Weekly records themed Prison Break

Hey everyone! This week I’m going to continue my discussion on the theme of Prison Break, focusing more on the main character Michael Scofield (played by Wentworth Miller) and the actor’s life behind the camera, rather than the general talk two weeks ago. At the same time, I also want to integrate my thoughts about the real life into this comment, which helps me to express my feelings not that colloquially.

The first topic is about the life when Michael first gets himself into the prison. According to the backstory, he is an architect in the elite level of modern society, but his brother doesn’t have a reputable degree, which leads him to a life of poverty, having to make his life on violence. Miserably it’s his brother’s lifestyle which Michael looks down on that support his college tuition fee, which overwhelms him when he finally finds the truth. He believes in his brother’s integrity, which inspires him to deliberately commits a crime and gets his brother out of prison. I reckon this is the very first reason this series lastss for four or five seasons: As a decent gentleman, Michael is brave enough to jump out of his comfort zone to finish a salvation to both his brother’s life and his own spirit. Transferring from “Heaven” to “Hell” takes pains, and whoever made it is worth to commerate.

Another topic I am interested in is the transformation of Michael during his life in prison. I have to say at the first time when he takes off his shirt, the mysterious tattoo draws all my attention. “All we need is here”, these words truly touches me as I get to know the elaborate plan of the “prison break”. However when I reconsider this scene, Michael was actually a complacent man at the first day of his prison life, and he learned a lesson at the cost of his little toe. Maybe this plot was not designed all for the thrilling part, it attracts viewers, for it’s like a intensive reflection of the real life: A clever brain doesn’t guarantee a perpetual victory. Someone can be smart enough to figure everything out, but he can’t control how the nature operates. That’s the tragic part of the story, but thankfully a smart man never falls at a pit twice.

Due to the complexity and cruelty of prison life, Michael’s plan was repeatedly scrapped and rebuilt. At the climax of the first season, his brother Lincoln already went onto the electric chair (thanks to the director …). This sounded puzzling to me when I first viewed it: As precocious as Michael, how can others hinder him from his sacred mission perfectly almost every time? In the series, there are politicians and cops working for the authority, and Michael himself is fragile and alone faced with the “Company”, but I believe something familiar happened in the real world before. Last year, “the father of Artifical Intelligence” won the Nobel prize of Physics for his work about neural network, but decades before who can believe this crazy job can make such a big difference? It’s Hinton who persist to develop this method even when he had to finish his research in the basement. We can make a plan for everything, we can use our intelligence to foresee as further as we can, but we are living in our era, we can never fast forward it. Sometimes the era can’t catch up with our step, we suffered inevitably, and that’s the truth.

The most provoking part of the series is how Michael think about what he has done. Finally he saved his brother, and they run everywhere they go, and many people died accidentally because of his blueprint. In the fifth season of the series, he even has to murder someone and do the chief’s job for the evil force, only to protect his family. When the evil boss Jacob ask him why he always goes to the zoo, Michael’s answer is concise: “I go there to think.” The question Michael thinking also goes into viewer’s mind: Is it worth to save his brother (or his family) at this unpredictable cost? I’m pretty sure this one would never have an answer. Let’s stop here and look at another story: Oppenhiemer managed to create the atomic bomb, but he can never decide whether to explode them in Japan. As we all know two bombs exploded in the end, which ended the World War II at the cost of thousands of millions of people killed. We never know what would happen without atomic bombs, but that’s history. We can never decide everything (maybe God cannot finish this job either), but we have to give it a shot whatever. At some sense, this is a retort to the Michael’s question. More people will die from the Company’s cruel operations once it subjugates the government, and Michael has to forge ahead to finish his mission, even being hated by the very people he wants to protect.

In the end I want to talk about the story of the actor who plays this role. As a talented boy, his grew up sorrounded by the depression, and he fights against it all his life. He loves acting, but he finished college under his family’s idea. He has the homosexual orientation and he makes it public at the acme of his acting career. He was born with all the secret illness, but just like who he played in the Prison Break, he made it. I want to quote some of his words here:

Now, when I see that image of me in my red t-shirt, a rare smile on my face, I am reminded of my struggle. My endurance and my perseverance in the face of all kinds of demons. Some within. Some without.

Like a dandelion up through the pavement, I persist.

Anyway. Still. Despite.

The first time I saw this meme pop up in my social media feed, I have to admit, it hurt to breathe. But as with everything in life, I get to assign meaning. And the meaning I assign to this/my image is Strength. Healing. Forgiveness.

Of myself and others.

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Reach out. Text. Send an email. Pick up the phone. Someone cares. They’re waiting to hear from you. Much love.

I wouldn’t say more for suspision of individualism, but let’s end this blog with this encouraging words.