I decided to revisit on my favourite tv series recently, Prison Break, and watch series 5, which was released a few years ago.
Prison Break is full of suspense, action and full of subplots too. Series one introduced us to Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell (DC’s legends of tomorrow and The Flash series).
Wentworth Miller stars as Michael Schofield who gets himself incarcerated at Fox River Penitentiary in order to break his brother, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) out. Schofield is an engineer and helped on the design of Fox River. He then designed a way for the layout of Fox River to be hidden in a tattoo which he then had printed on his body.
Burrows is on death row waiting to be put to death on the electric chair for the murder of the Vice presidents brother. However, as the story gets going it becomes clear that he is innocent and there is so much more going on.
In order to get his plan in action, Schofield must also make friends and get help to escape.
This is where we are introduced to other characters, each with their own story and reasons to escape. We meet the prison’s doctor Sarah Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies) who is treated Schofield for what she believes is diabetes. But Schofield is faking his diabetes in order to gain access to the infirmary as part of his plan. However, as the pair spends more time together there is a clear attraction going on.
Then we meet the rest of the team he fets together for the escape: Fernando Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) who is Schofield’s cellmate. It emerges that he was set up for armed robbery, by his cousin, while he was trying to get money to buy an engagement ring to propose to his girlfriend, who his cousin also has the hots for.
He wants to escape so that he can stop her from marrying him and spend the rest of their lives together. Benjamin Miles Franklin (Rockmond Dunbar) was an army sergeant, who stumbled upon illegal tortures of prisoners that were taking place. When he reported this to his superiors they charged him with the importation of illegal goods and imprisoned him so that he would not be able to tell anyone.
He wants to escape so he can be with his family and start life afresh.
John Abruzzi (Peter Stormare) is a member of the mob. He was caught after he murdered a member of a rival gang and an eye witness, who is in witness protection, is going to testify against him.
He plans on escaping, finding the witness, which Schofield claims to know the location and exacting revenge then starting a new life with his wife and children.
Charles Westmorland (Muse Watson) is the longest incarcerated inmate. He was sent for life imprisonment for hit and run accident that killed a teenager. However, Schofield believes him to be D B Cooper. Who is a bank robber that escaped after robbing a bank of $5million and has never been found. Schofield believes he jumped out of the plane, but had a rough landing and was seriously injured so he hid the money, and stole someone’s identity to get medical treatment. However, the identity he stole was responsible for the hit and run.
It emerges that Schofield is correct but he robbed the bank to help his daughter with her issues. Haywire (Silas Weir Mitchell) is a schizophrenic who murdered his parents. He comes into play when after an incident between Sucre and Schofield, Sucre gets transferred to a different cell and replaced by Haywire.
Haywire soon realises that Schofield tattoos is a map and begins drawing it and realises it leads somewhere, so Schofield injures himself and blames Haywire so he goes back to the psych ward and Sucre returns. However when an accident occurs in which Schofield burns his back and loses a part of the map he has to get Haywire to remember what was there.
Then there is Theodore “T-bag” Bagwell a paedophile and murderer. He is imprisoned for life for the murder and rape of teenagers and women. He caught on to the escape plan and wants inor he talks the warden what is going on.
We also meet Brad Bellick (Wade Williams) one of the prison guards that gets tied up during their escape, Warden Henry Pope (Stacy Keach) who has Schofield help him with a surprise for his wife but then becomes part of the plan to escape. There is so much more going on but you get the main story.
I could not watch one episode it really gets you drawn in and wanting more.
Season two of Prison Break picks up where season one ended and breaking out was just the beginning. The inmates are on the run and have to keep one step ahead of the authorities.
During the series, there is so much more to why and who set up Burrows. We also see T-bag lose a hand and introduced to Burrows son LJ (Marshall Allman)and Burrows ex-wife (Veronica Donovan). Veronika is a defences attorney who also discovers that not only is Burrows innocent but the man is was supposed to have killed is still alive. But she later gets killed before she can save them.
We also get to know Paul Kellermen (Paul Adelstein) more in this series. He is the vice presidents, who is now president, right-hand man and was responsible for setting up Burrows. We also meet Alex Mahone (William Fichner) in this series, an FBI agent who is head of a task team to capture the escaped convicts. However, it emerges he has issues of his own and other orders.
In this series of Prison Break, we meet “the company” who apparently decides how things are run in the country and has an agenda of their own against Burrows and everyone he is involved with. Again this series keeps the action and suspense alive. Introducing more subplots and more great characters.
Including Sarah’s father who is a governor, Frank Tancredi(John Heard, home alone). There is also another subplot here too as father and daughter have to bury the past to work together.
However, there is a big twist at the end of this series as they find an ally in the least likely people and one actually gives evidence that sets Burtows and Schofield free. Well from the law that is, different story with The company.
Season three sees Schofield in yet another prison and has to escape with another convict.
I know what you are thinking, another prison? Surely that’s the same as season one?
I thought this also. However, we learn more about the company, meet more characters and are introduced to new subplots. Schofield has to plan an escape from prison he knows nothing about while keeping a low profile.
This time he is a prison in Panama, that rioted so badly the guards deserted it and let the inmates take control. They still guard the outside to prevent escape.
Mahone is now an inmate after being thrown out of the FBI after the consequences of his actions in series two. Also inside is Bellick and T-bag.
The series really picks up the action as they all face their own fears and distractions as they do their time in this foreign territory.
The plot in season four is The company.
Burrows and Schofield find a way to bring down the company and plan how to do it. With the help of Mahone, Bellick and others they set the plan in motion. This season sees a lot more twists and turns. There is also heartbreak as one of the main characters loses his life. Or does he?
It is a whole 7 years before the gang return in Season 5. A brand new storyline, new subplots and new characters. Schofield, who we all thought had died, is in prison once more and planning another escape.
However, there is also a brand new threat to the lives of Sarah and Schofields son.
Poseidon is the name of the person this time that seems to be in control.
Seems he employed Schofield a few years ago and unless he did what he was told his family would suffer the consequences.
It brings back the love I had for the other series and the respect I have for the characters. It really gets your attention once more. If you have watched The Flash or DC’s Legends of tomorrow then you will already know the amazing acting of Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell. They really get your attention and their on-screen chemistry is fantastic.
I know they were planing a sixth season but then decided not to go ahead with the idea. If one day the season does go ahead I will be waiting patiently to watch it. If you not seen Prison Break and want to watch something fresh and new, even now there is no series quite like this.
I have watched the first four seasons of Prison Break a few times and watched the fifth season for the first time this year because I wad a bit sceptical on how they could bring Schofield back. But got to admit it was brilliantly written, excellently acted and had everything that I had come to expect from the series.
Revisiting Prison Break Seasons 1-5
Name: Prison Break
Description: Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside.
Will Tomlinson-Roberts is a film and movie enthusiast with an interest in all genres of movies. He is also interested in music of all types and attends comic-cons around the country.
