| Famous Last Words | |
|---|---|
| Oz episode | |
| Episode No. | Season 4(Part 2) Epi.8(16) #40 |
| Directed by | Adam Bernstein |
| Written by | Tom Fontana & Sean Whitesell |
| Original Air Date | February 25, 2001 |
| Episode Guide | |
| Previous "Even the Score" |
Next "Visitation" |
"Famous Last Words" is the eighth and final episode of the second part of the fourth season and the fortieth overall episode of the HBO television series Oz. Directed by Adam Bernstein and written by Tom Fontana and Sean Whitesell, it originally aired on February 25, 2001.
Plot:[]
Narrations:[]
I've been wondering something. From the time we learn to speak until the day we die, how many words does the average person say? I mean, we talk and talk and talk, filling up the ozone. Secretly hoping that in all those syllables, we've said something worth remembering. Deep down, we know the truth. Most of what we say is trash.
When someone dies, we look at the last thing he or she said in hopes of finding a summation of life. A deep truth that those of us above ground can cling to. Like the novelist Daniel Defoe, "I do not know which is more difficult: to live well or to die well." In Oz, we do neither.
Not everybody leaves this mortal coil miserable and confused. Ethel Waters said "I'm not afraid to die, honey. In fact, I'm kinda looking forward to it. I know that the Lord has his arms wrapped around this big, fat sparrow."
In 1955, James Dean said to a friend, "My fun days are over." An hour later, his car crashed and he was dead. A self-fulfilling prophecy, or just bad luck?
"I want to go back to my old home before I die. I asked the great white father to allow me to go back, but he said no." Geronimo.
Maybe what we say when we go is less important than what's said about us. When you die, what's the nicest thing someone will utter about you? What's the worst? Somewhere in between is who you are. Or maybe mere words aren't enough to define a life. Maybe only one's actions can.
Deaths:[]
Supreme Allah: Allergic reaction to eggs put in food by Poet and Cyril O'Reily
Edward Galson: Crushed in elevator shaft by Enrique Morales after failing hit for Burr Redding
Clayton Hughes: Accidentally stabbed after being tackled by SORT and Greg Penders
Pedro Calderon: Head smashed into TV set, electrocuted by Omar White
Unnamed C.O.: Accidentally blew up cafeteria due to Ryan O'Reily neglecting to turn gas off stove
Crime Flashbacks:[]
(There were no flashbacks during this episode)