Prison Break: Orientation
By fred | September 19, 2007
(S03E01) Well well, the long awaited new season of the famous show that is Prison Break is finally back, and I have already expressed much of my worries about this new season in the past.
Son how did it turned out to be, was this really the “best season ever”, as people involved with it have claimed ?
Maybe it still is too soon to give a definite answer to that one, but here’s my take on it for now : Hell NO!
If you ask me, this premiere episode was a major disappointment, as it somehow proved all my fears about the season to be true, sadly. Let’s start with Michael and his new home : Sona.
I get it, it’s the worst place to ever be, it’s the worse of the worst and nothing less you find there, even guards don’t dare coming near by. And remember, Michael is not one of them cold killers, rapist and God knows what, he doesn’t belong here with monsters like the Mahones or Bellicks.
At first I thought maybe this could have been interesting, to have those two (Scofield & Mahone) hating each others yet having to work together, in order to survive. But it doesn’t work for me, none of this new setup works for me to tell you the truth. Here’s why : I used to fear that this new season would end up being nothing but some kind of fade mixture between season one and two.
And it seems that way, Michael is back behind bars and he has to escape, all over again. Only because it’s a repeat, it doesn’t work. Only season one was great because you could feel the pressure and the tension all over the place, it was packed with it. We were inside a prison, with surveillance and guards all over, and them and inmates all were watching Michael, who was trying to find - or create - his way out.
But now, he can work freely in Sona. Sure, some are watching too, but he’s free to walk around, there are no guards, and guess what : in the end, there is no tension. Of course the big boss is jealous of Michael and wants to be him him dead, so he’ll have to watch over his shoulder… right. I still missed to feel any real pressure on him.
You know, if I wanted to see a really good show about prison filled with violence, inmates playing God, deadly fights and all of this (and more), I’d watch my old DVDs of Oz!
The first scene used on the opening credits is a perfect illustration of what I feared : they basically did the same shot over the prison as in season one, only we’re in Panama this time. Make me say, “oh great, this will only be another take on what they’ve already done, what we’ve already seen.”
You can say what you want about season two, but at least it was moving on, the show was evolving, for best or worst. No more prison, but opened handcuffs — that was the scene of the opening credits. Now all we got is another take on season one. We’re not moving on, but taking steps backwards!
Posted in Reviews
Shows: Prison Break
» Prison Break: Fire/Water | I Watch TV!