After much speculation and "on the bubble" murmurs, Variety is confirming that FOX has gone ahead and renewed Prison Break, one of the more popular guilty pleasures currently on network television. Prison Break has been picked up for a possible 23 episode fourth season, set to return in the fall.
Is the show that good? Sort of. Do the plots always make sense? Sometimes. Do I love it anyway? Absolutely. After a mediocre second season, the show roared back with a pretty enjoyable third season that got cut short to thirteen episodes by the WGA strike.
(S03E13) "You know, you're the first person to ever break out of Sona." - Gretchen
This was a great episode. Really solid and enjoyable. However, you can see why it was originally meant to be the mid-season finale and not a season ender. There are just simply too many questions left hanging and, for lack of a better way to put it, it just doesn't feel right. Fans of Prison Break, you know what I mean. As far as finales go, this wasn't satisfying. While it left me yearning for more, I'm equally annoyed. Plenty of other shows are coming back with four or five new episodes starting in about a month, so why not Prison Break? What really worries me? No word on any sort of renewal from FOX. This very well could be the last we'll see of Michael and Lincoln.
Is it just me, or was it relatively easy to break out of Sona? When compared to Fox River, it was cake! No tattoos required -- just dig a hole and run. And before you say, "but what about all those guards with guns," look at it this way: they're what made it easy! And Michael used it to his advantage. He gave them something to occupy their time (allowing Lechero, T-Bag, and Bellick to go first and get caught) and then he, Whistler, Mahone, and McGrady pretty much just walked through the hole in the fence. So, with that in mind... remind me again why The Company had to use Michael to get to Whistler?
(S03E11) "Welcome to the coal mine, canary." - T-Bag
And the escape is on! I honestly can't say why I like this season of Prison Break so much. It's far from being the edgy show that it was during its first season and at the same time it's miles ahead of last season's manhunt mess. Maybe it's simply due to the fact that there literally isn't much else on TV right now and as a result, it's good by default. But after tonight's episode, I'm leaning more towards the unpredictability factor.
(S03E10) "If he doesn't take you, I will." - Lincoln
Well isn't that special. Lincoln's got a crush on Sofia. Not like we didn't see that coming. All that's missing now is the clichéd scene where something stressful happens, they lock eyes, and start sucking face amidst all the chaos of planning an inmate bust. You know it's coming. Here's the real question though: what are the chances of finding a gift shop that sells Eiffel Tower keyrings in Panama City?!?
(S03E09) "Let's see if he has the tattoo to get out of that one." - T-Bag
Prison Break may not be the best thing on TV at this point, but hey - at least it's new. It's been over two months since the mid-season finale and I was a little sketchy on what had happened previously, but this was never a show that required much thinking. Once the action started, it was easy to figure out what everyone was up to. You know... breaking out of prison.
The writer's strike hits again. We were supposed to get five more episodes before this season's fall finale. Instead we got a plain ol' ending comparable to any regular episode of Prison Break. Certainly not what I would have expected based on this show's history. It's not a bad thing, just disappointing. I understand the need to stockpile and space out the dwindling supply of new episodes, but it's unfortunate that it results in segmenting seasons in such sloppy fashion. Enough with the complaining though. The writer's strike is happening and we knew what to expect. If you can look beyond that, this episode really was quite good. It left us with plenty of questions to ponder as we wait for Prison Break to return in January.
(S03E06/S03E07) A two-hour Prison Break? Now what did I do to deserve this? Well, it was really just two back-to-back episodes of Prison Break instead of a two-hour special. But still, the only thing better than one Prison Break episode is two Prison Break episodes.
And they were pretty good episodes to boot. While we didn't get to see the much-hyped escape from Sona, we did get some interesting new developments in the plot.
(S03E05) "If we're going to get around these guys, we gotta get to know them." - Michael
Well, I suppose we were due to get an episode like this one. Slow, annoying, and for the most part, filler. Just a way to hash out a story that isn't fully conceived and doesn't depend on guaranteed accuracies. If we've learned one thing from Prison Break, it's that its not meant to be taken seriously. However, and this is just my opinion, that sub-conscious effort to disregard how foolish this show gets sometimes actually makes the bad stuff stick out even more for me.
(S03E04) "I don't need to know how to change a diaper to know when it stinks to high hell." - Bellick
Well there you have it. "What's in the box" turned out to be what we all expected. For those that thought there was still a glimmer of hope that we might see more of Dr. Sara Tancredi this season, you can stop holding your breath. I suggest reading that link (it's from Ausiello over at TV Guide) with an open mind. You'll know what I mean after you skim through it. Anyway, upon opening up his little gift from The Company, Lincoln saw the worst -- Sara's head neatly wrapped up in some decorative tissue paper.
Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) is hands-down my favorite character on FOX's Prison Break. Some argue that the star of the show and the main character is Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) but I would propose that it's his brother Lincoln who is the real reason to tune in on Monday nights.
Yes, Michael is very attractive. Yes, Michael is very intelligent. Yes, Michael has cool tattoos ... all over his body (cool tattoos that have cool secret codes and secret maps). And finally, yes, Michael uses said attractiveness, intelligence, and tattoos to break his brother out of prison. This is show of brotherly love is, to put it lightly, generous of him.
Okay, so I went through the reasons one might argue that Michael is better than Lincoln. Continue reading for my reasons why Lincoln is truly better than Michael.
(S03E03) "I think I've heard that one before." - Michael
So... what's in the box? It's a simple question, used time and time again. The film Se7en pops into my mind. We've known for a while that Sarah Wayne Callies wouldn't be reprising her role on Prison Break and we finally saw her body double in this episode. Maybe it's too early to kill her off but it wouldn't surprise me if "what's in the box" offers the producers and writers behind this show an easy out.
That being said, my gut tells me it'll probably just be a finger wrapped up in some tissue paper. If they do kill Sara off, there goes the biggest incentive Michael has to get Whistler out of Sona. Sure, The Company would still have LJ and we know family is big deal with Michael... but it's still not the same, you know?
(S03E02) "I was sent to get you out of here." - Michael
And so the plot unfolds. I'll tell you, two episodes in and this is already infinitely better than season two of Prison Break. You know why? They're back in jail. The one thing that made the show great in the first place has been given new life. Rather than an entire country at his disposal, Michael now has only a few hundred jail cells surround by iron bars, brick, and concrete. It feels tense and more importantly, the eerie feeling of claustrophobia is back as well. The title of the show is applicable once again too.
Back in July 2005, I had the chance to watch the Prison Break screener. Even if I thought back then that the story was a bit far fetched (the evasion plan hidden in a massive tattoo), I put that aside and enjoyed the storylines and the characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed Season 1 because it was all about the ingenuity of the escape plan and Michael trying to put it in motion. In retrospect, Season 2 was entertaining even if not that good: there were too many storylines going on at the same time and all the characters were spread out over the country.
When I was given the chance to review the Season 2 DVD, I was not only looking forward the insights brought by the DVD extras but also to watching the entire series almost non-stop and see if my opinion would change on the second viewing.
After much speculation and "on the bubble" murmurs, Variety is confirming that FOX has gone ahead and renewed Prison Break, one of the more popular guilty pleasures currently on network television. Prison Break has been picked up for a possible 23 episode fourth season, set to return in the fall.
(S03E04) "I don't need to know how to change a diaper to know when it stinks to high hell." - Bellick
Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) is hands-down my favorite character on FOX's 
(S03E03) "I think I've heard that one before." - Michael
Back in July 2005, I had the chance to watch the Prison Break screener. Even if I thought back then that the story was a bit far fetched (the evasion plan hidden in a massive tattoo), I put that aside and enjoyed the storylines and the characters. 
The Upfronts: FOX
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The Upfronts: CBS
