DVD Review: Prison Break Season 4

Who would’ve thought that a serialized show about a man breaking out of prison would be able to last for four seasons and a straight to DVD movie. Fox’s Prison Break defied the odds and available last month on DVD and Blu-ray is the last season in the saga of Michael Scofield.

Coming into the last season, the writers and producers were facing a serious uphill battle. Most fans would agree that there was a substantial drop-off in quality in the third season (this is me being nice - Season 3 really sucked). Also, the third iteration had a spotty broadcast schedule and was cut dramatically short by the writer’s guild strike.

All of these things considered, the show somewhat respectfully recovered in the fourth season and it was a necessary incremental chapter given the amount of closure necessary to finish off the saga. Michael and Lincoln decide to stop running from The Company and make it their personal goal to take the mysterious entity down. Of course, that plan is thwarted pretty quickly and the gang is forced to work for the government to take them down. This somewhat novel idea, however,  is ultimately hampered by redundant plot development choices and recycled storylines. Good and bad guys will switch sides multiple times, making it much easier to stretch the season to 22 episodes. Showing up are the typical cast of characters: Sucre, Bellick, T-Bag, Mahone and Sara (with head in tact). There was more of the typical Prison Break antics: impossible choices, ridiculous MacGuyver-style ingenuity and shocking deaths of both good and bad guys.

Chances are, you’re interested in Season 4, only to finish off the story and get on with your merry life. The good news about season 4 is that the writers do, in fact, push for closure in all of the characters lives. The characters are what this show will always be remember for and the reason it made it this far is because of them. The show will also be remembered for its shock-inducing twists and there are a number of unexpected turns that are dramatic even in the Prison Break world. It’s definitely worth the view-through if you liked the first two seasons. But be warned, this season has a number of absolutely ridiculous elements, like Michael getting his tattoo completely removed and having serious surgery with an instantaneous recover.

As a once huge fan of the show (see Season 1), I personally had wished that they ended the story after the second season. Creatively, the show would have had much longer lasting power if it only lasted this long. But we all know that creative reasons don’t always trump financial ones and there would’ve been a fan revolt had Fox decided to end things before the Sona debacle.

The Season 4 DVD release doesn’t come with much in the area of special features. You’ll get all 22 episode (a handful with cast/crew commentary) and two bonus featurettes that won’t do much for you. I can’t say that this release is a definite buy, it works much better as a Netflix rental instead.