lincoln burrows

(S03E08) "Take them all out." - Gretchen

The writer's strike hits again. We were supposed to get five more episodes before this season's fall finale. Instead we got a plain ol' ending comparable to any regular episode of Prison Break. Certainly not what I would have expected based on this show's history. It's not a bad thing, just disappointing. I understand the need to stockpile and space out the dwindling supply of new episodes, but it's unfortunate that it results in segmenting seasons in such sloppy fashion. Enough with the complaining though. The writer's strike is happening and we knew what to expect. If you can look beyond that, this episode really was quite good. It left us with plenty of questions to ponder as we wait for Prison Break to return in January.

(S03E05) "If we're going to get around these guys, we gotta get to know them." - Michael

Well, I suppose we were due to get an episode like this one. Slow, annoying, and for the most part, filler. Just a way to hash out a story that isn't fully conceived and doesn't depend on guaranteed accuracies. If we've learned one thing from Prison Break, it's that its not meant to be taken seriously. However, and this is just my opinion, that sub-conscious effort to disregard how foolish this show gets sometimes actually makes the bad stuff stick out even more for me.

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(S03E03) "I think I've heard that one before." - Michael

So... what's in the box? It's a simple question, used time and time again. The film Se7en pops into my mind. We've known for a while that Sarah Wayne Callies wouldn't be reprising her role on Prison Break and we finally saw her body double in this episode. Maybe it's too early to kill her off but it wouldn't surprise me if "what's in the box" offers the producers and writers behind this show an easy out.

That being said, my gut tells me it'll probably just be a finger wrapped up in some tissue paper. If they do kill Sara off, there goes the biggest incentive Michael has to get Whistler out of Sona. Sure, The Company would still have LJ and we know family is big deal with Michael... but it's still not the same, you know?

(S03E02) "I was sent to get you out of here." - Michael

And so the plot unfolds. I'll tell you, two episodes in and this is already infinitely better than season two of Prison Break. You know why? They're back in jail. The one thing that made the show great in the first place has been given new life. Rather than an entire country at his disposal, Michael now has only a few hundred jail cells surround by iron bars, brick, and concrete. It feels tense and more importantly, the eerie feeling of claustrophobia is back as well. The title of the show is applicable once again too.

According to MediaWeek, FOX now has to plans to waive Prison Break's hiatus. Just like last year, FOX had initial plans to pull the show at the end of November and bring it back in March with new episodes until the May finale. However, as has been the case lately, networks seem to be listening to viewers more than they used to. Last year, there were plenty of angry viewers when the jailbird drama took over three months off. Looks like FOX was paying attention.

Apparently, airing re-runs was brought up but ratings for second plays of serials like Prison Break usually aren't that good. Didn't FOX run a few Prison Break marathons on F/X last year though? Regardless, it looks like we'll be getting the second half of the sophomore drama earlier than we thought. Don't be misled though because it won't be 100% straight through the final eleven episodes. Prison Break will take the night off when 24 premieres in January and it will also be shelved for the two Mondays when FOX airs a couple of BCS college football games. After all that, it will return to it's normal run on Mondays with Prison Break at 8PM and 24 at 9PM. Sounds like good news to me.