MONDO EXTRAS

This tender moment is interrupted by Agent Jerkface and his backup band of snipers trying to yank on the door some 100 feet above them. So let's ditch that moodkiller and return to the bummer in progress. Dr. Sara insists, "I'm not leaving unless you're coming with me." Michael places his hand somewhere around Dr. Sara's left kidney and says, "I am coming with you." Dr. Sara insists, around a sob, "I love you." And this gets Michael, who crumples for a moment with, "God, I love you too." Then there is a long and passionate kiss, interrupted by the banging on the door.

The poignant episode music (tons of strings, a wordless alto ululation approximately two steps removed from a Dead Can Dance demo track) kicks in, and Michael bids Dr. Sara to go. He watches her leave, fighting back tears, and then he turns back to the fuse box with his usual post-decision resolve. One of my favorite Michael moments of this whole series was in season one, episode 13, when we flash back to him just about to enter the bank and taking a moment to grieve all that he was leaving behind before steeling himself to move forward; this moment is so similar, it's uncanny. (Nice job, Wentworth Miller!)

Michael takes a deep breath and yanks out the first plug. The prison is plunged into darkness. Then we see him pull out the other two cords, producing a shower of sparks. We flash to Dr. Sara waiting for a telltale click that indicates the door is open. Michael holds the two cables, one in each hand, and prepares to experience life as part of a closed circuit. Dr. Sara turns to look toward Michael, then checks herself, focusing only on the door. We see the resolve on Michael's face as he brings the two sparking cables closer together, we see Dr. Sara's dread-filled expression, there's one last look at Michael --

Then it all goes dark with a hum. The next thing we see is Dr. Sara's face illuminated by a shower of sparks, and the door opens. She spares a moment to sob in the general direction of the sparks, then runs, closing the door behind her. Within seconds, she's outside. Linc, Mahone and Sucre are all waiting. All of them look at her, silently inquiring as to where Michael is. None of them seem able to comprehend an escape plan that doesn't end with Michael strolling out with a smile upon his face. Linc finally asks where Michael is, and he gets increasingly panicky as he heads toward the gate Dr. Sara just ran out of. Mahone comes over and gently repeats, "He's not coming back." Lincoln insists, "He'll be here." Mahone says, "He's gone, Linc. Linc -- we gotta go. We gotta go." We all get one last look at the dingy brown door standing between the remains of Team Escarpara and Michael's remainsa. The stunned Widow Scofield reels as she tries to get into the SUV, and the car that drives off is very, very quiet.