[PRB] Fin Del Camino

TV Programme: Prison Break
Season: 2
Episode: 21
Date I watched this episode: 05/06/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: Less than 1 day.

Well the season finale is almost upon us, and I think we have enough information to start making theories about what is really going on here. In actual fact, I think most of the reason I enjoyed this episode was that I didn't really know what was going on until I'd finished the episode and had a chance to really think about it.

So on closer inspection of the previous episode "Panama", we see that one minute T-Bag is running from the authorities, and the next he is hanging out on a street in Panama City trying to pick up hookers. So I guess in that period, he must have been captured and then made some kind of deal with The Company; his freedom for the setup of Michael Scofield. This setup was the framing for the murder of the prostitute, and obviously it failed during this episode.

Bill Kim from The Company had previously hired Mahone to help with this operation; Mahone's role being to lure Michael to the Fin Del Camino. It's unclear whether Mahone even knew that Sucre was going to be there: I would think not, as clearly then Michael was going to realise that it was a trap when Sucre told Michael that he hadn't sent the email (although this was cancelled out by the fact that Bellick has captured Maricruz, which Mahone presumably doesn't know about yet). I'm also not really sure why Mahone was required to actually be in Panama City at the time, although maybe it was just to oversee the operation. Mahone on the other hand seems to want to double-cross The Company by getting the money and the boat and sailing off into the sunset.

There are a couple of interesting points here. First of all, it seems that The Company are no longer interested in Lincoln Burrows. For the entire programme up to this point, Lincoln has been their focus of primary concern, and Michael has just been an obstacle. However their current project does not involve Lincoln at all. In fact the only reason Lincoln is in any danger at all is because of Mahone's double-cross.

Secondly, they seem to no longer care about killing members of the Fox River Eight. This was mentioned in "Panama" already, but it really is a "change of strategy" (in Pad Man's words) as getting Michael put in jail is going to make it harder for them to kill him. It's unclear what the virtue of getting Michael locked up would be for The Company.

Michael has been faced with his quarry T-Bag a couple of times recently but has let his strong morals get in the way of doing anything. T-Bag clearly has information about who is "pulling his strings". But Michael can't allow himself to let T-Bag go in the negotiations they have outside, or force him to tell under threat of death when they are inside. Perhaps if he had then he could bring down The Company for good, but his own conscience is eating away at him.

Michael and Sucre are back together for the first time since this season's 12th episode "Disconnect". Their friendship works very well and the "chemistry" there is much better than it was back in "Dead Fall", etc. Particularly Michael shows his ethical strength again when he persuades Sucre not to try to kill Bellick ("if we lose ourselves we lose everything") despite the fact that Bellick has committed many wrongs against Michael himself.

Alexander Mahone truly has made a very dangerous choice in abandoning both the FBI and The Company, and is perhaps a bit naïve about the life him and Pamela would lead while on the run from both these powerful organisations. However the conversation he had with Pamela was touching, not really cliché and well-written.

Paul Kellerman had a brilliant redemptive storyline in this episode. Good to see his sister back again and their relationship sends a tingle down my spine, it's so believable. He really has hit rock-bottom now and after the weapon jam, realised his destiny and is the only really credible person who can take down The Company. I'll be very much looking forward to seeing Paul Adelstein's performance during the season finale "Sona".

I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but Wade Williams was actually quite good in this episode too. A couple of months ago I was hoping that Bellick would be written out of the show, but his presence in this episode did actually add something. He'll never fulfil the intelligent role of Mahone, but he isn't meant to. I just think his roaming around the country with Geary went a bit too far.

As great as this episode was, I was a bit disappointed with the ending. Usually the setup for a season finale is something a bit more momentous than what we have here, which is Mahone in custody of Michael/Lincoln, which we've had countless times before. Despite this, the way that the storyline has been woven together so far is amazing and I think at the end of the day I rate this season almost as highly as season one.