Saturday, November 12, 2005

Prison Break

Just a word about what is undoubtedly the best not only new show on television, but as far as I'm concerned the best show on television period. It's great on so many levels, the acting, directing, cinematography, plot, dialogue, and finally, though I damn well hope Inever find this out for sure, it seems to be a very realistic portrayal of prison life.

I will just give a brief summar of the plot, with a warning. This show is a serial, something that is almost a necessity in order for a television show to hold my interest. So if you miss one episode you are missing out. Also, if you havent' caught the show as of yet, you might want to seriously consider waiting until the entire years episodes are re-run.

As for what the show is about, it is about a man who purpsely commits a crime, or pretends to make the attempt (by discharging a firearm in a bank, then promptly surrendering to the guards) in order to get sent to the prison at wehich his brother ios soon to be executed fo rthe murder of none other than the Vice-President of the United States. Lincoln Burrows is innocent of course, and his half-brother Michael Scoffield is certain of that, but all appeals have been exhausted. And so, while Burrows ex-girlfriend, a lawyer, is busily working on the outside doing research through legal channels to try to win yet another appeal before the execution date, Michaels has firmly implanted himself in the prison, complete with a large scale tattoo all over his torse that just happens to be the blueprints of the prison, which he himself happened to have designed while working for the firm that built the facility.

Of course, there are all kinds of characters there. There is Abruzzi, a mob boss spending the rest of his life in prison for the murder of mob rivals, and who Scoffield has forged an uneasy alliance with. There is Sucre, a Hispanic and cell-mate of Scoffield who has joined in the plot to escape out of desperation in that his lady, the love of his life, has impatiently run into the arms of his cousin and rival. There is T-Bag, a real dirt bag, a homosexual rapist/murderer and head of a white supremacist group who has instigated himself into the plot to break out of the prison by virtue of accidentally learning about it.

There is actually an endless list of characters, including the fictitous female vice-president of the United States, who seems to be the head of the conspiracy to set Lincold Burrows up for the murder of her brother. But this is one of those shows where every thing isn't necessarrily what it seems to be. But the two secret service agents who have murdered Burrows' ex-wife and husband, and are tracking his child, LJ,are determined to keep the vp, who has recently announced her own run for the presidency, out of any hint of trouble or scandal, by any means necessary.

Well, going over what I've written here, I realize that there is no way I can describe the shwo in a way that will do it justice. All I can do is encourage you to watch it and find ut for yourself. I dopn't recommend series elevision very often. The only other series I watch on a regular basis are Cold Case, The Night Stalker, and 24, which I am patiently waitng for the return of this January.

At any rate, if you like edge of your seat, jaw dropping and heart stopping suspense, mystery, and action, you can't go wrong with Prison Break.
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