Prison Break Season 1 Review

And I do mean drawn out. To the surprise of many, it took Michael Scofield the entire 22 episode run to spring his brother free.  I’m not so sure why everyone was so shocked, seeing as there’s only so many places to take the story once the two get out.  But a lot of people in today’s “fast food” society were frustrated by the show’s pace.  Having some personal experience with writing a show, I expected the escape plan to go for the long haul. However, the sheer length of Michael Scofield’s ingenious plan, made it all the more satisfying when he successfully made it over the wall.

As good as Prison Break Season 1 turned out to be, the show is not without its flaws.  Like most FOX shows, it seems to suffer in the casting department as Veronica, Nick, A.J., the Special Agent Kellerman, and even Lincoln Burrows himself are a little weak in the acting department.  However, what they lack is more than made up for in the near-perfect portrayal of the cons.  Abruzzi, T-Bag, Sucre and the rest of the criminally insane are what really make the show.

Then there’s also the issue of “cheesiness”.  For a show about convicted felons, Prison Break was extremely high in the cheesy department.  On more than one occasion, a plot twist which was supposed to make us gasp, fell flat on its face by being completely unrealistic.  Then again, this is a show about a guy who tattooed his body with the blueprints of a prison, so maybe you can only expect so much believability.  And anyway, those handful of questionable moments were more than made up for by some absolutely incredible scenes like the prison riot.

All in all Prison Break brings both good and bad aspects to the table, with the overwhelming majority being good.  It was an extremely entertaining and well-done first run, and I’m expecting big things now that Michael and Lincoln are fugitives.  But before I wrap up the review, he’s a character by character evaluation of the show:

Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield)

Say what you will, Michael Scofield is not your typical hero. In fact, he’s actually kind of creepy.  At first, I wasn’t a big fan of how intense and rigid he seemed.  Yet in retrospect, having Danny Tanner as the main character wouldn’t have worked either.  Where’s Jack from Lost when you need him?  But overall, Wentworth Miller did a fine job with Michael, and probably went a long way in attracting a female viewer-ship that would normally avoid a series about mass murderers.

Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows)

The first thing that struck me about Dominic Purcell, other than how awful his acting skills are, was the size of his head. Talk about a noggin!  From the looks of this picture, you’d probably expect a WWF wrestler-esque body.  So I was shocked to find out that Lincoln Burrows has the physique of a Gap model.

Was I the only one disappointed that Lincoln didn’t end up getting the chair? The whole time you knew the writers would never go through with it, yet at the same time I couldn’t help wondering if they would.  I thought it would be the perfect shocker, and set off a cool series of events since

Michael would be incredibly bent on revenge.  Yet, going for the obvious play is where Prison Break consistently falls into the cheesy trap.  I admit it’s probably better in the long run that they kept him alive.  But that would have been a twist for the ages!

Robin Tunney (Veronica Donovan)

Has there ever been a worse-looking leading lady than Robin Tunney?  Look, she’s not ugly, but she’s way out of her league as the female lead of a prime time television series.  She’s kinda looks like Rory from the Gilmore Girls would after getting smashed in the face with a frying pan.  She’s just not who you want headlining your show.  But I hope the writers find a human way to deal with her.  I mean, I’d hate to see her get shot in the head during Seaon 2 or something…

Sarah Wayne Callies (Dr. Sarah Tancredi)

Unlike Ms. Tunny, Sarah Wayne Callies is a little bit more of what you’d expect in an actress who’s starring in a major TV show.  And I’m not simply talking about looks as she’s also a major upgrade in the talent department as well.  You see, you don’t have to be a super model to qualify for a role. Sarah is proof.  It’s just that it helps when an actress doesn’t weird you out with her bad acting and weird facial expressions.

Dr. Sarah Tancredi is a great character likeable, noble.  It’s just that I don’t quite understand what she sees in Michael.  Like I mentioned, he kinda has a creepy thing going on.  Plus he’s a convict.  You all know how I feel about Dr. Jack and Kate hooking up on Lost.  At least Kate’s never been convicted.

I’m really starting to get disturbed by the television trend of having doctors and fugitives get romantically involved.  We have worked far too hard to saddle ourselves with felons!

Amaury Nolasco (Fernando Sucre)

It’s an unwritten rule: every innocent prisoner needs a good-hearted criminal to befriend him and show him the ropes.  First there was Andy and Red.  Now there’s Michael and Sucre!

So good ol’ Sucre made one bad decision and tried to hold-up a convenience store. It ended up costing him five years of his life, and perhaps the love of his life who’s now engaged to another man.  Of course it makes total sense that he’d want to break out and try to win her back.  Because if she was willing to dump you for being a convicted felon, she’ll definitely take you back now that you’re an escaped convicted felon.

(Peter Stormare) John Abruzzi

John Abruzzi is a big time player in organized crime, and he has a major role in Michael’s plan.  By dangling the whereabouts of Fibonacci, the man who sent Abruzzi to jail, Michael convinces John to do him a favor.  As a member of Abruzzi’s workforce, Michael earns access to his escape tunnel.

Abruzzi changes a lot over the course of the season. Going from a hardened mafia boss, to a full-fledged follower of Jesus. But if I know Abruzzi the way I think I do, something tells me he won’t remained “filled with the Spirit” for too long.

Robert Knepper (Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell)

Andy Dufrense had Boggs.  Michael Scofield has T-Bag.  It’s amazing how many Shawshank corollaries are contained in Prison Break.  You don’t think the writers sat down and watched The Redemption before outlining Prison Break plotline do you?  Nah, me neither…

Anway, hats off to Robert Knepper for his perfect portrayal of the scum of the earth.  His mother must be so proud!

Rockmond Dunbar (Benjamin “C-Note” Miles Franklin)

C-Note is one of the few felons who’s not actually a felon, just a good guy who got a raw deal. Now he’s going to fight the system by breaking out of prison and actually earning the title of criminal.  You show ’em C-Note!

Actually, like Sucre, C-Note would have been much better off just sitting put and serving out his limited sentence. You’re family will be much better off having you back free and clear in a few years, than dealing with an escaped convict for the rest of their lives.  Then again, it’s logic like that which usually keeps people out of prison in the first place.

Muse Watson (Charles Westmoreland)

Also integral to Michael’s plan is Charles Westmoreland.  Scofield correctly assumes that Westmoreland is indeed the notorious D.B. Cooper, who made off with five million dollars before getting arrested.  By schmoozing ol’ Charles and using his dying daughter as leverage, Michael gets him to spill the beans and join the escape.  Of course Charles never makes it out of the prison alive, thanks to a nasty blow to the abdomen courtesy of Captain Bellick.  But he doesn’t die before blabbing the whereabouts of the 5 mill hidden at the Double K ranch in Utah to every single escapee.  Thanks for being discreet, D.B.!

Lane Garrison (David “Tweener” Apolskis)

Now it’s time to start moving onto some of the lesser convicts.  David Apolskis is a black man trapped in a white man’s body. This causes him to be alienated from both races.  I would almost feel bad for the guy, had Lane Garrison not been the “whitest” actor on the show and made the character completely awkward.  Seriously, there’s a good chance that the Vice President has more “flava”.

Silas Weir Mitchell (Charles “Haywire” Patoshik)

Haywire almost ruins Michae’s plan when he figures out that his tattoos are actually the blueprints to the prison.  So what does Michael do?  Well, he hatches a plan to send Haywire off to the psych unit.  What a nice guy!

Joseph Nunez (Manche Sanchez)

One of the great things about Prison Break is the life lessons it provides.  Take our good buddy Manche Sanchez, for example.  Had he not been stuffing his face for the past twenty years of his life, he might not have snapped the rope he was using to get over the prison wall, which ultimately cost him his one shot at freedom.  I know I sure learned my lesson about obesity.  Thanks, Manche.

Frank Grillo (Nick Savrinn)

Nick appeared to be working with Veronica to absolve Lincoln out of the goodness of his heart.  However, towards the end of Season 1, we found out that he had been in cahoots with John Abruzzi the entire time.  Throughout the season, Veronica kept getting hints that Nick might not be on the up and up.  So when this “shocking twist” was revealed it was one of those “cheesy” moments that fell flat on its face like I mentioned above.

My real guess is that the writers were making Nick appear sketchy with the intent of having him actually be good.  Then when they realized that he and Veronica we’re like an eight ton anchor dragging the show down, they did a quick rewrite and killed him off.  I just hope Veronica somehow survives…

Marshall Allman (Lincoln Burrows Jr. “L.J.”)

Out of all the bad actors on this show, (and believe me, for such a great show there’s an astounding number of them) Marshall Allman ran away with the title.  There were just some laugh-out-loud moments, especially when L.J. was yelling at his mom’s significant other, where the acting was just pathological.  To give credit where credit is due, Marshall managed to pick it up a bit as the season went on.  But those early episodes… Wow.  Just wow.

Stacy Keach (Warden Henry Pope)

To avoid getting nailed with a major law suit by the creators of The Shawshank Redmption, the writers of Prison Break probably opted to go with a warden who was actually a nice guy.  However, I find it very interesting that “The Pope” decided to give Michael Scofield a special job which gave him unique privileges that ultimately helped him escape.  Where have I seen something like that before?

Wade Williams (Brad Bellick)

Officer Bellick is a crooked corrections officer who has it out for Michael, and ultimately discovers his plan to escape.  Why Bellick had such an obsession with an inmate who generally kept to himself has yet to be determined.  But I guess you’d be a little cranky too if you were 45, single, and living with your mom.

Paul Adelstein (Sp. Agent Paul Kellerman)

Nothing strikes fear into the heart of attorney trying to clear an innocent man’s name like Special Agent Paul Kellerman. That’s right, Paul Adelstein was selected to be the face of evil in Season 1.  You can start shaking in your boots any time now.

As an agent hired to tie up the loose ends of the vice president’s plan to frame Lincoln, Agent Kellerman,  (make that Special Agent Kellerman) causes all kinds of problems for Veronica Donovan and Nick Savrinn, and even tries to kill Lincoln’s son, L.J..  And since all four of those characters’ plotlines were tightly intertwined, fans of Prison Break could be assured at least 10-15 minutes of hilariously horrible acting every night.  What’s not to like about that?

Patricia Wettig (Vice President Carolyn Reynolds)

Carolyn Reynolds is one of the evil masterminds behind the framing of Lincoln.  I don’t think we need any further proof as to why Hilary Clinton should never become president.

John Heard (Governor Frank Tancredi)

And now I’ll bring this character by character review to a close.  No, Sarah’s father didn’t play a very large role in Prison Break, but I thought I’d include him just so everyone could know what the Dad from Home Alone was up to these days.  This cameo was nearly as disturbing as when “Rudy” showed up on 24 last year.  Talk about taking a role which will forever pigeonhole you with children in the late 80’s/early 90’s!  No matter what character he plays, John Heard will always be Mr. McAllister to me.

So that’s Prison Break Season 1. It was definitely not the strongest first season we’ve seen from a TV series, but Prison Break ended up being surprisingly entertaining in spite of its multiple flaws.  It just goes to show that you can never go wrong taking an academy award nominated movie and plagiarizing it into a prime time network TV show!