'Prison Break': Season Four Premiere

S04E01-2: 'Scylla' / 'Breaking & Entering'

The obituaries flooded in during the dismal third season, but this gripping and taut double episode has enabled Prison Break to claw its way out of the grave.

Wisely, the bridges were quickly burned from last year - quite literally in the case of Sona prison - and a reboot of sorts has taken place, with Whistler and Scofield's tattoo/sweat patch combo being notable casualties. The Company's relentless new assassin Wyatt embodied the merciless tone of the impressive season premiere, with the slaying of Mahone's family and T-Bag's cannibalism (one "bad Mexican") highlighting the gritty edge. Fortunately, the intriguing figure of Gretchen, the main plus point of last season, was spared the axe.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the fourth season's premise is that it quickly establishes and clearly defines the battle lines. There are two teams - The Company and Scofield's Dirty Half Dozen - both taking it in turns to play Tom and Jerry. But will T-Bag prove to be a bit of cheese or a mousetrap?

On the subject of miraculous resurrections - step forward Dr. Sara Tancredi and her attached head. By Prison Break's normally overblown standards, the return was fairly low-key. It was half-expected that they would romantically reunite, amidst a cacophony of gushing romantic music, on a seaside pier - followed by a quick cut to a symbolic popping of a champagne cork. Luckily this was not the case and Sara's reintegration was handled and explained as well as possible.

It's early days, but there is a slight suspicion that Sara's participation in the show was at its best when she was kept separate from Scofield, with the pair pining away for each other. It will be interesting to see what happens now, particularly as Sara bears many emotional (and physical) scars from her time in Gretchen's company.

Elsewhere, Michael Rappaport provided a nice foil to the brooding brothers as Don Self, while James Liao provided some much-needed technical savvy to the team as hacker Roland. On a completely random note, has Newcastle United footballer Joey Barton taken over the role of LJ? Perhaps his recent stint behind bars was merely for research purposes, in true Method Acting style.

So, the scene has been perfectly set for the remainder of the season and a series of new mysteries and partnerships have been established. As for the ending, could Scofield be nose-bleeding love for Sara or is there something more serious lurking within his sinuses?

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