The Killing Box
Encyclopedia
"The Killing Box" is the thirty-fifth episode of the American television series Prison Break
and is the thirteenth episode of its second season. Broadcast on November 27, 2006, it was also the last episode to be aired in 2006 in the United States. The episode is written by Zack Estrin and directed by Bobby Roth
. The majority of the events in this episode take place on June 5th, a day after Michael's rendezvous with the coyote. The fictional Fox News
report in this episode announces that "less than ten days" has passed since the Fox River escape.
This episode marks the first time the series' protagonist, Michael Scofield
, and agent Paul Kellerman
, have appeared in a scene together, aside from a brief glimpse in a car in "English, Fitz or Percy". Regarding the casting of this episode, regular cast members Marshall Allman
(who plays L. J. Burrows) and Rockmond Dunbar
(who plays C-Note
) do not appear in this episode.
(Wentworth Miller
) and Lincoln Burrows
(Dominic Purcell) are held up at gunpoint by Agent Alexander Mahone
(William Fichtner
) while Michael's mobile telephone rings. Before Mahone can shoot the two brothers, the United States Border Patrol
arrives. An officer tells Mahone to drop his weapon while they apprehend Michael and Lincoln.
Fernando Sucre
's (Amaury Nolasco
) plane is being chased by military jets beyond the American border into Mexico. The pilot tells him they haven't been allowed to cross the border since 9/11 and that their only hope of survival is to escape the plane with parachutes. The pair jump out of the plane, and land in the Sonoran Desert
. Later, Sucre glances at the dead pilot (with an unopened parachute), killed on impact, before he walks away into the desert.
T-Bag (Robert Knepper
) is at Pratt, Kansas
veteran's hall. Pretending to be a veteran, T-Bag asks a veteran playing pool where to get a prosthetic hand. He tells him to go to a VA Hospital
. When T-Bag says that money is no object for him, the veteran throws an orientation slur at him, while T-Bag gazes ominously.
In Joliet, Illinois
, the new Fox River warden Ed Pavelka is talking to the media; pledging not to make the same mistakes as his predecessor Henry Pope. He also announces his intention to swiftly execute Lincoln Burrows, while Michael Scofield will probably get life in prison for the escape.
The brothers are taken to a Las Cruces, New Mexico
holding facility, where the authorities are preparing them for their return to Fox River. Michael's phone vibrates in an evidence bag, the brothers discuss how they will contact Sara Tancredi
. Michael asserts himself, demanding to have a phone call. The officer replies that it will have to wait until he is back at Fox River.
Agent Kim tells Mahone to kill Michael and Lincoln, but Mahone protests, stating that they are in a room filled with law enforcement officers. Kim replies by threatening Mahone's family. In an adjacent room, Mahone brandishes his sidearm, briefly pointing it at himself.
Newly fitted with the veteran's prosthetic hand, T-Bag stalks a United States Postal Service
worker named Denise at a nearby bus stop. Following her to a diner, he charms her and finds himself in her home. He promises to meet her at work and take her to a restaurant. Upon meeting her at work, T-Bag persuades her to give her the address of his ex-girlfriend Susan Hollander (K. K. Dodds
), who turned him in to America's Most Wanted
years ago. When Denise sees a wanted poster behind T-Bag with his face on it, she becomes shocked, and is killed moments later.
Susan Hollander opens the door to her new Ness City, Kansas
home, not expecting to see escaped serial killer Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell at her doorstep, just where he promised her he would be during their previous meeting in Fox River State Penitentiary
.
In the meantime, Brad Bellick
(Wade Williams
) is at the Greeley County, Kansas
district court, as the county prosecutor (Andrew Sensenig) makes his case to deny bail. The prosecutor played a recording of the threatening phone call to the murdered Roy Geary for the courtroom to hear as the judge denies bail for Bellick. Later, in a holding facility, Bellick's public defender Greg Nagel (Bruce DuBose) tells him that there's a good chance he will get the death penalty unless he agrees to plead guilty and receive a 25 year sentence. Bellick agrees, under the condition that he be transferred to Illinois
, so he can be near his mother.
Bellick later arrives, talking to Correctional Officer Louis Patterson (Phillip Edward Van Lear
), asking him to put him in Ad Seg and to later enroll him in a work release
program. Patterson replies that the CO's no longer run the prison, and that he will be sent to the general population. His new cellmate is Avocado (Daniel Allar
), who, Bellick, in his CO capacity, earlier used to punish Fox River inmate David "Tweener" Apolskis. The scene of Bellick being placed in General Population is reminiscent of the shot of Michael in his prison cell in the series pilot
(in fact the shot is the same one used in the pilot, with Bellick's cell pasted over Michael's upon close inspection you can see that the inmates in adjacent cells are all in the same positions as they are in the Pilot).
Sara Tancredi
(Sarah Wayne Callies
) continues to try to contact Michael with no success, not knowing the fate of the brothers until she sees the news report of their recapture at an electronics store. Shocked, she alters her appearance in a public restroom by cutting her hair with a razor. Dropping her real identification in a trash bin, Sara blends into the crowd.
Paul Kellerman
(Paul Adelstein
) speaks to Agent Kim (Reggie Lee
), pleading for his job back. He threatens to use his information concerning Caroline Reynolds should Kim refuse. The Pad Man, a mysterious operative superior to agent Kim, writes instructions to him, telling him to switch the phone to speaker mode and to ask Kellerman what kind of plan he has in mind. Kellerman reveals a plan for an ambush of the brothers in Albuquerque, New Mexico
, en route to the brothers' trip back to Fox River, where their murder will look like an accident. Agent Kim, on the Pad Man's instructions, later tells Mahone to kill Kellerman during the crossfire. Mahone protests, saying he is not Jack Ruby
. Kim replies that Ruby acted alone, while the US Government would be behind his action.
Michael and Lincoln's transport van is stalled in an Albuquerque
tunnel by a jackknifed
semi
, setting up the ambush. The brothers manage to escape their transport van, as Lincoln's shackles are left unlocked, and a guard (Kelly O'Neil Jackson), Kellerman's alleged contact in the Illinois DOC, suspiciously leaves his keys behind. Although suspicious that the set up is too easy, Michael eventually lets Lincoln convince him to make a break for it, and the brothers escape through a metal door, and through a series of small tunnels, until they are caught between Kellerman and Mahone. As the brothers prepare to die, Kellerman fires his weapon at Mahone who is shot and falls. Kellerman tells both Lincoln and Michael, "President Reynolds ruined your life, she ruined my life. You want to take that bitch down? You just found your inside man, but it's got to be right now." Both Lincoln and Michael follow Kellerman.
Concerning T-Bag's storyline, reviewers from both the Arizona Daily Star
and The Palm Beach Post
commented on his appearance and his particular storyline in this episode. While the critic from The Palm Beach Post described T-Bag's "unsightly grille, tattered 'do, one hooded eye, and that butt-ugly hoodie he's always wearing" and questioned how the character could have "charmed a member of the opposite sex with ease", the critic from the Arizona Daily Star rhetorically asked about T-Bag's attraction, "What did she see in him? Was it the twinkle in that bruised eye? The bad dye job? The slimy innuendo? The probably stinky clothes he wore?".
The plot twist towards the end of the episode with Kellerman deciding to help Michael and Lincoln in the interest of self-preservation also prompted some reactions from the critics. The critic from TV Guide
said that it was "quite shocking to see the moment when it all went down" while the critic from the Arizona Daily Star "wanted to give Kellerman a big wet kiss".
Overall, this episode obtained a positive feedback from most of the critics. While the reviewer from the TV Fodder began his review with "Holy crap. To the folks over at "Lost
", this is how you do a Fall Finale. Where to begin?", the critic from The Palm Beach Post concluded his review with "Prison Break's fall finale was certainly appealing. Can't wait 'til Jan. 22." Similarly, the critic from The San Diego Union-Tribune
commenced his review with "Nothing gets the heart beating like a finale episode of Prison Break." and gave the episode an A+ grade. Because a cliffhanger was expected for this episode since it was the last to be aired in 2006, the critic from TV Guide commented that this episode surpassed her expectations, "Since it was the fall finale, I knew we’d be in for one crazy Prison Break ride, and it actually was even better than I had expected." The critic from the Arizona Daily Star exerted his enthusiasm for the next episode in January, 2007 by ending his review with "It's only 56 days. Only 1,344 hours. 80,640 minutes. 4,838,400 seconds... Mark your calendars. Prison Break returns Jan. 22". He also compared this episode's cliffhanger with Desperate Housewives
s cliffhanger, stating that, "I said yesterday that the Desperate Housewives cliffhanger was one of the best ever, but Prison Break just upped the ante."
Prison Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
and is the thirteenth episode of its second season. Broadcast on November 27, 2006, it was also the last episode to be aired in 2006 in the United States. The episode is written by Zack Estrin and directed by Bobby Roth
Bobby Roth
Robert Jay "Bobby" Roth is a television and film director, screenwriter and producer.Roth began his tertiary education at the University of California, Berkeley studying philosophy and creative writing before earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinema at the University of Southern California in...
. The majority of the events in this episode take place on June 5th, a day after Michael's rendezvous with the coyote. The fictional Fox News
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
report in this episode announces that "less than ten days" has passed since the Fox River escape.
This episode marks the first time the series' protagonist, Michael Scofield
Michael Scofield
Michael J. Scofield is the main protagonist in the American television series Prison Break. He is portrayed by Wentworth Miller. The character first appeared in the series pilot as a man who stages a bank robbery in order to get sent into the prison where his older brother, Lincoln Burrows , is...
, and agent Paul Kellerman
Paul Kellerman
Paul Kellerman, played by Paul Adelstein, is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. The character was introduced to the series as a Secret Service special agent in the series pilot but the actor was not listed as a regular cast member until the third episode...
, have appeared in a scene together, aside from a brief glimpse in a car in "English, Fitz or Percy". Regarding the casting of this episode, regular cast members Marshall Allman
Marshall Allman
Marshall Scot Allman is an American actor. He is known to television audiences for his role as L. J. Burrows on Fox's successful television series, Prison Break...
(who plays L. J. Burrows) and Rockmond Dunbar
Rockmond Dunbar
Rockmond Dunbar is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Kenny Chadway on the Showtime television drama series Soul Food, and as Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin on the FOX television drama series Prison Break...
(who plays C-Note
Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin
Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin, played by Rockmond Dunbar, is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. The character was introduced as a prisoner in the pilot episode. The actor was promoted from a recurring guest star to a regular cast member midway through the...
) do not appear in this episode.
Summary
Michael ScofieldMichael Scofield
Michael J. Scofield is the main protagonist in the American television series Prison Break. He is portrayed by Wentworth Miller. The character first appeared in the series pilot as a man who stages a bank robbery in order to get sent into the prison where his older brother, Lincoln Burrows , is...
(Wentworth Miller
Wentworth Miller
Wentworth Earl Miller III is an English-born American actor; model and screenwriter who rose to stardom following his role as Michael Scofield in the Fox Network television series Prison Break.-Early life:...
) and Lincoln Burrows
Lincoln Burrows
Lincoln Burrows, played by Dominic Purcell, is one of the main protagonists of the American television series, Prison Break. The plot of Prison Break revolves around Lincoln Burrows' setup for the murder of the vice president's brother and his brother's plan to help him escape his death sentence....
(Dominic Purcell) are held up at gunpoint by Agent Alexander Mahone
Alexander Mahone
Alexander "Alex" Mahone is a fictional character portrayed by William Fichtner in the American television series Prison Break. The series revolves around two brothers: one who has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit and his younger sibling, a genius who devises an elaborate plan...
(William Fichtner
William Fichtner
William Edward Fichtner is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Sheriff Tom Underlay on Invasion, as Alexander Mahone on Prison Break, as William Sharp in Armageddon, and as Ken Rosenberg in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.- Early life...
) while Michael's mobile telephone rings. Before Mahone can shoot the two brothers, the United States Border Patrol
United States Border Patrol
The United States Border Patrol is a federal law enforcement agency within U.S. Customs and Border Protection , a component of the Department of Homeland Security . It is an agency in the Department of Homeland Security that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to...
arrives. An officer tells Mahone to drop his weapon while they apprehend Michael and Lincoln.
Fernando Sucre
Fernando Sucre
Fernando Sucre, played by Amaury Nolasco, is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. He is introduced to the series in the pilot episode as the prison cellmate of the series protagonist, Michael Scofield .-Background:Of Puerto Rican descent, Sucre grew up in Chicago...
's (Amaury Nolasco
Amaury Nolasco
Amaury Nolasco Garrido is a Puerto Rican actor, best known for the role of Fernando Sucre on the television series Prison Break, and for his role in Transformers.-Early life:...
) plane is being chased by military jets beyond the American border into Mexico. The pilot tells him they haven't been allowed to cross the border since 9/11 and that their only hope of survival is to escape the plane with parachutes. The pair jump out of the plane, and land in the Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
. Later, Sucre glances at the dead pilot (with an unopened parachute), killed on impact, before he walks away into the desert.
T-Bag (Robert Knepper
Robert Knepper
Robert Lyle Knepper is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell in the Fox network's drama series Prison Break, for which he was nominated a Satellite Award...
) is at Pratt, Kansas
Pratt, Kansas
Pratt is a city in and the county seat of Pratt County in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,835. Pratt is home to Pratt Community College.-19th century:Pratt was founded in 1884 and named after Caleb S...
veteran's hall. Pretending to be a veteran, T-Bag asks a veteran playing pool where to get a prosthetic hand. He tells him to go to a VA Hospital
Veterans Health Administration
The Veterans Health Administration is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs led by the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health that implements the medical assistance program of the VA through the administration and operation of numerous VA outpatient clinics,...
. When T-Bag says that money is no object for him, the veteran throws an orientation slur at him, while T-Bag gazes ominously.
In Joliet, Illinois
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...
, the new Fox River warden Ed Pavelka is talking to the media; pledging not to make the same mistakes as his predecessor Henry Pope. He also announces his intention to swiftly execute Lincoln Burrows, while Michael Scofield will probably get life in prison for the escape.
The brothers are taken to a Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
holding facility, where the authorities are preparing them for their return to Fox River. Michael's phone vibrates in an evidence bag, the brothers discuss how they will contact Sara Tancredi
Sara Tancredi
Dr. Sara Tancredi is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. She is played by Sarah Wayne Callies. Her role in the first season of the series is a prison doctor.- Background :...
. Michael asserts himself, demanding to have a phone call. The officer replies that it will have to wait until he is back at Fox River.
Agent Kim tells Mahone to kill Michael and Lincoln, but Mahone protests, stating that they are in a room filled with law enforcement officers. Kim replies by threatening Mahone's family. In an adjacent room, Mahone brandishes his sidearm, briefly pointing it at himself.
Newly fitted with the veteran's prosthetic hand, T-Bag stalks a United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
worker named Denise at a nearby bus stop. Following her to a diner, he charms her and finds himself in her home. He promises to meet her at work and take her to a restaurant. Upon meeting her at work, T-Bag persuades her to give her the address of his ex-girlfriend Susan Hollander (K. K. Dodds
K. K. Dodds
K. K. Dodds is an American actress. She appeared in such television shows as Prison Break, CSI, and NYPD Blue. Dodds also appeared in the film Soldier as Lieutenant Sloan, in Being John Malkovich as Wendy, in A Life Less Ordinary as Lily, in Grosse Pointe Blank as Tracy, and in Spider-Man as Simkins...
), who turned him in to America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
years ago. When Denise sees a wanted poster behind T-Bag with his face on it, she becomes shocked, and is killed moments later.
Susan Hollander opens the door to her new Ness City, Kansas
Ness City, Kansas
Ness is a city in and the county seat of Ness County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,449. Ness City is famous for its four-story Old Ness County Bank Building located downtown, and nicknamed Skyscraper of the Plains.-Geography:Ness City is located at...
home, not expecting to see escaped serial killer Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell at her doorstep, just where he promised her he would be during their previous meeting in Fox River State Penitentiary
Fox River State Penitentiary
Fox River State Penitentiary is a fictional level five maximum-security prison featured prominently in the first season of the television series, Prison Break. The real-life representation of the prison is Joliet Prison, which is located in Joliet, Illinois...
.
In the meantime, Brad Bellick
Brad Bellick
Bradley "Brad" Bellick is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. He is portrayed by Wade Williams. As one of the principal characters of Prison Break, he has been featured in all four seasons of the series...
(Wade Williams
Wade Williams
Wade Andrew Williams is an American actor who is best known for his starring role as Brad Bellick on Fox's television series Prison Break.-Personal life:...
) is at the Greeley County, Kansas
Greeley County, Kansas
Greeley County is a county located in West Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 1,247, which is the lowest in Kansas. Its county seat and largest town is Tribune...
district court, as the county prosecutor (Andrew Sensenig) makes his case to deny bail. The prosecutor played a recording of the threatening phone call to the murdered Roy Geary for the courtroom to hear as the judge denies bail for Bellick. Later, in a holding facility, Bellick's public defender Greg Nagel (Bruce DuBose) tells him that there's a good chance he will get the death penalty unless he agrees to plead guilty and receive a 25 year sentence. Bellick agrees, under the condition that he be transferred to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, so he can be near his mother.
Bellick later arrives, talking to Correctional Officer Louis Patterson (Phillip Edward Van Lear
Phillip Edward Van Lear
Phillip Edward Van Lear is an American actor. He plays corrections officer Louis Patterson on the show Prison Break. He has also played in various other movies such as: Barbershop 2: Back in Business, Chicago Cab, Night of the Lawyers, A Family Thing and Thieves Quartet...
), asking him to put him in Ad Seg and to later enroll him in a work release
Work release
In prison systems, work release programs allow a prisoner who is sufficiently trusted or can be sufficiently monitored to leave confinement to continue working at his or her current place of employment, returning to prison when his/her shift is complete...
program. Patterson replies that the CO's no longer run the prison, and that he will be sent to the general population. His new cellmate is Avocado (Daniel Allar
Daniel Allar
Daniel E. Allar was an American actor, perhaps best known for his role as prison inmate Balz "Avocado" Johnson on the American television series Prison Break....
), who, Bellick, in his CO capacity, earlier used to punish Fox River inmate David "Tweener" Apolskis. The scene of Bellick being placed in General Population is reminiscent of the shot of Michael in his prison cell in the series pilot
Pilot (Prison Break episode)
The Pilot is the first episode of the American television series Prison Break, which premiered on August 29, 2005 in the United States. That night, it was aired as the first of a two-part pilot special, along with "Allen", which broadcast straight after this episode...
(in fact the shot is the same one used in the pilot, with Bellick's cell pasted over Michael's upon close inspection you can see that the inmates in adjacent cells are all in the same positions as they are in the Pilot).
Sara Tancredi
Sara Tancredi
Dr. Sara Tancredi is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. She is played by Sarah Wayne Callies. Her role in the first season of the series is a prison doctor.- Background :...
(Sarah Wayne Callies
Sarah Wayne Callies
Sarah Wayne Callies is an American actress who is best known for her role as Sara Tancredi in the American television series Prison Break. She now plays Lori Grimes in The Walking Dead.- Early life :...
) continues to try to contact Michael with no success, not knowing the fate of the brothers until she sees the news report of their recapture at an electronics store. Shocked, she alters her appearance in a public restroom by cutting her hair with a razor. Dropping her real identification in a trash bin, Sara blends into the crowd.
Paul Kellerman
Paul Kellerman
Paul Kellerman, played by Paul Adelstein, is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. The character was introduced to the series as a Secret Service special agent in the series pilot but the actor was not listed as a regular cast member until the third episode...
(Paul Adelstein
Paul Adelstein
Paul Adelstein is an American television and film actor, best known for the role of Agent Paul Kellerman in the television series, Prison Break, and his current role as pediatrician Cooper Freedman in the series Private Practice....
) speaks to Agent Kim (Reggie Lee
Reggie Lee (actor)
Reggie Lee is an American actor who played William Kim on the show Prison Break and also appeared as Tai Huang in two Pirates of the Caribbean films, as well as The Fast and the Furious...
), pleading for his job back. He threatens to use his information concerning Caroline Reynolds should Kim refuse. The Pad Man, a mysterious operative superior to agent Kim, writes instructions to him, telling him to switch the phone to speaker mode and to ask Kellerman what kind of plan he has in mind. Kellerman reveals a plan for an ambush of the brothers in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, en route to the brothers' trip back to Fox River, where their murder will look like an accident. Agent Kim, on the Pad Man's instructions, later tells Mahone to kill Kellerman during the crossfire. Mahone protests, saying he is not Jack Ruby
Jack Ruby
Jacob Leon Rubenstein , who legally changed his name to Jack Leon Ruby in 1947, was convicted of the November 24, 1963 murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy. Ruby, who was originally from Chicago, Illinois, was then a nightclub operator in Dallas, Texas...
. Kim replies that Ruby acted alone, while the US Government would be behind his action.
Michael and Lincoln's transport van is stalled in an Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
tunnel by a jackknifed
Jackknifing
Jackknifing means the folding of an articulated vehicle such that it resembles the acute angle of a folding pocket knife. If a vehicle towing a trailer skids, the trailer can push it from behind until it spins round and faces backwards. This may be caused by equipment failure, improper braking, or...
semi
Semi-trailer truck
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle consisting of a towing engine , and a semi-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) articulated truck...
, setting up the ambush. The brothers manage to escape their transport van, as Lincoln's shackles are left unlocked, and a guard (Kelly O'Neil Jackson), Kellerman's alleged contact in the Illinois DOC, suspiciously leaves his keys behind. Although suspicious that the set up is too easy, Michael eventually lets Lincoln convince him to make a break for it, and the brothers escape through a metal door, and through a series of small tunnels, until they are caught between Kellerman and Mahone. As the brothers prepare to die, Kellerman fires his weapon at Mahone who is shot and falls. Kellerman tells both Lincoln and Michael, "President Reynolds ruined your life, she ruined my life. You want to take that bitch down? You just found your inside man, but it's got to be right now." Both Lincoln and Michael follow Kellerman.
Reception
This episode attained the largest audience so far for the second season in the United States with 9.6 million viewers, a 10% share of the 18-49 demographic. This surpassed the 9.4 million viewers recorded for the second season premiere.Concerning T-Bag's storyline, reviewers from both the Arizona Daily Star
Arizona Daily Star
The Arizona Daily Star is the major morning daily newspaper that serves Tucson and surrounding districts of southern Arizona in the United States. The paper was purchased by Pulitzer in 1971; Lee Enterprises bought Pulitzer in 2005....
and The Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Post is a major daily newspaper in Florida, serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and the Treasure Coast area. It is the 72nd largest daily newspaper in the United States and the sixth largest in Florida.-History:...
commented on his appearance and his particular storyline in this episode. While the critic from The Palm Beach Post described T-Bag's "unsightly grille, tattered 'do, one hooded eye, and that butt-ugly hoodie he's always wearing" and questioned how the character could have "charmed a member of the opposite sex with ease", the critic from the Arizona Daily Star rhetorically asked about T-Bag's attraction, "What did she see in him? Was it the twinkle in that bruised eye? The bad dye job? The slimy innuendo? The probably stinky clothes he wore?".
The plot twist towards the end of the episode with Kellerman deciding to help Michael and Lincoln in the interest of self-preservation also prompted some reactions from the critics. The critic from TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
said that it was "quite shocking to see the moment when it all went down" while the critic from the Arizona Daily Star "wanted to give Kellerman a big wet kiss".
Overall, this episode obtained a positive feedback from most of the critics. While the reviewer from the TV Fodder began his review with "Holy crap. To the folks over at "Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
", this is how you do a Fall Finale. Where to begin?", the critic from The Palm Beach Post concluded his review with "Prison Break's fall finale was certainly appealing. Can't wait 'til Jan. 22." Similarly, the critic from The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
commenced his review with "Nothing gets the heart beating like a finale episode of Prison Break." and gave the episode an A+ grade. Because a cliffhanger was expected for this episode since it was the last to be aired in 2006, the critic from TV Guide commented that this episode surpassed her expectations, "Since it was the fall finale, I knew we’d be in for one crazy Prison Break ride, and it actually was even better than I had expected." The critic from the Arizona Daily Star exerted his enthusiasm for the next episode in January, 2007 by ending his review with "It's only 56 days. Only 1,344 hours. 80,640 minutes. 4,838,400 seconds... Mark your calendars. Prison Break returns Jan. 22". He also compared this episode's cliffhanger with Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
s cliffhanger, stating that, "I said yesterday that the Desperate Housewives cliffhanger was one of the best ever, but Prison Break just upped the ante."