This review will include spoilers, I apologise but the excitement of that opening episode got the best of me. I never thought I’d be itching to see the next episode of Prison Break ever again and yet here we are. It’s like it never left.
The Episode (In brief)
After a quick recap which included an intriguing narration from Wentworth Miller’s character Michael Schofield, plus highlights from season one and season four, the episode began with some real familiarity for Prison Break fans.
We caught up 7 years on from where the show left off and were straight into the action as Lincoln was being chased by some shady characters he owes money to and we saw a glimpse of T-bag at the Fox River Prison. The only difference here was that Bagwell was actually getting released from prison. Upon his exit he received an anonymous parcel with what looked like a grainy photograph of an alive and well Michael, albeit in prison somewhere. He surprised Lincoln on his doorstep with the photo but Linc was obviously sceptical at the news until accepting T-bag has nothing to gain from pretending Michael is still alive. So with that, Lincoln decides to follow it up and gets on a plane to New-York to deliver the shocking possibility of Michaels whereabouts to Schofields former girlfriend, Sara. She is now happily married to the likeable Jacob (Mark Feuerstein) and is struggling to believe the authenticity of the photo. After discovering a hidden message “OGYGIA” (the name of a Yemen Prison) at the bottom of T-bags mystery package, Lincoln decides it’s enough to gamble on and through the help of the now religious C-note (who happens to have links in Yemen) they waste no time in taking the plunge into unknown territory. This led to a great scene and the reintroduction of fans favourite Fernando Sucre who was unfortunately sucker punched accidentally when surprising Lincoln at a hotel to offer his support (he somehow heard about the photograph of Michael). Still, the guy is a Prison Break legend and would do anything to help his self-titled “best friend”. He ends up staying though (Lincoln needs somebody onside back home) as Linc & C-Note jet off to Yemen.
They arrived to meet C-notes driver but in true Prison Break fashion things didn’t quite go to plan. They are picked up by the wrong guy who leads them into an ambush instigated by the mysterious blonde & brunette that had been following Lincoln back in the US. Again, this led to another great scene, this time Lincoln & C-note stood their ground and took out 4 or 5 “henchmen” with relative ease. Then the best moment of the episode, “say hello to the US prison system bitches!” C-note declares proudly as he stands over one of his victims.
After finally linking up with C-notes Yemen allies, Burrows decides its worth giving away his passport (knowing full well he can’t return home without it) in exchange for information and a possible meet with Michael. This proved unsuccessful at first as Michael Schofield’s details had seemingly been “erased from history” but guards at the violent OGYGIA prison recognise his photo but recognise him as Kaniel Outis (Who!?) Well it turns out that Michael may or may not be a highly regarded terrorist who goes by the prison name of Kaniel Outis. Then we finally got the moment as fans we had been waiting for, the reuniting of the brothers! Unfortunately though, we were left with more questions than answers as Schofield doesn’t give his brother so much as a hello but more along the lines of “I don’t even know who you are”. Shocking I know! Your brother has flown all this way to Yemen and you give him the cold shoulder, but before we start to call the man a cretin you can see with his body language as he walked away that he wasn’t proud of what he just did. Maybe protecting himself or his brother? Either way this concluded what was a fast paced, brilliant reintroduction to the season 5 mini-series.
Thoughts for the season ahead
- The show has started exactly as it left off, fast paced, same characters, same music, same edge of your seat cliff hanger…gotta love it!
- Very enjoyable opener, no messing around
- The show knows what works and looks like they are sticking with the formula
- Why did Michael fake his own death in the first place?
- What is the significance of the name Kaniel Outis?
- Could Michael really be a terrorist now?
- Who are these people Lincoln owes money to?
- Who is trying to kill Lincoln?
- How will Sara react to Michael being alive all this time?
- The characters look like they’ve barely aged although Dominic Purcell’s acting is a little more “wooden” than before
I was sceptical initially but having seen the first episode, my mind is made up. Bringing the Prison Break gang back was a genius idea. The old saying you never know what you’ve got till its gone seems apt, but in this case, we never really knew how good we had it. It seems those years of absence have actually done the show more good than harm and I’m so pleased to be able to say that. You won’t be disappointed.
#WatchThatTV
Advertisements Share this:
