No shackles on ‘Prison Break’ finale

More conspiracy theories, fewer prison bars
Regrettably, the second season will likely also include more of the ridiculous conspiracy that gave the plot its reason for existence. The weakness of the storyline associated with the staged assassination of the vice president's brother is matched only by the weakness of the characters, who are all one-note walking clichés. It's lazy writing and acting, and needs to be pushed to the periphery where it can fuel the story but stay off our screens.

But there was development here, primarily with the elevation of the vice president to the presidency. She had her boss assassinated in order to prove her loyalty to the mysterious company that is behind everything. Her competence has come into question both from her colleagues and from her brother, who she stashed away in Montana. At the end of the finale, Lincoln's former girlfriend and current lawyer Veronica Donovan discovered him there, however, so he may become an ally to help her uncover the conspiracy that left him literally toothless (his teeth were planted on a corpse in order to fake his death).

In its last two episodes of the first season, “Prison Break” also killed off a number of major characters, from prisoners (such as the sage old man Charles Westmoreland) to peripheral characters (the President of the United States, who only appeared for a few moments this season). Some of them, like Westmoreland, will be missed, but others, such as now-dead lawyer Nick Savrinn, were unquestionably dispensable. That a series can dump its dead weight so early is commendable.

The exit of those characters clears the way for new people to join the cast, of course, but also for an increased focus on those we like best. As the prisoners ran from the prison, a few were left behind, like the newly handless T-Bag and snitch Tweener, but they'll undoubtedly be back, more likely than not because they have scores to settle with other escaped prisoners.

Some may be caught, others will probably die, but if this finale is any indication, season two will definitely be an adventure worth watching.

As we left the five remaining inmates — Michael Scofield, Lincoln Burrows, John Abruzzi, Fernando Sucre, and Benjamin “C-Note” Franklin — they were standing on a runway being pursued by dozens of police cars, their getaway jet taking off over their heads. “What do we do now?” Scofield's former cellmate Sucre asked.

“We run,” Scofield said, and they took off running through a field. As they ran, it became clear that getting the prisoners outside of the prison was the big break the show needed.

Andy Dehnart is a writer and teacher who publishes reality blurred, a daily summary of reality TV news.

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