S02E20: 'Panama'

Despite the fact that he and Lincoln are standing on the freighter that is about to take them to safety in Panama, Michael is not as happy as he should be. His plan to get presidential pardons for himself and his brother has fallen through after the Commander in Chief’s shock decision to step down. He calls Sara to tell her that the pardons are non-existent and they are going to flee to Panama – and that there is room for one more in the cabin. Without hesitation, Sara tells him she will be there – but then realises that she is being followed by the FBI. Aware that if she continues to her destination she will lead the agents straight to Michael and Lincoln, Sara stops her car and surrenders. By the time Michael realises what has happened, it is too late – the ship is leaving... and the next stop is Panama.

Michael is devastated that Sara has been left behind, and remains impervious to Lincoln’s attempts to cheer him up. He is also plagued with guilt about the fact that so many people have been hurt or killed during this whole affair – many of them thanks to T-Bag’s liberation from Fox River. “Every life he takes – that’s blood on our hands,” he reminds Lincoln. “And for what?” Lincoln is frustrated at his brother’s attack of conscience, and the two brothers get into a rare fight. “We’ve lost so much, man,” sighs Lincoln as he finally puts an end to the scuffle. “We can’t afford to lose each other."

Back in Chicago, Mahone’s already-fragile mental state is deteriorating further as he obsessively tries to work out Michael’s next move. He finally hits on something when he realises that Michael’s tattoos were labelled in order of execution, and that one stage of his plan remains – symbolised by a picture of Christ inside a rose above the number 617. Can Mahone work out what this cryptic message means before the brothers disappear forever?

Meanwhile, Bellick and Sucre are trying to get their hands on Westmoreland’s $5 million by tracking T-Bag down in Mexico. Unfortunately, he spots them approaching and gets away in a cab with the money. He arrives at a hotel, where he spends some of the cash on the services of a prostitute – but things soon turn nasty and T-Bag ends up adding one more victim to his not inconsiderable bodycount.

Elsewhere, C-Note discovers that his troubles may be over. It seems that word of Mahone’s deal with him – commit suicide or risk your family getting hurt – has reached the higher levels of the FBI. Internal affairs agent Sullens pays C-Note a visit and offers him a better deal: testify against Mahone and get a reduced sentence. Still wary that Mahone might find a way to harm Kacie and Dede, C-Note successfully holds out for witness protection and a clean slate – but can this deal really be as good as it sounds?

Mahone is unimpressed when Agent Kim sends him to Panama on the trail of Michael and Lincoln. But when he finds out that T-Bag is also on his way there, Mahone comes up with an idea that could fatally derail the brothers’ escape strategy...