Prison Break (TV Series) Killing Your Number (2009) User Reviews

End of the ride. Will miss Prison Break. :(

[avi0107 · 10/10 · 19 May 2009]

Prison break 4 years run comes to an end (well sort of) with these double episodes (Rate of change/Killing your number). The previous episode really managed to up the bar and set up perfectly the last 2 episodes of the series.

The first episode, Rate of change was pretty good. It was really that fantastic but it had some great moments. It was good to see Mahone have an important role. They try to play with the character, specially his motivations. T-Bag stole the show. Actually these 2 episodes had among the finest T-Bag moments I've seen in a long time. T-Bag-Sara scenes were superb. It was nice to see Sucre back as his initial send off some time back was far from satisfying. Cool to see C-Note too.

2nd episode, killing our number was pretty good too. Again, as far the conclusion of the scylla arc is concerned, it was not that great but satisfactory. Kellerman (finally) returned! Even tho I knew he would, I was still like OMG! when he first appeared. Many fans (included me) would have considered this a loose end if he hadn't come back. He was no longer the cold blooded killer from the first 2 seasons but it was still cool. He is the one who actually saved the day. Little underwhelming really, best thing would have been to develop this earlier but the actor is contracted with ABC, so they did what they could here. T-Bag was again great here in his reunion with Sucre/C-Note. Sara kills Christina, Linc is freed, Scylla handed to UN, everybody was exonerated and the General arrested. It was good, felt a little rushed but it was good.

So what make this series finale fantastic? What brought the finale feeling to it? What made it unforgettable? Well the answer to this is the closing 10 minutes of the show. It was really what mattered. To see where those characters we loved ended 4 years later.

-Alex Mahone: My favorite character. Had a great first part of season 4. Less relevant in the 2nd half but was well used in the finale. William Fitchner has been amazing in those 3 seasons. I will check his future works for sure. Mahone ends up happy…with Felicia Lang, his former colleague. Quite surprising, but this makes sense and is much more believable than him and Pam ending together. He sends a birthday card to Pam, meaning they at least are still in contact. I'm happy they didn't just kill him in some heroic way. Very satisfying end for Mahone.

-T-Bag: Robert Knepper was about to become a park ranger before he got the role as T-Bag. He has been amazing. Much like Mahone, T-Bag had a great first half of season as Cole Pfeiffer . He has been OK in the second half but amazing in the finale. It was great to see the creepy, sadistic and evil side of Bagwell again. His conclusion is absolutely perfect. He gets back to Fox River, in his old ways, which brought some ole memories (Nice to see Fox River too). Perfect send off to a great character.

-Paul Kellerman. He becomes congressman. How about that lol. Quite underwhelming until Danny Hale's widow returned and spit on his face. Kellerman then sat in his car in reflection, realizing he can't get rid of his past. That was excellent. Another great send off. -Don Self. His ending was quite shocking to me. 4 years later, he ends up just like his wife. Kinda sad but still very ironic.

-The General. Poetic justice. He set up Linc for the chair and ends right in that very chair. He was a pity in his last moments.

-Sucre/C-Note. Finally happy with their family, nice to see this.

-Linc, Michael and Sara. Well this is the "controversial part" for many. Linc is happy, living with Sofia and LJ. The final moments of the series is really moving but imo fitting and with a lot of symbolism. Michael is dead. At the end of the episode; his son, Sara, Sucre, Linc and Mahone visits his grave to pay tribute. Some might say, it's cruel and totally unnecessary but I say that it was fitting. Not that Michael deserves it (far from it) but this really shows him as a tragic character, a hero in way, who sacrificed it all so that his loved ones are happy. And he succeeded in that. I loved those little details they put in here. Like Michael Jr. getting a tattoo or the Origami bird or the quote on the grave; "Be the change you want to see in the world"...something Michael ended up to be in a way. All the people at his grave where together; former junkies, killer and enemy. Everybody changed and were together. More importantly they were all happy. Is it a happy ending?? Well it was sad and tragic but it is a happy ending in many ways. I'm happy they didn't go Hollywood with too much of a soapy ending. The last 10 minutes were brilliant in all aspects. Great directing, great acting, great soundtrack….prefect.

These closing moments are where the character ultimately end but still there's 2 extra episodes to be available soon. The events will take place just after the exoneration. So still more PB to come and certainly we'll know more on Mike's death.

Hell of a ride really. It has been 4 great seasons. Season 4 is the weakest, still produced some great moments. Season 1 will always be one of the best TV show season I will ever see. The characters are unforgettable. Thank you writers, crew, cast and everybody involved.

A smart way to end the show

[igoatabase · 10/10 · 17 May 2009]

In the finale first part when Franklin revealed his plans to Sucre I was a little worry for the brothers. Then he told him Kellerman was the man pulling strings and it didn't reassure me at all. All along it was really hard to anticipate things and as usual the writers played with our mind. Moreover T-Bag was in big trouble considering he failed to prevent the knight from saving the damsel in distress. So he tried his best not to be killed and convince the General that he was still a useful asset. One of his scene with other characters should even make laugh out loud. In fact I think our feelings are mesmerized because we know it's the last episode ever.

But this episode was also about rescuing Lincoln. Mahone continued as planned but as expected dealing with the mother wasn't easy. So Scylla continued its puzzling dance like a ship caught in a storm. Waves after waves the characters struggled to get their hands on it but finally the story ended. The fight was finally over and the decisions that had to be made weren't easy to take. But of course the most interesting thing wasn't actually the Scylla arc but what happened to the people revolving around it, like planets around a sun. Again the direction and editing were flawless and each character had a scene dedicated to covering its "after Scylla life". Watching these scenes you should have conflicted feelings because it's not all black and white, like in wars there have been many casualties during these four seasons. The important thing is that the end is smart and done the right way. I even see it as a TV show model for future productions. The very last scene also managed to bring back so many memories that it's nearly impossible to put in words how great it is. I can only compare it to the end of Forrest Gump, when the feather begins to fly in the wind. It was just magical and fans will never forget it.

Perfect ending - why the two retro episodes?

[digitalrecovery · 8/10 · 26 April 2016]

This was a terrific show, with minor exceptions in the plot (things that don't happen that way in real life prisons or in the criminal justice system, nobody in law enforcement pulls a gun and racks a round into the chamber, semi-autos don't click on an empty mag, a prison guard arrested in AZ isn't going to be sent to his own prison in IL to serve time before trial...), and this particular episode would have been a great way to end it. The show came to a logical conclusion, but then there are these two retro episodes. Hey! Lets go to a women's prison and do a break-out there! Yawn. I'm done with the show and Killing Your Number is the final episode for the series as far as I'm concerned.

Great end to a great show

[mkools · 10/10 · 18 May 2009]

I loved the final, I'm already glad to finally see a show that has a final instead of leaving an open end and let you figuring.

This show is a perfect example how future shows should be produced, not too much seasons, four is perfect and just long enough to keep you interested.

I'm not going to talk about any details of the finale, you'll just have to see it for yourself. Meanwhile i'm going to wait for the next great creation of Paul Scheuring, we only can hope it will be as good as Prison break was.

Some people are vouching for a 5th season but I hope they don't do that because it can only break apart the previous four.

If you haven't seen Prison Break before stop reading and go watch it now!

Review only for Michael's death.

[yasir619 · 9/10 · 10 June 2020]

Michael's death made me feel emotional. I wasn't expecting this would happening at the end but when I just saw that grave, I was totally amazed with the invisible tears and keep watching that scene again and again.

not that good of an end

[lostandfound300 · 27 May 2009]

what a bad way to end this show..its like the writers didn't know what to do so they killed Micheal,i don't know if the writers knew that most of the fans said( Michael would die in the end ) since season one. so why put an the most people predicted why not a surprise ending something we didn't expect,and t-bag going back to jail right where his character started (letting people hold his pocket..!!) after he changed and wanted to be good ( remember what he said at Gretchen's sister house???) that he wants to change,so why try to rape Sarah??(maybe revenge right? what about the kid holding his pocket at the end?? . and why the hell would the general would want t-bags help while he got Professionals working for him, seems to me the writers try to keep the characters together. and one more thing the show didn't have a good scenario , come to think of it's just running with sound track to keep you excited, remove that it will be just awful. can't say that i didn't enjoy some parts of this show their were some great moments but bad ones overcame. still not a bad show to watch but won't give you what you want.

by the way it's way over rated.

awesome end

[mohamadda · 10/10 · 30 August 2019]

I really like the way that this season ends , it was one of the best endings to one of my favorite series ever

This is a goof but not sure how to add to them

[peluso-59286 · 10/10 · 11 January 2020]

At the end when they are signing their deals you clearly see a dated tattoo on Lincoln's forearm that has initials and a date that says 1959- 2008 and when you see Michael's headstone 4 years later say he died in 2005

Not the best WAY of ending to such a great series

[shiva-neo · 10/10 · 18 May 2009]

To start with, i'm going to give a 10 on 10 for the series. To me this is the best TV series as yet and for a long time to come. But coming to think of the way the ending was done it was not quite satisfactory. It was very much obvious that Scylla was never going to be in the hands of evil and Michael and CO would do their best to ensure that but that happened too soon... I mean the way each episode leading up to the end was made, i can only say it's rushed and as we all know if it is rushed it's not going to be good. But that's the great thing about this series that even a rushed thing was made to look good but not great... anyway all in all a wonderful experience... All the actors were living their characters and it was such an excellent performance from the protagonist "Wentworth Miller" as Michael Scofield... Please someone clarify why he had to be killed...

Wrapped up pretty good

[Abdulxoxo · 8/10 · 1 July 2022]

As it turns out the mystery man that offerred to trade Scylla for the team's freedom is none other than Paul Kellerman. I thought the characters had a perfect ending when he helped saved Sarah's life and redeemed himself. Moreover, it was clear that he is shot and killed in S2. So I don't know, I kinda have a mixed feelings on him showing up. But he does play a good role as he's the Deux Ex machina for the lastest episode. It's funny that when all the Scylla madness was going on he didn't turn up until now. That said, I did enjoy his return but for nostalgic reasons.

I have to say I'm quite relieved to see the resolution of all the conflict that has to do with the story and the characters. Christina gets what she deserved, Krantz gets what he deserved and also T-bag and Self. As for the rest of the main characters I think they truly deserved this freedom. They've gone through all kinds of trouble one could ever imagine. The final sequences were really emotional and heartbreaking to see that Michael died. The music synced really well with those scenes. I can't think of a perfect send-off for these characters.

Overall, Season 4 has its up and down but it's still a solid season. It suffers from repeatability, lacklusterness, inconsistencies especially the second half of the season where the main location is Miami. The first half is the better part, where the writing is a bit strong and the Macguffin they called Scylla hasn't lose its credibility yet. The cast performance is top-notch; with Wentworth Miller, Robert Knepper and Leon Russom being the standouts most of the time.

I won't be talking about the last two episodes as they basically take place before the events of this episode. So "Killing your number" is essentially the finale and a good one at that!

Anticlimax?

[tcecoleshaw · 6/10 · 20 September 2021]

I write this knowing of course there are two more episodes of season 4 (or rather one extra long episode) and a whole extra season of twisting n turning plotholes to come that I haven't seen yet. This episode sort of reminds me of the finale episode of The A Team when they get pardoned, but with extra bullets and a missed mother-in-law joke opportunity. With so many twists and turns I've by now forgotten what happened to Gretchen, except notice she's not been in the last couple of episodes. I mourn Bellick who found comfort sacrificing his life 10 episodes before to ultimately make this episode happen. There's a nice twist that rejoins the surviving team members together. But the sad news that Michael died in the end? Shame on the writers for exploiting viewers emotions when they have invested 4 years following the lead character. Another fake death? By this point you should realise that unless you see a bullet go through a characters skull, not even a decapitation can kill them off. So the end scene is actually a waste of time. And I consider it a writers tragedy that when Sara killed Michael's mother, that she didn't have a mother-in-law joke to hand to remind viewers of the absolute farce the story has become. I now find myself at a crossroads. Do I adopt the Phoebe Buffet approach and not watch the true ending of the story because it's stopped at a nice point before it all goes to heck? Or do I invest another 8 hours to get the final 10/11 episodes of the story done once and for all. Of course it'll be the latter, but let's just say I think the audience is too easily pleased by what they've seen so far and the series for me, stopped taking itself seriously towards the end of season 2. "The Company. The Company. The Company". A shot every time someone mentions "The Company". I think they made too many episodes and forced too many twists in plot to make it get as far as season 4 episodes 22, let alone episode 79 in the storyline so far? Sometimes less is more. Anyway enough said, it's a good episode but superficially so.

A Frustrating and Lame Conclusion

[claudio_carvalho · 4/10 · 11 July 2009]

The identity of the mysterious Paul is revealed and the Company falls with Christina dead and General Krantz sent to the electric chair. Michael, Lincoln, Sara, Mahone, Sucre, C-Note and Self have their records clear and rebuild their lives.

The conclusion of "Prison Break" could not be more frustrating. The fate of Michael is ridiculous and I do not know the intention of the imbecile writer with such destiny. There is no explanation of what has happened to Gretchen. The powerful company that is entwined everywhere in governments and agencies could not finish after the death of General Krantz and Christina. The writer built a huge monster with a lack of chain of command, what is impossible. The crisis between the India and China government is simply forgotten. Michael simply believes in the words of Kellerman that now is the good guy and easily delivers Scylla to the man he tells that is from UN. This series should be consistent and have a decent conclusion in the Third Season, and would certainly be an unforgettable show. Unfortunately, the commercial interests of producers ruled and they preferred a lame sequence instead of the satisfaction of the fans. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Agree, the series should have ended with this.

[mhbjc · 6/10 · 12 February 2023]

To the reviewer discussing Lincoln's tattoo. He tells us Micheal was born in 1976 (which proved the photo of him as a child with Christina was faked). The tattoo must have been about something else.

Kellerman comes back to save the day - as a Congressman? Not believable that anyone from our gang would not have heard about THAT!

I see there is a Season 5. I can't bring myself to think Micheal would have missed his son growing up. What were the producers thinking? Let these characters have their lives and move on to a new project. I am over "The Company" and never want to hear that term again.

Good show over all. Season 1 had me on the edge of my seat. Each episode of the back half seemed like a cliff hanger. I want to remember it like that.

So disappointing.

[planetsurreal · 1/10 · 19 May 2009]

Well, I am shocked. What an anti-climax.

I have never seen such forced writing, action or plot elements to end a story than in this debacle of an ending.

For a show that in the first season had you seriously concerned and tense for the characters and their predicament, it never seemed likely the bad guys would win. Some old characters would resurface from nowhere like a deus ex machina to save the day. Lincoln survives for god knows how long after being shot.

Sarah, who moans about Michael pointing guns at people ends up shooting someone.

Schofield and Sarahs relationship is so sterile i doubt they could ever of had sex - I have never even seen them kiss. They just hug and look worried on each others shoulders. Ridiculous.

I personally started disliking prison break after series 2 - season four has been a complete waste of time. If they were going to do it, they should of done it correctly. Its bad storytelling, bad writing, bad acting, the reduction of good characters to ones that haven't developed at all from the second series.

Poor. So so poor. Its a shame. Move on to The Wire people, much more of a complete show.

Killing Your Series is more like it...

[ttapola · 1/10 · 20 April 2010]

So, Prison Break ends. Sort of. More on that later. First, some very telling numbers. The first of which is 4.16 - the episode with original air date 22 Dec 2008, and the first in a continuous string of episodes that I rated 2/10 until this "final episode". However, after 4.16, the show went on a hiatus. Then, on 14 Jan 2009, Fox announced that the show would be ending. Which is just a PR-friendly euphemism for saying that the show has been canceled. And it was not until 17 April 2009 that the hiatus ended. What I'd really like to know, is what happened behind the scenes. The show had lost one third (3 million) viewers compared to the height of its popularity during seasons 1 and 2, so the suits' decision to pull the plug is perfectly logical. The funny thing is, I can easily imagine the show-runners (producers and writers) saying one of General Krantz's line in this episode: "Is this the end? Whimpering." And I would very much like to know what came into their mind next.

The show-runners and the public were told there would be 6 episodes after the hiatus. So it was a bit like when ABC made the historical announcement that Lost would have "only" three seasons left after the third season, only on a smaller scale. Still, 6 episodes is enough to exit either with a bang or a whimper. Sadly, we got the latter. Not that it would be apparent from the high IMDb ratings for the last six episodes - ranging from 7.6 to 8.8 for this very episode. But one has to remember, the voters come from the pool of those people who did *not* stop watching the show when it became both absurdly stupid and stupidly absurd. And the number of voters for the post-hiatus episodes averages a bit over 300 - not a reliable sample. The whimper would also not be apparent from the gushing reviews that have been voted most useful. But the usefulness of the reviews has been voted by about a dozen people - not a reliable sample either. Also, which one is more likely to write a gushing review: a person who did already waste 1 hour of their life watching this garbage or a person who is so enamored by the show that they have no objectivity? And which one is more likely to vote on the usefulness of a review, let alone read one?

Back to the show-runners. It's pretty apparent that they gave up, but at times during these six episodes, it almost felt like they were trying to joke about the absurdity of the show. *Almost.* Still, that thought did cross my mind when Mahone had a fit and yelled, "This is crap!" And when Lincoln pondered, "How stupid am I to end up framed *twice* for a high-level assassination?" But then, for this grand finale, they resurrected Kellerman, last seen shot full of holes at the end of season 2 because he had betrayed The Company. And they played the resurrection straight-faced. Are we to believe he was shot with rubber bullets? Or blanks? Or that that the hit-men missed? There is *no* frakkin' way for a logic explanation for how that execution was not a real execution. The one Kellerman gives us is just ret-con BS. Then there is the unnecessary number of players at endgame. They serve no purpose other than to stretch things to fill the running time. Also, it is pathetic to write *three* questioning/torturing/leveraging segments that are interlaced. That's one idea used three times at the same time! Again, no purpose other than to fill the running time. All this presumably to make sure there would be no time to explain what happened during the four years that are skipped before the final segment. Because - and this is the "sort of ends" part - people would have to *pay for* the straight-to-DVD "The Final Escape" to see what happened. So, nice-looking ending segment or not, this really is a whimper. 1/10.