TV: Prison Break
After 3 episodes of Fox's newest fall show, I have to say, it's pretty enjoyable. While it's certainly no "24"--which is what Fox is hyping it up to be--it is engaging and intriguing. At the same time, however, the show seems intent on playing up every prison cliche around and is led by a protagonist so cocky he makes Clubber Lang look downright bashful.
The story centers around Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller, who you probably haven't seen before but looks like Ashton Kutcher and acts with the same look on his face in every scene) whose brother (Blade III's Dracula) has lost his final appeal and will be executed in 30 days. Convinced of his brother's innocence and that a goverment conspiracy (which the show allows us to see, though why exactly is still unknown) is setting him up, Scofield has himself thrown in prison (fortunately, he lands in the same prison his brother is in) in order to set up a . . . well, you saw the title of the show.
Subplots include Dracula's re-bonding with his son as his execution approaches, Lucifer from Constantine as a mob boss whose helpl Scofield needs, possible love interests from all angles (including a lawyer and former girlfriend who looks like she's about 18), and the usual prison elements of shivs, race riots, nasty prison guards, and so forth. In fact, much of this show feels like it was cribbed from Greatest Moments of Prison Film (goodbye Hispanic cell mate, hello crazy cell mate!) but fortunately slick production values--the show is filmed in an actual, though no longer working, prison--and an enjoyable story boosted by the "what's going to happen next" factor keep it working.
In some ways the weakest part of the show is Scofield himself, whom Miller played as cocky and sure of everything, despite all the "curveballs" that the show's writers keep throwing in his direction. In some ways the level of detail he's thought through this prison break is absolutely silly and unbelievable, but I'm willing to suspend that disbelief for the show. His smug attitude, though, is just grating, and I hope the course of the season sees him get less and less sure of himself as things continue to go wrong. If not, the show might struggle keeping at least this viewer contained.
Final score: 3.5 cents, with potential
The story centers around Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller, who you probably haven't seen before but looks like Ashton Kutcher and acts with the same look on his face in every scene) whose brother (Blade III's Dracula) has lost his final appeal and will be executed in 30 days. Convinced of his brother's innocence and that a goverment conspiracy (which the show allows us to see, though why exactly is still unknown) is setting him up, Scofield has himself thrown in prison (fortunately, he lands in the same prison his brother is in) in order to set up a . . . well, you saw the title of the show.
Subplots include Dracula's re-bonding with his son as his execution approaches, Lucifer from Constantine as a mob boss whose helpl Scofield needs, possible love interests from all angles (including a lawyer and former girlfriend who looks like she's about 18), and the usual prison elements of shivs, race riots, nasty prison guards, and so forth. In fact, much of this show feels like it was cribbed from Greatest Moments of Prison Film (goodbye Hispanic cell mate, hello crazy cell mate!) but fortunately slick production values--the show is filmed in an actual, though no longer working, prison--and an enjoyable story boosted by the "what's going to happen next" factor keep it working.
In some ways the weakest part of the show is Scofield himself, whom Miller played as cocky and sure of everything, despite all the "curveballs" that the show's writers keep throwing in his direction. In some ways the level of detail he's thought through this prison break is absolutely silly and unbelievable, but I'm willing to suspend that disbelief for the show. His smug attitude, though, is just grating, and I hope the course of the season sees him get less and less sure of himself as things continue to go wrong. If not, the show might struggle keeping at least this viewer contained.
Final score: 3.5 cents, with potential
Joel's two cents. | 9:46 AM
<< Home