"Tonight" is the twentieth episode of the first season of Prison Break and the twentieth episode overall. It features the escape team's final preparation for their escape.
Storyline[]
In Fox River[]
The episode opens where The Key had finished, with Bellick gaping down the hole. As Bellick realises the significance of what he has just discovered and stands to alert others, a shovel comes into frame and hits Bellick in the head. Westmoreland is shown to be the attacker. This initial attack fails to knock Bellick out and so they tussle. Westmoreland manages to eventually render Bellick unconscious with a metal thermos, but not before he falls on a shard of glass - part of a smashed coffee pot. Westmoreland pulls it out in obvious pain while gazing upon Bellick's still form.
Out in the yard the rest of the escapees are plotting the breakout for a few days time. T-Bag notices scent dogs, which happen to be walking by. He advices that the convicts should get rid of their scents, in an effort to lose the dogs if they're going to stand a chance in escaping. Michael agrees and advises scrubbing down their cells. T-Bag chimes in with, "Either get rid of your smell, or change it". As they conspire, the bleeding Westmoreland, hauling a trash bin emerges from the officer break room. As Westmoreland approaches, it becomes evident that a spanner is to be thrown in the works. He exclaims urgently "We gotta get outta here, now!". The series' introduction starts.
Back in the yard, the escapees are questioning Westmoreland. He explains what just happened in the officers mess hall, and that he covered the hole as best he could after binding and gagging an unconscious Bellick and placing him down the hole. C-Note points out that sooner or later (and most likely, sooner) other guards will notice that Bellick is missing. Abruzzi stipulates that once that happens, the prison will be shut down until he's found and no one will be going anywhere. So Michael announces that the escape must be moved forward to tonight. Abruzzi is ordered to get the plane ready, and C-Note to steal as much peroxide as possible from the kitchen. The time of the breakout is set at 7 o'clock, but now that the entry point in the officers mess is compromised, the escape will take place from Michael's cell.
Down in the hole bound-and-gagged Bellick awakens and displays confusion and understandable frustration at his new found predicament. Meanwhile in the prisoner mess-hall, Michael overhears two guards commenting quizzically on Bellick's absence, while T-Bag goes from con to con, collecting unwanted Brussels sprouts.
Sara meets Michael in the infirmary for their daily checkup and, after last episode's cat and mouse game is stone cold when he tries talking to her. She brings up the keys and instructs him to be a man and admit it. When he does admit to stealing the keys she asks what it was that he was after. Assuming a much lesser reason than an elaborate escape plan, she quizzes whether he was after drugs or needles. Scofield finally admits to his plan to break his brother out of Fox River. In shock, she warns him not to say anything else. She reminds him she's required to report this information. Michael replies that he knows, but brings up Lincoln's innocence. He doesn't want her to break the law, but rather make a mistake and "forget" to lock up when she leaves that evening. Sara doesn't answer, but asks if his feelings towards her was all a charade. Michael admits to that being the case initially, but that his feelings changed and that it is killing him to know that she will never believe that. She doesn't know what to say, and so leaves angry and confused.
Abruzzi calls one of his thugs and informs him that tonight is the night of the escape. They discuss specifics and the henchman brings up the size of the plane, as it seats only three. Abruzzi replies that that is all they need - that the seats will be for "the three who're still breathing".
In the locker room after PI, Michael tells the Escapees to put their prison blues on over their PI jumpsuits. C-Note urgently tells Michael to shutup, pointing out Tweener who is on PI with the escapees. Michael drops the bomb that Tweener is coming with them. Everyone protests, but Michael claims that he owes Tweener. As they head back to General Population a guard stops them, asking about the blood he saw on the floor. Although it is actually due to Westmoreland's gaping wound, which he has not informed anyone about yet, Michael slices his thumb on a shank in his pocket and claims that the blood was his. After they're dismissed, Michael asks Westmoreland if he's all right and Westmoreland insists that he'll make it out tonight.
Michael helping Pope with his model - for the last time
In Pope's office, the warden is excited about his anniversary tonight. As Michael puts the finishing touches on the model Taj Mahal, Pope once again thanks Scofield for everything and offers that if there's anything he can do for him.
Cut to Michael in Lincoln's solitary cell, with Lincoln informing his younger brother about their new-found family history, as Michael checks out the structural highlights of the cell. He tells Linc that they need to go tonight, then mumbles to himself about the chains and pressure points within the cell. Lincoln snaps Michael out of his engineering trance and orders Michael to leave without him, resigned to his fate on the electric chair.
T-Bag mashes brussel sprouts all over his bunk. Abruzzi does the same with his fertilizer, which upsets his cell mate, to which Abruzzi exclaims that he is only "following the wishes of God". Westmoreland is shown scrubbing his wall and Tweener is pictured staring into nothing. His cell opens and a guard enters, informing Tweener that his cellmate has been discharged from the infirmary, and will be re-joining general population tonight. He then asks Tweener if he had seen Bellick that morning. Tweener spies Michael pacing in his cell and denies having seen Bellick, stating that he must have seen Bellick the day before and was just confused due to prison being one big blur.
Michael's cell. Sucre dumps the peroxide from C-Note in the toilet and starts bleaching their PI jumpsuits so that they'll match the white psychiatric ward jumpsuits. The other escapees are doing the same in their respective cells.
Two guards are helping Pope carry out the model Taj Majal. The top topples off and breaks in half. Pope panics and instructs a guard to get Michael back immediately.
The jumpsuits are done bleaching. Michael tells Sucre to dry them out when a guard comes to retrieve Michael. The Escapees see Michael on his way to the Pope and wonder what the hell's going on.
Bellick's still struggling in the Hole but manages to catch the rope tying his hands behind his back on a jagged piece of metal. Meanwhile the on-duty guards decide that Bellick's disappearance is serious enough to tell the warden about.
Lincoln thinks about his time in prison
Pope has been informed of Bellick's disappearance, and is chatting with his mother on the phone. After learning that she spoke with Bellick this morning as he pulled into Fox River, Pope orders the parking lot to be searched for Bellick's truck. He then admits Michael into his office, who was waiting outside.
A musically backed montage starts, panning through all of the prisoners. Sucre reminisces about Maricruz and thinks about becoming a dad, Abruzzi remembers his short-lived reformation, T-Bag recalls Susan and his threat against her, C-Note thinks about his family, Tweener thinks about his rapist cellmate and bleaches a jumpsuit, Westmoreland thinks about his daughter, checks the bloody hole in his side and re-dresses the wound, while Lincoln relives his failed execution. The final character in the montage is Sara, walking alone in Chicago, mulling over the moral dilemma presented to her while back at Fox River her nurse, Katie locks up the doctor's examination room.
Michael threatens Pope
The final scene shows a clearly distressed Pope explaining what just happened to the model Taj Mahal. Michael slaps a small support beam onto the table, to the warden's confusion. Michael explains that he's sorry, but he needed to get back in the office. He then pulls a shank from his pocket, exclaiming, "I'm breaking out. And you're going to make sure my brother comes with me."
Sara Tancredi[]
In a bar in Chicago, Sara is staring at her drink when, courtesy of the TV news in the bar she hears that her father is on the short list for the Vice Presidency. Realising that there may be some truth to the existence of a conspiracy, Dr. Tancredi leaves the bar and her drink untouched.
Sara finds her father at a restaurant, and asks him if he even looked at the information she gave him concerning Lincoln's innocence. He refuses to answer so she continues to press him and he finally admits that he didn't see a need to look at it. She is clearly hurt and out of spite asks if he was promised the vice-presidency before or after he signed Burrows' death warrant. The governor becomes defensive and states that he will not discuss morality with an "addict and a thief." He says she had no trouble with him bending the law to get her and her junkie boyfriends out of trouble on various occasions. He tells her to "grow up" before storming off.
Veronica Donovan[]
On the outside, Veronica is on the phone, trying to acquire information on the Montana Mansion. She learns that it was purchased by a trust set up by Steadman's estate. Veronica tells Nick to pack for Montana, so that they can check it out in person.
Veronica's getting ready to go to the airport so as to fly to Montana, when Nick pulls a gun on her. She is shocked at the betrayal of her supposed friend and colleague, and asks him who's holding his leash. She tells him to look her in the eyes, and when he cannot she calls him a coward.
Trivia[]
- Tonight refers to Michael's escape plan, as they 'are breaking out, tonight.'
- The music during the final montage sequence is "Teardrop" from the album "Mezzanine" by Massive Attack. Coincidentally, this music is also used as the theme music for House, another series broadcast by Fox. However, Prison Break's music supervisor was unaware of this at the time he picked the track.