After Oz, The Fugitive, and The Prisoner, the small screen is once again focusing on the prison world. This suspenseful series, filmed in a real prison, captivates more than 5 million French viewers each week. Michael Scofield gets himself imprisoned in Fox River State Penitentiary in Arizona with a single goal: to plan the escape of his older brother, Lincoln, who is on death row for the murder of the Vice President of the United States’ brother. Paul Scheuring creates this narrative bombshell, instilling extreme tension among the characters who are constantly taken by spectacular twists. The importance of the supporting roles builds a complex storyline while highlighting exceptional acting (notably Robert Knepper, brilliant in the role of the unpredictable psychopath).
This incongruous project is rooted in the personality and determination of its main character. A man constantly on the edge between insanity and genius. “What attracted me to this character,” explains Wentworth Miller, the lead actor, “is that he seems straightforward but has so many different faces that we slowly discover. I quickly understood that Scofield is an extraordinary man in an extraordinary world.”
Fox River State Penitentiary: a microcosm of power struggles, corruption, and extreme violence. All vices cohabit there: from the mafia boss to the psychopath eager for destruction. It’s not good to be weak, whether you are a guard or a prisoner. Michael Scofield, a structural engineer, emptied his gun in a bank to get incarcerated in this hell. He analyzed everything to the second, anticipated every setback. For him, every second counts: his brother is going to be executed in three weeks for a crime he claims he did not commit. Unless there is a miracle, the legal recourse against the death sentence can never take effect before the fateful date. The younger brother rekindles hope in the elder resigned to live his last hour.
To do this, he decides to tattoo the prison plans on his body. This tattoo reveals its secrets as the escape plan progresses. Moreover, he will take an interest in his fellow inmates whom he intends to use to achieve his ends. Slowly but surely, his web is closing in. As he announced to his brother in the first episode: he has planned everything. Except the outside viewer discovers his meticulous method without immediately understanding the meaning. When Scofield pours toothpaste into the pipes or calmly walks in the false ceilings during the call of all the prisoners, an uninformed eye might assume madness. But all his actions turn out, against all odds, to be strokes of genius.
Family Tragedy
The originality of the series lies in the family storyline: the sacrifice of a man ready to do anything to save his own. Indeed, Michael owes his destiny to his brother. When their parents disappeared, Lincoln, somewhat on the fringes of society, made sure that his brother did not become like him and contributed to his personal success.
Scofield applies this upbringing to find the strength to save him in return. “Michael was an empty man, careerist, ambitious,” highlights Wentworth Miller, “he was successful but he was alone and isolated. He was waiting for life to tap him on the shoulder and say, ‘Now’s your break, this is what you are destined for.’ By sacrificing his life and putting himself in mortal danger, he is more alive than he has ever been.”
Borderline
In the ninth episode entitled “An Extraordinary Man,” his psychiatrist provides some insights into the young man’s personality. According to this doctor, the famous prisoner would have a very high IQ and suffer from a Deficit of Latent Inhibition. Latent inhibition allows an individual to sort the information they receive. In Scofield’s case, the sorting has to be done by his own will. His IQ allows him to arrange this without being overwhelmed by the flow of information that would lead him to schizophrenia. Endowed with this exceptional awareness, he is capable of knowing the prison from every angle. The psychiatrist also notes another characteristic of the young man. He does not have strong self-esteem, leading him to value others. A pathology explaining his ability to endure the worst sufferings. More receptive to others’ pains than his own, Michael does not hesitate to put himself in danger to save the prison nurse.
Michael Scofield, the “prison justice warrior,” shows that he is capable of accomplishing the feat that occupies him. But unlike the traditional honest and upright hero, he evolves in a dark and closed world. There is no doubt that his “cohabitation” with criminals is likely to rub off on him and leave indelible marks on his still intact personality.
Prison Break
Broadcast: Thursday evening on M6
Created by Paul Scheuring
Starring Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield), Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows)
Filmed in Joliet Prison, Illinois.
For more information on the series: https://www.prison-break.fr
