Prison Break Had One Of The Best Death Scenes In Television And It Still Gives Me Goosebumps 19 Years Later

This article contains major spoilers for Prison Break season 2.

The crime action drama Prison Break has an extremely high kill count, but one main character's death scene is one of the best shown on TV. Prison Break is about an ambitious escape from Fox River Penitentiary, led by Michael Scofield, who helped to build the prison. Though his main goal was to break his falsely accused brother, Lincoln, out, six more people escaped with Michael and Lincoln, collectively known as The Fox River Eight. Season 2 follows these men as they try to rejoin the world while evading the FBI and Agent Mahone, who are chasing them.

Prison Break's Fox River Eight committed different crimes that got them sent to prison in the first place, which meant that some members were much more dangerous than others. This led to some of my favorite scenes in a show that was already full of suspense. Each episode ended on a major cliffhanger, which had me binging the show until the early hours of the morning. While the later seasons of Prison Break grew more predictable, season 2 had some shocking moments, including a main character's death, which is still one of the best on television.

Abruzzi's Death In Prison Break Season 2 Is One Of TV's Best

Abruzzi Was One Of The Most Interesting Characters In The Show

Mafia boss John Abruzzi is one of my favorite characters in Prison Break, with a world of connections outside prison due to his background. Of all the Fox River Eight, I had expected Abruzzi to thrive after the escape, but he was gunned down shortly into season 2. Abruzzi is lured to a motel and cornered by the FBI, who commands him to kneel. Abruzzi, holding a crucifix, tells them "I kneel only to God. I don't see him here." Abruzzi's final iconic line and choice to die on his own terms make the scene unforgettable and difficult to forget.

In Prison Break, John Abruzzi was serving a 120-year sentence without parole for two counts of conspiracy to commit murder.

Abruzzi's private plane was essential to Michael's escape plan, which meant that Michael had to put up with both threats and torture to keep him on his side. That said, Abruzzi was a father who was torn between loyalty to his family and his desire for revenge on Fibonacci, who he tried to murder. We see many versions of Abruzzi, including the family man, the born-again Christian, and the torturer. His background and complicated relationships with the other mafia members made him one of the show's most interesting characters, and I believe his death was just as good.

Prison Break Killing Off Abruzzi Set The Tone For Season 2

All Of The Fox River Eight Deaths Happen In Season 2

Lincoln and Michael in Prison Break season 2

Abruzzi was the first of the Fox River Eight to die, and the episode title "First Down" refers to him as Lincoln comments, "I didn't think Abruzzi would be the first to go down." Prison Break season 2 is full of shocking deaths and twists, and Abruzzi's death sets the tone for the season, showing that even the best-connected characters could die at any moment. Abruzzi's stunning death in the TV show had another purpose, as it showed the deadly potential of Alex Mahone, who was Michael's intellectual equal, but with the force of the FBI behind him.

By the end of Prison Break, four of the Fox River Eight are exonerated, one returns to prison, and three die in season 2. All of these three Prison Break characters deserved better, with John Abruzzi being just the beginning. After Abruzzi's death, the manhunt continued, with the FBI trailing Michael's team. Tweener is next to die, being shot by Mahone, but staged to look like Mahone shot in self-defense. Finally, though Haywire seemed like the least likely character to escape unnoticed, he survived for an impressively long time before Mahone reached him.

Prison Break Season 2 Is Easily The Best One After Season 1

Prison Break Changed A Lot After Season 1

I can't ignore how Prison Break became a dramatically different show after season 1, with season 2 resembling an action-adventure at times before the brutal and gritty season 3. Season 4 almost entered the sci-fi genre, and the original series ended as the quality was dropping. Though season 1 was undoubtedly the best, telling a relatively simple premise in a complex way, season 2 was still fantastic. Prison Break season 2 split the Fox River Eight up, giving viewers several plotlines to follow, which kept the show compelling and gave overlooked characters like C-Note a chance to shine.

Prison Break seasons and popularity
Season	Year	Rotten Tomatoes critic score	Rotten Tomatoes audience score
1	2005	78%	94%
2	2006	71%	89%
3	2007	50%	66%
4	2008	50%	62%
The Final Break	2009	-	82%
5	2017	56%	71%

Prison Break's early seasons gave us some intense moments, like Abruzzi's death. The later series and reboot stretched the plot too far, focusing more on the government conspiracy rather than the characters at the heart of the show. The next Prison Break reboot should learn from this, prioritizing interesting characters over far-fetched storylines. Regardless of the show's mistakes after season 1, Prison Break gave us one of the best TV deaths of all time, which is a great legacy.