The first two episodes of "Prison Break"

The great escape on TV

It could've been another forgettable TV series, but Prison Break shows lots of promise after its first two episodes were shown in the cable channel, Crime/Suspense.

Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) is a structural engineer who gets himself arrested in able to be in the same prison with his older brother, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell).

Lincoln is on death row for a murder he claims he didn't commit. Only Michael believes him, and he sets a plan for both of them to escape from the prison he helped designed.

But before the siblings embarked on the great escape, Michael has to deal with an array of interesting characters within the penitentiary: a supportive cellmate (Amaury Nolasco); a former mob boss (Peter Stormare); a pacifist doctor (Sarah Wayne Callies); and a warden (Stacy Keach), who treats Michael like his son. All of them may assist the new prisoner in his plan.

Then there are bigger problems to deal with: how Michael can keep himself unscathed while behind bars; and trying to uncover a grand conspiracy behind his big brother's conviction. In the latter's case, he needs the help of his lawyer, Veronica Donovan (Robin Tunney), who happens to be Lincoln's ex-girlfriend.

What made the pilot episode engaging is the taut direction of Brett Ratner (director of the upcoming summer flick, X-Men: The Last Stand). The tension didn't diminish in the second episode, with Greg Yaitanes (he directed a few episodes of Alias, CSI: Miami and Nip/Tuck) behind the camera.

Give credit to writer Nick Santora for the clever script and for creating Michael Scofield, who may be one of the most memorable TV characters of recent. As the young prisoner on a desperate mission, the British-born actor (whose past film works include Underworld and The Human Stain) is fit for the role. This might also be the show that he would be most remembered for.

Scofield's smartness reminded me of Professor Moriarty (Sherlock Holmes' brilliant arch enemy). Not only did Miller play that quality to perfection, but he also deftly shows his character's hero/antihero nature, which is both appealing and dangerous. The supporting cast (notably Swedish actor Stormare) is also topnotch.

Prison Break is not to be missed. Expect the unexpected in the next episodes. Prison Break airs in Crime/Suspense every Tuesday at 10 PM.

(First published in Inquirer Libre on February 28, 2006)