Prison Break Buff

When Prison Break was first announced as a series, many fans thought it could have easily been OZ meets The Fugitive. Since the entire first season took place inside the walls of the Fox River penitentiary, it was much more the former than the latter. That is until the very end of Season One. Thankfully, there were more than a few cool characters to keep fans hooked, including the mysterious and legendary D.B. Cooper, who didn’t make it to the outside world. Still, one of the biggest highlights of Season One was the finale, which saw Michael, Linc, Sucre, Tweener, T-Bag, Abruzzi, and Haywire make their grand escape from the prison. As if an entire season wasn’t long enough to wait for the money shot. We were overjoyed when the crew’s plan finally came together and the escapees hit the ground running. Well, most of them.

Why we like it: Inside the prison, the tension was palpable for an entire season. All season long there was nowhere to go. Danger lurked around every corner. The one event that superceded the fear of living in a prison was the act of breaking free to the outside world. When all of the pieces fell into place, it was a master plan of beauty. Fans could finally breathe a sigh of relief. The only thing that could have topped it was if Hector and Westmoreland made it over the wall.

What we’d like to see in Season 3: Can Mahone, Michael, and Bellick work together to save their asses in Panama? It looks like T-Bag is on his own. With T-Bag off running, maybe he’ll feel guilty and help his former mates.

#4 - The Illuminati:

The incorporation of a government conspiracy into the show wasn’t enough for the writers of Prison Break. They went all the way to the top and wrote in the global conspiracy theory of The Illuminati. To push it even further, the writers made Aldo Burrows a card carrying member of The Illuminati, so to speak. It just so happened that Aldo deserted his boys because he knew too much, but came back to save their lives. You gotta love a dad who had connections like Aldo. Come to think of it, it wasn’t a bad spot to hide L.J.

Why we like it: It’s The Illuminati not the C.I.A., N.S.A., or the F.B.I.. One thing’s clear, these guys don’t mess around. We love epic global conspiracies and this is one of the biggest. Think about all of the so-called government conspiracies - the J.F.K. assassination, the moon landing, and Bush and Bin Laden - now we know what the members of The Illuminati are responsible for.

What we’d like to see in Season 3: What’s really up with the old General? Is he the reason the organization wants to silence Linc? What’s the deal with the Panama/Sona connection? Let’s have some answers. How about a storyline about a change in the American government? At a time like this, maybe it would be a breath of fresh air.

#3 - Kellerman switches teams:

Sure, we may have been able to see this coming a mile way, but it sure felt good to see the escapees get some help just in the nick of time. Although we hated Kellerman for most of the series since he was trying desperately to kill Lincoln Burrows, we cheered him on when he finally figured out that he was fighting for the wrong team. That’s when things got REALLY interesting. Michael and Linc were virtually trapped by Mahone and almost dead when Kellerman stepped in and put a cap in the cop’s ass.

Why we like it: When a turn-coat gives the advantage to the good guys, it’s always a cool surprise. It was one of those awesome moments when time stood still, like a Mexican standoff, until Kellerman raised his 9mm and Mahone went down like a wet sack of cement. Bad guy turned ally, there was nothing wrong with that. The only problem was that it was the beginning of the end for Kellerman.

What we’d like to see in Season 3: Unfortunately, Paul Kellerman won’t be helping the boys any more thanks to a close encounter with a couple of shotguns. With Kellerman out of the picture, who’s left to help the brothers from the inside? Mahone, of course.

#2 - T-Bag’s detachable hand:

The loss of T-Bag’s hand was nothing short of genius. Comic relief doesn’t get any better than this on mainstream TV. It was a shock even to the viewers who hate the evil Cajun. Near the end of Season One and early into Season Two, fans witnessed the multifaceted severed hand of T-Bag and his strength to endure. First it was Abruzzi with an axe, who separated Bagwell from his hand. Then it was the efforts of Bellick and Roy that forced T-Bag to bid farewell to his hand for a second time thanks to a radiator.

Why we like it: Fox obviously has a thing for chopping off people’s hands. First it was Buster on Arrested Development after a “loose seal” bit off his hand. Next was Theodore Bagwell on Prison Break, which was even more shocking.

What we’d like to see in Season 3: How about the writers give T-Bag a money clip for a hand so he doesn’t lose the cash?

#1 - Steadman’s curtain call:

For the entire first season and a good portion of the second, Linc’s fate rested on proving Terrance Steadman, the President’s brother, was still alive. The show soon took a hard right turn when the brothers tracked Steadman to Montana and learned that he was very much alive. Fans were hoping Linc could finally prove his innocence and reveal to the world that he didn’t kill Steadman after all. Of course that would have spelled the demise of the show, so what did Steadman do? He blew his head off in front of the boys.

Why we like it: It was the coolest red herring to date. The Terrence Steadman dead-end was the sneakiest and most shocking twist up until that point in the show. It was crazy when Linc, Michael, and Steadman were holed up in that seedy motel with the news crew and cops on the way. The boys could have easily been blamed for Steadman’s murder. Brilliant, but the brothers got away just in time.