a satisfying finale; not rushed, not lazy, no cliffhangers; just something true to the foundations. And they got it wrong.

So I end this post, with a lasting image; and what gives me comfort (especially with my beloved Season 1 & Season 2 DVD box sets on my shelf) Michael.. and Sara.

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