This article contains references to graphic violence.
Prison Breakwas one of the most exciting crime dramas of the 2000s and the upcoming reboot must return to its roots. The story centers on structural engineer Michael (Wentworth Miller), who breaks into a prison that he designed to break his innocent brother, Lincoln (Dominic Purcell), out. Thecharacters inPrison Breakranged from the wrongfully accused to the disturbing and dangerous, and while the show began to lose focus over time, the acting and fan favorites often saved it.Prison Break’s four seasons, reboot, and movie took the show from gritty drama to sci-fi at times.
The first season ofPrison Breakis tense, claustrophobic, and tragic. When the escape succeeds in the season 1 finale, this leads the show into a manhunt that consumes most of season 2. The first two seasons were excellent, with some shocking and brutal moments in season 3, butPrison Break’s quality declined by season 4, which had far less violence.The divisive ending of the original series has been retconned, meaning that the show now has three different endings. However, theupcomingPrison Breakrebootmust resolve the ending and return the show to its original tone.
The Prison Break Reboot Must Be As Dark And Violent As Season 1
Some of Prison Break’s Most Brutal Moments Happened In Season 1
Part ofwhat madePrison Breakso compelling was its unflinching portrayal of the violence and internal conflictsthat happen inside a prison. Michael has to contend with the sadistic guards and several allegiances and fights between the inmates, all while carrying out his escape plan. The later seasons focus too much on sanitized government conspiracies, losing the essence of the show. ThePrison Breakreboot must fix the original show’s problems, and one of these is the drastic genre change. The reboot must be a dark and violent drama and not a slick sci-fi.
Even Michael is not immune to torture inPrison Breakseason 1.
Several of the Fox River Eight are killed in season 2, but some ofthe most tragic moments inPrison Breakhappen in season 1. When the villainous T-Bag (Robert Knepper) abuses yet another frightened young man, the experience is so traumatic that he takes his own life in front of the entire prison. Later, Westmoreland (Muse Watson) finds that his beloved cat has been murdered by the antagonistic guard Bellick (Wade Williams) before he dies in agony during the escape. Even Michael is not immune to torture inPrison Break’s season 1, with the mafia boss John Abruzzi (Peter Stormare) cutting two of his toes off.
Prison Break Became Too Cartoonish As The Show Went On
The Prison Break Reboot Must Simplify Its Story To Succeed
Many of the villains inPrison Breakare larger-than-life characters, with both Bellick and T-Bag often stealing the show whenever they appear onscreen. That said, these antagonists are somewhat realistic, while the ones in seasons 3 and 4 have more in common with Bond villains than characters in a gritty crime series. Pitting Michael and his team against the government and its Scylla database took away some of the character-driven aspects of the show, and this failure is one of theharsh realities of rewatchingPrison Break. Therefore, the reboot must make its antagonists human rather than cartoonish.
The Prison Break Reboot Is Already Avoiding The Mistake That Killed The Original Show
The upcoming Prison Break reboot is making the controversial decision of veering away from Michael and Lincoln’s storyline for the first time.
The original premise forPrison Breakwas simple. Each episode shows Michael working on his escape plan, using his tattoos as a guide for each step. While there are side plots and a government coverup, these all directly affect Lincoln’s fate, which is still tied to Michael and the central escape plot.Prison Breakseason 1 told a simple story in a complex way, and this is where the third and fourth seasons went wrong. Rather than trying to add too many elements, thePrison Breakreboot should simplify its story and bring back the brutality of the flagship season.
