Hi there! Are you still watching Prison Break? It’s nice to meet you! So am I. And last night’s season finale made me wonder how much longer I’m gonna have to.
No spoilers here, but let’s just break (ha) down the facts: America fell in love with the first season’s high concept, and then immediately lost interest once the boys (and occasional girl who didn’t get shot or kidnapped) went on the run. But I kept watching, because I have abandonment issues. And I was treated to a long, long year of fleeing, shooting, dying, more shooting, more fleeing, some double-crossing, a little torture, and a whole bunch of Bill Fichtner (pictured) playing crazy — which, to be honest, was probably a more persuasive answer for the "why the hell are you still watching that thing" question than anything else.
And now, well, I don’t know what happens next.
Last night featured a bit of fairly predictable exoneration, as well asa bit more double-crossing, shooting, and fleeing. I also got to seeBill Fichtner kill someone with his bare hands, which was AWESOME. Butin terms of compelling reasons for me to give this meandering programanother year of my life? Eh. I’m unconvinced.So, friends who still watch: Are you going to continue? Anyone got anysuggestions for how to help this show reach a tidy conclusion, ideallysometime in the near future? And when will the networks learn that it’sokay to just have, like, one really awesome season of a show and then letit go?
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Oooh, Whitney. I have to disagree with you here. America may have lost some interest, which is disturbing to me.
But I definitely don’t feel like the show has really lost a step, despite losing characters that I wished they had kept (and keeping ones that I wish would have gone).
As much as I love the show, I do acknowledge that there are only so many places they can take the story. Last night’s ending hinted at the plot taking a weird “Lost”-like turn, and I hope that doesn’t happen.
I suspect we have one more season of “Prison Break”, and I suspect it will end with Michael bringing down the conglomerate that got the vice-president in power in the first place.
Apparently the Chinese ares still watching. According to NPR’s Marketplace last night pirated copies of Prison Break are the it item in communist China. THE KIDS LOVE IT!!!
I am one of those that stopped watching. While it was very entertaining (I AM sick) to see T-Bag manuever his way through society everyone else was pretty much a snooze. The twists and turns became more and more incongrous…but yet I still want to know what happened, I was not not interested enough to see them in “real time”. Are these episodes anywhere online?
I’m done. I thought they came to a great ending point last night and then all of that Sona stuff happened, and I can’t imagine myself caring anymore. It’ll be good to have a couple of months to myself so that I can let go of the program and move on to something else.
I haven’t stopped watching and I’m so looking forward to next season. You’re clearly missing the big picture here. Next season is going to be all about (hopefully) Michael and his mindmate Mahone trying to escape another prison. My bet is that they put him in SONA to either break someone out, because let’s face it they know he’s going to break out, or as some experiment, because they want him for something.
So next season will find me in front of my television eagerly awaiting what’s sure to be a great season with Mahone and Michael working together. Genius and crazy genius working together. That’s good tv.
The only thing I’ve been disappointed in has been the lack of Prison Break buzz. I thought this season (particularly the last few episodes) has been amazing. I didn’t think it would succeed outside of the prison, but it has – and has now returned to a prison.
The show for me is all about complicated, flawed characters – and the addition of Mahone this year fit that perfectly. I am looking forward to Michael and Mahone joining forces next year.
Whitney, right on as usual.
I wanted to care as each plot became more preposterous than the last…but the cast deserves better than these latest “twists.” One season and DONE – now there is a true “concept” show.
Im never going to stop watching until the SERIES finale next year. It was reported that the 3rd season is definitely the last, and if you stuck with it these two seasons then I think it deserves some attention at its end. I hope that Sara is actually a good person and sides with Linc to help Michael escape or something. Ill be pissed if she is bad and working for the company somehow. THey only people I think that deserve a happy ending are Michael, Linc and Sara..and Linc can get back LJ and hook it up with that blonde chick taking care of him. Prison Break execs should hire me to help them out.
His last name is spelled Fichtner, not Fitchner.
Thief, on FX was a decent one season show that wrapped up the storyline completely. Also look at Ricky Gervais’ decision to end the British version of the Office after only a brief run, and his decision to only do 2 seasons of extras rather than have the show lose it creative energy. Same might be said of Seinfeld’s decision to cancel the show at the height of its poularity rather than risk a mediocre denoument. I’m not sure what I think about limiting shows to a season though, as for every meandering show like Prison Break there are plenty of other shows that remain compelling season after season. It’s a tough call.
i knew i was done four or five episodes ago. an incestuous relationship between the president and her brother. T-Bag inexplicably getting way again and again. bringing Bellick back again and again. and the last two scenes made me more sure than ever: just when Michael, Lincoln and Sara think it’s finally over, Kim arrives, Sara shoots him, and now Michael’s gonna take the rap. Then we see Michael being delieverd to Sona, a beyond disgusting prison, and look! there’s Bellick, beyond disgusting as well. not shocking, just ridiculous at this point. oh well, we’ll always have Fox River…
Wow. Reading these all of people panning the show makes me question whether or not I am the moron that I always feared I would become. LOL…
What am I missing here? I don’t think the show is bad at all. I mean, Sucre and Linc aren’t the best actors, but I think they are there to bring in a female audience anyway. Their acting is neglible to me.
I don’t find the show nearly as silly and boring as “Lost”. If they can find a way to keep it around for more than next season (without it getting really silly), I’d like to see it.
Guess I’m in the minority.
Unlike Lost, Prison Break actually completes storylines. They don’t string you along in hopes that you will stay. C-Note made it, several others didn’t but the story keeps moving on. And the incest twist was great because it had to be something shocking for us to care and make the President fold.
I love the new twist and gives the show a nice boost. I will definitely keep watching.
Was that Bellick in Sona? I thought it might have been, but I couldn’t tell for sure. Seems to me like Michael would have done something besides kept going.
I really like the show and curiosity will keep me watching as long as it returns. HOWEVER, I’m very disapointed in the fact that like most finale’s, it should have given us the 2 Hr. finale we all deserved!!:( C’mon FOX your slippin!
Please dont reference Lost to this show…I have to agree that the first season of PB was fun and exciting but this one stank it up…big time….PLUS LOST is the best show on TV period. And to correlate anything with LOST is just downright silly….
Yep, I’m another one that recently has stopped watching. I couldn’t take the circles that Michael and Linc kept going in. I LOVED Season 1. It was an additction. But about a month ago I just couldn’t take it anymore. I was tired of everyone being killed while the “bad guy” list kept growing. And, I just can’t see any way for the show to be wraped up in even a semi-believable way…but, I do still want to know what happens…*sigh*
Professor74-Interesting you make the comparison to LOST, I agree with the statement that Prison Break “gives answers” each week, however this is really an Apples to Watermelon comparison. LOST progresses its story in dribs and drabs and gives you a piece to the puzzle in a different area each week, eventually the pieces start connecting and you get the whole picture (Just hope ABC doesn’t get too greedy). PRison Break is on the 24 format of stuff happening every week with increasingly predictable cliff hangers with very predictable outcomes. You know Michael and Link HAVE to get away. I still like this show, but not nearly as much as the Awesome Season One. Fox should have wrapped it up this season with Michael and Link getting exonerated. Some of the other guys getting their just desserts and a mix of happy/sad ends to these guys. The abve review is short, but spot on, I feel exactly the same way. I’ll likely be back in Fall, but the implausible things that keep occuring have to stop!
Yep, I’m another one that recently has stopped watching. I couldn’t take the circles that Michael and Linc kept going in. I LOVED Season 1. It was an additction. But about a month ago I just couldn’t take it anymore. I was tired of everyone being killed while the “bad guy” list kept growing. And, I just can’t see any way for the show to be wraped up in even a semi-believable way…but, I do still want to know what happens…*sigh*
Do you really think audiences would be happy with “one really good season” of any show? no way.
I’m the one who started watching BECAUSE of William Fichtner. Now I guess I’ll be locked in to watching the following season.
William Fichtner will always be AWESOME.
AD-RE: your post. The difference between PB and shows like Seinfeld is that PB is a serial. One Seinfeld could be completely different from the next, the only thing the audience cared about was it was funny.
As for PB this season saw a LOT of ridiculous events, I mean come on are these guys implanted with tracking chips, not only traceable by Mahone but by each other!? Anyway enough of that, I usually watched the show, so I won’t hack on it, It’s water under the bridge, but a better formula would have been an escaped end of S1 and most of the guys including Michael get recaptured. Link couldn’t because he had an execution date, unless they wanted to postpone it, then murder the Gov. for doing it.. The big miss this season was the Writers only had ideas and material for about a dozen eps, they ran 24 or so, Come on how many times is Billick going to get caught in a murder set up? OK OK I said I wouldn’t hack…
I loved this show from the beginning, but it should have ended last night. Shoot Kim, get on boat everyone lives happily ever after THE END! When the cops show up you run AWAY from the boat??? My husband and I were shouting at the TV “WHY????”
By the way, I also thought it was Bellick on the floor in the prison, glad to see I was not the only one because my husband said I was wrong.
But I will probably watch it again next year, just to see how ridiculous it can become. Season 4? Prison Break Babies!!!!!
I’m with you Whitney. Last night was my last episode of Prison Break. I was done a few weeks ago but stuck it through to the finale. And one look at Sona sealed the deal for me. I am done.
Some stories need to have an ending, and this is one. This isn’t like ER or CSI, which can go on forever, it’s a great idea that was already packed with time-wasting filler in Season 1, and has gone on only because Fox is afraid they won’t be able to develop any other shows that get halfway decent ratings. Would anyone have been disappointed if the show had simply gone out with a bang last night, wrapped up all the storylines, and called it a day?
There is only one reason to watch this show. Michael is hot and as a straight man I would let him do anything to me.
Wow I feel really dumb because I think it’s gotten better this year. I love seeing Michael running around free in the wilderness!
The season finale gave me even more reason to come back next year. All the new stuff presented in the last several minutes was as intriguing a cliffhanger as they come.
I actually enjoyed Season 2 more than the first. That was some sprawling, epic stuff, yet still tightly-wound in Prison Break fashion. I love that it’s going in this dark place. Plus,***SPOILER FROM LAST NIGHT*** how can you NOT be pumped for a Michael and Mahone team-up in that sketched out prison?
I personally have quite enjoyed this season and will keep watching. I actually know a good amount of converts that couldn’t watch the bleak confining first season and got hooked on “The Fugitive” style set up of Season 2.
To GoddessLu, go to
http://creative.myspace.com/VOD/prison_break/index.html for the episodes. I tried posting this on the PB TV watch, but was unable to.
Although I agree that PB season 2 lost its excellent season 1 high tension (and it should’ve ended after two seasons like the original plan), I’m still going to stick around for the next season. If this mediocre season of 24 is any indication, I might need an extra helping of Scofield next year.
I’m sticking around to the bitter end.