Prison Break: Looking Back on Season 2
From the very beginning, “Prison Break” was the perfect companion and lead-in to “24”, the Monday-night powerhouse for FOX. Packed with a weekly litany of improbable plot twists and over-the-top characters, “Prison Break” has provided fans with a surprisingly enjoyable experience for two seasons in a row. In fact, many fans of both shows now feel that “Prison Break” is more reliable than “24”, with a stronger emphasis on characterization and plot continuity.
Of course, unlike “24”, “Prison Break” is constrained by the nature of its premise. The first season was an easy sell: Michael Scofield, a genius, would put together a complex plan to break himself and his brother out of prison, while several forced conspired to prevent it. The season arc was built into the very first episode, and the writers were able to put together a compelling roadmap. The average review rating for the first season was a solid 7.6, rivaling some of the best shows on television.
The second season was far more complicated. The characters were on the run, and quite often, the plot demanded that they scatter. That took away a primary element of focus, challenging the writers to find something interesting for nearly every minor character from the first season. The conspiracies had to come front and center as well, and while those elements were substantial in the first season, the writers had to keep things fresh.
The writers started off on the right foot with the introduction of Special Agent Alexander Mahone, played by the talented and underappreciated William Fichtner. Mahone was quickly established as Michael Scofield’s equal but opposite, a man with just as much insight and just as much incentive. Where Bellick in the first season was more of a thug, Mahone was a true threat.
The first third of the season set up Michael and Mahone in a complex chess game with unusual moral implications. Michael was the apparent hero, but he was forced into committing and allowing immoral actions to achieve his goals. Mahone was the apparent villain, but he was dedicated to preventing further crime and taking down dangerous fugitives. Neither man was completely wrong, and neither man was completely right. It was a nearly perfect construction.
Unfortunately, the middle third of the season hit a rough patch when Mahone was revealed to be working with the conspiracy, which took something away from the symmetry between Michael and Mahone. While Mahone’s character would ultimately gain substantial and intriguing complication, the initial treatment of the twist coincided with a string of episodes designed to position the various characters into positions.
By the end of the fall run and the beginning of the mid-season hiatus, the season was teetering on the edge. Many of the character turns felt aimless, as if the writers had a clear sense of what to do early in the arc and then hoped for inspiration from there. Things changed quickly coming off the hiatus, with the swift and methodical exploration of key elements of the conspiracy and Michael’s more proactive approach to resolving the problem. Kellerman’s reversal and Sara’s interaction with Michael, mated with welcome depth for Mahone, created an incredibly strong primary plot thread.
This gave the writers enough slack to bring the subplots into order, especially in the final third of the season, and the result was a return to the thrill-ride quality of the first season. An amazing number of subplots were linked to the main plot, and in the final episodes of the season, there were very few loose ends. This made it easier to forgive the rough patches earlier in the season, even when some character threads still felt contrived.
The strength of the second half of the season brought the average review rating to 7.3, which in relative terms, is not significantly lower than the first season average. The difference lies in the middle third of the season and how the writers initially dealt with revelations about Mahone, and that is largely subjective. Ultimately, as different as the second season was from the original premise, it worked because of the balance between the familiar and the new.
Of course, unlike “24”, “Prison Break” is constrained by the nature of its premise. The first season was an easy sell: Michael Scofield, a genius, would put together a complex plan to break himself and his brother out of prison, while several forced conspired to prevent it. The season arc was built into the very first episode, and the writers were able to put together a compelling roadmap. The average review rating for the first season was a solid 7.6, rivaling some of the best shows on television.
The second season was far more complicated. The characters were on the run, and quite often, the plot demanded that they scatter. That took away a primary element of focus, challenging the writers to find something interesting for nearly every minor character from the first season. The conspiracies had to come front and center as well, and while those elements were substantial in the first season, the writers had to keep things fresh.
The writers started off on the right foot with the introduction of Special Agent Alexander Mahone, played by the talented and underappreciated William Fichtner. Mahone was quickly established as Michael Scofield’s equal but opposite, a man with just as much insight and just as much incentive. Where Bellick in the first season was more of a thug, Mahone was a true threat.
The first third of the season set up Michael and Mahone in a complex chess game with unusual moral implications. Michael was the apparent hero, but he was forced into committing and allowing immoral actions to achieve his goals. Mahone was the apparent villain, but he was dedicated to preventing further crime and taking down dangerous fugitives. Neither man was completely wrong, and neither man was completely right. It was a nearly perfect construction.
Unfortunately, the middle third of the season hit a rough patch when Mahone was revealed to be working with the conspiracy, which took something away from the symmetry between Michael and Mahone. While Mahone’s character would ultimately gain substantial and intriguing complication, the initial treatment of the twist coincided with a string of episodes designed to position the various characters into positions.
By the end of the fall run and the beginning of the mid-season hiatus, the season was teetering on the edge. Many of the character turns felt aimless, as if the writers had a clear sense of what to do early in the arc and then hoped for inspiration from there. Things changed quickly coming off the hiatus, with the swift and methodical exploration of key elements of the conspiracy and Michael’s more proactive approach to resolving the problem. Kellerman’s reversal and Sara’s interaction with Michael, mated with welcome depth for Mahone, created an incredibly strong primary plot thread.
This gave the writers enough slack to bring the subplots into order, especially in the final third of the season, and the result was a return to the thrill-ride quality of the first season. An amazing number of subplots were linked to the main plot, and in the final episodes of the season, there were very few loose ends. This made it easier to forgive the rough patches earlier in the season, even when some character threads still felt contrived.
The strength of the second half of the season brought the average review rating to 7.3, which in relative terms, is not significantly lower than the first season average. The difference lies in the middle third of the season and how the writers initially dealt with revelations about Mahone, and that is largely subjective. Ultimately, as different as the second season was from the original premise, it worked because of the balance between the familiar and the new.
posted by John Keegan | 07:31
1 Comments:
There are some people who wish that the show ended now, and are not happy with the Lost-like conspiracy that will probably be the focus of the third season. Any comments on that? I love reading your reviews :)
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