Prison Break S3

As the third season of Prison Break begins, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) finds himself back in prison, only this time it's a down and dirty prison in Panama ruled by the tyrannical Lechero (The Wire's Robert Wisdom). Also sharing space with Michael are T-Bag (Robert Knepper), Bellick (Wade Williams), and Mahone (William Fichtner); while Linc (Dominic Purcell) works on the outside to get his brother free at any cost, with the assistance of a mysterious associate (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) who has her own agenda. The third season of Prison Break manages to provide pretty much the same kinds of action, suspense, drama, and twists that fans of the series would come to expect by now; which adds up to this season being a success. However, falling victim to the writer's strike, the third season of Prison Break ends up feeling rushed and somewhat incomplete. At only 13 episodes, this is something to be expected, but it still comes off as noticeable nonetheless. Flaws aside, this is still great TV to be seen, and everyone in it is in fine form as well. All in all, the third season of Prison Break while flawed, is still enjoyable, and sets the stage for even bigger developments to follow.

If you are into brutal action, seat-of-your-pants suspense, unexpected twists and turns every 5 or 10 minutes, get this set, block a couple of weekend nights and watch it. My wife and I couldn't stop watching. In fact, we gobbled up all 13 episodes over 2 nights and, when it was all over, we felt like we wanted more.

Michael is a different man in Season 3. Now, he is physically exhausted and emotionally drained, not sick but definitely tired. In Season 1, he generally knew what and whom he was facing; it was he who decided who were his friends, his allies, his enemies. He had studied their biographies and he was totally familiar with the environment and he knew exactly what to expect. He had a well-thought plan and he was implementing it. In 'Season 2' he was still following the plan but his control was slipping. By 'Season 3', he has to live with the consequences of his actions - people have died, people got hurt and more are dying and are getting hurt as the tale is told - and he is trying to make sense of his immediate environment (the prison) and those who are pulling the strings and seem to be in control (the Company). We see him tired, desperate, remorseful, doubting himself, sometimes unable or simply refusing to make sense of it all and yet hopeful, seeking some balance between the brutal world in which he has to survive and his desperate struggle to preserve his humanity.

This is the most testosterone-oozing, adrenalin-laced, action-packed TV show - and I could include 'movie' - I've seen in a long time and, possibly of all times. Think 'The Dirty Dozen' or 'The Great Escape' on steroids and uninhibited.

I am not going to give away any spoilers but, if you are going to watch this set, be prepared to for male bonding, explosive violence, brutality (they are not the same), torture (yes, waterboarding too), betrayal, barehanded fights to the death, stabbings, humiliation, sewer-level filth, desperation, blackmail, blood, mud, sweat, deception, mystery, misery, beheadings, execution-style killings, loyalty, fear, starvation, drug addiction, sweat, pain, just to name a few of the included attractions. You are NOT going to see: romantic kisses, bedroom scenes, shower scenes, sensitive metro-sexuals, preaching feminists, starry nights, fast cars, swimming pools or electronic gadgets.

Off the 4 women of this season we have one that's dead, a desperate prostitute, an absolute evil (but super-great looking) gargoyle and a naive but not exactly a shrinking violet, betrayed, girlfriend. I am not trying to even begin to portray 'the men'.

- The pluses - see above.
- The minuses - since we never 'watch TV', we are going to have to wait for one full year before we can lay our hands on 'season four'.

Disclaimer: I watched the Blu-ray release but, for this specific TV series, you should probably be okay with either the DVD or the Blu-ray. We have Seasons 1 and 3 in Blu and Season 2 in DVD. While it is true that the Blu visuals are better, this series is 90% about plot and action and you will be so immersed into it that you'll probably care little about 1080p or HD sound.

The third season of Prison Break was good television but lacked the key element that existed in seasons one and two and that was Michael's connection to the people around him. In season three Michael is again jailed but with characters that neither he, nor the viewer, really care about. In addition, some characters (not those killed off in the second year of the series)are gone due to the actors' contract disputes and/or accepting spots in other series. Finally, the writer's strike left the series with only half a year and although there is some resolution, overall, it felt weak because it was never intended to be the season finale. Will I buy it? Yes, because it builds hopefully to a better fourth season but as a stand-alone year the third season lacks the plotting quality of seasons one and two.

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