MovieChat Forums > Prison Break: The Final Break (2009) Discussion > michael's message

michael's message

posted 15 years ago by vicky_moviefan
10 replies | jump to latest

hi!

Just saw the ending of prison break and there are 2 things that I found strange.
First of all: his stressing the "we are free" part was kind of weird, because clearly Sara is not free - she just escaped from prison!

Second thing is Michael using the plural when talking about his child. ("their uncle is never far, they are loved" or something like that). As English is not my mother tongue I was wondering if he uses the plural to avoid saying "it" to his child or is there another reason I don't see?

What are your thoughts on the "final message"?

[–] joeltrunks 15 years ago

I just watched it.

I think stressing the 'we're free' statement is to finally forge the ending in place, considering they spent the series either in prison or on the run from the law.

[–] Two_Bears 15 years ago

The "their" is because if he calls the baby an "it", that sounds cold and uncaring. And he doesn't know yet if its a girl or boy, I'm assuming.

[–] TheBearisHERE 15 years ago

his stressing the "we are free" part was kind of weird, because clearly Sara is not free - she just escaped from prison!

You're right. That's a sign of sloppy writing.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MinaBabaei 14 years ago

uhm.. they show him recording it? duh.

[–] Lunchbox-3 12 years ago

Yes, if you don't know a person's sex you should refer to that person as "he or she" or just pick one or the other for the sake of brevity. Substituting the plural "they" for a single person is an error, but it's one that many Americans make. Calling a person of unknown gender "it" would be technically correct, I think, but people don't seem to like it. Personally I would try to find another way to say whatever I'm trying to say. Instead of "our baby will never know their father" (incorrect) or "our baby will never know its father" (correct) I'd probably say "our baby will never know me."

[–] jbtechguy 12 years ago

Not to turn this into an English lesson, but proper usage of the possessive case "their" includes use as an indefinite singular antecedent, replacing either the definite masculine ("his") or the definite feminine ("her"). ie. "Someone left their book on the table."

The usage of the term "their" in this case is, in fact, correct.

[–] Lunchbox-3 12 years ago

If that's true then it seems all my high school and college English teachers were wrong. That does speak to another point I frequently make; there aren't really any rules to language. Textbooks are informed by dictionaries which are simply an observation of common usage. Yesterday's error becomes today's exception which becomes tomorrow's rule.

[–] violatorr7 8 years ago

"Someone left their book on the table."

Not "Someone left it's book on the table."?

"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"

[–] rpgdancer 11 years ago

technically, he said "their uncle"... I am assuming that he wants Lincoln to help Sarah raise the new baby and that LJ and the new baby are the "they" in question.