Danke to Fox for disclosing the contents of Susan B.’s mysterious, icky-sticky gift box within the first fifteen of last night’s episode. Waiting out the minutes, or hours, or days for a big reveal ("What’s in the hatch?" "Are you on the list?" "Who is Don Draper?") distracts from details that are key to serials like PB. Plus, you know I likes me a gory moment or two — and it’s close enough to Halloween.
But Sara’s severed head, mouth open and hair drenched? Really? That’s too easy and I won’t buy any bunk about the simplicity of it being genius. As y’all pointed out, we’ve seen this before. Boring. Boring. Boring. And, might I add, poor girl. Also, who is this PB hairdresser giving away show secrets? For shame! (Seriously though, I like spoilers, so keep ‘em coming, just warn us first).
Back to business, should Lincoln really hold back this new development from his brother? I get it, he feels guilty. He’s kinda been moping for three seasons now, anyway. But you know Linc’s being a little bit selfish: If Michael (who, let’s just say, hasn’t been psychologically A1 for quite awhile) falls to pieces, he might not break Whistler out, and thus might not save Lincoln’s weak-link son, L.J. Then again, I guess it can’t really be self-centered to want to help your kid. Either way, Mike’s gonna be rip-roaringly pissed at someone.
So Tancredi’s gone (unless she pulls a Sherry Stringfield on ER, and begs for her job back, then shows up like Silas Weir Mitchell did last night — which BTW, I thought was lame). Disappointingly, PB writers aren’t kind to well-educated female characters that have pulled themselves up from poverty or drug addiction to make good. They usually end up with either all or part of their skull missing. Here’s hoping that Sofia dropped out of high school, because who didn’t get all warm and gooey inside when she and Whistler touched hands through the gate? I’ve already said she’s appallingly beautiful and her character gives him heart. I’m actually hoping he’s not a sneaky bastard — just for her sake.
Speaking of sneaky bastards: I naively assumed T-Bag was having somesort of emotional growth spurt when he helped Lechero’s underling offthe floor and told him to keep his chin up. Not that I was surprisedwhen he suffocated the kid, stuck a drug needle in his arm, and tookover his position as Lechero’s majordomo. Here’s hoping all theseside-plots will converge soon and that T-Bag will be central to thebreakout, rather than just supplying Michael with a cell phones andAlex with drugs.
Did anyone catch the significance of the soccer game Lechero waswatching? Dates, times, scores, anything that could lead us tosomething? I’m desperate for clues and I think there was somethinghere. We also know that Susan sent Whistler the fake bird guide withthe note "You’re running out of time." (Did they really have to put itin a bright blue envelope? I think we would have noticed it anyway).And I’m taking a good look at the murals in Sona. Don’t they remind youof Mike’s tattoos, right down to the religious and mythological imagery(his new cell has Hell on one wall and Jesus on the other)? It’s allleading up to the big escape — let’s theorize how. To quote formerEngland Manager Kevin Keegan, "I know what is around the corner — Ijust don’t know where the corner is."
(P.S. Mad Men also added a "What’s in the Box?" plotline last week. And have you noticed that the plots of Heroes and PB both revolve around a controlling corporate/government entity called "the Company?")
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As one of PB’s biggest fans, I am completely disappointed. These writers have demonstrated so much creativity in the past and this is the best they can give us re: offing Sara? If Sarah Wayne Callies really quit permanently, then I guess I can understand. But from what I have read, she took a maternity leave. So they kill her and stuff her head in a box. Yeah, that already happened in Seven. Last season we had awesome villains: the Company, the Prez, crazy Mahone, Kim…this season we only have stupid Susan and her Blackberry. Mahone is totally useless and now a heroin junkie. Michael trying to break out of prison is same old, same old. I don’t think I’m going to watch anymore.
I’ve loved this show since it first aired and I still have hope that this season will shape up to be great.
I hope they break out of Sona about halfway through the season. I dont think I can handle the whole season breakout thing again.
And I really dont want Sara to be dead. Micheal loves her!
I’ve loved every moment of Prison Break and although this season isn’t quite as great, its still great television. The actors are keeping this show afloat. Way to go! Also, with a show like Prison Break, things are never as they seem. So it that the end of Sara? I doubt it…
Maeve, check out Sarah Callies’s website. She was offed by the writers because she couldn’t work out a contract around her maternity issues this season. The company killing Sarah makes no sense since a hand or foot, or ear would serve the same purpose to keep Linc and Michael in line. I’m fast losing my desire to keep watching this show when I don’t see the writing going anywhere. Really, the show has been going downhill since season 1. Season 2 had a lot of potential and should kept the boys on the run thru this season just to do a season 3 and then finish up. I know Fox probably wants to syndicate this show and needs enough episodes, but enough already. They should have just recast Sara instead of recreating that stupid “Seven” routine. I think this show is headed for a “Blake’s 7″ ending where everybody dies…or leaves the deaths uncertain. So much for what was an original show…
Yeah, I agree with the whole ‘Sara’s head in a box’ thing was too predictable. Prison Break often throws me for a loop with many of its plotlines (especially during the first half of season 1), but that was a bummer. I hope the writers are pulling a fast one on us; otherwise, the rest of the season might not turn out too well. At least next episode looks interesting and the Sona breakout won’t be as overdrawn as the Fox River one.
Btw Aubry, I also notice the Prison Break/Heroes similarities with the mysterious box plotline and the spooky pseudo-government ‘The Company’ for both shows last week. I guess it seems all these TV writers can’t help but jot down notes for each other’s shows.
She’s a gonner. Are we allowed to post links from other sites?
http://community.tvguide.com/blog/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/700000049
Which Company came first? I’m pretty sure it was PB…then again, I’m pretty sure this isn’t the first reference to a mysterious group known as “The Company.” I’m enjoying this season, and while I think that they didn’t do right by the Sarah character, I’m sure the show will move along just fine. I love the addition of Sofia, Whistler’s girl, and it’s great seeing Sucre back in the mix.
Don’t forget that 24 has recently had a “The Company” conspiracy.
Thanks to Ben and “Me” for the info on SWC…so it appears as though the writers decided to kill Sara and approached Sarah Callies to do a partial season while she was on maternity leave and she didn’t want to, so that’s why she wasn’t in any of season 3 and her head is in a box. Can’t blame her there, they decide to kill her character and then want her to go out of her way to help them film it?
Apparently the writers were looking for “motivation,” a reason for Michael to want to get out of prison, like I guess get even for Sara’s death. Why not have Dr. Sara be prego and return to the states and wait there for Michael? Wouldn’t that have been motivation enough for him to bust out, to want to be with his family?
Props for the Kevin Keegan quote!
Here’s what I’m thinking. It goes against all conventional casting wisdom to introduce a hot actress (villain-girl, whatever her name is) only to NOT have her hook up with the strapping hero she is forced to work with (Linc). Does anyone not see this hookup coming? And how do you make it happen, if she is responsible for cutting off his brother’s girlfriend’s head? By eventually going back to the box in the basement and discovering that it is not a real head, just a really good prop. Villain-girl confesses she is stuck in this plot and would never hurt Linc’s son or Sara. Then they hook up, and Michael gets a happy surprise ending.
Bad decision on the producers’, writers’, network’s (whoever) part. The Michael/Sara relationship was something I as a viewer wanted to see pay off. After reading, that interview on TV Guide’s website, I’m even more annoyed. Why would they think that killing Sara would be a good plot for Season 3? I don’t blame SWC for not agreeing to come back for that. And what’s the deal with killing off the main characters’ girlfriends anyway?
No, no, no…it would be wrong to recast Sara. She was causing mental disrepair to Michael. She’s a needy drug addict and let’s face it, clearly not good enough for him. Perhaps the head in box scenario lacked genuine creativity, but it satisfied the underlying want I’ve had since Sara showed up at the boat after being cleared of charges in season 2. I really won’t miss her. Michael’s constant concern for Sara had gone overboard. Linc has done the right thing in not disclosing the necessary demise of Sara. After all, if he told Michael, clearly some kind of breakdown would have occurred, impeding the “break Whistler out” deadline. I love the way Linc addresses everybody’s whining and self-centeredness with apathy. He remains admirably calm when everything is falling apart. Anybody else would have physically/verbally assaulted Sucre for his obvious ingratitude towards Michael. Sucre did finally man up last night, but it was too late for him to redeem himself in my eyes.
I was sad to see that it was Sarah’s head in the box. I was hoping it was someone other them Sarah or L.J because I really wanted Sarah and Michael to be together in the end. What’s with all the girl friends getting killed? I can’t stand the new girl that part of the company.
I agree with most people, I love PB but it is seriously entering “jumping the shark” territory for me. 1st season was great and an original idea, but ever since then it has been 1 recycled idea after another just with new faces. I sincerely hope that this does not go down the route of 24, which lost touch with what the viewers actually were watching for, it is taking a step back in the right direction killing Sarah, I know I was not watching because I cared about their relationship. I was watching because I wanted to see how they survived on the outside after breaking out of prison. I think the vengeance angle will do well in PB since there are not a lot of characters to car about it is going to become very centered on the feelings people have for Michael, not Linc and his son, but Michael and his loss of Sarah. I just hope it is not done in a cheesy way.
sorry for not warning people of the sarah head spoiler. I think my hair stylist contact found out about this and is pissed off.
spolier ahead….
i do know that michael and linc were filming in downtown dallas a couple days ago and traffic was all backed up
I’m obviously just a viewer, but I will restate what I said earlier that Sara’s death makes little plot sense. The vengeance angle doesn’t work for me. Michael is a character who started out just trying to save his brother. As he progressed, each death around him was piled on his back and shook his world. He was diagnosed in one episode as a “saver” personality. He had to come to the rescue. There were hints last season that he can’t take much more and now Sara (one of the most important people who keeps him going) is killed and beyond saving. If I were Michael, I’d now make sure that Linc and LJ are safe and then I’m going to blow myself up with my enemies. The end. I think between now and the final episode, all these characters like Bellick, Mahone and Sucre are likely to die one by one. I think it’ll be one of those “Top of the world, ma!” endings for this show.
While I think the offing Tancredi storyline is weak, am I the only one who thought SWC and my beloved Wenty had absolutely ZERO chemistry as actors? Wenty had better chemistry with his fake wife/stripper last season. Still, what a crashing halt the offing brings to 2 seasons of a relationship. This show has 2 more episodes and I’m out.
here’s my theory (and i haven’t watched the latest, so it might be incredibly already wrong) but: Susan B isn’t working for the people who offed Sara, it’s a fake head and she’s probably alive somewhere with LJ. At least, that’s what i hoped. why else would Sue explode when she found out that the others relocated their hostages once Linc found where they were being held? anyone?
they offed her and put her head in a box cause she didn’t want to come back. In that link, they offered to go down to her home to film but she declined. Great way to write her off
I have been a faithful viewer since the first episode. This season is so dark, disgusting and hopeless that now that they have done this to Sara, I am truly done with the show. I thought that punishing actresses for getting pregnant went out of style in the fifties, but then it is obvious that this show does not value women in its cast or viewers. Sorry to be this way, but as a woman viewer, the forbidden romance was a big part of the appeal of the show for me. The glimmer of hope that these two people could find each other at the end made the darker parts more watchable. Further, the first season had great originality (the tattoo, the variety of characters and escape plans).Now it is just brutal and ugly all of the time. The show got stupid as soon as Malone appeared. And killing Sara makes no sense at all to the plot–it’s just stupid.Get another job, Wentworth and I will be there, but bye for now.
After I first saw Sara’s head in the box, I was so pissed and upset that they’d do that to me (and Michael). But after Susan B. mentioned that she’d off LJ too if Linc pushed her to, I begain to wonder if she’s bluffing. ‘Cause think about it: if Sara was indeed beheaded, that means that the brothers’ only remaining source of motivation for the escape is LJ. If she were to kill him off, then how exactly would she convince the brothers to proceed with the plan? I don’t know for sure, but I’m gonna hold out for a few more episodes and see if the writers are playing me. If they aren’t, then we should all look forward to the moment Linc breaks the news to Michael as WM’s chance to wow us with his acting skills (that don’t include whispering).
Sam-Are you the one from the Paula Abdul site? You sound like her. Not a big loss getting rid of Sarah, if you can’t work out a contract with an Actor ya gotta cut em, somehow. There was a post below about “Jumping the Shark” PB has run Fonzie and his water skis off the ramp so many times I’ve lost count. I loved S1, thought S2 had it’s moments but had way too many give me a f-ing break moments, S3 has its moments as well, certainly far from perfect but a little better. I support the calls to wrap the show after this season, better to go out making sense and with some real fans than to get cancelled mid-way thru a season because it’s become so bad you can’t watch it. My prediction is Michael and Whistler get out within the next few shows, Bellick gets killed, Andy gets stuck at SONA. Michael and Whistler go after “The Company” and Andy gets out later with the intent to hunt Michael down again. Oh yeah T-Bag makes some promises he doesn’t keep and s-crews Michael somehow….
Sam-Are you the one from the Paula Abdul site? You sound like her. Not a big loss getting rid of Sarah, if you can’t work out a contract with an Actor ya gotta cut em, somehow. There was a post below about “Jumping the Shark” PB has run Fonzie and his water skis off the ramp so many times I’ve lost count. I loved S1, thought S2 had it’s moments but had way too many give me a f-ing break moments, S3 has its moments as well, certainly far from perfect but a little better. I support the calls to wrap the show after this season, better to go out making sense and with some real fans than to get cancelled mid-way thru a season because it’s become so bad you can’t watch it. My prediction is Michael and Whistler get out within the next few shows, Bellick gets killed, Andy gets stuck at SONA. Michael and Whistler go after “The Company” and Andy gets out later with the intent to hunt Michael down again. Oh yeah T-Bag makes some promises he doesn’t keep and s-crews Michael somehow….
Let the record show that the fake head idea was mine. Like I said, the writers planted villain girl in there to develop a chemistry with Linc. NOTHING will happen between them if the head in the box is real. In a few episodes I bet we will learn that she is also being threatened, and she was able to create a fake head to make Linc (and the company) think she is doing what she is supposed to. You don’t throw a super hot woman like that onto a show with Lincoln Burroughs unless you plan on them eventually making sweet, sweet love.
And by the way – this show cannot jump the shark. It is a guilty pleasure, plain and simple. The characters are fun to watch (especially Mahone), the pace is fast, and it keeps you guessing. My big beef? The hair. By now Scofield and Burroughs should have a good half inch going.
I didn’t even bother to finish out the episode; I hit the exit as soon as they confirmed it was Sara’s head in the box. What a moronic plot choice. It will be interesting to see how precipitous the ratings drop is. I doubt the show lasts till Christmas.
I just read the interview for SWC’s breach of contract in the TV-Guide link (posted below). Although it’s hard to argue how many women have been killed over the last two seasons, I’m surprised how pissed hoe some of the fans took Sara’s death. One in particular felt so vengeful, nothing would please him more than seeing the show die with abysmally low ratings. That same poster even accused the PB writers/executive producer of misogyny. I can understand getting upset over SWC’s recent absence, but then turning around and saying the show you once loved to watch is an ugly display of misogyny…well, it has my head scratching. PB’s always been a pretty bleak show and not necessarily one with happy endings; well, except for C-Note. Actually, I wonder what would’ve happened if he did get killed off with a noose around his neck. If one poster interpeted Sara’s death as misogynistic, I can only imagine the heated accusations of racism coming from overly sensitive African American viewers.
What IS with PB and offing the girlfriends? First Veronica (who was pretty annoying), now Sara? Are they crazy? I know this show is suppose to be bleak, but come one, give The Pretty a break (no pun intended). They’d better not have Susan B. Biatch (let’s face it, she is a cold one) and Linc hook up. I’ll really be upset by that.
What’s in the box? What’s in the box??
Seriously – if it is true that Sara is not back on the show because the producers would not work out a contract for a new mom is horrible. She could sue. This is 2007. You cannot punish a woman for having a baby and then needing some accomodations when she comes back to work.