That's a wrap - 4 seasons of Prison Break

It is indeed with a heavy heart that we bid adieu to Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell and the rest of the cast of the highly acclaimed TV series, Prison Break, as they wrap up the show with the end of season 4. The series has provided its fans with a truckload of thrills and entertainment, thanks to some intelligent and innovative screenplay, backed up by brilliant acting by the members of the cast. One used to wait with baited breath every week for the next new episode to air, providing a new twist in the tale, the unpredictability of the storyline captivating its viewers. As the curtains draw to a close on one of the finest TV series, I thought I'd revisit each of the 4 seasons in this post, and reminisce on some of the best moments in the series.

Season 1 begins with a bang as we get an insight into the mind of a sheer genius, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller). To put it straight, Michael Scofield is God! You cannot help but idolize him and bow down to his intellectual superiority. The plot initially hinges around his attempt to break his brother, Lincoln Burrows (a constantly brooding Dominic Purcell), out of Fox River State Penitentiary. Lincoln has been framed and wrongly convicted for the murder of the brother of the US Vice President, and is set to face the electric chair. Michael is hellbent on getting his brother out of prison and clearing his name, and to achieve this, he gets himself into prison. He has expertly tattooed the blueprints of the entire prison building in cryptic figures on his body. From then on, we are treated to a roller-coaster ride as Michael is forced to include several other inmates in his escape plan, while at the same time looking to gain the trust of the prison warden. He also befriends the prison doctor, Sarah Tancredi, whom he later falls in love with. Among the inmates, Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell, played expertly by Robert Knepper, stands out. He is my favourite character in the serial after Michael Scofield. His character is that of a dark, deranged psychopath, who constantly manipulates those around him with his classy English and weird mannerisms. Some of the best dialogues in the series are delivered by him. He, along with Michael and the rest of the gang, escape from Fox River thanks to the clever plan hatched by Scofield. The season ends with the eight escapees running for their lives from the pursuing cops and agents.

Season 2 is all about Michael and Lincoln trying to achieve justice by blackmailing the Vice President, after getting their hands on some controversial and secret evidence pointing to the fact that the Vice President's brother is actually alive. The VP (and later President), Caroline Reynolds, though, outwits Michael and gets away, leaving Michael, Lincoln, Sarah (who aided their escape) and the other surviving escapees (3 of them are gunned down) to flee for their lives. They head to Panama, which was exactly where Michael intended to go as part of his plan. Ultimately, they are forced to confront the local police, and the season ends with Michael being put into "Sona" - a notorious prison in Panama. Lincoln and Sara are meanwhile exonerated, thanks to the testimony of a former Secret Service Agent, Paul Kellerman, who used to work for the Vice President. This season saw the introduction of a worthy competitor to Scofield, to balance the field so to suppose - Alexander Mahone. A brilliant FBI agent, Mahone is at many times a step ahead of Michael, giving him a run for his money. Finally, though, Michael gets one over his arch nemesis, but they both end up in Sona, when Mahone gets arrested for drug possession after being set up by Michael. 

Roles reverse in season 3, as this time its Lincoln trying to get his brother out of prison. The prison is completely run by the inmates, with the guards keeping vigil only on the outside. Michael once again reverts to his gifted brain to find a way past the prison walls. This time, he is also forced to help break out a man named James Whistler. This is where we really begin to get a clearer perspective of the organisation known as "The Company". They want Whistler out of the prison, and blackmail Michael and Lincoln into making that happen, by kidnapping Lincoln's son LJ and Michael's love interest Sara. Sara is shown to be apparently killed by the Company's operative, Gretchen, mid-way through the season. At the end of the season, after he has broken out, Michael goes after Gretchen for revenge. 

The final season of Prison Break begins with Michael finding out that Sara is actually alive. From then on, we are subject to a huge bunch of twists and turns, as the brothers try to take down "The Company". They go after a vital Company device known as Scylla, and the entire season is hinged around this one little device as it goes from one person's hands to the other. It ends up in the hands of Michael's mother, who is revealed to be alive and heading a rival faction. I won't reveal much more than this, as I'm sure not everyone has finished watching the series. The season ends in a predictable manner, with the good guys getting what they want. The last few scenes are touching, as we are taken 4 years forward to see what each of the main characters is upto, with little references to earlier seasons thrown in. 

Prison Break has provided some of the best moments and dialogues among television serials in recent times. Season 2 was undoubtedly the best, closely matched by Season 1. Season 3 was a big disappointment, and season 4 dragged a bit, but it all worked out well enough in the end. Overall, the series was deeply engrossing; in fact, addictive! Whether it be T-Bag's little quirks (Captivity of Negativity!), Michael's uncanny ability to hatch a plan to resolve even the most dire of situations, the ending of episodes on a knife-edge leaving us flustered as we wait for a week for the next episode, etc., it all came together in a delicious cocktail of drama and excitement. We will sorely miss it, and hope Paul Scheuring and Co. come up with an exciting new series to look forward to.

Until the next...

Jai Ho indeed!!

No, this is not about an Oscar-winning movie. Rather this was the song that was played and sung outside 10, Race Course Road, New Delhi, as Congress party members and supporters celebrated yet another glorious victory in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. It was a historic mandate for both the Congress, which emerged as the single largest party, as well as the UPA, which is set to form the next Indian government. It was a victory in the face of adversity on the national stage, as the NDA and the Third Front looked to take advantage of the twin issues of terrorism and the economic crisis to build credible campaigns. Alas, for them, the Indian voter entrusted his/her faith in the leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh and the mother-son Gandhi duo for the next 5 years. 

Firstly, thank God the voting took place on a weekend, as I wouldn't have wanted to miss the drama unfold for anything! At 8 am I was propped up in front of the idiot box, switching between my favourite news channels, as the numbers started to trickle in. Uttar Pradesh set the early trend, with both the UPA and the NDA posting huge gains and presenting quite a few surprises and raised eyebrows. The SP managed to catch up, but it was Mayawati's BSP who ended up as the big losers in the battle. Kerala and West Bengal posted staggering figures, as the Left was completely wiped out in both states. No real surprises in the other states, although the Congress posted some really huge gains from the last election in states like Rajasthan, helping their numbers surge higher. Ultimately, it was the Congress-led UPA that stole the show, proving most of the exit poll projections right (which the news channels proudly stated). The NDA was left with the hopeless task of introspection and the review of a pretty disastrous display at the Lok Sabha polls for a second consecutive time. 

Where did the NDA and the Third Front get it wrong, is the question on everyone's mind. Well, according to the general view of experts on major news channels, both alliances banked heavily on the anti-incumbency vote, which never turned up. Quite a fancy term that, ain't it - "anti-incumbency"? Basically they played to much on the flaws and follies of the existing government, rather than highlight their own achievements and vision with much more vigour. Calling Dr. Manmohan Singh a "weak PM" was never going to work, as the results emphatically show. To an extent, it could be true that the electorate was left with no alternative -- apart from the Congress and the BJP, all other parties concentrated on regional issues rather than pushing forward their national agenda. Regionalism seems to be the core issue that political parties need to address while forming alliances and fighting elections, and a change at the centre can now come about only if either of two scenarios occur - (a) If a third party emerges on the national stage as a strong contender, which is highly unlikely in the current political environment, or (b) If the Congress-led UPA government messes up really badly on key issues, in which case the NDA and the rest of the opposition will be at their throats. Either way, the average voter is left with little choice on the national front, forcing him/her to look at the smaller picture i.e which candidate/party would be beneficial for his/her constituency. 

Anyway, at the moment, it's time for Manmohan, Rahul and Sonia to take centre-stage yet again. Will Rahul Gandhi be offered a post in the cabinet? And more importantly, if he is, would he be willing to accept it? If he does, this would definitely be viewed as his first step in the direction of the arguably the biggest job in India. All the best to him and the UPA, deliver us on our faith in you, and make the nation proud!!

Until the next...

P.S: On a side note, like the NDA, I, as a Liverpool fan, congratulate Manchester United and all their supporters, and humbly accept defeat in the race for the Premier League crown :(

Goa Ahoy!!

GOA BABY!!! That was the mantra for the whole of last week, leading up to the big weekend down in Calangute. Thurday started way too early for me, as I walked into office at 5.45 am, a record which I challenge anyone in Batch 3 to break!! In 3 hours, I was done with work, and picked up my bags to leave just as my manager walked in! Quite a sight that, I must say….anyway, I drove back home, and then went on to exercise my franchise and vote for the first time in a Lok Sabha Election. It really does feel good to know that you have made a contribution to the progress of the nation, however insignificant it may be. I totally second Mr. L.K Advani’s opinion that voting should be made compulsory in the country. Anyway, chuck that, this is about Goa!! So here I was, all packed and ready, waiting at Vashi for our Volvo sleeper with the rest of our gang in it. Bus arrives….Suyash and Manan step out….Suyash straight away says (jokingly), “Dude, tu mara….none of the guys are gonna pay you for the bus ticket!!”. I wondered, whoa, was the bus so bad?? My question was answered as I stepped inside. Each berth had two people lying on them, all cramped up and struggling to even move a muscle! Poor Mark, the 6”2’ tall guy couldn’t even straighten his legs properly. You shouldn’t have drank so much Complan in your childhood, bro! ;)

We somehow survived the 12-hour ordeal in the bus, and reached Mapusa at 10 am Friday morning. After another 20-minute ride, we entered our resort in Calangute. A quick shower and breakfast, and we were all refreshed, ready to hit the magnificent beaches of North Goa. We hired an open-top Gypsy – seemingly the best way to travel around Goa, and first headed to Calangute beach, the nearest to our resort. Karey and I were nominated as drivers for the whole trip…..hard luck Su, but if u drank, u weren’t gonna drive! As we enter Calangute beach, we were suddenly surrounded by a bunch of overly enthusiastic men going, “Sir, watersports..”, “Sir, parasailing..best rate”, “Sir, water-scooter…aapko chalane milega”, etc etc…..they had already begun to get on our nerves, and we ultimately succeeded in evading them. The beach was beautiful, the sand fine and bathed in a silvery tinge. Hordes of families, couples and friends were milling around, sunbathing, enjoying the (not-so-cold actually) water, heading out for watersports. We decided to relax and grab a few drinks at a beachside shack after getting our feet wet. For lunch, we drove to Baga beach and dined at Britto’s, which was heaven for two things in particular – “sightseeing” and cheesecakes!! Also, Furhad began his Prawn-fest here…..man that guy becomes hungry too quickly!! Baga is pretty similar to Calangute, so we decided not to spend too much time there, and returned to our resort to rest for a while. In the evening, we set off to catch the sunset (or as Su puts it, “sun ka go-down”!) at Anjuna beach, but all we found there was a bunch of rocks!! So we went to Vagator instead, where Nipun desperately attempted to record the sounds of the sea waves, warding off our efforts to interrupt the recording time and again. In the end, he succeeded, but only by first running as far away from us as physically possible, and then recording!

We shot some pool for an hour, before having dinner in a food court in central Calangute. Furhad had some more prawns, and vowed never to have them again during the trip!! Yeah right!!!! We spent the rest of the night enjoying a few games of poker and Bluff in our resort room. As the clock went past midnight, none of us were sleepy at all, so we went out on a midnight drive around Calangute, passing through some of the hot and happening areas (read: clubbing zones) in town. Life really begins here only after midnight, as the parties stretch well into the wee hours of the next morning. We actually got stuck in a jam on a narrow road near one of the clubs for 45 minutes!! After that, we decided we’d had enough, and quietly returned to our resort!

It was a “fine” Saturday morning as we set off towards Colva beach in South Goa (WHY??!!). I’ll get to why it was such a “fine” day a little later on, but first, about Colva beach. It took us about an hour and a half to get there, with a few stoppages in between. The beach, known for its white sands, was surprisingly less crowded, considering it is one of the more well-known beaches in Goa and probably the only place worth visiting in South Goa. Watersports were shockingly expensive, with a difference of almost Rs. 1000 between Calangute and here. No wonder there were hardly any people around! Anyway, we once again trudged along to a shack for lunch and drinks. Furhad, needless to say, had some kind of Prawns. As he had requested us to do the previous day if he ate prawns again, we each gave him a whack on the head everytime he had a piece of prawn!! Another memorable aspect of that afternoon was a little black puppy nestling under our table, and Nipun playing around with it. The mutt ultimately got so annoyed, it snatched Suyash’s slipper and ran away! Hilarious stuff!! Su managed to recover his slipper eventually, but the entire episode had us in splits..!!

We returned back to our resort after a round of shopping, getting ready for what we thought would be quite an enjoyable 1-hour sundown cruise from Panaji. Very high expectations, as it turned out. Boy, that was one lame cruise and a sheer waste of 150 bucks!!! Make that 200; 50 extra for entering the disco, which, to our dismay, turned out to be completely empty!! Apart from a DJ having ambitious hopes of proving himself in front of a considerable crowd, I guess!!! And to add insult to injury, we passed by the Casino Royale and the Caravela in all their glory, two awesome cruises that were a tad out of our budget, but we desperately wanted to get onto earlier. Anyway, I’d like to consider that a forgotten chapter in this trip. Never will mention it again.

We returned in a dazed state to our resort, and sought to bury our woes by catching a bit of IPL action before dinner. We revisited Britto’s for a late dinner at almost midnight (ours was the last order they took). We played some more cards later that night, this time a game of DONKEY. This was the game where a little quirk by Manan had us roaring with laughter for almost 15 minutes continuously!! In a nutshell, the objective of this game is to make one complete set of 3 cards (all hearts, or all spades etc.), and then secretively put down your cards. When one person puts down his cards, others immediately need to follow suit, and the last person to do so loses and is labelled ‘D’. After D comes O, and so on, until someone reaches ‘D-O-N-K-E-Y’. Anyway, MS was continuously holding his cards low in an attempt to sell a dummy and get someone to put down their cards, for which we were constantly berating him. Finally, at one point, he held his cards so low, he dropped one of them, which he immediately picked up. Meanwhile, Mark had actually completed a set and put down his cards, and everyone followed suit. Manan, thinking he had sold a dummy, kept the cards in his hands and shouted “Maine nahi rakha! Maine nahi rakha!!”…..Loolllllzzzzzz…..ROTFLMAO!!!!

About the “fine” day bit, well, we were stopped by the cops 4 times that day!!! Once ‘cos Karey wasn’t wearing his seatbelt (it was impossible to wear it actually ‘cos it was stuck like glue to the side of the car!), and three other times ‘cos we had hired a private vehicle, which, though unofficially permitted in Goa, isn’t exactly legal. We had to talk our way out of trouble on all 4 occasions! Anyway, chuck that….not something I wanna comment on or something I’m particularly proud of. Sunday was watersports day. We went to Calangute for some parasailing and a ride on a water-scooter (I decided only to go parasailing….Nips, Furhad, Karey n Manan rode the scooter as well). Parasailing was an awesome experience, though kind of short. It really was like a joyride – completely relaxing and at peace high in the air! Lunch at another restaurant by the beach (Furhad’s last prawns meal for the trip!), and we returned to pack up and check out of our resort. We had a quick photo session, and set off for Mapusa to begin our bus journey back to Mumbai. The bus for the return leg was fabulous, a multi-axle Volvo B9R – the lap of luxury! It was sooooo comfortable, in stark contrast to the bus we came to Goa in! We reached Mumbai, early the next morning, thus concluding a really memorable and cherished trip!