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We are so getting the new season party started a little early because next week is busy, busy, busy. This is definitely when I think the networks are plotting against me. Gossip Girl, Prison Break, One Tree Hill and the new TNT series Raising the Bar all premiere on Monday, September 1. Really, is that necessary?
So I thought I would talk about the fourth season premiere of Prison Break (Monday at 8 p.m. on FOX) today.
As I'm sure you recall Prison Break and I broke up last season. There were tears as I played memorable moments of season one over and over again and remembered the way the show used to be. But apparently the break up wasn't as permanent as I thought. Apparently I did leave a sweater behind that I had to go back for because I actually wanted to see what was up with the show this season.
I tried to go into this season with as much as an open mind as possible. One because I used to love the show, two because a certain beloved character is coming back and three because I think all the actors on the series are talented and were let down by weak script.
As Michael (the ever dreamy Wentworth Miller) solemnly says towards the end of the first hour, the show is "a long way from where this started." That may be the understatement of the year. If ever a show needed a title change, Prison Break is it. It would kind of be like if Grey's Anatomy suddenly stopped being about a hospital or they no longer solved crimes on CSI.
If you dropped out of the show last season too, you won't be too hindered by the fact that initially you might not know what is going. Basically the Company, a mysterious group that is a threat to national security, is bad, bad, bad and Michael and his trusty group of criminal sidekicks must bring them down.
Michael Rappaport comes on board as the man who is, what do you know, after the Company too. I kind of feel bad for Rappaport because he definitely has the most preposterous dialogue to deal with and the hardest character sell. It's hard to buy the plot he's selling.
I found it really hard to care about what was happening to the characters. The suspension of disbelief factor is at an all time high and the dialogue that is supposed to be serious often made me giggle.
I'm going with two and a half stars. Maybe Prison Break and I will still talk once in awhile but our relationship is definitely over.
I don't want to give away too much else about the premiere until after you've seen it. But I will tell you that something happens to one of the characters that I've wanted to happen for a loooooong time. Kind of like when we finally saw Jack Bauer in the bathroom or drinking a bottle of water on 24. I actually said outloud, "Finally!"
So three questions today:
1. Can you guess what happens? Email me at amytvgal@zap2it.com and I'll put the first person to guess right in Monday's column.
2. Are there other moments you've been waiting for that you hope will happen this season on other returning shows? A kiss between characters? A secret revealed? A character comeuppance? Talk about it below.
3. What was a moment that finally happened on a series that you were so happy about? That made you think "finally!" Talk about it below.
Where Have I Seen Them Before?
Kristin wanted to know why Don's new secretary Jane looked so familiar on Mad Men. Well Peyton List, who plays Jane, was Cameron on Big Shots last season, Tally on Windfall and many may recognize her as Lucy on As the World Turns. Hope that helps Kristin!
Of course we all recognized Jennifer Coolidge as the prostitute Tom invited over for pizza on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. We recently saw Coolidge as the not so bright woman who tried to have her husband killed on The Closer. Among her many roles, she was also Bobbie on Joey and Stifler's mom in the American Pie movies.
Silas Weir Mitchell was the gun dealer on Burn Notice. He was Haywire on Prison Break and Donny on My Name is Earl.
Kathie recognized Jane Lynch as the Chief's sister on Psych. She's Charlie's therapist on Two and a Half Men, Joyce Wischnia on The L Word, Joanna the sex therapist on Boston Legal, and Sissy on My Name is Earl. At this point, it's probably easier to talk about the shows Jane Lynch hasn't been on.
Diane recognized Mark Sheppard as Manservant Neville on The Middleman. Another very familiar TV face, we saw Sheppard on In Plain Sight recently. He was Russell, the guy who was part of Brandi's drug deal gone bad. He's also Romo Lampkin on Battlestar Galactica, creepy killer Dr. Charles Walker on Medium and Ivan during the fifth season of 24.
Steve recognized Michael Shanks as Victor on Burn Notice. Shanks is Dr. Daniel Jackson on Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis.
So hard to give the CW the silent treatment
Check out pictures from the 90210 premiere party by clicking here. And don't forget to send me an email to let me know if you think the new 90210 is going to be a hit or a flop. And yes you must pick one, no Kelly Taylor-ing indecision allowed. Right now the voting is split fairly equally.
And for a sneak peek at next week's season premiere of Gossip Girl, click here.
And if you want to hear what executive producer Mark Schwahn has to say about the new season of One Tree Hill, click here.
That's all for today. I'm back on Friday with a review of Raising the Bar (where we will explore the topic: how can something so potentially good go so wrong?) and quotes of the week. Whoo-hoo! The new season is here! Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week or a topic for discussion? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com.
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Zap2it Twitter Talk 
My biggest "finally!" moment came while watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer in its last season, when Buffy finds out that (in season 2) Willow did *not* in fact want Xander to tell her to kick Angel's ***. Those of you who watched know what I'm talking about.
Another (much more tearful) moment came on Lost when Desmon and Penny were reunited. It only took four years!
That should be Desmond.
I stopped watching prison break last year as well, however I don't think anything could get me back.
As far as 90210 I didn't watch the first series and probably won't watch the second so Flop I guess.
I really think it won't be a flop but not a full blown hit either.
Maybe they should rename "Prison Break" to just "Break". Kind of like when a team ends a planning huddle by saying, "Ready, set, break."
AMY: I'm so glad you another person who completely lost interest in Prison Break last year. I absolutely LOVED this show during seasons 1-2, but I realized in season 3, that they were heading in a direction that seemed so different from the original premise. If any series deserves to have its name changed, it should be: "Prison Break and The Biggest Conspiracy EVER!!!" ;-)
I really hope Fox decides to wrap up this series at the end of season 4, but I think the producers said it would continue to a fifth season at least. As for the "event" that finally happens on Prison Break? I'll guess that someone finally asks Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) if he even knows why he never buttons his shirts (not that I'm complaining about it or anything :-)).
RE: Other moments that I would like to see on other shows, I would like the love triangle of Peyton-Lucas-Brooke to be over forever! Personally, I don't want Brooke to get back together with Lucas because that would mean that Sophia Bush would have to spend more time with her ex-husband (Chad Michael Murray). I'm hoping that Brooke gets a different love interest this season.
Also, you mentioned that Mark Sheppard was recently on The Middleman, BSG and 24. Of course, I will always remember him as Badger, Captain Mal's recurring nemesis on Firefly. Sheppard has been a guest star on lots of TV shows over the years, and I still remember seeing him in an episode of Jake 2.0 (starring the underrated Christopher Gorham) and from a horror movie called Evil Eyes, which co-starred Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb)! :-)
Moments I hope will happen:
30 Rock: The resolution of the Black Crusaders story line with Tracy. Season 1 ended with something of a cliffhanger regarding this shady group and they never picked up on it in season 2.
One finally moment that i can remember from a recent show was when they finally revealed on Heros the meaning behind the phrase, "Save the cheerleader, save the world".
When Maddie and David hooked up on Moonlighting. God I feel old.
I actually cheered when Rose Tyler finally made her return in this past series of Doctor Who.
And I cemented my status as a complete nerd during Angel season 5 when Spike finally regained his solidity. I can't describe the look on my roommate's face when she heard me yelling, "HE'S CORPOREAL AGAIN!" at my TV.
My favorite "finally" moment - Gilmore Girls, when Luke and Lorelai finally kiss!
"Finally!" Moments
1. When Buffy Kissed Spike!!! at the end of "Once More With Feeling." I nearly fell of my couch!
2. I'm with "MK" above - I loathed Xander and his self-rightous, ie. completely jealous, attitude towards Angel. But when he told Buffy to "Kick His ***" rather than inform her that Willow was performing the spell to return his soul, I crossed over into hating him. I could not believe that he got away with it! When Buffy found out his lie, it was like the proverbial weight was lifted.
3. When Logan kissed Veronica in Season 1. Of all the couples I've loved to love on television in all the years, I think that Logan and Veronica are my favorite, the absolute best suited.
4. On Lost, when Jin washed ashore and had a brief and bleary-eyed view of a group of individuals moving towards him on the beach before being clubbed unconscious. I thought, "Finally, Bernard is back from the bathroom!"
ANNNDDDD....
I'm also in agreement with "RoseT" above. I was SOOOOO excited by Rose's return to the completely amazing season 4 finale of Doctor Who that I actually just played the credits over 2-3 times to enjoy her name popping up.