The Message (Prison Break episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Message" is the thirty-seventh episode of the American television series
Prison Break
and is the fifteenth episode of its second season. Originally aired on January 29, 2007, the episode was written by Zack Estrin
and Karyn Usher
, and was directed by Bobby Roth
. Regular cast members Robert Knepper
(who plays T-Bag) and Rockmond Dunbar
(who plays C-Note
) do not appear in this episode. The episode mainly features the protagonists, Michael Scofield
and Lincoln Burrows
, trying to reach Sara Tancredi
, who may help to prove Lincoln's innocence.
broadcast of Lincoln Burrows
(Dominic Purcell), proclaiming his innocence.
Six hours prior to this newscast, Lincoln is in the Cutback Motel room 11 in Montana
, with his brother Michael Scofield
(Wentworth Miller
) and ex-agent Paul Kellerman
(Paul Adelstein
). The policeman outside is beckoning Michael to leave the motel room and surrender. Kellerman cracks the door open, flashes his badge, and announces that he is with the FBI
and will take the brothers to Billings
. As Kellerman herds the brothers who seemingly have their hands bound behind their backs, the police officer demands to see Kellerman's identification. With that, the trio explodes into action, seizing a cameraman from the newscrew, commandeering a car, and driving away.
Agent Alexander Mahone
(William Fichtner
) returns to the FBI Field Office in Chicago, Illinois. Mahone asks for updates; in reply, Agents Lang (Barbara Eve Harris
) and Wheeler (Jason Davis
) inform him that Brad Bellick
(Wade Williams
) has been apprehended for the death of another CO, Roy Geary, and that C-Note
's wife Kacee has been apprehended in North Dakota
. Mahone scoffs in response, demanding updates concerning the Fox River Eight.
Michael, Lincoln, and Kellerman are in a car, with their cameraman hostage still in tow. Michael asks Kellerman to stop at an abandoned warehouse and he complies. The trio discusses what to do, while the cameraman stares anxiously.
At Fox River State Penitentiary
, a battered and bloodied Brad Bellick wakes up in the infirmary. Trumpets (Anthony Fleming
) is there, acting as an orderly. He informs Bellick that although the inmates won't kill him, they'll continue to hurt him badly. After telling Trumpets to leave, Nurse Katie Welch (DuShon Monique Brown
) tells Bellick that he will be returning to the General Population tonight. Bellick is reluctant to leave the infirmary. Bellick's behavior, particularly around Nurse Katie, at the start of this episode intentionally mirrors that of Michael's when he was in the infirmary at Fox River. He stares longingly at the now-severed cable that the Fox River Eight used to escape, and asks Katie to "leave the door open when she goes home", a reference to Michael's request of Sara to leave the infirmary door open so that he and Lincoln could escape.
In the state of Sinaloa
, Mexico, Fernando Sucre
(Amaury Nolasco
) sits in an old bus, heading for Ixtapa
. Sucre befriends an elderly passenger (Ismael 'East' Carlo
), who notices his Puerto Rica
n accent. When they arrive in Calomatillo, Sucre unsuccessfully tries to stay aboard the bus as he did not have a paying ticket. Sucre's newfound friend, the elderly passenger, invites Sucre to his home, providing that he can cook. Sucre agrees to this proposal, as he sees the elderly man's vehicle, a Volkswagen Beetle
, as a way of getting to Ixtapa to see Maricruz. After they finish dinner and the elderly host had retired for the night, Sucre stole the car but is later stopped by the Mexican police. The widower tells the police that he is glad they found Sucre, as he forgot to give him gas money. The police let him go, as the widower tells Sucre to "find your girl, then find grace" (contrary to the subtitles, however, the elderly man actually said "find the grace of God").
In Algoma, Wisconsin
, Haywire (Silas Weir Mitchell
) is with his dog, a Border Collie
he named Larry, while he digs in a dumpster. A teen couple approaches Haywire and asks him to buy them some beer. Haywire agrees, but wants to buy dog food as well. The guy offers Haywire some money to buy his own beer, but Haywire refuses, and replies "My dad used to drink". Haywire delivers the beer to the teens, and shows the girl, Sasha (Kaley Cuoco
), the raft that he is trying to build. He tells her enthusiastically that he is trying to get to Holland with the raft. Sasha's friend Matt replies, "Good luck, Gilligan
." When Haywire notices bruises on Sasha's wrists, Sasha can only answer "my dad drinks too". Haywire follows Sasha to her home, where her father is about to beat her with a fireplace implement. The Fox River escapee attacks Sasha's father repeatedly upon entering.
A Montana television station is stunned to see their missing cameraman back safely, holding a video cassette.
In the Chicago FBI Field Office, Mahone demands that the roads in Montana be closed. As he makes demands, the office's attention is drawn to the television. Fox News is airing a video featuring Michael and Lincoln, where Lincoln declares his innocence. He further blames the murders on The Company
, and explains their nature. Michael announces that Sara Tancredi
(Sarah Wayne Callies
) is innocent as well, and that FBI Agent Mahone has murdered Abruzzi, Tweener and also the missing Oscar Shales. As eyes around the office focus on Mahone, he announces that Michael is crazy.
As this video airs, Agent William Kim (Reggie Lee
) is watching as well. Turning to his subordinate, he demands "Damage control immediately!" When the subordinate reminds him that it is already on the air, Kim yells in reply, "Start a wildfire in Florida! Find a lost storage unit full of Arabs! I do not care! As long as it's not about Lincoln Burrows!" He later meets with the mysterious man who communicates with a notepad, and they agree that while the President is in danger, she has some expendability.
Mahone is informed by a Montana FBI agent who interrogated the cameraman that the brothers mentioned driving to a location 450 miles away within six hours. Mahone comes to the conclusion that the brothers are headed toward Denver, Colorado
, where President Caroline Reynolds (Patricia Wettig
) will speak. Agent Wheeler interrupts Mahone's requests for information. When Mahone asks if Wheeler has a problem with the way he does things, Wheeler replies affirmatively and adds that "I'm not the only one." He further informs Mahone that FBI Internal Affairs
wants to be kept posted of Mahone's moves.
Agent Mahone watches the Declaration of Innocence video with analysts who believe that Burrows is lying, based on subtle movements he makes. These subtle movements were actually orchestrated by Kellerman, who told the brothers that such movements would confuse the analyzers. "Tell them you're the Green Lantern
", Kellerman flippantly told the brothers, "but I know how they break down these tapes."
The FBI analysts are transfixed on a Morse code
message that Michael taps out with his hand ("the water is warm"), but Mahone knows that Michael is trying to throw them off the scent. It's when he and the analysts pay attention to Michael's apology to Sara that Mahone figures out that the message isn't a Declaration of Innocence at all, and the brothers aren't going after President Reynolds: they're going after Sara. He immediately demands that Sara's records, contacts and habits be analysed for clues.
At the same time, Sara Tancredi watches the video of Michael and Lincoln from the Jewell Glore Library in Kansas City, Missouri
, flipping through a book as she does.
At Fox River, Mahone questions Nurse Katie, only to find no useful information. He attempts to question Bellick, who demands to be placed in Ad Seg. Mahone replies that he has no pull with the Department of Corrections, but the badly battered Bellick is adamant in his demand. Mahone agrees, and Bellick informs the Agent that the quotes used by Michael are chapter titles in the Alcoholics Anonymous
book. By analysing the chapters in the book, Mahone quickly discovers that Michael is planning to rendezvous with Sara at the St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio
.
As Michael, Lincoln, and Kellerman drive, they hear on the radio how their news story is being sidelined due to a lost storage unit full of Arabs (which raises the Homeland Security Advisory System
into Orange Alert). They then stand close to the hospital lobby, while Michael hears a page asking for "Michael Crane". This is an allusion to the origami cranes he made for her. Michael answers the call, and speaks with Sara for the first time since their meeting in Gila, New Mexico
. Sara tells Michael that she couldn't get to his location in time, but Michael promises her that they can end this soon. While Michael talks to Sara, Kellerman receives a telephone call from the President, telling him that he is the only one that cares about her, and that he should return to her side, but without the brothers.
Michael returns, and the trio return to their car. "In a few days, this should all be over," Michael said. "Absolutely." replied Kellerman. The episode ends with Kellerman's loyalties unclear.
was actually filmed in a local Dallas hospital. Producers of the show explained that since the second season was mainly filmed in the Dallas area, the filming could not occur in Akron.
The scene of Sucre brought by the police to the widower resembles closely to one of the first chapters of Victor Hugo
's novel Les Miserables
. In the book, Jean Valjean, an ex-convict as Sucre, is given shelter by bishop Myriel. Later he steals the bishop’s silverware and runs. When the police brings Valjean back to Myriel, the bishop gives him his silver candelabra, rescuing him. The bishop tells Valjean that he is buying his soul with the silver.
's Deal or No Deal
. The episode achieved a 6.3% household rating and 9% household share with an average of 9.9 million viewers and was closer behind Deal or No Deals in terms of the ratings recorded for the 18-49 demographic.
Critical reviews for this episode mainly concerned the season's plot. Troy Rogers of UGO
gave "The Message" a B+, stating, "This week, Prison Break went the distance in connecting as many dots as possible, while catching us up to speed on a few long lost players, including Haywire, Sara, and Sucre." Similarly, John Keegan of MediaBlvd muses that, "There's plenty of time left in the season to bring those to conclusion, but it's also possible that they will remain open-ended. Only time will reveal these intentions." A critic from Tv Fodder remarks that, "Peeking ahead to the preview for next week, it should be more action packed than anything we've seen in a while. Which will be a nice change of pace."
Entertainment Weekly
s Kate Sullivan had this to say of "The Message": "Icy, but hilarious, was the infirmary nurse who turned down Bellick's try at Michael-esque charm when he asked her to leave the door open for him."
Overall, San Diego Union-Tribunes TV Tracker's Craig Blanchard gave "The Message" an A+ grade, stating that, "All in all, this was a great episode. One place in particular that I rather enjoy seeing is all of Mahone's fellow agents starting to second guess his decisions."
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Prison Break
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 fifteenth episode of its second season. Originally aired on January 29, 2007, the episode was written by Zack Estrin
Zack Estrin
Zack Estrin is an American television producer and screenwriter.He has produced many episodes in the television series Prison Break, Point Pleasant, Tru Calling, Miracles and Charmed, as well as the 2000 film Stranger Than Fiction...
and Karyn Usher
Karyn Usher
Karyn Usher is an American television producer and writer.She has produced twenty-four episodes for the television series Prison Break, and additionally written twelve episodes...
, and was 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...
. Regular cast members 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...
(who plays T-Bag) 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. The episode mainly features the protagonists, 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 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....
, trying to reach 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 :...
, who may help to prove Lincoln's innocence.
Summary
The episode opens with a Fox News ChannelFox 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...
broadcast of 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), proclaiming his innocence.
Six hours prior to this newscast, Lincoln is in the Cutback Motel room 11 in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, with his brother 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...
(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 ex-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...
(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....
). The policeman outside is beckoning Michael to leave the motel room and surrender. Kellerman cracks the door open, flashes his badge, and announces that he is with the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and will take the brothers to Billings
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
. As Kellerman herds the brothers who seemingly have their hands bound behind their backs, the police officer demands to see Kellerman's identification. With that, the trio explodes into action, seizing a cameraman from the newscrew, commandeering a car, and driving away.
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...
) returns to the FBI Field Office in Chicago, Illinois. Mahone asks for updates; in reply, Agents Lang (Barbara Eve Harris
Barbara Eve Harris
Barbara Eve Harris is a Canadian actress. She was born on March 8, 1959 in Tobago She played Agent Lang on the show Prison Break. She has also guest-starred on such shows as Private Practice, JAG, Commander in Chief, ER, CSI: Miami, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Cold Case, Eureka and The West Wing,...
) and Wheeler (Jason Davis
Jason Davis (actor)
Jason Davis is an actor best known for his voice acting work on the Animated TV series Recess.-Early life:...
) inform him that 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:...
) has been apprehended for the death of another CO, Roy Geary, and that 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...
's wife Kacee has been apprehended in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. Mahone scoffs in response, demanding updates concerning the Fox River Eight.
Michael, Lincoln, and Kellerman are in a car, with their cameraman hostage still in tow. Michael asks Kellerman to stop at an abandoned warehouse and he complies. The trio discusses what to do, while the cameraman stares anxiously.
At 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...
, a battered and bloodied Brad Bellick wakes up in the infirmary. Trumpets (Anthony Fleming
Anthony Fleming
Anthony Fleming is an American actor who is probably best known for his role as Trumpets on Fox's television series Prison Break. Fleming also does theatre and is currently starring in the play "Denmark" at the Chicago Biograph Theatre....
) is there, acting as an orderly. He informs Bellick that although the inmates won't kill him, they'll continue to hurt him badly. After telling Trumpets to leave, Nurse Katie Welch (DuShon Monique Brown
DuShon Monique Brown
DuShon Monique Brown is an American actor. She played "Nurse Katie Welch" on the show Prison Break as well as "Laurie" on Skin Complex.Brown is a graduate of Governors State University, with a masters degree in school counseling.-External links:...
) tells Bellick that he will be returning to the General Population tonight. Bellick is reluctant to leave the infirmary. Bellick's behavior, particularly around Nurse Katie, at the start of this episode intentionally mirrors that of Michael's when he was in the infirmary at Fox River. He stares longingly at the now-severed cable that the Fox River Eight used to escape, and asks Katie to "leave the door open when she goes home", a reference to Michael's request of Sara to leave the infirmary door open so that he and Lincoln could escape.
In the state of Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
, Mexico, 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...
(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:...
) sits in an old bus, heading for Ixtapa
Ixtapa
Ixtapa is a beach resort in the municipality of Zihuatanejo de Azueta, in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It is located to the northwest of the municipal seat, Zihuatanejo, and some northwest of Acapulco....
. Sucre befriends an elderly passenger (Ismael 'East' Carlo
Ismael 'East' Carlo
Ismael 'East' Carlo is a Puerto Rican actor, sometimes credited as East Carlo, Ismael East Carlo or Ismael Carlo.-Life and career:Carlo was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, and raised in Spanish Harlem, New York....
), who notices his Puerto Rica
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
n accent. When they arrive in Calomatillo, Sucre unsuccessfully tries to stay aboard the bus as he did not have a paying ticket. Sucre's newfound friend, the elderly passenger, invites Sucre to his home, providing that he can cook. Sucre agrees to this proposal, as he sees the elderly man's vehicle, a Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
, as a way of getting to Ixtapa to see Maricruz. After they finish dinner and the elderly host had retired for the night, Sucre stole the car but is later stopped by the Mexican police. The widower tells the police that he is glad they found Sucre, as he forgot to give him gas money. The police let him go, as the widower tells Sucre to "find your girl, then find grace" (contrary to the subtitles, however, the elderly man actually said "find the grace of God").
In Algoma, Wisconsin
Algoma, Wisconsin
Algoma is a city in Kewaunee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 3,357 at the 2000 census. Algoma is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Haywire (Silas Weir Mitchell
Silas Weir Mitchell (actor)
Silas Weir Mitchell is an American character actor known for playing disturbing or unstable characters.-Career:He has had recurring guest roles in the first season of 24 , My Name Is Earl , and Prison Break...
) is with his dog, a Border Collie
Border Collie
The Border Collie is a herding dog breed developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region for herding livestock, especially sheep. It is the most widespread of the collie breeds....
he named Larry, while he digs in a dumpster. A teen couple approaches Haywire and asks him to buy them some beer. Haywire agrees, but wants to buy dog food as well. The guy offers Haywire some money to buy his own beer, but Haywire refuses, and replies "My dad used to drink". Haywire delivers the beer to the teens, and shows the girl, Sasha (Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Christine Cuoco is an American film and television actress. She first came to attention for her role as Bridget Hennessy on the Emmy Award-winning sitcom 8 Simple Rules. She later starred as Billie Jenkins on the final season of the supernatural drama series Charmed...
), the raft that he is trying to build. He tells her enthusiastically that he is trying to get to Holland with the raft. Sasha's friend Matt replies, "Good luck, Gilligan
Gilligan (fictional character)
Gilligan is a fictional character played by Bob Denver on the 1960s TV show Gilligan's Island and its many sequels. It starred Bob Denver as "Gilligan", the bumbling, dimwitted, accident-prone crewman of the S.S. Minnow...
." When Haywire notices bruises on Sasha's wrists, Sasha can only answer "my dad drinks too". Haywire follows Sasha to her home, where her father is about to beat her with a fireplace implement. The Fox River escapee attacks Sasha's father repeatedly upon entering.
A Montana television station is stunned to see their missing cameraman back safely, holding a video cassette.
In the Chicago FBI Field Office, Mahone demands that the roads in Montana be closed. As he makes demands, the office's attention is drawn to the television. Fox News is airing a video featuring Michael and Lincoln, where Lincoln declares his innocence. He further blames the murders on The Company
The Company (Prison Break)
The Company is a fictional covert organization featured in the American television drama/thriller series Prison Break. It is a secret group of multinationals known almost exclusively by those who work for them . Its influence and power over individuals stretches to the White House, influencing...
, and explains their nature. Michael announces that 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 :...
) is innocent as well, and that FBI Agent Mahone has murdered Abruzzi, Tweener and also the missing Oscar Shales. As eyes around the office focus on Mahone, he announces that Michael is crazy.
As this video airs, Agent William 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...
) is watching as well. Turning to his subordinate, he demands "Damage control immediately!" When the subordinate reminds him that it is already on the air, Kim yells in reply, "Start a wildfire in Florida! Find a lost storage unit full of Arabs! I do not care! As long as it's not about Lincoln Burrows!" He later meets with the mysterious man who communicates with a notepad, and they agree that while the President is in danger, she has some expendability.
Mahone is informed by a Montana FBI agent who interrogated the cameraman that the brothers mentioned driving to a location 450 miles away within six hours. Mahone comes to the conclusion that the brothers are headed toward Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, where President Caroline Reynolds (Patricia Wettig
Patricia Wettig
Patricia Wettig is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her roles in the television series Thirtysomething, Prison Break and Brothers & Sisters...
) will speak. Agent Wheeler interrupts Mahone's requests for information. When Mahone asks if Wheeler has a problem with the way he does things, Wheeler replies affirmatively and adds that "I'm not the only one." He further informs Mahone that FBI Internal Affairs
Internal affairs (law enforcement)
The internal affairs division of a law enforcement agency investigates incidents and plausible suspicions of lawbreaking and professional misconduct attributed to officers on the force...
wants to be kept posted of Mahone's moves.
Agent Mahone watches the Declaration of Innocence video with analysts who believe that Burrows is lying, based on subtle movements he makes. These subtle movements were actually orchestrated by Kellerman, who told the brothers that such movements would confuse the analyzers. "Tell them you're the Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
", Kellerman flippantly told the brothers, "but I know how they break down these tapes."
The FBI analysts are transfixed on a Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
message that Michael taps out with his hand ("the water is warm"), but Mahone knows that Michael is trying to throw them off the scent. It's when he and the analysts pay attention to Michael's apology to Sara that Mahone figures out that the message isn't a Declaration of Innocence at all, and the brothers aren't going after President Reynolds: they're going after Sara. He immediately demands that Sara's records, contacts and habits be analysed for clues.
At the same time, Sara Tancredi watches the video of Michael and Lincoln from the Jewell Glore Library in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, flipping through a book as she does.
At Fox River, Mahone questions Nurse Katie, only to find no useful information. He attempts to question Bellick, who demands to be placed in Ad Seg. Mahone replies that he has no pull with the Department of Corrections, but the badly battered Bellick is adamant in his demand. Mahone agrees, and Bellick informs the Agent that the quotes used by Michael are chapter titles in the Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
book. By analysing the chapters in the book, Mahone quickly discovers that Michael is planning to rendezvous with Sara at the St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
.
As Michael, Lincoln, and Kellerman drive, they hear on the radio how their news story is being sidelined due to a lost storage unit full of Arabs (which raises the Homeland Security Advisory System
Homeland Security Advisory System
In the United States, the Homeland Security Advisory System was a color-coded terrorism threat advisory scale. The different levels trigger specific actions by federal agencies and state and local governments, and they affect the level of security at some airports and other public facilities. It...
into Orange Alert). They then stand close to the hospital lobby, while Michael hears a page asking for "Michael Crane". This is an allusion to the origami cranes he made for her. Michael answers the call, and speaks with Sara for the first time since their meeting in Gila, New Mexico
Gila, New Mexico
Gila is an unincorporated town in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is 30 miles northwest to Silver City, New Mexico.-History:Gila and the nearby town of Cliff were settled in 1884. The area was and is primarily a ranching and farming community...
. Sara tells Michael that she couldn't get to his location in time, but Michael promises her that they can end this soon. While Michael talks to Sara, Kellerman receives a telephone call from the President, telling him that he is the only one that cares about her, and that he should return to her side, but without the brothers.
Michael returns, and the trio return to their car. "In a few days, this should all be over," Michael said. "Absolutely." replied Kellerman. The episode ends with Kellerman's loyalties unclear.
Production details
The scene which featured St. Thomas hospital in Akron, OhioAkron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
was actually filmed in a local Dallas hospital. Producers of the show explained that since the second season was mainly filmed in the Dallas area, the filming could not occur in Akron.
Trivia
Similarities with Les MisérablesThe scene of Sucre brought by the police to the widower resembles closely to one of the first chapters of Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
's novel Les Miserables
Les Misérables
Les Misérables , translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century...
. In the book, Jean Valjean, an ex-convict as Sucre, is given shelter by bishop Myriel. Later he steals the bishop’s silverware and runs. When the police brings Valjean back to Myriel, the bishop gives him his silver candelabra, rescuing him. The bishop tells Valjean that he is buying his soul with the silver.
Reception
Mediaweek again reports that Prison Break was second place for the Monday 8:00pm timeslot behind NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which was the Dutch Miljoenenjacht produced by Dutch producer Endemol. It is played with up to 26 cases with certain sums of money...
. The episode achieved a 6.3% household rating and 9% household share with an average of 9.9 million viewers and was closer behind Deal or No Deals in terms of the ratings recorded for the 18-49 demographic.
Critical reviews for this episode mainly concerned the season's plot. Troy Rogers of UGO
UGO
UGO Entertainment, Inc. is a website providing coverage of online media in entertainment targeting males age 18–34. The company is currently based in New York, New York, United States. On July 24, 2007 it was announced that Hearst Corporation would acquire UGO Entertainment...
gave "The Message" a B+, stating, "This week, Prison Break went the distance in connecting as many dots as possible, while catching us up to speed on a few long lost players, including Haywire, Sara, and Sucre." Similarly, John Keegan of MediaBlvd muses that, "There's plenty of time left in the season to bring those to conclusion, but it's also possible that they will remain open-ended. Only time will reveal these intentions." A critic from Tv Fodder remarks that, "Peeking ahead to the preview for next week, it should be more action packed than anything we've seen in a while. Which will be a nice change of pace."
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Kate Sullivan had this to say of "The Message": "Icy, but hilarious, was the infirmary nurse who turned down Bellick's try at Michael-esque charm when he asked her to leave the door open for him."
Overall, San Diego Union-Tribunes TV Tracker's Craig Blanchard gave "The Message" an A+ grade, stating that, "All in all, this was a great episode. One place in particular that I rather enjoy seeing is all of Mahone's fellow agents starting to second guess his decisions."