I just finished the last season of this crazy television show centered on breaking out of prisons and destroying the evil empire of a secret group known as the Company when I realized that I should review the whole show instead of only the fourth season. To sum up this show I'd use the expression, addictive preposterousness.
Season 1: Here Michael Scofield purposely gets sent to the same prison his older brother, Lincoln Burrows, was sentenced. Lincoln sits on death row for a crime he did not commit which is why Michael is there, to break him out. How is he going to do this? The entire plan is on a patchwork of tattoos covering his body. What a great set up and it really is a blast to watch. The first season is probably the best with every episode ending in a cliffhanger that spring boards into another great concept. Lots of great kooky characters and twists and turns to make for really fun TV. Grade: A-
Spoiler Alerts Follow
Season 2: On the run, Michael and Lincoln along with some tag-a-longs (including T-bag, Sucre, C-Note and Tweener) maneuver their way to Westmoreland's Ranch to find D.B. Cooper's money. Chasing them is Alexander Mahone, US Marshall, who might be as smart as Michael. Sarah gets sucked into the plot too as she tries to meet up with Michael. Lincoln must rescue his son as well as his father. The craziness ensues all the way to Panama where the Company orchestrates it so Michael is put in a Panama Prison for the purpose of breaking someone else out. By the way, T-bag, Bellick and Mahone make it inside too. Michael's got to have some friends with him, right? For many people I've talked to this is where the show went downhill but it's not a train wreck as some have said. While Bellick's story line is crunched for timing issues, it's still fun to watch. T-Bag is even more evil than ever but sometimes in an unforgivable way. What makes this season kick is the cat-and-mouse game between Michael and Mahone and the suspense of Michael meeting up with Sarah. The ending is way too contrived but you need to set up for the third season so I can accept it. Grade: B+
Scene 3: Now in a Panama Prison with Lincoln on the outside, Michael must find a man named James Whistler to break out or a bad-ass black-haired chick named Gretchen is going to kill both Sarah and Lincoln's son. Meanwhile the Prison is run by another prisoner named Sammy who T-Bag angles to be friends with. While not as good as the previous seasons it still stands out as a fun ride. Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as Gretchen is hard to get use to, but she ends up being a great character. I liked the change of scenery and thought it was a great idea to experience prison from outside the US. Grade: B+
Season 4: The producers knew they had to get to the end so they sort of fast forward the audience into a situation where Michael, Lincoln, Mahone, Sarah, Sucre, and Bellick must help a homeland security agent named Donald Self steal a mysterious computer hard drive from the evil Company. The first show is really all set up but when this seasons starts to get good it does with a really cool heist plot that turns ugly. Can they beat the Company? Will T-Bag finally get his revenge on Michael? Will Sarah and Michal find happiness together? Will Bellick become a member of the gang? It's really fun to find out. I especially must applaud Michal Rapaport's performance as Donald Self. In the end what you have is a satisfying ending to a ridiculous romp. Grade: A-
The Final Break: A 90 minute extra movie that takes place after Seaon 4. This time it's Sarah that goes to Prison and Michael must break her out. It's a great way to film in the gap left after the fourth season. While I could have easily watched another hour or two of this story line it really ends as it should. Grade: B+
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