Veronica Donovan

Infobox Prison Break character


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name = Veronica Donovan
first appearance = Pilot
first appearance num = S1E01
last appearance = Manhunt
last appearance num = S2E01
season = 1, 2Episode Count = 23
portrayer = Robin Tunney
Annie Yokom (young Veronica)
occupation = Lawyer
family =
relationships = Sebastian Balfour (ex-fiancé)
Lincoln Burrows (ex-boyfriend)
Michael Scofield (family friend)

Veronica Donovan, played by Robin Tunney, is a fictional character from the American television series, "Prison Break". The younger Veronica was portrayed by Annie Yokom, who only appeared once in the series - in episode "Brother's Keeper".

Background

Veronica Donovan dated Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) and became close friends with Michael Scofield while they were in high school despite their being two very different people. She moved away from the city life of Chicago to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she received a B.A. in political science. After receiving her Juris Doctor from Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas, she moved back to Chicago and worked as a real estate lawyer at "Bianchi and Guthrie". Her relationship with Lincoln did not stay long and both of them separated, with Lincoln meeting Lisa Rix and having a son LJ. On the other hand, Veronica became Sebastian Balfour's fiance.

Appearances

Veronica was one of the major characters in the series. She appeared in every episode of season one but was killed off in the second season's premiere episode, "Manhunt". During the events of Prison Break, Lincoln and Veronica re-bonded their relationship.

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In the first season's flashback episode, "Brother's Keeper", Veronica's relationship with Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) is explored. After Lincoln's arrest, Veronica reveals to Michael that Lincoln may not be the man he thinks he is. She tells him that Lincoln had taken a $90,000 debt to cover for his education, stating to Michael, "You are where you are because of your brother." This prompts Michael to change as he realizes that, "He is where he is because of me."

Although she is a real estate lawyer and not a criminal lawyer, Veronica defended her childhood friend, Michael Scofield at his trial. Initially, she didn't believe Lincoln's innocence and was convinced by the security tape footage. However, after the disappearance of Leticia Barris, a witness who could prove Lincoln's innocence and a bishop who opposed Lincoln's death penalty, Veronica was led to believe that Lincoln might have been set up.

In the pilot episode, she is engaged to be married to Sebastian Balfour. Michael’s arrest causes her to grow more involved with Lincoln’s case, straining her relationship with Sebastian. Following the disapearance of Leticia in the episode “Cell Test”, Veronica decided to postpone the wedding as she claimed that she couldn’t focus on it at the time. Sebastian was hurt by this and broke off the engagement.

She approached "Project Justice" for help with Lincoln's case, knowing that she herself did not have any experience in death penalty cases. However, they refused to partake in her case. Nick Savrinn (Frank Grillo) later offered his help after telling her that his father was similarly accused of a crime he did not commit. Together, they worked tirelessly, trying to uncover the truth behind Terrence Steadman's apparent murder. The original security tape which they were looking for was destroyed and in the subsequent episode, "Riots, Drills and the Devil Part 2", they are threatened via a public phone call in Washington, D.C. and were targeted by Paul Kellerman and Daniel Hale, who are Secret Service agents. They were nearly killed by an explosion in Veronica's apartment and in the following episodes, L.J. Burrows joined both of them after escaping from the agent's clutches. All three of them went into hiding. Their lives were once again in danger when Agent Quinn, who managed to find out their secret location, attempted to force the truth out of them. They managed to escape.

Knowing that hiding is not the answer, Veronica, after being informed by Daniel Hale who was willing to provide information, decided to go out into the open and visit Lincoln in cell. Veronica met with Hale the follwing night, where he revealed that Steadman was still alive. Hale was executed by Kellerman before he could provide proof, and Veronica barely had time to hide shortly before Kellerman arrived.

Veronica went back to the court for one last time to appeal for Lincoln, but this ultimately fails. Fortunately, someone slipped in evidence in the last minute which helped to stall Lincoln's execution. Veronica and Nick decided to send someone to do a test on Steadman's body, but the dental records matched Steadman's past records. In "J-Cat", Nick, Veronica and L.J. return to New Glarus to visit the dead Quinn, where they obtain his cell phone. Eventually, they found out Terrence Steadman's hideout in Blackfoot, Montana.

However, at the end of the episode "Tonight", Veronica was betrayed by Nick, who turned out to have made a deal with John Abruzzi to have her "ready and waiting" at the airport on the night of the escape in exchange for his father’s freedom. Nick however let her go to the airport as he did not want Veronica to be killed. After arriving at Blackfoot, Montana, she managed to sneak into Steadman's house and confronted him.

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Following her confrontation with Steadman (Jeff Perry), she called the police for help, as the house in which Steadman lived was only accessible from the outside. While Terrence and Veronica wait for the police to arrive, Lincoln Burrows contacted her, telling her that he and Michael have escaped from prison. Veronica told him to turn himself in and allowed the police, who had arrived, to enter the house. Unknown to her, the police were actually the secret service agents, ordered to protect Terrence Steadman and to ensure that he was well-hidden. Veronica could only look on in horror as one of the agents executed her in cold blood. It turns out that the land Steadman was on was federal grounds, and all calls went to the agents. Veronica became the first main character to be killed off in the series.

The agent who killed Veronica and tried to kill Sara would be executed by Alexander Mahone. Even though the character dies in the season's premiere, Veronica was briefly mentioned in "Otis", "John Doe" and "Panama", though she did not make any appearances. In "John Doe", Lincoln was reminded by Terrence Steadman of Veronica's death and he had to be persuaded not to kill him. In "Panama", Lincoln and Michael got into a fight regarding the death of Veronica and Lincoln told Michael that she did not have a choice when she died. Her disappearance was also mentioned by Governor Frank Tancredi while going through the procedures to become the vice-president.

Characteristics

Veronica Donovan had a frail character initially. She displayed agitation after the disappearance of Leticia Barris and was still visibly shaken after the incident. She was also heavily traumatized after the death of Lucasz, her buildings maintenance man, in the explosion and was reluctant when she realized that the case she was investigating upon was related to the Caroline Reynolds going onto the President Election. However, she became more confident and determined as the series progresses, with the aim of finding the truth behind Steadman's death. Her loyalty to Lincoln was also undeniable since she had dedicated herself to the case. Unfortunately, she was extremely naive and unsuspecting as well as she intruded into Steadman's home without considering the traps ahead, thus causing herself to be locked in the house. Her naiveté also robbed her life, when she called the police who turned out to be Secret Service agents.