Wednesday, August 31, 2005

DOIN' HARD PRIME-TIME

O'BSERVATIONS ABOUT THE 'PRISON BREAK' PREMIERE

[WARNING! THERE WILL BE SPOILERS ABOUT THE FIRST TWO HOURS IN HERE!]

Straight off, the casting of this show made this Toobworld caretaker happy. When it comes to tele-genetics, Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller are totally convincing as brothers.
~~~~~~
Because Lincoln Burrows is on the Death Row fast track for assassinating the Vice President's brother, we have to unfortunately incarcerate 'Prison Break' in an alternate TV dimension. Bush and Cheney are the elected leaders of this country both in TV Land as well as in the Real World. And I don't even know if Cheney's got a brother.

(I'll have more on the location of 'Prison Break' in the TV Universe in a related post.)
~~~~~~
When Michael Schofield arrives in prison, it's April of 2006. Lincoln Burrows is scheduled to be executed a month later - May 11th.

How convenient that it should coincide with May Sweeps.....
~~~~~~~
One of the supporting players is a prisoner who is supposedly D.B. Cooper. The legendary Cooper stole a fortune/got a big ransom (something like that) and then vanished after parachuting out of a plane over the Northwest woods back in the early 1970s.

I guess the decision to portray an actual personage who's possibly still alive in a fictional drama was probably similar to Ira Levin's decision to use Dr. Josef Mengele in "The Boys From Brazil". If they didn't like it, tough. It's not like they were ever going to come out of hiding to complain.
~~~~~~
Peter Stormare should be getting all the roles which would have gone to the late Brion James. And Vincent Schiavelli should play his older brother on the show.
~~~~~~
The over-abundance of coincidences in Michael Schofield's plan to help his brother escape from prison could jeopardize the audience's willing suspension of disbelief. (For instance, the prison doctor just happens to be the daughter of the governor.)

I don't think we've seen the last of these.....
~~~~~~
The name of the prison is Fox River State Penitentiary. Is this a kiss-up to the network as the name Fox Mulder was once rumored to be?

I suppose if the show had landed on CBS, it would have been Paley Penitentiary.....
~~~~~~~
I'm intrigued by the mystery woman pulling the strings behind the Secret Service plot. She reminds me of Piper Laurie's character in 'Twin Peaks', Bonnie Bartlet on 'Wiseguy', Meryl Streep in "The Manchurian Candidate" - strong, powerful, utterly ruthless, and in charge. And masking it all behind the facade of "Family".

No clue yet as to who's playing her. But then I haven't begun sniffing around the usual info sites yet.

But for some reason, I got it into my head that if she would only turn around, we'd see Patricia Wettig.
~~~~~~~~~
Finally.....

Nothing says "Tune in next week!" like severing a toe!

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

No comments: