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This post contains spoilers for “Prison Break.”
What film or show comes to mind when someone says “popular prison escape story?” You might think of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” a tale that, after all, uses a memorable prison escape as a catalyst for revenge and retribution. However, folks are more likely to mention 1994’s “The Shawshank Redemption,” an almost operatic tale of corruption and violence that ends on a hopeful, cathartic note. This critically acclaimed film is, of course, based on Stephen King’s “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” one of the author’s most compelling realist novellas about perseverance in the face of systemic injustice. With this in mind, it makes sense for King to have an affinity for similar prison break stories, especially ones that approach the same premise from a vastly different angle.
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In 2008, King wrote a passionate op-ed about Fox’s “Prison Break” for Entertainment Weekly, praising the “bright exteriors, crisp cutting, [and] outrageous action sequences” that contribute to the show’s watchable nature. “I love ‘Prison Break’ madly, deeply, truly,” King wrote, gushing over the outlandish, dramatic shenanigans that occur in the first three seasons of the show. However, King cautioned against viewing the whole thing in one go, as the show’s convoluted plot points are bound to make your “frakkin’ head explode.” This is true, as “Prison Break” has never resolved its central conflicts without resorting to mind-numbing theatrics (which arguably worked in favor of the first few prison breaks).
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But what happens when there is no prison to break out of? Well, this is when the show’s characters are shoved into tangled conspiracies and confusing revenge plots to justify a prison break-in. Once inside, they need to break out of it, of course. And so, the dreaded cycle continues.
That said, a mediocre-at-best crime drama getting the Stephen King stamp of approval holds some weight, and there must be something about “Prison Break” that speaks to the popular consciousness. Let’s talk about the near-perfect first season of the show, how everything went downhill since then, and why the final seasons of “Prison Break” completely ran out of steam. Solana Token Creator
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