John Doe (Prison Break)

Last updated
"John Doe"
Prison Break episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 14
Directed by Kevin Hooks
Written by Matt Olmstead &
Nick Santora
Featured music Ramin Djawadi
Production code2AKJ14
Original air dateJanuary 22, 2007 (2007-01-22)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Killing Box"		Next →
"The Message"
Prison Break (season 2)
List of episodes

"John Doe" is the thirty-sixth episode of the American television series Prison Break and is the fourteenth episode of its second season. The episode was aired on January 22, 2007, after a seven-week break. It was written by Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora, and directed by Kevin Hooks. The title, "John Doe", commonly refers to an unidentified male or a male with no name. Coincidentally, John Doe is also the name of a television series in which Dominic Purcell (who plays Lincoln Burrows) was the title character. The episode mainly focuses on the meeting of the characters Lincoln Burrows and Terrence Steadman. Regarding the casting of this episode, series regulars Sarah Wayne Callies (who plays Sara Tancredi) and Amaury Nolasco (who plays Fernando Sucre) did not appear in this episode.

Contents

Summary

C-Note (Rockmond Dunbar) is at a campground with his RV and his daughter Dede (Helena Klevorn) in Mound City, Nebraska. She asks him if her mother Kaycee is in trouble. Dissatisfied with C-Note's reply, she stays in the RV, while C-Note makes a telephone call to Trey (Andra Fuller).

Trey is at the North Dakota courthouse, waiting to see his incarcerated sister Kayce. He tells C-Note that after speaking to the lawyer, he believes that she will make bail. C-Note informs Trey that he plans to vanish with Dede and Kayce in Alaska, where C-Note's Army buddy knows where he can get a fish hatchery job, "no questions asked". Incensed, Trey asks his brother in law, "You want her to jump bail now?"

One phone call later, Trey tells C-Note that Kayce did not make bail as planned. C-Note offers to turn himself in, but Trey says that it will not get Kayce released, and that if both parents are incarcerated, Dede will be sent to a foster home.

T-Bag (Robert Knepper) is in Ness City, Kansas, in the home of his former girlfriend Susan Hollander (K.K. Dodds). T-Bag tells Susan that he believes that when she spit at him in Fox River State Penitentiary, it proves that she still has strong feelings for him. When she tries to plead with him, saying that she never told the children who he was, he is further convinced that redemption is within his reach. Susan attempts to grab a gun from her drawer, but is unable to reach for it in time.

Susan's children, Gracie (Danielle Campbell) and Zach (Quinn Wermeling) arrive at home. Blissfully unaware of T-Bag's true nature, they run to embrace him. Using Susan's story that he quickly took a job at an offshore oil rig, T-Bag told everyone that he lost his hand at the oil rig due to an accident, but his lawyers successfully sued them for five million dollars (one million dollars for "each finger"). He tells the Hollander family he can do whatever he wants now, and would like to do nothing more than to be with them.

As the children watch television with T-Bag and a tense Susan, the latter feigns a beverage spill to leave the room. T-Bag follows her and when he sees her attempting to get to the drawer with the gun in it, T-Bag yells at her loudly, brandishing the firearm. Hearing the commotion, the children approach, while Zach attempts to hit T-Bag with his skateboard. T-Bag evades the attack, takes the family hostage, and begins to board up the front door.

Former Captain of the prison guards Brad Bellick (Wade Williams), now an inmate, is standing in a Fox River recreation yard. He draws the attention of a robust African-American inmate named Banks (Lester "Rasta" Speight) who coerces him to give him his dessert during mealtime in exchange for protection. Banks strikes Bellick across the face, drawing the attention of Corrections officer Stolte (Christian Stolte), who breaks up the fight. Emasculated, Bellick agrees to Banks' proposal.

During mealtime, Bellick fulfills his agreement by giving Banks a chocolate brownie. Banks reneges on the deal by saying now he must now get five desserts, one for him, and four for his gang of inmates. Bellick replies that he has candy in his pocket; he brandishes a shlock (a sock filled with batteries, used in prison fights) and bludgeons Banks repeatedly. He walks away while sirens blare loudly.

Stolte appears outside Bellick's cell, telling him that tonight, some corrupt guards paid by Banks will open the cell doors, while Banks and his gang will attack him. Bellick asks Stolte for help, and Stolte replies that he is helping by warning him. He further explains that the night shift CO's are only there because Bellick assigned them there when he was captain of the guards, and that they will have no sympathy for him.

Bellick begs his cellmate Avocado (Daniel Allar) for help, but he replies that while Bellick may have the top bunk in their cell, he owes him nothing outside. As Banks' henchmen intimidate Bellick by repeatedly singing his name "Brad-lee", Bellick screams that he is not afraid of them. The next sound is the clanging of open cell doors.

A corrections officer covering the perimeter of the Albuquerque, New Mexico tunnel that the escaped brothers vanished from responds to a ringing mobile phone, only to find the body of FBI Agent Alexander Mahone (William Fichtner). He responds to the call, speaking to US Secret Service Agent William Kim (Reggie Lee). The officer identifies himself, and says that Mahone has been shot.

Agent Alexander Mahone is in an Albuquerque hospital bed, recovering from a gunshot wound he received from traitorous agent Paul Kellerman (Paul Adelstein). The moment he wakes up, the agent that killed Veronica and appeared in Sara's apartment gives Mahone a mobile telephone. He slowly reaches for it, holds it to his ear, and hears the voice of Agent Kim. Kim tells Mahone that Kellerman informed him that the escaped brothers had shot him, but that he managed to kill both of them shortly afterward; he replies with sardonic laughter that Kellerman is lying; he was the one that shot him, and that the brothers are most likely still alive.

Mahone informs Kim and the agent who killed Veronica that he will no longer work for The Company, even if it means doing his time for the death of Oscar Shales. Moments later, Mahone receives a frantic telephone call from his wife Pam (Callie Thorne), that their son Cameron had just been hit by a car. Mahone tells Pam that he will be there. Against medical advice, Mahone quickly left the hospital, presumably to see his family in Durango, Colorado. Once outside, the agent who killed Veronica taunted Mahone, saying that a broken tibia could mean a host of long term complications. Mahone responded with rage.

Agent Mahone called Agent Kim, telling him that he will return to his original mission. The body of the taunting agent who killed Veronica lies in Mahone's vehicle.

Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) and Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) ride in a black SUV with Kellerman. Before Kellerman can explain much beyond saying that "the enemy of the enemy is my friend", he instructs the brothers to hide as they approach a police roadblock.

The police officer is shown Kellerman's government identification, but he continues to insist that all vehicles must be inspected. Kellerman replies that precious seconds are being spent, and that he will take down every officer's name and make sure that they're all fired. A senior police officer appears and instructs them to let Kellerman, busy dialing on his mobile phone, pass unscathed.

Moments after they escape the roadblock, Lincoln quickly remembers that Kellerman was the man who tried to kill him days before he and Michael escaped from Fox River. Lincoln immediately brandishes his gun, and seizes Kellerman, while their SUV careens out of control. Their vehicle pulled over, Lincoln holds his gun to Kellerman's head demanding why he shouldn't kill him right now. Kellerman replies with, "Because I know where Terrence Steadman (Jeff Perry) is."

Kellerman arranges for the three of them to board a private jet, using his moniker "Owen Kravecki". They land at a Cutback, Montana airfield, en route to Steadman's hideout in Blackfoot, Montana.

Bill Kim's underling discovers that Kellerman and the brothers are en route to Terrence Steadman, and tries to stop their plane from taking off. The underling replies that the plane has already landed in Montana. Seething, Agent Kim contacts agents at Steadman's home and informs them of Kellerman's plan.

The agents stationed in Blackfoot talk to Steadman, informing him that he will have to leave the home immediately. As they're at the frontdoor, Kellerman, Scofield, and Burrows arrive in a car, and secure Steadman. Kim is quickly informed of the situation and orders an agent to kill everyone, including Steadman. The agent draws his weapon but before he can carry out this order, Kellerman shoots him and his partner.

The quartet arrive at the Cutback motel, where Kellerman tells the brothers that they will take Steadman to Washington, D.C. They would escape to Canada through Glacier National Park and re-enter the United States through New York. Once in Washington DC, they would show Steadman to politicians sympathetic to Aldo Burrows' cause.

Kellerman further informs the brothers that Steadman is just a John Doe; his fingerprints were burned off, his teeth were removed, and he even had plastic surgery to alter key physical features. It would be imperative to keep Steadman alive, so he could talk. Steadman takes the time to ridicule Kellerman by calling him the "Serf that would be King", alleging that Kellerman had proposed marriage to his sister Caroline Reynolds several years ago.

Unwilling to cooperate with Kellerman much less trust him, Michael takes the telephone, asks for a television news channel, and informs them of his identity and that he would like to turn himself in.

Unable to cope with the deaths of so many people including his beloved Veronica Donovan, Lincoln angrily points a gun at Steadman's face. Kellerman and Scofield successfully implore Burrows to back down, but Steadman quickly grabs Lincoln's gun hanging from the back of his pants, turns the gun on himself, and after unsuccessful negotiation from Michael, pulls the trigger.

The blood spattered painting and walls of the motel room were soon illuminated by the multicolored lights of police squad cars, as the sirens began to sound.

Production details

Marshall Allman (who plays L. J. Burrows), who has been listed as a regular cast member from the series pilot, was removed from the opening credits. The car Kellerman drives is usually a Chevrolet Suburban but in one scene it was replaced with a Chevrolet Tahoe

Reception

As the first episode to be aired in 2007, the episode obtained an average of 9.9 million viewers [1] and was placed second in terms of viewership for the Monday 8:00pm timeslot, with a 6.6% household rating and 10% household share. [2]

This episode received both positive and negative reviews. The critics mainly focused on the death of the character Terrence Steadman, who was the most important piece of evidence in proving the innocence of the protagonist Lincoln Burrows prior to this episode. Vinay Menon from the Toronto Star wrote a critique of the episode which included this comment: "It also contains confusion. And trace levels of frustration. I mean, what the hell? Terrence Steadman is now dead? Can I please have 35 hours of my life back?" [3] Similarly, MediaBlvd Magazine's John Keegan was critical of the peripheral stories of the episode, stating, "Right now, many of these side stories suffer from the fact that they don’t really impact the main story, and they are easily dismissed as a result." [4]

On the other hand, iFMagazine's Peter Brown remarked that, "It's obvious the series is taking another turn from them running from the law to proving that there is something going on other than just convicts escaping. All-in-all it will make for good viewing on one of the best shows on TV." [5] Also, Bill Harris of the Toronto Sun commented that, "First up comes Prison Break, and we have to say, our heart almost jumped out of our chest at least three times when watching tonight's new episode, titled "John Doe". Even if you aren't an action connoisseur, this really is what action TV is all about." [6]

Overall, Brian Tallerico of ugo.com gave "John Doe" a B+ grade, stating, "Sure, Prison Break is over-the-top, but, like its brother 24 , it moves so quickly that you can't stop to notice the continuity errors and unbelievable behavior because you don't even have time to catch your breath." [7]

Related Research Articles

Michael Scofield Character on American television series Prison Break

Michael Scofield, portrayed by Wentworth Miller, is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of the American television series Prison Break. The character first appeared in the series pilot, in which he deliberately sends himself to prison so as to break his elder brother, Lincoln Burrows, out before his execution for a crime he did not commit. The storyline of the first season revolves around the two brothers and Michael's plan to help Lincoln escape his death sentence. Later seasons detail their life on the run and their quest for the truth behind Lincoln's imprisonment. As the principal character, Michael has been featured in every episode of the series. Although both Lincoln and Michael are the main protagonists of the series, Michael has been featured more extensively than Lincoln, especially in the first season and the third.

Pilot (<i>Prison Break</i>) 1st episode of the first season of Prison Break

"Pilot" is the pilot episode and series premiere of the American television series Prison Break, which premiered on August 29, 2005 in the United States. That night, it was aired as the first of a two-part pilot special, along with "Allen", which was broadcast straight after this episode. The episode was directed by series producer Brett Ratner, noted director of such works as Rush Hour and Red Dragon, and written by series creator and producer Paul Scheuring. The episode was given numerous positive reviews in not just the US, but from the majority of the rest of world, reaching record ratings in various countries.

Allen (<i>Prison Break</i>) 2nd episode of the first season of Prison Break

"Allen" is the second episode of the first season of the television series Prison Break, which was first broadcast on television on August 29, 2005. The episode is the second to air alongside the Pilot episode as part of the two-part start of the series. "Allen" was written by series creator Paul Scheuring and directed by Michael Watkins. Robert Knepper makes his first appearance as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell, but was not yet billed as a regular character until the following episode, "Cell Test". Also, Marshall Allman, despite credited, does not appear as L. J. Burrows.

Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell Character on American television series Prison Break

Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell is a fictional character from the American television series Prison Break. Played by Robert Knepper, he is part of the main group of characters in the series and is part of the Fox River Eight. After guest-starring in the series' second episode, "Allen", the actor became one of the regular cast members.

Brad Bellick Character on American television series Prison Break

Bradley 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 the first four seasons of the series. The character was introduced in the series' pilot as Captain Brad Bellick, the leader of the correctional officers at Fox River State Penitentiary. Originally, he was the main antagonist of Michael Scofield and the escape team. In the second season, the character's role changes as the main plot moves away from the prison setting, which allows him to remain as one of the main characters in the series. While not possessing the educational rigour as Scofield or Agent Mahone, he has shown himself to be highly cunning and even been able to outsmart Scofield on numerous occasions and he must not be underestimated, and in Season 2 was able to track down several of the Fox River escapees and travel across America on a low budget. In season three, he is a prisoner in the Panamanian prison, Sona. In season four, Bellick became a member of Scofield's team dedicated to locating Scylla, but sacrificed his life to protect their mission.

Paul Kellerman Character on American television series Prison Break

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. The character's role is most prominent in the series' conspiracy plot.

"Manhunt" is the second season premiere episode of the American television series Prison Break and the twenty-third episode overall. The episode was first aired on August 21, 2006 in the United States. It is written by series creator Paul Scheuring and directed by Kevin Hooks, who directed the season finale of season one, "Flight". William Fichtner is introduced as a new regular cast member, whose character is assigned to track down the eight escapees from Fox River State Penitentiary. The role of Terrence Steadman was recast to Jeff Perry, who replaces John Billingsley as the brother of Caroline Reynolds.

Alexander Mahone Character on American television series Prison Break

Alexander "Alex" Mahone is a fictional character portrayed by William Fichtner in the American television series Prison Break. Mahone is introduced in the premiere of the second season as a special agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, specializing in manhunts for escaped prisoners for 14 years.

"Rendezvous" is the thirty-second episode of the American television series Prison Break and is the tenth episode of its second season. It was first aired on November 6, 2006, making it the first episode to be aired during the November sweeps in the United States. The episode is written by Karyn Usher and directed by Dwight H. Little. Regarding the casting of this episode, Rockmond Dunbar, does not appear in this episode. "Rendezvous" features the meeting of the characters, Michael Scofield and Sara Tancredi, for the first time in the second season. The episode takes place on June 3 as revealed in the previous episode.

"Bolshoi Booze" is the thirty-third episode of the American television series Prison Break and is the eleventh episode of its second season. Aired on November 13, 2006, it was the second of the four episodes to be aired during the November sweeps in the United States. The episode was written by Monica Macer and Seth Hoffman, and directed by Greg Yaitanes, who directed "Brother's Keeper".

"Disconnect" is the thirty-fourth episode of the American television series Prison Break and is the twelfth episode of its second season. Aired on November 20, 2006, it was also one of the episodes that were aired during the 2006 sweeps in the United States. The episode is written by Nick Santora & Karyn Usher, and directed by Karen Gaviola.

"The Killing Box" is the thirty-fifth episode of the American television series Prison Break and is the thirteenth episode of its second season. Broadcast on November 27, 2006, it was also the last episode to be aired in 2006 in the United States. The episode is written by Zack Estrin and directed by Bobby Roth. The majority of the events in this episode take place on June 5, a day after Michael's rendezvous with the coyote. The fictional Fox News report in this episode announces that "less than ten days" has passed since the Fox River escape.

"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 and Rockmond Dunbar 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.

"Chicago" is the thirty-eighth episode of the American television series Prison Break and is the sixteenth episode of its second season. It was written by Nick Santora and Matt Olmstead, and directed by Jesse Bochco. The episode first aired on February 5, 2007, making it the first episode to be aired during the February sweeps in the United States. It attained an average of 10.1 million viewers, which is the highest recorded audience for the second season.

"Panama" is the 42nd episode of the American television series Prison Break and is the 20th episode of its second season. The episode aired on March 12, 2007. The plot features the protagonists' escape to Panama while subplots include that of Sara Tancredi, Brad Bellick, Fernando Sucre, Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell, Alexander Mahone and Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin. Regarding the casting of this episode, Paul Adelstein does not appear in this episode. This is Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin's last appearance until Rates of Exchange in season 4.

"Fin Del Camino" is the 43rd episode of the US television series, Prison Break and is the 21st episode of its second season. The English translation of the Spanish phrase, "fin del camino", is end of the road. Written by Matt Olmstead and Seth Hoffman, and directed by Bobby Roth, the episode first aired on March 26, 2007. The premise of the episode directly follows the events of the previous episode and includes two major plots with one taking place in Panama City and the other in Chicago. Regarding the casting of this episode, Rockmond Dunbar, does not appear in this episode.

<i>Prison Break</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of Prison Break, an American serial drama television series, commenced airing in the United States on August 21, 2006, on Mondays at 8:00 pm (EST) on Fox. Prison Break is produced by Adelstein-Parouse Productions, in association with Rat Entertainment, Original Film and 20th Century Fox Television. The season contains 22 episodes, and concluded on April 2, 2007. Series creator Paul Scheuring describes the second season as "The Fugitive times eight," and likens it to the "second half of The Great Escape."

"Greatness Achieved" is the 66th episode of the American television series Prison Break and was broadcast on November 3, 2008 in the United States on the Fox Network. In this episode Michael, Lincoln, Sucre and Bellick tunnel into the Company's headquarters. Gretchen meets with The General. Michael's condition continues to deteriorate. The police question T-Bag regarding Andrew's disappearance. Wyatt propositions Sara while Mahone awaits his shot at his son's killer.

Lincoln Burrows Character on American television series Prison Break

Lincoln Burrows, played by Dominic Purcell, is a fictional character and one of the two protagonists of the American television series Prison Break. The plot of Prison Break revolves around Lincoln being framed for the murder of the vice president's brother and Lincoln's brother, Michael Scofield’s plan to help him escape his death sentence. In flashbacks, teenage Lincoln is played by Max Kirsch, and for one episode, Hunter Jablonski.

References

  1. ↑ NBC , "The Return of 'Heroes' paces NBC's week of Jan. 22-28". The Futon Critic. January 30, 2007. Retrieved on February 15, 2007.
  2. ↑ Berman, M, "The Programming Insider Archived 2007-02-06 at the Wayback Machine ". Mediaweek. January 22, 2007. Retrieved on January 23, 2007.
  3. ↑ Menon, V, "Prison Break at the breaking point". Toronto Star . January 23, 2007. Retrieved on January 23, 2007.
  4. ↑ Keegan, J, "Prison Break 2.14: "John Doe" Archived 2007-02-03 at the Wayback Machine ". MediaBlvd Magazine. Retrieved on January 24, 2007.
  5. ↑ Brown, P, "TV Review: Prison Break - Season Two - "John Doe" Archived 2007-07-09 at the Wayback Machine ". iFMagazine. January 25, 2007. Retrieved on January 28, 2007.
  6. ↑ Harris, B, "OK, He's Caught Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine ". Toronto Sun . January 22, 2007. Retrieved on January 23, 2007.
  7. ↑ Tallerico, B, "Prison Break: Episode 2.14 - "John Doe" Archived 2007-10-16 at the Wayback Machine " ugo.com. January 23, 2007. Retrieved on January 23, 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.