Prison Break 2.1 -- You Had Me at Bill Fichtner

Is it possible? Could Prison Break actually become a better show post escape? After last season’s drawn-out finish, this show was at the top of my Fall 2006 drop list, but after watching the sharp, confident season premiere, the majority of my issues with Prison Break no longer apply. Here’s why:

First and foremost, the long-awaited escape is now a thing of the past. Towards the end of last season the breakout became a bit of an albatross for the writers as they were forced to create numerous (and increasingly preposterous) ways to delay the big moment until the final episode. Many viewers, including myself, were a little fed up by the time Scofield and company got over the wall. This season, with the boys on the lam, there isn’t a concrete moment the whole season is leading up to. While that might seem a detriment to a show based on a precise premise, by this point most of us have enough invested in the characters that as long as we get our fair share of twists and turns we’ll barely notice the change of scenery. And the simple fact that we don’t know where this season is heading will certainly help prevent the unfortunate ennui that plagued us last spring.

Another optimistic sign came in the premiere’s big twist: the cold-blooded murder of Veronica Donovan in Terrence Steadman’s secret lodge (which we learned is more of a prison cell). Last season Prison Break was divided into two loosely interconnected plotlines -- the escape from Fox River and the investigation into the murder of Terrence Steadman. While most viewers were fully invested in the inmates’ trials, a great many of us couldn’t have cared less about all the conspiracy nonsense going on outside the walls. Now, Veronica’s murder gives the two storylines a much tighter, much more personal link, and with Michael and Lincoln on the outside they can finally be proactive in pursuing the truth without employing a proxy as they had to all last year. This means fewer narrative tangents and overall crisper storytelling. Always a plus.

The final, and for me most significant, positive for this show is the addition of Invasion MVP William Fichtner (credited as Bill Fichtner) to the cast. I made no secret of my unabashed admiration for his work on ABC’s most unfortunate casualty of last year, and while sour grapes required I belittle his move to Prison Break, I’m already loving his cool, smart presence on the show. All last year it was generally accepted that Scofield was smarter than everybody around him; the show's tension was all born of unfortunate timing and coincidences. With the addition of Fichtner as a fiendishly smart FBI agent, suddenly Scofield has an intellectual equal in the game. If the scene in the cemetery, with Fichtner popping pills, implies a similar psychological disposition as Michael (that maddening attention to systems and details), it could be very entertaining to watch these two try to outwit each other.

I had low expectations for this show going into tonight, but I really liked what I saw. Prison Break has managed to reinvent itself outside the walls of Fox River, and so far the changes have all been for the better.