Prison Break 2.1: "Manhunt"

Written by Paul Scheuring
Directed by Kevin Hooks


It feels like the first season only ended a few weeks ago, and this premiere picks up exactly where the first season left off. That’s a tough mandate to pull off, considering that the audience had a lot of expectation and there were a ton of variables to explore. For the most part, I think the writers managed to pull it off, but there are obvious signs of tweaking the details.

First and foremost, there is the positive development. William Fichtner was the perfect choice for Michael’s equal and opposite. It’s tough to be convincing when your character has to be smarter than every other character on the show to date, except the lead character, but he pulled it off beautifully. The thing with Fichtner is that he can act with his eyes. When he’s supposed to be thinking and making connections, it’s right there on the screen. He conveys intelligence, and that’s why it worked.

So why was it that easy? Well, I think the audience forgets that they have a lot more background information and explanation than any of the other law enforcement characters to this point. Bellick and the others had no reason to search Michael’s real estate, and they had little reason to question the tattoo. Mahone is seeing all of this information within a very different context, and with that in mind, I think it was logical. A trained, experienced, and talented agent with a highly detail-oriented approach would probably have the same success.

From a storytelling perspective, the writers had to sell the idea, very quickly, of someone with the skill and drive to put enormous pressure on the escapees. Bellick is a brute; he’s clever enough in the prison setting, but he’s not trained for the big picture. The writers needed to keep the intensity level on high, and this was the best way to do it.

The other obvious reason for the quick and dirty introduction of Mahone was the collapse of the conspiracy subplot. It will likely emerge over time as an ongoing concern, since it was at the forefront of the producers’ minds from the beginning, but it’s clear that the loss of Patricia Wettig has forced that to change. Also, Veronica’s character never developed as strongly as intended, and even in this episode, her scenes tended to drag down the pacing. All in all, Veronica adds more through her death, especially given the effect on Lincoln.

Sarah’s subplot is something that could be problematic. Her survival is a good thing (perhaps bought at Veronica’s expense), but the writers have to be careful and ensure that her subplot factors into the big picture quickly. The fans were really involved in the Michael/Sarah relationship, so the writers should make damn sure that she doesn’t become a weight on the back of the season arc.

I could talk about all the little plot details, but this was a jam-packed premiere, and there’s a lot still to process. In fact, it was so dense that it showed serious signs of editing for time. Some edits were incredibly bad, especially for a high-profile season premiere. When the audience can tell when dialogue was snipped to shave extra seconds from the running time, it’s a bad situation. Hopefully it was an isolated problem, and things will be smoother in the next episode.

(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover the “Prison Break”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 1/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10