The Prisoner TV series.

[Neville]

(Contains spoilers, typos and ramblings about the series finale)

I had never heard of that series until a few years ago, and a few months ago I got the whole series and enough time to watch them.

I was... surprised. In the good and in the bad sense. I loved the settings and FX, so dated and so unique, but I didn't find the concept that interesting. That's probably because the idea was revolutionary at the time, but these days TV has seen stuff far more far fetched. Still, I felt genuinely interested for a few episodes before finding the whole stuff just too weird. I sort of liked the premises of every episode, but finally I found the storylines too thin, and one can only stand Patrick McGoohan overacting and psychodelic camerawork for short periods of time.

Finally, after seing some of my interest on the series rebirth, after the they being mentioned in the "Diabolik" thread, I decided to watch the last tow episodes, thus learning how the whole thing ended and at the same time reducing the headache to the minimum. I admit that this is not the proper way to watch any TV series, much less one like "The Prisoner", but I've never felt such mixed feelings for a TV show before.

Anyway, first things first, I found the episode "Once Upon a Time" rather dull. Of course, that's in part because I wasn't aware of all the backstory between the prisoner and number 2, but anyway the whole episode is a battle of wits between these two, and it feels quite stretched. Still, there are nice touches here and there, such as the prisoner being made believe that he is a kid so number 2 can obtain some leverage, or their struggle being compared with a fencing match. The episode ends with number two dying at the hands of the prisoner, so new chances of escaping The Village seem more probable than ever before.

The last episode, "Fall out", is also a mixed bag, but it has so many moments of sheer lunacy that I'd say it stands as one of the best episodes, if not the best in the series.

Starting with the bad news, the psychodelic elements in the narrative of the series are here pushed to the maximum, which means that there are many scenes in the episode which make little or no sense at all. Other moments are so obscure it can be interpreted the whole thing is not even happening, and as in the previous episode the situations are too stretched to hold the viewer's interest for that long.

Here, however, the are as many good things as bad ones. To start with, McGoohan keeps himself shut up and restrained for almost the whole episode, which is a welcome change. No hammy acting here, thanks God. And the sheer audacity and lunacy of the script is still amazing after all these years. Here basically The Prisoner is "promoted" to a new status after killing number 2, and during a long, quite psychodelic public ceremony, is offered the choice between becoming the new number 2 or being freed. During the ceremony, number 2 is resurrected (!) and then judged (!!), and so is another prisoner, 48, who I imagine is introduced to the viewer in previous episodes. The later is lots of fun, because he disrupts the process several times by singing and dancing "Dem Bones" while the judge and a group of masked individuals that speak at the same time. I admit laughing out lous while seeing this happen. Damn song is still with me after more than 24 hours.

Finally, The Prisoner decides to play along, accepts being freed, and after meeting number 1 (or not) he breaks havoc, kills almost everyone in sight (to the sounds of the Beatles "All you need is love") and escapes together with some other people, including number 2 (what?!) and 48.

As I said, the episode is a bit boring in some places, but you have to admire the chances McGoohan took here, and the many instances of obscure references and lunacy work much better than in other episodes I've seen. It's a worthwile conclusion to the series, and probably one of its best episodes. Now, if I only could get that song outside of my head...

The foot bone connected to the leg bone,
The leg bone connected to the knee bone,
The knee bone connected to the thigh bone,
The thigh bone connected to the back bone,
The back bone connected to the neck bone,
The neck bone connected to the head bone,
Oh, hear the word of the Lord!
   

[Famous Mortimer]

I first saw it about 16 or 17 years ago and loved it. Taste is a wonderful thing, and it's a shame you don't like it as there's so much to be had in there but we all have different tastes. I'd rank it extremely high in my favourite TV shows of all time.

[Bill C.]

The Prisoner, to me, is one of those shows.  You know the kind.  The kind either everybody you know loves or everybody you know stares at it and goes "Okay, wait, what now?"

I fall into the former group, myself.  Even though I still have only a fragment of a clue as to exactly what the hell was going on in Fall Out...

[SaintMort]

I loved the show when I netflixed it. I agree some episodes were really weak... but all in all I thought it was brilliant and had a great concept going for it.

[peter johnson]

Really very little to say about this one that hasn't  been said already --
If you're interested in McGoohan, try and find copies of "Danger Man"("Secret Agent Man" in the USA -- and, yes, that's where the song comes from.).
I saw it first-run on American TV at age 10 when it first played on American TV, around 1966 or so, I think --
American TV in the early to mid '60's was actually quite an interesting place.  For every "Beverly Hillbillies", you had a "Twilight Zone" or "Outer Limits".
I think the more you watch this, the better the classical mythology format of The Hero's Journey comes clear.  It really was a visionary masterpiece, when taken as a whole, which is really how it should be taken --
The Simpson's got it -- and I loved that McGoohan cooerated fully with them when they did their great parody of it all --
peter johnson/denny crane

[Yaddo 42]

The Prisoner, to me, is one of those shows.  You know the kind.  The kind either everybody you know loves or everybody you know stares at it and goes "Okay, wait, what now?"

I'm in the latter group, I love the show but know few die-hard fans of it. In my fanboy moments I do the "be seeing you" gesture, well aware no one knows where it comes from. I also like the term "unmutual", that comes from one episode, as a synonym for misanthropic or antisocial. People seem to accept that one even if they don't get the connection.

From what I've read if "Fall Out" is confusing in addition to it's basic story, McGoohan was behind schedule on the script and making changes at the last minute. I love so many parts of the episode: "Dry Bones", the committee in full regalia pounding on their tables, the president/prosecutor's speeches, the big reveal, the revival of Number Two, that door opening on it's own and what it means. But one of my favorites is when the Prisoner is given the chance to say a few words and he is drown out but the noise of everyone else chanting, "I,I,I...I,I,I,...I,I,I!" until he decides to press on and say what he wants to say whether it's heard or not. The look on his face at the end is classic. 

Alexis Kanner was in two other episodes, but was not Number 48 in either one. Just as Leo McKern was the only Number Two to make a return appearance. A book I've got says McKern had a breakdown filming "Once Upon a Time" and missed several days of filming.

Sorry you had such a mixed reaction to it, I'd also suggest trying the series as a whole again at some point, and still recommend episodes like "Hammer into Anvil" and "the Girl Who was Death", and "The Chimes of Big Ben".

[otisberg77]

I was there at the weekend, Portmerion, where they filmed it, that place rocks! It  is so cool!
http://www.portmeirion-village.com/

[raj]

Love the show.  Have the complete series on dvd, the only show I haven't watched is the finale, so I'm going to avoid this thread until I do.

[BeyondTheGrave]

While I'm too young to see in its first TV run, I actually saw a couple of episodes on PBS and was hooked. Still have to get it on DVD.

[Jack]

I remember watching it as a kid, mostly I just remember a big rubber ball chasing the Prisoner around on a beach.  Thought that was pretty cool.  It drifted off into absurdity far too often for me to really be interested in it today though. 

[BoyScoutKevin]

There is talk of doing a remake of this television series.

[raj]

There is talk of doing a remake of this television series.

No, no, no.

Leave well enough alone.

[Yaddo 42]

Is that current? I know there was talk a few years ago, McGoohan was supposed to be involved with the script and Simon West was supposedly rumored to be directing, but nothing became of it, I think. Mel Gibson's name was kicked around for the lead at one time as well. I though Sam Neil would be a good choice if the just really had to do it. But he's not enough of a star to do it as anything other than a TV (mini)series, which would be the better option if you were going to redo it.

Just to throw some names out there for speculation's sake: Christian Bale, Liev Schreiber, Clive Owen, or Paul Bettany for Number Six. Michael Gambon, John Malkovich, Brian Cox, Terrence Stamp, Forrest Whitaker, or Jean Reno as Number Two. Although in a twisted way I like John C. McGinley from Scrubs since he's basically doing a comedic variation of such a role every week on that show by testing JD's mettle, just excise the "teaching JD a lesson" part.

[Bill C.]

Actually, American Movie Classics...Britain's Sky One network...and Granada Television are all co-producing a new six-episode reimagining of the series due early next year.  Its working title: Number Six.  (Originally Christopher Eccleston, the Tenth Doctor, was in talks to become the new Number Six, but that apparently fell through.)

Meanwhile: the long-long-rumored movie adaptation has a new director attached to it: Christopher Nolan.  Nothing is known beyond that.

[Famous Mortimer]

Actually, American Movie Classics...Britain's Sky One network...and Granada Television are all co-producing a new six-episode reimagining of the series due early next year.  Its working title: Number Six.  (Originally Christopher Eccleston, the Tenth Doctor, was in talks to become the new Number Six, but that apparently fell through.)

Meanwhile: the long-long-rumored movie adaptation has a new director attached to it: Christopher Nolan.  Nothing is known beyond that.

I'm of the opinion that when the original is still as good as it is, and hasn't really aged significantly, they should leave well enough alone. Saying that, re: the post above, Paul Bettany would make an excellent no.6. Or Mathew McFadyen, and they could tie it into him leaving "Spooks", just like they did to the original with "Danger Man".

All it'll be is the original series with sexy technology and stuff. And it won't be as good. Boo.