Review: Prison Break 101 – 102
One of the first new series to premiere on the network this season, it’s the Fox spearheading what looks like a success. Airing in the timeslot where 24 leads in the ratings (also on Fox, but in the usual Jan-May run), is now a similar series. Basically, it’s a prison break (probably takes 30 days) series, with a long story arc.
Like many movie execs before (Imagine (Ron Howard and Brian Grazer), Bryan Singer, Jerry Bruckheimer, Scott Free (Ridley and Tony)), Brett Ratner fits in his own series before taking a crack at the next X-men movie. And he makes quite an impression, not really by just directing the pilot, but more by having the ability to show off this series with the same zest that made 24 a success. Right from the start you’re into it, and the intense gritty atmosphere never drops in pressure. It’s also clear the meticulously planned prison break reveals itself more and more over the season, with the intricacies and unexpected story twists functioning as the glue to your seat. In between, there is still time to get to know a whole bunch of characters better, bit by bit, while the story also keeps unfolding outside the prison walls.
All in all, with only 2 episodes aired, it’s definitely a worthy seat warmer until 24 returns in 2006, if not equally exciting.