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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

I Love Prison Break


My favorite show is Prison Break. Yes, Prison Break. Even more than Lost or The Office...I love Prison Break. Why? It's just so much fun.

I started watching it the summer after the first season. I had heard good things, but didn't want to come in midseason, so I purchased all of season 1 off of iTunes. I thought it was awesome. It was suspenseful, smart, fast paced, gritty, shocking....it was great.

It is on it's fourth season now and I eagerly await Monday nights. It is one of the few shows that starts early (late August) and runs almost straight through. It has had one 2 week break during the World Series (Prison Break is on FOX).

The show has had its ups and downs (last season was ruined by the writer's strike - like most shows), but it has always been a fun and exciting ride - if not a confusing implausible one. Consisitency has not been the show's friend.

Let's see if I can sum up these past four seasons in the most basic way and have them make any sense (spoilers below)....

One brother (Linc) is falsely accused of murdering the president's brother. He is put on death row. The president is a part of group of bad guys called The Company. Her brother isn't even dead! (well, he is now, but not when Linc allegedly shot him.)

Lin's younger brother, Michael, a genius engineer who just happened to have helped design the very prison (Fox River) that his brother is being held at. He gets the prison blueprints, along with clues and names of people, tattooed onto his body and commits armed robbery to get thrown into the same prison as his brother (luckily that all worked out and he didn't get tossed somewhere else).

At the end of season 1, the brothers, along with about 6 other people they are forced to bring with, escape with the help of the prison doctor (and Michael love interest) Sarah Tancredi.

Once out, they are persued by FBI agent (and Company hitman) Alex Mahone. Also on their tail is former Fox River guard Bellick (I can't believe I don't remember his first name at the moment). This is basically the whole second season. You find out some background info. The brother's father once worked for The Company. He tries to bring them down, only to be killed by Mahone. Mahone is a bit crazy with a shady past, but is just trying to do one last job for The Company so he can move on with his life and try to win back the love of his wife and child.

Eventually, Michael, Lin, Sarah, and two other ex-inmates make it to Panama. Lincoln is cleared of all charges.

At the end of season 2, The Company frames Michael for murder and has him thrown in a Panama prison named Sona. Joining him in this prissn are: Alex Mahone (Michael gets him busted for drug trafficking), Bellick (accused of murder while trying to track down the Fox River Eight) and T-Bag (an ex-con from Fox River who, I think, also gets busted for murder in Panama). Sona is a prison that is run by the prisoners. There are guards in the towers outside, but the inside is anything goes. It holds some of the worst criminals in the world.

Season 3 takes place almost entirely in Sona. You learn that The Company had Michael thrown in Sona so he can break out one of their men (hey! another prison break!). Lincoln is teamed up with a woman from The Company named Gretchen. Gretchen is holding Lincoln's son LJ and Sarah Tancredi hostage until Michael can break out The Company man, named Whistler.

This season was cut short due to the writers' strike so it is very rushed and ends up with a lot of plot holes. One of the most painful plot mishaps is Michael's attire. They are in a Panama prison. It is hot. Very very hot. Most of the prisoners are running around in muscle shirts. But the actor who plays Michael did not want to have to sit through getting his fake tattoo plastered on daily, so they threw him in a long sleeve tee. It just looked ridiculous.

Somewhere along the way, Lincoln tries to rescue Sarah and LJ. When he fails, Gretchen sends Lincoln a present....Sarah's head in a box! He doesn't tell Michael at first. When Michael does find out, he is obviously upset, but he goes on with plan to save his nephew, LJ.

Eventually, they break out of Sona and Michael vows to get his revenge on Gretchen for cutting off Sarah's head. End of season three.

So, now we are on season 4. Lincoln, Michael, Mahone, Bellick, and Michael's old Fox River cellmate, Sucre are picked up for various reasons by FBI agent Don Self They are asked to help bring down The Company in return for full pardons. Before this happens, Michael tracks down Gretchen who tells Michael she never killed Sarah. Michael is able to track down the unbelievably alive Sarah who actually did manage to escape. Gretchen made up the whole killing to keep Michael on the plan.

Sarah joins the new team and they beginworking together to get a device called Scylla that will help them bring down The Company.

Yes, that was the simplest series synopsis I could do.

I didn't even get into all that has happened this season. It is just too much.

All I can say is I love this show and this season especially. My husband can't even be in the same room as me because I freak out too much.

Highly recommend you start from the beginning and check it out.

Just remember to not over think it and just enjoy the ride. It's a lot of fun.

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