Dear Readers!
As the re-start of our beloved Prison Break after its 4 month hiatus looms, I have to say the excitement begins to grow again.
I have to admit, the shows first episode got me hooked on finding out the truth about the set-up (or non-set-up) Lincoln was subject to and I had a hard time focusing on other (more practical and urgent) things to do. In contrast to those who criticised the second season because it allegedly “missed the point” by not centring around the escape from a prison any more, I was thrilled to see the characters on the run in the outside world. A strange coincidence made me lose faith in the show exactly at the point when it returned to its original outset, a prison escape. Not only was I disgusted by the amount of violence Prison Break seemed to need to keep the audience interested (and with violence I am not referring to rows and the sort, but to rotting corpses in the sun and food and water being withheld from some prisoners), I was also disappointed by the many layers of intrigue surfacing with each new episode. It is certainly good if you aren’t always in the clear about where your show and its characters are headed, but when it becomes to much to survey, it can usually only go downhill from there.
This was a development clearly visible in the final episodes of Season 3 and at the beginning of Season 4, when one terrible event seemed to occur after the other, peaking in Michael’s illness (and Bellick’s death???), and attempts to figure out the truth could never last the show’s logic for more than 2 minutes. In short, I was beginning to grow bored. At the same time I was also beginning to feel concerned about where they would take the show in the future. I have to admit, ten episodes into Season 4, I was not sure I would continue watching a renewed fifth season.
Fortunately, FOX saved us fans from having to witness a mess of this sort and announced our beloved Prison Break to end this spring. When I first read about this decision, nostalgia made me cling to the characters I had come to love, refusing to let go. However, when I reconsidered the options, a finale after four seasons lost its scariness. How many TV shows are there that managed to keep up a consistent quality over more than 3 or 4 seasons? Not many, if you ask me.
Considering this, I discovered that the Prison Break-future I had so dreaded became much more promising when it was reduced to a mere 7 more episodes. Issues will be tackled, questions will be solved … or everyone will be killed. One way or another, clarity has become close enough to touch. Now the most important questions are “What will it be? How will it happen? Will it be good?”. Everyone agrees, Prison Break, Michael, Lincoln, Sarah, Sucre and Mahone should go down with a bang, but what could that be? And will the producers succeed in pulling it through, as we know that especially the ultimate ending isn’t easily created …
Nevertheless, what lies ahead no-one can tell.
Cheers, Elly
P.S.: Be sure to check back here to find out what we think about possible endings and their quality.
