There are a lot of people out there who should remember the Fox series Prison Break. After all, while most of the series was broadcast from 2005 to 2009, Season 5 was broadcast in 2017 and Season 6 is expected to be released at some point in the not too distant future. Regardless, Prison Break has seen a fair amount of change over the course of its existence, but there can be no doubt about the fact that Episode 1 of Season 1 was what set up what was to come.
How Did Episode 1 of Prison Break Set the Viewer’s Expectations For the Series?
Episode 1 of Season 1 was the introduction to the series as a whole, which was a role that it served well. For example, Episode 1 was what set the tense mood that hovers over the series as a whole, which it managed within no more than a few moments by revealing that Lincoln Burrows is set to be executed within a short period of time for a crime that he did not commit. Furthermore, Episode 1 established the bond between Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows by showing that Michael is willing to be sent to prison and then break out of it for the purpose of saving his brother, which is a consequential choice that speaks volumes about the lengths to which he is willing to go for his brother.
This is important because the bond between the brothers serves to humanize the two of them, which in turn, serves to make them matter to the viewers. Finally, Episode 1 of Season 1 set up other elements that the plot needs to proceed, with examples ranging from Michael striking up a relationship with the prison warden to Lincoln’s ex Veronica Donovan beginning to believe that Lincoln might not be guilty after all.
With that said, Episode 1 of Season 1 didn’t just set up the plot that would be unveiled throughout Season 1 and the seasons to come. It also gave interested individuals a taste of the way in which said plot would be told to them. As a result, the episode puts a fair amount of focus on the way that Michael fools other people for the purpose of carrying out the plan that will see his brother freed from the prison, which is strengthened by strong visuals that made the best use of the format of the series. In particular, viewers might remember Michael’s tattoo, which was revealed to be a blueprint of the prison in which both he and his brother are imprisoned. After all, said tattoo received huge focus in the marketing leading up to Season 1, which is why it might remain a rather prominent part of people’s recollections even though so much time has passed.
Summed up, Episode 1 of Season 1 of Prison Break built the foundations on which the rest of the series sat. It set up the plot, but more than that, it revealed the way that the series would reveal its plot to interested individuals. As a result, the episode was an introduction of the series in more than one sense, which was a task that it carried out perfectly.
Follow Us
