Prison Break, Gives Me Fever! (Prison Break)

Member Name: venice105

Product:	Prison Break
Date:	19/01/07 (367 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Exciting, involving show where you never know what's around the corner

Disadvantages: Wentworth Miller Obsession Inevitable?

Prison Break is an American television series just entering its second run on Channel Five. It is a drama series revolving around a prison break, as the title implies, yet this is all set to change with the fact that the prison break occurred in the finale of series one and the escapees are now on the run. Much like 24, this is a show whose premise was one that might seem hard to sustain after the initial plot was played out. Due to the excellent quality of the first series, though, I have very high hopes that the show will continue to be just as riveting, despite many aspects of it having to evolve.

The first series revolved around a prison break, masterminded by the character of Michael Scofield, played by the (forgive me) most beautiful man on earth, Wentworth Miller. I've no doubt the producers knew they needed an attractive leading man to help attract a female viewership to this series, but such is the talent and mystique of Mr.Miller that his physical gifts are merely an afterthought (ahem!). His character is a sort of genius/savant, which comes in handy when one needs to plan a prison break to be sure. His older brother Lincoln (Dominic Purcell), the only family he has ever known, is on death row, convicted of the murder of the Vice President's brother. The two orphaned brothers have ended up with very different lives. While Michael graduated from an Ivy League university and became a structural engineer, Lincoln has slowly descended into a life of petty crime.

In flashbacks throughout the series we are shown how far apart the brothers had grown by the time Lincoln was imprisoned for murder. Initially Michael has little sympathy for his brother, until he learns that Lincoln had borrowed money to put him through college, which began his indebtedness to a life of crime. Michael and Lincoln's ex, lawyer Veronica (Robin Tunney), team up and in his defense investigation uncover a conspiracy that indicates Lincoln was framed for the murder by government operatives in an attempt to seize eventual control of the Presidency. They are seemingly helpless to aid him as the few people capable of helping them are bumped off, evidence is destroyed, etc.

When Lincoln is sentenced to death, Michael goes into a sort of zen obsessive mode and becomes determined to concoct an escape. He has the plans of the prison tattooed on his body (his company designed the place - convenient, I know!), in addition to every other minute detail of the escape, all camouflaged by artwork of course so the naked eye can't see it. He robs a bank, making sure to fire his gun so he gets sent to maximum security, gets caught intentionally, and is sent away to Fox River Correctional, the same prison as his brother.

If this all sounds a little bit ludicrous, well I can only say that the story was told in flashback snippets once the character was in prison and many other things were happening, so it seems reasonable enough while you are watching it. The continuity of the story has been excellent, while the pieces of his meticulous plan unfold slowly amidst the action. I sometimes have to watch an episode twice if I have missed out some plot detail, it really is like a puzzle, and for some reason they try to distract the viewer by having Michael take his shirt off from time to time (to examine the prison plans tattooed on his torso). Honestly, it's very necessary!

The show was filmed in a recently disused prison outside Chicago, which enhances the ambience to no end. The direction and camerawork are splendid, the prison seems very real and gritty, and yet the use of colour keeps it from ever being dour to watch. The action inside the prison is full of suspense, as the element of getting caught is always there. Michael must convince several prisoners who are key to the escape plan to come in on it, this of course spirals as inevitably others find out about it and must be let in on the plan. On top of this he has the physical job of preparing for the escape, which involves much digging through tunnels and getting sweaty, all of which is very enjoyable to watch/important to the plot!

There is also the daily task of staying alive/unharmed amongst all of the violent criminals, which proves difficult for Michael as he is so very beautiful. He garners the nickname "Pretty" from the resident psychopath, "T-Bag". T-Bag, Theodore Bagwell by birth, is a perfect example of why this show is so great. The ensemble actors are all given well-rounded characters, with T-Bag being probably the most obvious standout. His character is a serial murderer/rapist/you name it, he's done it. He makes your skin crawl initially as he is hell bent on having Michael for his Prison b----. But slowly his character has become strangely humorous, even sympathetic, the actor who plays him (Robert Knepper) is just genius. He is given some fabulous one-liners, but the actor has made the absolute most of this character. A hillbilly, inbred psychopath, and yet to know T-bag is to love him!

It is not all fun and games, of course. There are some fairly gruesome scenes of violence throughout the series, as one would expect in a maximum security prison. Prisoners and prison employees both become victims, whether it be from racial tensions or prison riots, the threat of bodily harm is always there the moment a prisoner has a means and a motive. The show demonstrated this pointedly in having the main character, Michael, undergo a horrific attack at the hands of mobster Abruzzi, where he comes away minus a few toes. It is unflinching, but I felt not gratuitous. The subject of rape is alluded to but never shown, an integral part of the hierarchy inside the prison walls. We see how it affects certain characters and their motives, again it is treated with restraint while still respectful of the reality.

The motley crew of the escape plan includes a mobster, an ageing mastermind, T-Bag, Michael's slightly dumb but lovable cell-mate Sucre, a rat/informant ("Tweener"), a man whose family believes him to be in Iraq ("C-Note"), and the two brothers, "Pretty", to T-Bag and I, "Michael Scofield" to anyone else, and "Linc the sink". All of the characters have their own backstories, some more sympathetic than others. Their alliance is an uneasy one, with Michael really only being able to trust his brother. Lincoln is also a well rounded character, he was resigned to his fate but has slowly come to have hope with Michael's daring plan. He has a son as well, which leads me to the weakest link of the first series.

Throughout the series there is the dual plot-line of what is happening in the outside world. Veronica is working hard to expose the conspiracy/stall the execution, but seeing as it goes to the highest levels of government this is no easy task. Much like the Kim character in 24, it sometimes seems Veronica and her allies exist merely for the viewer to slap their forehead and go "Doh!" They are up against some murderous secret government agency types, and it never seems they stand a chance, not when the Vice President, played by the excellent Patricia Wettig (thirtysomething, Alias) has a blood lust for power like none other. On the plus side, this absolutely raises the stakes of the breakout, although there were moments of such frustration at the idiocy of these amateur detectives where much "Gah!"ing was hurled at my telly.

What have I left out….oh yes, the best bit of all. While this show would have been perfectly enthralling as is, it has the cherry on top of a fantastic love story thrown in. No, T-Bag and Michael don't live happily ever after, although no doubt there are some fans who would like this! Part of Michael's escape plan involves the prison infirmary, where very conveniently an idealistic, pretty young doctor named Sara Tancredi works. Michael has concocted a means of making himself seem diabetic, which involves taking anecdotes to insulin and some-such, but importantly gets him in for regular injections with the doctor.

They slowly form a friendship, of course it is clear to see no woman in her right mind could resist the Pretty, but this element of the show is by far the most subtle. Small gestures and glances become magnified in the microcosm of prison life, and the writers have them slowly get to know each other. Their bond is strengthened in two particularly exciting episodes of season one, the prison riot, when Michael swoops in and saves Sara from evil prison rapists and they have a nice chat about Mexico (hint hint).

She is of course curious why a man of his background is in prison and slowly puts two and two together as the series progresses. This does not change the fact that they have fallen into some very deep prison love…sigh. Tragically to escape, Michael must risk exposing the initial fraud of their relationship to her, and she must risk much more herself.

Well, anyone who begins watching this show now will see that the escape occurred, however I would highly recommend getting the DVD of season one, as whatever happens from here on in, the first series made for television heaven.

I saw an episode further on in the second series while in the States two months ago, and it does seem to be just as gripping as ever. Boding particularly well is the addition to the cast of the excellent William Fichtner (of Invasion) as FBI agent Wheeler, in charge of the manhunt. In season one, Michael's intelligence was tested by various obstacles thrown in the way of the escape. Now he has a nemesis who is seemingly nearly as clever as he is, it looks set to be a very compelling game of cat and mouse.

They have carried over the premise slightly from the first series in that Michael has had to try and plan for every event after the escape, and of course things rarely go to plan. As well as being America's most wanted, he has to contend with a handful of escaped convicts who know too much about buried money and other escape plans, trying to fix things for/win back Sara, not to mention somehow escaping a government so corrupt it makes the present one seem reasonable!

I have every faith the show will remain the great entertainment it has always been, as despite the occasional absurd plot mechanism, the acting, writing and directing have all contributed to make this a grippingly addictive show thus far. It is to me a very multi-layered show - emotionally involving, action packed, and surprisingly, sometimes quite funny due to great writing and ensemble acting. Oh yes, and there's always Wentworth Miller, guaranteed to provide swoon-worthy moments at every turn. But don't worry, no one will realise you are flushed for any reason other than the excitement of the show! Prison Break is on Channel Five, Mondays at 10p.m. Episode two of the season is next week -Don't miss it!

Summary: Excellent, edge of your seat drama series