PRISON BREAK Season 3 Premieres Tonight (Spoilers & Pics)

The following contains spoilers for tonight’s season premiere of PRISON BREAK.

It’s time to break out of prison again…quick, does anyone know a good tattoo parlor inside a Panamanian jail? PRISON BREAK returns for its third season tonight at 8/7c on Fox and once again Michael Scofield finds himself behind bars – but this time around the jail makes Fox River look like a day spa (you know the ones with aromatherapy and the comfy robes…and murders & rapists).

I’ve seen the first two episodes of the season and let me tell you they are intense. Remember back in Season One when you would watch Prison Break holding your breath because you were never sure what was going to happen next? And remember Season Two when you never had that feeling because the show was wildly uneven and predictable? Yeah, well get prepared for some serious breath holding again because Prison Break is back and it’s recaptured the edge of your seat drama of Season One. Thank God, because I was nervous there for a while.

If I’m being honest, the idea of the third season landing Michael back in prison seemed a bit absurd. I know the name of the show is Prison Break, but just how many prisons can this one guy break out of in a few months? But after watching the first two eps, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself excited about the circumstances that are keeping Michael in jail, and even more so, the circumstances that landed him in Sona in the first place. If the writers and directors do this right, I think we are going to once again experience the same type of mutli-layered puzzle that they so effectively laid out in Season One.

Looking back and ahead…
I want to be careful not to give too much away of tonight’s episode, because I don’t want to completely spoil it for you, but it can’t hurt to take a quick look back at the end of Season Two and a glimpse at tonight’s episode. There are spoilers for plot points for the season so if you don’t want to be spoiled, you should probably stop reading about now.

The last time we saw Michael Scofield he had been locked up in Sona, a Panamanian prison known to be one of the toughest prisons in existence. An inmate led riot forced the guards to flee to the perimeters and Sona has since been run by the prisoners inside, namely a man who goes by Lechero (Robert Wisdom, “The Wire”). It’s do or die…kill or be killed in one of the most vile places on Earth.

But Michael isn’t alone inside the walls of Sona. After being caught in Scofield’s drug set-up, Alex Mahone was too sent to Sona. As were Bellick and T-Bag for the crimes they committed. As much as I would like to break out into Peaches & Herbs’ “Reunited”, I don’t think it would be quite appropriate. Despite and because of their past history the guys known better than to risk trusting each other. It’s every man for himself. (Note to self, never commit a crime in Panama…screw that, don’t risk – just don’t go to Panama).

Meanwhile, in a strange turn of ironic events, it’s Lincoln on the outside this time looking at his brother through the prison gates. Determined to get Michael out of jail, Lincoln pleads with the consulate to make it happen. After reviewing Michael’s case the government agrees to transfer him out of Sona in 24 hours. But a lot can happen in 24 hours.

Thinking for once things are finally going his way, Lincoln heads out to meet up with Sara and LJ who are both too in Panama. But a little rendezvous with a mysterious woman named Susan B. Antony (new series regular Jodi Lyn O’Keefe) puts that reunion on hold. It seems there is something, or rather someone inside of Sona that she wants – a man named Whistler who was accused of killing the Mayor of Panama – and she wants Michael to help her get him out. He’s got a week to do it and if he doesn’t then Sara and LJ will pay with their lives.

Fearing that he won’t survive a full week inside the confines of Sona, Michael pledges that he’ll find Whistler and escape, but will most likely die trying. It seems that Whistler is a popular guy as the entire jail is looking for him. Due to the nature of his alleged crime, the prisoners running the jail have put a bounty on Whistler’s head and in turn Whistler has escaped to the bowels of the prison and has essentially disappeared. This vanishing act really doesn’t help make Michael’s task any easier.

Michael Scofield has one week to find a missing man and break them both out of Sona or risk the lives of Sara and LJ. Ah, it’s always something. Sadly for Michael (and I suppose Sara and LJ), people don’t break out of Sona – or at least they never have. But then again, it’s never been tried by Michael Scofield.

Are you going to be watching PRISON BREAK tonight?

Ok, was anyone impressed that I wrote the entire post without once mentioning how ridiculously hot Wentworth Miller is and how I’m so glad to have him back on TV tonight? Oh I guess I just did…damn!