So after this many years I finally get around to watching the much-touted series Prison Break, the legendary series that during its tenure everyone and their dog was talking about. And after watching it nearly to its fifth and apparently final season I find myself reviewing it with very mixed feelings.
Had the series ended after season two I would have given it a significantly higher rating. The third year/season involving the Panama plot line was a comedown in quality from the first two but still watchable. Everything that came after that, however, let's just say the producers probably should have repackaged it a comedy and just owned the ridiculousness of it.
The acting is mostly quite solid. Regarding the lead, watch and be amazed as Wentworth Miller whispers and breathy-throaty-talks his way through the entirety of the series, employing his standard two facial expressions: thoughtful eagle-eye and intense blazing eagle-eye, while his legions of loyal fans laud him as a "great actor" all over social media. Look, the level of acting is decent overall, with several standout characters such as Robert Knepper (T-Bag) and Wade Williams (Brad the corrections officer) although as the series progresses they seem to serve more as comedy relief than the deranged dangerous people they were originally intended as. Adelstein was great as the tainted secret service agent everyone loves to hate.
Although the connection between the two brothers remains mostly solid and believable, the romance between Michael (Wentworth Miller) and Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies) delivers no real depth of emotion or feeling. It's just there, as an afterthought, and in my opinion this is largely due to Miller's inability to emote any real intensity of interest. He said the words, but his facial expressions barely vary from the two mentioned previous, and the effort needed to convey just how convict Michael would have been longing for Sara just wasn't there. What little he did deliver was wooden.
Nolasco's performance as Sucre was solid, as was Fichtner's take on Alex Mahone. Danay Garcia as Sofia in the third season was delivered with gusto, however I found it disappointing that there was no further exploration of romance with her and Linc afterwards. After all, he did promise to take her to Paris.
Comedy of Errors.
The series is littered with a parade of goofs, everything from very avoidable errors in continuity to glaring plot holes that simply can't be overlooked. Every series has continuity errors, but those major goofs are hard to see past. So-called trained operatives and agents who fire off dozens of rounds, often using incorrect tactics and rookie-like gripping of firearms all while hitting none of their targets, all things that the series is rife with. Add in the innumerable beyond belief story twists to the insufferably endless allegiance flip-flopping and PB becomes a tunnel of love where you enter with great expectations, navigate its early stages highly entertained, and then you're treated to eyerolling and facepalming agony later on due to its cliches, inconsistencies and often ludicrous turns.
Now to the million-dollar question. Is Prison Break worth watching? People who still haven't watched it want to know, seeing as it's now available on Netflix in its entirety. The answer is yes... and no. Yes, because you'll get the rather intense action and twist-riddled drama you're all seeking, for at least 2-3 seasons. Happy binge-watching. However, I wouldn't recommend getting so attached that you want to go much beyond season 4, because that 4th season is a steady slide into sheer mind-numbing ridiculousness to the point that I can barely stomach the thought of torturing myself with that 5th and apparently final season. Yes, that's right, the series is unfinished and thus will leave you hanging with no conclusion. Prison Break is a good show, just not great. It is nowhere near in league with The Wire, Breaking Bad, etc. It was close for a few moments, and then the writers simply overestimated the amount of sub-par writing they could sell to nearly half of the fan base.
So I'll recommend everyone enjoy as much as you can stand and then once your intelligence has been insulted enough times move on to something else to watch.
Rating -
Based on seasons 1&2: 7 Overall total series rating: 5.
Had the series ended after season two I would have given it a significantly higher rating. The third year/season involving the Panama plot line was a comedown in quality from the first two but still watchable. Everything that came after that, however, let's just say the producers probably should have repackaged it a comedy and just owned the ridiculousness of it.
The acting is mostly quite solid. Regarding the lead, watch and be amazed as Wentworth Miller whispers and breathy-throaty-talks his way through the entirety of the series, employing his standard two facial expressions: thoughtful eagle-eye and intense blazing eagle-eye, while his legions of loyal fans laud him as a "great actor" all over social media. Look, the level of acting is decent overall, with several standout characters such as Robert Knepper (T-Bag) and Wade Williams (Brad the corrections officer) although as the series progresses they seem to serve more as comedy relief than the deranged dangerous people they were originally intended as. Adelstein was great as the tainted secret service agent everyone loves to hate.
Although the connection between the two brothers remains mostly solid and believable, the romance between Michael (Wentworth Miller) and Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies) delivers no real depth of emotion or feeling. It's just there, as an afterthought, and in my opinion this is largely due to Miller's inability to emote any real intensity of interest. He said the words, but his facial expressions barely vary from the two mentioned previous, and the effort needed to convey just how convict Michael would have been longing for Sara just wasn't there. What little he did deliver was wooden.
Nolasco's performance as Sucre was solid, as was Fichtner's take on Alex Mahone. Danay Garcia as Sofia in the third season was delivered with gusto, however I found it disappointing that there was no further exploration of romance with her and Linc afterwards. After all, he did promise to take her to Paris.
Comedy of Errors.
The series is littered with a parade of goofs, everything from very avoidable errors in continuity to glaring plot holes that simply can't be overlooked. Every series has continuity errors, but those major goofs are hard to see past. So-called trained operatives and agents who fire off dozens of rounds, often using incorrect tactics and rookie-like gripping of firearms all while hitting none of their targets, all things that the series is rife with. Add in the innumerable beyond belief story twists to the insufferably endless allegiance flip-flopping and PB becomes a tunnel of love where you enter with great expectations, navigate its early stages highly entertained, and then you're treated to eyerolling and facepalming agony later on due to its cliches, inconsistencies and often ludicrous turns.
Now to the million-dollar question. Is Prison Break worth watching? People who still haven't watched it want to know, seeing as it's now available on Netflix in its entirety. The answer is yes... and no. Yes, because you'll get the rather intense action and twist-riddled drama you're all seeking, for at least 2-3 seasons. Happy binge-watching. However, I wouldn't recommend getting so attached that you want to go much beyond season 4, because that 4th season is a steady slide into sheer mind-numbing ridiculousness to the point that I can barely stomach the thought of torturing myself with that 5th and apparently final season. Yes, that's right, the series is unfinished and thus will leave you hanging with no conclusion. Prison Break is a good show, just not great. It is nowhere near in league with The Wire, Breaking Bad, etc. It was close for a few moments, and then the writers simply overestimated the amount of sub-par writing they could sell to nearly half of the fan base.
So I'll recommend everyone enjoy as much as you can stand and then once your intelligence has been insulted enough times move on to something else to watch.
Rating -
Based on seasons 1&2: 7 Overall total series rating: 5.