Prison Break is about to return for a fourth season in September 2008, after its truncated third season ended earlier this year. However, this television series might just be in need of a break of its own!
A recap is probably in order. Prison Break was the breakout series of 2005 for FOX Television, wherein a successful engineer named Michael Scofield (played by then newcomer Wentworth Miller) goes to jail to free his brother Lincoln Burrows (played by Dominic Purcell) who is wrongly accused of a crime because of a government conspiracy against their father. Having worked on the prison as an engineer, Scofield tattoos the blueprint on his torso and begins to plan the prison escape with his brother, after getting himself thrown into the same prison.
Although the plot was original enough for television, elements of the storyline were drenched in outrageous improbability and intense farcicality. However, audiences found themselves pardoning the implausible aspects of the show, mainly because ultimately Prison Break served up episodes that kept audiences largely entertained. It was all rather fascinating to see Scofield cogitate each week to come up with new ideas as he kept finding his pre-determined plans undermined by his antagonists. The end of every episode sunk a hook in deep enough to ensure the audience would return the following week. And we did. The series was, in a word, fun!
Season two, which was much anticipated and long awaited, started off in 2006 promisingly, as we tuned in to see Scofield escaping with his brother Burrows, tackling hardship and hurdles along the way as they try to get to Panama, where the brothers believe they can live in peace. The series started tottering about the fourth episode in, for the simple reason that whilst the story in season one was contained focus-wise on the brothers mainly, in the second season with six other prison escapees, six other storylines were forced to be conceived.
In addition to these additional subplots causing the series to turn unwieldy, one could sense that even the scriptwriters found the task of maintaining interest and equal focus on each of the storylines extremely unmanageable and what we got instead were extremely weak and diluted subplots that in return foundered the entire second season. In addition, the last few episodes, even the aspects pertaining to Scofield and Burrows and the government conspiracy, were given such lackluster attention that one could only describe season two of Prison Break as one big mess in the end. It was almost like watching a van laden with too many things wobble and go off the tracks due to the overload!
Article comments
1 - prison break fan
speak for yourself i love prison break and wentworth miller is a brilliant actor, i for one cant wait for the new series and i hope it goes all the way to series 6. I will keep watching as long as they keep making it. Just because 1 useless person is jelous of wentworth dosnt meen you can just diss him like that.
2 - Evelyn
ALERT::: Why is the above comment allowed? It is clearly a very childish, uncalled for attack on the writer........
Anyhoo.... I enjoyed this article. It is refreshing to read another take. Although i don't agree with PB and Wentworth being as bad as the writer feels, and i still religiously watch both, I can see why and how the writer would feel differently.
3 - Danielle
I agree with Evelyn. Moderators, please remove the first comment since it has no relevance to the discussion of prison break and wentworth miller. "Prison break fan" is clearly "in love" with Wentworth and can't accept a person feeling differently to what she does. It's too bad that ever so often some waste-of-space piece of garbage like her, obviously off her meds, wanders in here and posts such a personal attack. It makes all of us look bad. ;)
4 - Dr Dreadful
Evelyn and Danielle: Compared to some comments which are made on this site, "prison break fan"'s so-called 'personal attack' is almost laughably mild. There's no reason to remove or even edit it.
On the other hand, Danielle, remarks like 'waste-of-space piece of garbage' and 'obviously off her meds' come much closer to crossing the line. Please watch yourself!
ASSISTANT COMMENTS EDITOR
5 - Texie
I quote: "elements of the storyline were drenched in outrageous improbability and intense farcicality."
LOL in a day when the price of gas is out the roof.. people can't find jobs, mortgages are being foreclosed on, banks are failing, the price of food is soaring, Cancer and AIDS still ravish our citizenry, Russia is back to it's old predatory tricks, and Osama Ben Ladin is still out there someplace.. a heavy dose of "outrageous improbability and farciality" sounds like heaven to me. I am all for reality ... but as the old saying goes "all work and no play makes jack a dull boy."
6 - Miss_nmf
Prison Break is the best show ever! I'm in love with it and I can't wait for season 4! Everyone can believe whatever he wants but that does not mean his rightt! PB rocks!!!!!!!!!
7 - K
Agree. Wentworth's boredom shines through loud and clear.
How come no mention of Chris Vance? I thought he was a far better actor than WM in S3. He can convey all kinds of intense convincingly.
8 - Miller
[Personal attack deleted] ...u need a break not prison break..i love it for the beggining...however the 3rd wasn't so good like the others before, but i believe the 4th one will increase the audiences again like before!