Brother's Keeper (Prison Break episode)

Infobox Television episode
Title = Brother's Keeper
Series = Prison Break


Caption =
Season = 1
Episode = 16
Airdate = April 3, 2006
Production = 1AKJ15
Guests =
Writer = Zack Estrin
Director = Greg Yaitanes
Season list = Infobox Prison Break season 1 episode list
Episode list = List of "Prison Break" episodes
Prev = By the Skin and the Teeth
Next = J-Cat"Brother's Keeper" is the sixteenth episode of television series "Prison Break", written by Zack Estrin and directed by Greg Yaitanes. The title refers to the biblical reference "Brother's Keeper". This episode is a flashback episode featuring the events which happened three years prior to the incarceration of the protagonist, Michael Scofield. It covers the actions of the characters Lincoln, Sucre, T-Bag and C-Note, which ultimately led to their incarceration at Fox River State Penitentiary. The reason behind Dr. Sara Tancredi's choice in accepting a job at Fox River and the basis of Michael's ingenious break-out plan are also revealed.

ummary

;Lincoln, Michael and Veronica:The opening scene shows Lincoln and Michael's strained relationship. Michael's bitterness towards his older brother is obvious. Lincoln has apparently spent a significant amount of time in the Chicago cold, seemingly locked out of his apartment and half asleep by the door. Michael arrives and tosses Lincoln his keys, which were only steps away on the ground. Lincoln attempts small talk and tries to get Michael to have coffee/breakfast with him. Michael replies that he has to get back to work. Lincoln asks Michael how the view is from up there on his "high horse", to which Michael coldly replies that he'd like to "stop being an older brother to my older brother".

After Michael leaves, Lincoln enters his apartment and discovers that he has guests waiting for him in the form of Crab Simmons and a mysterious man in a white painters hat who is apparently a company agent. Lincoln states to Crab that he needs more time to get the $90,000 he owes, to which Crab replies "relax man, that debt already been paid". Lincoln doesn't understand initially, but is quickly brought up to speed as the white-hat man instructs Lincoln that he must kill someone for him. Lincoln is shown a name on a piece of paper, and the white-hat man describes the target as someone who has "done a lot of bad things to a lot of good people", and that Lincoln should think of it as "a $90,000 bullet". Lincoln is reluctant to commit murder, but is threatened by the white-hat man who tells him that he must carry out this murder to "start fresh", and in order to "keep me from finding out if there is anyone in your life that you will do something for".

During this entire conversation between Lincoln, Crab, and white-hat, a surveillance team is carefully noting an ultra-accurate description of what Lincoln is current wearing using high-tech equipment from an off-site location that has a direct visual viewpoint into Lincoln's apartment. The surveillant indivuduals are revealed to be Agents Kellerman and Hale.

Michael is drinking at an upscale pub somewhere in Chicago when he is approached by Veronica Donovan, Lincolns ex-girlfriend from years ago. Veronica has apparently lost touch with both brothers, as their encounter shows that she has not seen Michael for quite some time. Veronica asks how Lincoln is doing, to which Michael replies simply "He's... He's Linc". Hours later, Michael and Veronica stumble into Michael's apartment. Both are clearly tipsy from drinking at the bar they met up in and start to embrace. Their kiss is immediately interrupted by Michael's cell phone ringing with an incoming call from Lincoln. Michael chooses not to answer and says to Veronica that Lincoln will "leave a message". Little did either of them know that Lincoln was calling for some last-minute advice from outside the parking garage where he is to commit murder. This call from Lincoln stops the romantic encounter between Michael and Veronica. Michael says that "we can't do this". Veronica replies "I know", and Michael offers to call her a taxicab.

Lincoln leaves a message for Michael that he's in "deep" and begs Michael to call him back. Getting no reply and seemingly desperate and out of options, Lincoln enters the parking garage, smokes part of a marijuana spliff, and then approaches the vehicle where his victim was supposed to be. Lincoln attempts to pull the trigger, but he realizes the body in the luxury BMW 760Li Sedan was already shot in the head before he arrived and flees the scene. Lincoln is quickly framed and arrested for the murder. After Lincoln's arrest, Michael conveys his disappointment about his brother's behavior. However, Lincoln insists that he never killed Steadman. Michael informs him that everyone thinks that Lincoln has motive to kill him because he was fired from a warehouse owned by Ecofield, the company owned by Steadman.

Veronica reproaches Michael for misunderstanding his brother and that Lincoln may not be the man Michael thinks he is. She reveals that the $90,000 debt that Lincoln owed was given to Michael, because he thought Michael deserved it. Lincoln had lied to Michael about the money when he gave it to him, saying it was their mother's life insurance. After being found guilty and sentenced to death, Lincoln is scheduled to be transferred permanently to Fox River where he will be incarcerated until his death. While Lincoln encourages Michael to move on, the story behind the origami crane is explained through Michael as a symbol of familial obligation. Partly filled with guilt and familial obligation, Michael begins to formulate his intricate plan to break his brother out of Fox River such as remembering the blueprints and getting a tattoo which has hidden symbols of the blueprints and other significant details.

;Sucre:On the same night as Terrence Steadman's "murder", Sucre meets Maricruz Delgado and falls in love with her. Deciding that he was going to propose to her, he wants to find a way to get an engagement ring. He was arrested when he was caught committing his second robbery at a liquor store. For this reason, Sucre was sent to Fox River. The camera pans out to show that his cousin, Hector Avila, had phoned the police.

;T-Bag:T-Bag arrives for dinner at his girlfriend Susan Hollander's (K. K. Dodds) home with two children. As he teaches the little girl her times tables, his girlfriend sees on America's Most Wanted that T-Bag is wanted for 6 counts of kidnapping, rape, and first degree murder. He is sent to Fox River after his girlfriend turned him in. During a later visit with Susan in prison, T-Bag reveals to her that he felt 'real love' for her in prison and that he had tried to change and repent for his actions; however, his turn to prison had caused "that old dirty bastard [to come] right back home."

;C-Note:C-Note was dishonorably discharged from the army by his commander after he filed a report of injustice against another soldier who was torturing a prisoner. The commander had him discharged for black market dealings. After coming home, C-Note could not find employment. He reluctantly accepts a job suggested to him by his brother-in-law, that involved illegal activities. He was arrested after driving a truck loaded with illegal goods. With his impending imprisonment, C-Note lies to his wife about serving overseas again. C-Note tells his brother-in-law that he should take good care of his wife and daughter. He emphasises that he does not want them to know that he is going to be incarcerated in prison.

;Sara:Dr. Sara Tancredi is first shown injecting herself with morphine from the hospital. After work, she walks on the street in a residential neighborhood with her boyfriend. Suddenly, a boy is hit by a car. When Sara approaches the boy, another witness asks for her help after noticing her hospital staff ID but Sara was unable to help him because she was impaired by the drugs. This incident haunted her. 18 months later, at a meeting for former drug users, Dr. Tancredi reveals to the other ex-addicts that the best thing for her rehabilitation is to go back to work, and that she had never been happier; she felt joy. After the meeting, Bellick, who was also attending, goes up to Dr. Tancredi and awkwardly asks her out by saying that there was a job opening at Fox River State Penitentiary, where he works, and that they can talk about it over dinner. Sara politely declines his offer and thanks him for letting her know about the job, subtly conveying her interest.

;Reynolds and Kellerman:As Lincoln runs from the parking garage, Kellerman and Hale are filming the whole thing. Later, Kellerman supervises a tech who doctors the tape to make it look like Lincoln is the shooter.Kellerman and the Vice President then discuss the purchase of a secluded mansion in Blackfoot, Montana for 2 million dollars. We learn that Kellerman is very affectionate towards Reynolds. She tells Kellerman to use the money left for her in her brother's will because she is cleaning up his mess. Vice President Reynolds then relays the fact this secluded mansion is bought for herself and "someone else". At the newly purchased mansion, she tells this "person" that Lincoln will be finished. This "person" puts on his false teeth, turns around and says, "My dear sister, you have no idea what I've been through". The person turns out to be Terrance Steadman, living alone.

The episode finishes off with a final shot of Michael getting ready and hesitantly reaching for the two guns that he will use to rob the bank.

Trivia

When Michael plans the drawings for his clues for his tattoos you can see the Bolshoi Booze and Ripe Chance Woods clues, which were later used in season 2

Brother's Keeper is also the name of the episode of TV Series The Invisible Man 2000 (Season 1, Episode 6), and the pilot episode of Miami Vice.

Music

The melody heard in the liquor store Sucre robbed is Francis Lai's theme melody for the film "A Man and a Woman" (1966).

External links

* [http://www.fox.com/prisonbreak/recaps/recap_116_1.htm Official summary for Season 1 Episode 16 from Fox]