“Prison Break” (Fox)
You are going to find this hard to believe but Fox has gotten the band back together and “Prison Break” has returned. On April 4 at 9PM, Wentworth Miller (Michael), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln). Sarah Wayne Callies (Sara), Robert Knepper (T Bag), Amaury Nolasco (Sucre), Rockmond Dunbar (C Note) and Paul Adelstein (Kellerman) come together one more time to lead a nine episode adventure about another “prison break”. The best thing about it – it all makes a bizarre kind of sense.
The first obstacle is that Michael is supposed to be dead. He died in the last incarnation of the series seven years ago. He was dead, buried, kaput. Still to have the series be worth watching Michael has to be alive, and he is. He is alive, well and locked up in a prison in Yemen. This comes as quite a shock to his wife Sara and their son Mike. Sara has moved on with her life and is now married to Jacob (Mark Feuerstein), a new character in the series.
Lincoln is the one who gets the information about Michael, and it is he and C Note who make a quick trip to Yemen to try to help him escape – one more time. Sucre wants to go with them but they decide to travel light and without him. Meanwhile T Bag is trying to help Sara on this side of the world.
The series is chock full of action with one twist after another occurring. Just when you think you know what is gong to happen next, you find you don’t know what is going to happen next. Plus the actors have these characters nailed. They fall right back into the camaraderie that was developed so well when the series first aired. The bond between the two brothers, Michael and Linc, has always been the basic draw of the series and it is still as rich and strong as ever.
It is difficult to think people who did not watch the earlier series will fall into the enjoyment as quickly as the old fans will. They will get the basic entertainment of the new story but they won’t have the appreciation for how skillfully these people interact and how carefully the reunion is handled. It could easily have been a contrived mess but a lot of time. effort and talent help make it avoid any missteps.
If you are a fan of the earlier “Prison Break” series then you are going to love this new adventure. If you are a newcomer make sure you give it a true chance before you tune out. Once you get used to the characters and the basic plot unfolding you are going to want to hang in there for the entire nine episodes. Plus if enough viewers gather to watch these veterans go thru their paces then there is bound to be yet another “Prison Break” in the offing. As a die hard fan I really, really hope so.
Tune in April 4 at 9PM for the kick-off. The whole gang is back and the4y have never been better.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
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