Prison Break: Fire/Water

It really hasn't been a good three years for Michael Scofield. After elaborately planning his brother's escape from death row, he spends an entire television season executing his plan, and is forced to have some dangerous criminals tag along. Once outside, he spends another television season being pursued by a cold-blooded genius named Mahone who kills his father and many others while on the run. He's also being pursued by a shadowy organization called "The Company," which orchestrated the events that led to Lincoln's wrongful conviction, and whose ultimate agenda is unclear. He falls in love with Sara Tancredi, the prison doctor at Fox River, and feels guilty about effectively ruining her career when he enlisted her help to escape, and eventually asks her to tag along to join him in Panama, where he ends up taking the fall for a murder he didn't commit, and is sent to the most dangerous prison in the country, where there are no guards and an inmate named Lechero is calling all the shots and happens to have a beef with Michael the "superstar."

Now that he is in Sona and his brother Lincoln is safe and free on the outside, he's being asked by "The Company" to help a man named Whistler escape. If he doesn't accomplish this task in a week, his nephew L.J. and Sara will be killed.To make matters worse, a few thorns from his past including the former Fox River prison guard and self-serving buffoon Bellick, the mass murdering one-handed T-Bag, as well as Alex Mahone are in Sona too - and they have agendas that conflict with Scofield's plans. Whistler's gone in hiding in the sewers because he's a wanted man with a price on his head - killing the mayor of Panama won't really make you any friends.

In this episode, Scofield has to seek out Whistler and make sure others don't find out about him - especially the nosy Bellick or T-Bag. Of course Bellick just wants to get food and clothing, and T-Bag wants to make sure he becomes more valuable to Lechero. Mahone simply wants to escape, and Whistler is his ticket to a court date.

I felt right at home with the complex prison manipulations and politics. In fact it is even better than the first season in some respects. I know the key players, and there's no honorable warden like Pope overseeing the prison. There are no rules in Sona other than the order the Lechero brings, and when a fight between two prisoners spills over the only water supply for the inmates, I realize just how fragile this sense of order is. The sense of dramatic tension is extremely effective in this episode, and despite the drawn out mythology related to "The Company", the immediate problem of how to get out of this mess and fix the water situation drives the episode.

In addition, I am treated to the return of Sucre, who's faced with a very difficult decision, and perhaps a pairing with Lincoln to help him with his work. This should be good for both characters because Lincoln's in danger of becoming nothing but an errand boy between the Company and Scofield, and he definitely needs something more substantial to do other than relay orders given by the Susan B. Perhaps with Sucre at his side, this outside-the-prison story can get more interesting.

The groundwork is being carefully laid for a highly entertaining season. Other than the actual set for Sona - which simply doesn't look gritty enough and is too bright and sunny to feel menacing, this episode manages to get almost everything right. The sense of urgency was perfectly executed, and the story around Whistler is definitely intriguing. It's good to know that Prison Break is back to its roots and if this episode is an indicator, I won't be disappointed.