R.I.P. Michael Scofield

After they broke out of Fox River I turned to a friend and said with my mouth full of popcorn, "What a shame, that's the end of that show."

She replied through her mouthful of popcorn, "Oh no, this is just the start!"

When I asked how she figured they could keep the show going after that she replied, "Next season they have to avoid recapture."

And so it came to pass. And if the serialized plot got increasingly silly as the TV seasons rolled on, who cared? Buttressed by a troupe of the biggest ham actors outside the Old Vic and a cliffhanger twist every 4-1/2 minutes, a story line stuffed with gratuitous violence and lacking even a molecule of redeeming social value added up to edge-of-the seat entertainment.

Yet all things must come to an end -- particularly when ratings plummet by half -- and the writers gave the show a wrap-up tonight that I think would satisfy the pickiest fan.

I raise my popcorn bowl in toast to all who worked on Prison Break. And in honor of Michael Scofield, surely the best brother who ever lived in a scriptwriter's imagination, I mentally fashion an origami swan.

Rest in peace, Michael.