Director: Kevin Hooks
Cast: Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows), William Fichtner (Alexander Mahone), Wade Williams (Brad Bellick), Danay Garcia (Sofia Lugo), Robert Wisdom (Lechero), Robert Knepper (T-Bag), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Susan B. Anthony), Chris Vance (James Whistler), Marshall Allman (L.J Burrows), Carlo Alban (McGrady), Laurence Mason (Sammy), John Davies (Elliott Pike) & Crystal Mantecon (Sister Mary Francis)
Michael, Mahone, Bellick and T-Bag settle into their new Panamanian prison, while Lincoln tries to trace Sara and L.J...It began life as a high-concept, TV spin on a prison escape film, morphed into an extended manhunt, and now Prison Break comes full circle -- with jail-breaker Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) being thrown into a Panamanian prison called Sona at the end of season 2, along with corrupt FBI Agent Mahone (William Fichtner) and dogged pursuer Bellick (Wade Williams).
Orientación opens with a sequence that immediately raises the stakes over season 1's like-minded set-up, with Michael witnessing a late-night brawl in the prison yard, which ends with one thug having his neck snapped. Even the heavens weep for Michael, as he realizes he might not survive Sona's dog-eat-dog environment, with no escape plans hidden in a tattoo to help him out...
Older brother Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) is on the other side of the prison fence, trying desperately to secure Michael's freedom through the Panamanian authorities. He also has to deal with Sara Tancredi's ominous disappearance and get in touch with teenaged son L.J (Marshall Allman.)
From the very first minute, the return to the pressure-cooker style of season 1 comes as a welcome relief. I enjoyed season 2 (particularly its first half), but watching the writers struggle to keep momentum by concocting half-baked storylines, became excruciating to watch.
The foreign, lawless vibe of Sona is a twisted idea that returns Prison Break to its roots, but propels it into fresh and unpredictable territory. This isn't the reboot you have feared; it's an effective change to chew on. The prison itself resembles a sandcastle fortress, rotting under a sweltering sun, as guards keep a safe distance -- positioned in wooden observation towers and under orders to shoot those who dare breach the walls.
Prison Break delights in putting its characters through hell, but poor Brad Bellick really gets the sharp end of the stick in Orientación. Here, the former prison warden cuts a sad, pathetic figure; semi-naked, beaten and starving, then forced to drink from muddy puddles and tasked with cleaning toilets.
Brad's definitely at the bottom of the Sona pecking order. And yes, there is a vague "order" to life in this hellhole, with Lechero (Robert Wisdom) presiding over the criminals as alpha male. Lechero's a domineering presence, but clearly a few notches up the evolutionary ladder compared to most of Sona's cavemen, and aware of Michael's celebrity status in the US.
A handful of new characters are introduced, but are kept too enigmatic to pass judgment on yet: there's Susan B. Anthony (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), a beautiful woman who meets Lincoln in a bar; McGrady (Carlo Alban), a basketball-loving teen who takes a shine to Michael; and James Whistler (Chris Vance), a prisoner behind a wall in the sewer system, who agrees to feed Bellick in return for errands...
Whistler will provide the lynchpin to season 3, as the mysterious Company have apparently orchestrated events so Michael will be forced to spring him from jail, as face consequences. Exactly why they need him remains to be seen, although The Company obviously aren't only the government cover-up experts we'd been led to believe...
Paul Scheuring's script does an excellent job of introducing a lot of new information quickly and succinctly. The new characters are mere sketches at this early stage, with only Lechero fleshed out to any degree, but that's to be expected. There's enough personality to keep you invested in things, while the real joy of Orientación comes from watching the regulars react and adjust to Sona.
Wentworth Miller's range rarely ascends beyond enigmatic brooding, which meant his cool-as-a-cucumber shtick looked misplaced in season 2, when the plots demanded more extrovert responses. Of course, Miller has charisma to burn, so he just about got away with it. Fortunately, his temperament is better suited to incarceration, where it's wise to keep your head down and not provoke people, so season 3 should see Michael burn with intensity again.
William Fichtner was the saving grace for most of season 2 as FBI Agent Alex Mahone; a complex, conflicted character who single-handedly kept things on-track through sheer magnetism. Just the prospect of Mahone interacting with Michael is exciting because of their shared past, although Michael refuses to help "the man who killed my father". But I'm sure it's only a matter of time before these old enemies are forced to call a truce, as is the nature of Prison Break's shaky camaraderie...
Wade Williams is always good fun as Bellick, and something of an expert at suffering on-screen, asked to shuffle throughout Orientación as a pitiful sight to illustrates the horror of this new playground. I could have done without his wail of agony as a "friend" he barely knows is gunned down, though...
Robert Knepper was superb in season 1 as villainous T-Bag, then utterly wasted in season 2 because freedom took away his caged monstrosity. Knepper should fare much better in season 3, already taking steps to endear himself to Lechero and spitting jibes at Michael from behind those clenched teeth. I certainly hope he gets his groove back, although his belated arrival at Sona doesn't provide much excitement, as he's relatively sane and agreeable compared to the rest of the madhouse!
Dominic Purcell is the actor most in danger of redundancy as Lincoln, essentially swapping roles with Michael from season 1. I don't predict Michael's next prison break will require much personal involvement from Lincoln, just the odd helping hand and support. Well, unless he finds Sona's architect and heads to the tattoo parlour! Orientación does set Lincoln up with his own beyond-Sona role to fulfill, involving searches for Michael's girlfriend Sara and son L.J, but will that sustain him this season? Difficult to say.
The production design is worthy of huge praise, as Sona is a very believable environment that clearly represented a huge challenge for the Prison Break crew. It's even more unsettling to think it's based on a real prison in Brazil, where the inmates rioted to similar success, forcing authorities to back off and put up a no-go perimeter...
You can feel the heat and stench of the place, while the ethnic populace and blaring Spanish music gives you a real fish-out-of-water feeling. Amazingly, the prison break genre has rarely taken place on foreign soil, but we've all heard the horror stories about Thai prisons. It's this sense of danger and unpredictability that season 3 seems is wisely capitalizing on.
On the negative side, Linc's storyline to find Sara and L.J could become as rambling as season 2, but I'm open to surprises. It's also not made clear why Whistler is bricked-up behind a wall in the sewer, or has more food than many other inmates, but I'm sure we'll get answers soon enough...
Orientación is an entertaining start to Prison Break's return to the claustrophobic tension of season 1, but with the renewed vigor and danger afforded by the location. The only cause for concern is whether season 3 can perform its trick again (stretching an escape plan over a whole season), but minus the high-concept ingenuity of season 1, with only environmental dangers to keep things truly unique.
24 September 2007
Sky One, 10.00 pm
