After having escaped our lives for the better part of a decade, Fox's twisty and grime-covered Prison Break is coming back to deliver (at least) one more big mission for its central squad of crafty protagonists. Prison Break ended things on a note that made it seem like a return was impossible, but TV has a way of making such things happen. And during a recent interview with CinemaBlend, star Sarah Wayne Callies said this new season is very much about not being able to escape the lives that people create for themselves.
This, to me, is a season about inevitability. You know, we do so many things to try to make ourselves the people that we wish we were instead of the people that we are, and we go to war with our own natures quite a lot. And a lot of us, I think, succeed. Sarah's managed to stay sober and clean for seven years, which I think is pretty remarkable, given everything she's been through. But there's certain things that you can't -- you can fight them, but you'll lose. And I think there are things in everybody's nature like that. I think this season, for each of our characters in a different way, is about that.
If you were expecting to hear, "This season is about running around and dodging bullets," then I half-apologize for dashing your dreams. In the end, though, a story is more than just action sequences, and you need themes and character truths and emotional beats to retain a healthy balance. And when you take Sarah Wayne Callies' words into context with these characters and this series, you get a good sense of what could happen. (Get a better sense by reading our review.)
Even though it's been seven years within the show's timeline since Wentworth Miller's Michael Scofield seemingly died, it's inevitable that Dominic Purcell's Lincoln Burrows is going to drop everything he's doing to obsess over a clue that hints at Michael still being alive. Even though Sara has married another man to help raise her son, it's inevitable that her attention is going to detour to Michael's potential survival. And when the rest of this show's characters are involved, it's inevitable that someone is going to stab someone else in the back. Prison Break may sometimes exist free from strict real-world logic, but it still works within its own set of rules.
During our chat, Sarah Wayne Callies went deeper into her explanation for how Sara in particular is affected by Prison Break's version of destiny, as well as the power of Michael himself.
There is something about this man that makes her want to help him, no matter what the reasons are, no matter what the water is under the bridge. She'll be there for him if he needs her, maybe a little bit to her own chagrin. The big difference between them in the equation this time, is that it can't be about them. It has to be about their son and, you know, this is always a story about loyalty, the absolute unconditional love of a family.
Whether we're talking about a metaphorical family between the sextet at the heart of all the action (including C-Note and Sucre) or the literal bloodline that Sara and son Michael, Jr. are carrying on, Prison Break definitely keeps its characters close. And that remains true even if we're talking about enemies, since nobody ever said you had to like everybody in your family. But we all like T-Bag, right?
Prison Break will kick off its fate-filled new season on Fox starting tonight -- Tuesday, April 4 -- at 9:00 p.m. ET. To test your fandom for this beloved action drama, take our Prison Break quiz for a chance to win a couple of nifty prizes. Then head to our midseason premiere schedule and our summer TV schedule to see what else is hitting the small screen in the near future.
