Episode 48 of "Oz"
s05e08 Impotence
Title: Impotence
Original Air Date: 02/24/2002 on HBO
Director: Alex Zakrzewski
Writer: Tom Fontana
Guest Stars: Kathleen Widdoes (Mrs. Beecher), Malachy McCourt (Father Meehan), Kevin Conway (Seamus O'Reily), Antoni Cornacchione (Frank Urbano), Andy Powers (#02W562 Franklin Winthrop), Brendan Kelly (Prisoner #02C773 Wolfgang Cutler)
Plot Outline:
All roads lead to solitary, and a season finale of cliffhangers commences as: Robson deals with his rejection by the Brotherhood by slicing his gums away with a razor blade. McManus arranges a parole hearing for Miguel. Glynn is outraged and tells the board of Miguel's many misdeeds. Miguel tries, but reaches his limit with a hateful inquisitor and beats him bloody, causing his 50th trip back to solitary. Gloria's guilt over Pancamo grows as he lapses into a coma. McManus tries to comfort her, telling her even doing one good thing, as he has with Omar, makes up for all the crap. Meanwhile, Omar overhears Schillinger telling Cutler, a new prisoner who wants to join the Brotherhood, that he has to kill Said for membership. Omar threatens Cutler in the storage closet, which leads to a fight and Omar nearly killing him. A betrayed, furious McManus sends Omar back to solitary. Tim's ex rages at him, his idealism, and his self-righteousness. Beecher's guilt leads him to come forward with news of Vern raping Winthrop and Guenzel, sending Vern to solitary with the help of corroborating witnesses and evidence. Beecher then defies Said and returns to Keller's arms (through cell bars). Keller is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. Rebadow leaves Oz for the first time in over 35 years to visit his near-death grandson. When he returns, he goes on death watch, knowing the end has arrived when an electrical storm temporarily knocks out the power. As prepared as he was, Rebadow breaks down when he hears the news. He senses the hand of karma, since a power outage saved him from execution decades ago, and the power came back to short-circuit his grandson's machinery. As Murphy and Tim discuss his leaving Oz for the second time in a week for the funeral, Brass returns, offering to give Rebadow the money back. Both men can only stare at him. Busmalis is overjoyed when Norma sends a letter stating her plan to visit that very day. When he sees that she is pregnant, he walks out, crestfallen. Sister Pete and Suzanne continue their media blitz against Cyril's execution. Cyril is moved to death row and beats on several guards (with Keller's encouragement) when he realizes he's going to die. He is somewhat comforted when Pete brings his sock puppet. Meanwhile, Father Meehan searches for the cause of Ryan's bitterness and inability to fight for Cyril's life. He finally uncovers and confronts Ryan with the truth: Ryan and Cyril's father shook their baby sister Carolyn to death right in front of Ryan. Ryan breaks down in Meehan's arms, and decides to join the Cyril cause. He also tells his father that if he ever gets out of Oz, he'll kill him. Hill again promises Poet that he won't tattle on him, as Redding confesses to McManus that he isn't sure Guerra sold the drugs. Later, Redding admits his intense pain and guilt over sitting at a dinner table with Hill and his mother while he was feeding her son drugs and making him a pusher. Hill says he made his own choices, and Reddings says he had been so afraid of losing him. While this unfolds, Morales convinces default-Sicilian leader Urbano to kill Redding. Urbano crosses his path, preparing to stab him, but Hill wheels in front of his father figure, the blade cutting into him. As all of Em City reacts with shock and confusion, as Redding has to be restrained and a crying McManus rushes down to be near the mortally wounded man as he passes away. A final shot of an empty set, an empty chair where the narrator should be, indicates that Augustus Hill, the voice of Oz, is truly dead.