At the close of Prison Break's terrific season 1,
the motley crew of convicts successfully accomplished the title. So
naturally, season 2 becomes about the manhunt, where the best-laid
plans of Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller)--concealed in his body
tattoo with his escape route and hinted at throughout last
season--get thrown for a loop. First, he and his convicted brother
Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) are torn between fleeing the country and
staying to clear Lincoln's name, which draws them deeper into a
conspiracy that surpasses even the President of the United States
(Patricia Wettig). Second, they're simultaneously pursued by Agent
Kellerman (a terrific Paul Adelstein); prison warden Bellick (Wade
Williams), now a bounty hunter; and a new pursuer: FBI agent
Alexander Mahone (William Fichtner in all his bug-eyed glory), whose
intelligence makes him a worthy foe to Michael, and whose
pill-popping habit makes him just unstable enough to be interesting.
There's also a new sinister lackey for the Company named Bill Kim
(Reggie Lee, whose constant grimacing smile is a result of being
instructed to act like a "customer service representative" while
arranging for characters to be killed off, the actor reveals in
commentary). Meanwhile, the other escapees scatter across the
county, eluding the FBI as they try to reunite with their loved
ones--Abruzzi (Peter Stormare), C-Note (Rockmond Dunbar), and Sucre
(Amaury Nolasco)--or settle scores (in the case of T-Bag, played by
Robert Knepper). But lest you think the series will split in 10
different directions, there's always the money hidden in Utah by
fellow prisoner Westmoreland that will eventually lead them to cross
paths again.
Season 2, taking place outside prison walls, doesn't
have the claustrophobic tension of season 1; instead, it becomes one
long Fugitive-esque chase, which lost interest every time it
kept shifting to different characters' storylines. There are more
baits-and-switches than you'd care to keep track of, and more than a
little suspended disbelief. But the intriguing center of the drama
will always be the way Michael's forced to think on his feet when
his grand plans hit their snags, whereas in Fox River he was most
assuredly in control (it also forces Miller's stoic acting to loosen
up a little). Moreover, his unexpected feelings for Dr. Sara
Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies), who was found overdosed in her
apartment at the end of season 1, further complicates Michael's
disappearance plans. The DVD includes several candid commentaries by
cast members and show creators, and an Easter egg that alludes to
the "death wall" (number of casualties) the show's writers kept in
production offices. --Ellen A. Kim
