David Kronke was appointed Mayor of Television after a bloodless coup in 2000. Since then, he has improved infrastructure, championed greater educational opportunities and fought for reforms that have utterly erased corruption and incompetence from the television industry. Since Mr. Kronke has ascended to power, Television is a far better place. “Prison Break” cuts off its head to spite its ratings
Last night on “Prison Break,” Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) opened a box containing the head of Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies), Michael’s (Wentworth Miller) savior in season one and subsequent true love.
Alas, the rest of her body was nowhere to be seen.
(Obviously, the show ripped off the film “Se7en” with this, when Gwyneth Paltrow was delivered to Brad Pitt in a tidy package wrapped with a bow, a scene that would no doubt play a lot differently today given that everyone’s pretty much over Paltrow.)
TVGuide.com got the scoop on Callies’ grisly departure from the series. It’s kind of a convoluted tale, but it boils down to this: When Fox asked the writers to retool its storyline for season three, they cooked up Tancredi’s torture and demise. Callies, who was fairly underused (and pretty poorly used, at that) last year, was pregnant and living in remote Canada when she got the news and apparently wasn’t pleased; rather than leaving her family to shoot a few depressing, demeaning scenes (and declining the producers’ offers to come to her for some abbreviated shooting), she bowed out.
Callies and “PB(&J)” executive producer Matt Olmstead made the differences of opinion sound like a no-big-deal, one-big-happy, it’s-all-good kind of thing, but the particulars suggest otherwise. Callies’ refusal to participate at all (beyond allowing the producers to show blurry images of her in the new season’s episodes) speaks to a deep disappointment at the show’s direction. And decapitating her character in a scene that was practically a throwaway in the episode pretty much plays as a “screw-you” from the show’s brain trust.
Anyhoo – as people say after they’ve witnessed a beheading – fans don’t seem too happy about this. Actually, they’re kind of outraged. Actually, a huge chunk commenting at TVGuide.com vow they’re done with the show. (The discussion is a little more nuanced over on TelevisionWithoutPity.com’s message boards on the episode, though it still seems to run 50/50 on the plot gambit. A few of those who hated it aren’t completely swearing off the show, however.) Many defectors declared their intentions to try out “Chuck.”
Keep in mind that these are the hardcore fans who actually bother to post comments on the show. There’s probably a sizable number of less-obsessed viewers who’ll abandon the show, as well: The Michael/Sara relationship was “Prison Break’s” sole storyline that wasn’t dedicated to grim conspiracy and cruelty, and now it’s been exterminated with extreme prejudice.
The show had already shed about 2 million viewers from last season; if the outrage expressed over this plot twist is any indication, next week’s ratings should reveal that even more have broken free of the series’ narrative clutches.
Did you see the episode? What’s your opinion on killing off the character who, as a strung-out junkie, is one of the more likable on the show?
Comments
I'm not a die hard Sara/Sarah fan, but after witnessing that episode on Monday I will NEVER watch that show again. What a waste of two years!
Posted by: harper | October 12, 2007 9:01 AM
I'm all talked out on this issue by now so I'll just say this:
1. Sarah Wayne Callies is an amazing actress and human being.
2. The PB writers are scum.
And I completely agree with your assessment that the show is now dead and will NOT recover from this. Not that I care because I won't be watching ever again and also because season 3 has really sucked so far.
Posted by: disgusted | October 12, 2007 9:27 AM
Sarah was the main female caracter of the show. We all loved Mi/Sa. Sorry, her death doesn't mean the end of prison break for me.
Posted by: wenty fan | October 12, 2007 1:15 PM
Personally I founded the 'Save the Good Doctor' Community over at live journal very soon after I heard SWC was not scheduled to return for season 3. That was over a month ago and let me just say that I had no idea things were going to get this bad.
As far as I'm concerned they have not just killed off a beloved character but they have absolutely beyond a shadow of a doubt ruined what used to be a great show.
Thirty seconds after I figured out it was indeed Sara in the box, I turned my TV off and (later)deleted the show off my DVR. I didn't even finish watching.
The phrase 'Stick a fork in me, I'm done,' comes to mind when I think of Prison Break. I'm also boycotting all Fox network shows that I used to watch including Bones and House.
http://community.livejournal.com/savethegooddr/
Posted by: Ashley Blade Martin | October 13, 2007 9:14 AM
What Prison Break did on Monday night was sickening, and disgusting. First of all, giving Sara such an undignified death was out of line, and is a major factor in the reason why us fans will not let this go. It was disturbing, and downright sick. Not to mention a completely predictable rip-off from Seven.
Number two, not everyone watches Prison Break for the violence and cruelty it displays when it comes to the fate of the good guys. What used to be a promisingly intriguing show has gone way beyond unrealistic, and is clearly heading towards a despair-filled end, which many of us do not care to witness.
Whether or not the writers realize it, we actually enjoyed the one storyline on the show not completely filled with despair. MISA
To sum it all up, I don't blame SWC one bit. Coming back to shoot a death scene and witnessing the end of her character for NO reason, or refusing to come back to contribute to a pointless death...the choice was pretty clear. FOX and PB, you messed up.
Loyal viewers feel betrayed. And we won't be tuning in to see a depressing plot. That's what reality is for.
Posted by: Pathetic demise of a previously good show | October 13, 2007 6:21 PM
I have never seen more absurd comments and opnions that connect the cutting off of the weakest character's head as the demise of Prison Break. That character ran it's course..and keeping her in a show called Prison Break was pointless. The complaints are mainly from teenage girl fans who dramed SWC and Wentworth would have a fairytale ending. Behind the scenes those 2 actors didn't even get along....this show is still strong with the devoted fans to Prison Break..and so all this hoopla and bemoaning of the character's head coming off is stupid. It's a tense action dramam that has random charcaters being killed off at anytime. I hope the writers never listen to silly girl fans and keep balsting away doing what they want. And if these fans want romance go tune into Gray's Anatomy.
Posted by: Belinda | October 18, 2007 8:43 AM
I stay for the best, i go because of the worst. Be the change you want to see in the world. I can't take my pound of flesh, i don't want to watch endless melancholy neither tortures. Scenarists thought tell us an hardcore men action story, but what i saw was a tiny flower, even if it was a paper flower, witch attain to survive in a dark and hostile world.
Posted by: musemute | October 19, 2007 12:31 PM