Prison Break

Okay peeps, if you haven’t been watching this show, you’ve been missing out. This is one fantastic new drama.

What’s to like? Well, for one, the entire premise of breaking out of a supposedly “Unbreakable” establishment is always interesting. From magicians to cons, the ability to manipulate vulnerabilities is always exciting.

But even more so is The Plan. That’s what makes prison break movies so damn interesting.

There was a movie a few years ago called The Last Castle. A really sub-par flick, but it highlighted what was best about these movies: The Plan. The movie either works or it doesn’t work, depending on how brilliant (or un-brilliant) the Plan is.

And Prison Break? Holy trash. The writers have rewritten how intricate The Plan can get, and they show it to us bit by bit each and every week.

Firstly, the plot is asking you to take a leap of faith. I understand it’s far fetched. But to give a fictional story balance and belief, you have to extend your trust for one item. And the item is this: It is possible to commit your first crime and get thrown into the same prison that you designed, and that your brother, who just shot the Vice President’s brother, is about to be executed in. And you’ll get the ability to see and talk to him on a limited basis.

Still with me? That’s the big stretch. You may see and hear a few more outlandish things regarding the show, but that’s the showstopper.

The writing itself has begun to grow on me. Most TV shows—er, “dramas” work on a 5–act system. With 5 commercial breaks, you have to make each and every act end with a huge cliffhanger that will keep the viewer watching. And let me tell you, while it feels a bit like “Pop” TV, the writers are absolutely brilliant at coming up with cliffhangers for the next bit. This is why I only watch the show 1 hour after it has aired: You simply can’t press the Fast Forward button quick enough when a commercial shows up.

Now the criticisms of this show fall largely on the shoulders of the paragraph above. Look folks, this is a TV show. The fun comes in watching a plan come together, seeing the wrinkles pop up, and staying consistently amazed at the handiwork of Scofield (the main character), the guy who has a contingency plan for everything. Such as the entire prison blueprints tattooed on his body, or cute acronyms in his skin to remind him of the formulas for poisons. It’s ridiculous, but I’ll be damned if it is not spectacularly entertaining.

With a new season of TV, clunkers must clunk and winners must rise to the top. Let me tell you now: Prison Break is in the latter half. It comes on every Monday evening at 9PM EST and each episode has the Series Recap which explains where they are in the story. Remember when everyone rallied behind Lost and it only hit ratings paydirt late in the season? Wouldn’t it have been cool to be on the bandwagon before everyone else? Now’s your chance.

If there is one thing that makes me sad it’s that you simply know that this is a one-shot deal. It’s too good, too fresh, too innovative to last, particularly in the month timeline the show sets for itself. But right now is the honeymoon period. Let’s enjoy it, shall we?

Well, if you told me you were drowning
I would not lend a hand