TV Thoughts on Prison Break: Back in the Slammer and it Feels So Good

Michael Scofield is back in the slammer, and it feels so good!

Last night's third season premiere of Prison Break found our favorite convict back behind bars, only this time he's in a dirty, dangerous Panamian prison, where the guards are non-existant and the inmates make all the rules. In a reversal of the show's first couple of season, this time it's Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) who's gotta break his brother out. Apparently, there is an inmate who some very important people want Michael (Wentworth Miller) to break out of prison, and they've taken LJ (Linc's son) and Dr. Sara (Michael's true love) hostage to ensure Michael does what they want him to do.

I was wary of how the show would fare now that the action is back behind bars, but the writers have come up with a very clever set-up for the season, made all the more clever by the ways they've managed to get Mahone (William Fichtner), T-Bag (Robert Knepper) and Bellick (Wade Williams) into the Panamian hellhole as well. The change in situation for the two former Fox River residents, FBI Agent and prison guard means that loyalties and alliances need to be redefined. Most striking of these changes occurred when Mahone comes to Michael's rescue when he is about to get shanked in a prison yard fight. This, after all, is the guy who spent all last season chasing Michael around the globe, in an effort to kill him. It should be fascinating to see how these relationships develop throughout the season.

A few highlights of the episode:

-I love when a show acknowledges that it's star is good looking, which, in the case of Wentworth Miller, is almost impossible not to do. As such, having T-Bag continue to refer to him as "pretty," and having the scary prison gang leader badger the nun/whore into admitting Michael is the best looking guy in the prison was both disturbing and kinda satisfying.

-T-Bag's return. I mean, is there a better creep on TV than T-Bag?

-Wentworth's performance throughout the episode -- have we ever seen Michael so lost and hopeless? It was kind of heartbreaking.

My only question is...where's Sucre???

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