Prison Break S4 Recap
After writing my last PB ranty post, I told myself I was going to do something productive. Which I.... sort of did. I went for a run and worked out a bit at least? But then I got sucked back into PB, and now I'm finally done S4!
Thoughts on 4.19-22 and the season in general under the cut. Warning for talk of death, rape (re: T-Bag), and more lolcanon.
4.19
Basically my thoughts on this episode were: YESSSSS, GO TO YOUR BROTHER MICHAEL. When Michael screamed to Christina that she didn't know why he did the things he did, in my head I was saying, "it's because you're in love with your brother, right Michael?" XDDDD
And it was so good to finally see Michael and Linc together again! I'll admit, I did like Christina's setting up of Lincoln and co. It was very Michael-ish. Although, who could've guaranteed that Lincoln and co. would've found the vehicle rental receipt, or the bank envelope? Considering Christina believes Lincoln is dumber than a sack of bricks, did she think he would be so observant as to notice those little things? But, that's a minor quibble. A less minor quibble: Sara saying that Christina left when Michael was 6. This makes my brain hurt. Did Michael somehow lose 4 years of his life or something? This will forever be a pet peeve of mine1
As for the adopted bit... I could handwave it off as one of the many parts of S4 canon that I want to ignore. But, if they're not biologically brothers, that makes for touching "you're still my brother regardless" scenarios. It wouldn't really do anything for shipping Michael/Lincoln though, because if they still see each other as brothers regardless of biology, then they're still brothers, and they would both consider it incest.
And I'm sorry Sara, but it was really dumb of you to leave Christina in the bathroom like that. First of all, she's smart enough to break away from the Company and stay under Krantz's radar. Second, it's been said multiple times that she and Michael have the same mind, and Michael's broken out of two prisons, not to mention custody of government and Company officials multiple times. I would've hogtied and gagged her.
4.20
I liked what Lincoln said about beating the odds. It's lines like that that make me think the PB writers are aware of just how ridiculous their plotlines have become. It makes me really curious as to why some of the writing is as bad as it is though (see: Burrows-Scofield family inconsistencies), and about the behind-the-scenes stuff going on with the writers/showrunner/producers/network/etc.
Ugh ugh ugh. So much hate at making Michael choose between Lincoln and Sara. I don't usually get too overprotective of my Michael/Lincoln OTP because unlike many of my other OTPs, I also ship Michael/Mahone, Lincoln/Sara, and sometimes don't mind Michael/Sara, depending on how it's written. But this time I'll admit I was all, "NO, GO SAVE YOUR BROTHER. FORGET ABOUT SARA." I appreciated Mahone jumping in as the voice of reason to remind him that Linc has been shot and needs immediate help.
4.21
I can't believe that Michael got Mahone so wrong, saying that Mahone's only in it for himself? And will back the winning horse? That's T-Bag, not Mahone at all! Also, as soon as I saw Mahone with the briefcase, I knew that Michael had come up with a plan, and Mahone was a part of it. That was not surprising at all. Like I said to my sister when she asked what happened: it's Michael, he'll find a way.
Christina stabbing that shoe into Linc's bullet wound? Ouch. Also, she seemed really crazy. Not in the casual sense of the word, but actually psychotic. I LOVED Linc basically telling her to fuck off, regardless of whether she was his biological mother or not. It makes me wonder about when Christina joined the Company. Did they recruit her in exchange for giving her the operation, or was it before that? Did she know about Aldo? Maybe they even met because of their work with the Company? I haven't decided on a headcanon for this yet. But Lincoln's animosity towards her, plus Krantz's comments of her being "unstable" makes me wonder if she was a less-than-stellar mother even before the whole fake death stunt and Company work. I could believe that she was mentally ill in some ways, possibly an effect of the tumor, or maybe not. Maybe she never looked after her kids the way a mother should have, and Lincoln's always resented her for that because he was thrust into the caregiver role (and related to that: I would really like to explore the possibility of Michael and mental illness as well).
Back to the present story: C-NOTE AND KELLERMAN. I wasn't spoiled for their appearances, and at first I had no idea who this person that C-Note was talking about could be. I thought, "are they really going to introduce a new character this late in the game?" BUT THEN C-NOTE SAID "PAUL" AND I WAS SO HAPPY I FISTPUMPED. FUCK YEAH KELLERMAN. I did LOL at the OTT blue filters they used to show that Sucre and C-Note were in "Chicago" though. I've never been there, and most of my knowledge of how it looks is from S1 of PB, but it's really damn obvious that they were nowhere close to Chicago.
Also: T-BAG BEING A FUCKING CREEPER AGAIN. As much as I feel I should hate T-Bag for his lack of morals and remorse (not counting his stint as "Cole Pfeiffer" because I want to forget all about that OOC-ness) and overall being a paedophile and rapist, I LOVE watching him being evil. THIS is the T-Bag I've been missing all season! Seeing him threaten Sara, I really felt like I was back in S1!
And while I really didn't care for Self, or feel too much when Krantz had his wife killed; I did feel so sad when I realized he was going to end up brain-dead. I trule think that's a fate worse than death.
4.22
I LOVE THE TEAMWORK HERE. Mahone keeping watch for Sara while she steals hospital supplies! Sucre and C-Note working together, with a bonus of C-Note making a reference to Fox River! Mahone and Sucre exchanging those looks when they both decide not to cave in the face of interrogation! Sucre and C-Notes happy jumping hug thing after they get exonerated! BEST GROUP. In contrast, however, Michael just keeps leaving people behind with the idea that they'll all be exonerated once he hands over Scylla to Kellerman. Except that Michael was so hesitant near the end (rightfully so considering how many times he's been double-crossed and Kellerman's history, but what would have happened to Sucre and Mahone then? Would Michael have broken them out of prison again? LOL).
On a related note: I don't like how so many people killed for Michael in order for him to keep his moral high ground. Sara most notably, but basically everybody who killed in order to keep his plans safe that wasn't T-Bag or Abruzzi (since they were already murderers to begin with). That's why I really liked having T-Bag and Abruzzi in the group in S1. They were able to do things that the "good guys" weren't willing to do because of morality, even when killing was likely the only thing that would keep the plan safe. Once Michael got caught up in the big conspiracy, his hesitance to kill probably ended up costing more lives than if he'd killed one or two people along the way. Not to say that Michael turning into a killer would be a good thing, but... well, despite Michael refusing to kill people (at least directly/at gunpoint), the number of people he's used/manipulated/charmed or cares about him enough to help him get things done is staggering. And because of that, I find it very hard to see him as a good person, despite what the show says about him being compassionate, affected by the suffering of others, etc. Something I'd like to explore further later on (also? Dark!Michael fic yes please *___*).
Paul Adelstein was still amazing as Kellerman. He was less wild than in S2, but not as tight-laced as in S1, with an undercurrent of despair and exhaustion that you would expect from a man who's been on the run from the Company. Just perfect <3
The ending/epilogue was ehhhhh. At first I rolled my eyes at having everyone paired up for the sake of pairing up, like in a bad fanfic. Sucre and C-Note, ok, it was right for them to go back to their families. Lincoln/Sofia was expected, but I'm still not sold on them as a couple (although I think they look amazing together). Mahone/Lang, while I saw hints of it throughout the series, I wish they'd kept them as good friends. But then I realized that Mahone didn't get his expected happy ending with Pam (thank god, because that wouldn't have made much sense. Way too much history and bad blood for Mahone to show up at her doorstep and pick things up again). And then we saw CONGRESSMAN KELLERMAN (THAT IS FITTING IN SO MANY WAYS) and I was worried that he was going to be paired up with someone too. But then it was Danny's wife and she spat on him and Kellerman just took her hate, and that moment was absolutely perfect. This is another one of those moments where I marvel at the writers, being able to bring something back from an earlier season and make it fit so well (compared to SPN, which usually does a terrible job with it, when they bother to remember). Krantz looked appropriately terrified, like the coward that he is. And poor Self, again.
I really missed LJ! I thought for sure he'd have a cameo in the finale? I wonder if he was caught up in another project or something, or he just refused to do it? :(
I love Sara's smile here:
The screencap doesn't do it justice, but she smiled so big and happy, and she looked truly free for once, finally (at least until she got thrown into jail for The Final Break LOL).
The directing for the epilogue was really good too. Especially the scenes with Kellerman, Krantz, and Self. It felt almost like a movie, and a throwback to the cinematic style of S1 which I dearly miss.
General thoughts: S4 overall? A hot mess. But I found that I quite liked the last two episodes, actually. If all of S4 had had similar amounts of teamwork and bonding, I would've been more willing to overlook the soap-opera levels of drama it was reaching.
I had a whole thing planned about getting down my PB headcanon (mostly for myself, to get it straight and solidify it in my own head). But that will be another long and rambly post I'm sure, so it will have to wait for tomorrow, because I've already spent way more time writing this entry than I should have.
Thoughts on 4.19-22 and the season in general under the cut. Warning for talk of death, rape (re: T-Bag), and more lolcanon.
4.19
Basically my thoughts on this episode were: YESSSSS, GO TO YOUR BROTHER MICHAEL. When Michael screamed to Christina that she didn't know why he did the things he did, in my head I was saying, "it's because you're in love with your brother, right Michael?" XDDDD
And it was so good to finally see Michael and Linc together again! I'll admit, I did like Christina's setting up of Lincoln and co. It was very Michael-ish. Although, who could've guaranteed that Lincoln and co. would've found the vehicle rental receipt, or the bank envelope? Considering Christina believes Lincoln is dumber than a sack of bricks, did she think he would be so observant as to notice those little things? But, that's a minor quibble. A less minor quibble: Sara saying that Christina left when Michael was 6. This makes my brain hurt. Did Michael somehow lose 4 years of his life or something? This will forever be a pet peeve of mine1
As for the adopted bit... I could handwave it off as one of the many parts of S4 canon that I want to ignore. But, if they're not biologically brothers, that makes for touching "you're still my brother regardless" scenarios. It wouldn't really do anything for shipping Michael/Lincoln though, because if they still see each other as brothers regardless of biology, then they're still brothers, and they would both consider it incest.
And I'm sorry Sara, but it was really dumb of you to leave Christina in the bathroom like that. First of all, she's smart enough to break away from the Company and stay under Krantz's radar. Second, it's been said multiple times that she and Michael have the same mind, and Michael's broken out of two prisons, not to mention custody of government and Company officials multiple times. I would've hogtied and gagged her.
4.20
I liked what Lincoln said about beating the odds. It's lines like that that make me think the PB writers are aware of just how ridiculous their plotlines have become. It makes me really curious as to why some of the writing is as bad as it is though (see: Burrows-Scofield family inconsistencies), and about the behind-the-scenes stuff going on with the writers/showrunner/producers/network/etc.
Ugh ugh ugh. So much hate at making Michael choose between Lincoln and Sara. I don't usually get too overprotective of my Michael/Lincoln OTP because unlike many of my other OTPs, I also ship Michael/Mahone, Lincoln/Sara, and sometimes don't mind Michael/Sara, depending on how it's written. But this time I'll admit I was all, "NO, GO SAVE YOUR BROTHER. FORGET ABOUT SARA." I appreciated Mahone jumping in as the voice of reason to remind him that Linc has been shot and needs immediate help.
4.21
I can't believe that Michael got Mahone so wrong, saying that Mahone's only in it for himself? And will back the winning horse? That's T-Bag, not Mahone at all! Also, as soon as I saw Mahone with the briefcase, I knew that Michael had come up with a plan, and Mahone was a part of it. That was not surprising at all. Like I said to my sister when she asked what happened: it's Michael, he'll find a way.
Christina stabbing that shoe into Linc's bullet wound? Ouch. Also, she seemed really crazy. Not in the casual sense of the word, but actually psychotic. I LOVED Linc basically telling her to fuck off, regardless of whether she was his biological mother or not. It makes me wonder about when Christina joined the Company. Did they recruit her in exchange for giving her the operation, or was it before that? Did she know about Aldo? Maybe they even met because of their work with the Company? I haven't decided on a headcanon for this yet. But Lincoln's animosity towards her, plus Krantz's comments of her being "unstable" makes me wonder if she was a less-than-stellar mother even before the whole fake death stunt and Company work. I could believe that she was mentally ill in some ways, possibly an effect of the tumor, or maybe not. Maybe she never looked after her kids the way a mother should have, and Lincoln's always resented her for that because he was thrust into the caregiver role (and related to that: I would really like to explore the possibility of Michael and mental illness as well).
Back to the present story: C-NOTE AND KELLERMAN. I wasn't spoiled for their appearances, and at first I had no idea who this person that C-Note was talking about could be. I thought, "are they really going to introduce a new character this late in the game?" BUT THEN C-NOTE SAID "PAUL" AND I WAS SO HAPPY I FISTPUMPED. FUCK YEAH KELLERMAN. I did LOL at the OTT blue filters they used to show that Sucre and C-Note were in "Chicago" though. I've never been there, and most of my knowledge of how it looks is from S1 of PB, but it's really damn obvious that they were nowhere close to Chicago.
Also: T-BAG BEING A FUCKING CREEPER AGAIN. As much as I feel I should hate T-Bag for his lack of morals and remorse (not counting his stint as "Cole Pfeiffer" because I want to forget all about that OOC-ness) and overall being a paedophile and rapist, I LOVE watching him being evil. THIS is the T-Bag I've been missing all season! Seeing him threaten Sara, I really felt like I was back in S1!
And while I really didn't care for Self, or feel too much when Krantz had his wife killed; I did feel so sad when I realized he was going to end up brain-dead. I trule think that's a fate worse than death.
4.22
I LOVE THE TEAMWORK HERE. Mahone keeping watch for Sara while she steals hospital supplies! Sucre and C-Note working together, with a bonus of C-Note making a reference to Fox River! Mahone and Sucre exchanging those looks when they both decide not to cave in the face of interrogation! Sucre and C-Notes happy jumping hug thing after they get exonerated! BEST GROUP. In contrast, however, Michael just keeps leaving people behind with the idea that they'll all be exonerated once he hands over Scylla to Kellerman. Except that Michael was so hesitant near the end (rightfully so considering how many times he's been double-crossed and Kellerman's history, but what would have happened to Sucre and Mahone then? Would Michael have broken them out of prison again? LOL).
On a related note: I don't like how so many people killed for Michael in order for him to keep his moral high ground. Sara most notably, but basically everybody who killed in order to keep his plans safe that wasn't T-Bag or Abruzzi (since they were already murderers to begin with). That's why I really liked having T-Bag and Abruzzi in the group in S1. They were able to do things that the "good guys" weren't willing to do because of morality, even when killing was likely the only thing that would keep the plan safe. Once Michael got caught up in the big conspiracy, his hesitance to kill probably ended up costing more lives than if he'd killed one or two people along the way. Not to say that Michael turning into a killer would be a good thing, but... well, despite Michael refusing to kill people (at least directly/at gunpoint), the number of people he's used/manipulated/charmed or cares about him enough to help him get things done is staggering. And because of that, I find it very hard to see him as a good person, despite what the show says about him being compassionate, affected by the suffering of others, etc. Something I'd like to explore further later on (also? Dark!Michael fic yes please *___*).
Paul Adelstein was still amazing as Kellerman. He was less wild than in S2, but not as tight-laced as in S1, with an undercurrent of despair and exhaustion that you would expect from a man who's been on the run from the Company. Just perfect <3
The ending/epilogue was ehhhhh. At first I rolled my eyes at having everyone paired up for the sake of pairing up, like in a bad fanfic. Sucre and C-Note, ok, it was right for them to go back to their families. Lincoln/Sofia was expected, but I'm still not sold on them as a couple (although I think they look amazing together). Mahone/Lang, while I saw hints of it throughout the series, I wish they'd kept them as good friends. But then I realized that Mahone didn't get his expected happy ending with Pam (thank god, because that wouldn't have made much sense. Way too much history and bad blood for Mahone to show up at her doorstep and pick things up again). And then we saw CONGRESSMAN KELLERMAN (THAT IS FITTING IN SO MANY WAYS) and I was worried that he was going to be paired up with someone too. But then it was Danny's wife and she spat on him and Kellerman just took her hate, and that moment was absolutely perfect. This is another one of those moments where I marvel at the writers, being able to bring something back from an earlier season and make it fit so well (compared to SPN, which usually does a terrible job with it, when they bother to remember). Krantz looked appropriately terrified, like the coward that he is. And poor Self, again.
I really missed LJ! I thought for sure he'd have a cameo in the finale? I wonder if he was caught up in another project or something, or he just refused to do it? :(
I love Sara's smile here:
The screencap doesn't do it justice, but she smiled so big and happy, and she looked truly free for once, finally (at least until she got thrown into jail for The Final Break LOL).
The directing for the epilogue was really good too. Especially the scenes with Kellerman, Krantz, and Self. It felt almost like a movie, and a throwback to the cinematic style of S1 which I dearly miss.
General thoughts: S4 overall? A hot mess. But I found that I quite liked the last two episodes, actually. If all of S4 had had similar amounts of teamwork and bonding, I would've been more willing to overlook the soap-opera levels of drama it was reaching.
I had a whole thing planned about getting down my PB headcanon (mostly for myself, to get it straight and solidify it in my own head). But that will be another long and rambly post I'm sure, so it will have to wait for tomorrow, because I've already spent way more time writing this entry than I should have.