One really can't compare the Sona season with the initial season Michael was incarcerated at Fox River. For every brilliant nuance played out by Michael and crew at Fox River it seems there were few flashes of that same brilliance as Michael spent his days mostly surviving as a prisoner in the Panamanian jail. The script tried so many scenarios which were in actuality the same story of Lincoln trying to outwit Gretchen. It is with a degree of relief that the third season ends with a fairly strong finale that finally rids the viewer, for all practical purposes, of Sona.
As Patron (Lucchero, whatever) senses he is on the cusp of losing the last remnants of his former power he makes an alliance with Michael which sets up the final breakout. Things are so out of control at Sona, what with every commanding warden either being relieved or killed, there isn't much left except for the inmates to just decide to leave (LOL). It's definitely time for this phase to be put to bed. And to bed it is put. Michael, once more, brilliantly plays those around him, with his unbelievable luck in engineering escapes intact, plays his exit like a Stradavarius. While things seemingly go haywire Micheal and friends simply crawl out while the keystone cops miss everything. This just ain't the brilliance of season one's breakout, but it'll do and it is so welcome that who cares. Things ramp up tremendously. Michael gets out to pursue Gretchen, Gretchen gets Whistler, and Lincoln is reunited with his son, "LJ". It wasn't easy as the escapees boat was missing due to Sucre' being arrested and therefore unable to extract them, but it worked out due to "the kids" father playing an unexpected pistol role. Michael engineers a brilliant swap, but when things unhinge due to Sophia's being shot it looks like it could be "back to Sona". Fortunately that did not happen and Sophia recovers hinting at a new relationship with Lincoln. This episode brought everything together, finally, in season four and was totally action packed. The quite important believability factor that was just there enough in season one couldn't be garnered here, but most of us viewers were already past that and could except this as the best episode of the somewhat strange season. I believe the Panama thing had tremendous potential; Panama was a re-invention of what made Prison Break great, it was fresh due to the crazy environment, however, in the end it was so redundant around Gretchen and whatever agenda she was actually suppose to be playing that most of us viewers needed the breakout as much as Michael and Lincoln.
Prison Break is a great concept. It is hard to keep this story going in a uniformly excellent way that the first, and even second season, accomplished. Season four was not as great as it should have been, but it was good. The great thing is the way it allows another beginning for the series for longtime viewers. Thus, episode 13 was a great tie-up and a fantastic opening for a new chapter in the story of Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows. We must stay tuned as we are left with Michael heading into an unknown future to avenge Sara's murder.
