Prison Break | Teen Ink

Prison Break

June 8, 2017
By Nataliekolo21 SILVER, Wyckoff, New Jersey
Nataliekolo21 SILVER, Wyckoff, New Jersey
6 articles 0 photos 0 comments

A show that originally aired on Fox on August 29, 2005 and ended four years later recently resurrected for a fifth and final season consisting of just nine episodes. Prison Break, created by Paul Scheuring, is an intense crime drama and action series that keeps the viewers wanting more. Protagonist Michael Scofield breaks out of multiple prisons over his lifetime, hence the name Prison Break. With the help of his brother, his wife, and a few close friends along the way, he finds a life that consists of running and hiding to stay out of harms way.
The show begins with Michael Scofield deliberately sending himself to prison in order to help his brother, Lincoln Burrows escape. Michael is a brilliant structural engineer who was diagnosed with low latent inhibition, which means that his brain uses every aspect of his surroundings. With this intense intelligence, Michael makes for a fun and interesting character to watch.


One of the most notable parts in the show that adds to the plotline and character development is the dialogue. Each character is known for their individual dialect and using foreign actors allow the creators to really put their scripts on display. Sara Scofield, played by Sarah Waynes Callies, is known for her reassuring tone throughout the whole show. In season five, this is put on display in the beginning of the first episode when her son asks her about his father, Michael Scofield. Her son asks about his father, and what he was like. Sara responded with, “He was like a storm appearing out of a clear blue sky and then disappearing just as quickly” (season five, episode one). Just this one line shows how mysterious Michael is and how caring Sara is.


  In the most recent season, the show is shot partly in a prison located in Yemen, during the present Yemeni civil war. Many of the prisoners are not from the United States; most are from the Middle East, along with a few characters from South Korea, Canada, and the brothers who are from Chicago. This TV series in particular illustrates why it is so important for the dialogue to be perfect, because without it, there would be a lot of confusion.


This season was one of the best of the series because it showed how all the characters have developed over the years. Even with a new plot line, the writers bring in enough of the past that the watchers remember the show and this allows watchers to reconnect with the characters. There is enough foreshadowing that viewers can try to predict the show, but do not know for sure if they are right. While the other seasons were also outstanding, season five was ultimately the best because it was the resurrection. Most people were nostalgic and loved the idea of bringing the show back for another season, especially after the recent success on websites like Hulu and Netflix.


This show stands out from other series and was revived for a fifth season because of the talented actors and what they brought to the show. Wentworth Miller, who plays Michael, does an outstanding job at capturing his intelligence and problem solving skills throughout the story. In the most recent season, Michael became ill while on the run, but managed somehow to make it to safety. During his journey, Miller’s acting showed how influential a scene like this could be. He had all the watchers at the edge of their seats hoping for the best. Dominic Purcell, who plays Michael’s older brother, has great character development going from the casual and scared older brother, now being protective and clever. Michael and his wife Sara’s journey makes the audience want to sob at some moments and smile at other times.


This newest season has gotten outstanding reviews due to the plot twists and character development in the season. The audience rated the show an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, but because the show ended just one week ago, there are few other reviews on it. Even though there isn’t much circulating about Prison Break currently, it has shown to be a very successful series. It is available to watch on Hulu, Fox, and soon to be on Netflix.



Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 0 comments.